Day 7 Cockermouth and changeover

We set off in two minibuses before 9 am this morning for Cockermouth to visit the Wordsworth House in Cockermouth - about an hour's drive across the fells. It was a cool, sunny day with clear skies and good views.

Wordsworth House is the one in which both Dorothy and William were born. It has changed tenants and owners many times. In 1937 locals bought the house to prevent it being demolished. In 1979 it was taken over by the National Trust and furnished in the way it most likely was in the Wordsworths' time.







The detail extends to the food on the table each day, including an extraordinary pasty made by  Ivan Day, a local historian specialising in early English food.



One of the volunteers, Gwen, spoke to us about Dorothy Wordsworth. 

Upstairs, another volunteer was playing the harpsicord, a reproduction based on one of the time of the Wordsworths. It had been cleaned the day before and was subsequently a little in need of tuning. The harpsicordist played Handel, Bach, Scarlatti  - and Greensleeves. She also answered questions about musical instruments.

The house has a walled garden, now being planted.



Even the public toilet is used for teaching purposes. This sign was on the back of the booth in the Women's toilet.



We came back to Windermere at two different times. I came with the earlier group because I wanted to do more work on my embroidery.





















It was very peaceful - working quietly at individual pace without tutors.  I managed to almost finish the upright panel of the harp - only the veins to add to the gold leaf at the bottom. I also managed to iron my cardboard frames to the fabric, ready for construction. Jenny has offered to go over the instructions in free time on Friday.


Tomorrow we move on to the other project and tutor.






I feel very comfortable with where I got on this project, and with my understanding of the remaining processes and work - much more so than I did last year. I have learned the questions I need to ask about goldwork!

As I was packing up my gear to move to Nicola's work area tomorrow, Phillipa drew my attention to the sunset.

So pleased she did.

Tonight few of us are stitching. It has been an intense day. We are retired for the night or are sitting chatting in the lounge. Lots of sharing and laughter.

Day 4 Retreat begins

The consensus amongst the locals in our group this morning was that the clouds were snow clouds. The blue-y colour was the give away.

During the day the forecast for snow over the weekend was, I understand, modified and it is less likely we will see snow.


During the morning, tutors and students continued to arrive. We now have 14 students, our two tutors and Phillipa making things happen and run smoothly.








We began formally after lunch, with a lecture by Melissa Mitchell, Assistant Curator at the Wordsworth Trust, on A Woman's Life with the Wordsworths - focusing on Dorothy Wordsworth.

Melissa used Dorothy's letters, journals and transcriptions to give us a sense of her life - both in terms of its chronology (orphaned at 6, separated from her brothers, placed in a harsh, uncaring environment, reunited with her brother, malnourished, ill and eventually bedridden) and in terms of daily domestic routines.

Evidence suggests she was part of William Wordsworth's tight-knit family, mending, sewing, embroidering, but also discussing, influencing and transcribing his work. Her work was vital to the family, rather than icing on the cake.

Melissa was knowledgable, enthusiastic, analytical, engaging and inspiring. We will be seeing more of her during the week. We are beginning to see the complexity of Dorothy Wordsworth's life before we begin embroidery based in her life and work.

We then split into our two stitching groups - 7 in each. My group begins with Jenny Adin Christie's project - a needle case in the form of a harp, based on one in the Wordsworth Museum, created by Robert Southey's daughter. Jenny has used contemporary technology and materials to enhance the original design, putting it together in an extraordinary The needles have been especially made in Japan by, the wooden knobs hand-turned and all the pieces laser cut and printed.


It is a treasure trove of materials.

We began by couching stems - but continued long past the session end time.












Jenny is a meticulous instructor, providing clear demonstrations and constant feedback and support.




Nicola's project is equally exciting - I won't get to work on that until Tuesday.

We are now the only guests in the hotel and the service is brilliant. Our dining room is set up with mostly tables for 2 with a couple for 4.This enables us to rotate and mix. The buzz in the dining room tonight was full of energy, laughter, shared knowledge and problem solving. It is simply wonderful to be back in this environment of creativity, shared interest and learning.