CQ Rydal Hall Retreat 2016

Last week on retreat at Rydal Hall  was spent in excellent company with  gentle strolls, sketching and  stitching  fuelled by coffee, 'tray bakes', wine and laughter.  Woke up on the first morning with  snow falling overnight (although it didn't last long). After tearing myself away from the view out my  bedroom window,  went for a walk in the very green woods with lots of piles of wood. Tried a bit of retail therapy in Grasmere but many shops were shut and  the  tins from the gingerbread shop washed away in the floods. There was  a lot of flood damage evident from huge craters in roads, footbridges out of use as too dangerous ( entailing longer detours) and piles of stones where there shouldn't be , washed up by the flood waters. The main road between Grasmere and Keswick is still  out of use.
Another day I walked to Rydal  Water and  drew until my fingers were too cold to hold a pencil - it was a bit more sheltered in the 'Grot' drawing Rydal Falls. I did some watercolours  but have got more into drawing as a result of all the courses I've been doing.
Most of the time though I was stitching and  making small collaged compositions inspired by my strolls and sketches, returning home refreshed in body and spirit.