Adelle’s Christmas haul

'Adelle's Christmas haul' blog post banner

Adelle's Christmas haul 2014

Justin bought me lovely presents again this year, so I thought I’d sing his praises and share a few pics of my Christmas haul.

Vintage industrial iron letter A

My presents were marked with this huge lovely old letter A – just in case I couldn’t find the large pile of gifts when I awoke on Christmas morning!

Tweed jacket

The first thing I opened was this gorgeous coat in Burren tweed. It’s made by Jack Murphy and has a modern country look. It’s perfect for all kinds of occasion – walking the dog on a sunny, crisp winters morning; browsing the shops in one of our Yorkshire market towns – or a day at the races all spring to mind!

Tweed jacket detail

As Justin knows, the shade of purple in this tweed is just about my favourite colour. He also bought me some cosy, fleecy pyjamas which carried on the theme. The purple ones have a sweet little heart design and the grey ones have seasonal snowflakes!

Pyjamas detail

Justin usually buys me a piece of jewellery at Christmas. This year he chose something from Element in Hebden Bridge. The stone is polished flint with a silver mount. I love the simple Scandinavian style and the fact that something beautiful has been created from such a humble material.

Polished flint ring from Element in Hebden Bridge

Next came some vintage fashion! Justin spends a lot of his time trawling for vintage loveliness, so I do quite well for handbags and the like. These two pieces date from the 1970s – a lovely pale blue, soft leather handbag and a roomy vanity case in yellow ochre.

Vintage handbag and vanity case

And what about this gorgeous little man! Well, he’s not so little – standing 16 inches tall. The robin’s breast is covered in Wiltshire Berry R Tana Lawn patterned fabric from the Liberty Art Fabrics Collection. I’d mentioned how gorgeous I thought he was when I was sourcing gift ideas for our blog. Then lo & behold – this wonderful splash of colour emerged from a simple brown paper package. He’s making me smile just looking at this photograph!

Large Liberty print robin figure and pair of bird books by Matt Sewell

There were more charming birds in the form of this little books. They’re produced by a favourite illustrator of ours, Matt Sewell. They’re entitled Our Garden Birds and Our Woodland Birds, so they’ll cover many of the birds I’ll see on our walks.

Pair of bird books by Matt Sewell

And Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a chocolatey treat! He bought me some luxury chocolate spread – perfect for the morning croissants.

Tin of fine chocolate spread

I think this girl done good!

Lamplighter Festival 2014

'Lamplighter Festival 2014' blog post banner

owl lantern in the Lamplighter Festival in Todmorden

The Lamplighter Festival brightened up our evening dog walk here in Todmorden on Saturday.

Lanterns canalside at Todmorden's Lamplighter Festival 2014

 We took a camera along and hope our snaps capture the atmosphere.

Fish lantern at Todmorden's Lamplighter Festival 2014

Todmorden sits in in a steep-sided valley so you could stand above the town and watch the parade as it meandered through the streets which was very pretty.

Globe lantern at the Todmorden Lamplighter Festival 2014

We then moved in for a closer look at the creations and their operators, listen to the drummers and view the more stationary installations.

Lanterns in the shape of houses and Stoodley Pike at Todmorden's Lamplighter Festival

The festival seems to combine quite an ancient tradition with a futuristic feel too – a bit Blade Runner!

Jellyfish lanterns at the Todmorden Lamplighter Festival 2014

It’s only the festival’s second year, but we think it’s got real potential for a long term future. It’s perfect for a dark winter evening and seems to suit the winding streets and old stone buildings of Todmorden.

Fire performer at Todmorden's Lamplighter Festival 2014

Both kids & adults were having fun. In addition to the parade, there were various food stalls and the local bars were doing a roaring trade.

Moon and star lanterns at Todmorden Lamplighter Festival 2014

Let’s hope it goes from strength to strength!

Gimme Five! Tour de Yorkshire souvenirs

'Gimme Five!' blog post banner

Gimme Five! Tour de Yorkshire souvenirs | H is for Home

The Tour de Yorkshire is pedalling its way through the county this weekend. There’s a fantastic atmosphere in the Calder Valley. Lots of the shops have made a big effort with their cycling-themed window displays; houses along the route sport bright yellow bicycles in their windows and the schools have gone to town with banners and cycling figures attached to railings.

We drove up Cragg Vale (the longest, continuous gradient in the country) this week to reckie a good vantage point for Sunday. There are multiple colourful strings of bunting right the way to the top – apparently it’s a world record attempt – over 10 kilometre’s worth!

The Tour’s visit to this area will be a once in a lifetime occurrence – here’s a little cross-section of commemorative and celebratory things produced in recognition.

  1. Bang Tidy Clothing women’s Yorkshire Cyclisme 2014 T shirt: £10.97, Amazon
  2. Tour de Yorkshire, day two – signed, mounted limited-edition print: £120, Michelle Campbell Art
  3. Handmade Tour de France Yorkshire bunting: £15, Etsy
  4. Velo-City – 12-bottle case: £32.50, York Brewery
  5. Cragg Vale cyclists print – inspired by Tour de Yorkshire: £45, Folksy