Getting Lost

There is something to be said about getting lost every once in a while. We all have routines in our lives ... paths, roads and routes that we take all the time to get to work, the shops, the kids to school etc. But its good to go out and get lost once in a while don't you think? Whether we live in the urban jungle or amongst fields and trees in the countryside there is always beauty to be found, sometimes it all takes is a quick a wander off your usual beaten track.

I have lived in my town for 9 months now, but haven't really explored my local area too much, I'm always hurrying off to get to somewhere else.  So the other day I decided to put on my boots and take a wander from my own front door.

I found meadows surrounded by trees......and even a bit of blue sky look :)

There are dangers to be associated with heading out of your comfort zone though, look at the size of this giant stinging nettle behind me .... walkers beware ;)

You also have to not be afraid of the weather.  We are experiencing the wettest summer I can remember so if you're worried about getting wet there isn't much hope that you'll be getting far!

If you're super lucky you might stumble across the green man, hanging out protecting the woodland..... can you see him?

I found beautiful lakes I didn't know were just round the corner from my flat

fabulous bugs

and mesmerising patterns in nature.

All this and I was only out for 40 minutes, I can't wait to get out again for a longer walk.   So go on, go out and get lost for a while, I dare you ........ 

Quiet times and Happy moments

I had one of those days yesterday, things went wrong as soon as I got out of bed and continued that way for the rest of the day. I'm sure you know the kind of day I mean. Trying to make it through one of those kind of days makes me truly grateful for the days that do go smoothly, the ones where you can kick back and relax and watch the world go by for a while.

So today I'm going to share with you a few snaps from one of those 'quiet times and happy moments' days that I experienced back at the start of the summer.

River Festival

I still have a whole load of catch up posts to do from days out and about earlier on the year, but figured before I get back to those I'd do something a bit more current.

So here are a few snaps from Chippenham's River Festival held over the bank holiday weekend.Can't beat a good old fashioned Punch and Judy show. Of course I had to partake in a bit of ice cream eating while watching this. Was just like being at the seaside!

Raft racers on the river

The park in town transformed in to a giant play area.

Loved the Edwardian Bather jugglers in there attractive swimwear throwing fire. Very random combo if you ask me but their whole act was hilarious :)

Folk Festival revisited

The weather was slightly better than yesterday with a few scattered showers rather than a full on downpour all day. So we spent plenty of time hanging out at the folk festival. Here are a few of the pictures I took today.

A colourfully costumed dancer taking a few moments to warm up with come coffee.

Some wonderful waistcoats that reminded me of patchwork.

Some dancers in action.

Mondays is always street fair day. There is a craft tent and a music tent set up all weekend, but each Monday more vendors arrive for a street fair. There was a wonderful array of clothing, food, jewellery and accessories on display. Felted items seemed to be really popular this year. I managed to resist most of the temptations but I did treat myself to a new coin purse made from waste silk with a lovely orange felt flower. The colours are much more vibrant than shows here.

Chippenham Folk Festival

Spring bank holiday means its time for the folk festival in my home town of Chippenham. There is always plenty going on and a lovely atmosphere in the town. The weather forecast for the weekend isn't great but this morning was bright so we went and sat in the park and watched some of the folk dancers and morris men in action.
The colours and costumes are just great and it's wonderful to hear all of the folk music being played. There are plenty of displays to see from dancing to story telling. I'm really hoping that the weathermen have it wrong and it stays dry for the celebrations. I have more time tomorrow so would really love to go hang out for the whole day taking it all in but I guess we'll have to wait and see.