note to self

Time to work out how to fit these objects into the house! I love the combination of updated 1950s feel with countryside images and Burleigh Pottery is a wonderful story in itself. The tote bag wouldn't need much room, would it?

More about the artist, Mark Hearld, here. At the moment, I've got one of his greeitngs cards (a picture of blackbirds, very like the ones on the plate) displayed on my dressing table,a souvenir of last year's visit to Hay on Wye.

Barcelona: Glasselona



Sagrada Familia





a celebratory (plastic) glass of cava



Sagrada Familia

 I 

One day I'll work out how to space the pictures properly and arrange them in an order and layout that I like, but for now I'll just have to content myself with this series of images!

Barcelona: underfoot



Tessalating sea creature paving tiles, designed by Gaudi




tessalting tiles, Pedalbres



two different patterns side by side in a cell off the cloister, Pedalbres Monastery




Herringbone brick cloister floor, Pedalbres Monastery




Mosaic floor,  San Pau del Camp



The hand of God, mosaic floor, San Pau del Camp



tessalating isoceles triangle parquet flooring, Casa Mila

Barcelona: Here Be Dragons...

scary Gaudi gateway dragon

friendly fountain dragon (plus gulls)



there are four of the friendly fountain dragons in total



window frame dragon (one of a pair)

Barcelona Five-O

Terrified by the prospect of turning 50 (how did that happen so quickly?), I decided to flee the country, taking only Mr CK, a few belongings and the camera.  We settled on Barcelona as Mr CK wanted somewhere warm, preferably with orange groves, parrots and churches, whilst I wanted art, archticture, history and shop windows.  (And yarn, which turned out to be Drops alpaca and sock yarn courtesy of the very wonderful All You Knit is Love.) 

What an amazing place it turned out to be. We had a comfy, quiet, yet very central hotel; we ate really well and drank loads of Cava (priced from £2.40-£2.93 per glass. It would have been rude not to!) I'll be doing a few posts about this trip, I suspect, but here's just a flavour of what we found:






Testing our head for heights on the roof of Gaudi's Casa Mila.

 


Mr CK discovering his dream shop.





Even the leaves on the pavement seemed very different from here.





The monastery at Pedralbes, so calm and peaceful (until the local parrots started screeching.)




Looking up to the ceiling of the Sagrada Familia.




A novel use of colanders in Origens, a place that served hearty, delicious, Catalan fare.

 Coming soon: an assortment of dragons...