Seeped in history...

Hello lovelies...

Thank you for all your lovely comments following my last post.

It is so joyous for me to share my passion for my beautiful 

Fens with you all.

I know everyone favours the area they know best.... 

the area you were born into or the area you grew up in.

For me the ancient landscape known as The Cambs Fens

is deeply rooted within my bones.

My family history reaches back to a time when Fenmen waded 

through the boggy marshes on stilts; before there were dry fields and profitable farms.

Over time, man has forcibly sculptured every square patch of the land

for his own advantage despite Mother Nature putting up a big fight, resulting

in the flat land now famously known for the best arable land in the UK.

On a holiday in Cornwall a few years ago, a shopkeeper asked me if I had travelled far

on my hols...

When I replied I lived in Cambridgeshire,

 she quickly returned with "Oh....you live in the damp patch then..."

The damp patch?

Can't say I've ever been described as a damp patcher before!

A stubborn 'ol Fen bird yes.

A Fen tiger yes.

One of them odd fen folk yes.

But...never a damp patcher...no.

My Fens offer skylines that equal a winning National Lottery ticket.

Her sunsets are masterpieces fit for the Tate Gallery.

As a child I would sit for hours watching clouds, create characters

and building my own stories...

I loved writing stories and poems.

I take SO many photos of the Fens and her landscape you would think at my age I would be bored of doing so by now but no.

I especially love trees.

Fen trees have a special corner in my heart.

Any shape, any size...any age.

They are always full of silent energy that bring a smile or two

whenever I see them.

Prince Charles was famously ridiculed for talking to the plants and trees but

I have to say I'm with him on that one....

I'm a firm believer in trusting trees with their wisdom.

They know a thing or two about survival of the fittest.

The tough 'ol Fen winds whip up a Fen blow around 

their ankles that often cause distress to so many....

and yet they plod on like tired old soldiers to get to the winning post.

They hold their own.

They are like little treasure boxes holding secrets to our past.

If only they could talk back....

Off to grab a cuppa and do some slow stitching so

until our next chat folks...

Toodle- ooh for now!

A Moody Landscape....

Morning my lovelies...

I have had great fun playing with a new camera over the weekend capturing

some fab Fenland sights to be used in my new exhibition pieces.

Driving through the Fen roads of the shadowy Cambridgeshire lands watching the ever-changing skies

always makes my soul sing despite the weather.

The Fens can be isolating and quite daunting if you are not familiar with them.

If you are expecting a big welcome all gooey-eyed and filled with scrummy deliciousness then you 

will be disappointed.

They don't greet you with their arms open wide for a snuggly hug; instead what they do do, is allow you to see them as they are...warts and all and if you enjoy them all well and good and if you don't, well they take the view (very much like many Fenland folk) and that is simply to say then keep on driving through...

"you either take us as you find us or skidavel out of here!"

You can travel for miles and not meet a soul at times.

For me that's what I really love.

Whittlesey Mere Washes

Pollarded Willow at Whittlesey Wash

Silence can be so beautiful in our fast pace of everyday living.

Many people are often put off visiting the Fens saying that there is nothing to look at...

I have to disagree!

If you want chocolate box cottages with beautiful roses around the door, pretty windy lanes filled full of charm or even neatly cut village greens I have to say sadly you probably will be let down

BUT

if you are after atmospheric landscapes, moody skies, miles of peace

and beautiful rugged beauty then you will definitely be overwhelmed by wonderful

delights that await.....

Moody Skies over Fen fields

The Fens have evolved over many centuries from a very harsh landscape that only the toughest survived to what we see today; the long uneven roads surrounded by the billowing Fen reeds that shelter their neighbours, the drains. 

Families, over time have learned to live with each season, the black clods of  mud constantly traipsed into their cottages and the wild Fen winds alongside the extreme poverty that constantly surrounded them and yet their homes were always filled with such cosiness and warmth for family

in the best way they could offer.

Fenland workers 

My exhibition pieces will focus on the connection of woman and cloth throughout time and how they survived with very little, living out in the middle of this vast landscape that chilled them to the bone in more ways than one.

Often Fen women were the strong threads running through a family line that held everything and everyone together.

Personally I don't think much has changed on that side of things.

Did their embroideries help their well being?

Did they see cloth as just a chore of constant repairs?

Would sewing have meant something very different to them instead of how we see it today?

What did they think when they looked out of their windows whilst stitching?

I'm often told the Fens hold nothing but dreary gloomy colours that dull the spirit but

when I look, all I can see is the vibrant colour of life.

My ancestors originate from the Fens.

They are in my blood and I'm very proud to call myself a Fen woman.

I would love to hear from anyone who lives(ed) in the Fens or who has a connection to them and would like to contribute to the stories and memories

I shall be collecting towards my exhibition

If you want to leave a message at the end of this post or get in touch I would love to hear from you!

info@tilly-rose.co.uk

I will be posting a questionnaire on here soon that you may want to fill in also...

In the meantime I will leave you with a few snippets of Fen life that I will be using in my textile pieces...

Toodle-ooh for now!

Tilly

x x x