So there was nothing scheduled on my calendar today. After spending a lovely day walking to Todmorden with Judith who came over from Harrogate yesterday I was quite happy to settle for a peaceful day. So, first things first. A quick trip round the Charity shops followed by a visit to the library. They are very strict on overdue books and I had two due back today. If you are late they charge 5p per day! Horror! So armed with Wuthering Heights (which for some incongruous reason is kept in the Teen section) and Armistead Maupin’s The Night Listener I settled down to read. Then I remembered the Brie and Harrogate blue cheese I’d bought at the market on Thursday and so I that took me into the kitchen where my quilt looked at me and asked in a rather sad voice ‘Why have you been neglecting me?’ I considered baring my soul to the fabric fragments but settled on placating it by beginning work on another scene – Stoodley Pike. This kept me quiet for a while. Well, not exactly quiet since I was listening to George Martin’s string quartets, but you get the idea. When I’d got the general idea of the basic fabric design I sat down, but 5 minutes later decided I should jump on the next train to Halifax: I was out of Wunder Under, sometimes known as Fusible Web. I have to keep pinching myself. I don’t ever remember having this much freedom before. It’s rather exhilarating.
The Christmas lights have been strung up in the streets in Halifax but they won’r be turned on until later this month. As the assistant measured out 5 metres of Wunder Under I chatted. “Do you have any fabric I could use as stones?” I thought it was a long shot, and the response, “yes, it’s just here” took me by surprise. I wasn’t quite as lucky with “What about grass fabric?” though.
After a quick trip to Poundland (a place that Simon Armitage decries vociferously in ‘All Points North) and Wilko’s, it was getting both cold and dark, so I opted for a warm-up in the Square Chapel. The scones looked delicious. I asked the bar-tender which beer might go with a scone, which for some strange reason he thought was highly amusing. I settled on a beer to drink then for one pound fifty, and a scone to go for three pounds fifty. Wow! As I sat enjoying my drink I browsed the What’s On brochures and discovered to my delight a flier for the Halifax Concert band – new members always welcome.
It was completely dark as I jumped on the next train back to Hebden just before 5 p.m. I looked up the band’s website. I’d even get to wear a uniform!
‘Stone’ fabric from the Fabberdashery
6 p.m.
10 p.m
Perched on a hilltop, isolated from the ancient village of Sowerby lies Steep Lane Chapel. Lies, is the wrong word. It clings to the hillside, shuddering and resisting the attempts by the buffeting gales to pitch it, hook, line and sinker, down into the valley below. This was my second visit to the chapel with the same two friends, both who grew up in Sowerby. Last time in the summer we braved a strong wind to walk to the chapel to see and brass band and partake in an amazing afternoon tea. This time it’s autumn and the misty drizzle was swirling around t’tops as we battled again the northerly gusts, which seemed occasionally to be in danger of knocking us off our feet. I was reminded of the poem: “The north wind doth blow, and we shall have snow, and what will the robin do then, poor thing? He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm, and hide his head under his wing, Poor thing!” Today is Steep Lane Chapel’s Autumn Fayre and the promise of another afternoon tea was too tempting to refuse.
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