Hilary with Ruby

Hilary Shenton of  Zarza Alpacas in Italy is now offering a range of items of wearing apparel plus an alpaca and silk mix knee blanket “for travel or a cosy evening on the sofa!” through her new website www.alpacaitalianknitwear.com

Some of the fascinating information found on Hilary’s latest site: 

Roaming the mountains

The tranquil sun-drenched atmosphere of the mountains of southern Italy is the ideal setting for our breeding herd of alpacas.

Having bred alpacas in England for ten years we set up our herd here in 2007 with the goal of emulating as far as possible the natural environment of the altiplano of South America from where alpacas originate. We cannot quite manage the altitude of 4000 metres they are used to but we can graze them at 1000 metres in glorious surroundings.

We allow our alpacas free range to roam and to enjoy the wonderful coarse vegetation that is literally crammed with grasses and wild herbs that they love to eat. Supplemented only by hay and alfalfa the diet really suits them!

We have been rewarded by harvests of beautifully fine fleeces that have grown denser and softer due to the natural stress-free life.

These fleeces are shorn annually in May and the alpacas are relieved to shed their coats before enjoying the Italian sunshine.

A partnership with Artisans

A specific project of which we are very proud is with the oldest mill in Calabria, Lanificio Leo, established in 1873. Together we are producing our cream and grey ‘Leo’ scarves – a fine example of the old and new working together developing new traditions locally.

Our contacts with local people have brought us into contact with highly talented artisans keen to work with alpaca fibre and to produce items that can be worn time and time again without losing their natural qualities of excellence in drape and softness.

A specific project of which we are very proud is with the oldest mill in Calabria, Lanificio Leo, established in 1873. Together we are producing our cream and grey ‘Leo’ scarves – a fine example of the old and new working together developing new traditions locally.

alpaca fibre

QUALITIES OF ALPACA

Alpaca is soft to the touch. Many people wear alpaca who cannot wear sheep’s wool and other fibres that are ‘itchy’.

Alpaca is extremely durable so many people treat their alpaca garments as heirloom pieces since they last a lifetime or more with minimal care.

Lacy Scarf ~ Light-as-a-feather this gorgeous lace scarf can be worn winter or summer

*This is also available in a larger size to be worn as a wrap ~ See Wrap Category

Colour:    Rich cream
Size:        40cm x 200cm

Lacy Alpaca Scarf

Black Ski Hat (Shown with Matching Lace Scarf Sold Separately) 

A soft and warm hat with a delicate textured pattern and pompom. Ideal for skiing or walking. 

A luxurious lace scarf made from the rarer suri alpaca. It shimmers like silk!

Colour:    Merlo black
Size:        40cm x 200 cm

Black Alpaca Hat & Scarf

Alpaca Travel Blanket (located in Wraps Category)

Alpaca Travel Blanket

A light and very soft caramel alpaca and silk mix knee blanket, ideal for travel or a cosy evening on the sofa!

Colour:    Caramel
Size:        120cm x 140cm

Sandra Morton, Perilla's owner with some of their wonderful alpaca socks 'the ultimate treat for feet'

Natural, breathable, antibacterial fibre (naturally repels bacteria and odour) means you can wear a pair of socks for weeks (should you feel the need!) and they remain odourless and soft. Perfect for the mountaineer or long distance sailer where sock changes are impractical. Embrace the arrival of long-life socks!

I can personally attest to the amazing comfort of  Perilla’s  socks and the extraordinary quality of their range of items!

View all of Perilla’s collection at www.perilla.co.uk

Alpaca’s unique hollow fibre is incredibly lightweight and warm. The Alpaca on the Altiplano have to cope with an arid environment with temperatures ranging from 24°C in the summer to minus 20°C in the winter months. These high insulating properties are perfectly suited for clothing that are also naturally breathable.

Second only to silk for strength, alpaca is comparable to the luxurious softness of cashmere yet more durable and far more hardwearing than both. It has a unique feel to it and seems softer to actually wear than anything else.

Perilla's Plain Knit Alpaca Cardigan with Pockets

Being smoother than wool, alpaca has a very low prickle factor; if you can’t wear ‘itchy’ wool alpaca provides a superior alternative.

Baby Alpaca Sweaters for Men created for Perilla in Peru

Hypoallergenic qualities with no lanolin content, alpaca is ideal for babies and sensitive skins.

Perilla's 100% Cashmere Travel Wraps for the children in your life. Made in Scotland.

View all of Perilla’s collection at www.perilla.co.uk

AUTUMN ARRIVES - My Own Personal Sign

I have been fortunate to have spent years enjoying life surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of autumnal signs in places as diverse and geographically distant as Vermont and England. Each year I await some special sign that autumn has arrived. It is the start of my two favourite seasons and I look forward to it with great joy and excitement. In the past, the signs have included sightings of the first home that has been decorated with pumpkins on the porch and a seasonal wreath on the door and a scarecrow in the neighbouring field (the first was spotted in Vermont, the second in Hampshire, England).

New England is famous for its seasonal displays and towns and villages in Vermont seem to surpass them all in my humble opinion. When we lived there, the frontage of our Country Inn was decorated with an antique maple syrup wagon filled with bales of hay topped with assorted pumpkins and squashes of all sizes and colours. Tall stalks were affixed to each column on both porches and a wreath was made for every door. It was a family project but never failed to include neighbours and guests who were as excited as I was and the celebration of the conclusion of our decorative efforts always included hot mulled cider and home baked treats in front of the woodstove or fireplace.

We have been back in England for the past five years, the first three in the south (first Dorset and then Hampshire) and we are now living in North Yorkshire where the cold weather began to settle in with a vengeance last week and I began to feel the stirrings of anticipation as I awaited my sign.

Returning home from some errands two days ago, I found the leaf shown above sitting all on its own on the centre of the steps leading up to our front door. The day was windy and wet and yet amid the natural debris viewed all around the village this was the one single object in front of our door ~ This leaf is definitely my sign that Autumn 2010 has officially arrived!

I must return to working on our  Countryside Connection  Members’  October Newsletter which is a special Fashion Feature highlighting those wonderful members who offer exquisite ranges of clothing; using wool from Yorkshire Sheep; Cashmere from Scotland; Alpaca from Italy and Britain as well as extensive accessories and other unique items. I promise to send links and show some examples once I have finally completed this wonderful, but very time-consuming task.

Don't Push the River

Am I the only person who is constantly asking herself the same question: Where does the time go?  Between numerous business commitments and a wonderful, but hectic family life, this question could easily be my own personal Mantra.

I have just decided that a long overdue entry is my final task for the day as I desperately need to return to a cherished book that has calmed me down more times than I can count over more years than I wish to remember. I cannot recommend it more highly! Off to curl up and read . . .

Rainbows Over The British Countryside

August has been much more autumnal than summer for most of us but oh the gift of rainbows over the barns and other country sites!

Round School House in Brookline Vermont built in 1822 - believed to be the only round school house ever built in America

In today’s current world economy, few are spared from having to find as many ways to save as possible. As a former education specialist, I have noticed that it is virtually impossible to access any form of media without coming upon at least one of the new 3 R’s mentioned above. Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic (the original ‘three ars’) were the 3 which related to the main subjects taught at the elementary school level; but today, in addition to Reclaimed, Recycled and Renovated, we are all (hopefully) looking for new ways to Reuse and Reduce in an effort to save our environment.

Whether you are supporting products that use materials such as our reclaimed wood items which bring a sense of history and warmth with them, or vintage and collectible items which do the same, it is vital that we all reassess the way we live and consume. The importance of the way we conduct our lives and how we impact the world we inhabit and which our children and all future generations will inherit, cannot be overstated.

Last week’s Sunday Times Style Magazine, was filled with articles about the NEW current ? ( I thought it had been in vogue for decades but what do I know?) trend for Vintage Fashions. The main sections of the newspaper, several of them in fact, carried articles about the extraordinary amount of food wastage that goes on in this country – would you believe that one out of every four bags of groceries purchased ends up in the bin?

If we do not find ways to honour and support the New 3 R’s where will we end up?  The thought of being surrounded by giant landfills should raise terror and plans of action in all of us as should the fact that so much of our unnecessary waste is presently being sent to other countries where disease and danger is spread from these sites to the children and adults who inhabit these countries.

Here’s to the New 3 R’s and all who support them and the others mentioned! I would love to hear your ideas and anything you are currently involved in that will offer new ideas and plans for action, individually and collectively.

Countryside Connection - www.countrysideconnection.com

Things I have especially enjoyed whilst exploring my members sites and blogs recently:

On Artist Penny Lindop’s Website  http://www.pennylindop.com/  in the top upper-right hand corner you can link directly to her blog http://pennylindopdesigns.blogspot.com/ and I was delighted to discover that she has recently begun adding some wonderful insights into her past – a recent post was all about her time in 1981 when she was working on an archaeological excavation in France where hunter-gatherers set up camp about 12,000 years ago to ambush reindeer. In addition to a fascinating read, you have a chance to see inside Penny’s sketch book with drawings of the site, the director and another Roman site in Germany where she worked in 1972.

Penny has also added some new items that I am sure will have great appeal – Boxed Sets of her cards, Postcards, Special Discount for 4 or more cards and the chance to add tiny gift bags filled with handmade chocolate sticks to any order.

On Sandra Morton’s site, www.perilla.co.uk I discovered Perilla’s exquisite 100% Linen Stoles/Scarves that are available in 14 colours – some are one colour, others are available in thin or wide stripes. Large enough to be worn as a sarong, these are an incredible bargain at only £12.00 each.  In her new Summer Hats Category you can select from a fabulous Belize Cowboy Hat or a Bermuda Sun Hat. Both are made from Raffia and you can also order great St. Croix Cornhusk Summer Bags with faux leather straps. The strap and buckle that goes across has a magnetic clasp. They have a matching coloured cotton interior with a zip running across the top with zipped pocket, cards and phone pockets. A perfect compliment to the Bermuda hats, they come in the same choice of brown, green and natural.
A look at Wendy Blair’s Rose Hill B&B website calendar www.bandbrosehill.com in Roanoke, Virginia, and you discover that every Saturday night this month Roanoke offers Music and on one Friday night there is a Theatre Production, another a Movie in the Park and another the Opening Ceremonies of The Coventry Commonwealth Games of Virginia.

In Wales at Jinsy and David’s Penyrallt Farm www.penyrallt.co.uk their Availability Calendar reveals that their comfortable cottage, with its wonderful wood enhanced interior and stone exterior, with furnishings built by David and decorated by Jinsy, is completely booked through the 3^rd of September with lots of other periods already reserved after that. It shows that when great accommodations and farm hospitality are on offer, people will come and return again and again.

More than six thousand miles away, at Dottie Musser’s Bradford Place Inn and Gardens in Northern California (Sonora) www.bradfordplaceinn.com they are celebrating their Tenth Anniversary of offering the finest hospitality and accommodations. The local Ironstone Winery Concert Series has an amazing array of diverse talent on offer during the next few months – Faith Hill, REO Speedwagon with Pat Benatar, a BB King Blues Festival, Willie Nelson with LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow. This arena is one of a wealth of entertainment and nature offerings in the surrounding area. To top it off, Dottie is offering a 25% Savings on all rooms through the 31^st of August!  Why not combine a trip to both Southern and Northern California with a stay both with Dottie and Liz Clarke at Kate Stanton Inn in the beach city of Encinitas in Southern California www.katestantoninn.com where their location description says it all: Come rest where the sea meets the sky, and ocean breezes cast their spell on you. Walk to Carlsbad State Beach, cruise to Moonlight Beach & downtown Encinitas. The inn is located only 3 miles from La Costa Resort and Spa, home to golf and tennis tournaments, The Chopra Center and 10 miles from San Diego County Fairgrounds and Del Mar Race Track. San Diego which is an extraordinary city and renowned Coronado Island are both only half an hour away.

It is always a good time to visit Glastonbury and Tordown www.tordown.com where Cheryl and Michael are ready to welcome you with warmth, local knowledge and lore and the chance to explore many healing experiences. The summer months are always filled with exciting events and there are many I found fascinating that are being held this month and next. From the 22^nd to the 26^th of July The Glastonbury Symposium will be Investigating Crop Circles and Signs of our Times; from the 25^th of July through the 1^st of August The Glastonbury Goddess Conference will be held – ‘International Fun and Research into the Goddess and then in early August on the 7^th and 8^th is the renowned Glastonbury Extravaganza on the Abbey Grounds with evening performances and often wonderful fireworks as well. Why not contact Cheryl and Michael for more information and give yourself a break that will be sure to raise your spirits and calm the soul.

Also in the southwest of England are the ancient cathedral city of Salisbury and Karen and Mark Rogers beautifully elegant Edwardian Rokeby Guest House. They are located just outside the city in a charming countryside garden setting www.rokebyguesthouse.co.uk  and are a perfect place to stay for your visit to the area which has so much to offer. In addition to Salisbury Cathedral begun in 1220 and finished in 1258, you will enjoy Old Sarum the original site of the cathedral which was first occupied over 5,000 years ago. A stay with Karen and Mark also places you only eight miles from Stonehenge one of the oldest and well know megalithic sites in the country.  Please Note: Karen recently mentioned that she often keeps rooms back from her online reservations and that I should ask anyone wanting to visit to call her directly if the online reservation shows Full, so please call her and don’t miss your opportunity to stay in this enchanting home. Many of these offerings in and around Salisbury take us full circle to the first mention of Penny’s European excavation sites on her blog!

Mother Goose from Once Upon a Pine

At  Once Upon a Pine  we have just added our latest item created from reclaimed wood; our ‘Mother Goose’ as shown above. You will find her in our New England and also The Reclaimed Wood Furnishing and Accessories Categories.  In our home, Mother Goose usually lives on the window ledge, but has been known to jump to the top of the refrigerator when it suits her or to the middle of the table to feature as the centrepiece. She rarely fails to cause exclamations of delight from children and adults.

Our Wooden Chicken on a Stick which also appears on the site has proven so popular and we are delighted to respond to requests to increase our farmyard collection for the interior of your home. If you have geese, chickens or other barnyard animals outside it is important that you remind Mother Goose that she really does not belong with them as she longs to join her friends and hates missing out on the daily gossip.

Saturday, 12 June 2010

“They say you save the best to last and this game might very well be the best of the day. You have England on one side, who really should do better than they do and on the other, you’ve got the United States, who do a lot better than they should.

On paper, this is an easy game however, it is England every day, but the United States will fight for everything, as if their lives depended on it and that might very well frustrate England and if they do it long enough, there is a chance England will make a mistake or two”

Read more about The World Cup Matches here http://www.worldcup2010southafrica.com/world-cup-group-c/england/england-v-united-states-world-cup-group-c-match-5/http://www.worldcup2010southafrica.com/world-cup-group-c/england/england-v-united-states-world-cup-group-c-match-5/

Regular visitors to our blog will know that I am an American woman, married to an Englishman and we have lived between the two countries for more than 30 years. As we prepare to watch this match from our home in England, I can only make one comment ~ I think that if you try to guess which team we are cheering on, separately or together, you are likely to guess incorrectly.

Hope lots of you will be watching and that each of you enjoy the outcome that you are hoping for!