Wednesday 16 September 2009

Bring out the Bunting

It would appear that things are beginning to turn somewhat autumnal. The leaves on the trees are turning russet before our eyes and soon we will have to admit that summer is over. So, to bring back some cheery summery-ness, I thought I'd share with you something that I've been collecting photos of over the last few months...bunting!

Oh, how I love bunting!

It just goes to show that bunting really can be made out of anything...including book covers! We saw these ones in Hay-on-Wye when we popped there during the Hay Festival.

More bunting in Hay-on-Wye, this time made from Tibetan prayer flags.

We found our selves in Carnaby Street on the weekend of a 'Swinging Sixties' celebration. There were Union Jacks in every direction.

Happy Birthday, Marks and Spencer!

We arrived in the small village of Salbris in the Loire Valley (for our summer holiday) right in the middle of a festival of bands. Music, merriment and, of course, bunting were in plentiful supply!

More French bunting, in another Loire Valley town.

A reminder of sunny afternoons sitting under the vines in our back garden.

This last picture was taken just a few hours ago outside Ledbury Artplace (the studio of textile artist, Angie Hughes). It's Herefordshire Art Week (h.Art) at the moment and there are lots of places to visit, this being just one of them. This 'bunting' is made of dyed fabric, hung on a line to dry. Such gorgeous colours!

Here's to hanging up bunting for every occasion, whatever the season!

It should be said that the turning of the season from summer to autumn is far from being a bad thing. It's not all cold days and long nights, but a time for steaming mugs of hot chocolate, birthday celebrations, warm jumpers and...conkers! Childhood memories came flooding back to me as Mum and I went collecting some in the shadows of the Malvern Hills this afternoon. You're never too old for foraging for conkers, but we did have method in our slight madness, I promise. Apparently, if you put them in your house, they keep the spiders away!

5 comments:

Beki said...

I never knew that about conkers, how strange! Funny thing is i've never really suffered with spiders, yet I always seem to have conkers in the house.
Love the book cover bunting, such a great idea!
((hugs))
Beki xxx

A Bun Can Dance said...

Gosh I never heard that about conkers before!
I adore all your bunting photos, as a fellow bunting fan. It is such a simple frivolous thing which can turn any place or event into something special.
All over blogland we are all walking gently into Autumn and it seems to be a season which suits us all very well.
Have a good weekend!
D x

Pomona said...

Well, I need to collect bucketloads of conkers then - I fight a losing battle with the spiders here. There is something wonderfully festive about bunting - I made some of my own earlier in the summer and it made all the difference to the general jollity of the garden!

Pomona x

Suzy's Vintage Attic said...

Hello Katie
Lovely post! I LOVE bunting and have some in the house throughout the year. I love the different varitions. I love foraging and have been busy doing that over the past couple of weeks.
THANK YOU for the tip about conkers.
Last year I bought a spider deterrent which sends out waves of sound they don't like. Although the numbers have declined, we still get some though, the big black ones...:-(
I know what I will be foraging for this weekend!
Have a lovelty weekend.
Are you going to the fair in November?
Isabelle x

Lyn said...

I just love bunting! I would have it everywhere!
Love
Lyn
xxx