Sculpture To Wear

Easter started well. I was kindly invited to Heather Boden’s and Tom Clay’s evening wedding reception which was held at the beautiful location of Peckforten Castle nr Tarporley, Cheshire. Hallmark (Brandy to his friends) was also invited to the actual wedding. However we were told on good authority that he thought all the pomp and ceremony and dressing up was for him and loved all the excitement stealing the show as usual!

Heather looked stunningly beautiful dressed in a gorgeous cream lace gown with a sparkly ornament placed in her perfectly coiffed hair and wearing a matching necklace. Whilst Tom looked so handsome in his wedding attire. What a handsome couple they make.

Hayley Erner came as my guest. We were only about 45 mins from Danielle Heath’s yard where Hayley has a young maxi cob which she purchased from Danielle earlier this year. So a very pleasant couple of hours were spent there.

Sunday also good! The weather remained lovely and sunny and I suddenly got the urge to dig over my son’s neglected flower border (minus flowers) He starts work early in a morning often finishing quite late so after long days he certainly doesn’t have the inclination to garden….althouh he does cut the lawns! anyway a few hours later and the place looked like Charlie Dimmock had payed a visit! Though I say it myself the border is looking spendid having been replanted with hardy little shrubs and perrenials!

Quite a few special orders are on the go at Sculpture to Wear keeping me busy as always.Punchestown Racing Festival is coming up soon. This is always a great atmosphere with English and Irish Racegoers enjoying top class National Hunt racing. We have one day to replenish stock and change our wardrobe before Pat and I head south for Badminton Horse Trials.

Well done Paul ( Barker) winning on my horse Lux Fabulous at Port Royal. He jumped the B+C 1.30m really well! Paul also had a win on Temple Ryefield. Both horses in great form!

Winter’s arrived at last! My poor spring bulbs are all in shock! Chaos once more on the trans Penine routes! You’d think by now that the councils would have got the hang of being prepared particularly as this snow was forecast a week ago!

It’s hard to believe that last Wednesday Evening I was stood in a field in the far west of Galway looking at horses and watching the Sun set. It was heaven ….and warm!

Everything is going to plan in Sculpture to Wear. Orders from Cheltenham Festival are being made and stock is being planned for Punchestown Festival. I just have the Ferry booking to arrange!

On Friday I’m going to Heather Bodens and Tom Clays evening wedding reception. Heather and Tom bought Hallmark from me and I think he is appearing at the wedding. He’ll be at the Day time do though!

Lux Fabulous is on tick over at the moment. Just going out to jump double clears and not be competative as he hasn’t to win any more money for now. I know that sounds odd but those people in showjumping know that there are boundries to be kept within in order to jump the HOYS qualifiers. Fabion jumped the best I’ve ever seen him in the 1.35m class at The Hand equestrian centre near Bristol the day after Cheltenham. So that was worth the extra day stop over. If anyone is looking for a very nice small horse I have one for sale. 156 Bay gelding, 4 yrs, just broken and very straight forward. To make an intermediate WH or little eventer.

If interested please call me on 01969 624949

The last few weeks have flown by since my last blog.Preparations for Cheltenham festival have taken priority. Stock had to be remade after a busy Christmas trading period. Our jewellery cabinets have all been refurbished and the jewellery stands all look fresh and modern in their new colours. Our arrangement of flowers have been renewed to match and look spendid in shades of burgandy, cream and green.

A couple of weeks prior to Cheltenham festival I managed to fly to Ireland, for a three day break. This time I got to the Airport with hours to spare! As usual I had a great time looking at lots of horses! Yes, of course, I did buy a heaveyweight show cob for a friend. I think he is going to be very smart. He is now called It’s Abracobdabra ! So watch out for this one! I also bought a lovely small horse who will end up 158. He is 3/4 TB,4years Bay , good mover and just broken. He could be anything, small hunter or Intermediate SHP/WHP or even a little event horse. He has a lovely attitude and lots of presence. I bought him as a project to sell so if there’s someone out there looking for just this, please telephone my office! 01969 624949

The Festival had its usual “great buzz” and four days of wonderful racing. Though it’s impossible to get off the stand in case one got stuck in the crowds we hardly missed a race as the”Go Racing in Ireland” stand was next to ours and we were able to watch their big screen!

As well as Pat, who everyone knows because she’s been part of the furniture for years, I took along Sarah Mousley. Sarah is Paul Barker’s sister in law and is a very good show jumping girl. However I can now safely say that she has been bitten by the Racing Bug and has designs on becoming a point to point jockey! I really wouldn’t be surprized if that happened as she is so competative, I think the sport would suit her!

Pat returned home to Yorkshire on Friday after racing whilst Sarah and I stayed another night as we were going on to The Hand Equestrian Centre,near Bristol, to watch Lux Fabulous jump in the 1.35 B&C. He jumped two superb clear rounds to finish 6th. Paul finished his successful show with a good win in the next class with Temple Ryefield. The five hour drive back home seemed easy after all three of the horses Paul took jumped well and for me a perfect ending to a busy but fun week.

Paul Barker jumped a team of horses at Aintree last week. He was successful as usual with his own horses and also he was quite pleased with Lux Fabulous. It was his first show for a few weeks and he always comes out “fresh”. The first day in the 1.20 mtrs “Fabion” managed to put 2 strides in the double and still managed to go clear! Next day was an improvement, still at 1.20 he was second! Well done Paul! Last saturday the snow began to fall so Paul decided to miss the B+C to travel home. A wise decision as once again the M62 was a real hazard. Paul had a nightmare journey home with cars skidding all over the place in front of him in the snow! With 7 horses on board it was frightening! But as well as being a great rider Paul is a very good driver and got everyone home safely. Sunday was chill out day. For the second week in a row Hannah, Paul and I have gone out for Sunday lunch. Very civilised! This time joined by Pat, who works on my stand, Anna, my secretary and Alex, her husband, we had a super traditional Sunday lunch at the Blue Lion at East Witton, near Leyburn

Another attempt today, Friday, to get to Liverpool Airport! Two weeks ago I set off from North Yorkshire at 3.30pm to get to Liverpool for a 10.10 pm flight to Shannon. One would have thought 6 hours was leaving enough travelling time to do what is normally a three and a half hour journey! Wrong! The M62 was completely gridlocked due to other routes over the Penines being closed because of snow. I decided to call it a day at 9.15pm as there was no way I was going be there in time before the gate closed at 9.45! So I gingerly left the M62 at Saddleworth to return home. I’ve never known traffic as bad as this with lorries parked up on the side of the motorway when their hours were “up”. As I headed east again the traffic on the west side of the motorway was still backed up to Leeds! It just shows how overcrowed our roads are! Let’s hope the cob that I’m going to look at is good enough!

If you got it wrong at Christmas and didn’t buy your partner a piece of Sculpture to Wear’s beautiful jewellery, well here’s the chance to make it all right! VALENTINE’S DAY is just around the corner. Browse our website, most pieces are available in Silver too, so simply order on line, telephone or e-mail us with your requests. We also make bespoke pieces of jewellery and beautiful Diamond rings for those thinking of a Springtime engagement. We also have Gift Tokens available from £25.00!

Call now on 01969 624949 and let us help you!

What a good time the last few weeks have been since my last blog. Christmas trade was good as usual. Actually December orders were well up on last year, so thank you to all my customers old and new.! My son,Richard, came up from London to stay. We’ve had really nice time together as always.My other son, Andy, lives in Bedale and popped in for the odd meal. Andy’s always on the go.He works very hard and he’s got loads of hobbies, such as building and flying scale model helicopters and jets, hangliding,car rallying and motorbike racing! He is a former World Champion motor bike sidecar racer,(he was the passenger!) so as you can imagine , fairly bonkers! He’s always out and about but has a little lady at home whose always pleased to see him! This is Andy’s precious old cat Lucy!

Richard and I joined friends for an excellent Christmas Lunch whilst Andy spent the day with his godson and all that family, . We all had a super day!

The next day’s racing on the TV from Kempton was fantastic! The mild winter has meant that horses were in peak condition. The King George v chase never fails to disappoint with another win for Kauto Star. He was awsome! Personally I think he’s got better with age. His jumping in this race and at Haydock previously, was very fluent. For me, I’m having my fiver on Kauto at the Festival although I know, people much wiser than me are saying he’ll get beaten by Long Run! Anyway it is a thrill to be there on Gold Cup day, though Pat and I will be on the Tradestand the atmosphere during that race is electric. Everything goes earily quiet once the runners are off only to be interupted by oohs and arghs when there are mistakes. Good luck to the Nichols team. I’m sure it is a very anxious few weeks ahead!

On the monday after Christmas day I was kindly invited to go to the Bedale Hunt Meet with my friends down the road, Magnus Nicholson and fiance Kate. Again, a beautiful morning and the hounds met in front of a glorious house! We followed by car/foot for a couple of hours, all of us wishing we were mounted! Then down to the Bay Horse Pub in Masham for an excellent pub lunch!

January 6th, 10pm Flight Liverpool – Shannon. Four Girls heading for the Stonehall Harriers Hunt Ball in the Dunraven Arms , Adare. Thankfully we arrived in plenty of time to check-in. Hayley had checked one case onto the flight and had said to me that if I had surplus it could go in her suitcase. Consequently I didn’t take too much care decanting lotions and potions as usual, thinking i’d just put my whole toilet bag on the plane in the case! Wrong! Hayley’s case was already 10 kilos overweight! Lynda and Reta were in a similar situation so a lot of unloading had to be done and excess taken back to the car! That done a pre flight drink was needed!

We arrived at Shannon a little late as the flight was delayed. (unusal for Ryanair!) picked up a very nice hire car from Hertz and set off for the Dunraven. I love this hotel and stay fairly often. There were still people in the bar when we arrived after midnight so decided to join them! Large brandies and a tray of sandwiches! Just what the doctor ordered!

Next morning, after a substantial Irish breakfast we left to find the meet. The Stonehall Harriers were featured in December 22nd’s Horse and Hound.

However we were given the wrong information in the hotel and set off in search of the meet an hour early! Of course no horses were about so we simply drove into a little yard where a bit of banter took place followed by cobs and hunters of various sizes and shapes were paraded before us with a hope of tempting us! Here we were well informed as to the initial format of the hunt. They were to meet at the cross roads at the brow of the hill, jump a few walls into a property owned by this man where hospitality, in abundance, was available!

Hospitality and friendleness like this just doesn’t exist anywhere else in the same instant way as it does in Ireland! There’s no pretentiousness and people enjoy every moment of the occasion.

After the meet when hounds moved off we returned to Adare. Lynda and Reta (this is how its spelt!) wanted to visit the lovely boutiques. Hayley went back to the Hotel and I tagged along with the girls. Sale time in the beautiful shoe shop called Rococco was irresistable! I just needed the gorgeous cowboy style boots! I couldn’t leave the last pair of size 5′s otherwise i was surely going to regret it! …..and the black jeans which were a perfect fit! How much if I took the boots and the jeans,?.. I asked the very pleasant assistant .Not quite as low as I’d hoped, I dragged the other girls in on the deal! I hasten to add they were NOT kicking and screaming! I forced Lynda’s larger calves into svelte like knee length boots and tried to convince Reta how useful a sort of high heeled grey suede pump would be in the heart of Cumbria! ( ok, so they pinched her bunyans a bit! Sometime glamour comes with pain!) Anyway both of them did not succumb to my persuasions but did buy some very sensible (but stylish) flat shoes! So what would the deal be now? We ordered the poor assistant to ring her boss so we could discuss this big sale (already at a reduced price!) Yes!! a result!Everyone happy with our wares we trundled across the road back to the Dunraven. Back into a lovely warm bar we ordered tea and sandwiches (and cake for me, why not I was on holiday after all!). Hayley came to join us in the bar where a plethora of tissue paper ensued! Parading our purchases back and forth between the tables to the approving tones of Hayley. The next problem, how do we pack them in already crammed hand luggage? Always able to think around the impossible Hayley made the suggestion that we checked in a further suitcase and used one of the strong paper carriers from the shoe shop to carry our extras! Marvellous, problem solved! At that we returned to our rooms to prepare for the evening ahead!

The Stonehall Harriers Hunt Ball. 7/1/12

We all congregated in and around the bar.

From our position it was a great place to people watch. There were some very glamourous ladies of all ages wearing some stunning frocks! The bell rang for us to go through to the function room where dinner was soon to commence. The main course was a choice of Beef or Salmon. Racing enthusiasts might remember about ten years ago there was a good Irish Chaser called Beef or Salmon. I bet it had something to do with the menu here at the Dunraven Arms! The service was fantastic. We were each asked how we liked our beef and a few minutes later it arrived hot and exactly how we’d ordered it. No mean fete when there were two hundred people sat down for dinner! We shared our table with three super sisters, Aileen,Madonna and Bridget -Ann, two of them came with husbands. We all got on instantly and chatted and danced until 3.30 am! (the Ball finished at 5am!) The speech was entertaining and our host thanked us for coming! Reta and I came to the Ball last year and have decided it has now to become an annual event. The ticket halves were drawn from a top hat, Just one prize! A day’s hunting with the Stonehall’s! Now Hayley who has never won a thing in her life was hoping and praying that her luck wasn’t about to change! Shes very much a girl who likes all four feet on the ground and having seen the hunt earlier in the day thought it wasn’t for her. However, I bet with a few sloe gins she’d be the fastest girl in the hunt!!

Next day, after a very social and delicious breakfast the girls were wanting to see some horses. So I commendeered the help of my “mate” Michael. Appointed “our tour guide” he forfilled his duty well taking us around to some friend’s yards where horse after horse was brought before us to inspect. He knew we were only time wasting so was clever enough not to take us to his own yard!!. However, Hayley has taken a liking to a very poor Irish Draft 4 year old with a sad face. He has a good frame and limbs and is a lovely mover. So watch this space? Linda mentioned wanting a Highland. The boys looked a bit vague and asked what that is! Anyway they offered a choice of Connemarra’s but Lynda couldn’t be persuaded away from her Highland!

Another yard down the road! Great, afternoon filling up well! Reta is more interested in a young Jack Russell puppy, than horses at this point. Thankfully she didn’t want to bring it home! The afternoon was getting dark so time to head back to Fanny O’Deas. This is reptuted to be the oldest pub in Ireland. The fire has never gone out in 200 years! The best Guiness in Ireland is served here. A thick creamy head tops the delicious stout! It’s orgasmic! Drinks all round, Guiness for Lynda and I and a delicious selection of bar food was soon brought to satisfy our eager appetites. A very pleasant hour and a half was had in Fanny’s! Time to head back to the Airport for our 9 o’clock flight back to Liverpool. Bye to Michael and off we headed to the Airport having had a funfilled weekend!

December is the busiest month of the year for all retailers whether in the high street or those like ourselves that rely on their websites to attract business.

Many of our clients know us from visiting our Tradestand throughout the year, but it always pleases me that new clients order on the web. This year has been no exception with lots of orders for Christmas and the New Year coming via web orders, e mail or simply telephoning.

My horse Lux Fabulous continues to please us !Paul (Barker) jumped him in Scotland at the beginning of December where he finished up winning a B+C Qualifier.

I’m already planning the 2012 Tradestands with The Cheltenham Festival Meeting in March being the first! New designs are being worked upon and the classic favourites will be restocked in January and February.
I’d like to wish you all a Very Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year!