Or perhaps not so cheerful? A couple of weeks ago I felt very cheerful indeed as Townie Husband and I managed to sneak some time away together, visiting the beautiful cathedral city of Salisbury in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside. I love Salisbury – it’s small enough to be comfortable, but also has a very cosmopolitan feel – partly due I’m sure to the number of visitors drawn there by the beautiful cathedral and its surroundings….
Here’s the Cathedral and its spire. The spire doesn’t look so tall in this photo, due to the angle of the shot, but it has the tallest spire in the UK at 404 feet (123 m). The Cathedral Close is beautiful too with some lovely old houses….
including Mompesson House, a National Trust property. We’ve visited several times before as we used to live not too far away, but both agreed the house looked particularly splendid dressed for the Jubilee celebrations ….. 
With its row of cheerful Union Jacks. The tearoom was good too – and as it was a warm day we enjoyed tea and cakes in the garden …
Though the plants were not very far ahead as the weather had been so cold. Then, with Townie Husband safely occupied out of harm’s way … (!)
I decided to walk around the Cathedral itself ….
The Cloisters were surprisingly quiet .. perhaps everyone was outside enjoying the sunshine.. except this chap ….
He’s been there for about 750 years!! Love the little dog his feet are resting on, but forgot to make a note of his name. Then I strolled down towards the shops, drawn as if by a magnet to the second-hand bookshop where I discovered ….
Although I was pleased to discover it – don’t you just love the embroidery on the dust-jacket, I felt sad when I read the inscription …
Given at the most dangerous time of World War 2, when London was suffering through the Blitz – I wonder who was the recipient, “the finest person in the world”. There is no way of finding out .. it’s so sad when a story is forgotten – and the gift no longer valued, ending up dusty and unloved on the bottom shelf in a second-hand bookshop. But I have it now, and although I don’t know the story behind the dedication, it has come to a good home, where lots of stitching happens …
.. and this was another reason not to be cheerful. I wanted to create a pattern to celebrate the Olympic games in London this year – feeling particularly enthusiastic after seeing the torch a couple of weeks ago. But after checking the copyright I discovered that not only are the interlocking rings and London logo copyrighted – I had expected this – but there is also a list of words that you can’t use either for commercial purposes. The list includes London, Olympic and even 2012 when used in combination in a phrase. So this Rosie & Bear pattern doesn’t mention the games at all, but there is plenty of room at the top for you to add extra text to the design if you wish. And this pattern will be in the June issue of the magazine – out in just over 24 hours!!
And, ending this post on a cheerful note …
I know the lawn needs cutting – but these daisies have such happy faces …. definitely a reason to be cheerful today!
