Emily to the rescue

The cloth pony my younger daughter made last year (with my help) is called Emily.  For a while my girl has been talking about giving Emily a horse birthday party, and today she finally managed to organise it.  She had decorated for a party under her bed with paper chains about 3 months ago, but decided she wanted the party outdoors, well the great British weather didn't make that possible until recently and even today we had light showers, bright sunshine and strong gust of wind.

In preparation the doll family got changed, not into party outfits but into good sensible clothes for outdoors and mucking out the stables.  Three of them changed into riding clothes, the others don't have them.  The following picture story was my daughter's plan for the party, I just took the photos and enjoyed her fun.

Harriet has the first ride on Molly the Battat horse

Samantha, Jakob, Peter and Matroshka watch at the stables

Harriet dismounts like a pro

Harriet dismounts Molly

Anna, Belle and Matilda at the stables

Jayne is so nervous about riding a horse she mounts back to front

Jayne finally manages to face the right way

but she is very scared and clings tightly to Molly

Molly goes up the ramp and Jayne starts to enjoy the ride

Jayne gets bolder and drops the reins

"Look no hands" cries Jayne

Molly decides to rear on her hind legs and Jayne clings on tightly again

Jayne is quite relieved to dismount, while Laura looks on

Emily the pony finally gets a birthday ride in the sleigh (well it works on grass),
wearing her red cape and holding the riding crop

Harriet rides Molly and tows Emily

Emily uses the riding crop to make Molly go faster

Molly comes to a sudden stop and the sleigh crashes into  her legs

Harriet loses her grip and tumbles from Molly's back

Poor Harriet crashes to the ground

"Ouch my arm hurts" cries Harriet

Emily put Harriet's arm in a sling ...

then mounts Molly while Harriet sits in the sleigh

Emily the pony wears the riding hat to ride Molly

So Emily rescues Harriet and tows her back to the house 

Sasha day with Dawn

To celebrate the completion of the incredible Raffle prize of Charlotte with her clothes and accessories and to thank Dawn for organising the 2012 Sasha doll festival Rosemarie S arranged with Dawn that we'd have a Sasha gathering at Dawn's house on Saturday.  My girl and I didn't manage to get to the afternoon tea which Dawn hosted last year just after the festival, so this was our first trip through the country lanes to her lovely home.

Some of the visiting dolls

Lorraine's dolls with Henry leading the way of course

Henry

A pretty freckled toddler with adorable smocked dress and her bunny

The toddler with her big sisters

Visiting dolls

Habitat (from Homebase) bike, boys and toddlers

Batman and bicycle

Rosemarie compiled a thank you booklet of the 2012 festival for Dawn, with contributions of photos and descriptions from several of us lucky enough to attend last year, this was presented to Dawn during the afternoon.  Lunch was served in a marquee in the garden - although overcast it wasn't raining and was just about warm enough to sit outside on the verandah to eat and talk.  It was lovely to catch up with several people I met at the festival and have been in touch with via blogs and email since.

Both of us had lots of fun admiring all the dolls people had brought and Dawn's extensive collection of dolls and toys.  My girl was amazed and delighted that Dawn allowed her to hold and touch some of her Studio dolls which were wrapped in tissue paper in their own boxes.

Dawn telling us about one of her Studio dolls

My girl carefully holds a Sasha studio doll

A Sasha studio doll

In Dawn's doll room I was delighted to see a Fisher Price family camper, a beloved toy from my childhood (my sister and I shared this toy and played with it extensively in conjunction with the Triang dollshouse and wooden building blocks and lego).

My girl with my childhood toy

The dolls with their prams were brilliant - lots of colour-coordinated girls and prams (with a Caleb and his scooter).

The dolls and prams

One of the prams with baby

Bike, desk, pushchair, pram and soldier

These dolls have the housework and shopping to do

Dolls and prams, including a gorgeous no philtrum doll

Dolls and prams

A Spitfire flypast was an unexpected bonus - there was a country fair just down the hill for which the flypast had been arranged (though we all congratulated Dawn on this coup).  It is always such a thrill to see a Spitfire in flight (equally so the Lancaster which I've seen several times) and I managed to capture a tiny bit of video of the plane (not great quality though).

Sasha enthusiasts in Dawn's garden

In deep conversation in the garden

Spitfire flypast

My girl enjoyed exploring the garden and admired the pond.  Dawn and I had gardening as well as doll conversations (gardening being her other great hobby).

Exploring the garden and pond/lake

There was also a sale, about 3 people had brought dolls and outfits to sell and my girl and I had fun selecting things (including a Dollydoodles hoodie and outfit).  We got 2 hats from Hattie (who didn't come, to give her sisters a turn for an outing).  My girl fell for a mint baby Gotz (Meke) and decided to start saving up for her.

Sale in the marquee

The 2013 Festival raffle prize from the UK is extensive - the dining table couldn't hold all the items, so a sofa was also used for display.  Rosemarie, Dawn and Lorraine will have fun setting up the display at the 2013 festival which they are lucky enough to be attending.

My girl putting gym shoes and a top to the bag she made for the Sasha Raffle prize

Placing the bag on Charlotte's shoulder

Charlotte carries her gym bag

Some of Charlotte's toys, with the smocked dress I made

The gardening collection, including the apron my girl and I made

Just some of the extensive raffle prize, including the smocked dress  I made

A gorgeous outfit in the raffle

Charlotte with some of her clothes and accessories

More of Charlotte's clothes

We had to tear ourselves away eventually with great reluctance.  Thank you Dawn for hosting the day, and Rosemarie for coordinating the amazing raffle prize for the 2013 festival.

Climb the mountain

Nicholas James and Laura was most interested in the news that we made it all the way to the top of the Old Man of Coniston during our holiday and decided to do some exploring of their own.

"Look Nicholas James, I'm sure we can make it up the hill"

"May I have a rest please, its hard going" says Nicholas James

Laura ducks under a large log which is blocking their path

Nicholas James thinks this is a great adventure

Laura starts rock climbing "I'm feeling a bit worn out now" she says

Nicholas James makes his way along the rocky path

"Look Laura, we've only got a little more to climb now, we can do it"

"Hooray, we reached the summit"

"What a great achievement, we got to the top of the Coniston Rock"

Behind our caravan was a super mini hill which was perfect for children to play on.  All week I was quietly contemplating this doll adventure, but the weather wasn't good for a while and it needed to be at a time when there weren't many people about, so early morning was best.  These photos was taken at great speed while I was in the middle of packing up on the morning we left the site, so I haven't got the light balance right (the whites are a bit over exposed in the glorious morning sunshine).

Nicholas James is wearing the sweater which Dawn Law gave as table gifts at the 2012 Sasha Doll Festival, and his Christmas swap walking boots.  Laura is wearing a cardigan I knitted from a pattern in the three Anne's book, a Hattie hat by Dee, her Christmas swap walking boots and a pair of cropped trousers belonging to the bigger Gotz dolls - not a practical colour for outdoor activity, but they were the only pair of trousers we had with us which would fit her.  It was quite chilly in the morning even though the sun was shining brightly, and at the top of the mountain it is always cold and windy, so they needed long sleeved tops to wear for their expedition.

Ruskin Lace

Our caravan holiday last week was to Coniston in the Lake District.  We had 2 days of really awful weather, the other days were better.  On the second day of rain we took the four children (mine and my cousin's children) to the Ruskin Museum in Coniston village because it includes lots of interesting items relating to Donald Campbell's water speed records, Arthur Ransome of Swallows and Amazons fame and John Ruskin the Victorian thinker and teacher.

My little girl was fascinated by the collection of Ruskin lace which they had in special vertical drawers which you pulled out to view (so the lace was in the dark most of the time for preservation).  It was all behind glass, so we couldn't touch it, but we could see the amazing detail.  John Ruskin helped revive the Lake District lace making industry to help local people and the distinctive Ruskin lace is the result.

I was allowed to take photos (they had a photo licence for a £1) so long as no flash was used.  I prefer not to use flash anyway, especially when glass is in the way, however my photos aren't that great.

There were also some model houses made of slate showing the workmanship and illustrating the local industry of slate quarrying, a model of the Steam Yacht Gondola (which is owned by the National Trust and takes passengers on Coniston water every day), and the actual yacht Amazon, which was the boat Mavis which inspired Arthur Ransome to write his famous adventures for children.  We'd seen Amazon before at the (now closed) museum at Bowness on Windermere, and it was lovely to see it again.

The Donald Campbell gallery was a new addition since we had last been in Coniston 4 years ago and was a very poignant tribute to the man who gave his life to speed.  It included a replica of his teddy Mister Whoppit who was with him on Bluebird during the fateful crash in 1967, and several models of Bluebird itself which was raised from the lake and is being restored.

The Ruskin museum is well worth a visit (or two) as there is so much to see and appreciate. So if you ever get to Coniston village be sure to go to the museum.

A little porcelain doll in a knitted lace dress

Ruskin lace and an embroidered smock dress

Amazon (previously called Mavis)

Model of the Steam Yacht Gondola, the real yacht still takes passengers on the lake every day

Model slate house

Mr Whoppit

My girl watches the video on how to do Ruskin lace