Whilst I believe it's important to live in the moment and dream for the future, I can't deny how much the past provides me with inspiration.
A couple of weeks ago, the littles and I ventured up for a three day trip to North Yorkshire - my old neck of the woods, the place I grew up. I'd felt drawn back to the Howardian Hills and the North Yorkshire Moors for a while until it got to the point where I could no longer ignore the pull.
We stayed in a delightful B&B nestled in the tiny hamlet of Ganthorpe. Driving those lanes gave me wonderful flashbacks of cycling them as a child, riding ponies through the grounds of Castle Howard estate and the great sense of freedom and innocence that came with my childhood.
I took two woven wraps with me from the latest collection, due for release on Friday 14th August. Seeing my children playing with them in the wind on the top of the Moors was absolutely magical.
There's always the possibility of something going slightly awry when Lucy is involved, however, and indeed it did - the beautiful 10 week old Border Collie puppy at the B&B got so excited in Lucy's presence that it took a chunk out of her lip on the evening with the most beautiful sunset; instead of my hoped-for camera session snapping the kids in some glorious field of grasses, I spent 4 hours in York A&E. Best laid plans and all that...
But I did get this photo of Lucy the following morning, with her head stuck in Wildling magazine (a fantastic new magazine with beautiful photography and features - there's even some flow of consciousness in there from me - eek!). Thank you Wildling for providing her cover ;)
So, a bit of drama, a bit of an adventure and a pull so strong, I'm going back again tomorrow for more inspiration from the past. This time without the small people, just in case...
- Pure and Breeze - releasing 14 August at 20:00 BST -
-Ali x