Competition - win Bo-Peep and her 'woolly jumper'

On my desk this Wednesday is a basket of knitting yarn and a tiny doll I've knitted together with her sheep. I've named her Little Bo-Peep and she will be looking for a new home with one of the nice people who visit my blog. Bo Peep and her sheep will be my 'givaway prize' at the end of this post.

I live in a mountainous region of northern England where thousands of sheep graze and shepherds (and shepherdesses) wear warm woolly clothing to protect them from the wind and rain. The pretty dresses and straw bonnets Little Bo-Peep wears in traditional nursery rhyme books wouldn't be at all practical in our area.

I found nine pictures of Little Bo-Peep in various nursery rhyme books but not a single one is suitably dressed for 21st century farming. 

Here is my knitted Bo-Peep in her warm woolly clothing. Oh dear! She appears to have lost her sheep yet again. He's a rascally little fellow so perhaps we'd better look for him.
 
As we haven't ventured very far recently I thought you might like to see a bit of my local area and our wild windy hillsides that are home to a few people and great many sheep. On the way keep an eye open for the woolly runaway. The weather is fine at the moment but unfortunately the storm clouds are gathering so we must find him as soon as we can.

 First we will travel to the village of Troutbeck and then on up the steep hill to the Kirkstone Pass.

 
The most visited house in Troutbeck village is 'Townend'. It was built for a wealthy yeoman farmer 400 years ago at around the time the Pilgrim Fathers settled in America. It contains superb examples of traditional carved oak furniture and other household items. Now owned by the National Trust it is open to the public throughout the year. I love wandering round this house looking at the way people in those far off days used to live.

 This is the original 400 year old stone barn belonging to the house; still very much in use today

Around 300 - 400 years old, the houses in Troutbeck are built from local stone quarried from the surrounding hillsides. Walls are typically 2ft thick.

Rain clouds part and watery sunlight falls on Troutbeck Church.

For part of the day the high hills cast dark shadows on this scattering of cottages. The sheep in the foreground are taking advantage of the sunshine. No sign of Bo Peep's woolly companion amongst the flock.

Now we travel further uphill and are able to look down on a remote farmstead in the valley below. This is 'Troutbeck Park Farm' and it was bought by Beatrix Potter in 1923. She used it as a setting for her 'Fairy Caravan' stories. 

Even further up now and the vegetation is more sparse and there is very little shelter from the wind and rain but still the sheep graze.   

It's not unusual to see sheep walking casually down the road. I think they are wise enough to know that there is often longer grass on the roadside verges than in the fields.

At the top now and the Kirkstone Pass Inn has provided refreshment for weary travellers for six centuries.

 
This is the view from the top of the Kirkstone Pass to Brothers Water below. Once a rough stony track this route through the mountains has been used by travellers on horseback for many centuries. Today it is a steep twisting tarmac road and is used each year by many thousands of motorists.

Sheep grazing amongst the rocks are well camouflaged.

And look who we have here, its Bo-Peep's runaway sheep. Found at last and looking rather guilty or perhaps that should be " looking rather sheepish".

Delighted to have found him, Bo-Peep has decided to keep her sheep on a lead; though looking at the mischievous expression on the animal's face it won't be long before he finds a way to go exploring yet again.

Could you give a good home to Bo-Peep
and her rascally sheep?

Bo-Peep measures 6 ins (15 cm). Beside her is a piece of stone quarried from the area we have just visited. It is known as Westmorland Greenslate. If you would like to win this little lady and her sheep here is a fun competition you could enter. Simply try and guess the total weight (in grams) of Bo-Peep and her sheep together with this piece of Westmorland Greenslate which is 1 cm thick. To help you I can tell you that the total weight is somewhere between 100 - 300 grams. Now all you have to do is write your estimated weight in the comment section at the bottom of this post. NB.Sorry, the stone isn't included as part of the prize as it is rather too heavy to mail, I added it to make guessing the weight a bit more fun.

Entries are open to anyone living anywhere around the world. I will gladly mail the little lady and her friend to any distant shore. The name of the person whose guess was closest to the exact weight will be announced in my blog on Friday 24th October. Do give it a go and good luck.

Comments

[Martha]

Bo Peep is adorable, and I throroughly enjoyed your tour. It is *almost* like going myself. ;o) Aren't old, old, buildings amazing? I love to imagine what is must have been like all those years ago.
Anyway...I am guessing 217 grams.
???

[Andrea]

ooh I love Bo-peep and her runaway sheep! It was lovely to have a tour around your area, it's beautiful.
Ok, I'll guess 204g. Thanks for a fun competition.

[Paula]

Dear Eli,
I enjoyed your post so very much and all the beautiful photos! Oh, how I would love to visit England!!! Thank you so much for sharing the beautiful area you live in and the history behind it. I feel as if I has a visit there today with you! It truly is incredibly beautiful!!! What a blessing it is for you to live there.

I love the vintage photos of Little Bo Peep and your declaration that she was not dressed properly for farming! I enjoyed reading your story so much. Your Bo Peep is just adorable as is her little mischievous sheep! You knit beautifully.

Well, I will give it a go and guess 270g.

Have a blessed day, Eli and thank you for sharing your beautiful country, home and creativity.
Paula

[Maria]

Hi, Eli. Beautiful photos. I love all them.
I'd say 227 grams.
1kiss.
Maria.

[sabine]

Wow, you certainly live in a beautiful place! By far my favourite kind of landscape!
My guess for your cute little doll and her little sheep: 194 grams.

[mumintroll]

Oh I love your Little Bo Peep and her little sheep.
I'd say 290 grams

Thank you for sharing your beautiful country
Bettina

[Suzanne]

Oh you live in such lovely surroundings--may I come and stay for awhile:-) Hmm...we don't do grams here so I will take my best shot..218grams. Thanks for the tour today, I enjoyed it very much!

[Clarice]

Eli, what a stunning place to live. All that history and beauty. You are so blessed. You knited such a sweet little boo-peep and her lamb. Clarice

[Robyn]

Just found your blog searching for "Noddy" and I was so pleasantly surprised! You are very talented and it was a delight to visit here. The story books brought back so many nice memories of my two girls when they were young.

I would like Mary and her sheep to visit Newcastle NSW Aust, so will guess 180gm.

Regards Robyn

[robyn Macdonald]

Why did I just type Mary and her sheep? (senior moment?). Correction Bo Peep