February arrived with snow and ice here in the Preseli Hills. On the first day of the month our driveway and lane were treacherous with ice so, although school was officially open, the bus didn't come. Our driveway is sloping with a bend in the middle; getting down it is a mini bobsled run in those conditions, and getting back up is impossible, so we had a snow day. The thaw was quick this year, though, which was a relief after last year's frozen … [Read more...]
January – life lessons from a tree
January was a wet windy month full of annoyances and niggles, hospital visits, a minor car accident (occupant unhurt, car repairable) and it ended with one of our mature oaks falling. I was determined not to see the stricken tree as a metaphor for the month; it fell over, but not quite all the way. Its roots are still in the ground - sort of - because it was growing in the Pembrokeshire hedge bank that surrounds the field and a good seven … [Read more...]
Vegan Chocolate Ginger Cake
It has taken me a while to make a vegan cake recipe worth sharing. What I needed was to learn about what the ingredients actually do in combination with each other to make cake, and also to ignore recipes which try to replicate the 'egginess' of traditional cake. Anyway, for my vegan daughter's 16th birthday, I think I finally cracked it. She had specific requirements: One layer, chocolate and ginger, not too sweet, not too much icing. I … [Read more...]
A snowy day
We don't often get snow here in the Preseli Hills, so it's a bit of a treat for me. I'll never get over the childlike excitement of waking up, opening the curtains and seeing fluffy white flakes falling from the sky Today we've had just a few inches - enough to be pretty, but not enough to cause major disruption. The minor roads are a little tricky but the main roads are clear so it didn't stop my daughters getting to school and I was still … [Read more...]
Snuggly hot water bottle covers – FAQ
Why buy a Magatha Bagatha hot water bottle cover? My covers are designed to be a snug fit. This means they help keep the warmth in, so the bottle stays warm for longer. They are made just like a traditional patchwork quilt - layers of 100% cotton fabric and soft wadding. They are designed to slip on over a standard one litre hot water bottle. How is it made? The cover is three layers. An inner layer of cotton fabric next to the bottle, … [Read more...]
On my sewing table… Doctor Who Kindle cover
It has been a while since I shared pictures of anything that I have made - which just goes to show that I prefer making things rather than photographing and writing about them I suppose! But I am always making things and occasionally I'll even make something for myself, so when I was given a Kindle e-reader for Christmas and it needed a cover, sewing one was the obvious thing to do. There are lots of patterns for Kindle covers on the internet, … [Read more...]
Dachshund hot water bottle covers
Who doesn't love their hot water bottle? It's so very comforting to get into bed with something warm to cuddle - ideal for back or shoulder pain, or just to take the chill off your cotton sheets. I have just added four dachshund-themed hot water bottle covers to my online shop, so I thought I'd share their history with you. We've all got hot water bottles here and I was unhappy with the cover mine came with; it was a bit loose and baggy and … [Read more...]
Making hay and electricity while the sun shines
We're rather basking in an Indian summer here in the Preseli Hills. We've made hay for the first time in years; usually we make haylage which doesn't need nearly so much drying and is plastic wrapped to protect it from the damp while curing and preserving the grass. But that plastic wrap brings its own disposal problems - all we can do is store it in the hope that one day we'll have enough for the recyclers to collect. Not using it at all … [Read more...]
5 ways to forget you’ve got a blog!
1) Have lots of bouncing baby lambs We haven't got a huge flock, but there are a few more now! This year's lamps decided to be HUGE and (I may be biased here) they are such pretty lambs. We have two being bottle fed - Bilbo was one of triplets and his mum decided three was one too many, Balin's mum was young and clueless and he decided he'd prefer human parents. 2) Get distracted by the Easter holidays Not that we actually went anywhere … [Read more...]
Hello
Welcome to Magatha Bagatha’s website. Here you’ll find pretty handmade things including bags, purses, tea towels, quilts and cushions. Our animals – dogs Scamp and Mido, the farm cats, our flock of Lleyn sheep, three Welsh ponies and various hens – and our organic garden appear in our designs. What we do Magatha Bagatha is a small business run from a wildlife-rich and environmentally-friendly farm deep on the Preseli Hills, … [Read more...]
It’s (nearly) Christmas!
It's nearly Christmas, and I have no idea how! Yesterday, surely, it was summer, the hottest and sunniest for ages and we were warm and surrounded by flowers and butterflies. Now though, there's a nip in the air and the radio is full of festive tunes. I've been sewing away merrily, another quilt has been completed, but I can't show it to you because it's a Christmas present... okay maybe just a little peek... And I've been sewing for … [Read more...]
Delicious autumn!
"Delicious autumn!" wrote George Eliot, "my very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." I'm not sure I'd go that far - I do like all of the four seasons - but there is something special about autumn with its mists and bountiful harvests. We've been enjoying kicking the leaves about and snuggling up in front of the wood burner while the wind rages outside and the rain lashes the … [Read more...]