Vesna Armstrong Photography

When we were on holiday in The Lake District the other week we stayed in the lovely Primrose Cottage in Hawkshead. It is a pretty, very comfortable and well equipped cottage, dog friendly,  reasonably priced and situated just yards from the heart of the village. I regret not having taken more photos of this cottage, but there is always a next time. A scene from our bedroom I found Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit in our bedroom, a fitting find as Beatrix lived just two miles up the road, and her husband had his solicitor's offices just round the corner - presently Beatrix Potter's Gallery. The plush toy inspired me to get one of my favourite Beatrix's character - Mrs Tiggy-Winkle . Loved the vintage green wallpaper in our bedroom. It gives the room a very soothing and relaxing feel. The kitchen window.   Back garden. We loved this charming, cosy place with a lot of great and clever detail like the little local slate shelves attached to the arb...

The other week we holidayed in our favourite Lake District haunt Hawkshead with our besties Dave and Liz. We love not only the storybook look of the village, but also the tame countryside around it, and the fact it is close to some other lakeland places we love, such as Grasmere. The weather was not very good; it rained a lot every day, and there was no great light for my photography. But, one thing that is always there in the Lake District to capture by a photographer is the unique atmosphere and mood the mountains surrounding the lakes create, so that is what I endeavoured to do. Sunday, the first full day of our holiday it rained non-stop all day. We decided visiting Brantwood , John Ruskin's house at nearby Coniston would be a good idea under the weather circumstances. The house itself was really beautiful and very interesting with lots to see and admire, but it was too wet to walk around the extensive gardens with beautiful views of Coniston lake, even carrying an umbrella....

" It is as nearly perfect a little place as I ever lived in, and such nice old-fashioned people in the village" ~ Beatrix Potter We don't go abroad for our holidays. We always go to the Lake District as we love it so much we don't feel a need to go anywhere else. And every time I am in the Lake District I always think of the acclaimed artists from the past who lived and work there and who inspire me in many ways, like the Wordsworths and Beatrix Potter. A visit to Beatrix's charming cottage is always a must, and last year I happened to be there on a glorious May afternoon. I was thrilled to find that photography was now allowed inside the house, and that subsequently I am able to create my first blog post on the house around the photos I had taken. Beatrix, a remarkable Victorian woman, who was not only the famous children's stories writer and illustrator, but also a landowner and a business woman, bought the house with the proceeds of the sales of her f...

2016 sees big birthday anniversaries of two of the Victorian women whose life and work have long been a constant source of inspiration to me: 200th birthday of Charlotte Bronte back on 21st April, which I marked with a personal tribute here , and 150th birthday of Beatrix Potter on 28th July. “What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood?”  ~Beatrix Potter~ Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943) was an amazing woman who managed to accomplish her goals in an era when ambitious women were still firmly discouraged from becoming successful. She is best known for her children's stories about animals, especially "Peter Rabbit", which she beautifully illustrated herself. However, her talent and achievements did not end there. She was a natural scientist; a farmer winning prizes for breeding Herdwick sheep which are a common and distinctive sight in the Lake District where she lived; she was a shrewd business woman who bought and managed a number ...