Written in stone

Have you ever considered the ground under your feet as a source of inspiration for stitching? Walking along the Cobb at Lyme Regis there is something interesting everywhere you look.

The Cobb is the huge breakwater which shelters the harbour at Lyme Regis from south westerly gales, made famous in The French Lieutenant's Woman, with Meryl Streep staring wistfully out to sea from its top. 

This set of steps to the top must have been there since Georgian times (probably before that even) when the book/film was set, and are every bit as precarious as they look!

There is a patchwork of Portland Stone forming the sloping surface, and the marks are fascinating - very reminiscent of stitched lines.

It's a kind of limestone, studded with fossilised shells -

these are known as Portland Screws.

Elsewhere the quarry marks are visible, looking like rows of French knots

and lines of quilting.

This is my favourite bit - rusty iron bars stitching the stones together.

Meanwhile round the corner, someone has pulled the plug!

Always plenty of rusty things to see ...

Hope your bank holiday has been just as inspiring.