Welcome to Pomona Living
Hello, and a very warm welcome to Pomona Living!
Spring is in the air, the crocuses are breaking through and it is perfect timing to introduce you to my new website.
Why Pomona? Well, Pomona was the goddess of fruitful abundance. She was said to be a wood nymph and a part of the Numia, guardian spirits who watch over people, places and homes. She is associated with the flourishing of the fruit trees which is why the pruning knife is her sacred tool. In artistic depictions she is generally shown with a platter of fruit or a cornucopia.
During my years spent working in the art industry, I earned the nickname ‘Nat the Knife’, for my amazing ability to cut very delicate and precise patterns with a scalpel. I am still very proud of this skill, but don’t think it conjures the right sort of image… better to be associated with a goddess with amazon-like beauty who was besieged by suitors!
I do still occasionally wield a scalpel, along with paint brushes and power tools, as I always tend to have a creative project on the go. I have just taken some ‘before’ shots of a cottage in the nearby village of Midgley which is my current makeover project.
My workshop is bursting with chairs, dressers and cabinets all waiting to be sanded down, spruced up and injected with colour. I will be updating you with the fruits of my labours. (All updates will be unashamedly littered with fruit puns.)
February is an exciting time of year. With warmer weather and longer days just around the corner, there’s a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air. Now that the hard work is done renovating my two cottages and I am entering my third year of welcoming guests, bookings are increasing each month and I am so happy to receive return visitors.
I have an awful lot to thank Sally Wainright for! The final episode of ‘Happy Valley’ aired recently and Hebden Bridge is having a bit of a moment. The BBC drama, starring Sarah Lancashire and James Norton, has shone a light on the area and business is booming for the cafes, bars and array of independent shops.
Film crews have been a regular sight, not just in Hebden Bridge, but in the many satellite villages dotted around and up to the moors at the top; the same moors which inspired the Brontes. I have been thrilled to host some of the crew for the upcoming BBC drama ‘The Gallows Pole’. Directed by Shane Meadows, the drama recounts the true story of a gang of weavers and landowners in Cragg Vale, led by David Hartley Turvin, who forged coins and managed to capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history.
Calderdale has earned the title of The Cultural Capital of Yorkshire, and rightly so. The Piece Hall in Halifax is known as the Covent Garden of the north. With a busy programme of events, I can’t wait to provide updates on upcoming gigs. Over the past two years we have had New Order, The Specials, Elbow, The Kaiser Chiefs, Tom Jones… all performing in this stunning open-air arena. 2023 has an exciting line up including Madness, James and Sting.
With so many exciting events on the horizon, I’ll make sure to update you regularly.
Well, that wraps up my first blog, written on Valentine’s Day, with love.
Natalie
Photo credits:
Hebden Bridge ©Andrew Smith
Autumnal Luddenden Valley ©Andy Groves
Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley ©BBC/Red Productions
Pomona (1885) by William Morris & Edward Burne-Jones
