Cold!

It’s one of those dull, cold days here.  Not really light outside and surprisingly chilly after the gloriously sunny spell we had last week.

We spent much of yesterday in Gloucester Cathedral, where there’s a stunning exhibition of sculpture on right now.  Sadly, we were there for other reasons: it was Shirley’s funeral.  Such occasions are always easier when there’s a good turn out, and with more than 300 people there, this was one of those times.  The presence of Damien Hirst’s bronze “St Bartholemew, Exquisite Pain” immediately behind Canon Celia as she led the service was, for me, rather disturbing and I would have preferred not to have had that particular imagery in quite such close sight.  Still, we would like to go back and view the exhibition properly before it closes, hopefully at a quieter time (yesterday morning, it was packed)

On then, to Birmingham, to a concert in Symphony Hall.  Mahler’s 3rd – wow!  But coming out into the dark night after the concert, we both remarked on how cold it had turned.  Yes, of course, it’s the second week of October and therefore Hull Fair week – how strange that the weather nearly always turns around now.

After such a busy – and somewhat stressful - day, it was good to be at home today.  Feeling chilly in spite of an extra cardigan, I’m enjoying a mug of chai tea, made from a recipe found online, definitely not counting the calories from the condensed milk in it!  There has also been one or two things to prepare for tonight’s big celebration: my WI’s 80th Birthday party.  For such a special occasion, the piano is going to be unlocked and Jerusalem sung.

Oh my goodness.

Photo shoot

We’re having a photo shoot here this afternoon.  No big guns here though, just me and my little camera and him and his bigger one.  The choir are putting together a CD and a cover is needed, so armed with a few bits and pieces we put a little still life together on the dining room table and flash-bang-wallop.

The Photoshop Expert has already changed the colour of the blue silk drape to the correct “uniform” colour of turquoise and all is coming together nicely.  Watch this space for the end result!

I’ve been away this week, at our college, teaching a group of would-be craft judges.  It’s great to be with like-minded people whose interests and enthusiasms are in line with my own, who share their ideas and experience so generously.

There was one sad moment, however.  I was lucky to have my “home room” to sleep in, the one furnished and maintained by Gloucestershire Federation.  When I returned to it late on Wednesday evening, I had my phone in my hand, reading messages and emails as I walked in.  I had received the sad news that Shirley Owen, an immensely talented needlewoman and friend died last Friday and the WI network was sorting out arrangements for the wake to follow her funeral next Wednesday.  As I txted to say, yes, of course I’ll do what I can, I unhooked the tieback of the curtain and my eyes fell on the label, written in Shirley’s own handwriting.  It was a timely reminder of the many things Shirley herself did to make our little room more comfortable and the sight of her distinctive script brought back memories of some of the fun times we shared.

Thankfully, there was no time to dwell on sadness and my mind was soon focussed elsewhere.  On rag dolls (clothes to be made to dressmaking standards), on teddies (with secure and properly padded joints) and garden pots (a hole for drainage would be a good idea).

We worked our way along tables filled with all kinds of hand made things, accepting the challenge to find encouraging things to say about every last soft toy bunny (which had glass eyes so couldn’t be a soft toy at all).

Comments were written and winners found, sometimes a cuddle was sneaked in along the way with a long time favourite who inhabits the college craft cupboards.

 

Finally, when there was neither time nor energy to say much more, it was time for home.  However comfortable the Gloucestershire room is, there is nothing like my own bed!

So, a weekend at home, catching up, putting things away and generally getting things back into place.  Oh, and designing a CD cover, of course.

What do you reckon?

Harvest time

I enjoyed listening to the harvest festival service whilst in the bathroom this morning, though the wind was rattling around outside and I’d been woken by heavy rain earlier.  Not exactly a day of mists and mellow fruitfulness, today.

“We plough the fields and scatter…”  Hopefully, with the harvest brought in during the dry days of August and September, this rain will get the ground into good shape for the next crops but right now, I’m glad I don’t have to work outside in muddy fields.

I’ve got my own harvest gathered in though, with a bag of damsons in the freezer and an email this morning from my dear sloe-gathering chums which will keep us in cockle-warming liquor for a few months!  The blackberries were looking good so I’ll go and get a couple of apples to supplement them in a pudding for tomorrow, when we’re expecting friends for supper.

Being a teacher, I sow my seeds in a different field.  This week, I’m looking forward to reaping the harvest of the seeds I sowed back in April, when eighteen capable and talented women decided to train as NFWI Craft Judges.  They’ve been out there working at all kinds of shows over the summer and will return to our college to complete their training.  It’s a real privilege to get to know these women better, hopefully to inspire and encourage them to greater things whilst learning from them at the same time.  Whilst assessing their portfolios this weekend, I’ve compiled a list of some new and unfamiliar techniques which I need to investigate – anyone else come across Bronson Lace?

So, with a pre-lunchtime G&T in hand, I’m going to try to identify the differences between Proggy, Proddy and Hooky rugs now.  A good job that we’ll have an expert there next week!

October already

It’s been an horrendous day here with blustery winds and heavy downpours.  I had to drive to Abingdon and back through the rain, listening to the updates on the radio about the motorway, which was closed in both directions for several hours.  Poor souls to be caught up in all of that – though undoubtedly, they were luckier than those who were involved in whatever-it-was which caused it all at 7.30am this morning.

Home again, with a few birthdays on the horizon, it was time to spend a little while in the studio, fiddling about with punches, rubber stamps and paper, making a few cards.

 

Out came one of my favourite Catslife stamps, though I’m not sure it’s truly accurate when I make “a series” of three cards which are nearly the same.

No cooking to do for supper because we’re lucky to be invited out this evening.  The thing is, I have an unusually large pile of marking to do.  It’s a  long time since I brought that kind of work home…

History two ways

Some time ago, we received an invitation to attend a lecture about the Zulu Wars, to be held at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington Gore.  Not exactly my kind of thing but rather more appealing to the historian in the family, who accepted his father’s suggestion to take my place without too much persuasion. 

I wasn’t going to forego the chance to spend a day in London though, so began to make a plan or two.  At first I was tempted to schlep across the city to Spitalfields and this year’s Origin exhibition, but thinking about the balance of time, effort and reward, I reconsidered.

Especially when I came across this.  After all, I had never been to Kensington Palace and the exhibition sounded intriguing.

 

So, after a spot of lunch in Kensington High Street, we made our way to the entrance, walking three sides of the rectangle to get there.

There is plenty of work going on and that part of the park is looking a little forlorn.

At times we thought we’d never get there but there were reassuring messages on the fence. 

We weren’t sure what to expect, but making our way through a side entrance we found the way in and were handed exhibition guides and a pencil each. “The exhibition is very interactive,” we were told.

We began our tour by “sneaking up the WRONG stairs”, to the Room of Beginnings where an atmospheric installation was designed as a kind of signpost to the three parts of the tour.  We followed the instructions to the letter, I solved the puzzles to name the seven princesses and can say that we both enjoyed the experience on the whole.  Having said that, some parts were more successful than others, some of which we felt didn’t work at all.

We were lucky that there were not many visitors there and questioned what it would be like on a crowded weekend.  The first room in particular was challenging with just the pair of us and another couple in it (though they were pushing a sleeping child in a buggy, too)   Named the “Room of Royal Sorrows”, the lighting and installation in there was beautiful if a little bewildering, unless you knew a little history/background.  Thankfully I was with “he who did”, because there was no way I could read the guidebook in the dim light! 

Following the route through a series of clever and intriguing (if somewhat sparse)  “sets” we encountered other visitors responding in a variety of ways.  One group of women were happy enough but were more interested in the “real” palace beyond this imaginary world.  Another family had teenagers along with them, who were clearly bored and resistant to playing along.  Though most appeared interested in the exhibition, we did wonder if anyone really understood it all – ourselves included, for though it was clever and well executed, it was also a fine example of that rather ethereal, other-worldly triumph of style over content.  Ultimately, we both felt that we would have gained so much more had there been just a smidgeon more concrete information – the kind of background story the warder was regaling to the group of ladies at the top of the staircase, in fact.  The exhibition is on for another year, whilst the Palace renovations are completed in time for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

After all of that, a cup of tea was needed but as we sat in the Orangery, the rain began to fall.  With Oyster cards in hand, we hopped on the  next bus heading for Hyde Park Corner and made excellent use of our English Heritage membership cards at Apsley House.  Offering a straight take on the man and his life, this was as traditional an historic visit as they come and the glass cases and walls were full of precious things to see.

(not my photo but a Wikimedia Commons one – the sky was far from blue yesterday afternoon!)

Whether the Duke of Wellington really enjoyed having so many representations of Napoleon in his home, I have no idea, but here was a man defined by one immense life event.  It made a fascinating end to the afternoon and was the perfect foil to The Enchanted Palace. 

Whilst the chaps went to their presentation, I had planned to go to the Science Museum which was holding their monthly “late opening”.  But, not only did I not fancy trekking through the rainy streets for just an hour or two, I can’t say the subject matter was exactly enticing either!  So, I pottered around the shops of Kensington High Street and took up residence in WholeFoods with a pizza and a glass of red…