In Other News...

 

Whilst moving house may be occupying most of our time and head space I  have been doing other stuff too. The wedding waistcoats are finished! Seven waistcoats, one for the groom and six for his groomsmen (although two of them are women) which involved forty buttonholes and forty self cover buttons. All I can say is never again!

But I am looking forward to seeing them all being worn at what will be our second of three weddings this summer. You would think that I would have had enough of dressmaking after all that but there was some fabric left over so I decided to make a top for myself.

It actually looks much better on than off and fits really well (Merchant & Mills Camber top) and as it only took about three hours I'm tempted to make another one in some different fabric. I wasn't sure whether the contrasting neck binding made it look like I had run out of fabric (I hadn't) but I think I quite like it.

I also made a rhubarb and orange Amaretti cake as a friend gave me loads of rhubarb from her allotment. It is so long since I've made a cake that I stared at the bowls and couldn't remember what to do first! There were also a couple of rhubarb crumbles for dessert and some rhubarb compote to go on our breakfast.

I have finished a couple more books. Every time I take a bag of books to our book exchange or charity shop I come back with another couple... so much for decluttering! I didn't really enjoy My Favourite Wife. It is about a young lawyer, Bill who moves with his wife and daughter to work in Shanghai. They move into Paradise Mansions which is full of 'second wives' in what can only be described as a concubine system. I didn't like Bill's character and thought the descriptions of life in Shanghai made it sound awful. I didn't find it funny or particularly sad, but just a bit pathetic.

I've really enjoyed Notes from an Exhibition however. It is not the first time I have read  it but couldn't remember anything much about it, which is a bit worrying given how good it is! I enjoyed the last Patrick Gale book I read so much, that I was keen to read this one again and I'm glad I did.

I've also been away for work for a couple of days. I gave a talk to the ladies of Worcester Embroiderer's Guild. This was while everyone was arriving and I was hiding in a corner behind my work! Well not really hiding... just trying to discretely eat a sandwich before we started!

The following day I taught a workshop and these were the eight fabulous landscapes finished during the day... such a lovely variety of work and a lovely group of ladies too, several of whom read my blog! So hello ladies... especially my no. 1 fan Sharron!

Back home I've been shopping today which was quite an achievement as I detest shopping. I needed shoes for the first of the weddings, something suitable for a Greek island, so I'm feeling rather pleased with myself that I've actually come home with something that I really like... and before I reached my boredom threshold too!

However I have reached my boredom threshold trying to write this post on my dying laptop so I'm quitting while I'm ahead. I hope you all have a great weekend!