Chihuly at Kew

A few weeks ago my friend Jude and I had a long overdue get together. Mostly we meet in central London and visit an exhibition and/or have a meal but this time we ventured west to Kew Gardens to wander, natter, catch up and see the fabulous glass installations of Dale Chihuly. The exhibition Reflections on Nature runs until October 27th and is well worth a visit. Actually Kew Gardens is well worth a visit never mind this wonderful exhibition. Who would thought that until two years ago I had never been, but since visiting for one of my sixty x sixty projects I have now been three times.

The exhibition is a wonderful partnership of art and nature, transforming the gardens into a fabulous outdoor gallery space. My favourite piece of the  installations we managed to spot was this glorious plant like sculpture comprising of wonderfully organic blown glass forms. Nestled in the pond in the newly refurbished Temperate House, against a background of ferns and trickling water, it was truly captivating.

There were several sculptures in the Temperate House, mostly well hidden in amongst the plants but one of the stars of the show was the "Temperate House Persians", large blue flower like forms specially designed for the exhibition and suspended 19m above the ground like a huge chandelier.

Two more stunning pieces were the matching pair of sculptures outside the Temperate House called "Opal and Amber Towers" perfectly reflecting the colours of the house.

"Sapphire Star" was quite breath taking, rising from the flower bed like a giant allium, again made of hundreds of individually blown forms.

And by the lakeside "Summer Sun" also built from individually blown forms... 1,483 to be precise! This one reminded me of writhing snakes just like Medusa's hair.

The Seattle based artist has said about the installations that he wants then "to appear like they come from nature, so if someone found them... they might think they belonged there". Mostly I think he has achieved this with spectacular art forms sitting together with one of the most amazing plant collections in the world. Definitely worth a visit... and we only saw a fraction of the 32 individual installations! That of course is the problem with meeting a friend to visit an exhibition, when you've not seen each other for a while. In fact Jude and I have been known to visit the V & A in the past and not get any further than lunch in the member's room... although if I remember correctly it was a very good lunch!

It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like...

Yes, Christmas. So now we are here in December I cannot help myself feeling a lit bit excited. Already I imagine I can make all the presents, cook everything from scratch, decorate the house with homemade garlands etc. etc. but it's not going to happen because the truth is I'm already exhausted! This week began with a long overdue trip into London to catch up with a friend. I went in early not wanting to waste the opportunity of being in town and I saw the Anni Albers exhibition at the Tate Modern. It was good, but if I'm honest weaving is not really my thing and so after the first few exhibits they all started to look the same. Coming out it was lovely to see the city lit up on a cold but sparkling evening, already looking very festive.

Jude and I met at Comptoir Libanais, London Bridge which was a feast for the senses, a riot of colour and decorative detail. The fabulous Lebanese food was also a treat for the taste buds full of wonderful flavours. I had an Aubergine Fattet ( a sort of Moussaka) followed by an Orange blossom Mouhalabia ( a traditional milk pudding with a dried fruit compote). My Insta worthy photos of my half eaten food weren't really that good so I won't share them with you. Trust me... it was excellent!

Back at home there has been baking as I have made a start on the Christmas cakes... yes, that is cakes not cake as I have six to make this year. I'm not complaining as they are all orders and I enjoy making them. If we are lucky we might get to keep one of them too but I'm not that bothered. I can take it or leave it as I find I'm too full of everything else to want cake at this time of year.

There were also a batch of mini Christmas cakes too, made for the church market on Saturday. They usually sell like... well, hot cakes... but not this year. So if I don't get to keep a large cake for us there could well be several small ones instead.

The reindeer cookie pops however were a big hit and I sold out of those.

There was also a day this week looking after this little chap... it's hard to believe that he is almost two. He is on the move constantly and so busy and interested in everything. I think I must be getting old as I'm sure I never used to get this tired when my four were small! He's an absolute delight though. Maybe I wouldn't get so tired if I wasn't crawling around on all fours pretending to be a lion!

Stewart got a treat this week as I made him an advent calendar filled with twenty four different beers. Well I think they are all different but I did start to lose count of what I had already bought. It's a bit rickety and the doors don't quite fit but he was happy

This was me at the market yesterday, held in the local church. I have been doing this market for several years now and it feels like the start of Christmas for me. It's always a lovely morning catching up with lots of friends

Today I have been at work in the cafe, mostly in the kitchen where it has been non-stop all day. Back home I made another couple of Christmas cakes this evening, plus a pan of soup from all the veg lurking at the bottom of the fridge (it tastes much better than it sounds), a batch of granola for some quick breakfasts as well as tonight's dinner. Should keep us going for a few days I hope as I'm back in the cafe again at 8.45 tomorrow morning.

So bit of a boring post really as I catch up on this week. Plans of shorter more regular (and more entertaining) posts just don't seem to happen. Well they do in my head but as you can see there is too much else going on. At least I wasn't silly enough to attempt a daily post in December as in previous years! How are your Christmas plans going?

Since last time...

I have visited an exhibition... for the second time.

I loved it but then I have a long standing fascination with the life of Frida Kahlo.

There were photographs and films, clothes, objects and paintings and I came home inspired to paint and work in my sketchbooks every day.

Have I done it? Have I heck! I also came home inspired to make an effort to dress up more, but that's not happened either!

I took the train to the exhibition but I have also driven to London in the past week and loaded up my car with all the stuff I drove there just three months ago. After three months of London life youngest son has decided he would be better off living in Cambridge... which is what the rest of us thought three months ago. Are you impressed that the words "I told you so" were not uttered once, not even as we sat in traffic for an hour queuing to get through the Blackwall tunnel.

He's going to live on a boat moored on the River Cam. I'm not sure how I feel about that but I have the pleasure of helping him clean it this weekend. He tells me it is full of spiders. I definitely know what I feel about that!

I've taught a book making class which was good fun and as a result I'm trying to put together a downloadable tutorial with step by step photographs. It is taking forever!

I'll let you know when it is finished... I might need someone to test it for me before I put it in my shop. Give me a shout if you are interested.

I have been dress making. I bought a pattern and fabric when I was at the Festival of Quilts two weeks ago. It seemed like a good idea to make myself a dress for wedding number three... which just happens to be a week today. Do not judge me, do not say a word... it seemed like a good idea. I've put the zip in today.

I made cakes... fifty of them. Well there were actually sixty eight and we kept some for ourselves. But I delivered fifty of them for a party organised by Clic Sargent via a Free Cakes for Kids referral.

I've been to a book club meeting where we discussed our latest book The Whole Day Through by Patrick Gale. There were mixed reactions at book club ranging from a good read to okay but I enjoyed it. Which was just as well really as I had recommended it. After reading voraciously all summer I seem to have ground to a halt and I'm struggling to find something that captures my interest. Suggestions are most welcome.

In this interview with Patrick Gale he says it is cake bakers who wield the power using cake and sugar as bribes. I'm not sure how I feel about that, although I did take some of the spare cakes into my class this week... I wasn't really trying to make them write nice things about me on the end of class feedback forms... honestly!

I will be baking more cake this coming week as I am making the wedding cake...  three tiers of sponge in three different flavours. And talking cake - The Bake Off is back next week. I'm quite excited as it is one of the few things I actually watch on TV.

So that was my week that was. I hope you have a good weekend. Spare me a thought battling the spiders. It will be a challenge given I can't stand to be in the same room as one.

I'm Still Here

Did you miss me?
I'm okay, but busy... and finding life just a tad stressful which has made it difficult to write. Nothing new... mental health issues (not mine), unemployment (again not mine), anxiety, another brief A & E visit and family tensions... it's all a bit crappy if I'm honest but you've heard it all before so I won't bore you to tears all over again because there's good stuff too.

I had a fabulous weekend teaching in Coventry, almost two weeks ago now. Such a lovely fun group of ladies and all so enthusiastic. There was much beautiful work produced by everyone and I played around and stitched some sunflowers while they were all working hard. I got to swim in the hotel pool in the mornings and ate croissants for breakfast, so it almost felt like being on holiday and not a bit like work. And in the evenings I managed to relax with my knitting. The fact that it matched the hotel bed linen probably pleased me more than it should have done but... small pleasures!

Back home I took my portraits along to Art Van Go and set up my mini exhibition. It seemed a bit far fetched to call it an exhibition when the entire collection fitted in a shoe box.

But they made a good display when hung together. While I was there, Viv just happened to ask did I have any other work I could bring along as the gallery was looking a little sparse.

I didn't need asking twice, so this week I brought along everything I could find behind cupboards and under beds and I really do now have a solo exhibition at Art Van Go of a variety of work spanning the past eighteen years! It will be up until the beginning of June so do pop in and have a look if you are in the area.

I'm rather excited at my first ever solo exhibition... definitely a sixty x sixty!

I have snatched some odd bits of time here and there and have finished the second of the wedding waistcoats. Number three just needs the buttonholes doing... so only four more after that!

I was also in a musical variety show with the local Amateur Dramatics group last week, comprising of readings, short sketches and lots of fabulous rousing songs, which was just what the doctor ordered. Nothing like a good sing song to release tension. Fortunately our audiences seem to enjoy it too.

And in between times I've indulged in some very light, feel good reading, not too deep, not too sad, not too taxing... again just what the doctor ordered.

And I've finished knitting my very cosy warm shawl, which I'm hoping will encourage the warm weather back again. We really all have had enough of the cold and rain... it's May for heavens sake! So like I say, I'm still here, muddling along like you do.

Hopefully I'll not be away quite so long next time!

The Day That Almost Was

It was a day that had been planned with military precision, to encompass several birthday gift experiences, a family lunch and an exhibition.... not to mention ticking off several sixty x sixty experiences. Then as the day loomed near it seemed like it might not happen at all. A family crisis  knocked us all out of kilter and looked like it might put paid to any days out. I'm not going to be cloak and dagger about it, youngest son's mental health has hit a crisis point and he requires pretty much round the clock care at the moment, but that is all I need to say. There's not going to be a quick fix. But contingency plans were put into place and we were looking forward to our day out. Then less than 24 hours beforehand we received a call to say our RIB (rigid inflatable boat) experience on the Thames had been cancelled as there were only the two of us booked on. We were outraged and complained but to no avail so instead did a little bit of re-jigging of the schedule and arrived outside Blackfriar's underground station at 11 am for a "Shakespeare in the City" tour. Except no one else was there. After we eventually tracked down contact details for the company we were told the guide waited until 11.05 and then left without us, but we're not convinced, especially as we were immediately offered a replacement tour another day.

So that left two hours to kill until lunchtime. We headed into the city and thought it would be fun to spend the time in St.Paul's cathedral. That was until we discovered it was £18 each to get in, unless of course we were going in to worship. I tell you, by now I was quite ready to go in and pray if it meant being somewhere warm, but instead we went down into the cafe, drank coffee and read our books for an hour.

It was then time to brace the cold again (by now feeling slightly grateful that there was no speed boat trip) and walk up the road to the church of St. Mary Le Bow, home of the famous Bow Bells where we were meeting my eldest son Ben and his fiancee in the Cafe Below. It was lovely to see them both and the lunch was fabulous so the day was starting to look up!

After lunch we popped into the church which has been rebuilt twice, originally after the Great Fire of London in 1666 and then again after being destroyed by a German bomb in the Blitz... and what's more, it was totally free!

The stained glass was stunning.

After looking around the church we made our way to the Royal Academy where we had tickets booked for the Charles I King and Collector exhibition. Charles I had amassed an extraordinary art collection in his lifetime yet after his execution it was sold off and scattered around Europe. This exhibition brings back together over 100 works of Art from his original collection - paintings, drawings, sculpture and tapestries from artists such as Rubens, Titian, Holbein and Van Dyke. I was tired, it was crowded and I was not as impressed as I thought I might be. However I loved some of the large portraits of the Royal family and those of the King on horseback as well as some beautiful drawings.

But best of all I loved this Rembrandt of the Artist's Mother. It's difficult to convey in a reproduction just how exquisite this painting is in the flesh. The handling of the elderly woman's skin is so beautiful and luminous. I stood in front of it for a long time and kept coming back for another look.

Because we had brought our visit to the RA forward due to the cancelled boat trip we were able to fit in a second exhibition "From Life" which looked at a variety of work from the past and present where artists work from life models. It was a small yet fascinating exhibition and included a couple of fun and rather surreal virtual reality exhibits in which we could partake.

Then after a quick sandwich it was off to Covent garden for our last experience - a gin tasting at Mr. Foggs Gin Parlour, where we got a potted history of gin and a chance to taste some different varieties. So although the day got off to a bad start it finished well!

And so back home where life continues to be a bit of a challenge, so I'm grateful for the odd day out even if it doesn't always go according to plan.

Advent 2017 :: Day 12

It has become something of a tradition each December that I make time for a day out to visit an exhibition... a day when I'm not thinking about Christmas making and baking. This year I visited a museum that I have never visited before (cue sixty x sixty) despite having grown up and gone to school not a million miles away. In fact it took a friend from New York to introduce this North London girl to the delights of the William Morris Gallery

Orange Tree - embroidery by May Morris

On Friday I met up with my blogging friend Frances and we went to see May Morris: Art and Life, a wonderful exhibition exploring the life and work of William Morris's youngest daughter, one of the most significant artists of the Arts and Crafts movement. The exhibition covers the whole breadth of her creative pursuits from embroidery to wallpaper design, costume to jewellery as well as the most delightful sketches and watercolours. And all this is set against the story of her life and her role in the Socialist and Feminist movements. It is beautifully curated and quite fascinating.

"I am a remarkable woman - always was, though none of you seemed to think so" May Morris 1936

After a lovely lunch in the cafe, (I can recommend the smoked mackerel sandwich) we took some time to explore the rest of the museum which has rooms dedicated to intoducing William Morris and his childhood, his early influences, the rise of Morris & Co., plus an insight into both his workshop and the company showroom. There are also rooms dedicated to his love of literature and typography, his efforts to create a free and fair world and his far reaching influence and enthusiasm for quality materials and craftsmanship. There really is masses to see and plenty of interactive exhibitions for the younger members of the family... I couldn't resist a bit of brass rubbing but I reluctantly passed by the dressing up clothes!

The house itself is a gem in the heart of Walthamstow, a beautiful Georgian house that was Morris's childhood home, set within Lloyd Park which is now a public recreation ground. The staircase is tastfully decorated for Christmas and the May Morris exhibition, which is free just like entry to the rest of the house, is open until 28th January. It may have taken me sixty years to discovery this beautiful Gallery but I have no doubt I will return.

It was a fabulous day out and wonderful to catch up with Frances again.

A Ripping Yarn

On Friday we became tourists for the day and ventured into London for a evening walking tour... but more of that later. Deciding to make the most of the fact that we had a free day and the weather was fine we headed into town at lunchtime and made our way to the National Portrait Gallery to see the exhibition of Cezanne Portraits which runs until 11th February.

For the first time since turning sixty I dicovered I qualified for a concession ticket which only meant a £2 saving but it still pleased me more than it probably should have. There have to be some benefits to turning sixty after all!

The exhibition didn't disappoint and it was wonderful to see so many fabulous portraits, some familiar and some never seen before.

Boy in a Red Waistcoat 

These are just a couple of my favourites... I just love the use of colour and the brushstrokes and as ever it made me want to take up my paintbrushes, which of course I haven't done since my last painting class almost a month ago!

Madame Cezanne in a Red Armchair

Still with a couple of hours to spare we then headed in the direction of Spittlefields and although we hadn't booked we took a chance and went to Ottolenghi. We were in luck and they fitted us in for an early dinner. As ever the service was friendly and the food was amazing. I rarely eat dessert when I'm out as so often I find it disappointing... cloying, synthetic and over sweet. But not at Ottolenghi! Stewart had a passionfruit cheesecake with a spiced pineapple topping which was delicious and I had a less photogenic (hence no photo!) chocolate rum fondant cake which was absolutely sublime. The best dessert ever!

Feeling fully replete we then headed to Aldgate for the start of our tour... and the start of my ripping yarn! Family members have taken on board that we don't really need more "stuff" and also in the spirit of my sixty x sixty project they have been buying us "experiences" rather than things for birthdays etc. One of these was a "Gangster" tour of London, which Stewart's son had bought us because of my Dad's East End gangster connections. Perhaps I should explain... my Dad (in the dark suit) was the youngest of five boys with one little sister. There was talk in the family of one of my uncles hanging out with certain gangs in the East End back in the 1950s but despite looking like they are posing for a mafia mob wedding, my Dad's only real connection with gangsters was that he was in the same regiment and in the army doing his national service at the same time the Kray twins. He certainly had stories to tell about them but no connections!

Neither of us really fancied the Gangster tour of London lead by "Nick the Greek", an actor neither of us had heard of, as it mostly sounded like a film promotional tour for said Nick. Instead we swapped it for a Jack the Ripper tour of Whitechapel and a Shakespeare tour of the city (to be taken next year).

I guess in my head I imagined walking through deserted dark and foggy cobbled Alleys but of course London isn't like that anymore... it is all slick modern office buildings and streets full of after work revellers. Standing in a modern square in front of a high rise building listening to Friday night sirens and being told this was the spot where victim no. 2 was found wasn't quite so atmospheric as I'd hoped. But nonetheless, our guide Paul was very knowledgeable and entertaining and walked us through what was in the 1880s a very poor run down area of London.

He had plenty of gruesome photos to illustrate his stories and we stood outside some old pubs where the victims had been drinking on the evenings they were killed. And of course we were treated to Paul's theory as to the identy of Jack the Ripper... but I can't disclose that of course! All in all it was an entertaining and fun way to spend a couple of hours on a Friday night.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to get my senior railcard before my next trip into London!

Code Breakers

Given that we woke to sunshine on Bank Holiday Monday we seized the opportunity for a day out and made the short journey to Bletchley Park, home of the WW2 code breakers and birth place of modern Information Technology. Despite a lingering head ache, which may or may not have had something to do with red wine the previous evening (I refuse to incriminate myself) it really was an excellent day out... something I had being saying I wanted to do for ages, so another 60 x 60 crossed off my list

Nearly 10,000 people worked at Bletchley during the war, 75% of them women. They came from a variety of backgrounds including many academics such as linguists and mathematicians and both civilians and military personnel. The work they did was highly secret and most just did their job not even knowing what the people in the next hut were doing never mind appreciating the magnitude of the importance of their work. And after the war, they moved on to other lives and no one knew anything about this highly secret operation until years later.

In 1938 a small group of MI6 personnel, scholars and academics who formed the Government Code & Cypher School, moved into the mansion in the park initially under the cover of being a shooting party. Away from London and the bombing they could work in relative safety. As more people arrived they moved into pre-fabricated huts, known only by their hut numbers, where they worked until 1942 before transferring to brick buildings on site... although these were also still known by the same hut numbers.

It really was fascinating to walk around the lakeside park where these men and women worked and to see the beautifully recreated rooms. The rooms in the mansion were relatively comfortable compared to the interior of the huts.

The impact that their work had on the outcome of the war cannot be underestimated and thousands of lives were saved by breaking the German Enigma codes.

The interior of the huts were really atmospheric and we could imagine how cold and draughty they must have been in the winter and equally how hot and stuffy in the summer, with very little light or ventilation. And of course in those days, everyone smoked which couldn't have helped the atmosphere.

As well as the thousands of men and women who interpretated the radio signals, operated machines and did all the other vital yet routine jobs, there were also the actual code breakers such as Bill Tutte, Gordon Welchman, Dilly Knox, Nigel de Grey and perhaps most famous of all Alan Turing. This is Alan Turing's office.

 Heralded as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century, Turin was hardly known outside of academic circles until the 1970s when his critical contribution to the breaking of the Enigma code and the development of computer science became known, along with the details of his untimely death. Although awarded the OBE for his contribution to the war effort, Turin found himeself charged with gross indecency in the 1950s - basically he was being criminalised for being homosexual, something I find hard to comprehend these days. He was given the choice of a prison sentence or chemical castration and chose the later which involved a course of oestrogen injections. Designed to kill his sex drive, what they did was make him grow breasts. Sadly he took his own life in 1954 at the age of just 41 by eating cyanide on an apple.

I was so moved by his story that I have started to read Alan M. Turing written by his mother Sara.

Despite not really understanding her son on many levels, Sara gives a insight into his life and achievements, although fails to mention his homosexuality or his suicide, preferring to believe it was a case of accidental death. The style is a little stilted but what is undisputable is that he is a man who should not be forgotten.

If you get a chance, do visit Bletchley Park as it makes for a great day out with much to see and learn. I'm really glad I went despite the head ache... don't wait to do those things you've always said you'll do!