pandora pocket

Cornwall

 

A last minute long weekend filled with Cornish ice cream (and fresh pasties and cream teas), St Mawes, Barbara Hepworth museum and Tate St. Ives, Porthpean beach in the rain and the view at breakfast from our hotel The Lugger at Portloe. Surprise supper with Caroline and Drew, Wimbledon finals and knitting for Merlin. A tentative step toward putting an end to a couple of crazy hormonal days of crying.

Today - having had my final day at work last week, and with a husband currently at 4000 metres in a hut in the snowy Alps -  I am treating myself to a pyjama day on the sofa. I'd like to make it to Trafalgar Square at some point to see Anthony Gormley's One and Other, and a trip to The Hayward's Walking in my Mind is a plan for next week. In the meantime I need to think about what to get my grandpa for his 94th birthday on Saturday... may be I'll make him a red velvet cake.

another weekend not sewing

  

Huts for the fishing nets in Hastings, delicious local seafood, Winchelsea beach, Camber sands and Bodium Castle - a haunt from my childhood days where Sir Edward Dalyngrigge was granted a license to crenellate after pillaging a fortune in the Hundred Years War. License to crenellate is a bit like planning permission. The crenel is the lowered part of a fortified wall for arrows to be fired from and the raised part of the wall is the merlon.

Weekend not sewing

 

Five delicious courses of rabbit, fish soup, kolrobie, mackerel and strawberry parfait at River Cottage.

 

Lemurs at Monkey World.

 

A stormy night giving way to a beautifully calm, sunny morning for DD to compete in the Weymouth half iron man.

We stayed here and it was lovely - I like a b&b you can only access via a clifftop dirt track with grass growing up the middle.

Good luck today Donny.

Spring clean

A recent trip to Buffalo to visit Josie and her family proved both craftily inspirational and tough when it came to closing my suitcase. I was remarkably restrained when it came to fabrics (only 22 yards), thrifted children's clothes (only the most comedy) and Orla Kiely goods (I only bought an oven glove) from the new range at Target...

     

Whilst sheltering indoors from temperatures of around -9, Josie and I learned how to make blocks for a spiderweb quilt (Spiderpig quilt) and I have returned to the UK with grand ambitions for all kinds of crafting projects. I have started by dusting off the badge maker for Astrid and Chantal...

    

To follow, a touch of spring cleaning. I want to dust everything, throw everything away (nearly everything) and find a home for any item which I decide is necessary or beautiful enough to remain in the house. I need shelves, boxes, labels and numerous trips to charity shops. There is one room in particular which needs a little spring attention...

 

Or maybe I'll just go back to work.

narly

     

Having just finished the inspirational and comedic book 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace, I have already enjoyed the power of a yes in a situation where I might otherwise have said no. So when David asked if I would like to use our free flight and stay at a generous friend's chalet in Verbier this weekend, I decided to put all feelings of guilt, responsibility and poverty to one side. I said yes.

The snow was deep, powdery and beautiful; the food and wine were endless and delicious; friends were generous, welcoming and fun. Despite the blizzard at the top of the mountain, I even had a ski lesson. Now - back in London with no injuries worse than bruised calves - I am refreshed and ready to deal with anything else life wants to lay in my path. It's amazing what a tonic a change of scenery can be.

 

Funny how I had already made our Christmas cards to a Swiss chalet theme, athough I haven't managed to write any of them yet. And I don't know how Christmas crept up so quickly but it would appear there are only two weeks left before Santa comes to fill our stockings.

So tonight, before I head to Shane Bradford's opening night of Hermetic Seel at the Vegas Gallery, I shall be getting all festive at Ryantown during the first Columbia Road Christmas Wednesday (found through wee birdy). And then I guess we should get a tree or something.

Yes.

Happy..

..70th birthday, dad

 

..2nd anniversary, husband

     

Turfcutters Arms, tandem, Buckler's Hard, Alum Chine, The Parrot, and pony love.

Down to Margate

(Don't forget your buckets and spades and cossies and all)

What else could you want from a traditional seaside day trip? A teacup ride at the funfair, a mouthful of jellied eels, a game of frisbee on the beach, a dip in the icy brown ocean, fish and chips for lunch and a good old singsong on the bus ride home. 

Actually we spent most of the day at Broadstairs which is a lovely seaside village with winding streets, tudor arches (not so ideal for a routemaster bus) and a great beach with a big rock pool appearing once the tide goes out. I had insisted we stop in Margate - not just for the funfair and the jellied eels, but for the shell ladies. Lifesize sculptures created by Ann Carrington from locally found shells, these souvenir style ladies represent historical lady figures of Margate and are to be wheeled around the town for the rest of this month.

 

Of course it rained a lot (it is summer after all) and we spent most of the day in waterproofs but we were all very happy to help Matthew Bartholomatthew Short celebrate his special birthday.

iron man

the cpt iron men and women

the supporters

and congratulations to iron man david on his iron man time of 11 hours and 46 minutes.

for an armchair athlete like me, it is incomprehensible how the human body can swim for 2.4 miles, then cycle for 112 miles (up hills) and then run a marathon (26.2 miles). I am incredibly proud of my husband and in awe of all the athletes who took part. after lengthy hours of training, mental focus and sheer determination, I can only repeat the oft-repeated words of hugo smyth: 'well done'.

I loved klagenfurt, loved supporting the race and loved the fact that we hijacked a cheerleader who we found by the river (it turned out we actually knew each other - it's great when you bump into someone you know in a whole other country).

so now to miami.

break

warning: don't drop your really expensive SLR digital camera or it might break.

do, however go on a lovely holiday and take some pictures before you break it.

justin

india

david

mike laurence isobel and liar dice

trucking

one of my favourite things about pakistan is the transport. everything from cement lorries to taxis are hand painted in the most amazing designs and adorned with tassles and bells and a huge tiara shaped headboard on the front; also painted and tassled. beats eddie stobart hands down.