Holiday with friends

After the NEC I drove around Birmingham towards the Kidderminster / Stourbridge sort of way to stay with my oldest and best friends.
I stayed for three nights and totally chilled out.

This is a house where there are elephants everywhere, we have matching light fittings, table mats and coasters, trinkets, almost the same Denby, same dresser…… the list goes on…. and the coffee is always available.
Oh and they got some GF chocolate biscuits in for me to have with said coffee.
Perfect.  Thank you xxx 

Felix - sleepy time.

Ozzy watching the ball, there is Deli too but she’s very shy.
We spent hours sitting on those chairs in the background chatting away.
We chat…. a lot. 

One evening we headed to Bewdley.
A favourite haunt of mine.

Not least for…..

The best sweetie shop in the world.

Here’s a link to their website.

A good haul.
Not ALL for me.

If you have a few minutes take a look at this video of the factory.
Its all so old fashioned.
Thats why the sweeties are so wonderful.
 

Lovely to walk along the riverside path and watch the rowing boats, ducks and geese. 
We just don’t get this in Northumberland and I do miss it. 
I love Bewdley, something very special about it.

Chips sitting by the river watching the world go by.

And a few drinks too.

So the Thursday I headed home via the East Midlands Outlet shopping centre for the Adidas and Nike stores.
Who knew I’d ever be shopping for sports gear?  Not just for Richard but for me too.

I’d really enjoyed the time away, especially chatting with friends, old and new.
Getting he buzz of London, seeing wonderful paintings and dresses. 

I’d enjoyed strolling by the river and sitting out on a warm evening watching the busy world go by.
But as I drove past the Rothbury turning and headed up over the moors away from "commuter to Newcastle land” I felt the space, peace and quiet of north Northumberland and I felt glad to be home.

 

Sunday at Festival of Quilts

 A day for stewarding on the SAQA stand, chatting to friends and undertaking a workshop.

Don’t think I will comment on that…….
 

Lets have another picture from Hardwick Hall instead shall we?
Imagine the people and conversations held in this hallway. 

 

London Part 6

Buckingham Palace 

I’ve never visited before so it was wonderful to not only see the State Rooms but also the Queens Dresses.
The dresses are on exhibition at the three palaces (I hope to get to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh soon).

No photographs inside of course.
Here’s a link instead. 

I met up with friends and we headed inside.

I was excited to be going to see the Coronation dress and Wedding dress, unfortunately because of the way they were displayed it was impossible to get close up to see much of the embroidery.

It was also VERY busy, despite the timed ticket.

But it was worth it, the rooms are gilt upon gilt upon gilt.
Just as a royal palace should be.

The dresses were well displayed (apart from the two mentioned imho) and you realise how small the Queen is.
(Though probably still taller than me.  Almost everyone is.)

Afterwards we went shopping for souvenirs and the gold (of course) carrier bag.
Then ice creams to cool down. 

I came home with a tea towel (how old am I?)
An Andy Warhol version of course

 Also purchased a jute shopping bag, adorned with lions, crowns and such - which proved useful for dirty laundry.
Is this a treasonable offence? 

London Part 5

 Turner at the Tate

I took a short video, to show how empty it was….  I wonder if the link will work?
I will admit to being a YouTube virgin. 

Video here 

 The Turner collection is utterly amazing and there is so much on the walls and so many rooms its almost overwhelming.
I got totally lost and went round and around in circles.

One thing I took away from the visit;

JUST PAINT and keep painting and make more paintings…. and more and more. 

A few of my favourites below.

The above are details from;

Norham Castle, not far from here.
Full of history and border warfare.

 

London Part 4

Victorians at the Tate.

You really can’t go wrong with a dose of Burne-Jones, Waterhouse and Millais.
Here are just few of my favourites. 

We’ve all felt like this, several times a day if it’s been a full day in the studio.

An outstanding collection

London Part 3

From Tate Modern to Tate Britain to see “Painting with Light; Art and Photography from the Pre-Rahaelites to the Modern Age".

An interesting exhibition exploring the influences of painters on photography…. and then the influence of photography on painting. 

With some spare time before I headed off to Buckingham Palace I took myself around the Tudors and Turner.
I love this painting of Elizabeth I in her late twenties.

But its the details of the paintings I truly love.
The depiction of embroidery in paint, which one day I hope to use as inspiration to make embroidered work.
A little like the exhibition I saw where one art form influences the next and then vice versa.
I like the idea of that. 

Saturday morning was a great time to visit.
Virtually empty galleries.

London Part 2 Tate Modern

A few of my favourite pieces from Tate Modern.