Went up to Alexandra Palace to the Knit and Stitch show on Thursday. Mother decided not to come with me so trekked up on my own. The trains were good, arrived at Wood Green for the free bus up the hill to Ally Pally in two hours.
They do run coaches from most towns round the country, which take probably three hours from here, depending on the traffic, but I can't read on coach or car without feeling sick, whereas the purple prose of James Lee Burke's "Swan Peak" made the train journey fly by.
Coming out of the tube station a little budgerigar of a woman chirped up at me "Are you going to the Alexandra Palace?". How had I made it so obvious?
Apparently she identified me because I had the flowery fabric bag my daughter made for me slung over one shoulder. Such things are not usual in the city it seems.
She said she was an unemployed florist and was using her spare time to go places, she didn't even know which exhibition was on and was a bit non plussed to be told it cost £11 to get in. Hopefully she enjoyed the colours at least..
Audrey Walker was there supporting Rozanne Hawksley's exhibition. I'm not keen on the work of the latter but it was good to see the two of them enjoying each others company, two real doyens.
I was excited to speak briefly to Alice Kettle without stuttering too much - a fragile size 8, but capable of the largest bold work.
She has got new work up which has given me some ideas on what to do with the collection of lace and damask cloths I seem to have accumulated but I didn't have the nerve to ask to take a photo of the white on white.
In some places photography was allowed, in some for personal use only but in lots Verboten. Which led to lots of us ladies scurrying around taking crafty snaps.
