home

Now I have a son who is 40!  celebrated with candles in cup cakes, very successful, very American

 Callie is home, and grown [and wet she helped me water the house plants].

 We had a very happy time in Nevada.  However it was very hot between 80s and 90s every day, so I spent a lot of time sitting in the swing chair in the garden, in the shade, watching the Glorious Grandson cavort in the paddling pool.

away daze

Callie is at her Kennels, cats are asleep with servants arranged, bags are packed and we are off to the U.S. of A.  Back in two weeks

oh dear old ladies eh !?

BORJA.- A combination of three documents provided by the Centre de Estudios Borjanos on August 22, 2012 shows the original version of the painting Ecce Homo (L) by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez, the deteriorated version (C) and the restored version by an elderly woman in Spain. An elderly woman?s catastrophic attempt to ?restore? a century-old oil painting of Christ in a Spanish church has provoked popular uproar, and amusement. Titled ?Ecce Homo? (Behold the Man), the original was no masterpiece, painted in two hours in 1910 by a certain Elias Garcia Martinez directly on a column in the church at Borja, northeastern Spain. The well-intentioned but ham-fisted amateur artist, in her 80s, took it upon herself to fill in the patches and paint over the original work, which depicted Christ crowned with thorns, his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven. AFP PHOTO/ CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS BORJANOS.

Westward Ho

Last week some stitchers and I went on a sketching trip and picnic to Flatford Mill [Constable country]In the end we went to the cafe for a sandwich and tiddled about in the sunshine.

Now down to business  -  we have booked the the kennels, and people to feed the cats; the  trains; the hotel; the plane; the hotel; the car; the plane back and the taxi home. 
Feel like I have done it all already but somehow I have to get up on my back legs and change continents to see the kids and g'kid.
Still nearly 2 weeks to go. 
Have to down [up?] load some audio books onto ipod in hopes that they will see me thru the nights when necessary. 
Have to organise some hand stitching to take with me, plus more stories for day time.  What makes me think g'son is going to give me time?
Daughter tells me that he was devoted to g'dad from other side of family, oh dear, bet they rolled around together and played SpiderMan. I will never measure up.
Callie is growing and prancing, almost potty trained except over night, kennels will no doubt return her to her primitive state of anywhere any time.
But it will be an adventure!

cat on holiday

Daughter sent me this picture taken when she was at Lake Taho this w/e.  Thought you might like it Gillian. 

lonely

 Have been doing some mono printing, very pleasing to be able to transfer my sketch to the fabric but now of course I am not sure what to do next.  Same as always I end up with a single female figure in a space.

august

Supposed to be sunny today but at the mo it is that milky silver sky and showers. Garden likes it tho.

Majyk Scraps

Went to the newly reburbished [Lottery money] Tide Mill at Woodbridge.

 Majyk Scraps had the honour of the first exhibition there, and showed a lot of small, intricate pieces responding to the local environment.

The Group is quite small www.majykscraps.co.uk.    All of these shown are by Allison Smith.  Her quilting skills have been expertly used to embellish the work in a simple effective way.

 It was Callie's first "day trip" as we ate a pub lunch in Sutton while she slept in her crate in the back of the car. We had first worn her out with a walk by the River Deben, lovely bright day, with a lively breeze.  We feel like proper dog owners now, or at least we will when she gets her toilet arrangements sorted out.  She runs round the house till she comes up against a hissing cat, and chases all over the garden off the lead, until she "finally" hears me calling.

ironic weather

Still very hot, typical, we got the doggy cage so we can go somewhere, walk her and then leave her safely in the car while we have lunch...............and it is far too hot to leave dogs in cars.. boo.
The mallow is out all along the sea wall, making a pretty pink path.  Bah Humbug
The families are crabbing down at Felixstowe

and Leiston Abbey has some very attractive walls, [see other blog for more] we would love to show her - spend longer out without wondering if she is eating the furniture/plants at home.

A small problem as opposed to getting bombed from helicopters in Syria but one that I hold tight in my shoulders and neck.  I am getting so impatient these days.  My perspective is narrowing to the next two seconds and why they aren't right!  I don't like myself.

 

callie grows taller

Callie update

She's had all her jabs; put on a kilo and when she wants something [food, toy] she will Sit! for a few secsonds.

 Mostly she pees and poos out doors but when she is greeting us she gets excited  and piddles in front of the door, so we have to make stepping stones of the newspapers, which she then endeavours to chew to confetti.  She loves to cavort thru the house with me chasing behind and finish off the cat food.  Gertie is not amused, but Daisy sits back and studies her with nervous attention. Today Gertie brought in a dead? mouse to show who's boss.

If the weather holds we hope to take her Walkies.  So far she has only been as far as the garden and church yard, can't take her too far as she gets tired and is too heavy to carry far.   As the exhibition at Snape closes tomorrow and I have no commitments in August except to my nearest and dearest I declare summer to have started.

- Self Portraits by Textile Art Group Suffolk artists on display at their Annual Exhibition "Echoes" The Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings. - Entertainment - iwitness24 Suffolk

- Self Portraits by Textile Art Group Suffolk artists on display at their Annual Exhibition "Echoes" The Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings. - Entertainment - iwitness24 Suffolk

If you click on this site [above] and see the pics and then vote for it, [check vote box] it pushes it up the list of viweings so we get more publicity.

Echoes at Snape Maltings

These trees evolved from some work we did with gesso and fabrics dragged thru it. The resulting ridges reminded me of trees, which i stitched until they revealed themselves. The result is good in that it takes me away from trying too hard with accuracy and not so good as the background wasn't stretched and is a bit uneven, not enhanced by the blue sky inexpertly added at the end.  On the whole tho it looks OK

Dancers

I have been exploring this theme in my Textile Art for some time, often using similar templates of  joyous women. 

My women are generously curved, proud of their centred gravity. They are sensuous, celebrating their sexuality and each other;  they refuse to be judged as sex objects. 

Waving not Drowning

This piece echoes Stevie Smith's poem. A dance of togetherness and the trust that when a woman is in distress [drowning in her sorrows], there will be friends to support and save her.

.

Dance for your Life

Shows women, stitched into Mud Cloth, strips, hand woven and dyed in Mali, sub Saharan West Africa. 

Mali is one of the poorest countries in Africa and is in such a dangerous state of unrest that our government advises against all travel to the country at the moment.  Women and children always suffer in times of war, which is why my women are dancing for their lives, in their imagination.

But the echoes of hope are fading

sufficiency

Went to see a local exhibition of City and guild machine embroidery students. This piece was probably Best in Show. Big and bold and well executed.  There were some nice fabric sketch and sample books too.  Came away without buying anything, so I must conclude I have everything I need!

barging by

 We've lived here a long time without going to see the annual Barge Race. 
Apparently boats need the tide and so it always seemed to start at the crack.  Yesterday it was at 10.30 so we could potter down and gaze fascinated at about 20 barges whittering about in the wind.  Tacking I believe you call it, I only have dim memories of Swallows and Amazons to go by.  Ransome lived in the village when he was writing the first one [and not being a spy or whatever].  Have no idea if anyone won.

 We stood for about an hour in the sun and the wind, except when I slumped to the grass demanding a shooting stick, seriously, I can't do this standing thing for long these days.  Father's discs were dicky, so I reckon mine are too.  Had to have a nap when we got in, shaming.

 Calpurnia remained in quarantine in the conservatory, unashamedly sleeping off her breakfast. We feed her 4 times a day, very simples tho, just dried food and warm water.  She is getting longer! Today her whole face appears above the barricade.  Her teeth are like needles and like any baby everything is explored by mouth, including fingers.

dispatches [poo,wee and love]

We set up a run on the grass so Callie can get some sun, next door provided a sunshade, all very lovely.  Like a toddler [very] Callie is only happy in company, eating or asleep. 
Today it is cold wet and grey, I may put her outside while I clean the conservatory tiles before mother arrives.
 It can feel irritating at times to suddenly be tied to a small shouty demanding creature that just has to look at you to make you feel guilty for even having a negative thought.It is another month I think before she is allowed out and about and has the opportunity to discover the wide world as her potty. 
Think of the troubles that will bring. 
The cat basket finally finds a fan.

ecco femina

This is the winning painting of the BP portrait award this year. It makes me flinch, but if there were more such around I think we would all have a more realistic and happy idea of what people look like .  She has a lovely face and is agreeing with me I think.
I didn't do Latin.  We had to chose between Art and Latin at my school, probably wise choice in my case as I am hopeless at languages, so do correct me if you wish.

sewing instructions

 On Friday we went to Colchester to the new oddly shaped, bronze roofed gallery, to see an exhibition of South American stitching.  Only half a dozen pieces, bold and slightly intimidating, rather like the gallery, which otherwise was largely empty. Had the requisite Roman Mural under glass and some contemporary sculpture.  Most disturbing a grey pile splodged on the floor, which proved to be the atomised remains of an aircraft engine. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
The walls all slope outwards, very tall and white,  of course nothing can sensibly be displayed on them.  Also a cafe, bit bleak in it's middle class understatement.  Point one to the S Americans.  The loo was interesting in that the sinks were merely a communal slop[e]ing, plastic, flat surface,  tap water slides away down to a grill at the far edge.  Not seen the like before, but maybe they are already last years sensation in London.........

 The Embroidery Posse relaxes replete with culture.

The Vanity of Small Differences: Victoria Miro's fourth solo exhibition with Grayson Perry opens

The Vanity of Small Differences: Victoria Miro's fourth solo exhibition with Grayson Perry opens

better angels