Tuesday 30 October 2012

Gigs and stitches.




The last ten days or so have been fairly action packed one way or another. First up I promised some photos of Ouse Washes Molly side at Gressenhall for Apple Day. You can just make out Nicky in her red dress, and melodeon, and me next to her looking very black with my fiddle! My dress does have lots of red satin (tasteful!) but it doesn't show. This obviously is a dancing action shot.


This is at the end of the day, following the Wassailing to the apple trees. Colin, Nicky and I then led the crowd  (many more than you can see here) in a Circassian Circle dance. Despite the cold it was a very successful day, and the organisers were profuse in their appreciation for the contribution Ouse Washes had made to the overall entertainment.


Then my trip to Bungay to watch Triette supporting The Old Dance School at Fisher Theatre. I had a brilliant time. Here you can see Nic Zuppardi and Nick Wiseman-Ellis, who were superb.


And here is a not very clear photo, sorry, of The Old Dance School, who played some really fine music, I had to treat myself to one of their cds!



I pop a quick one of me here, to show you the new hair colour....or rather the old hair colour! There are so few photos of me as I'm not keen on seeing myself (unless heavily disguised in Mollie-garb). And I notice two things - one I have no make-up on and this is not a great look! And two, I am wearing the same top I was wearing in my profile photo, taken two years ago! (The top-hat is new........)


Ok, a spot of slap...perhaps overdid the eye-treatment, never mind.This will possibly be the last photos of me to go on this blog! (Massive sighs of relief shake the Blogosphere!) I have to say, Jim really likes my hair in its natural state. Men eh?



Here is a strange little tableau, my original kitchen knife set, bought in a hardware shop in Gosport when I was in the QARNNS and about to be married. Yes, this hardworking set is 42 years old! We celebrated our anniversary last week by me being in Norfolk and Jim being in Wales doing something official with a crowd of other flyfishing chaps! Never mind, we had a romantic phone call...I expect I'll get taken out for a nice meal eventually!


A quick catch-up on the wool cushion progress - the embroidery is finished, just have to make up the cushion cover. Oh, and I found an old piece today which I'd been searching for - Jim had unearthed it and put it on display on the cushions in the porch! Without telling me and I hadn't noticed. I wanted to show you because we were talking about getting obsessed with one stitch when I did Teena's workshop at Dragon Hall the other week. Her obsession was French Knots, mine was feather stitch.


Sorry the light is horrendous. I used all my own hand-dyed fabrcis and created a design which I won't show in full as I no longer like the overall design. But I still LOVE the colours and the stitching! I hand- appliqued the shapes and heavily embroidered with seeding and feather stitch and beads and shisha mirrors.




I used various weights of thread and loved working with the variegated colours. The stitching became hypnotic, almost meditative, and although it was completed about 10 years ago I can still remember the pleasure it gave me to be working on it.

And then there's been music. Music music music. I find I'm having to drag myself away from it in order to do some stitiching. However, I'll say more about that next time. I'll leave you with the thought that although we here in the UK complain long and hard about our weather - it is a National Pastime, after all - we have not been suffering the extremes our friends and relations in the States have been experiencing. I hope if you've been directly affected that you are safe and unhurt, and that the chaos will soon subside and your lives return to some kind of normality. Til next time.

26 comments:

  1. Hi Lynne, This post was so interesting. I love the dancing, the costumes, the music . . . the only thing wrong with your first few photos is that I wasn't there. It looked like so much fun!

    I want to encourage you to never, stop getting into the photos . . . make-up or not . . . you are beautiful. We all are getting older and most of us (me for sure) are getting wider, too, but we have a history and a story . . . the photos of our lives will be there for our children and grandchildren to remember us and hold us near long after we are gone. You look like a gal that enjoys life and spread joy to everyone around you. Don't cheat the folk who love you, by not having lots of photos to remember your wonderful life.

    Now, I want to say something about your needle work. I hope you are still reading. Your work is awesome . . . you are so talented. There must be so many hours in each piece . . . the stitching, the colors, the patterns, the detail . . . WOW!!! You Rock!

    I love your blog.
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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    1. Connie I am going to have to ask you to comment in very tiny letters, as I am now so embarrassed! But thank you for saying such lovely things.(You have certainly put a smile on my face this breakfast time!) Lx

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  2. Oh and I forgot to say the beads . . . the way you wove them into your stitches . . . You amaze me :)

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  3. I just want to say I think the photos of you are beautiful. You are a lovely woman, don't ever think differently. I love the one with the top hat because you are showing us a lovely smile. You look like a happy person and like someone I would love to get to know.

    What lovely stitching in the photos. It is so intricate and simple at the same time. Beautiful!!!

    Hugs,
    Sharon
    grammybraxton.blogspot.com

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    1. Hello Sharon, lovely to meet you and thanks for commenting. Ishall pop across to your blog to say hello directly! Lx

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  4. Your colors and stitching are beautiful! I too have let my natural grey show through... I arrived last year in Japan with dark brown (dyed) hair and will leave with grey... but it's so freeing wouldn't you agree?? :).

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    1. Thank you Cynthia. Yes, I feel quite happy now with my hair colour. It was a bit of a leap in the dark, as although my hairdresser said we could always colour it again, I knew once everyone had seen the grey there really was no point.! But I thought I should try it anyway, and also I got to thinking about all the stuff we put into and onto our bodies that we don't know too much about.

      And yes, it is freeing, you are quite right. Lx

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  5. Lovely colourful picture of the dance, they remind me of Wintersmith by Terry pratchet...have you read it?

    Your cushion is beautiful, you are so clever, the variegated colours are stunning.

    I'm going grey too and had a big dilema as to colour it or not, my Mr is a hairdresser and he refused to dye it!!, as he likes natural.... I think your hair looks lovely natural, you have very pretty eyes. I used to be scared to put pics on my blog of myself, but personally, I really like to see the person who is writing the words, I think other people do too, so I do now.
    Sophie x

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  6. Hi Sophie, yes, I do have Wintersmith, and several others by Terry P. and I totally see what you mean!

    I think you should trust your Mr and go with the natural look. I don't regret it at all and certainly enjoy not having to have the colour put on.

    Despite all the lovely comments I do not like to see images of myself, but I do agree it is nice to see who is writing, and also, when people use a 'nom de plume' it becomes awkward, unless you can wheedle out their name, to become a frequent commentator on their blog. Though I do inderstand some folks like a bit of anonymity. Lx

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  7. Smashing blog Lynne as always, all photos very good, People,needlecraft even the knives.
    Keep up the good work as I like many others look forward to your blogs.
    Lesley

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  8. Ah Lesley, hello! And a little bird tells me (or should I say a little fish?) that you are probably around the same as us, anniversary-wise! I think we should pat ourselves on the backs - we must be doing something right! Lx

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  9. Wow Lynne, you've been busy! All that merriment and stitching! Looks like you are having a very full on retirement! Ada :)

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    1. Certainly am, Ada...might have to stop and catch my breath soon..... Lx

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  10. Lovely colourful post... love the stitching and the colourfulness of the costumes, so great to see traditions being kept alive. I think you suit your hair au naturel and also without makeup. I don't wear any other than a little eye makeup. I would maybe look better with it, a bit of colour, but have never ever worn 'stuff' clagging up my face, and even as a teen only ever wore eye makeup. These days it's toned down, as you say overdoing it isn't a good look on the more mature lady, shall we say?! To my eyes, you look lovely without any faffing.

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    1. Hi Maggie, I think I've been wearing make up too long to feel comfortable under close scrutiny without it! Though I wear it much less often now I'm not at work.
      You are very kind, I'm hugely embarrassed by all these lovely comments...but quite chuffed too2 How often do we hear such nice things about ourselves? True or not! Lx

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    2. Well I am someone who speaks from the heart... sometimes a good thing but also sometimes not. If someone looks good, if a friend is being particularly nice or has been in my thoughts, I say so. Equally if asked my honest opinion, I give it. Sadly this has lost me two friendships, people who really, really wanted me to be honest as nobody else was being honest. They could take it as well as dish it out, they said. Ha. Not real friends in the first place then probably since they are no longer 'friends'.

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    3. Maggie, one of my Stitch & Bitch friends has an expression 'I'm having an Economy of Friendship' ie sometimes you just have to let someone drop off your particular roll-call of honourable friends. It may hurt at the time but quite honestly life is sweeter and less stressful without these kinds of friends.

      I'm blessed with some truely good friends, and as I get ...er...'mellower', more mature...oh heck, just say it....OLDER I realise just how good it is to have them.

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  11. You should wear your natural hair colour with pride. Grey is a sign of wisdom. I'm looking forward to going platinum blonde. ;)
    As for makeup...never worn it. we through a very short stage of wearing a bit of lippy and and mascara but I felt like I was being suffocated by it. Plus the mascara made my eyes water. So now I don't wear it. well except for a bit of tinted vasaline on my lips for special occasions.

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    1. Hi Sarah, you are youndg and have a beautiful complexion, you don't need any artifice! Lx

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  12. Oh Lynne, you do such beautiful work. Almost as beautiful as you!
    Keep dancing, :-)
    Dorothy

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  13. Hi Sue, thanks for the words, rest assured there will be no more self portraits! But loads more stitiching, I'm back into texiles and loving it. Lx

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  14. Gorgeous cushions, of course! I do like the hair colour - you have a young face, so it doesn't make you look old in any way - lucky you! Great hat also! So ... am gonna email you with loads of stupid questions soon - having so much fun with this quilting lark! xCathy

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    1. Thanks Cathy....email received and answered! Howzatt for service! Lx

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  15. Hi Lynne. I've just found you via Connie's blog. Lovely photos and enjoyed reading your post.
    Patricia

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    1. Thank you Patricia, lovely to meet you, have just popped across to check out your blog too!

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