To say the trip was a mixed bag of emotions is a slight understatement. Wednesday After dropping my daughter off at school for her trip to Paris i got on the bus to Cardiff to catch the National Express. All in all a good journey on both buses. Maybe apart from the two annoying kids behind me who parents tried but couldn't keep them quiet. After arriving in the big smoke on time, well done National Express, i topped up my Oyster card and got on the 390 to Camden. I highly recommend getting an Oyster card. So far all has gone smoothly but that will change. Arrived at where i was staying and went to check in. Handed over my passport and the ref number. No details of my say could be found. I showed other people not only the booking email but my bank statement showing the money had been taken out. More back and forth between various people on site and in offices. Fraud was mentioned which greatly upset me. Near 45mins later we all found out that the booking companies computer apparently crashed and the record for my booking was lost. Luckily there was a room free. The room itself was plain but very comfy. After a well needed nap i awoke and decided even though it was England V Croatia I wanted to venture into Camden. It was teaming with people and the atmosphere was like a party. When that first goal was scored the place erupted with joy. After that i didn't want to hang around just in case the game changed. I got my supplies for the night and made a hasty retreat to my room. Thursday Even though i had planned this trip a few weeks previous I had not planned on what to do. I was going to try and stay in the Camden area but i decided to venture to the center and visit The Wallace Collection. What a splendid place. The rooms are resplendent with beautiful artwork and the most exquisite furniture. The area I was most looking forward to was the Armour. Room after room of swords, daggers, crossbows etc. After this i decided to have a gander around Selfridges. I had watched the tv series regarding its beginnings. The inside of the current store was too modern for me and the beauty department was unnerving for me. Those areas always make me nervous. I retreated into the food all, even though i didn't purchase anything it was still nice to look around. Maybe when i am rich and famous i will treat myself to some caviar and champagne. The hustle and bustle of Oxford Street was too much so i decided to return to Camden. By this point i was also missing my daughter dreadfully. I had phoned and text my mum a few times more than normal. As like the day before I picked up my supplies and went to my room. Unfortunately my choices of repast was unhealthy put needed. Due to the heat and lack of fridge i made my own iced Shandies. Friday After a very good sleep i awoke in a better frame of mind and decided to go slightly more north. For some reason i decided to put on some lippy and mascara, very out of character for me. Well i am so glad i did. There i was minding my own business when a certain actor, famed for portraying Loki, came jogging round the corner. Our eyes met only briefly and by the time i realised he had gone. I have had a serious crush on this man for many years. He is the reason for my renewed love of Shakespeare. When feeling low my go to box set is Cranford and Return to Cranford. The brief glimpse of him boosted my spirits tremendously. After a quick iced coffee i ventured to the overgorund station, while walking he jogged past again. Later i realsied that i didn't quiet look my best. The heat had got to me and i was very much a shade of slapped lobster. The one thing i always do when in London is to get on a tube and get off at a random stop. I ended up in High Kensington. Unfortunately my legs were causing an issue so got the first available bus to Kings Cross. Due to Trumps visit the bus was diverted away from the protests. I got off at the British Library. A place that i have wanted to visit for many years. I was not disappointed. Currently there is a free exhibition of some of their best objects. For me personally the highlights were a letter written by Jane Austen to her brother, a collection on Shakespeare and Da Vinci and a wonderful collection of Medieval manuscripts. It was breathtaking and a wonderful extension on to what was a fantastic day. Saturday Even though Friday was a excellent day i was homesick and couldn't wait to get home. I made my way to Victoria Station, had a late breakfast, got some supplies, changed my bus to an earlier one and headed home to the hills of Wales. It was a relief to be home but the best bit of the day was picking my daughter up. I am not sure i could of hugged her tighter.
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I am off to the big smoke (London) on Wednesday and i am unsure on what craft stuff to pack. I always end up packing more crafts than actual clothes. Currently i have a scarf and shawl to finish knitting but it is just too warm to knit. Nothing worse than sweaty hands because of yarn, ewwwww.
I have just re-discovered my book on welsh quilts, it has some amazing patterns and how to guides in it. There is a page on borders in which i might use to create the back pieces, the strips either side of the Velcro, for the summer project. One thing i am going to do is find a nice cafe in Belsize Park, sit out the front and embroider while enjoying a large coffee. Oh and do a bit of people watching. I am going to take plenty of pictures of my travels and will do a post when i get back. In July i have a Masquerade ball and i am going to make my own outfit. Just gone to measure my dress makers dummy and i have outgrown it. Looks like i will need to loose weight first. I have realized for a while that weight has been creeping up but i have been too bust with my degree to do anything about it.
So from now to then i have a lot of work to do.
On Monday i handed in the final costume for year one of my degree course Costume construction at Coleg Y Cymoedd. The main fabric for the whole costume was calico and it had to be dyed to match the design. As i was doing Fagin, there needed to be an element of breaking down of the costume. I also learnt new skills with crating the buttons and the button holes. Happy new year to all. Sorry i haven't blogged in a long time but the course has taken over my life. In very much a good way mind you. Every spare minute has been dedicated to my degree. The Christmas holidays have been a mix of holiday cheer, spending time with the family and friends, and holiday homework. Cant give much away regarding what the course project is but lets just say i am not the biggest fan of ruffles.
New year though means the business is getting a boost. Once a month a group on Facebook called Sewing in the UK has a selling day on the last Saturday of the month. I aim to put a few things for sale on there each month. Christmas isn't that far away so its time to start cracking on with the Christmas crafts. This time of year can be very good for us crafters and makers. Craft fairs pop up all over the place which gives people plenty of chance to get their name and items out there.
I did my first fair two years ago. I've never been so nervous. So many questions were going through my mind. Will I sell enough? Will people like my items? What if I am stuck in a corner no one sees? Well I didn't sell much, just enough to cover cost of the table. People did like my items but I should of had a better range of different things. The only things I had to sell were scarves and tree decorations. And I was stuck in an area that was very quiet. I leant some lessons that day.
Well this morning I woke up early as its first day of school for my daughter. She was up before me but it was lovely to have a cuppa and a chat before she went into the welsh rain to school.
After warming my brain up with caffeine and a few rounds of Candy Crush I decided its time to put my makings in the folksy shop. Its only one scarf and a shawl but its a start. Had an amazing weekend away with my medieval reenactment group (Cardiff Castle Garrison). Was given a distaff so soon I'm going to start spinning my own yarn. For the first time I managed to make pancakes on a griddle over an open fire. It went well and they tasted good.
Aching a bit and suffering with a headache so watching The Hollow Crown and knitting some squares ready to be made up in to a shawl. |
AuthorMum of one amazing daughter.Student of Costume construction. Major Geek. Reenactor. Crafter of crafts. Archives
June 2019
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