almost but not quite...

Christmas so just time for a night away

destination Manchester...driving down the majestic M6 through rain and storm force winds, some of the best views in the country as we travel through the Howghylls...at speed!

 

we made it safely to Rochdale station to catch a train, and glide easily into Manchester Victoria, half remembered through the mists of time, an old haunt from when I was at Liverpool Uni...young, free and single! This time we have ventured here for daughter mine to run in an athletics meeting on Sunday so I suggested making it a weekend...and here we are, rather stunned country mice getting used to the rush of the city...


luckily daughter mine had a map from when she came with a weekend with Rangers so she leads the way...I could do it from memory...maybe!

it's late afternoon, dusk is coming on and the lights are bright...

I do so love the bright yellow trams...and the hustle and bustle, somehow it feels exiting, a buzz of movement and things happening all around us

and here we are at The Manchester Craft and Design Centre...a historic building now full of the best in art and craft and design, studios, artists...and cafe, modern but with a sense of the past

just not enough time to take in the wealth and variety of creativity, ceramics, furniture, textiles, art of all kinds, and you meet the makers...brilliant to meet Andrea from &made whose lovely work I've admired for a long time

you can see more aboutalmost but nowt the Craft Centre here

out into the night to find Christmas markets in full swing...

so much to see and buy...but we were flagging by now so walked back to the station to catch the train again...and headed for a meal and a bed at the Youth Hostel at Haworth (yes as in The Bronte Sisters)...we know how to have a good time!

I even managed to watch Strictly and on Sunday, daughter mine ran like the wind in her 60m sprint and hurdles and got 2 PBs (personal bests!) 

Home again feeling like I had a week away not just a night...bliss!

 

 

Knitting AND Stitching....

and so much more...The Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate 2013 was a joyful experience, all the better for going on a Sunday when it was quiet and you could see everything with ease! so here for you in the comfort of your own home...no travelling required except in your mind... a taste of what we saw...

Mandy Patullo's wonderful thrifty artwork handstitched to perfection... 

 

 

again handstitching but this time with printing, some small and some huge abstracts from the landscape by Dorothy Caldwell..love the texure of her stitching here

Bobby Britnell and Ruth Issett side by side, so different but equally inspiring

how's this for a sketchbook?!

and stall after stall of colour, texture and creativity...and sheer hard work!

a stop for lunch in the opulence of the Grand Theatre, where Husband of Patience sits with his newspaper and a cuppa when he's had enough! and the Man count was quite high this year...

lots to look at and absorb...and lots of tempting things to spend your pennies on!

got some beautiful yarn from this original stall run by a young lady at Lily and The Dub!

one of my favourit parts is seeing all the students work, full of imaginative use of their medium, in a contemporary way which is so fresh

I've always loved the K and S show, but even more now I go with Daughter Mine, who has a shared love of all things textile...and we have a really good family time together! She's just done some wonderful work for her Textiles GCSE mock...and I could easily see her artwork here!

thanks for all your kind comments and donations for Gwendoline, we hope soon to have a new donkey companion for Ned, who in the meantime is getting lots of extra ear tickling and carrot and apple treats...

for those who missed my last blog post, this is Gwendoline and we are raising money for The Donkey Sanctuary in her memory, click here if you would like to make a donation...thank you

have a quiet week...there's plenty of time before it's Christmas...honest!

Emmax

Friday night and it's hot hot hot!!

after a day which was ridculously, gloriously, madly hot, the scent of warm greenery and grass and flowers...roses, honeysuckle, mock orange...drifts in through the open window as dusk gathers and I sit to try and write a little post to say hello world... 

my beautiful white roses have flowered beautifully despite, or perhaps because of, the incredible heat...everytime I go past I bury my nose in their soft petals and breathe in summer...I make sure I stop to smell the roses!

it has been a busy week with all sorts going on, daughter mine and husband of patience hanging on in there for the end of term...an unexpected trip for me to the dentist(a 4 hour round trip...yes I know it's barmy but he's a brilliant dentist and usually I stay over with my Dad)

my zumba class today full of amazing dancing women, all body rolling and samba-ing despite the heat

and lots of making as I prepare for ArtFest in Kendal next weekend....if you take a look here and scroll down the page you'll see some of the talented contemporary art and craft exhibitors. It is sooo close now I can almost touch it, the most exiting thing I have done this year...sharing a stall with my friend and fellow textile artist Sarah. We have worked closely together, encouraging each other and planning endlessly...we have both come a  long way...

and I have to say, being my own boss when the weather is this good has many advantages...eg a leisurely lunch outside...a siesta...and working into the cooler evening to make up for when it was just too hot to think earlier in the day...

and now it's getting late..I've just been outside for one last stroll...the big round shiney moon is out and it is cooling down..tempting me to just stay out all night...

but I must away to bed and sleep...night night! xx