In which Maggie has a birthday and Smudge gets an ASBO

It's my birthday today and the family are out in force - although personally I'd rather ignore birthdays from now on. I've had an IOU for a Wii Fit from Fiona and her brother (impossible to buy at the moment), plus a super necklace and some smellies. Clive went mad and got me a bracelet with black onyx stones to match the ring I bought in Oz many years ago. I've been looking for a match ever since.






Awaiting the other daughter, plus the four kids, for more pressies. And I've been out to lunch and had a day off. What more could one ask?


Aaaah! The day has gone downhill as I have just spent hours 'talking' to BTinternet about why so many of their customers (our subscribers) have not received their passwords. Apparently, BT has taken upon itself to decide that all group messages are spam and then put them into a folder that their clients cannot access without asking BT to unlock it. Once you are blacklisted within that folder all emails from your server are withheld from the subscriber even if you hit the reply button from a received email from their client. I shall have to contact all our BTI folk to tell them this and I'll have to do it by post! The wonders of the internet. If any Btinternet subscribers are reading this, let me know that you're on the case, please.


Then I had a phone call from the folks who do the furniture hire at the shows asking us why we hadn't booked our tables. I had and I sent a cheque so that is another muddle, not of my making. I think they are out to get me.

Interesting comments from you all.


Sue - it was the illustration and sculpture that we felt lacked oomph this year. Also the Asian arts.



I do think you are right about going every other year, Jackie. It was a biennial show until quite recently and better for it. I do agree that the ambience is a big part of it - the sitting with pancakes, Pimms and music is priceless. I also think that it was partly me - I was very tired when I went and just walking around seemed exhausting. Walking on grass is hard work. I think the brain has to keep re-adjusting for the surface levels. Interesting that the experience of viewing can be so affected by ones own mood and state of health.

Karen, I think you are right about the source to design not being covered and the success of the recent book by Leslie, Claire and Jane bears this out. Mine will also cover techniques - both for sketch book and stitched piece so, hopefully we'll cover all the bases. I am enjoying working on it and yes, I have been working on the Earth from the Air book, Sue and the designs and work will appear in the new book. Will show some pics next week, so I'm not teasing too much.

Chrissy, I would love to see the kozo ruff. Can you put a pic on your blog?

Diana - I'm inclined to agree that Interpretations is a bit heavy. What about Textile Translations? Any other ideas from blooger unanimous gratefully received.
I am collecting work for the Festival of Quilts - here are a couple of details of Naomi Renouf's wall-hanging. She was in the last Quiltwow. I found her in Jersey and I love her work. May even start quilting. Actually I am making a large 'quilty' piece, with lots of gesso, for the book.















Smudge has been given an Anti-social Behaviour Order and excluded from the sitting room. This is due to his habit of launching himself from the sofa onto a pot plant - now a late pot plant. Added to the chewing of TV wires, attacking Stevens, running up the curtains and coming perilously close to knocking over a laptop. All of these we thought were beyond his reach - some hopes. On the plus side, he still has three rooms to run through and Stevens, who is a glutton for punishment, goes in to keep him company.