Locking and Lobbing and other outings

Busy month! October 10th was indulgence day. I made my annual expedition to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally. Determined not to spend too much - last year I certainly did - a new machine I seem to recall! Normally I go with my daughter this year I went alone so no-one to gossip and bitch with! My feet ached by the end but I did find some lovely bits and caught up with several old friends on the stands. My spoils are in the picture!
This week I went with friends from the RNA to visit Locks the hatmakers and Lobbs the bootmakers in St James St in London. Both places I have been to as a customer in my costume design days but this time I saw the works side especially at Lobbs. Fascinated by the detail that goes into making a pair of shoes, I truly never realised just how many pieces of pattern were needed for such a small item! And it was somewhat emotional to handle the wooden lasts that were used to make shoes for the Princess of Wales, Frank Sinatra and my own favourite David Niven. I did once have some boots made there for him for the Canterville Ghost years ago.
The saddest news of the month is the death of my beloved Mercedes A Class. The clutch collapsed and at £2000 to repair even I said enough was enough. I shed a tear or two as it went off to the fire brigade for rescue exercises, but even worse is not having a car at all. I have borrowed the builders van that the dh drives but it's not the same! He'll get round to finding a new car - eventually - but with finances as they are I dread to think when or what! The extension is taking up all his time and money. Finally we have some progress. The old staircase came out this week and at last I have some heat in my sewing room, not much elsewhere. The dining room had a temperature of 9% celcius the other day. I live in heavy fleeces and fur lined Uggs. Otherwise I am busy making costumes for the local music hall - again!
I have done 5 dame frocks, and am currently working on a highwayman sketch. Trying to make a 10foot diameter satin lined cloak in these filthy coditions was not exactly a breeze! But it looks good finished, now to make two Directoire gowns and loads of stocks sashes and hats

Tuscany this time

After only two days at home I was off again, alone this time. Only being me I opted to travel from Gatwick - yes I know Stansted is only just up the road but there you go! It of course had to be thick fog as we set off at 5am. The dh was NOT amused! Then of course we all get on the plane to be told we can't take off because of fog so we are to sit on the plane for TWO hours! I was OK, having opted for business class I had three seats to myself and a Hello mag from the lounge so I wallowed in gossip for eventually one and a half hours before we took off.Have to sa the pilot was very good and explained as much as he could to keep us in the picture. I was actually pleased to have chosen BA for once - and my luggage made it with me! We were a bit perturbed at Pisa to see a huge queue at Lost Luggage but ours turned up! I went to do a writing course at the Watermill at Posara along with 9 other ladies. Anita Burgh was in charge so I knew we were in good hands - and we had a brilliant time! Lots of wine and chat, slightly disappointing food in almost empty rstaurants however, but we made up for it on a train ride to Lucca on the Weds when 8 of us made for a restaurant in the guide book and had a fabulous meal. Lots of shoe/boot/bag shopping that day! We had one pretty good meal in a restaurant at the top of a mountain, luckily at lunchtime so we could see the view, but Kersten the resident housekeeper was a good chef when we ate in and we all voted her meals the best of all. Posara is tiny, no shop or even a bar but in a huge wooded valley and the village was so pretty. The apartment I shared with another girl overlooked the river and a stream running into it and we slept like logs - could be the wine of course! It came in old fashioned pop bottles at every opportunity!
The only downside was geting back to Gatwick and the dh had a rugby match at home. 'Get the train to St Albans,' he said so I did. Only to find engineering on the line. I had two heavy cases and my computer case to carry. You have no idea just how many steps there are when you have to change trains THREE times! I was finally collected at our local station as he decided he could leave the match for ten minutes and then told 'there's a party at Hertford Club because a Spanish team the guys play were playing Hertford this weekend and there was a special 'tasting' meal laid on - with booze of course! SO I ended the evening surrounded by drunken rugby players - hunky yes - but when you were as knackered as I was no use whatsoever!

Jaunting and Jollies

I've finally been away this year - and to two places in Europe in two weeks
The dh and I wizzed off to Valenca to visit our old friends from the pub in Benington who moved to Spain earlier this year. They now live in an aincent hill village an hour or so from Valencia and it was so emotional seeing them waitng at the airport for us. Their house is a typical village house and hundreds of years old, all nooks and crannies and hidden courtyards, as a designer I loved it. We were taken all over the area, to mountain viewpoints a castle topped hill town where the houses were built into the hillside (literally - when the owners wanted more rooms they tunnelled back into the mountain!) We ate really well - since Barb was the pub's chef! and had a fab tapas meal at a bar on the dh's birthday, with battered calamari to die for! Another visit was to the local Bodega/Cooperativa to buy wine and local honey. 'Oh', I said after we got back to the house. 'We can't take it back to the UK it's a liquid!' And we had 10 litres of wine in boxes. 'No problem,' said the dh. He took all the shoes out of the case and packed the lot. Needless to say I gave dire threats about what would happen if my clothes were covered with wine, but despite being JUST on the weight we made it back. The wine is great and the honey the best I've ever tasted!