Spring
Yes, it is officially spring! And we have actually had spring-like weather for a bit before it went back to feeling more like winter. But I can see the occasional blossom, so I’m happy.
Spring is a time for renewal, so I thought I would take this post to focus on some new things that are going on in my life. (And a spring-themed afternoon tea, because now that I am no longer posting every 10 days it feels wrong to write one of these posts without talking about at least one lush afternoon tea!)
A new venture - Quilty Pleasures
I might have mentioned that while I am still doing my AI training, I have also been (temporarily) lured back to university, doing a bit of teaching to cover a seminar a friend of mine is running. And it is weird, writing powerpoint presentations and standing in front of a group of students again, wondering why NOBODY is talking. Or wondering why everybody is talking, but none of them seems to be talking about what you’ve asked them to talk about. But it is fun, and it made me realise how much I miss teaching (even if maybe not the formal constraints of the university seminar room).
Which makes me even happier to tell you about a project that has been in the making for a while, but we have finally settled on a format and date of how to share this with the world: The wonderful Dead Good sisters, who are working on changing death education - if you are curious check out their substack ‘The Mortal Portal’ -, and myself are teaming up to do some work around crafting (and particularly stitching) and grief, and we are starting with a little online event highlighting traditions and contemporary ways of using heritage textiles to tell both personal and community stories. We are calling it “Hand-me-down Histories: The Art of Reusing Heirloom Textiles.”
I’ll be nerding out about great traditions and modern projects that use textiles and stitching to document and tell stories, and Lyndsey Vigurs and I will also talk about our own work in that realm.
It will be on Tuesday, 6th May, 19.30-20.30 BST - and if you want to join us, you can book your place here.
What I am even more excited about is that this is the launch of a weekly get-together of like-minded people to stitch and share stories… definitely dial in if that sounds like something you might want to join!
Share this awesome project (and this post) with somebody else!
Spring Afternoon Tea
While we did it while it was still a freezing February, clearly the best place to celebrate the coming of spring is a nursery. Petersham Nurseries in Richmond do a wonderful Garden Afternoon Tea that is not just full of delicious food but served in what feels like a cross between a working greenhouse and the stylish conservatory of a grand manor house.
We started with a (non-alcoholic) aperitif, which was fresh and bubbly and set us up for the treat that was to follow. And let me tell you, they were not messing about it. We had barely been given our drinks order when both beverages and food arrived. Possibly the quickest service for an afternoon tea ever!
The delectable bites are served on a tiered stand that doubles as a vase, full of flowers from the nursery, a real showstopping centrepiece. Epic! I was, of course, fascinated by how this stand was made, wondering whether it was blown or pressed glass. And then we found the stands for sale at the ‘Lifestyle Shop’ at the other end of the nursery afterwards (this is Richmond after all). Let’s just say the price tag suggests that it is glass-blown by artisans, probably living on a diet of caviar and champagne. I mean, I am totally behind paying craftspeople handsomely for the skills they bring to the table and the beautiful creations they make. But I was also very glad that we didn’t accidentally knock a stand off the table, because I could not have afforded to pay for one! I think the investment of the nursery into them was well worth it, though, as they are a great way to tie the afternoon tea into the space. The only way this could have been more perfect is if they had taken the flowers that had topped off our stand at the end, turning it into a bouquet to take home.
The food was fresh, delicious, and season-appropriate. Stand-outs were the Savoury Vegetable Muffin (although I don’t know where the “muffin” in the name came from because it looked like a mini loaf), the Egg Mayonnaise, Watercress & Spinach Loaf Sandwich, the Matcha Fruit Strudel (seriously good) and the Lemon Semolina Cake, which was light and outstandingly lemony (I know from experience that lemon cakes can be a bit hit and miss at afternoon teas). Slightly controversial was that they served the scones after we had polished off the rest. (I guess we could have asked for them as the second ‘course,’ but we didn’t.) They arrived warm in a lovely basket.
Very much recommended!
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A craft adventure in the Heart of Wales
I spent a wonderful mini-adventure in the heart of Wales learning to make brushes (for sweeping, not for brushing hair). Why would I do this? Well, I’m at the point in my life where I am trying to replace things that I cheaply bought (or got used from other people) ages ago, that I need but don’t actually like, with things I love or made myself (ideally both!). When I first saw Rosa Harradine’s brushes, I immediately fell in love with them and started to wonder whether this was an opportunity to replace my fairly uninspiring, grey plastic dustpan and brush set that I bought when I moved into my first flat in the UK circa 1997. So it’s been a while, and this was clearly in need of replacing!
Some of you might remember me mentioning this plan in my September update, so yes, I made it happen!
Which is how I found myself on a train looking forward to changing in Shrewsbury and then chugging via another train through the Heart of Wales. Remember my horror when we stopped at a signal just outside my hometown and got stuck there due to a signalling fault. See, while trains to Shrewsbury are every hour, the Heart-of-Wales line goes only three times a day. This was a connection I did not want to miss - unless I wanted to get stuck in Shrewsbury for four-and-a-half hours.
But miss it I did. We stood about 40 minutes at the signal when they told us that we would be going back in order to then go forward again “via a different route” only to then, 10 minutes later, simply go forward. I guess they sorted out the signalling problem… Unfortunately not soon enough for me to catch that connecting train.
And here something weird happened - my app couldn’t find the next train. I couldn’t find the next train on the printed timetable at the station in Shrewsbury either. So I went to customer services to ask about it (and to make sure I could leave the station while waiting), when the lovely customer service assistant for Transport for Wales just got me a taxi! I asked whether there was no other train, and he said yes, but since it isn’t for such a long time, they’ll pay for the taxi anyway.
Well impressed!
So instead of taking the train through Wales, I felt very posh, being driven on my own (this was an almost 3-hour drive). And I made it to Llandovery, where I was staying, while it was still light and had the opportunity to look around.
It is a really charming little town, which is probably a good base for going on hikes. They have a tiny castle ruin and some lovely shops - although they were pretty much all closed at the times I was there, I had to catch an early bus to get to my workshop location.
And the workshop was great! While this looks relatively simple, it is surprisingly physical (definitely a workout for your core), and we had enough time to work with three different materials and learn three different types of binding the brushes (hen’s wing, turkey wing and hawk’s tail, I think).
At the end of the day I came home with six different brushes - one of them tailor-made for the new dustpan I ordered. Well proud!
What’s Next
Apart from preparing for the Quily Pleasures sessions and finishing the university teaching, I have very few plans for the near future. To be honest, I’m trying to keep my head down and earn some money so I can go on some more fabulous trips! And finishing off those UFOs, of course!