Monday 28 January 2008

Who's coming to London?

I'm feeling very excited because on 14th March I am going to be getting up ridiculously early and travelling down to London with my sewing friends to go to the Country Living Spring Fair!!!!

One of the local papers has been doing a promotion so we have been able to get return rail tickets for only £18 which is a huge saving.

I'm doubly excited because I am going to be able to meet my very mad, very funny, truly brilliant imaginary friend Lesley for the first time along with my very real, and Lesley's imaginary, BIG sister Ally!

If any other bloggers feel like meeting up it would be great to see you and have a coffee - maybe we could all wear a special bloggy form of identification (ok, that bit was a joke, honest!!!) Gina and Jane are also hopefully going to be there.

The only problem with this is that if I am going to be meeting you guys in real life for the first time (except for Ally who, of course, I have met many, many times before!!!!) I'm going to have to do some serious dieting before hand!!!

I have decided to go back to Weight Watchers tomorrow and will add a section to my side-bar where I will show how many pounds I have lost (or regained - but hopefully not!) I am not going to reveal my starting weight because it is too shocking!!!!! (I'm really very thin on the inside!)

One exhibitor that I am really looking forward to meeting again is Janet Bolton.

I absolutely love her work and her books and was lucky enough to meet her a few years ago. I bought a notebook from her and she even drew a little sketch of the picture I liked best on her stand for me. One day I will get this framed but it is a very treasured secret in my notebook at the moment.
Weird Bunny asked me to show this print I bought from Janet which she had spotted among some other pictures on my wall.

and this is my version of
this picture

from My Grandmother's Patchwork Quilt book. I made this a few years ago for my friend "Aunty Ann" but had never taken a photo of it until last week when I was round at her new house.
I'm actually rather proud of it!

It's amazing how good something you've made can look when you haven't seen it for a couple of years!

My final photo is for Lesley. I was on the phone to her last week when I said "Oh, sorry, I must just take a photo of my curtains!" she asked if I had particularly nice curtains but I just said she would have to wait and see.

So my curtains aren't particularly nice and if you look closely you will see they are particularly grubby, but the sun was shining and the curtains were still closed (because I hadn't got round to tidying the sitting room!!!!) and the children's snowflakes were casting shadows on the curtains - I thought they looked lovely.

28 comments:

Mrs Moog said...

I'll be there!!!! I'm going to wear a pink carnation in my buttonhole :)
Lovely post Mrs L and I love your appliqued pictures - very very lovely!
Oh maaaaaaan - if you're going on a diet that means I'll have to and I can't be bothered! There's no way I'm posting any weight stuff though!!!!
Bleurgh!
Mrs Blobbie xxx

Juliann in WA said...

Reading this post is making me turn green with envy. London -I so want to go again. Meeting blog friends - very cool. And Janet Bolton - I am such a fan of hers! What fun, fun, fun.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lucy I would love to come to London too not sure if I'll be able to but it would be lovely to meet bloggy friends in 'the flesh' I love those shadows on your curtains they look lovely. i met Janet Bolton last year she is SUCH a lovely lady and has led a very interesting life. I like your Janet pictures. x

Kitty said...

Good luck with the dieting thing - I think putting it on the blog is majorly brave of you, but can see that it would help keep you on the straight and narrow (and slim).

Lovely stitchery as usual - and I agree, those snowflakes look fantastic on the curtains.

Take care. x

the pesky bombolino said...

Aw, I wish I were going- I fear I'd spend too much on Spring wedding related things though. I'm disappointed in you wanting to loose weight before you go- you know we love you because of you- not what you look like! (I weigh 13 and a half stones by the way- and a month ago it was 14!) xxx.

French Knots said...

Oh I am so green, wish I was going! I love Janet Bolton's work, fancy having one of her sketches too, you lucky thing. Your hen picture is lovely!

Patti said...

Weight loss on your blog - you brave thing. Though I'm thinking I might have to do something similar. Got a good email today about why women get bigger as they get older - basically they are sooooo clever that all the information hasn't got enough room in their heads so it has to go all over their bodies. Wow! Am I a genius or what.

I'll mail you the thing tomorrow when I'm back at work.

Anonymous said...

I'll be there toooo!!!! Looking forward to meeting all your bloggy friends in all shapes and sizes including those with buttonholes! and esp my little sis who I don't get to see often enough (no, before you ask I haven't been drinking).

Love the shadows cast by the very fancy snowflakes.

Gina said...

I think I'm going to wear a pink carnation too! It's so exciting! Bloggy friends and Janet Bolton!

I think your applique picture is lovely - as too are the shadows on th curtains.

Gina xx

the vicious chicken said...

Hmm... a "special bloggy form of identification", eh? Well, that lot who are suggesting pink carnations are clearly barking: to me, this sounds like a job for the 'Instant Whiskers' knitted beard (TM, patent pending).

;o)

VCxx

monda-loves said...

wow - you had a lot to say today!

the country living fair sounds like a school trip - very exciting indeed. I'd like to see you all in your pink carnations.

Janet Bolton - yes she is fab isn't she. I saw her work a few years ago at Chelsea craft fair but I was too scared to talk to her - star struck or something!?!

Your comment about there being a thin person inside of you made me laugh. I think we all have a thin person inside of us. LOL
Good luck at WW, hopefully you will inspire us all to loose a few pounds (well the ones with thin ones inside of us anyway).

Monda
x

Annie said...

Georgous - I thought that was the pattern in the curtains. I can see why you HAD to take a photo. I just LOVED your chook picture!

Jane said...

Yes i'm hoping to go, i'm not going on a diet though. Pink carnation!? or an owl pin. Lucy There is an award for you. Please pop over to my blog and collect it
Jane x

Jodie said...

Lucy.. I am wondering what a blogging uniform would be?
Good luck with weight watchers- i am starting a special program at gym next week as well. I'll keep you posted.

dottycookie said...

Oooh, colour me jealous! Are there tickets left? Is that a weekday?

Good luck with WW - I rejoined last year and was doing really well but then stuff happened, I lapsed and now I am back heavier than I started. Ack. Might have to go back again ... Very brave to post your losses!

Levin said...

i wish i could come too - but with the cost of the flights and child care and all that, we'll i'd probably have to sell one of my children, and i can't really do that!
i'm with you with the weight loss. i have to lose 10 kilos (that's probably 185 pounds!!!). if i can lose this much i still wont be skinny, more like curvaceously slender. good luck with your diet. i would diet today too but it's em's birthday, and who could resist birthday cake??
l
x

Monkee Maker said...

Ooh yuck - WW. Good luck with it, but I'm with the pesky bombolino .... and why put all that pressure on yourself?

The snowflakes are cool - it really looks like patterned material.

I shall look forward to seeing the photographic evidence of a meeting of the BI (Blogging Institute) in March.

:)

trash said...

I so completely had the same thought as V.C. - surely this is a perfect instant for the wearing of the 'Beard of Yarn' (non-itch, hypo-allergenic)?

Oooo, I think I would like to go and join in the fun - is getting skinny a necessity b/c seriously? This skinny girl inside trying to get out - I don't think she is very much fun and would just mope and whinge her way through the day.

Better for all concerned if I stay just like I am and keep the day all happylike!

hannah said...

wish i could come to the show, i really enjoyed the christmas one, but alas i will be rather pregnant and not up to trapsing round london!! Love the Janet Bolton things, put them on flickr and add them to our group, go on!! http://www.flickr.com/groups/341946@N20/

hannah said...

you could have a miniswap and all send each other something to wear (like a brooch) so you can recognise each other.

Thimbleanna said...

Oh, you lucky girl -- a blog meetup in London of all fabulous places! Good luck with the diet -- mine fell apart last week with all the partying. And this week I'm on a business trip -- I'm trying, but think there will have to be dinners out with the boss -- not looking forward to that for the diet! Now, here's a question for you -- you mentioned weight in pounds, but I've seen on some british blogs that they mention weight in stone. What's the relationship? (I'd probably find the answer if I googled it, but it's more fun to bug you LOL!)

Blossom said...

can I come?? its only a few thousand kilometres right???

LOL

Suzie Sews At DOTTY RED said...

How exciting...I am so happy for you and the other guys going and the thrill of meeting our blogging friends. I will not be going as a) no help with childcare b) its actually one of my childrens birthdays
So I wish you a fab time and I rely on you to share all the excitment so I do not completly miss out.
Suzie Sews

weirdbunny said...

Those snow flakes are brilliant casting a shadow on your curtains !

I wish I was going to London to meet you all and see Janet Bolton !!!! I'm so jealous !!!!!

Your so funny going on a diet in preperations to meet bloggers !!!!bunib

Anonymous said...

Hi Lucy I think making something like a brooch to wear and swap would be great fot the country living fair as Hannah said. x

Kate North said...

Wow, that's so tempting. Too bad Islington is the wrong side of London for me. I wonder if it's worth doing for a mere 2-3 hours :)

Ali said...

Hoo hoo - what fun! It's a weekday - bugger. But before you go dieting, I'll tell you my Country Living Fair experience from last Spring. I went with 2 lovely bloggy pals and we had a ball. But I also stopped to say hi to a stallholder who also blogs and she said: "You don't look at ALL how I imagined you".

I was crushed. Must make more effort to conceal my second head in future.

Anonymous said...

Oh lucky you! I've been for the last couple of years, to the Spring Fair and the Christmas Fair and loved every minute of it. Have a wonderful time !x