
Three hours to midnight. I would like to wish all my blogging friends a
Happy New Year.
I hope all your dreams come true and 2010 brings you lots of
joy and happiness.
Three hours to midnight. I would like to wish all my blogging friends a
Happy New Year.
I hope all your dreams come true and 2010 brings you lots of
joy and happiness.
Talking of cats, there is a lovely big ginger cat with a massive bushy tail around here, when it sees me it meeows like crazy and follows me. I was talking to my friend Sue about it who fosters cats, she has seen it as it hangs around the medical centre where she works. We are not sure where it lives or even if it has a home.
I used to see it a few months ago, always in the garden of the house on the corner opposite the medical centre, but then it vanished. Now it is back. I think it has been in my house and stolen some food from my cats dishes. I was at the top of the stairs and caught a glimpse of a bushy tail disappearing out of the back door, I always leave it open so my boys can come and go as they please. At first I wondered if it was a fox, but I reckon it was big puss.
It followed me last night and I picked it up, it seemed keen to stay with me. The fur underneath it and round it's back legs is a bit dirty and matted, but it wasn't skinny, as far as I could tell. I put it down and it followed me again. I was going to bring it home and ask around if it belongs to anybody. Not that I really want another cat though, but Sue would find a home for it if it is homeless. Anyway, big puss jumped up a six foot high fence and down the other side into a garden. I went back later to look for it but the paddock was awash with people carol singing around the tree, so I suppose puss was keeping out of the way.
I spoke to Sue later on the phone and we couldn't decide if it belonged to anyone, so we thought we would ask around first before we catnap it. Sometimes people go out and leave their cats to walk the streets all day and night, which I think is terrible. I got my Lilly because his previous owners didn't care about him, he lives a life of luxury here with me now, compared to the dog kennel at the bottom of the garden he had before. That reminds me I must send them a Christmas card, from Lilly, or Smartie as they used to call him. They will probably be surprised he is still alive.
For the life of me I cannot understand why women take so long to go to the toilet, for goodness sake, don't they faff about! There were long queues, 99% of visitors were women so it was to be expected. Eventually some bright spark came up with the good idea of sticking a sign up on the door of the Gents, immediately turning it into a Ladies, but not before I had already been in there to miss the queue, I don't faff around, in and out in a jiffy, ha ha.
In the next hall I found what I had come to see, the exhibition side of the show. This was better, a gallery of artists showing their work. I had a chat to a very talented lady, Jill Flower, she is a textile artist who stitches paper and adds beads and buttons. Her work is stunning. It is difficult to explain and you need to see it close up to appreciate the hours she puts into it. I didn't take any photographs because they wouldn't have done it justice, but I urge you to look at her web site. http://www.jillflower.com/
Most of the exhibits had 'No Photography', notices close by, but I did ask permission to take these. Backpack, boots, flask, and sandwiches, all knitted.
As you know I am more interested in making things out of rubbish, the world is awash with the stuff, there really is no need to to buy your crafting materials. There seemed to be a frenzy of activity around the trade stands so I had a quick look to see if I should treat myself to something. I have to say there was nothing that caught my eye. The only thing that did interest me was the huge wooden knitting needles, I thought I could perhaps rip up an old blanket and knit it into a rug. But then it crossed my mind that I could possibly make the knitting needles out of an old broom handle I have in the shed. So I didn't buy a thing.
The quilts were fabulous, I would never have the patience to take on such a huge project. One exhibit that was very powerful which sticks in my mind was part of a display of the deterioration of the human body after death. Centre piece was Jesus on the cross, resembling nothing more than a skeleton draped with fragments of cloth. On the opposite wall was twelve rough pieces of wood, about 6" x 12", set vertically. Nailed on each one was a glove which look as old as if they had been on the hand of Christ. They had been torn to shreds but were still obviously gloves, and treated with some kind of plaster and resin. A very powerful image.
The last two photo's I took are clever ideas with rubbish. Someone drank a lot of Guiness to make this wall hanging. Each aluminium can has been painstakingly cut up and stitched together onto a fabric backing. It's about the size of a single bed sheet. An idea I might try, smaller version of course.