A Mystery Outing.

A text came from my son...
Are you free Sunday 10th?
Yes, I'm free. Where are we going?
Can't say. It's a mystery outing. Be ready for 12.30pm.
How exciting! I wondered where we were going.
My husband wondered even more (he wasn't invited)!

'The rhythm of life'

Saint Anne's Square

The MAC

We went out to lunch in St Anne's Square,  and to The MAC to see 'Sweet Charity',  and then we looked at the art and saw the paintings by Lowry. I loved my mystery outing.

Meetings about meetings.

It was the AGM of our Harmony Hill Craft Group today. We're always having meetings about something. I've been on the committee for four year's now and thought it was time for a fresh face.
My husband always says, "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"   But I think change is good.
The key members of the committee have all been writing reports and getting on with the business side of things, for a few weeks now, in preparation for today.

Then, after all that's out of the way, we can get on with the good stuff. It was lovely to be able to present a £400 cheque to Dorothy today, money the group has raised, for her chosen charity 'Casting for Cancer'.

 I liked the fact that we could give to a charity that she had personally benefited from. 

Dorothy accepts her cheque from Yvonne

              Then there's the Winner of the Visitor's Choice Cup voted for at the Annual Exhibition.

Yvonne presents the cup to Elizabeth

Here's Elizabeth's winning doll. I blogged about her here.

'IMENA'   meaning   'DREAMER'

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Things are always a bit of a blur after you've been busy concentrating on the paperwork.....  

.....then you turn around and the table is groaning with all the lovely food. 

Our ladies have other talents apart from all the craft that we do.

Pot Luck Lunch

You see, we did have to do a bit of work today, but it's all about the puddings really!!

Yummy!

Jubilee preparations.

I've been out and about looking for things to mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. There are  preparations going on in Lisburn.

I wondered what was going on in Castle Gardens last Thursday....

Castle Gardens

... today I went back for a look and there was a crown.

It's my Birthday coming up and I bought myself this Pandora bead to remind me of the Jubilee and the Olympic Games.

London bus

This cake was in the Windsor bakery.  I was born 4/6/1953 just after the Queen's Coronation.

Jubilee cake

Wouldn't that make a great Birthday cake?!

A wise old owl at the exhibition.

                                                   'A wise old owl lived in an oak
                                                   The more he saw the less he spoke,

Sharon's horned owl

The less he spoke the more he heard,

                                                               Why can't we all be
                                                               Like that wise old bird?'
                                        ...............................................................................

     
                 

Exhibition room 

    Isn't it sad?  Everyone's gone home.

Everything's coming up roses.

A while ago I made some beads with rose petals and then I decorated this tin to put them in.

I love India Flint's blog and how the rose petals were used... jealous!

not all those who wander are lost: roses roses all the way: roses, roses all the way but unlike the Browning poem no "myrtle mixed in my path like mad" merely the nice chap at Central Market Flo...

Donegal.

Last weekend we had babyminding duties.

Donegal is one of my favourite places to go, where two sheep makes a herd!

Gorse was out everywhere.

Work was going on so we didn't go too far from the house. Someone was happy just walking the plank!

Up the road to see the geese.

Violets in the hedgerow.

The view from Ballyargus.

Youngest grandson up to mischief.....

while big brother's up the road with Grandad.

Peacock.

Of all the blogs I read the one I return to constantly is 'My Marrakesh' written by Maryam Montague.
I got interested in this blog when I chose Morocco to research for my embroidery course in 2007.  Towards the end of the course I was required to make a 3D item and, at that time, inspired by all the lovely things Maryam was collecting for her Morrocan home, Peacock Pavilions, I decided I would make her a little book.
In my imagination I dreamed of visiting Marrakesh one day and delivering my gift in person.

my son takes the credit for this photo of a beautiful peacock

I've been following Maryam's progress as she's been writing her  first book,  'Marrakesh By Design'. It's just been published, but oh how I wish she'd written it a bit sooner ! It would have helped me a lot.

This was my design folder for the book and my small attempt at Moroccan design.

my design folder

the inspiration

Peacock Pavilions, a boutique hotel

designing the book cover

zellig tile work using metallic painted wallpaper

Moroccan lanterns

tassel made from peacock feathers

The pages of my book had little pockets for the embroidered inserts (below). All of these inserts incorporated a little bit of embroidery and my ideas on Moroccan design.

embroidered inserts for my book, inspired by Moroccan design

the finished book

Marrakesh By Design isn't out in the UK yet but it's coming soon and I can't wait!!!

Wheaten Bread.

 Been blogging about stitchy things for a while now so today it's back to a bit of cooking.

I make this wheaten bread about every two weeks now. It's so quick and easy and never fails. It's so much nicer than the bought stuff too! Here's Myrtle's recipe.

    The finished loaf just out of the oven.

Ready to take to Donegal tomorrow.

Grayson Perry discusses craft and art

Is it Art or is it Craft? When a painting turned up for our exhibition it got us wondering. We weren't sure.

I turned to Google to see if anyone could throw light on the subject. Grayson Perry really doesn't seem to know either but I stuck with it and found him amusing.


 

 We at the Harmony Hill 'Craft' Group just think ANYTHING GOES!!