Brussels

Ruth and Anne and I went to Brussels for the weekend. There was a great deal of good eating (see photo). We did not have a poor meal out. Mind you, Anne ran this like an Army Exercise.

She had a plan, more or less like this

1310 finish lunch
1330 reach Musee Chalcographie
1430 leave Musee Chalcographie, enter Magritte Museum
1630 leave Musee Magritte and so on.
Except that the other two parties revolted and wanted tea at 1600 - hence the cakes.

And of course there was shopping. one handbag each. Mine is the middle one and cost a fraction of the other two. 

Apart from chocolate, that was all I bought so I came home with things, the others could not fit into their luggage, packed into mine.

The Musee Chalcographie (Prints) has to be experienced to be believed. Anne and I have known about this place for years. The trouble was they do not open at the weekend and they hardly open during the week and for the last few years they have been closed for refurbishment. This time we were determined to get in and determination is what it takes. Firstly you ring the bell and are let in (door opens automatically). Then you wander round the marble halls (noone around) until you get to the Stamp Collection and ring another bell. Eventually some one comes (after about 10 minutes) and you explain what you want. And are escorted down five flights of stairs to - itself!!! Which is not at all what we expected. We had expected a whole lot of prints neatly framed and hung in a discrete gallery. What we got was a large room with many, many great leather books each labelled with what it contained like 'Flemish landscapes 17th century'. And the prints were in folders. There were examples from 17th to 21 st century - and lots of them. And you could buy a print!! Because they owned the plates!!  So Anne bought 2 and I  bought one - a modern landscape - see photo below and we would both have bought more except - wait for it - cash only!! even though it was quite a bit of money. We were there for quite a long time. When it was over, we had to walk back up five flights of stairs. There was no-one else round and I am not surprised. Anne felt they needed a lecture on marketing because it is one fabulous place.

That was Friday dealt with. We did see the Magritte Museum too. Saturday was Art Nouveau day and I have hundreds of photos. I will show you just one.
 

It was a good weekend. Yesterday (Monday) was spent sorting out computers and I managed  to run the problem  cases I needed to. The runs were very long -f rom 10am Monday to 5 am Tuesday. The results have been processed and emailed out.

Last night I finished the loose ends off in the sample for the Newbury Coat. It does not look much better. I also rethreaded the Voyager with a pattern for woven shibori based on overshot - and wove off my samples. There are two 20 inch samples with the pattern threads all tied up, ready to be dyed and that is what I am off to do now.