An exhibition

Early next year, Dorothy and I are having a joint exhibition at the National Needlework Archive as Tarragon Studios. It starts on February 2nd so we need to devote some thought to it. The big artistic problem is how to hang D’s quilts. Not physically, that is sorted but artistically. What gets placed beside what? So I decided that, if I took a photo of every quilt We could arrange them in Photoshop as she thought fit and she could develop a plan. In any case, I have always been scandalised by her lack of records. The drafts, photos and samples of each of my weavings are filed together in one folder and all are stored in lever arch files and in the computer. Actually looking back at (say) the 80s is really interesting. My interests were quite different then. Anyway, I have undertaken to document all her quilts while I am at it. To which end, this morning, I took one quilt round the house and photographed it in seven different locations to find the best from the point of view of lighting and area available. In the next few days, I will photo all her quilts.

There is quite a lot going on in the next few days. Tomorrow Jerry goes into the vet to have an operation. I will never be able to show him after it but I have a friend who shows his English sheepdogs and no thank you. Far too much like hard work. Then onThursday, I am off to Chester for theBookbinders annual shindig. I have never been to Chester so I intend to spend some time in the city on Thursday. I have a book in the exhibition too of which I think rather highly. In fact, I have got an entry in the Designer Bookbinders competition. I am very proud of that one for the design. The manufacture is not perfect. One of these days, I will be able to make books which look like the picture in my head. 

The new camera

I have to report that the new camera is very good. In fact, unless you want real macro and real distance, there is little point in using the bigger camera. I tried it out on macro and found that I can get closer than my standard lens but not so good as the macro

A new camera

We are off to Uzbekistan in two weeks time. I was there for a week in 2013 as part of the Silk Road trip and was very taken with it. My sister, before she retired, was a doctor in the Foreign Office and at one point went to Samarkand regularly!!! But she inspected consular staff and hospitals and so on and says she once got an afternoon in Registan Square in Samarkand. Again she was very taken with it. We are using local transport which means Uzbekistan Airways from Heathrow!! And going on an internal train!!!. The point of this blog was a slight alarm raised by the tour agent's notes on security in Uzbekistan so I wrote to them. Now there was I trying to make my  mind which combination of lenses and tripods, I should be packing when the answer came back 'If it doesn't go in your pocket, don't take it'.

Alarm!! Followed by an examination of the bank balance. I had had occasion to listen to someone taking about compacts at West Dean and they seemed expensive (upwards of £1000.00). Eventually I remembered that a photographic magazine had done a very detailed critique of compacts a few months ago. So I spent sometime trying to find it and did succeed. Did you know that you can buy a pocket camera for a bit more than £5000.00. (royalty? billionaires?). However they did recommend a Canon G7 which looked as though it would do what I wanted. It arrived today. First of all, it is tiny. Secondly it is very well equipped with gizmos including a swivelable, rotatable viewing screen!! I have never had one of them before.. I have had trouble with the manual which only comes as a download, all 225 pages of it and it is laid out two pages to an A4 sheet which means it is not convenient for printing out and binding. And the only books on it are in Spanish and Serbo-Croat. Well I have it on the desktop and the ipad  and will have to read it that way. I do not like that. I am old. I like a book. you can stick fingers into pages you want to refer to or if you are rich you can use postit notes. I spent several hours on the manual problem.

Meanwhile the battery is being charged and tomorrow, I will start trying it out. Watch this space for trials.

Did I say I have done a lot of weaving on the Schacht this week?

Tate Modern - Again

Every two or three weeks Dorothy and I take the dogs to the dog sitter in Bracknell for the day and go off somewhere artistic. Today we were going to Blenheim Palace near Oxford but given the heavy rain, we went to Tate Modern in London. We started by revisiting the abstract photography show and spent more time there than the first time. I got a lot out of it and spent some time writing up notes about what I had seen. 

Then we went off to find the resident art galleries. We found two separate shows, one where I think the topic was materials. So it did include installations, say, metal bottle tops or great chunks of wood. And lots of photographs. Very interesting. Then the painting show. Only one Braque I scream. But there were six very large Richters (Rosie, have you seen them? They are good). Lots of ideas. Dorothy is muttering about abstract quilts. I have intentions about photo expeditions. A day rich in ideas.

And the dogs? They fell asleep as soon as they were put in the car to go home - - and are still asleep, three hours later. 

Tom’s wedding

Yesterday was my grandson’s wedding. The ceremony was in the walled garden at Cowdray which is beautiful. The flowers for the wedding were superb and the food delicious. But the highlight for me was on Friday evening when the families met up for a meal. I got a lift from the groom, Tom, in a bright red 1967 Mustang!! Rented for the weekend! Mind you it was noisy, hard sprung and the top let the rain in but I loved it.

The whole family turned out in their best get ups even me who wore a 1930s French straw hat trimmed with zinnias from my garden.

Charlotte, my grand daughter was a bridesmaid and looked stunning

And then of course Tom and Laura

There are lots more photos but those are the highlights.

A polished halo

I am feeling noble and my halo is definitely polished. For today and yesterday I completed a raft of small jobs to do with the Bookbinders and Kennet Valley Guild. But most important,since my nephew is staying with us this week, we turned out the garage and had the tables moved around. We got rid of an extending ladder to a good home. Stuffed a lot of things in the rubbish bin and even more in the garden shed. And most important, I organised the council to collect old furniture next week and took a large number of items to the local tip. They included two large doors and are we pleased to see them gone! We still have a huge amount of wood which was being saved for shelving for Dorothy. And we have sent for the man who will build the shelves. 

I really cannot think why this was done this week since my eldest grandson is getting married on Saturday and I ought to be pressing my outfit and inspecting my hats. Grannies have to wear hats! Actually this granny intends to have a lovely time taking photos.

Been to the Races at Goodwood

Not my usual hangout but good fun all the same. I even ate a Mr Whippy ice cream with a chocolate flake. And I got quite sunburnt. The only problem was that I was using a lens new to me. And it focussed differently from others I have. The result is either a perfectly focussed shot or a perfectly unfocused one. No half measures. But as I had taken 413 photos in the five hours we were there.

O

I am having trouble with inserting photos!

Tomorrow we are off to catch the sunrise. I have started to think about next week and realised that I have a lot to do. I hope it is not so hot as my room is an oven. We are arguing about whether to get an air conditioner. I think they are too expensive!