Monday, 17 September 2018

On our way

We (Dorothy and myself), arewaiting in a Boeing 757, for takeoff to Tashkent from Heathrow. Uzbekistan Airways. It is not quit the same as Virgin! There is an air of casualness about and the business class seats are just wider than the Economy ones. No beds here! 

The dogs have gone to our dog sitter, JuLia for their summer hols and they will love it. Lots of other dogs to play with. The adults adore them all and spoil them rigid. Jerry got off to a bad start by steal a plastic bottle full of lemon yellow acid due and destroying it In The garden. This was done at home just before leaving for Julia’s. I noted he had bright green whispers but thought it was green tomatoes. After he left, I discovered the partly destroyed plastic bottle and yellow dye all over the lawn and, I admit it, panicked. But it turns out that acid dyes are used as food dye. So no problem there.. When I  phoned Julia, she inspected him and reported he had four yellow paws!. He was washed. He does not like water. Serve him right. And the first thing I have to do when I return is put forty odd bottles of acid dye. On a high shelf in stead of under a table in the garage.

I was in Uzbekistan in 2013 and looked through all my photos taken then. Interesting, they are records of things, silk weaving, food, bazaars and not at all good photos. I must try harde this time. I have been doing an onLine course with David duChemin which is a real eye opener. Not much on ‘use this f number’ more you need to engage with the sitter. He is most interested in people. And not in what he calls picture postcards. I will post asi grand you can see if I have cha ged.

(Backup) At Samarkand

Today we bussed from Bokhara to Samarkand by way of Timor’s town. Six hours of bus trip on not bumpy roads. However Timur’ town was worth it. The style is very different from Bokhara and Khiva, much plainer although monumental in some places.


The fortress walls.


His statue and the remnants of his palace gateway.



Two Uzbek girls sightseeing. They asked me, not the other way round.

Last night we were taken to a private house for a meal of plov. Sort of risotto with lamb. Delicious. Tonight’s meal at the Samarkand hotel was the standard fare, vegetable salads, meat and veg soup, meat and potatoes, small cake. These are very variable. Mostly the first two are okay but the third is poor and the cake can be horrible or delicious.













(Backup) Still at Samarkand

This morning we discovered that, since Saturday we have had no WiFi. No email and no roaming. Fortunately the kindle bit of the iPad was functioning well. Which was just as well because I have eaten something which disagrees with me. So I stayed in all day and very restful it was too. What I did was to read my way through the collected exploits of Sherlock Holmes. And make loads of notes about jobs I must do when I get home.

Yesterday was spent seeing the sights of Samarkand. I still think it is a beautiful place. 




Us in Registan Square, Samarkand



Just another dome with blue tiles.



The market. How I love markets.









Still at Samarkand

This morning we discovered that, since Saturday we have had no WiFi. No email and no roaming. Fortunately the kindle bit of the iPad was functioning well. Which was just as well because I have eaten something which disagrees with me. So I stayed in all day and very restful it was too. What I did was to read my way through the collected exploits of Sherlock Holmes. And make loads of notes about jobs I must do when I get home.

Yesterday was spent seeing the sights of Samarkand. I still think it is a beautiful place. 




Us in Registan Square, Samarkand



Just another dome with blue tiles.



The market. How I love markets.









Monday, 10 September 2018

Uzbekistan



Here I am back in Uzbekistan after five years. After a nasty overnight to Tashkent, we were hauled out on Saturdayafternoon to walk round the city. The highlight for me was the market. And of course looking at okay.





The next day we were out of bed at four. Tashkent National airport has to be experienced to be believed, even then you might have to pinch yourself. Basically it was a scrum to get past the checkin desk. That was only thr start of the group’s woes. We had been split across two flights, one at 0720 and one at 0740,we were on the second flight. We could see the other flight strumming to get on the bus and then we were called. We waited on the tarmac for 30minutes and then went. But when we got to Urgench, the others were nowhere to be seen. We had collected our luggage, very slow considering we the plane was only a few feet away. We then held a panic meeting when pointed the party arriving. This was twenty minutes after us. Where had they been? On the Tashkent tarmac! The reason for the panic was that there was on more flight that day and that was at 2200hours. By now we were late so we rushed off in a bus to see two fortresses of mud brick and in a scary condition. After we had lunch in a yurt. 

I had a good inspection of braids holding the yurts together.




Lots more on my iPad. Then we got to Khiva. — late.





And this morning I was out at dawn.




Today we walked round Khiva from 0900to 1600.  Mind you we had tea and cakes, astonishing good cakes. Tomorrow we drive to Bokhara.













Monday, 3 September 2018

Bookbinders at Chester

Last week I was at Chester University for the bookbinders annual do. Eight lecture/demos in two days plus an exhibition plus two auctions and of course lots of gossip with friends.

Because I have never been to Chester, I drove up early on Thursday, got there at one and set out to examine Chester which is very odd. It is quite clear that the city fathers are ruthless about shops. The place is full of black and white half timbered buildings with lots of decorative wood work and a shopkeeper has to live with that. So you have

A branch of Boots with a small tasteful sign on a spectacular mediaeval building and a modern BHS next door with a bus queue as well. And that is repeated throughout the city centre.
The first floor is all arcaded and full of shops too. So you have very upmarket shops (Penhaligons) mixed with Starbucks and a small sweet shop. And very busy too. Which is very pleasing. I could wander round all day. It is so quirky. very much unique and I am not at all surprised the City Council has strict rules on shopfronts. And not a Macdonalds arch in sight.

I really should have allowed two days. I never saw any of the Roman buildings. I did see the city walls but had no time to explore them and I walked past the cathedral. But I was determined to concentrate on the city centre. Chester, I will be back soon!

I have signed up for an expensive photographic course with David du Chemin (Canadian). About a year ago, I suddenly started getting newsletters from him, no idea why. I like his approach. Anyway I signed up for this course on travel photography. I had learnt enough to put some of his ideas into practice in Chester. I do not know if the photos are 'better' but they hang together better. I walked round for an hour before taking any photos and then concentrated on the quirky bits. Like the Boots building and the arcades. 

Monday, 27 August 2018

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. 

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.