WOYWW 853 Exhibition, cake and accident

Hi all, Our exhibition got off to a good start last week:

Our tutor, Claire Sparkes, is in the middle left and bottom right photo. 

My paintings are on this wall:

My chickens and dragon went down well:

There were excellent paintings all around:

Unfortunately, my crafting has been stymied this week as I tripped on rough ground going from the car to the apple fair. 

Not the photo I wanted to take: 

A broken little finger on my left (dominant) hand so no driving, crochet or painting 🤬

Bella’s keeping me warm, of course, 😻, and sends you all purrs. Brian’s looking after me brilliantly but I’m pleased I managed to dress myself today 😇. Small gains but I remembered tricks from when I broke my arm 10 years ago (like putting on shirts with bad arm first and taking off with the good arm first. & Button up tops are better than pull on). 

We did manage to make my bara brith this evening. I’d put the fruit to soak before we went to the apple fair, so, rather than waste it, we made it today, with me reading out the recipe and finding measuring spoons etc and Brian doing all the work. 

Here’s my recipe, (which was published with my novel) and today’s work. 

It tastes great!

And finally

I’m back at the hospital tomorrow and will try to visit while waiting. 

Happy WOYWW

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 852 Art and chevron crochet.

Hi all, First of all, this week, Brian and I are sending big hugs to Julia and Bart, who had a major fire at their workshop. It’s hard to imagine how terrible it is for them with all they’ve lost. We’re only glad that no lives were lost in the fire. 

It doesn’t seem 5 minutes since last Wednesday’s WOYWW, shared courtesy of Sarah’s craftshed. Here’s my desk, as I finish my Hand of Autumn watercolour. 

I wasn’t at all pleased with the splodgy line down the left wrist so I disguised it with rosemary and bought the Fuumuui long liners advertised on Facebook and Amazon. They helped a lot; they are the short handled brushes balanced on my paint tin to the left. 

Here’s the painting: 

Tuesday and Wednesday are very busy this week so I’m scheduling this early. B had a Dat scan today (Tues)  which took about 5 hours as it included a tracer that needed 3h to get where it needs to be. I  took my crochet!

On Wednesday morning at art class, we’ll be starting a new project on funghi in situ. Our Helen has very kindly let me use her photos, and I’ve chosen these two:

The top one has better colour.

You do wonder what happened to the animal that bit a chunk out of the fly agaric! 

In the afternoon we have the opening of our exhibition in Sandgate. I have my olive tree /Mont Ventoux painting, two views of Salt Cellar rocks, my Beaujolais, two crochet chickens and my crochet dragon on display. 

Bella would prefer me to be at home doing crochet - she sends you all purrs. 

And finally…

It will probably take me till Thursday before I can visit. 

Happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 851 Travels

Hi all, I’m scheduling this early as tomorrow (Tuesday), tide and weather permitting, we’re going for a trip on the Paddle Steamer Waverley and I’ve my art class on Wednesday morning. Last year our trip on the Waverley was cancelled due to the rough weather. 

My Hand of Autumn is growing, but I’ve not done much this week as we went to Stoke for my aunt’s wake. We were lucky with the driving, but it’s a long way. 

On Friday we met our friends Steve and Lorna Plant at Two Doors Studio in Alsager. They’re lovely and it’s a gorgeous shop - I could buy it all. 

I bought some bottle kiln silver earrings, lots of cards and a few presents. 

They would potentially welcome Tilly’s felted pictures, Jo, and they have space for lots of workshops so I’ll send you their contact details. They suggest she gets in touch. 

Bella is very happy we’re back and is firmly putting me in my place as a cat lap. She sends you all purrs. 

It was tipping down at Folkestone when we got onto the Waverley. It’s an impressive ship, the last ocean going paddle steamer. 

The weather wasn’t brilliant but we enjoyed it. 

Unfortunately, they were late arriving on the Thames due to weather conditions. The highlight of the trip was supposed to be sailing under the open Tower Bridge.. They were too late for the bridge to be opened so we couldn’t get to Tower pier. They cut the trip short at Gravesend. An email detailing reparations is apparently on its way. 
And finally…

I love this. 

Happy WOYWW 

hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 850 the Hand of Autumn

Hi , I’m back for our weekly bloghop care of Sarah’s Craftshed. 

Here’s my art class desk first. We’re doing the Hand of Autumn in the style of Arcimboldo, and I’m loving our first project, filling the outline of my hand with leaves, fruit, acorns and a feather. We’ll gradually cover the outline with foraged bits and pieces, painting all the items as we go  

This is one of Arcimboldo’s, an Italian who lived in the 16th century. 

I’ve loved reading ‘Georgia’ a novel about Georgia O’Keeffe by Dawn Tripp and it inspired me to paint something different: My Beaujolais. 

Sorry  I didn’t get far round last week. I had to search through all my mother’s photos and memories for these photos of my aunt, Chris, whose wake is this weekend in Stoke (for which we’re making a flying visit). I confess it upset me far more than I expected, and I escaped into reading. 

This one is my aunt as a girl with my Grandad and Nan Collis. It’s typical of her so it was worth finding. 

I finished Miss Mathilda who’s coming to Stoke for my cousin. 

Bella loves sleeping on my lap while I’m crocheting and sends you all purrs. 

 And finally:

Sorry this is a mess. I put it in my poetry blog by mistake and only just realised. The original is here: lmcollis.blogspot.Com. 

I’ll be round visiting after class. Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

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WOYWW 849 Chevrons and the Reading Tree

Hi all,

Hasn’t this week come round quickly! I’m back for our blog circle care of Sarah’s Craftshed. 

Here’s my desk:

I’ve been working on a new watercolour, I’ve called the Reading Tree. I had one when I was 8 or 9 years old, an oak tree in a nearby field. I’d take my book, a drink and a sandwich, hauled up in my Mum’s shopping bag with a length of rope, and I’d happily stay there for most of the day. 

My first Enid Blyton favourites were the Magic Faraway tree series, quite apt, considering 😀

My chevron blanket is progressing, I’m on my third strip now. Our Twiglet said I must be very patient to crochet like that, but the truth is that I have to keep my hands occupied, so I crochet while we watch TV or listen to an audiobook. We’re enjoying Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series at the moment. 

Bella approves and sends you all purrs. 

A new Sicilian restaurant has opened in Folkestone so we gave it a try last weekend. It’s called ‘Let’s Amore’, an odd name but we love Sicilian food so worth a try. We loved the starters: caponata (a sort of sweet and sour ratatouille), spicy sausage, a paste of sun-dried tomatoes, and olives, with focaccia. I could eat that as a main course!  Their signature main course is a fried closed pizza. I might try that another time as you can choose to have ricotta for the cheese element. I’m ok with fromage frais as it’s the tyramine in aged cheese that triggers my migraines. I had chicken Milanese, which was  very filling. The chef/owner gave us pistachio cannoli for dessert which were light and delicious. It makes us nostalgic for Sicily! 

And finally…

My art class starts again on Wednesday mornings so I’ll be visiting your blogs in the afternoon. 

Happy WOYWW

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx