Icon Painting Course starts

Today has been completely taken up by the first day of the Icon Painting course, just five of us and it was very interesting. There were two other people who came along a bit after we had started, they go to a regular icon painting group with Ian who was running the course today. They came and worked and it was interesting to see the complicated boards they were painting. They were happy to talk to us and were also very encouraging. Ian provided lunch and cake for the afternoon, he is a great cook so we had home made bread and French onion soup with salad, fruit and some other bits and  delicious apple sponge cake for the afternoon break. 

We had separate tables and all equipment was supplied. I managed to blur the one with the untouched board!

We then had to transfer the icon onto the board, not using carbon paper but paint granules rubbed onto the back. Used a red biro to trace it down so that we could see where we had been!

Once it was on we had to mix pigment with water and egg tempera which we had help mix earlier. Then use that to fine pint the lines so that they were permanent.

Then we mixed different pigments for the background and this also had grains added to give texture. These had to be carefully removed when it was dry.

The that was painted over with another mix pigment, each mis used the egg tempera and water.

Then he demonstrated gilding with gold leaf. I have never done that before and it involves a special glue applied very carefully and hopefully evenly!

We finished there for today, but it was pretty full on and I am sure we will forget everything by next Monday!

Off to see 

Sarah and David this evening.

Fairly quiet day

The weather has been good today, bright and sunny but still very cold. Darren and I went to the boot sale and had out breakfast sandwich. Not a lot of stalls today but some interesting stuff. Darren got some computer/electronic bargains, I bought an airier which isn’t as new as I was liked to believe and a really lovely compact display stand, perfect for my little treasures and fits easily into my limited space.

I spent some time in the greenhouse this morning, emptying some sacks of bird food into containers and generally getting it all a bit more organised. A couple of years back I moved some of the hellebore plants which are at the side of the house we don’t really see. They are not supposed to like being resited but one of them is lovely now and the other one has taken but not so big.

I made a drink and took my book down to the summer house for a while this afternoon, didn’t take the camera although I did have the phone. Had Blue keeping my company this afternoon for a change, she was fussy and wanted stroking when she wasn’t watching out for birds!

There were some small birds about and the blackbirds were around which is always a delight.

I took a couple of pics in the garden of primulas and tete a tete daffodils,

The icon painting course starts tomorrow, hopefully we can take pics of our progress if there is any!

Sore fingers but worth it!

Yesterday evening I spent a bit of time on the jigsaw, so worth a progress picture now.

The weather has been changeable today, some sun and blue skies some grey and overcast and when I went to the show early it was icy rain! But since that early morning venture out I have been in and concentrating on the table cover. This morning ai got the strips sewn together and then ironed it so that it was double thickness with the raw edges at the same side. An awful lot of it!

Once that was attached I ironed it flat ready for hand sewing it down. It is so bulky it is quite a challenge even trying to iron it!

From straight after lunch, with a break for dinner, I finished the hand sewing long enough ago to iron it and get it on the table! My thumb has been well pierced and I had to avoid getting blood on the sewing! A photo of it on the table and one a bit closer showing the free motion stitchingl

Watching Casualty and then getting ready for bed I think! So much concentrating is exhausting!

Remembering the Knife Angel

I don’t post memories that often but todays is worth another outing I think. I wonder where it is now, I hope it has a permanent home somewhere.

I have felt quite weary today and didn’t sleep that well after my long day yesterday. This morning Judy came round to verify my ID for the police check and then I went off to see Bel. It was her week to come to me but as it was raining it is easier for me to go out and see her. As Tina was off today she suggested we met for lunch afterwards at the Green Owl. That was very nice and I have not eaten there before so made a change. I realised that I had not given Judy my reference from David so although it was raining most of the day I said I would walk to her house and give it to her. She lives near the medical centre so I walked up to look at the sea. I didn’t stop for a drink and just walked home, very wearily I might add!

A very damp, grey day! We had a glut of milk and I said I would make a rice pudding. Tina suggested an egg custard as well, have never made one before  but used to love it when My Aunt Nellie made them when I was a child! So hit the milk mountain this afternoon.

I did trim the table cover down ready for edging and worked out how long the strips needed to be and got them cut out. Not sewn together yet but another step completed!

Those strips are four layers, need an awful lot to go right round the cover!

May do a bit of the jigsaw this evening, it may help to keep me awake!

York and Beverley

This morning we set off to York at about 8.15am, Tina had an all day meeting and I was going to wander in York and probably make my own way home. We were going to park at a Park and Ride on the outskirts of York and Tina planned to have the car on charge all day, but that part of the car park was taped off for roadworks! Not the best of starts. The buses in York have recorded messages that announce every stop on the journey, don’t you just love the advance of technology? We walked for a while together in York, but my leg was playing u today so when we got to The Shambles Tina headed off. I haven’t been to York very often and really don’t know my way around so wandered, trying to find my bearings. Found a public loo, 40p! They had someone in the booth giving change, they could have had it unmanned and then it could be free! I found a small cafe for tea and cake and decided to find the station. Easier said that done, seemed to walk miles and went wrong more than once. As I had taken photos but not actually done anything of visited anywhere I decided to at least go up on the city wall despite the fact that I would have difficulty getting down again. The but from York to Beverley left at the train station, hence my trying to find it. The bus also had the commentary for the whole hour and a half! 

Once at Beverley I was dropped off somewhere different as the bus station is closed for repairs and a notice said that I needed to be a bus stop B adjacent to Marks and Spencer. Had no idea where the M&S was so more searching. Had lunch at the Antique Centre and when I found the bus to went back to the book sho and bought a book and a jigsaw. I am going to add loads of photos with no explanation but will say that one towards the end was from the bus and a couple are Beverley. Any questions you can leave a comment and I will answer if I can!

I was exhausted when I got home but did do a little unpicking of a slight mis-sew of the table cover last night. Other than that a quiet time now until bed.

Chores and quilting

It has been a grey and sometimes damp day so apart from bird feeding I haven’t been out. Well, I did go down to the greenhouse a second time and got the supplies down there in stages on the trolley and then went in and got one sack of nuts transferred to containers.

My Graham Norton book arrived, I have only read a few pages but already want to see what happens. Shame when I have read it I will have exhausted his novels, he he is writing another. Might try and get copies of the two non fiction ones he has written. I have also done a few of the word puzzles but the addiction may be waning a bit.

This afternoon I decided to bite the bullet and start the quilting on the table cover. I had cleared the table last night and got another table next to it to take some of the weight.

Settling on a simple leaf design.

I emptied off another small table as I was really struggling with the weight, that was making it difficult to move the cover under the needle.

Quite a challenge and had to stop as my right wrist was really painful and the left hand went dead!!

It may end up with the least quilting that I think will keep it all together okay! Note to self, think small!!

It isn’t packed away yet, and may not be as I may be disinclined to get it all out again!

Families at Three

This morning I wrote a couple of letters and went out to post them. Then spent the morning clearing space in the bedroom for quilting and general chores sprinkled with some word puzzles!

After lunch I went across to the hall with 

Tina and helped set up the hall for Families at Three. The first session was last week and I am going to go along and help out now. They have a lot of activities and it took us a while moving tables and chairs and getting ready.

I sat at the pancake decorating table and had quite a few customers, this young lady was pleased with her ‘cat’ one and enjoyed eating it too!

By the time we had packed everything away we were tired, but it has been a good afternoon.

Pretty quiet evening ahead I think!