A winner, a camp and a visit.

This last week has been very busy with work, having the last kitchen unit fitted and a Guide camp.  There is almost too much to tell you about and I'm still breathless from the trip to an exhibition today with Lucy. But first things first I must announce the winner of my valentine give away.

Mr random number generator came up with number 17 who is Sherry.

Sherry4 February 2015 at 12:25                 

What a cute FQ thanks for the opportunity to win. I am a follower on Bloglovin and GFC.

 I have emailed Sherry.

So let me start by telling you about the camp. Those of you who follow regularly will know that I run a Guide unit.  Back in November we took the Guides and the Brownies (girls aged 7 to 14 years) away for a weekend staying at a Scout campsite. Whilst there the Guides saw the advert for a freezer camp.

They loved the list of activities on offer and persuaded us to take them. I don't think it crossed their minds that it might be wet or cold, they just focused on the fun they'd have. So on Friday Lucy and I plus another leader found ourselves putting up tents in the rain as we waited for the girls to arrive. once they arrived it was all go getting them organised into tents and their sleeping bags organised. Once done it was off for the opening ceremony and a burger. Having got wet putting up the tents Lucy and I just seemed to get colder and colder. Although we have really warm sleeping bags and lots of warm clothes we felt cold all night. By morning I was in a really grumpy mood. However breakfast and several cups of tea restored our spirits and our tempers. The girls were all eager to have lots of fun.

This was a really easy camp for us as leaders since we had paid for catering. With no meals to cook and the programme organised for us there was very little for us to do except to make sure the girls were safe and enjoying themselves. Saturday was mostly dry and we enjoyed walking round the site to see what activities the girls were doing. In the evening there was a disco for the young people and a quiz for the leaders. Neither Lucy or I can resist a quiz and it was fun making new friends. The girls were tired out by the disco so went off to sleep quickly.

We all slept well on Saturday night and woke to a beautiful day with the sun shining. The activities continued until lunch time and in the afternoon the closing ceremony took place accompanied by fake snow. The girls voted the camp a success and asked if we will do it again next year! 

Lucy is on holiday at the moment and I have a few days off work so at the weekend we spent some time planning a day out. We decided to visit The Victoria and Albert Museum to see the wedding dress exhibition that is on.

I didn't take a photo of the V and A so here is a picture from their website.

The website says that it is the world's greatest museum of art and design. Whether that is true or not, it is a fabulous museum. The photo above shows the courtyard in the middle. Lucy and I ate our lunch here today and watched children paddling in the fountain.

We had gone to see the wedding dress exhibition and this was fabulous. No photography was allowed so I couldn't take any photos but dresses by William Hartnell, Vivienne Westwood, Charles James and Vera Wang plus lots more were on display.

We also had time for a brief look in the Islamic gallery. Here I was able to take photos. I love the geometric designs. I was particularly interested in designs that could be translated into quilts

These tiles were from the tomb of Bayanquli Khan. The tiles were earthenware under glaze and had been made somewhere between 1350 and early in the 15th century.

This fabulous piece of fabric was velvet with roundels on it. It had been made in Turkey between 1550 and 1600. It is a silk velvet with a metal wrapped thread running through it.

This tilework chimney was made in Turkey around 1731. Unfortunately it loses some of it wow factor when on a photo.

Finally there were several architectural drawing from Iran dating from 1876. These geometric designs are such fun.

We also visited the rapid response collection. Here they collect items that have made an impact. Both Lucy and I liked the Lego mini figure female scientists. Unfortunately my picture is blurred. These female figures were created in response to a suggestion that the profile of women in all aspects of science should be raised.

At the V and A you also have to pay attention to the architecture of the building as it has a lot of decoration. This staircase was just one example.

The trip to the museum was great and it gave me several ideas for quilts in the future. 

Tomorrow is Kathryn's graduation day from her masters degree. I hope the weather stays warm and dry. It should be a good day. I'm hoping that in the evening I should get time for some stitching.

I hope you've had a good weekend.

Lyndsey