Last weekend's adventures part 2

 

 Last weekend was a lovely long one in the Brecon Beacons, staying just outside the town of Brecon. I wasn't in the best of health (or fitness) to do some of the cycling planned by my fellow travellers (great company, good curry eaters, fantastic bakers and breakkie chefs). I did however, get a little walking - a 7 mile walk which turned into more like 8 as we lost the path. The walk was mainly sunny but it wouldn't be Wales without a little rain. This was also the muddiest walk I have ever completed due to some forestry work which had churned up some of the trail. The mud river was soon forgotten after climbing to the open moor and being able to see the stunning views of the snow topped Fan y Big and Cribyn and enjoying the cool delights of some of the cascades of the Nant Menasgin.

Some winter walking

At the beginning of the week in between some of the snow we had in South Wales M and I branched out together for a wonderful (and in the latter half) challenging walk along part of the West Pembrokeshire coast, a circular around the Angle Peninsular.

The full photostream can be viewed from here.

New Years in Wales

M and I went away for the New Years along with G & Mr. T, X & S.  We all stayed in a comfortable cottage in Wisemans Bridge in Pembrokeshire.  Despite it being a little chilly, it was sunny and we were able to get out and about a bit.

We started the New Year with a barbecue

and some fireworks.

I watched a few hundred nutters people go for a New Year swim

and then for a New Year's stroll around Kilgetty.  It started of sunny and ended up snowy:

 There has been snow about ever since!  We had a little cycle to Tenby on slightly icy roads

Lit a few balloons:

Went for a really long walk:

(more on that in another post) and ate a lovely fish supper in nearby Saundersfoot. We thought we saw a little few wisps in the sky....

Then woke up on our penultimate day to this:

We then considered our options whilst checking the weather forecast and realised that even our little corner of Hampshire (last to get snow, first to thaw) was going to blanketed. So we struck camp and made our way home.

Hinton Ampner

The August Bank Holiday in the UK always seems to me to be the last day of summer (even if we might get an Indian Summer) - the next Bank Holiday will be in December. So after a certain amount of hard work over the weekend (more about that tomorrow) we went on a little excursion out into Hampshire.

Although I have lived in the area for many years now I have never gone Hinton Ampner so suggested it as our destination. We set off late morning when it was still dull and slightly drizzly, by the time we got there there was plenty of blue in the sky and the sun was making a welcome appearance. We parked and locked our transport (which deserves a post all of its own) and headed of to snaffle sandwiches and tea.

We had a nice amble through the gardens and I pottered about taking snaps of bits of the garden - various statues and ornaments and admired the topiary.
Lots of potential for shape play!

Wet Wednesday

On our final morning after our breakfast (for the first time in our hotel rather than "Le Twickenham" - it may have been pricey but at least the croissants weren't burnt) we headed out into a damp and drizzling Paris. The rain was probably in order to set the theme for our morning's exploits as I was to finally achieve one of my long cherish goals - to see Monet's Water Lily murals in L'Orangerie at the end of the Tuileries Gardens. The last two times we visited Paris the galleries were closed for renovation. This time they were finally open, except on Tuesdays, that is.

So we had a very atmospheric stroll along the left bank:

The Musée de l'Orangerie was a calm and quiet place (one of the advantages of Paris in December, I guess) and I was able to relax in the 2 oval rooms with the 8 paintings of Monet's water lilies which he gifted to the French state. The rooms had diffused daylight - which is how Monet wanted them displayed. I particularly liked the evening time paintings of the water lilies. The collection of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings in the basement were also worth looking at as well - although if I wanted to look at the more stunning impressionist pieces I would have needed to cross the river and go to the Musee D'Orsay.

After leaving the gallery we headed back down the gardens, with the intention of having lunch in La Samaritaine from their roof top cafe. I had forgotten, however, that it has been closed since 2005 for security and renovation. There was some outdoor photo display surrounding it but the doors were firmly shut. So going on the speed at which the l'Orangerie was renovated it will probably reopen in 2013.

It was a shame this beautiful Art Nouveau building wasn't open as the view of Paris from the rooftop cafe was lovely when we went there in 2004, when we were on our honeymoon. I would have also liked to have seen the lovely internal art noveau murals that are displayed on the top floors. The snap below was grabbed back then - just before my ancient digital camera decided to give up the ghost:

After lunch in a cafe at the Forum des Halles we wandered back to our hotel, picked up our bags and made our way home on the Eurostar. The bubbly was diet coke this time but the reading material made up for it..... I had found a much sought after copy of the Marie Claire Idees Christmas issue:

Birthday mooching

We wandered along the left bank towards the Musee D'Orsay and decided we didn't want to queue for a gallery we had been to before, so decided to walk on and check opening times for L'Orangerie. A mild annoyance was invoked when we found our Rough Guide (supposedly recently updated) was completely wrong regarding opening times, so it was closed on a Tuesday - we were going to have to leave it for our last morning.

By this time though, the sun was out and we walked on to the Place de la Concorde and decided to get a coffee in the Petit Palais (also the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris‎) as it was free and we could have little browse. The coffee was ok and served in an overdesigned "disposable" cup.

The receptacle holding the beverage was suspended from a plastic spike which was integral part of the rectangular saucer. Daft. What is the matter with a nice bit of china or pottery? After a bit of sneering at photographic portraits of beautiful people (famous and therefore the only people who count and a few token "tribes" people) by some famous photographer we tottered back across the Place de la concorde. As the sun had come out we found a little bit of lunch which was eaten outside in the Tuileries Gardens, which I was pleased about as we like to have a bit of a picnic there when we visit Paris but weren't holding out for it as it was winter. Though it was slightly nippy it was still pleasant. We then decided to have a look at a small exhibition being held at the Ensba (Ecole National Superieure Des Beaux-Arts) which would be interesting for both of us, as it incorporated drawing (for me) and anatomy (for him): "Figures du corps - Une leçon d’anatomie aux Beaux-arts". It was very interesting even though it was a little grisly in places (I forgot that the early artist and early surgeons would have had similar interests).

A little bit of birthday cake was found and consumed:

We had a little rest before venturing out to make a little evening trip up the Eiffel tower.

Whilst we were there it went all sparkly:

then we continued to admire the city of lights:

As well as having a play with the self timer:

Exploring, wandering and fabric

Set off and wandered over to the right bank from our hotel in the Latin Quartier. Via the Ile de la Cite, past the Notre Dame, town hall and then left towards the Pompidou Centre. Then onwards into the Forum des Halles and then to Montmatre Street, to find my first quarry:

Mokuba had a gorgeous display of gold and silver braid and lace - I could only imagine the prices! We wandered in and the array of ribbons was amazing. The prices were pretty amazing too but I treated myself to the following. Which (considering the price) I am a little terrified of using but should use - if only to justify the expense.

Another shop in the area was, unfortunately, closed until 2pm but as it was the middle of morning we didn't want to hang around so decided to stroll northwards through a few departments (2, 9 & 18th) to get to Sacre Coeur. It was tempting to stop for a bite to eat on the way but the whole of working Paris had emptied into most of the lunch stops, so we got a panini in one of the more tourist centric cafes in a very quiet Montmatre.

Then we wandered up the steps to have a look at the view. One part of the view was very interesting:

The Place St Pierre is Paris' fabric shopping area. With 3 very large stores (Moline, Tissus Reine and Dreyfus) which each had 5 floors (at least) of fabric as well as haberdashery (mercerie) as well as smaller shops. Heaven for me, hell for my companion. I could have gone mad but just treated myself to some Clover Asian Knot templates which I hadn't seen in the UK and some extremely good value (despite the exchange rate) African cotton batik fabric.

My deepest appreciation goes to M who did not complain, huff or sigh once!

Paris Sights

The journey started well with a sparkling picnic on the Eurostar.

Unfortunately I then had the mild visual disturbance of an approaching migraine. We arrived at the Gare du Nord and we navigated our way onto a very crowded RER train to get to our hotel. The headache was ignored when we got to our stop and emerged from underground to be greeted with our first sight of Paris:

It was then a short walk to our hotel in the Latin Quartier, where we checked in and I "rested" my eyes for an hour or two. We then decided to go for a stroll through Paris. It didn't matter that it was dark - I wanted to see Paris at night with all the Christmas lights. A lot of my photos are a shade on the blurry side but I like this one of the Tuileries Garden in the direction of the Place de la Concorde:

Closer to the big wheel, which was a lovely large snowflake.

We then carried across the Place de la Concorde and continued up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe by which time we had walked a fair number of miles and went back to our hotel to prepare for a nice meal out. Here:

There and back again

As a birthday treat we went away to Paris for a few days. I couldn't resist a little sewing beforehand, I had been sewing already, and made myself this handy travel wallet. I noticed G using something similar on our trip to Vienna and liked the idea of keeping things and passport together in one nifty case. I found a few ideas on the melting pot is the web and liked the look of the cheque book clutch (becoming more irrelevant in our cheque-less world) that I saw in my copy of Amy Butler's In Stitches. I then made a list of what I wanted: pockets for passport, tickets, foreign currency (with zip), a pen loop and a few more pockets. I also wanted it with a zip - not just a tie or snap closure. I also fancied a bit of coordinating piping round the whole enterprise (my mother's influence - piping does finish things nicely doesn't it?). I measured my passport and made sure that a width of A4 paper could fit in the wallet (it is now the day of the print at home e-ticket) and then marked out my pockets and covers. After a little stitching, a little skirt sabotaging (a story for another day), a purchase of a new overlocker foot (early birthday pressie from Mum - thanks!) this little beauty was produced:

The fabric was a favourite acquired from my one of my favourite K&S show stalls. I got all my pockets in there too: all 5 of them:

It was very useful addition to my luggage - mainly because I didn't panic every 3 minutes that I had mislaid my passport (despite the lairy pink cover that has).

Reporting back - Knitting and Stitching Show 2008

I wasn't going to go to this years Knitting and Stitching Show, as I had been with the college for the last 4 years. Also, this year was the first year I didn't need supplies, research for course or anything else. I did however, want to see my new tutors work which they were showing entitled 'Bodies of Evidence' in this they were working together to see how an embroiderer and a quilter would inspire each other. Their inspiration point was the human form and took a look at dancing and sporting activities. They produced a very vibrant show - plenty of colour, texture and movement. They were just across from Ruth Issett's display 'Connected with Colour'. This was a rare treat as most years she has been getting her hands dirty demonstrating at the Art Van Go stall. It was lovely to see her vibrant work translated from her colourful paper and paint samples into a forest of colour. Very rarely for displays at past and present Knitting and Stitching shows we were positively encouraged to take photos, so here is one I snapped with my phone camera of Ruth walking amongst her work:

A visit to the K&S show wouldn't be without a little bit of shopping. My budget got blown on the usual yummy fabric from Euro Links Japan (and this year I will use it) and a bag kit. This bag sewing, however, was put on hold when my next purchase turned up earlier than expected on Tuesday.

***Warning : this is either going to get my sisters nostalgic or running out the door screaming ***

Wandering around I found a very busy stall which hadn't been there in previous years: Clothkits are back. The one and the same company of 80s and early 90s fame resurrected for the new century. Their range is not vast but has some very cute childrens kits, some adult sized skirts and the classic doll t-towel. I had known of their renewed existence for a while (thanks to C) and had stopped short of making a purchase but could no longer hold back. Unfortunately they had sold out of the "Big Birdie - I Want One Too! Skirt" but were happy to take an order and send one on. I was expecting the kit to turn up some time around Friday, but it turned up first class post Tuesday, which M fetched from the Post Office for me. He was rewarded with me disappearing off to the studio for 5 hours to sew it up. It would have been just over 4, but I had to fiddle about with my overlocker to produce some cover stitched hems on the skirt and the lining. I completed the overcasting of the edges in record time with the overlocker, sewing the seams with my regular sewing machine seemed rather slow in comparison.

This is a rather fuzzy picture of the skirt showing the gorgeous Liberty print lining. Needless to say the skirt was finished by evening's end (despite one or two stupid numpty errors) and was proudly worn to work the next day. If I had to give some feedback I would say that some of the instructions could be a little clearer for a newbie sewer. Luckily I am not but it still didn't stop me from nearly ruining the lining by using the whole of the facing as a guide for adjusting the lining. Also it is a BAD idea to sew in a zipper which has been pinned into a skirt. Pin yes, but then baste it in and remove the pins so that it is a flat as possible. (lesson learnt from my first year at secondary school where I had to sew my zip at least 3 times, and most of my hapless classmates got a few machine needles stuck into their fingers).

Vienna Part 5: Monday Art Galleries

Final posting - (its been over 4 weeks since we went!)

It was much easier to get up on Monday morning - although a little sad as we had to pack our bags and check out from our lovely hotel. After checking out and stowing our luggage for later collection we headed out to the Museums Quartier once more to use the second half of our duo ticket to go to the Leopold Museum. M had entered into Art hell whilst I returned to Art Heaven.

Having learnt from our previous visit to the MOMUK gallery we took the lift to the top floor where we started with early 20th Century art. To be honest this is the only floor I actually remembered because there were more Klimts (including some of his very erotic sketches), poster designs from the Secession and Werner Werkstatte displays. This gallery also had the bulk of the work of Egon Scheile, whilst he was no doubt accomplished I found some of his potraiture quite grotesque and unappealing. It is debatable that more people would have known more about this artist if he hadn't died at the relatively young age of 28. He and his wife were victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic. In fact, 1918 was a dreadful year for the Austrian art world as four of their major artists died in that year: Egon Scheile, Koloman Moser, Otto Wagner and Scheile's mentor Gustav Klimt. We made out way further through the rooms and until we got to the lowest floor where there was an exhibition of art from the Faro Islands, this included pictures of Puffins in formal tie and suits. I think G liked it, I found it erm, forgetable.

M and I sought out a touch of lunch after this, and after a few crossed wires with G & Mr.T who were already on their way to another tourist visit, I managed to convince M that another art gallery visit could be squeezed in. The next excursion included a metro ride to the central station and then a 10 minute walk - making use of my excellent map reading skills. We were walking amongst some fairly unremarkable Viennesse streets in the outskirts when we came across our destination:

The Kunst Haus Wien, a building in the middle of a pedestrian street decorated in black and white squares. Our tickets weren't even the usual kind - I think if M and I went repeatedly (unlikely - his patience was tested enough) we could end up with a jigsaw puzzle. We didn't have a long time to look round the gallery featuring the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser but what we did see was very colourful. I am pretty sure this guy inspired the Teletubbies house. I did not have very much time in the shop either but came out with the regulation guide book and postcards. I also couldn't resist some Opal Hundertwasser sock yarn (in colour 676A) it screamed C's name (the turquoise and purple are her colours), I think socks are off the menu though (baby cardigan for BabyBel is). G - if only I had known you were going to become crochet obsessed 2 weeks later........

Vienna Part 4: Sunday Art Galleries

After an late breakfast (erm call it brunch), M and I found we had a little time to occupy before meeting up with G & Mr.T for further explorations of Vienna. By looking at my tourist map I saw that one of the art galleries on my wish list was sort of round the corner. This was the Secession Hall.

This hall had a number of contemporary exhibits in it including a red and white one which I didn't have the stomach to look at too closely - it had a certain amount of fur coats and fake blood. What I really went to look at (as well as the external architecture) was the Beethoven Frieze by Klimt. Apparently there was a reproduction of this in the Tate Liverpool but I got to see the original work. I don't know how it was displayed in Liverpool but here it is shown high up on the walls of a rectangular basement room with a blank space for where there would have been an archway showing a sculpture of Beethoven. Whilst the surroundings could be considered a little stark this in no way detracted from the frieze itself which included plenty of the gold leaf Klimt was known for, this frieze was produced in 1902 at the beginning of his gold phase.

After this we wandered back to our hotel and met up with G who had gone on a long ramble round the city and Mr.T who had a major lie-in. Whilst M and Mr.T decided to go off and play in the Volksprater, G and I departed on a tram for a more cultural afternoon - more art!

The Belverdere Palace was top of our list as I had expressed a preference for managing to see as much Klimt in Vienna as possible and this is after all, the gallery which has the largest collection in the world of Gustav Klimt's paintings.. Whilst I was worried that a lot of paintings may have been carted off due a "little art show" in Liverpool, I was not to be denied. There was plenty to see the only notable omission (due to its travels to the Tate Liverpool) was "Adam und Eve" which was my only disappointment.

The one work which C would have liked to have seen in Liverpool was also on display in the Upper Belverdere. The Kiss - said to be Gustav Klimt's most famous work was on display behind its (no doubt) alarmed glass. Unlike some of the famous art galleries in Paris, Florence and London it wasn't too busy and there was clear and easy access to look at this work close up alongside a number of his other works.

I was particularly taken with a smaller work in the same room "Judith I" which was smaller than I imagined but I loved the way the paint was applied for the choker the subject is wearing. I was reminded of this when we made our next visit to another gallery closer to the city centre. Our next visit was picked out by G and she couldn't have picked a better place - Vienna's answer to the V&A! - MAK. What made it even better was that the lady at the ticket desk was more interested in chatting on the phone than making us pay for entry. Amongst the many delights to see was the gorgeous and little known of Waerndorfer Frieze by Margaret Macdonald (wife of Rennie Mackintosh. This was a beautiful gesso frieze with wonderful texture in the Glasgow style and had embedded mother of pearl embellishments. It was hanging alongside 3 panels by Klimt the Stoclet Freize (panels 1, 2 & 3). The museum was thoughtfully organised and designed : the galleries of the permanent collections had been designed and arranged by contemporary artists. Parts of the study collection were also on display and of course I had to spend a lot of time looking at the textiles. The current arrangement was organised by the textile curator - picking some her favourite pieces as well those pieces which gave a representation of the variety of the collection there was an Opus Anglicanum chausable and it was quite interesting comparing it to a later European chuasable nearby - I can quite see why it had its reputation for being the finest of its time and for centuries after. My favourite piece though was a pink pleated Fortuny dress and accompanying evening jacket, which was in velvet - the edges of which were embossed and beaded.

A nice extra that was one of the current their exhibitions was a solo show by the Britart artist Julian Opie. Well known for the album cover for the pop band Blur, for which he transformed potraits of the band members into his distinctive style of reducing photographs into figurative reproductions. I found a while ago a mini tutorial on how to do this yourself in Photoshop and was inspired to have a go on photos of M & me.

Not bad, but I think the one of M is better (due to better lighting and not watching the TV at the same time). I don't think Mr.Opie is losing any sleep.

We then returned to the hotel where we found our boys after an afternoon kitsching it up at the funfair. We decided on a quiet (and much earlier night) so ate locally at the previously mentioned "brew house" (where, coincidently, the original photo for M's potrait was taken - I cut out the krügel of beer).