Taking Stock – March

Posted on March 28, 2019 by The Little Room of Rachell

Making : lists

Cooking : Meatloaf

Drinking : Hot chocolate & mimi marshmallows every night at the moment. It’s a habit I’ll break at the end of the bag of marshmallows. Nice though!

Christmas trees and lights spotted on 3/3!

Reading: Meet me at the Museum by Anne Youngson it’s so, so good. So good. Soooo good

Wanting: chocolate. I’ve given it and alcohol up for Lent, silly me

Playing: Scala Radio on catch-up, listening to Simon Mayo’s new daily 10-1pm show. My ladybird question read out on Monday, answered by an interesting expert on Tuesday

Mr Mayo and Mr Kermode with his flappy hands in the new ads, spotted last Friday in the South Ken foot tunnel, London

Liking: being in at the beginning of a brand new radio station from the start

Deciding: to walk my 6 mile loop later

Wishing: for lots of things but all happy thoughts

Enjoying: waking to bright sunny mornings

Just like a tulip, gorgeous

My friend Fran would look fabulous in this frock

Wondering: about going back to the V&A to see the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition. It was so busy on Friday. It’s sold out until it ends in September, but as a member I can nip in and out

Loving: Sicilian Chicken and Bean stew. I keep making this recipe. (Think I’ve shared it here before. It’s that good.) No faffing about with potato, rice or whatever. One-Pot meals are the best

Pondering: topics discussed in the Meet me at the Museum book. It’s a series of (fictional) letters written by a woman in Norfolk to a museum curator in Denmark. They ruminate over some of life’s big issues, it’s thought-provoking

Gorgeous ‘thank you for looking after me flowers’

Considering: my next audio book

Buying: birthday cards. Quite a few friends are having a significant birthday this year….

Watching: Fleabag series 2. Who isn’t?

Hoping: for a return to sense

Marvelling: at the mess the politicians seem to have got into

Cringing: at the above, basically

The panorama taken from the top of Crickley Hill, Gloucestershire on Sunday

The paraglider and his passenger kept coming right over the top of us, just hovering above. I waved and shouted hello in the end

Needing: something to eat

Questioning: always have lots of questions. I’ve found some make their own interpretation as to why you’re asking, when it’s just a straightforward question with no agenda. This won’t stop me; questions are good for thinking, eliciting information and understanding

Smelling: Sweet blossom on the air

Primroses are popping up everywhere this week

Wearing: not admitting what here!

Following: lots of amazing amateur-could-be-professional photographers on Instagram. Check out: Phil Crowe and Guy Lonsdale

Knowing: I need to get moving

Thinking: about oats – porridge is a superfood isn’t it

Lots of tame chickens and peacocks at Newark Park NT

But I love my local ducks. They always come up for a chat and to see if I’ve got any food

Admiring: people who write fantastic tweets: funny, educational, thought-provoking, genuinely insightful and using only 280 characters, or fewer

Sorting: socks

Getting: tired of all the ladybirds now 🐞🐞🐞

Bookmarking: the next episode to auto-play on my latest podcast find: Fortunately with Fi Glover and Jane Garvey. So far I’ve heard: Maria Mcerlane, Sara Cox, Emma Kennedy and Mariam Margolyes. Try it?

Coveting: Hans Zimmer’s new double album, must check out Spotify

Disliking: dangerous driving for the sake of saving a few minutes

Opening: post

Giggling: at After Life by Ricky Gervais on Netflix. Don’t watch if you hate swearing. Very funny series

Feeling: happy

Snacking: on Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles – oh dear

Helping: ladybirds to freedom

Hearing: Madonna singing that tick tock song on the radio

Mixing: perfumes. Not a great smell when you’ve worn the same top a few times, but sprayed different perfumes

Slicing: onions. Lots of onions at the moment. Gets boring doesn’t it?

Celebrating: sunny days and blue skies

Forgetting: something every day, no doubt

Winning: at making the most of spring outdoors

Pretending: one day I’ll wear Dior Would love to whirl around in this beauty

Sneaking: a few extra marshmallows after measuring out the rest every night!

Embracing: the outdoors. Lots of walks. Over 200 miles this year, so far

I spotted seven parakeets in trees near the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London. They were picking at the blossom then scattering it on the ground, the hooligans!

Read about London’s parakeets here

How are you? Tell me 3 things?

A great day out

Posted on November 3, 2018 by The Little Room of Rachell

Yesterday I went into London to spend a day doing some of my favourite things. I found myself taking lots of photos and decided to share them with you.

Now, before I begin I have to say that I’ve done Stoptober and someone has just offered me a surprise cider and some dry roasted peanuts, as he’s about to drink a beer and munch said nuts while he watches the second half of Wales against Scotland rugby match. I’ve taken the tiniest of sips and already my head is spinning, so forgive me if this disintegrates into utter nonsense by the end! **

My sourdough loaf had not long been out of the oven before I set off and so I didn’t try some until this morning. Breakfast of Queens. It makes such good toast. (Every blog post must mention sourdough.)

I met my brother for a light lunch in our favourite Itsu on Baker Street and topics of conversation included: casseroles, eating fish, physio and the benefits of setting an alarm so you remember to do them (that was me, doing my bossy slightly-older sis thing excellently) meeting up with old friends, buying a car, plans for the weekend and Blenheim’s hidden bridge rooms (See here.)

It was such a sunny and crisp autumn day yesterday that I decided to walk along to Marble Arch, duck into Hyde Park and walk to The V&A. There seems to be a trend for roadworks at the moment; everywhere I went I came across them.

The contractors were really busy: starting to set up for Winter Wonderland. It’s basically a fairground, with massively overpriced food and drink like bratwurst, burgers, chips, candy floss and mulled wine. I’ve quite enjoyed the festive atmosphere when we’ve visited, but at points it’s so crowded that I’m hyperaware of tucking my bag and purse under my arm, with my hand on the zip. Going bagless with your ‘phone stuffed into one side of your bra and your purse into the other might be a solution?

While I walked my WhatsApp pinged with an ‘I’ve cut the bread’ pic. The No-knead Stretch and Fold technique is one I adopted in the summer. I’m sticking with it: it’s so easy and you can make a loaf one-handed. Perfect for me at the moment.

Walking past Harrods after coming out of the park

I love the V&A so much, I’m so grateful to have my membership, plus a guest pass, renewed every Christmas. It’s one of my special places in London.

I wanted to see this exhibition before it ends on Sunday (tomorrow.) I feel regretful that I didn’t visit before so I could recommend it to you sooner, as I know some of you read about my visits and then go. I went mostly because a friend had been and was describing it last weekend when I saw her in Birmingham.

Rather than go on and on about it I’ll leave it to my photos of the signs to give you an idea. The V&A is excellent at provoking thought, entertaining and amusing. This ticked every one of those particular boxes. I think the section that made me reflect most was the digital footprint many of us will leave, what we might want to happen to our bodies (think cryogenics or saving a complete digital imprint of our DNA) and the impact technology has had on community and where we live.

I’ve got to know so many people now through sharing hobbies on social media, taking part in online groups and, of course, blogging, which often results in meeting up in real life. I believe technology can and does enable greater connection, if you’re willing to take a chance and meet up in person. There are some I’ve chatted to for years and might never see, but there’s definitely value and concrete positives in the sharing of opinions, giving advice and encouragement.

It was rather disquieting to reflect upon how much has already become the norm; many of us use technology everyday to show us how far we’ve walked, how we slept, what we’ve eaten and record where we went. We post instant photos online, send messages throughout the day, set alarms which we jump to respond to (or not, in the case of my exercise alerts!), have devices like Alexa listening in on our conversations, are beginning to get devices which can be controlled by Smart ‘phones to record a programme, alter the heating temperature, boil a kettle or toast bread….

There was a 10 question multi-choice quiz to take about how you see technology impacting upon the future and what this might look like in 20 years. My result was I am an All-round Optimist. This was the same as the greatest number of participants outside and within the exhibition. Hurray! I like being one of the crowd, especially when it’s a positive result.

A poor photo but did you know? I certainly didn’t.

Oh! My eyes teared up at this one.

I thought of Teresa Kasner making and wearing her pussy hat and writing her protest posts at the time.

Walking back at 4pm I noticed how low the sun had already become. Just look at that golden light highlighting Harrods and the buildings further along the road. Beautiful!

Harrods windows are blacked out, which must mean their Christmas window displays are in progress.

A swan with attitude and their posse on the Serpentine in Hyde Park, with the golden sun setting behind autumnal trees. What a lovely photo to end what was a great day out.

** How did I do?

Yarn, ships and park life

Posted on February 5, 2018 by The Little Room of Rachell

My hook is still moss stitching away, gradually adding more sections to the third strip of my blanket. I’m not sure about you, but I finding I seem to be inadvertently taking part in a slow crafting movement. This may, or may not exist, but it’s definitely a thing in my house. I honestly goggle at all the ‘It’s finished!’ posts on Instagram some days. I wonder if they’re not telling us that it’s just been a case of darning a few ends, or sewing up a seam, on a pile of long ago started makes? Whatever. I do not feel any compunction at all to compete, but I do enjoy looking at all the makes.

The strip’s a bit further on now, as you’ll see at the end, but I like this photo showing my snuggly Tilted Squares Blanket in use.On Friday afternoon I went to the Members’ Preview Day of the V&A’s new exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style. The picture above shows part of one of the rooms where you’re meant to feel as if you’re on deck. The floor is wooden, there are some examples of chairs and a bell-boy’s uniform (to be a totally immersive experience I would have loved a G&T brought to me while I led on an actual recliner!) The whole of the wall is a projected film of the ocean, moving waves, the sound of sea-gulls and nothing as far as the eye can see; oh apart from a movement on the right. Gradually a steam powered liner comes into view and hey! It’s racing along besides us. There were many oohs and ahhs from people, then the inevitable selfies. It’s fun. Afterwards walking through Hyde Park, back to Oxford Street to meet a friend for dinner, I saw so many lovely snowdrops. They are so delicate and as the RHS state are a very, very welcome assurance that the bright days of spring are on their way. Many crows…And this cheeky pigeon, who only moved at the last moment as I inched closer and closer.What an unexpectedly agricultural scene! There was a huge fairground set up in the park over Christmas, called Winter Wonderland (otherwise known as ‘be aware and hold on to your purse, while gaping at the exorbitant prices’.) So I imagine this is the process of flattening and fertilising the area before it’s re-turfed.An eye-catching memorial for Remembrance Sunday leftover from November, while we were wandering around Witney market on Saturday. I like the mixture of felt and yarn. It looks good still. Often yarn bombing looks bedraggled and dirty quite quickly. Now I’ve only got 3 more teeth left to knit of my Hitchhiker, so hurray! Nearly done (again) and then I can start something else. Recently I’ve decided that having one crochet and one knitted thing on the go is good. I don’t really want any more than that at one time. It’s handy to have a choice, especially for knit night when it’s chatty and I need to concentrate. Something you can do without lots of looking is good too, as it’s not well lit in the pub at this time of year. Have I said all that recently in another post? Sorry if I’m repeating myself.

And in a nutshell, at the moment I’m watching: Feud, a BBC drama series about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, reading: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, listening to: Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon and tonight I’m cooking aubergine biryani.

What about you? What are you watching, reading, listening to and cooking? I’m genuinely ~~nosy~~ interested.

Upton House & Garden

Posted on July 23, 2016 by The Little Room of Rachell

Well hello! I know, it’s been a while… I never really do much crochet or knitting during the summer, but this year I haven’t sewn yet either. I thought you might be interested to see somewhere I recently visited and found fascinating. I admit there are a lot of typewriter photos, I just loved them!

Upton House and Gardens in Warwickshire, is a National Trust Property with a current exhibition called: Banking for Victory. It once belonged to Lord Bearstead, whose father founded Shell Oil. (More information here.) In 1939 the family moved out of the house and the family bank relocated from London, for the duration of the Second World War. Mary Berry opened this exhibition last Autumn. I finally got around to visiting earlier this month.

This is the film tent with a little introductory film to the exhibition…

The exhibition is superb. The great thing is that the NT do not want you to treat it as a museum, you are actively encouraged to open drawers, sit on chairs and sofas and basically be the nosy Parker that I you always want to be, but feel you can’t in most NT properties. Needless to say I sat and typed a paragraph at one of the typewriters, what no spell check? I opened some filing cabinets, rifled through the in/out trays and read some correspondence, read some Wartime newspapers and sat in the Bank Manger’s chair!

The attention to detail in the house is fantastic. For example: there are toothbrushes and hairbrushes in the dormitories, and much more, open magazines and knitting which seem to have been put down for a minute in the staff room, postcards displayed from local villages and towns and maps of cycle routes.

The bank staff left families and friends in London to live and work at Upton. It seems that they had a ‘good war’ living in the relative safety of the countryside, but lived with guilt knowing their loved ones were in danger and suffering in the war-torn city.

This doesn’t seem too much of a stretch to me, but different times perhaps?!

Knitting! I found knitting!

The project is something you can become involved in, if you fancy. See here for details. You have until 30th September deadline if you want to send some bunting. What really impressed me, while I knitted a bunt (is this the singular of bunting?!) and chatted to one of the organisers is that at the end the finished triangles will be stitched together to make blankets for charity. What a great idea and a practical use of the knitting at the end. I often wonder what becomes of things after yarn bombs and record attempts. I didn’t take a pic of my knitting. I’m not sure why, but you really didn’t miss much!

Today was a return visit to Upton as it poured after the tour around the house, so the gardens had to wait. I’m glad actually as the herbaceous border is now stunning with all the sun we’re enjoying. It was a lovely hot day.

Are you crafty during the summer, or more like me?

Gin in Camden, Lunch in Shoreditch

Posted on May 17, 2014 by The Little Room of Rachell

When I saw an ad for a gin tasting session and afternoon tea in Camden, north London with GandTeatime (such a clever name) the name of a friend of mine popped straight into mind. Over the years we’ve continually discussed our favourite gins, given each other many a birthday or Christmas bottle and speculated about the worthiness of a new brand.

The afternoon got off to a great start; we grabbed a table, filled a plate with all kinds of garnishes: lime, lemon, mint, coriander, mint, cucumber and/or pink grapefruit and enjoyed a glass of punch as we got to know the others.

Throughout the tastings we were given all the facts you could possibly want about gin, the origin and process of making it, as well as some historical facts about the time leading up to the Gin Act. We looked at Hogarth’s prints (see here) of London’s ‘Beer Alley’ and ‘Gin Lane.’ These are the martinis we were given to finish with, I actually liked mine and realised the reason I’ve never thought I liked it before is because one of my family makes them firewater strength!

We sampled this selection of gins, tasting each neat, discussing the flavours and then mixing it with tonic to our taste, adding all kinds of combos of garnishes. One of our table was extremely creative with hers, when she crushed some juniper berries into one glass we all stopped and admired her panache! As we went through each gin everyone gave a show of hands as to their favourite. No one voted for Beefeater, but I reckon it’s because it’s the cheaper one you grow up drinking (this did raise a few eyebrows as people wondered if I’d been suckled on a bottle of the good stuff) and your tastes move on to other tastes? The saffron gin was interesting, but ended up tasting exactly like Pimms when I drank it with orange and mint.

We decided Plymouth gin was the winning favourite on our table. I’ll buy a bottle next, after the Butlers (buy this gin if you too love the flavour of cardamon, it’s delicious drunk with tonic, lashings of ice and slices of cucumber) Chase and Hayman’s are dry…

We shouldn’t have but the girls on our table were so nice that we got chatting and had a cocktail with them. Then we had another cocktail and lots more chat and it was early evening and time to head off. We all staggered together to the tube, then after quite a few tipsy hugs and kisses we all went our separate ways!

If you can do something similar then make sure you have lots of afternoon tea. I swear the cake soaked up the gin superbly. (Trifle tummy?!) This was a really fun afternoon, and a bit of different thing to do with a friend.

A few days later I went to have lunch with another friend in Shoreditch. The East End is not an area of London that I know very well so it was interesting to have a look around. Tube trains on a roof? What’s that all about?! I’ve found a GREAT blog post here which tells you who, why, when and what. It’s fascinating.

Next time we’re going here for street food. It looks funky and the smells smelt good.

After lunch I dived into Forge and Co on Shoreditch High Street to see Grant Fleming’s The End of Apartheid (free) photo exhibition.

This greets you as you go down the stairs to the gallery space. It gave me goosebumps.

The room was big, you start on the left-hand side (not shown) and work your way around. The candid style of photography is really effective; conveying so much of the emotion of the time.

Goosebumps on goosebumps.

When I left the exhibition it was pouring and I got a jolt peering out from my raincoat’s hood and seeing Boxpark which I recognised from the last series of The Apprentice. It’s a pop-up mall made from containers and is much smarter than it sounds.

A toadstool?

Move closer and get a better look… I need to do some Googling still for this one. Why is the facade left there? Is it the long left remnant of a WW2 bombed building? A listed building which best feature has been kept? Google google google incoming.

This is only a small collection of photos of what I noticed as I walked along to Brick Lane (my previous visit included here.)

Are you around London this Sunday? Either way this street art’s employed very effectively to advertise an event and campaign for a cause. That (aquamarine?) blue is to die for…

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date.”

Nightmare in paint?

Forget my crocheted owl, perhaps this should be my new gravatar????

A wholesaler’s fabric warehouse, well I don’t mind if I do….

They supply fabric to tailors. You can buy a metre upwards of anything, even if you’re not a business customer. It’s not seasonal, and I don’t wear kilts, but I was so drawn to the tartans. They felt so soft and came in a selection of pretty colours. There was one beauty with pinky purpley lines.

I enjoy this kind of sign, it can give lots of clues to the history of an area. London street names can be very informative. Go and explore South London and you’ll soon figure out what was oringinally produced there.

The photo before this was to my right with this view ahead. They just tickled me.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little photo tour.

My craft hiatus continues due to my very sore left elbow. It’s ok if I don’t do anything much with my left hand but that’s not too practical really as a leftie. It will settle, with some help, but hasn’t been this bad for about 10 years. I’m pretty sure it’s kneading dough while I make our weekly bread that’s done for it. Boo. I’m now only using my mixer’s dough hook which isn’t quite such a tactile or satisfyingly stress relieving exercise, I really like doing the knocking back and second short knead by hand.

I have been wondering if I should wrap up the blog until it’s better as it’s a craft focused blog with no craft, but then I look at BlogLovin and my fave craft bloggers are sharing: country walks, train trips, trips to the local market, their emerging Summer garden, a long lost and now found cake recipe and so I think FINE. Just relax; it’s your blog, write and show what you want. It’s diversification and I’ve always shared non-craft posts, there are just lots more of them right now.

How are you doing? Enjoying lovely Summer weather, like we have here today, or relaxing into Autumn and thinking of hot chocolate and winter wooly making?

Kaffe Fassett: A Life in Colour

Posted on June 2, 2013 by The Little Room of Rachell

Natasja of crochetime and I met yesterday at The Fashion and Textile Museum in South London to ogle Kaffe’s designs and use of colour. I used to be a huge fan of his tapestry (aka needlepoint) and have owned a copy of Glorious Needlepoint for a long time. Mum reminded me, over Sunday lunch, that she has several of Kaffe’s knitting books and heard him talk in the early 1990s.

It was great to see my favourite tapestry designs in 3D, especially the vegetable cushions. Radish anyone? Or perhaps you’d prefer a beetroot?

I know that many of you are not near London, or even in the UK (if you are then the exhibition is on till 29th June) and so here is a good selection of what I loved. If you like tapestry you’ll probably be swooning along with me.

Click on any image to view a larger version.

Do you recognise this pair?

So clever

You could giver Kaffe anything and he could turn it into a texture, just name the medium

If only I could draw & paint

The colours complement each other perfectly

Cushions in rings going high up the exhibition space walls

Subtle patchwork

A huge knitted piece around a large post

Such potential to be tangled in balls of colour!

I really wanted to the back as well as the front! (it was part of a texture wall we were encouraged to touch)

The one section of crochet we saw…some caps

Amazing to see items I’d only seen in a book before

A close up of the chair

Oooh the colours

A fruity chair with a veggie cushion? Yes please!

I always loved Kaffe’s veg cushions

“Colour themes that run throughout his textile work include the historical hues from early-medieval and Renaissance decorative arts, traditional pairings of blue and white, and the rich inspiration of China, India and international travel. In 1992 Fassett visited India as part of a charity delegation to explore what handicraft might be produced there to sell in Britain to raise money. The experience was profound and sparked a shift in his use of colour.

‘India proved to me that colour is a vital ingredient in life.'”