Busy weekend!

Nicholas and I went up to London for the day on Saturday for the Anglo-Italian Family History Society AGM. I am the membership secretary, Nicholas is the webmaster. Here's a view out of the train window at East Croydon. It feels like you are approaching London once you get here. Up until then we travel through mostly green fields!





Our meeting was at the Mormon church near the museums, so we went into the science museum to get a friend's son a birthday present.





















Then the V&A for lunch! We sat in the courtyard - it was gloriuos and we could have been anywhere in the world! Look at these lemons!!!


































Here's the venue for the AGM. Unfortunately it was very poorly attended, only 7 of us!!!














And then we had to just nip into the Natural History museum and see the earth thingy! It's looking a bit tatty now. And it looks small! We remember this escalator as being really big!!! Must be about 10 years since we went there before!!! Then we stood on the mock up of the Kobe earthquake. Pathetic!!!






















And finally at Victoria for our train home.
















Sunday morning we went to church - to Nicholas's church because it was reopening after being refurbished inside. A lovely new limestone floor, removal of pews, a general freshen up and gorgeous new chairs. After the service they moved the chairs aside and prepared tables for a ploughman's lunch.
















This banner has been made for the church recently, and it is much more gorgeous than you can see in this picture!




















Mum came with us to church, then back home for a roast dinner, then for a little drive to practice my advanced driving. We then went to DB and SILs house for a cuppa and to see their new extension in the middle of being built.

Took Mum home and decided to take a pic of her kitchen before all her stuff goes back. Doesn't it look fab!

Our evening walk along the beach. Nicholas comandeered the camera, so here's some of me! On the beach, walking back from the beach, and checking the car over with Maurice in preparation for my next driving lesson on Monday.

Yet another busy weekend!

Walk with Nicholas, Lucy and Merlin

Lucy was at a bit of aloose end this afternoon - no college, and her boyfriend Tom was working. So she suggested we went out for a drink! It was great! We walked with Merlin down to Marine Gardens cafe, and had an ice cream, cake and drink. Just like the old days! It is ages since we 4 went out like this. We used to do this all the time in the school holidays.

Sandown weekend

I had a really fabulous weekend! Burn took freda and me away to a little cottage near the river Thames at Shepperton for the weekend, and we spent Saturday at the Quilt show at Sandown racecourse. It was a lovely venue, really light, airy and spacious. It was great to be 'showmn the ropes' by Burn and Freda, who have both been quilting for years. We did spend some time looking at the quilts, and I was particularly interested in the sea-scape quilts, to get some ideas for my sea scene hanging. We also walked along by the river, which was really trnaquil after our manic shop at Sandown! In the evening, we had a takeway chinese, and a show and tell! In order, the photos are Freda's, mine and Burn's. I am going to do another post with photos of the quilts.

craft room tidy up

I have had another big tidy up! I use my dining room as my craft room, and it is usually in a terrible state! It has piles of stuff all over the floor and I can't see the table




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Now at least I can see a good bit of working space! I finally got round to ordering a clip it up whirly thing. I hung all my alphabet stickers onto it, and am embarrassed to say that I have filled it up! At least now they are at my finger tips, and I will use them, especially all those old half finished ones! It's great!





I have ordered the piles on the floor a bit better. Just got 2 big boxes, one with Arrowfile inserts (I am still sorting photos!) and one with holiday bits and pieces over the years. They really need a proper resting place!

Mini book swap part 2

And here's the minibook kit I received, now made into a book about summer 2001!

Mini book swap

I received this gorgeous mini book in a UKScrappers swap this morning! It comes all the way from Bali!!! So thanks very very much Sue, it is really lovely - not sure that these photos really do it justice. The first photo shows the extras she sent with it, loads of ribbon, more die-cuts etc.

I love it! Just got to decide what to put in it, but my first thought is photos of me and Maurice when we first met. Might have to use scans though as we haven't got many photos from that time.

Driving

I had another advanced driving lesson today. My instructor, Ron likes to take me deep into the country to the north of the town. We drive down some really tiny one track country lanes, gorgeous! He is really keen to tell me interesting facts about places, buildings and landmarks. I have shown a bit of interest, so he is doing it more! Today we drove to Arundel, and as we drove past the cathedral, we saw that the flower festival is on. I happened to mention that I haven't been to see it ever, so we parked up and went into the cathedral! Ron is like a tour guide, spouting interesting facts all the way!LOL

A funny little story is that I mentioned at my sewing class that he has taken me on some really lovely drives in the countryside. Fiona asked why would he want to take you there? nudge, nudge! Well, that particular afternoon, we drove over round some lovely little villages to the west, and he made me park the car, then he said, let's get out for a walk, there's something I want to show you round here!! Well, I had to suppress a giggle!!! What was it he wanted to show me?!? Actually it was a very interesting gravestone in Walburton church yard, which has the story of the death engraved as a picture on it. (It was a tree that fell on him!)

I wish I had taken my camera on these drives!

My driving is improving all the time, and Ron says I am ready for my test YIKES! I have now arranged to have a dummy test with another instructor next week. I must fill in the form for the test too.

Todays chat has also bought back lots of memories for myself and Maurice. The subject got onto my Dad and the fact that he had worked at Ricardo Engineering at Shoreham. Ron mentioned someone he had known at Ricardo, who was involved in the RAC/ACU training scheme years ago. Well, that was where Maurice and I met! It was a training scheme for novice

motorcyclists, and I went on (under Dad's instructions) when I had my first moped when I was 17. Maurice was a trainer.... need I say more..... (It was his big Triumph Trident motorbike that attracted me!) So walking the dog tonight we've been trying to remember who else was there!LOL Maurice can't remember Ron though.

Leaving work

YAY! I left my cleaning job last week!!! I had a lovely evening last night - not having to worry about getting up this morning, or preparing all my stuff for this morning! We went for a lovely drive last night to practice my advanced driving. We went down some gorgeous country lanes north of the village of Ashington which came out by this gorgeous little country church! We then made our way to Amberley and had a drink in The Bridge. It was really busy!

When we got home we walked Merlin round the block, and bought a bottle of wine on the way home. It's quite a while since I had a drink on a Sunday night!!!

Today I got up slowly, had my cup of tea in bed, YAY! It is another absolutely beautiful day, so i walked Merlin along the beach - dipping my toes in the sea! I pottered around the kitchen and then helped Lucy revise for Biology exam this afternoon. Not sure how well she is going to do, she doesn't know the stuff well enough really!

Now I am on the computer doing AIFHS stuff, and making a very long list of things I want to do over the next few weeks. More on that later!