Explain that

The huge Gauguin exhibition at the Tate Modern is a riot of beautiful colour. It is possible to get right up to many of the paintings and so examine closely the way Gauguin layered and blended colours.


Yet oddly it was Ai Weiwei's installation down in the Turbine Hall, a huge expanse of grey ceramic sunflower seeds, which gave me the most pleasure.

3

My little girl has turned 3! When her first birthday arrived, I couldn't believe a whole year had gone by. So much happened in that first year. So much growth - for both of us. Her second birthday was a celebration of yet another year of milestones and achievements. This one, her third, made me feel a bit sad as it seemed to signify the end of baby-dom. She is now officially a little girl but she'll always be my baby.

Horrockses

Judging by the frocks in this exhibition the sun always shone in the 1950s.



Horrockses Fashions concentrated production on day and evening wear, beach clothes and housecoats, mainly in cotton.


Dresses cost the equivalent of a week's wages so tended to be purchased for special occasions such as weddings, honeymoons and holidays, or, if you're the Queen, tours of the Commonwealth.



I asked my mum if she'd owned one. She said they were out of reach for her but her pretty, spoiled, only-child college roommate would always come back after summer break with a couple in her suitcase. Mum and her friends had to content themselves with walking to the local dress shop each Monday to see the latest designs in the window. Just as well they didn't have credit cards in those days!

The lure of yarn

Mood board on the J C Rennie stand

Attending the Knitting and Stitching Show has increased my stock of knitting projects unlikely to be finished any time soon!

Added to the To Do List are:
Cabled mitts using Blue Sky Melange 100% alpaca purchased from Loop
Pattern for Father's New Socks by Susan Crawford to be knitted in Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift
Christmas stocking from a (soon to be available) pattern from MillaMia. The yarn was purchased at a show price discounted rate.

It's about four years since I last went to the K&S Show. What I missed this time were the booths of people taking part in lessons and workshops. They are now tucked away, out of sight, in another part of the building so the 'doing' part of the show has been taken over by the selling.

One aspect of selling which could be much improved is the sandwiches. "Impressively Premium" they were not!

And all for ₤3

Why I love a car boot sale.......

Cath Kidston Mini Stanley Cag in a Bag - 75p
Bag for taking tap and ballet shoes and outfit to class - 50p
Flamenco dress for the dressing up box - 75p
Pair of Clarks Doodles to wear as slippers at nursery -₤1

and all as good as new

Made in Dagenham

Made in Dagenham

I chuckled at the sight of all the employees arriving for work carrying a thermos as it made me remember my Dad making up his with milky Mellow Birds coffee each morning.

I chuckled at Rita worrying that she wasn't dressed up enough for the Berni Inn as my family would only go to one of those on a very special occasion. Prawn cocktail for starters, followed by steak very well (over) done, then perhaps a slice of Black Forrest gateau from the sweets trolley and maybe an Irish coffee to finish.

I chuckled at the black and white news reels from 1968 showing the original lady strikers of Ford Dagenham as they most definitely didn't look like the hot-pant wearing glamour pusses of the film!

I stared at the actor playing Ford's US representative, trying to work out what I'd seen him in before. Later I discovered it was Richard Shiff/Toby Ziegler in the West Wing, beardless and very skinny.

I stared yet again at Rosamund Pike as she shone from the screen.

I wondered how equality of pay could still be unresolved over 40 years on.

Winter's Bone

A great film. Menace was in the air the moment this film began and it didn't let up until the very end. I felt as if I'd been holding my breath the whole way through.