Post 29 Sunny day at the Mitre

At last - a sunny day. The river responded cautiously at breakfast, but when I went for a walk around 10 am it was bright and clear.













The flowers were out - and so were people. Families headed for the Palace, cyclists in groups and pairs, people walking dogs - and lots of traffic.

The river sparkled and the Mitre almost looked smart.















The swans  practised their flight on the runway of the river.






There were canoeists, fours, eights and twos - although I did not manage to photograph them.












There was no activity on the moored canal boat with its assortment of attached craft - but it was not yet lunchtime.

There were other craft coming and going.

I visited Gardinarium, the shop one door away from the Mitre. It always has something of interest. I was wearing a top I had bought there two years ago - and sure enough, found a couple more tops to my liking. They are of a light, cheesecloth-like fabric and will pack to almost nothing. Yes, they are the same, but different colours.  I also found a pair of 3.5 x magnifying spectacles that will go over my glasses for embroidery.

Andrew and Jean Chitty came for lunch at the Mitre, and regretfully, I forgot to have someone take our photo. Andrew is my second cousin once removed. His grandmother Alice Higgs and my great-grandmother Emily Grace Higgs were sisters. We had plenty to catch up on. Like many in our family, Andrew worked for years in the aviation industry. They are great tennis followers and travel long distances to tournaments - including the Australian Open. It was a lovely three hours.


I also managed to get some work done on the dog rose leaves of my Herdwick embroidery -

By sunset I felt a little chilly outside, but there was great reluctance by staff to closing the restaurant doors, which were left wide open to let in the evening air. I'd have closed them - but I don't begrudge the enthusiasm that kept them open.

The sunny day has lifted spirits and that's worth hanging on to.

Day 28 : Metalwork Fox

Morning revealed the river still moving gently and reflecting light.It was not exactly a sunny day, but it wasn't raining and was still.

The swans were in evidence on the other side of the river.

I did not, however, have time to watch the river, but set off for the Palace and my needlework class.

The unicorn is still there to welcome me. The spring flowers were out in brilliant colours.



There were 13 in our class, three young Japanese women with limited English, a woman originally from the US but now living in England, myself and 8 women from various parts of England.



We were working on Becky Hogg's Metalwork Fox kit. Becky has a range of charming metalwork animals.



We spent the first hour and a half padding  our fox with layers of felt.

We were in the stock room, the one with the round windows, where I did my first RSN class in 2015.


It has good views over the gardens and the windows open - a good mechanism for controlling the heat in the room.

We learned four basic metalwork stitch techniques, passing thread, purl pearl, chipping and cutwork.



At lunchtime I visited the RSN shop and had a look around. It is always interesting to look at the various bits casually left around the classrooms. This is part of a crewel piece.












By 4pm I had a little bit of three of the techniques worked.  I am reasonably familiar with all four, but not practiced in any of them. I do so prefer to finish a project step by step rather than doing little bits of each - but understand why this isn't possible in classes like this. Becky Hogg's instructions and demonstrations were very clear.



This is where I got by the end of the day.

The Palace was closing as we left .

I stopped to photograph the ceiling of the Anne Boleyn Gate.

I thought the design might translate well into embroidery.

Back at the hotel I tossed up whether to continue working on the fox, or continue with Nicola's Herdwick. I think it better to finish the Herdwick first.


I managed to get to dinner before it got dark in order to catch the last rays of the sunset.

The swans were active, moving all over the river.
































A lovely day bookended by Old Father Thames.