A day full of shiny things June 10, 2009

Today started in the usual holiday manner, Bry asleep and me very much awake. This morning a seemingly apocalyptic flood was pouring on the caravan roof. Well, that’s the way it sounded, it was a passing downpour at best. I woke Bry up at ten, and he made sausage sarnies for brekky.

Mum had arranged for an ariel man to come and sort out their tv reception. Good job I was dressed. After several re-tunings and moving to point at a different transmitter a time or two the signal was declared better. We’re not convinced yet.

We set off bravely in search of lunch, and stopped in Ventnor at a lovely little cafe. Yummy again. I spied a haberdashery shop, but as Bry had spent the last cash we had on lunch, and the shop didn’t take cards I was thwarted. Damn.

We set off again, along the roads that are slowly slipping down the cliff to Isle if Wight Glass. I love watching the glass being made onto all sorts of shiny things. It’s so interesting to see them doing similar things to my lampworking, but on a bigger scale. I always get torch envy here.

Isle of Wight Glass - making shiny things

Usually we don’t get through a visit without Bry bashing his head on the low beams. This time he escaped unscathed in the head department, although his wallet was not so lucky.

Just along the coast is Isle of Wight Pearl. I could spend a fortune in there, but I never do. I shop for ideas.

Newport next, and a quick stop in Wightcat Crafts. Lovely shop, I’ve been twittering with them this week. Really friendly guys with a loyalty scheme, now that’s the way to do it.

Home via Costa and Tesco for the constituent elements of a cream tea. More felting tonight, the last of the cherry blossom is done, just a few buds to be made now, think I will make a necklace and a vessel.

Feet up in front of the fire now. Ahhhhhhhh, nice.

Shanklin? I don’t know, I’ve never Shankled June 10, 2009

Bry surpassed himself by sleeping in till 10.45 on Tuesday. Made getting to the garden centre cafe by the 11.15 stop-serving-breakfast deadline interesting. While he slept I started to turn the pre-felt I made yesterday into cherry blossom.

Wet-felted then needle felted cherry blossom

I also finished embellishing the vessel I made last year in the van – man ,how slack am I? A year?

Finally finished piece

Also at the garden centre was a craft shop. I bought stuff. Stamps that will help me cut out flowery shapes if I want to.

Then into Shanklin proper. We hung about on street corners grabbing free wireless to download the second half of the live Perfect Ten podcast that we went to in May. We went to Hyacinth’s Hobbies. I bought stuff. I bought wool to make knitted moustaches. The guys from Stitch and Bitch London are doing a knit crawl wearing false moustaches for World Wide Knit in Public Day in aid of prorate cancer charities, I can’t be with them but I can knit at the festival and wear my moustache with pride.

Manly moustaches

We walked up the hill towards the old tea room, Bry spotted a shop called The Stitches Coven and foolishly alerted me to it. I bought stuff. Embroidery silks which I’ll use to embellish some felted beads I have planned.

Mum and dad nipped over with a table and chairs to go on the decking of the van. They also bought fish and chips. And washed up. Don’t you just love that when I’d happens?

An evening of further felting and only mild finger stabbing and eating minty chocolate wafer things. Mmmmmmmm.

Newport, birthplace of Phill Jupitus June 10, 2009

Bet you didn’t know that? Mr P was born on the Isle of Wight y’know.

Anyway, we arrived for our annual IoW pilgrimage late on Sunday. On Monday morning, after spending 2 hours making pre-felt while Bryon slept we went to Newport. We always park near Quay Arts, it’s a wonderful little gallery that has lots of local artist’s work, usually most affordable. This time we stayed for lunch (Bry had the last bacon in his bacon and Brie baguette, the fiend.) In a planter next to the river, a duck was nesting. She even had her own cup full of water.

Pre-felt - in cherry blossom colours

Arty Duck

We ambled around the galleries, some nice oil paintings of local beach, docks and fishing. Upstairs had melted vinyl offerings, and a room full of what appeared to be dead sock puppetts. I bought a ceramic pot and some earrings, plus a little something for Jude’s birthday.

Melty vinyl art

Famous people we have nearly run over June 25, 2008

When we were in Ventnor (IOW), we nearly ran over someone we thought looked an awful lot like Rick Wakeman. Turns out it was him. Apparently Rick Wakeman’s grumpy old picture show is on in Ventnor.

We also nearly ran over Stefan Dennis some time ago. Some might say that would have been a mercy killing as he wouldn’t have gone back to Neighbours then. Me, I’m enjoying the new Paul.

Inspiration from the garden isle June 24, 2008

Here are a few more shots of things that caught my eye on the Isle of Wight, isn’t nature clever?

 

 

Isle of Wight Festival – days of hot and cold June 24, 2008

Here are a few photos of what we got up to at the festival. We had a great time, saw a lot of great bands, and bought chairs to sit on. These were expressly against the rules it said – but everyone else had them on the Friday so we went for it on Saturday and Sunday. I’m too old to stand up in a field for hours! It was very hot, then very cold. We had to go buy a nana blanky from the Oxfam tent for warmth. They were selling wedding dresses by the dozen – I wonder if people realise that their dress might end up on a drunken bloke with very hairy legs when they donate it?

We stayed quite near the back – which was also near the coffee and cake stand – hurrah! My favorite acts were The Hoosiers, Scouting for Girls and KT Tunstall. It was fun seeing the Kaiser Chiefs too. I wasn’t so sure about the Sex Pistols. Yon and I have a running argument in which I claim Malcom McLaren made them up as a boy band, and Bry says he didn’t. They all looked way to old to be trying to be angry – and about 30 years too late to sing no future – I’m sure some of them could collect their pensions! I don’t think them playing SIlver Machine by Hawkwind really helped either. I did enjoy the Police, I’m a Stewart Copeland fan (it’s a percussionist thing…) and my bro was a really big Police fan, and has never seen them live, ner ner nee ner ner!

 

Morphing Skeltons June 23, 2008

Here’s Bry looking scarily like a stretched version of his brother Andy. Anyway – in the caravan on Wednesday afternoon. By this time I’d been up for 3 hours making felted things – more of those later!

Amazon World – or the really stinkingly hot place June 23, 2008

Here are some of the residents of Amazon World – some cute, some rude!

      

What Debbie did next June 23, 2008

Well, I’ve been a bit busy being back at work last week, but the week before that we went to the Isle of Wight, and in particular, the Isle of Wight Festival. Blimey. I’m too old for that!

I’ll try and post what we were up to in order. We went over on the 8.30 pm ferry, so it was 10 pm before we got to the caravan. Not much more happened on Saturday!

Bry always goes into instant zombie mode on holiday and sleeps til lunch time, it drives me absolutely mad. Sleep at home I say. So I got up and scoffed my granola and got on with some crafting. I can’t reveal what I was making until Jude’s envelope arrives, but it was fun and quiet so as not to disturb Rip Van Skelton.

It was scorchingly hot – it always seem to be when we go to the island – so we went to Shanklin for a paddle and walked around Shanklin Chine. So here, in true Skelton holiday style, are a couple of our traditional holiday shots:

 

     

And then we went to Shanklin Chine. I love it there. It is a little haven of tranquility, and the first place I managed to walk about after my op, so makes me feel really good.

Here’s just a few shots of the lovely chine, the waterfall and bridge in it, and some of the beautiful flowers and plants that grow there.

    

a view from the chine out to sea     The stone bridge over the stream that cut the chine

                                    

The waterfall at the top of the chine – 45 feet high and I climbed the steps to the top – stuff that fibromyalgia!

 

Some strange people in the chine, and Yon’s punishment for sleeping in