It all makes work.......

.......for the working man to do!  This just about sums up my life at the moment, the man came to mend the fridge and managed to knock down part of my garden wall.  I've been waiting a week for them to come and fix it.   Enough moaning.

Last week we went to the Summer Exhibition at the National Gallery, looked forward to it because it was co-ordinated by Grayson Perry   and it didn't disappoint.  One of my favourite things about the Summer Exhibition was the smaller rooms crammed with all kind of art, chocolate box next to surreal and people, This year n the first gallery, which is usually reserved for reverential large canvases by Royal Academicians, was hung in the same way on bright yellow walls.  The effect was exciting.

There was a lot of "political" subjects, things to scratch your head over but also things to make you smile,
Want an idea to use up all your old jewellery?

Or perhaps you have an old rug you could re-cyle?

This was fun

The bits Constable left out by Chris Orr RA

as was this

Seaching for the Missing Button at Jackson's Chris Orr.

Our only criticism was that if anything there was too much of a good thing, we were in brain overload when we came out but that might have been due more to advancing years than anything else.  I would love to go again and start at the other end.

The fun started even before we went in as we paid our compulsory visit to look at Fortnum and Mason's window displays. The theme was picnics.
There were chimney pot raised pies,

loaves of bread with sunglasses

and tennis ball fizz.

I have been making journals but haven't got round to photographing them yet.  I would like to make another video but it all takes time which seems to be short at the moment.  Past the longest day.  Horror.

Well.........

..........that didn't last long, thank goodness.  Thanks to the kindness of friends and family and a total melt down when I dropped the apple pie face down on the floor the bored feeling disappeared.  I am not promising to suddenly blog every day and I am still collecting spam comments but here's what is exciting me at the moment.

First a little trip to the Big Brocante at the Hop Farm, we had been to one in the winter so were surprised by the size of this one.  I didn't resist temptation.

If you want tape, I'm your girl. I have already found a couple of uses for it.  It was a real bargain, not something that happens to me often.  I loved the scrap of fabric, book cover if ever I saw it and the books and cards were delightful, I will have to do a more detailed share at sometime.

The next thing to lift me was a video by Nik the Booksmith, I love this woman, the journals she make are wonderful but in this one she is trying eco printing of PAPER. 
https://youtu.be/DyXnnnh0SuU
 Well how could I resist.  I found a lot of other videos and taking bits from each I gave it a try.  These are my garden gatherings.

as pr usual I was too impatient to photograph the process properly but it sort of went like this

and then like this

and then about eight hours later (I couldn't wait 24)

Yeah!!! Happiness.  I put a couple of onion skins in the water so I think that is what made the yellow edges. I also put a couple of spoonfuls of alum in the water. I boiled for about twenty minutes and then let is all cool down.
Here's a few favourites, the blue flower on this one was a brown ganzia....didn't expect that.

 Streaks on this one caused by next piece of paper which was tracing paper and shrivelled in the heat.

On Friday I went to my textile group and we had a fun workshop with Diane, a very talented lady, who showed how to make little animal brooches. This is my fiesta cat.

Right I am off to find a large roasting tin (mine will on do A5 paper) and then I will be   trotting round, with my little ziplock bag, to see my son who has some beautiful deep red roses.