Son no.1 came down to London to see me yesterday and we had an amazing time at London Zoo.  We walked around from 10.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. and then walked the twenty or so minute walk through Regent Park to get to the tube to go to Soho for a meal.  It was at this point he begged for mercy he wanted to eat at Euston and go home, I’d worn the poor boy out.  Mind you I felt pretty tired, but this was the sixth out of seven days that I have been trotting around, so I’ve had a day off wandering around London today.

We really did have the loveliest of days and so much laughter, I hope we do it again soon.

The zoo is the most wonderful place to practise photography, one is  moving from dark to light, fast moving to stock still almost continuously.  I think I am learning,  probably not but it’s fun trying.  I only take one lens, the bag becomes heavier by the hour, I find the 85mm is a nice lens and lets in a lovely amount of light, I’ll have lots of time to practise with other lenses as we’ve become members so we will be able to trot along quite regularly, now I have the time.

Hope you enjoy the latest batch of photos.

Hubby and I visited Portobello Road on Saturday which is its busiest day and has the full street market.  Everyday is different and its best to look at its website, Portobello Road to be certain what is happening on any particular day.

It was the best of London, really buzzy with one never quite knowing what was around the corner, we loved it and can’t wait to try the flavour of Portobello Road on a different day.  A few photo’s to wet your appetite.

The linen blouse toile is finished taken from Burda 7670, view B.

Not too bad, and on the fit model…

The front edge needs stabalising, the hip area needs tweaking, although the pattern does suggest that gap in the front.  There are a few tweaks to make, but generally the length is good on me as are the shoulders and arm length, so it has the start of a very good pattern for me and I really like the construction of the collar, which I think goes well with my addition of cufflink cuffs.

Now to keep on the theme of my New Years Resolution of finishing items I have already started, just a couple of jumpers to finish knitting and a waistcoat and summer top to finish sewing and I should be there, oh and socks, lots of socks started.  I am thinking I’ll finish in June.  That’s if I don’t get side tracked with dressing gowns and pyjama bottoms – again!

Hubby and I spent the day at London Zoo.  Its been on our to do list for the best part of two years and today we managed to tick this one off.  It was the best day Ever.  London Zoo is small but perfectly formed and doesn’t have steep hills, we could talk about a Zoo in Devon we trekked around one year, which was exhausting. All the animals look really happy, which was really nice to see, well apart from one baby Giraffe, who was most definitely sulking that they weren’t with Mum whilst she was getting a bit of a feed.  Yep we have had a brilliant day, it was lovely.  Here are just a few photographs, we took hundreds…  And you have to go to see the Lemurs, they are the funniest things ever, especially when they are calling to each other, they hoot, its an absolute scream.

My lovely hubby.

A wonderful heron.

Jumping for joy.

We are family.

Feeding Baby.

Cuddles.

What a hair cut.

A furry camel.

Tiger, tiger burning bright.

A beautiful bird.

What a handsome gorilla.

Pig playing football.

So pretty.

Monkeys.

Lemurs.

Brothers in arms.

Zebra.

Giraffes being fed.

And look who was left behind.

Pygmy Hippo

Meercat on sentry duty.

Today was a relaxing day enjoying simple pleasures. The garden was tended to and is blossoming, we had our first barbeque, enjoyed eggs for breakfast, lamb for lunch and our home is awash with tulips.  As days go, it was pretty and perfect.

This week I have been toiling a blouse, its a slow process as my toiles often become the real thing.  I am not sure if this one is going to, its a bit snug, but we’ll see.

Anyway we have come to the setting of the sleeves in part.  The bit I hate the most.  Serene moods can be shattered and anxiety and frustration can take over in what seems like seconds.  My most famous mistake of setting in a sleeve was getting a beautifully set in sleeve and finding I’d set the wrong sleeve in..  Still, once bitten, twice shy, I always triple check that I am working on the correct sleeve for the side.

One thing I have learned is to take it steady, pin and then to baste a double row of stitching around the sleeve easing the rucks and ruffles out as you go.  Easier said than done, but in this case practice does make perfect and I have improved immeasurably over the last couple of years.

As you can see a nicely set in sleeve.

And an almost finished linen blouse.  The linen – possibly a mix – was £3.00 a metre from the fabric warehouse I know and love in London.

And then I discovered the tiniest of rucks..  Its a toile, its staying, its on the back, no one will ever notice and as we all know there is no such thing as perfection.

Right, I’m off to go and do the other sleeve.

Did you like the mannequin?  I love it..  Now I just need a tailors ham and a tailors board and I’ll have everything I need.

What to say about this exhibition.  It is the most wonderful opportunity to see an artist’s work whose genius broke through barriers.  His amazing work as he developed the fashion show and his take on women and their inner strength, which he loved to illustrate in his clothes, he was so not a Laura Ashley designer!

This is the largest retrospective of Alexander McQueen’s work to be shown in Europe, the original version being shown in New York,

I absolutely loved it,  its been open two weeks, I’ve seen it twice, I wouldn’t surprise myself if I average once a week, it just is so good.  If you can, come and see it, it is truly amazing – and if you can’t there are lots of utube videos, a BBC short documentary, of course online the V & A,  and lots of newspaper write ups.  Unfortunately photography is very strictly forbidden, so I can’t share with you all the wonders of the exhibition.

My cousin showed off an egg muffin recipe from Slimming World that she had made which looked absolutely delicious and was zero points.  I wondered how the idea would fit into the Weightwatchers plan, knowing that I would change the recipe and add a little cheese to it.

It works out at ‘just’ over 1 pro point per muffin using 4 eggs and 60g of low fat cheddar with adding sprays of oil and a drop of low fat milk.

I won’t witter on about what I did, because it all depends on what you have lurking in the fridge.  In my case I had onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and low fat cheddar.  But equally asparagus, cooked new potatoes and sweetcorn would have worked equally well, obviously remembering to watch out for any points.

Fresh from the oven, they were yummy. 

And later, cold, even tastier.  So many ways to use these little fellas, pack ups, picnics, hot with potato wedges and baked beans, cold with salads, for breakfast, for supper, or to snaffle as your passing the fridge.  My tummy is growling just looking at them, they were so good.

This post might be a bit late, but I thought I would share with you our family’s take on Mother’s Day.

Firstly my boys, well they believe its just a Hallmark – as in greetings card company – holiday.  So I got this for Mothers Day.

Which was brilliant because it is lovely to talk to them although they are very cheeky monkeys.

But I didn’t get a card, as they don’t believe in sending them, but I love getting them, especially when I am so far away and it made me very sad. (Its not exactly the card, its the lack of thought, etc, etc.)   So, when they had finally understood that *cough*, three little cards came flying through the post and I proudly placed them on the mantlepiece and they made me smile.  And then hubby came down with a tightly budded bunch of daffodils, which I do adore and they are at their peak now.

And in between the upset and the harmony, I decided I needed a little pick me up, shall we call it a Mothers Day Gift, to myself. (although hubby is paying and you never know the boys might contribute,  what’s that you can see, pink pigs flying)

I treated myself to this.

Wonderful isn’t it.

Sometimes a girls got to do, what a girls got to do and that’s get the credit card out.