day out – CraftyGuider

Women’s Institute Centenary Annual Meeting

Having spent a day at Buckingham Palace at the WI Royal Garden Party, the next big event in the WI’s centenary programme was the Annual Meeting at the Royal Albert Hall. Delegates from across the country attended and it was a fabulously grand occasion. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there but did get to see a live transmission of the event at my local Cineworld. OK, the surroundings weren’t as jaw dropping as the grandeur of the Albert Hall which I did experience a few times when I was younger, but the live transmission was a great opportunity for ordinary members up and down the country to get to see the event.

There may have been sound problems in the hall, but we heard everything loud and clear. Janice Langley, the NFWI Chair looked incredibly nervous when the royal party of HM The Queen, Princess Anne and Sophie, Countess of Wessex were on stage with her, but she didn’t put a foot wrong.

There were three excellent speakers. Lucy Worsley who is going to be on our screens soon with a history of the WI, gave a fascinating insight into her research on the subject. Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson spoke about her life and achievements in sport and now in the House of Lords, including her family’s motto ‘Aim high, even if you hit a cabbage’. Finally Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton Investment Management spoke about the 30% club which she founded to try and get at least 30% female board members.

There was also a selection of songs by the Bleadon Belles who won the choir competition, and a presentation of the knitwear collaboration between WI members and Kingston University to produce garments for their university fashion show. I don’t think I’ll be wanting to wear any of the garments, but the work to produce them was fabulous.

One of my favourite (and possibly most confusing until we got our heads around it) parts of the day was the debate on the NFWI Resolution “Failing to care – assessment of need in long term care. This meeting calls on HM government to remove the distinction between nursing care and personal care in the assessment of the needs of individuals, in order to advance health and wellbeing.” When we discussed it at our local WI level, we were confused about what the resolution was trying to achieve, and whether it was possible to do this. At the meeting, there was an amendment to the wording, so there was a vote on accepting the amendment. This was passed, so then there was a further discussion on the amended resolution before a motion was put forward to move to the next business (still with me?). Speakers then voiced what we had felt at our meeting; the resolution was just not what the WI should be working towards. The care system was in need of an overhaul, but new legislation, lack of government funding, plus the wording of the resolution which wasn’t specific enough, meant that it needed more work. The speaker from Stoke Newington WI really clarified the position for me using the SMART criteria for setting objectives. The motion to move to the next business was overwhelmingly passed so there was no vote on the resolution.

I really hope that there are live transmissions of future events. It was so interesting to see how our WI is run and it’s a shame the annual meeting is only open to a few delegates from each federation.

If you would like to join the WI, put your postcode into the WI finder to get more information. We are the original social network. We are run by volunteers, are a not-for-profit organisation, and provide a place for women to have fun, chat, learn new skills, take part in a wide range of activities and campaign on important issues. And there is usually cake!

Poppies and Buses

After doing the Books About Town trail around London in the summer, the Craftyguidelets and I decided to sample the Transport for London Bus Sculpture Trail to celebrate the Year of the Bus. As one of the trails started and finished near the Tower of London, we took the chance to take Mr Craftyguider and mother in law with us to see the poppies now that the installation was almost complete.We had seen the poppies in August, but so many more had been added since then. It is such a stunning sight. It really brings home the 888,246 lives lost in WWI and has taught the Craftyguidelets a lot about the scale of casualties of the war.We got there as early as our travelcards allowed us from the sticks but it was so busy, we were advised to get off the train at Aldgate rather than Tower Hill. However, after lunch when we were the other side of the river, we looked back at the Tower and it was swarming with people. Even crossing Tower Bridge was hard due to the volume of people coming the other way.If you can get to see the poppies before it finishes, it is worth the trip. Just try going early!After lunch, we crossed the river to start the bus sculpture trail. The bus models have been painted by well-known and aspiring artists and spread over 3 trails along the river and in the City, around Westminster, and in the Olympic Park. Another trail will also open up before Christmas.Having looked for book benches in the summer, I didn’t find this as exciting. The book benches could be sat on and represented books that were mainly familiar to me and the Craftyguidelets. The buses were each labelled with a big sign saying DO NOT CLIMB.This Orla Kiely design was at least familiar to me.This placement was really great with Tower Bridge directly behind the bus. I wish the weather was as good as that painted on the bus though!This punk bus was outside St Pauls. Not sure of the connection there!This is the Kids Company bus with images of children sleeping on the bus to escape homelessness, and was painted by an ambassador of the charity.And this bus was the last on the trail representing the 24 hour nature of the city and the buses.I don’t think we’ll be back to look for the other buses. However, it was a nice day out and took us round several of the London sights, so it would be a nice guided tour along the river for a visitor in combination with a trip to the Tower.

The Paddington Bear trail starts on 4th November. I’m already excited by this one as there are bears designed by celebrities. I’m a bit disappointed that Bear Grylls has a Scouting bear and Girlguiding doesn’t have one. If we do visit it, I’m dressing the family up in Guiding uniforms and travelling to Heathrow to be photographed with it.

And then there are 300 owls to find in Birmingham next year. Surely Guiding gets first call on that!

Girlguiding UK Big Gig 2014

Wem-ber-leee, Wem-ber-leee, Wem-ber-leee! No, sorry. It’s not football, it should be “HELLO WEMBLEY. GIVE ME A SCREAM!!!!!” Cue 10,000 Guides and their leaders at Girlguiding UK’s Big Gig to raise the roof of Wembley Arena for the biggest event of the Guiding calendar in the eyes of my Guides. A real pop concert with real chart names.

On Saturday 4th October, 13 Guides, one Guide mum and 2 leaders left a train station in Hertfordshire to go down to Wembley Arena to join 10,000 other Guiding types for the second Big Gig of the day. The Guides were excited. The mum was excited. The 2 leaders, let’s face it, were doing their duty to their Guides and going along so the Guides didn’t miss out on the trip. I’ve heard of Union J and Little Mix but couldn’t (and still can’t) identify any of their songs. I think I’ve seen Diversity do their thing. Kingsland Road? Mike Dignam? Neon Jungle? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ken Bruce play any of their songs on Radio 2 so there’s no hope for me there!

I tweeted about the event in the morning and after one of my tweets, Mike Dignam followed me on Twitter! “Wow!” I thought, “This will impress the Guides!”. Nope. They’d never heard of him either!

After a bit of Google and Wikipedia revision, I felt prepared for the trip (one member of Union J has strange eyebrows so I’m sure to recognise them, therefore Kingsland Road will be the ones without the eyebrows).

A completely smooth trip by train and tube and we took our seats. As you can see from the picture, we were quite a way back, but as tickets are allocated by lottery, you don’t get to choose.These were a great find thanks to the #BigGig2014 hashtag on twitter. They hand them out for free at the information counters and someone had tweeted about it. They came in handy for the Little Mix set at the end!10,000 Guides with their phones lit up is a fantastic sight. Add to that the flashing bunny ears, freaky hair and illuminated squid heads and it looked brilliant.And then I became a cool Guide leader. Mike Dignam came up on stage. “He’s WELL fit!” came the cry from the Guides. “Is he the one that follows you on twitter?”. Kimberly Wyatt (ex-Pussycat Dolls and Got To Dance judge – I’ve heard of her!) was hosting and posted a selfie on Instagram which I liked and commented on on behalf of my Guides. I was a social media queen for them.

Stooshe was a surprise, and were a hit with the Guides. Ken Bruce has played them so I was able to show my knowledge there too! And I’d heard of Stacey Solomon too.

Once Little Mix had finished, we managed to dash to the train station before the rush and got home before I turned into a pumpkin. I even got some thank yous from the Guides without them being nudged to do it by their mums!

The Big Gig is a fabulous event organised by Girlguiding UK twice a year all over the UK. I’ve been going fairly regularly since they started more than 10 years ago. I’ve seen Ed Sheeran (before he was a megastar, absolutely brilliant with just a guitar and some pedals), Orson, Shayne Ward (Google him if you don’t remember), Pixie Lott, Eliza Doolittle, Lawson, Conor Maynard, Dionne Bromfield, Katy B, Olly Murs, Amelia Lily, JLS, Scouting for Girls, Lil’ Chris, Sugababes, Aleesha Dixon, McFly, The Saturdays and loads more.

The only way Guides can enjoy events like this is if more people volunteer. We were only able to go because of the Guide mum who was willing to step in and be an extra adult. You don’t have to be a leader to support Guiding. We need people to test badges, do accounts, help once a term in meetings, or even come to pop concerts.

And by the way, Mike Dignam has since unfollowed me on twitter. Obviously handmade cards and news on the Craftyguidelet’s broken arm weren’t his thing. His loss!

Knitting and Stitching Show 2014

It’s that time again. My annual pilgrimage to Alexandra Palace for the Knitting and Stitching Show. This year I had to go on the Saturday so I could get someone to look after the Craftyguidelets and it was absolutely HEAVING! I’m glad I decided to do most of my shopping on the first trip round, especially the fabric, as I could hardly move later on.The blue fabric is gorgeous Liberty Tana Lawn and will become a blouse, and the other two are the softest knitted fabrics from Eternal Maker and will become pyjamas for the Craftyguidelets. They sent me on a mission to get some fabric for their Elsa dresses but no one was selling any. The nearest I found was a stand that had scraps of turquoise shiny scraps. When I asked if they did bolts of the fabrics as I was making Elsa dresses, the owner looked at me in a puzzled way. I clarified “Elsa, from the Disney film, Frozen”. Complete blank look. I’ve found the only person who has never heard of the film!These ribbons are from Crafty Ribbons. I have some card designs in mind for the tape measure ribbons, and the others made up the multi buy offer. “If I knit fast enough, does it count as aerobic exercise” and “Behind every knitter is a huge pile of wool” are two of the great quotes on the knitting one, and “Chocolate: here today, gone today” and “Chocolate…NOT just for breakfast” are on the chocolate one.This is my beading stash. The turquoise and white beads with the spacers are going to make the Craftyguidelets some Elsa jewellery with some snowflake charms I got before (spot the Craftyguidelet theme here!) The others are kits from Spellbound Bead Company. The Christmas tree earrings are a bit of fun for decorations day at school later in the year, the necklace looks stunning and the 3D stars will look great on my Christmas tree.I blame this purchase on @Meanyjar. She taught me crochet back in January and look at these gorgeous colours! OK, I didn’t need much leading astray. The colour selection was made by Attic 24 with Stylecraft for a crochet along later this month. There were another 3 colour palettes but this was my favourite. If the crochet along is too complex for my newbie skills, there are other patterns I can follow on Lucy’s blog. My vision is of me crocheting a beautiful blanket over the colder months in front of the fire. The truth may be lots of YouTube videos and frantic calls to Meanyjar for help!I also did a workshop while I was there. This is my start on a foundation pieced landscaped coaster, and this is the finished version I am aiming for by the tutor Sally Holman.It was great to learn a new technique, and it was nice to have a sit down for an hour without lugging heavy bags around.This knitted pergola was in the entrance hall. The details were stunning.The birds are my favourites, especially the blue tit with the peanuts and the budgies!And this view has been in my top 3 for many years. It used to be on my way home from my Saturday job working for my mum and dad in their bakery, and any excuse to divert to look at this view is worth it.

Dear August…

Oh August. Our relationship started so well. You gave me time to start blogging again, I started creating, I got things done.
My nephew came to stay and then later on there was the celebration of his Christening.
Husband’s birthday came and went, and the Craftyguidelets’ vision of a sailing themed birthday cake was realised.
The Craftyguidelets and I found 38 Books About Town book benches in 3 different areas of London, did some sightseeing, fell in love with the impressionists in the National Gallery, and completed the summer reading challenge at the library. Oh August, you kept us busy.

But towards the end it went wrong. A trying extended-family holiday culminated in little Craftyguidelet breaking her arm and spending 2 nights in hospital. How could you let that happen August? My little girl looked so tiny on that big bed as they wheeled her away for surgery under general anaesthetic.
You brought me flowers – hydrangeas to remind me of our lovely holiday in Cornwall and roses from husband for our wedding anniversary.
But it’s too late August. The pain of the hospital stay and seeing my poor little girl’s deformed arm, and now the huge cast that she has to carry around is too much.

It’s over August. I’ve decided to give September a go. The Craftyguidelets will be back at school and my volunteering with Guiding, the WI and school starts up again. I’ll need to be busy preparing Craftyguider for Christmas, as well as starting my own preparations. I’m also joining the Trefoil Guild and hoping to start my Voyage Award.

So long, and perhaps I’ll see you around some time in the future.

Craftyguider x

Books About Town Trails

As a family, we love trails. Mr Craftyguider loves orienteering and the Craftyguidelets and I have done a couple of string courses. Going round a museum captures the interest of a child more if they have a series of exhibits to find. We are also geocachers and spend time lurking around trying to look nonchalant whilst one member of the party digs out a hidden tupperware box to log our find without being spotted.

This summer we are looking for brightly painted benches in the shape of books on the Books About Town trails in London.
There are 50 benches to find on 4 trails. We started with the Brick Lane bench near the Museum of London on the City Trail.
There is also a quiz to download so for some of the benches you need to look a bit harder at the detail to answer the questions.
The backs of some of the benches are as stunning as the fronts. This is from the Great Expectations bench on the Riverside trail.

The bench I really wanted to spot was the Dr Seuss bench which is near More London outside the London Assembly building.
The Craftyguidelets loved the Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson bench.
I love the bench, but we took ages to spot it. The list of benches says it’s in the Hay’s Galleria near London Bridge station. We walked round, underneath, around, through, and eventually found it a few metres down the riverbank and not in the Galleria at all.
The Mary Poppins bench was a bit damaged. It was the first bench of many where we had to ask an unsuspecting tourist to move so we could photograph it from all angles! Luckily everyone was OK about it, especially when two cute Craftyguidelets were looking hopefully at them.
We have now found all the benches on the Riverside trail and 5 on the City Trail.
New events are being added to the website all the time including a competition to design your own Shakespeare bench to win prizes.
The book trail runs until 15th September, after which the benches are being auctioned off in aid of the National Literacy Trust. Could someone get one for me please? With the exception of the Fever Pitch bench though. As a Spurs fan, I have to draw the line!
16 benches done over 2 trips to London. Can we do the other 34 by the closing date?

Museum of London – Review

With the Craftyguidelets learning about the Great Fire of London in KS1 and Stone Age to Bronze Age in KS2 next term, we planned a day trip to the Museum of London near St Paul’s Cathedral to do a bit of ‘research’.

The museum is right in the heart of the history it is curating. Parts of the London Wall are ‘displayed’ through windows on the upper level. I’ve no idea why the man in the picture appears to be taking a selfie lying down in the shade of the wall!

We were met at the door by a member of staff who asked us about our visit. She showed us to the various activity sheets for children which you can also download before you leave home. We picked up the War, Plague and Fire one for youngest Craftguidelet. As there was nothing for eldest to have, the staff member got her some leaflets with pictures from the gallery, and also lent her a clipboard and A4 paper to draw pictures and take notes on. She also met up with us later in the day and showed a genuine interest in what the Craftyguidelets had done. It’s great when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Photography is permitted in the museum but flashes aren’t so forgive the dodgy pics!
The galleries inside take you on a chronological journey through the history of London, starting in the ‘London before London’ gallery. This took us from the Stone Age through to Bronze Age with displays of artefacts discovered in the London area.
This Bronze age helmet is supposed to demonstrate the ferocity and virility of the owner. Not your normal head gear for a night on the pull any more!
The Roman area had this mock up of a Roman house. I love the mosaic floor.

Moving on through Medieval London and past a 100 year old model of the old St Paul’s cathedral, we arrived in the War, Plague and Fire gallery. There was a quite disturbing film presentation of the spread of the Black Death which we moved on from, and then on to the Great Fire of London.
It was great to show 5 year old Craftyguidelet examples of houses and how people lived in 1666 when the fire happened, as a background to what she will be learning about in the classroom. The museum is also in the area where the fire took hold, which also gave her another perspective.
These fabulous dresses were in a recreation of the Pleasure Gardens. I was a bit confused by the film dramatisation that was projected as part of the experience though.

After travelling through the Victorian shop recreations, we carried on moving through history to modern London.
This is a bronze lift from Selfridges from 1928. I love the grandness of it.
The Suffragettes were also featured with a large display, including this embroidery from Holloway Prison.
This was from a display of equipment from a bakery demolished in 1966 to make way for a new development. Being a Master Baker and Confectioner’s daughter, I am drawn to bakery memorabilia.
Probably the most thrilling part for me was the story of the development of the Olympic cauldron from the 2012 London games. The actual petal for Great Britain was displayed. I didn’t realise there were 3 cauldrons made – one for the Olympics, one for the Paralympics and one for testing. The scale and the detail were staggering.

We really enjoyed our day out at the museum. It held everyone’s interest throughout our visit, and there are probably details we missed to go back and see another time. Entrance is free but we did leave a donation in the box.

This review is based on my own opinion of our family day out. I received no incentives to go or to write a review.

Summer School

Summer Reading Challenge 2014

This year, the Craftyguidelets have been given homework to do during the school holidays. School work for a 5yr old and her 7yr old sister in the holidays? Shouldn’t they be enjoying themselves?

It’s not boring study though. Their new teachers have given them a blank A4 book to fill in with whatever they want. There is a sheet glued in the front giving ideas, but it could be anything they want to do.

The Craftyguidelets like ticking things off so we are using some of the suggestions, and we have already worked on a diary for our holiday in Cornwall. I have started a new smashbook, and they are using this idea to illustrate their diary with photos, entry tickets, leaflets and owl feathers, as well as drawings.

Also on the list are ideas based on their topics when they go back. 5yr old Craftyguidelet has the Great Fire of London, which will mean a trip to the Monument and St Pauls, stopping off at the Museum of London to see their War, Plague and Fire gallery. While we are there, we’ll visit the London Before London gallery for 7yr old Craftyguidelet’s Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age topic. For me, we’ll have collected lots of Show and Tell material for next term to avoid the last minute scramble at 8.29am for something topic related.

From: Books About Town

Another activity we’ll be trying is the Books About Town trails. Each trail has around 15 book benches to find, and there are 4 trails to choose from. I’ll be searching for the Dr Seuss bench on the Riverside Trail.

Eldest will be learning about Claude Monet next term. This will give me the opportunity to share my favourite painting with her – La Gare St Lazare – at the National Gallery. I used to go to the Impressionist gallery a lot when I was younger and am looking forward to rediscovering it.

There are also suggestions for nature walks, creative writing and art projects, to go with our plans for the library’s Summer Reading Challenge, loom bands, gardening, lego, Minion Rush, Brownie badge work, Rainbows summer treasure box, music, drama workshops, play dates, fancy dress catwalk shows, baking, playing and craft days.

Less than a month to go until the holidays end. Best get a move on!