Tour break

Today I made this block for a birthday block swap. It was remarkably easy (and will look much better ironed after its travels from Penrith!) and I think I shall in due course be making more ( albeit in different colours). maybe by hand on my travels.....I am about to take a little blog break due to some pending wandering about the continent. I know that in theory I could predate posts but frankly, I have run out of time, so unless I pop into an Internet cafe this will be your lot until somewhere around mid- August.

However, here is a teaser list of what I shall be up to:
Tomorrow a bit of theater with the actress better known as Mrs Bucket.

Then, the bit my husband said was the bit that excited him most - a train to London. (Honestly - he said that!! If I'd known in advance I could have bought him a season ticket to and from Crewe and stayed at home to quilt.)

Some fabulous African art at the October Gallery. (This could be expensive - I have only ever once had the hankering to buy original art the way I want to own something of this guy's who has the gallery as his agent, and that was how come I own some of Nelson Mandela's art!)

Then to Hampton Court with a sketchbook, to Creative Quilting and coffee with Kate North - our first meeting since finding each other's blogs.

And then flight to Berlin for the Jewish Museum, designed by the wonderful Daniel Leibskind. the Holocaust Denkmal, the Jewish cemetery and this quilt and yarn shop.

Train ( yup, he's excited about that one too) to Onsnabruck, small town with no real tourist attraction save another Liebskind building ( also a Jewish related site), and- ha!- this quilt shop.

Train ( oh, he is such a lucky boy) to Amsterdam where we base ourselves on a houseboat for explorations which - at least in my case - include an aboriginal art museum, a museum of purses and handbags ( with shop of course), another Jewish museum ( with art work from Israel and a sculpture route), an exhibition on the Jewish community during the war at the Hollandeshe Schouwburg , quilt shops in Amsterdam ( one, two and - lucky girl - three), more quilts shops in Utrecht ( which also stocks Shaker stuff), Harlem, ( where we can also see the Corrie Ten Boom House) The Hague and Den Bosch, which is on the way to this theme park which has a delightful fairytale forest trail and a great pancake house.


Finally flight, home, unpack, hopefully a blog post, then the day after , pack and back up to my Mum's B&B for a class at Morceau in Penrith, home, unpack, hopefully, if my friend accepts my invite for that night, a night at an African Circus (if not we shall just eat out and I shall do the circus another night), then pack and off to Festival of Quilts for four days. (If anyone reading this is going to be there and wants to try and meet up for a quick coffee ( quick because I find I stop only to drink and eat enough to prevent keeling over, there is so much to see and do!) please email me ( on surfer@talktalk.net) with the days you will be around and your mobile telephone number. If you are going salsa dancing let me know that too - we could try for a table together.)

Now, here is a little competition. Answers on a postcard please:
In what kind of things is Helen interested.....?!