Back from Holiday!

Morning all!

I was up at 6 this morning and woke to see the sun's orangey golden rays to welcome me to the world - all is good! Just got back from a holdiay in France - was wonderfully relaxing but decided it's a good idea to get back into getting up early again now as I can get lots done in the mornings! We had lots of fun and capers including seeing a carnival not mention visiting the relatively new Machines de Nantes a place of mind blowing spectacles. Imagine a giagantic elephant beautfiully crafted in wood and metal stomping alongside you - that's just the begining for this incredible project inspired by Jules Verne. I just can't wait to see the massive tree house they have planned...! In other exciting news from my partner's home town - the brilliant Velibe cycles rolled out across Paris last year have also now arrived in Nantes - yay! Not out till next week, when I'm sure like in Paris, they will take the city by storm! They're called Bicloo and I think they look even nicer than the Paris ones ...

Fresh Fine City talent!

Must tell you about a talented gal called Kate Seaward I met on Saturday at the 'Everybody Likes eggs' fair - she is the newest member of Fine City Friends and just like Gemma, Anthony and Helen, she is darn lovely! She seems to like pens a lot, and also tea and cake which I think is no bad thing! I think her website is well worth a look - go have a butchers there now!

Thinking of dodos

The last couple of days my mind been full of birds! They seem to be everywhere at the moment and as a bit of a geeky bird fan, it's got me wanting to indulge in some bird story ideas. One bird in particular keeps coming to mind - the dodo! So I've done a little dodo doodle!

Weirdly I 've just discovered a band of the same name and completely love them - I take that as a sign if there ever is such a thing! Someone on emusic described the band as 'psych-folk-pop with a blues rock twang' which is a pretty accurate description of this top drawer band! Go look them up - they're super great!

Fine City Friends Craft Fair Fun!

Saturday saw Fine City Friends - a happy band of crafters, which I'm lucky to be involved with, set up shop in what looks like a brothel setting!! We were in fact at the end of a well disguised notable bar called the Playhouse on St. Georges Street. This prime artsy venue is turning into a regular jaunt for Fine City Friends and long may the fun, taxidermi, Greek/stripey bags and not to mention good times flow...!

Blog discovery - 7 Morgen

I've been busy getting back to one of my great loves - bird admiring (not so much watching avidly)! Today I discovered some beautiful artwork by someone who seems to share my passion:

www.7morgen.blogspot.com
http://en.dawanda.com/user/SiebenMorgen

Crafty space

It's under a week before the Fine City Friends Craft Fair:

*** this Saturday April 12th!!! ***
(at the Playhouse, St Georges Street, Norwich)

... and I've been beavering away even more than usual in my Crafty studio. This means it's been getting messier than ever - I'm just amazed at how quickly chaos is unleashed!! But I now have a cotton organiser which must be helping a little because look - you can see the wood of my work bench!!! And it's nearly a week since I last gave it a blitz - waoh there!!!
The pictures of the russian dolls etc are by a Spanish lady I really admire - check her work out here: belula

Lovely Andrea and her pigeon friends

Yesterday, I walked along the riverside with my work buddy Andrea and I felt like I was in Mary Poppins because I met so many of her pigeon friends! Andrea had a bag of bread and was scattering handfuls of the stuff as we walked, which made it look like the pigeons were after us as they swooped and swarmed in around us from every direction!! I discovered Andrea (a kind and warm hearted bird and animal lover) does this almost every lunch time and so they are always expecting her! They seemed to flock from everywhere and nowhere but apparently they roost in the Cowe Tower (a derelict red brick artillery tower). There were even a couple of doves and half pigeons - half doves (doveons!). There is normally one with manky feet that Andrea had made such good friends with, it would come and sit on the bench next to her and eat out of her hand. It wasn't there yesterday and Andrea was worried. I hope he's there next time. I would rather like to make friends with him too! I thought I'd do a little drawing of one of the lovely pidgeons!

Eye popping poppadoms!!!

I was mooching about in my lunch hour along Norwich's answer to Brick Lane (Magdelene Street) yesterday and I just have to share the wonderful poppadom packaging I found in one my favourite shops. The actual poppadoms were sooooo hot that our eyes were almost falling out!!

The funny pink bunny reminded me of the Crusha advert that's out at the moment ... cute but sinister kittens working out - it's absolutely mesmerising!!!