Last Tuesday and weekend in Cornwall

Friday Night at the Last Tuesday Society masked ball with some friends. It was really good fun and a great way to let your hair down. I hasten to add though some of the more 'nude' antics took place after we left!!

Bank Holiday weekend in Cornwall with Lucy at her parent's gorgeous garden and nursery near Bodmin. I ate lots of Lucy's mum's lemon drizzle which is supposed to be for customers. We swam in the beach near Fowey and took walks. A highlight of going to Cornwall is breakfast at Fifteen at Watergate Bay not far from Newquay. 


Fifteen breakfast is relaxed with stunning views over the coast. The ingredients are high quality and the home made baked beans make you never want to go back to Heinz!

Lucy with a Cream Tea in Fowey

Watergate Bay (north coast)

Swimming near Fowey on the south coast

Miniature Railway Exhibition

Ok, so we had a really nerdy morning, but I'm not ashamed. The Roding Valley Model Railway Group were holing an exhibition in Leytonstone a short walk from home. 


After a disappointing breakfast at La Belgique (really disorganised service) we toddled down to the Methodist church on Leytonstone High Road. The weather has been stunning today so the walk was very pleasurable. 

The exhibition was excellent and there were a lot of people there although I think I was the only young female! The Epping to Ongar society look really interesting and I am thinking of volunteering. They said it would be great to widen their range of volunteers!!!

The models were really intricate and not only involved detailed design, but also had complex signalling systems and home made panels. Very impressed.

 

Book Club

An enjoyable evening at Wahaca discussing our latest book Sultana's Dream and Padmarag. 


We were divided in two with those who liked the book and those who didn't! I felt the book was hard work for little reward and I missed greater description which would have given the book a feel of what India was like at the turn of the last century. However, taken in context it is a book that must have pushed boundaries and can be admired for that. I love the discussions at our book club which range from gut reactions to in depth analysis!


Wahaca is a great restaurant serving Mexican street food which you can share or keep to yourself. The tequila is also great!!


Next book club, The Double by Jose Saramango.

Quilting and Eat 17

Today mum, Sue and I went to the Quilting exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum. The exhibition was fantastic even if sewing and crafts aren't your bag. It was fascinating to see the hand stitching on the older quilts and the amazing hours put in to the larger works. I really liked the traditional quilts with 'vintage fabrics' and beautiful quilted designs. 

We came away with bundles of fat quarters and lots of ideas for crafts. I can't wait to get back on the sewing machine!

Some of the larger quilts depicting military scenes and Bible freezes were clearly impressive but not my favourites. The modern quilts were interesting and occasionally politically challenging dealing with issues such as abortion, Iraqi casualties and dreams. There was also an amazing project done by the inmates at HMP Wandsworth which was thought-provoking and touching. 

In the evening dad and Ben joined us and we decamped to Eat17, one of my favourite restaurants in London. Just a couple of miles up the road in Walthamstow, the food is outstanding and locally sourced (the beer is even brewed in Leyton!). The service is also really friendly without being OTT.