Friday 29 March
Chris, Diana, Janice, Jeanette, Joyce, Linda, Liz, Rosemary, Sally, Siobhan, Sue, Trisha, Wendy
Chris, Diana, Janice, Jeanette, Joyce, Linda, Liz, Rosemary, Sally, Siobhan, Sue, Trisha, Wendy
Everyone started to arrive during the afternoon and evening. Lots of excited chatter and lots of unpacking - we had a gin corner and a bottles fridge. Oh and a food fridge.
Sally had issued strict instructions regarding the food necessities in a bid to limit the food mountain of extras.
Most of us were arriving today - Wendy, Sue, Linda, Siobhan, Janice, Trisha, Rosemary, Chris, Joyce, Diana and Sally.
We checked out the house - nice and big, slightly (?!) old fashioned but very clean. Just right for a craft weekend. Bedrooms were sorted and even though some had to share rooms everyone had their own bed for a change!
A quick peek outside and we could see that we were very near to the church so we went for a short (very short - two minutes!) walk across the road to have a look round it in the sunshine.
Once unpacked Siobhan got down to the messy business of preparing the floater liquid for the following day.
Everyone gathered in the kitchen for a relax and a catch up.
Then it was time to move into the dining room for a meal.
A delicious vegetarian pie and a tasty chicken with tarragon served with rosemary potatoes and cabbage - which also should have been served with Trisha's broccoli - which had mysteriously disappeared! (I shall say no more!)
Lemon meringue and chocolate trifle for dessert then it was time for a wind down and a catch up with the world - and a few drinks.
And a chance to watch the sun set over the church down the road.
Saturday 30 March
There were two large dining tables with a note stuck on the wall at the side of them saying 'Please do not move'. So of course we did.
In fact there were little notes all over the house with various instructions - we think that they had been added like little after thoughts each time the guests had done something which had been discovered by the owner when they had gone.
They were quite funny - all hand written.
'Please don't put anything hot on here' (why not? there's a heatproof cover on it!).
'Please don't open this window' (it wouldn't anyway - we tried).
'Please don't switch off the internet' (why would we do that - there would have been a riot!).
'Please keep all fire doors closed' (too heavy to keep opening and closing so we wedged them open - but we complied at night!).
Etc, etc...
We even added Sally's rules and notices.
So.. we put the tables together and settle down for breakfast. An institution now - Sally's scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Yum!
Time to get ready for the crafting!
This weekend we were trying a technique called marbling that Sue, Siobhan and I had seen at a craft fair. There are various ways to do it but we had opted for the method where a 'size' is used (bit like thinned wallpaper paste) and colours are floated on top then swirled to make patterns which are then picked up on various media.
The alum is the mordant (fixative) that Sue, Siobhan and I had used to prepare the fabric - and we had bought what was left in case we needed to do any more. Sue had helpfully written 'death' on the bottle (in lieu of a skull and crossbones) in case anyone mistook it for something interestingly alcoholic and decided to take a swig of it!!
Joyce was well prepared with her rubber gloves.
And it looked like Trisha had devised a dance as she shook the pots of colour before using them.
Everyone's work was, as usual, completely individual. And, as usual, those who said that they couldn't craft produced beautiful work! Some gorgeous designs and colours!
Jeanette and Liz arrived part way through the morning so it was time for a quick meet and greet.
Having not eaten for ooh, at least a couple of hours we stopped for coffee and cake. Janice (our resident cake maker) had made a delicious chocolate cake for Rosemary - whose birthday had been the day before.
Siobhan had organised a large 'bath' so that everyone could work on a large scale to marble some silk scarves. It was a lot of fun and got more quizzical looks from ramblers walking past the gates as the scarves were all laid out on the grass to dry a little before they were washed in cold water.
Once again it was time for food - and warm enough to bring everything outside and eat at the picnic benches.
More photos of the crafters at work - courtesy of Sue..
In the afternoon most of us decided to have a relaxing walk in the sunshine - we were so lucky with the beautiful weather!
With Sue and Diana in charge we set off cross country. We forded a stream - no stepping stones but no one fell in.
Stunning scenery.
We walked past Stokesay castle and had a good nosy over the hedge.
Then it was back for a meal of vegetarian and meat chillis - both delicious. Followed by another lemon meringue pie and several desserts lovingly crafted by Jeanette and Tesco.
Full of food we then had a quiet evening making friendship bracelets under instruction from Jeanette. Not quite as easy as it seemed!
Lots of quiet concentration.
.. except for Chris who kept getting herself into knots and had to keep getting unravelled!
And Chris finished hers - and Sue made one for Wendy who didn't want to read the instructions!
More snacks to fuel the Love Marmite v Hate Marmite debate - made by Sally.
Sunday 31 March
Mothering Sunday so some had to go home to their families. Breakfast was a more informal affair today with everyone milling around and munching muesli.
Time to varnish coaster tiles and add some little felt pads to stop scratching for those who hadn't done it the previous evening.
We shared my Mother's Day flowers which had been given to me early on Friday - they would have been wasted at home!
Then it was time for a short walk in more sunshine.
Most of the final magnificent seven decided to craft or relax but Sue and I set off for a last walk. There was a lot of UP.
Some wanted to do a bit more crafting so we had a late evening sesh.
Monday 1 April
We did our last clear up and sorted out what was left of the food and drink - not too bad at all.
Sally did the 'lost and found' post and several items were claimed by their owners to be reunited at a later date.
Then we all set off to visit Stokesay castle which we had passed on our walk on Saturday.
Sally and I looked for the (children's!) clues scattered around the grounds. Once you had all the letters they had to be rearranged into a word which you then had to whisper to a staff member in order to claim a giant's sticker! I did it!
A visit to the tea shop for a last coffee and cake then we all went our separate ways homewards.
Once again a wonderful (if tiring!) weekend with great school chums.
Looking forward already to the next get together - here are some clues ...
(PS: Just showed this last pic to my grand daughter who asked what I'd been doing at the weekend. At 10 years old she was quite shocked when I said we'd done this in a field but she totally believed me (she knows me well!) and when she regained her composure she studied it closely - and is now adamant that she knows which one is me lol)...
Sally had issued strict instructions regarding the food necessities in a bid to limit the food mountain of extras.
Most of us were arriving today - Wendy, Sue, Linda, Siobhan, Janice, Trisha, Rosemary, Chris, Joyce, Diana and Sally.
We checked out the house - nice and big, slightly (?!) old fashioned but very clean. Just right for a craft weekend. Bedrooms were sorted and even though some had to share rooms everyone had their own bed for a change!
A quick peek outside and we could see that we were very near to the church so we went for a short (very short - two minutes!) walk across the road to have a look round it in the sunshine.
Once unpacked Siobhan got down to the messy business of preparing the floater liquid for the following day.
Everyone gathered in the kitchen for a relax and a catch up.
A delicious vegetarian pie and a tasty chicken with tarragon served with rosemary potatoes and cabbage - which also should have been served with Trisha's broccoli - which had mysteriously disappeared! (I shall say no more!)
Lemon meringue and chocolate trifle for dessert then it was time for a wind down and a catch up with the world - and a few drinks.
And a chance to watch the sun set over the church down the road.
Saturday 30 March
There were two large dining tables with a note stuck on the wall at the side of them saying 'Please do not move'. So of course we did.
In fact there were little notes all over the house with various instructions - we think that they had been added like little after thoughts each time the guests had done something which had been discovered by the owner when they had gone.
They were quite funny - all hand written.
'Please don't put anything hot on here' (why not? there's a heatproof cover on it!).
'Please don't open this window' (it wouldn't anyway - we tried).
'Please don't switch off the internet' (why would we do that - there would have been a riot!).
'Please keep all fire doors closed' (too heavy to keep opening and closing so we wedged them open - but we complied at night!).
Etc, etc...
We even added Sally's rules and notices.
So.. we put the tables together and settle down for breakfast. An institution now - Sally's scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Yum!
Time to get ready for the crafting!
This weekend we were trying a technique called marbling that Sue, Siobhan and I had seen at a craft fair. There are various ways to do it but we had opted for the method where a 'size' is used (bit like thinned wallpaper paste) and colours are floated on top then swirled to make patterns which are then picked up on various media.
We showed them what to do and gave them all their own little containers of gloopy stuff and they were off! Everyone was soon churning out lots of beautifully designed marbled patterns on tiles, paper and fabric.
The alum is the mordant (fixative) that Sue, Siobhan and I had used to prepare the fabric - and we had bought what was left in case we needed to do any more. Sue had helpfully written 'death' on the bottle (in lieu of a skull and crossbones) in case anyone mistook it for something interestingly alcoholic and decided to take a swig of it!!
Joyce was well prepared with her rubber gloves.
And it looked like Trisha had devised a dance as she shook the pots of colour before using them.
Everyone's work was, as usual, completely individual. And, as usual, those who said that they couldn't craft produced beautiful work! Some gorgeous designs and colours!
Jeanette and Liz arrived part way through the morning so it was time for a quick meet and greet.
Having not eaten for ooh, at least a couple of hours we stopped for coffee and cake. Janice (our resident cake maker) had made a delicious chocolate cake for Rosemary - whose birthday had been the day before.
Then it was back to the crafting. As it was so sunny we were able to dry our fabric pieces outside.
We had quite a few bemused looks from the people walking past the house but I don't suppose you often see a large gaggle of women running round excitedly festooning the tables with wet tiles and hanging up scraps of fabric on a clothes airer out in the sunshine!
In fact the woman who owned the house came and leaned on the wall at one point to see what we were doing - luckily she didn't go into the house to find that we had moved the table! I had told her that we would be doing crafts and she seemed quite interested in things.
A few days earlier whilst I had been on the phone to her to arrange the key pick up she had asked if we were all coming together. I said that we were arriving from all over and explained a bit about our schoolie friendship. She said that she had done a similar thing with some school friends the year before when several of them had met for an overnight in Birmingham.
She asked our ages and it transpired that they were 2 or 3 years older than us.
When Sue and I and then Linda arrived at the house on the Friday she was there to show us how things worked etc. She asked again how old we were and once again I told her "But you all look so YOUNG!" she said.
Result!
Siobhan had organised a large 'bath' so that everyone could work on a large scale to marble some silk scarves. It was a lot of fun and got more quizzical looks from ramblers walking past the gates as the scarves were all laid out on the grass to dry a little before they were washed in cold water.
Unfortunately the fabric must have been synthetic as the colours didn't take and faded once washed. But we had great fun doing it and I'm sure that we can find another use for the scarves in the future.
Once again it was time for food - and warm enough to bring everything outside and eat at the picnic benches.
More photos of the crafters at work - courtesy of Sue..
In the afternoon most of us decided to have a relaxing walk in the sunshine - we were so lucky with the beautiful weather!
With Sue and Diana in charge we set off cross country. We forded a stream - no stepping stones but no one fell in.
And we clambered over stiles - lots of them!
Stunning scenery.
... and more stiles...
We walked past Stokesay castle and had a good nosy over the hedge.
Then it was back for a meal of vegetarian and meat chillis - both delicious. Followed by another lemon meringue pie and several desserts lovingly crafted by Jeanette and Tesco.
Full of food we then had a quiet evening making friendship bracelets under instruction from Jeanette. Not quite as easy as it seemed!
Lots of quiet concentration.
.. except for Chris who kept getting herself into knots and had to keep getting unravelled!
Joyce concentrated fiercely and finished hers first but the others soon joined her.
More snacks to fuel the Love Marmite v Hate Marmite debate - made by Sally.
Sunday 31 March
Mothering Sunday so some had to go home to their families. Breakfast was a more informal affair today with everyone milling around and munching muesli.
Time to varnish coaster tiles and add some little felt pads to stop scratching for those who hadn't done it the previous evening.
We shared my Mother's Day flowers which had been given to me early on Friday - they would have been wasted at home!
Then it was time for a short walk in more sunshine.
And for those who were left it was off to the pub for a lovely lunch. Great venue Janice!
More people left until we were down to the final seven who were staying for the last night.
Most of the final magnificent seven decided to craft or relax but Sue and I set off for a last walk. There was a lot of UP.
There had been a lot of tree felling and the paths were either not there or badly marked so it took a bit of working out.
But we got there in the end and made it to the trig stone and Flounder's Folly.
Back down again to our last evening meal.
Bit of a panic when Sally lost her keys - but they were found safe and sound - in her casserole pan of course, where else?? We had several of these 'forgetful' moments during the weekend - Siobhan's keys were misplaced at one point - and of course there was the missing broccoli...
Some wanted to do a bit more crafting so we had a late evening sesh.
Monday 1 April
We did our last clear up and sorted out what was left of the food and drink - not too bad at all.
Sally did the 'lost and found' post and several items were claimed by their owners to be reunited at a later date.
Then we all set off to visit Stokesay castle which we had passed on our walk on Saturday.
The weather was decidedly colder and duller today but we certainly couldn't complain after the beautiful weather we'd had the previous two days!
Sally and I looked for the (children's!) clues scattered around the grounds. Once you had all the letters they had to be rearranged into a word which you then had to whisper to a staff member in order to claim a giant's sticker! I did it!
A visit to the tea shop for a last coffee and cake then we all went our separate ways homewards.
Once again a wonderful (if tiring!) weekend with great school chums.
Looking forward already to the next get together - here are some clues ...
(PS: Just showed this last pic to my grand daughter who asked what I'd been doing at the weekend. At 10 years old she was quite shocked when I said we'd done this in a field but she totally believed me (she knows me well!) and when she regained her composure she studied it closely - and is now adamant that she knows which one is me lol)...
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