Flowers at Caversham Court

The gardens at Caversham Court have been remodelled. Now the gardens are formal with beautiful planting and a tea kiosk has been made out of the building which used to be a public toilet. This week is the first anniversary of the renovations.

Paper cut-outs

I found these paper cut-out pictures among the possessions of my husband's godmother, who passed away recently. I have no idea which country they come from, but the background paper looks handmade and possibly from the Far East. They are so pretty and delicate, I am going to reframe them as the frames are falling apart.

Swans

There are a lot of swans on the river at Caversham. I was pleased to see the pair of black swans, as for years there was a solitary black swan, always near the others, but swimming a little bit apart. I am glad that a mate has appeared for him, but wonder where from, as these swans are visitors to our country, and must have come from a wildlife park. I wonder if I am starting a theme about ballet dresses, but the beautiful ruffled feathers of the black swans remind me of Romantic tutus. It was nice to have an opportunity to study them at close quarters. I often look closely at the Mute swans as well, thinking of Swan Lake and the froth and frill of the Classical tutus. The black swans remind me of Odile.

As a child, I have fond memories of my Aunt Mabel, who made ballet costumes for my cousin's ballet school. She had a huge dressing room off her bedroom, full of her creations, all net, tulle and sequins. Sometimes I would be allowed to try them on and dress up in them, practising my ballet steps. I also enjoyed the feel of them, the colours and textures. My cousin, Isabel went on to become a ballet dancer.

Sweet Williams

Here are some pretty Sweet Williams. I really like the delicate petals in layers. They remind me of ballet dresses, or maybe ballgowns. The markings are so light, they could have been painted on with a brush.

Textile Exhibition Windsor 2010 -Final Year H E Diploma

NO PLACE FOR A LADY by Brenda Parsons

CORNISH STRANDLINE by Geraldine Scales

NATURE'S LACE by Gillian Lamey

PODS by Alex Duncan

Textures at the Windsor 2010 Textile Exhibition

Here is a photo of the City and Guilds Room at this year's Windsor Textile Exhibition.

I thought the standard of the work was very high, and found a lot of very interesting textures . I know how hard everyone has worked, as well! In addition to the pieces displayed on the walls, I enjoyed looking at the sketchbooks on display, which were crammed full of texture . A very inspiring room. Here are photos of some of my favourite textures.