Le weekend

I had a hectic weekend that left me with a sore stomach. I attribute my severe over-eating to the fact I went out wearing an old silk nightie and a big jumper. It's my favourite outfit at present - so loose fitting and so warm, the only downside is that it doesn't pinch you when you're full.
So . . . after a full english at my favourite greasy spoon we hopped down to the Garden Museum. Which is a splendid museum, based in an old church, it was opened after the discovery of the tombs of John Trandescant the elder and the younger on the site. They were plant hunters, gardeners and collectors of the seventeenth century, I'd like to be all those things.
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First we had a look at the permanent collection. My favourite thing was this cloche. It's a funny thing to have a permanent collection in a museum dedicated to something as transient as gardens; as a result the display is pretty archaic. They have one of my favourite lumpy watering cans and Gertrude Jekyll's desk. They also have a wall of trowels and spades. What they really need is a mannequin with a bad wig, holding a watering can and wearing some wellies. Maybe I'll put them in touch with Lenny.
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They also have a very fine garden, I liked the prints this aloe has left on itself.
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And I decided to start small with my learning of plant names - Aster, or Aster Divaricatus, an example of a michelmas daisy . . . and very pretty.
Some more food, then we headed in to the current exhibition, which is really good, thought provoking and well curated. The perfect size to make you come out feeling nourished.
After that our walk along the Thames was very slow and ponderous. I couldn't believe the boats that were moored by the houses of parliament.
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They're so scrabby, what are they for? What happens on them? Can I moor there? I really hate the houses of parliament mind, they're spikey and reek of a old fashioned feudal ideals, maybe mooring near them would just make me angry. (I think we should have a parliament like the new Reichstag extension, and I think it should be in Luton)
When you look closely at this one . . .
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It's just got lots of chairs and kegs on it. What fun.
The tide was out and we walked along the foreshore, seeing the underside of the bridges is a nice thing.
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Plenty of inspiration for some fabric designs.
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My favourite piece of graffiti to date . . .
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I might go so far as calling it urban art.
PhotobucketWe walked for ages and I ended up with a bag full of broken bits of pottery and bones. Some of the best things I had to leave - like this glove.
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This message in a bottle . . . the message itself was missing, but still - how exciting.
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 And this heavy thing with a good pattern.


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I really like my camera and taking pictures but sometimes I feel like a right cock wizard - roaming around poking my lens in places, snapping everything. Then I saw this bloke taking close up pictures of old chain and I realised I must also look like a real cock wizard . . . so I took a picture.
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Oh well. Here's the beginnings of my broken glass bottoms collection to cheer me up.

1 comment:

  1. Totally loving the cloche - and the sand-fingered plastic glove too!

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