Dr Karl

One of the things I love most about Australian radio is Dr Karl and I logged onto the radio station called Triple J recently to hear his hysterically funny and educational talk back programme today only to find that it had been his 30Th anniversary of being on Triple J. If you have half an hour to spare please pull up a chair and listen to this fantastic programme. He's a living treasure is Dr Karl whose maxim is the quote from Socrates "The unexamined life is not worth living."
The JJJ presenters must have had a lot of fun deciding what kind of cake to make for him but seeing as his favourite organ is the Uterus, it was an obvious choice to make a uterus cake!Here he is getting all teary with his gorgeous wife
Love you Dr Karl. You've brightened many a long sewing project.

VOGUE!!!!!

It's not every day that Vogue magazine plops onto your doormat with one of your cushions in it! QUICK unwrap it fast.
Noooo that's not me on the cover, but I may think of doing my hair this way for a certain forthcoming birthday bash.
It's here.... get out the magnifying glass and see if you can read it. They did brilliant things with the words. Who ever thought Exotic cushions would sound so glamorous!

Now let the games begin.

The latest exotic-ness

Today's the day! I'm having a Christmas exhibition here in East Harling with my friends who are both extremely talented girls. Sheila McDonald who makes stunning enamed jewelery and Maz Jackson who makes vibrant artwork using egg tempera and gold leaf.I've been beavering away in the workroom sewing cushions for weeks now and you'd think I'd run out of inspiration but it never happens. All I can think about is whether I'll have time to make all the cushions that live in my head. This time I've made more than one of a few of the really popular designs, as last time I had an exhibition people all seemed to want the ones that had sold.

I'm really excited because friends are coming from all over to have a look. The main question though is what on earth to wear?
I've used some of my really precious pieces and will be sorry to see say goodbye to these in particular with their peacock.. and bluebird of happiness embroideryIt's been ages since I managed to get anything onto the website and I'm sure people think I've dissapeared of the Exotic Cushions radar, it's just been so nice to just sit and make rather than dashing round the bedroom with lights, camera & various bits of fabric to then resize all the images, then write a description and upload everything etc etc. A few marvelous things have happened though, I did get a wonderful random phone call the other day from a man with a shop in Wiltshire saying he'd just found my site and wanted to know whether I wholesaled? I love the random things that happen from having my website out there. I also had a phone call from Vogue asking if I would like to put some cushions into the magazine. Oh My Goodness!! Of course I said yes please. It comes out on the 3rd of December so will be perfect timing for Christmas.I'd love to hear from anyone reading this though if they are a designer/manufacturer that manages to do the wholesale/retail thing. Please don't be shy, leave me a comment.
I've also been reading a few interesting blogs lately that were on a list in the Independent on Sunday. This is one of my favourites. Called Junkaholique.com all about a girl named Artemis and her partner Nao who make beautiful things and take wonderful photos.

Here there and everywhere

When Ricardo the Magnificent died, I thought my life was over; there would be no more travel, no more fun, no more good food, no more meeting interesting people, no more singing and no more money. I'm glad (and slightly guilty) to say that this has not been the case.
Somehow good things keep on coming.
I've posted before about my wonderful friends Brad & Tamara who live in Rome. Tamara is a cushion addict like me; ............this cushion is one I prepared earlier for her, sitting on her beautiful turquoise chair.When she came to visit me recently, she designed 6 or 7 cushions for me to make and she convinced me that it would cost almost as much to bring the cushions to Rome myself ...
as it would to post them to Italy. (I didn't need much convincing). So without further ado, for one night only, I went to Rome.
It was the most beautiful day as I waited at Stansted airport for my flight.and though it looks like it was raining as I came in on the bus, it was warm and perfect weather...about 10C degrees warmer than here in Norfolk.
Going for one day was never going to be enough time but it meant that I really REALLY took in everything around me as if it was my last day on earth.
Here I am making like a fountain on the capitoline hill.
Everywhere you look there are amazing views.
and spectacular works of art.
I'd been recomended to go and eat at a Restaurant called La Botticella; the reviews of it sounded too good to be true but indeed it lived up to our expectations easily. The true Italian experience, with washing hanging in the lane above our heads. The owner is cook, maitre d', waitress, dishwasher & singer of opera. We ate Zuchini blooms stuffed with bocconcini and anchovies, dipped in batter & deep fried followed by a selection of 3 different pastas then Tira misu. We were fit to burst. Luckily it was a fair walk home taking in the life of the streets, still packed at 10 at night.
In other news to hand, my friends Tony & Marianne Backhouse (the ones who recommended the restaurant in Rome) came to visit and Tony graced us with a workshop in singing a'cappela. He's bloody good at what he does. See if you can catch the spirit in this video of him putting us through our paces at East Harling Church

Bristol

People sometimes ask me if I worry about putting my life out into the world with this blog. But this blog has brought me nothing but good.
When my Father died and I wrote about it here a wonderful girl named Kelly from Boston wrote her condolences and became a fast friend. Through Kelly's blog I discovered Earwig sandwich and the wonderful Lulu Labonne.
I have only met Lulu twice before, one of which was last year when Richard was sick; she drove all the way to Norfolk to meet him and brought an incredible array of marvelous food and cooked us a delicious meal. I'm so glad they got to meet.
Lulu had a large birthday this week and to help her celebrate, I drove to Bristol. I have discovered that I quite like driving and the four hours or so it took me to get there were a joy with good things on the radio all the way.
Once there I was slightly nervous about spending a weekend at a surprise birthday at which I knew only one person.

But Bristol is an amazing city throbbing with life...

and great street art.
I shouldn't have worried; I was wrapped around by love.
Hilary's husband had organised a canoe-ing adventure on the river Wye and everyone was in such high spirits that there was no time to be nervous.
There was a champagne picnic and much hilarity
and even though it rained...
and there was a LOT of cow poo beside the river Wye...
There were King fishers and Peregrine falcons and the lowest rainbow I'd ever seen (that pot of gold must have been REALLY close by).
So this little bunny will be going to Bristol again as soon as I can to get some more time with that most excellent girl Lulu Labonne. Thank you blog land and the wonderful world wide web.