The sun has got his hat on

Well we’ve had some gorgeous weather over the last week. Every day has been warm and sunny, people have started wearing summer clothes and smiling a lot. It can’t last – it’s unseasonable weather – but let’s hope it’s a little foretaste of a wonderful summer to come.

Where I went

I went to see “In the Loop” on Wednesday. “In the Loop” follows a successful BBC sitcom “The Thick of It” about a Government spin doctor – Malcolm Tucker, an unpleasant and foul-mouthed Scotsman, said to be based on Tony Blair’s chief spinner Alistair Campbell – and his relationship with the hapless Ministers, civil servants and political advisers who have to work with him. In the Loop offers more of the same, and very funny it is too, with the added dimension of the British characters being bested at every turn by two wily American Secretaries of State and their political advisers, demonstrating that when it comes to political sleaze and slime we still have oh so very much to learn from our cousins across the pond.

Malcolm Tucker was played by the superbly talented Peter Capaldi, and I was very glad to see that Malcolm’s second in command Jamie – an equally unpleasant and foul-mouthed Scotsman – was featured in the film. Beyond that, many of the actors from “The Thick of It” played slightly different characters in the film (but not Chris Langham, of course!!!) which could get a bit confusing, but this is a very minor gripe. I’d certainly recommend it, and I’ll be buying the DVD as soon as it’s released.

On Saturday I got back to walking the Saxon Shore Way long distance path. The path runs from Gravesend in Kent to Hastings in East Sussex, and follows the line of the coast as it was in 300AD. Saturday’s walk took me from Plucks Gutter (intriguing name!) to the beautiful town of Sandwich. The walk didn’t start that well. The path runs along the south bank of the River Stour – the Isle of Thanet really was an island in those days and the south bank of the Stour marked the coastline. The path was surrounded on either side by undergrowth which was full of hundreds and hundreds of insects which kept buzzing round me. More insects seemed to live in the grass on the path, and rose up in swarms with every footstep, and a small cloud of black flies followed me along, buzzing round my head. However, the path soon came to fields, most of which were full of or had recently been full of sheep or cows, so the grass was cropped short, which was very helpful. What wasn’t so helpful was the constant need to be careful not to step in animal s**t, but you can’t have everything.

My view as I walked along was dominated by the three concrete cooling towers of Richborough Power Station. You can see this for miles around – in fact I first saw it when I left Herne Bay – and I have been walking towards it for the last 20 miles. Well, today was the day I finally drew level with the power station, and sat down to have my picnic lunch directly opposite it. It’s disused now, and so it should be taken down. It’s a real eyesore, a blot on the landscape, these three harsh and horrible concrete structures despoiling the beautiful flat and fertile lands of East Kent. From the power station I continued along the river to Sandwich, one of the historic Cinque Ports and a beautiful little town. I’ll be back there in July for jennyflowerblue’s “Makey Do” event, and here’s a link to her blog about that:-

http://amakeydo.blogspot.com/

What I made

I am really cracking along now with the floral filigree beaded scarf, and may even be finished it by the end of June! I did a few lines of the Black Heart cuff, and on Sunday I sat down to teach myself brick stitch. I have never done this stitch before, but one of my classes at the forthcoming Bead and Button Show uses it, and so I thought it would be useful to get a bit of practice in. I played about with the stitch for a while until I’d got the hang of it, and then practised my new found skills by making a brick stitch floral necklace by talented designer Kerrie Slade from a recent issue of “Beadwork” magazine.

What I read

This week I’ve been reading “Company of Liars” by Karen Maitland. Set during the Black Death of 1348 it follows the fortunes of a company of travellers, drawn together by expediency and a desperate need to avoid the plague – each with a secret they’re concealing, and a scary young rune-reader who always tells the truth. As the try to outpace the plague it becomes clear that the plague isn’t all they need to be worried about…..A highly recommended read – I finished all 548 pages in 3 days, but I won’t say any more for fear of giving the plot away.

What I learned this week

If you’re going to be near a river on a hot day, consider taking some insect-repelling cream with you.