The Convention Begins…
Ok, so it’s technically still 8 days until the *official* start of the NZBC convention, but it feels like it’s started, because I just met the first delegate to arrive, Mundoo. She’s come over from Australia a week early to do a bit of exploring of New Zealand before the actual convention, and she asked me to store her bag of books for her so she doesn’t have to lug them around the country with her, so I suggested she come to our place for dinner tonight and drop off the books while she was here. MrPloppy cooked dinner (and very nice it was too – a pasta dish with chicken and paprika), and we had a lovely time chatting about Bookcrossing, the differences between Australia and New Zealand, Tim-Tams (you really have to visit the Bookcrossing forums to understand the connection between Bookcrossing and Tim-Tams – suffice to say that most books that travel from Australia to the USA go accompanied by a packet) and pets, and generally getting very excited about the upcoming convention. She mentioned that she collects old recipe books, and I remembered a book I bought years ago from a charity booksale, The Scots Kitchen: Its Traditions and Lore with Old-Time Recipes by F Marian McNeill. I’d bought it as a curiosity, and kept meaning to read it but never quite got round to it, so it had been languishing on the bookshelf collecting dust for too many years. So in the grand tradition of Bookcrossing, I registered it and gave it to Mundoo (and in the process got what I’m claiming as the first catch of the convention!). She’ll probably never release it again, but that’s ok, because at least it’ll be well-loved, instead of ignored.
In other convention news, Alithia has found us a much cheaper bus (only $475 for a 38-seater, instead of the over $600 we were going to be paying for a 45-seater!). So we will actually be able to afford to provide a decent picnic lunch to our delegates now. That’s a huge worry off our shoulders! Very helpful to have someone with contacts in the industry 🙂
Currently reading: Buy Jupiter by Isaac Asimov and The Story of the British Museum by Marjorie Caygill
Hi, there! I had no idea you were an embroiderer (or a broideress, as Tolkien would say), until I visited your diary and did a little browsing today. I really enjoyed viewing your current projects. The beaded woman in the garden is especially lovely, but I know what you mean about many fine shades of color. I had that problem with brown shades in the castle and the rocks in the sampler I recently did. I had to give up, pull it all out, and start over again, paying even more attention the second time. Thank goodness it’s done. You mentioned Teresa Wentzler’s (spelling?) designs and asked if my sampler was one of hers. Actually, it was a Janlynn kit. I recently came across some of Wentzler’s designs in a store, though, and they are quite interesting and beautiful. Maybe some day I will do one. Thank you for the compliment on the sampler. My digital camera is a cheapie so you can’t make out much detail in the photo; but one thing I can tell about your work compared to mine is that your stitches are much more smooth, relaxed, and even. I put too much tension into my stitches so everything turns out slightly lumpy. Once I have it pressed it should look better, but I really need to work on that. I probably should slow down. I’m such a spaz! Oh, and I can relate to the pet fur problem: I bet that, without the white dog fur woven in, my castle sampler would be a shade darker. Too bad I don’t know how to use a spinning wheel! After we vacuumed under the sofa and I swept between the clothes dryer and the wall recently, we probably had enough to make a nice sweater.
I like how you’re taking pictures as you work the knight and lady piece. You’ve inspired me to do the same the next time I take on a project. I don’t think it will be for awhile yet, though, since I don’t want to get too involved in anything until after the wedding.