Isolation, Desperation and Inspiration

Its been a funny few weeks and not in the Ha,Ha! way. I have had my head well and truly down trying to get this module up to a reasonable stage before I get my first week away for over a year. I had already worked out that because of this and the fact that my tutor will be away I need to have the completed work to her by 19th August at the latest which severely cuts down the time I have available to complete it (assessment normally is in September).Coupled to this was the fact that I had some problems to iron out with the Uni. which were causing problems and the last few weeks have really driven home just how isolated my life with distance learning had become.
So last week in desperation I managed to get the family to come out for the day. We visited Snape Maltings in Suffolk where I knew there would be the TAGS textile exhibition on and it was a lovely day. I hadn't visited theMaltings before and its a really uplifting place, bright& breezy, as was the gallery and TAGS exhibition. Do visit their website - I didn't take photos as I hadn't asked for permission but the work was very good esp. a piece by Anne Marie Stewart that I really fell in love with. K & M were both kept amused to as we had a walk around the site affording some lovely views of the river and a basking lizard, followed by a trip into the antique shop which has an excellent vintage clothes section. I spend a while wondering if I could afford an Edwardian whitework layette jacket for only £45 (unfortunately in the end I decided I couldn't- Nursing Uni.fees on the horizon!) but Kirsty found a really good condition early 1950s handbag to add to her growing collection of vintage clothes. She really is developing remarkably good taste and a style all of her own (proud mum boast!). We followed this by going a couple of miles further on to Aldburgh. It was so nice to be by the sea again - I felt I could breath for the first time in months.
After that much needed day out I felt more refreshed and actually got my essay to first draft stage this week, got the Uni. problems sorted out, big thanks to JCS ( who now have their website up and running -see link)and as from September I will studying full time(which means I hope to graduate in 2011 instead of 2012 fingers crossed). I also finished my work for the ERTF Cambridge exhibition (small sneak preview above). They are quite large piece measuring in the region of 60 by 150 cms, now I just have to wait to see if they will be accepted.
So one small day out has fired me up again and I feel all inspired - which I will need to be with another exhibition on the horizon plus 2 modules instead of one in the autumn semester.
I probably won't be blogging for a while as I am off to darkest Dorset to do some interviews in the lead up to my dissertation and glean some inspiration for some work - oh and I might even find time during the weeks to dip my toes in the sea.

Feeling hot,hot, hot!

What a scorching week its been- just the time to spend in the garden or by the sea or as in my case stuck in front of the computer....continuously. The volume of work on this professional practice module seems immense and just when you think you might have done enough for an assignment the tutor will say 'it would be really good if you just added so and so'. Don't they realise I do need to sleep at some point. This is supposed to be a part-time course but I've spent 30 hours on it this week- this is really getting silly so I'm going to have a chat with the powers that be.
Other than that the Cambridge exhibition submission date is rapidly approaching so I have been rushing to get work down on the 2 pieces I'm submitting. One is now complete and the other is underway. They are both quite large for me -one measuring approx. 3ft x 5ft but I should manage to get them finished then, knowing my luck they will decide, they don't want them!
I've also made a few little articles to sell in the shop in the hope that I might recoup a bit of the cost - I am posting a couple of pics of these to prove that I am still stitching even though I am lost in theory land.
Finally my poor old animals have really been feeling the heat- the picture is of our Kit Cat looking thoroughly fed up - mind you it was just after poor Andy got kicked out of Wimbledon so he could just be imitating how we were feeling. Well done this year Andy ,role on next year.