Today I've mostly bin...

[MBH]

What a talented Sister you've got Very clever.

[Bunnylump]

(Well, yesterday, actually) I've mostly bin...

going to see SPAMALOT at the new(ish) Waterside theatre in Aylesbury. It was brilliant, and I would thoroughly recommend anyone to go and see it. It included such classics as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-fG8c-CMoU (which is a totally brilliant rip off of every ALW song I've ever heard!!)
The musical is now on tour, so you should all get a chance to see it if you would like a really good belly laugh. The version I saw featured Phill Jupitas as King Arthur; I wouldn't like to say it was his most natural role, however, he actually had a surprisingly good singing voice and it was really comical watching him trying not to laugh (the other actors, especially the "taunting Frenchman" were clearly ad libbing). It also featured a particularly fine PURPLE killer rabbit!!

Footnote: Aylesbury Waterside theatre was very good. It even had LOADS of leg room, even for me (I have a 34" inside leg, and even I could stretch my legs out in the stalls!!)

[Scurra]

I much prefer Not The Messiah (He's A Very Naughty Boy) which is done far straighter and as a result is much funnier. (But it's also unlikely to ever be performed again...)
Not that Spamalot isn't pretty good, but it's not as though people haven't been parodying Broadway shows ever since, well, Broadway started. I must confess that I do like Whatever Happened To My Part though.

[Bunnylump]

I would have really liked to see Not the Messiah. But didn't have anyone to go with. It looked brilliant.

The diva song was another one which had me in stitches. The woman playing the part of the Lady of the Lake here was someone called Jodie Prenger, who I'd never heard of. But she was brilliant - she was shaking with indignation as she sang. The other bit which was BRILLIANTLY done was the Black Knight. But I won't tell you any more in case anyone goes to see it.

The reason this is such a strong recommendation is that I DON'T LIKE MUSICALS. Although, to be honest, it's a bit more like a panto than a musical.

[eirian]

... spangling my bobbins (trying to teach myself to make lace, anybody out there can help me please) hope the new mag arrives soon as goodness knows what other daft hobbies i will try.

well, yes, I've been making lace for close to 30 years now.... and have a large collection of bobbins. However, I make Honiton Lace (which is the finest version) and if you are spangling your bobbins, I suspect you aren't doing honiton! If you need any advice though, please just ask!
My lace cushion is currently in our roof though as I really didn't think it would be a good idea to try and do anything as delicate as that with a toddler around!

[Bunnylump]

I must say that mask you made Scurra is beautiful.

The closest I ever got to anything like this was macrame. But that was when I was about 15, when I could still SEE. But I've had all sorts of (as Strep describes them) "daft" hobbies. Macrame, knitting (including designing my own picture patterns), rug making, card making/ designing, candle making, growing stuff to make jam, wine etc., writing treasure trail walks, glass and ceramic painting, cycling, hill walking, making fancy dress costumes, cake decorating, playing guitar, designing games for fetes, and the list goes on. I've even got a massive SUGAR collection in my loft! Current hobby - sitting around in a heap chatting to people and occasionally making a scary puzzle. What next?? I need some suggestions because I'm FIDGETY.

And I bet you now think I'm REALLY sad, don't you??

[tricia]

I also like lace making but I use the Bruge Bobbins as I find them easiet to hold because of my arthritis. I made a friends daughter a lace garter for her wedding.

I would love to try Honniton, but the bobbins are too fine

Tricia

[Laura]

The woman playing the part of the Lady of the Lake here was someone called Jodie Prenger, who I'd never heard of.

She won 'I'd Do Anything' - Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for a new Nancy in Oliver. She's also presented some of the Wizard of Oz one, the bit where they wre trying to find a dog to play Toto .

[strep98]

... spangling my bobbins (trying to teach myself to make lace, anybody out there can help me please) hope the new mag arrives soon as goodness knows what other daft hobbies i will try.

well, yes, I've been making lace for close to 30 years now.... and have a large collection of bobbins. However, I make Honiton Lace (which is the finest version) and if you are spangling your bobbins, I suspect you aren't doing honiton! If you need any advice though, please just ask!
My lace cushion is currently in our roof though as I really didn't think it would be a good idea to try and do anything as delicate as that with a toddler around!

I tried t teach myself 15 years ago before my daughter was born and gave up, so just bought myself a kit and it has spangled bobbins, but I may graduate to Honiton in about 50 years time. You are so talented, Scurra picture proves that,

[tricia]

eirien the mask is lovely - did you design it yourself? Ive only managed to forllow a pattern for the lace garter.

Tricia

[giraffe]

I'd love to try lace making.

[eirian]

the only difference between other kinds of lace and honiton is that it's much finer, so you have to be quite careful not to break the threads, but actually, it's not nearly as bad as it looks - you just trust the bobbins to provide the tension. As with most things, as long as you can follow instructions, you're fine!

If anyone does want to learn Honiton, I've got a spare copy of Elsie Luxton's book (I bought one myself and then inherited my gran's copy) I've also got rather a lot of honiton bobbins and probably even a spare pillow if I looked hard enough.

I did design that one myself - or rather took a pic that looked useable and used it! (I'm not artistic enough to actually draw one from my imagination).

[LAT]

Wow! I'd love to be able to do lace-making but I'm not very creative. I can just about follow a knitting pattern. You are clever.

[Bunnylump]

... Going out AGAIN, this time for a meal with 10 friends for yet another 50th birthday.

Can't cope with all this life. I've been out more in the past month than in the past year. I think I need a few days off...

[tricia]

first realy pleasant day at the weekend this year. Planted potatoes in a potato bag. It was lovely out there.

Came to the end of searching for ancestors - I am now trying to write this up. Has anyone any experience as I am trying to include the sociaL HISTORY OF THE TIME

tricia

[Bunnylump]

...going to a primary school fete with my chidlies, then helping my son (who's just come back for Easter) make a Ghostbusters outfit for a fancy dress party. It looked BRILLIANT. He had grey overalls with Ghostbuster signs on the front and sleeves, and a backpack with a giant flexible piece of air con duct coming out of it, with a supersoaker attached to it.

[LAT]

Chidlies?

My potatoes are nowhere near ready to plant yet.

[Bunnylump]

My chidlies are 5 foot 9 and 6 foot 4...

[LAT]

Mine are similar, possibly an inch shorter in each case. They are in Nice and Chiang Mai respectively this weekend. How the other half do live!!

[gill216]

I am now trying to write this up. Has anyone any experience as I am trying to include the sociaL HISTORY OF THE TIME

I was lucky on my paternal great grandmothers side. It is already written up and available on the net. All 52 pages of it back to 1401. I also have a tree software package that came free with a magazine and it includes space for notes and photographs. Something like that would let you make a booklet as you can print pages in tree form from any of the names included in your tree.

Ancestry.com also do(or did) a lovely book for about £25. Worth paying a months subs to upload your tree and have it printed professionally by them.

And my potatoes were poking through the first level of compost in their bags when I left for Spain last Wednesday.