My stint in the gallery is done!!

What a busy week.

So on Monday I met up with my mum and dad, two thirds of the way down to Cornwall, just past the 'Nearly there trees'. It's a good spot to meet, as dad only has to drive one third of the journey and there's a nice spot for lunch. It was my mum's birthday the day before, so perfect timing.

And their seasonal displays were looking fabulous. There's a café there, and a restaurant and a lovely gift shop and farm shop. Resisted lots of the yummy bits!!

Tuesday was horrible! It rained all day, relentlessly!!

I had a couple of exams to invigilate in the afternoon and I got soaked!

Wednesday, it was back in the gallery for my last couple of days.

Thursday was the final day!

I enjoyed my day off on Friday. Met my friend Sam for coffee early afternoon, then headed into Bristol for the evening to meet my sister, after she finished work. 

It had been her birthday the day before and we always try to do something together, rather than buy each other gifts. So this birthday, we got tickets to see the newly reformed Fairground Attraction. We first saw them when I was 17 and Jo 18, at Birmingham Hippodrome in 1988!!

Eddi Readers voice was still just as brilliant as it ever was, and it was great to hear the many tracks of our youth from the album 'The first of a million kisses'. A 'PERFECT' evening.

I was tired this morning, going into work. But I was only there to liaise with the artists collecting their work, and did a little tidying. So that's it for this exhibition and that's me done now for the next few weeks, until it's back in after half term to invigilate the Yr 11 mock exams. Hence, I'm writing this a day early, as I'm heading up to Cardiff tomorrow to touch base with the kids and have a little retail therapy in Cardiff! Jeff just has this next week to get through before it's October half term. I do feel the last few weeks have whizzed by. It doesn't feel like 5 minutes ago, I was starting this run in the gallery and now it's done. Looking forward to a week of catching up with friends and just stuff in general before we go away!

OCTOBER!!!!

Pinch and a punch.....

....how is it October already??

I started the week/month off, getting my hair cut and coloured.

Back to white blonde.  

Walked with my friend on Tuesday. It was raining to begin with, so we had a coffee and then once dry, headed off to find a few new murals in Glastonbury.

The bittern.

This dahlia mural, will forever be my favourite.

It's on the side of the Heart of the Tribe Gallery, 

which is holding an exhibition to mark 5 years of the Glastonbury mural trail. 

Well worth a visit. It's on until the 20th of October.

 We still have plenty to see.

I've had a very enjoyable week in the gallery. 

Yesterday was Open Day, so really busy. Lots of lovely people to chat to. 

I will be sad when it ends on Thursday.

Ending today, is Somerset Arts Week. So I dragged Jeff along to the ZigZag building this morning, to catch an exhibition on before it finished today.

It's such an incredible space. The building alone was worth going to see  

And there was a fab selection of work on display.

Check out 'Old as the Hills' Instagram account to find out more.

The afternoon has been wet! Had a family group chat with Sophie and Sam this afternoon, which was lovely. Had a catch up with my sister, phoned my mum this morning to wish her a happy birthday, so a check in with all the family xx

So next week is busy. I do my final two full days in the gallery, possibly in for art work collection too. I've also signed up to do a couple of exams. Meeting my mum and dad for lunch tomorrow, a friend for coffee on Friday, then my sister for a night out in Bristol. Let's hope the weather is kind x

Week three....

...in the Gallery, done!!

I love our little Gallery team and I love the Art Department. Really lovely people and the most inspiring, creative place to work. There's no sense of dread in a morning, just a nice day ahead of me. I have to be organised meal wise, as there is no time to shop after work really, but I can also be quite disciplined, as I can only eat what I take in with me!

I also had an hour of exam training, ready for the November mocks. It was nice to have a bit of a catch up with a few of my fellow invigilators. Just one more full week to go in the gallery, then a couple of days the following week, then it's the student exhibition in January.

Jeff pops in from time to time, which goes with out saying, is also a nice little bonus. Occasionally, he'll call for me and we walk home together. When I'm doing invigilating I can move around campus more but with the gallery, I stay put all day. I have to lock it up every time I leave the room, so he has to come and see me!!

After a disappointing Exeat weekend, and more rain this week, it has been dry this morning. Jeff got some of the Spring bulbs he'd dried out, planted out it the lawn and I went to Sainsbury's and did a food shop! The weather has been really disappointing, especially as we had a rubbish summer. Looking forward to Spain at half term more than anything!!

Tried to get Coldplay tickets this week, but with no joy. Sophie did get through eventually and was offered seats at £880 each!!!!!!!I think they're brilliant live, but not for that sort of money. I did however get tickets for the pianist Tony Ann. Google 'Icarus' and you'll probably recognise the tune. It accompanies many a reel on Instagram and TikTok, and at just £27 a ticket, bargain! Moulin Rouge tickets come out next week, so I need to remember to book those!! I've a couple of things still in the diary for this year. Fairground Attraction and Will young with my sister, our birthday treat to each other. Then Mary Poppins, my birthday treat to myself and the Christmas Spectacular near to Christmas!! 

It's always nice to have something to look forward to.

Autumn touches!

Another busy week. I started off the week on Monday, in my exam invigilator role. A practice exam for an A'Level student and it felt like a practice exam for me too!!It was odd to begin with, remembering what to do!! It was only June, when I last did it, but it somehow seemed like ages ago. So it was a good refresher and some money in the pot!!

My fig season has come to an end. I have still been picking in October in previous years, but I think this is my final few. The tree is covered in fruit, we've just not had the fig wasps to pollinate them or enough warm sunshine. There's always next year!

We've had a real mix of weather this week. Beautiful, late, warm, autumn sunshine to start the week off, and biblical rain towards the end of the week, which of course was timed perfectly for the weekend!! Thankfully it was dry on Tuesday morning, so Lynn and I were able to get out for a walk and headed up to the Tor. Enjoying a coffee, sat outside in the sunshine at Middlewick, once we were back down.

So many house martins flying around at the Tor.  

I was back in the Gallery on Wednesday, Thursday and was supposed to be meeting my friend in the evening but she had to cancel, and it coincided with Sam returning from London. So I was a nice mum, and collected his from Wells bus station. Brought him home, made him something to eat, then waved him off, heading back up to Cardiff for the new term. He seems in a good place at the moment. One more year left of Uni.....then no idea!!

After a cold spell last week, the weather has warmed back up! 

The geraniums and sunflowers are loving it and 

still putting on a colourful display out the front of the house.

It's typical, that it was nice, warm sunshine whilst at work and then the weekend, rain!! Especially as it's an EXEAT weekend. Jeff finished at lunchtime on Friday and gets the Saturday and Monday off! I left just half an hour early but got the Saturday off too. My time is whizzing by in the Gallery, that's two of the five weeks already done!

Thankfully it dried up by Saturday evening. We met up with Sophie over in Bristol. We went to the Hat Bistro for tea before another show at the Hippodrome......

....Grease is the word.....

Jeff delighted in telling everyone he was going to Grease this weekend!! 

Going to a Greek restaurant was as close to the real Greece as he was getting!!

Today (Sunday) is the Autumn Equinox and has been wet again. 

It poured all morning. Jeff was refereeing, rather him than me!! 

I spent my morning faffing!!

Just adding a few 'autumnal touches'....

...and collecting a few more conkers when it stopped raining!!

We had hoped to go over to the Newt tomorrow. Our membership runs out on the 1st of October and as yet, Jeff has not been!! He has used it to go to the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan but not the actual Newt!!! I think I will carry it on but as a single membership or add Sophie as my extra instead of Jeff!! So it will depend on what the weather looks like when we wake up. The forecast isn't great but if there's a hint of a dry spell, we will head over. There are quite a few new bits that have been added since he last went but it won't be worth doing in the rain!!!

Let's hope the weather forecast is wrong!!

Back to the Gallery

It's been a busy week, back to work, the Private View, coffee with friends, a theatre visit!!

The start of the week was unseasonably cold and the real autumnal feels kicked in.

I think I mentioned it last week, the summer duvet has gone away. 

Thankfully it's been dry and we've had sunshine, albeit it on the chilly side.

I'm back in the Gallery, and it is nice and bright and cheery in there.

I feel really lucky to be working in such fabulous surroundings.

The current exhibition is Women in Abstraction.

And on Friday evening, after a full day in the gallery, I went back in in the evening, for some talks by the exhibiting artists and the Private View. It was a lovely evening, didn't feel like work at all. The exhibition has been very well received and the evening well attended.

I went in a little earlier on the Saturday, just to hoover and do a few bits of clearing up before the gallery opened it's doors to visitors. Before I got the job, I had already bought theatre tickets for a show in the afternoon. So I was able to leave at 1pm and someone covered the afternoon for me. 

So I headed straight over to Bristol, parked up and met Sophie on Cathedral Green.

The show was SIX. 

It tells the stories of Henry the VIII's wives

"The Six musical tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before. At the start of the musical, the six women argue with one another as they try to make out they had it worse. But as they listen to their stories, they open their hearts to each other and realise it's better to stick together."

It was only an hour and 20 minutes long, no interval but so much energy and production in that time. 

A fantastic show.

They encourage you to video the last bit of the show and share it on social media, which is probably part of it's success in having 'sold out' shows throughout the tour. We're back at the Hippodrome next week, with Jeff in tow, to see Grease. I really should get a job there!!

So today, Sunday, and a day off, although the alarm was set early for a Sainsbury's delivery!! I occasionally get these vouchers, £12 off a £60 shop, so it's so worth doing and I go for the delivery 'saver slot' as it's cheaper, a four hour delivery window, which today was 8-12. Of course it arrived at 8am!!! I guess, it means I make the most of the day! We woke up to blue skies and sunshine, so the washing basket is empty and now out on the line and it's a day of catching up with jobs around the house. Sam was supposed to be coming back from London but it now staying on for a few more days (young love) so I think we may see him the end of the week, to collect the car and head back to Cardiff for the start of Uni. 

So it's been a busy week and more of the same next week. I've signed up for a bit of exam invigilation too, just to top up the money pot. It's an EXEAT weekend and the school closes, so I get next Saturday off and Jeff gets the Monday off too. Let's hope it stays dry, so we can get out and do something.