Ally Pally & the V&A

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to spend the day in London. I saved a fortune by travelling on a Saturday, when there are cheaper train tickets and by doing it all in a day, & so not requiring any accommodation. I left Stockport at 7am and found myself in the capital at 9am. A spot of breakfast, a ride on the underground and by 9.30am, I was in the queue for the craft show at the Ally Pally.

I was positive I'd bought more stash and sure enough, after taking the below photo, I recalled the flowers, punches and papers which I filed away on my return. However, you can see some wooden reels, giant bottle caps, chalky paints, distress stickles, distress paint & pearl paint from ranger (on offer so I bought a few) and some resin embellishments from Prima.

Come midday, I left the show & trotted off to my favourite place in London, the V&A Museum. Firstly, to see the Design Week exhibits, including this timber wave structure at it's entrance (photo courtesy of their website, not one I took). My first port of call, once through the doors however was to find a spot to sit in their garden, in the sun, enjoying an iced tea, a chicken roll & a slice of cake.

After a relaxing half hour, it was off around the Museum, sketchbook in hand, delighting in the exhibits. Highlights included the winning entries for an annual bookbinding competition. As someone who has made their own books and gone on a course on how to bind, I was fascinated to see the talented creations.

However, as a huge fan of the wondrous Annie Lennox, I just had to visit the House of Annie Lennox on the second floor. It's a bit tricky to find, hidden away in the maze of the building's top floors, but I eventually stumbled upon it. It was lovely o see the exhibits on display but I wish there'd been more to it.

Sadly, time started to run out & I headed back to Euston Station. I left the sun & returned, two hours later, to rain.

Later on, sitting downstairs, with a book, relaxing, it felt surreal being back in my house when I'd been travelling on London's underground trains only a few hours before. I tell you, it's a brilliant way to spend a day.