Back from Frankfurt

So, we had our weekend in Frankfurt and all went well. Even the flight was passable, although the take off and landing on the way home were nothing if not bumpy! It was rather windy at both ends. You're not scared in your mind as you know that it's nothing serious and certainly nothing the crew can't get through just fine, but your primal emotion - the body-mind reaction - is another thing! Anyway, here's a photo of what Frankfurt seems to stand for - money and banking! In the foreground we have the big Euro symbol statue thingy, whilst in the background you have the shiny tower of, I think, the Deutsche Bank. It's a big bank HQ whichever one it is!! This was taken on my new digital camera, which is great for things like this, but utterly hopeless for needlework. It's possible that I just haven't got to grips with it properly yet, but I had to revert to DH's old one for most of the pix below. That's a literal pain as the mechanism that keeps the little door of the battery compartment closed and thus the batteries in, has really had it now and you have to hold it tight shut all the time you're taking and up-loading photos.=( I confess to being really rather disappointed with that new camera. It was only a freebie and, OK, it does take good photos from further away, but the close-up function plain doesn't seem to work and you don't get a view screen when you switch it on. Must ask DH for help there.

Whilst I was in the main station in Frankfurt, I bought 4 embroidery magazines, 2 in Italian and 1 each in French and Spanish. I'd rather like the back issues of this French magazine, Broderie Tradition, but it works out quite pricey to order them and I really can't justify it as I have so much at the moment, so I decided against it, like a good girl!!

On the 'Stumpwork and Raised Embroidery' group (which I run) over on Stitchin' Fingers, we're planning on starting a stitch-along of a design from Inspirations #50 called 'Summer Harvest - Crab Apple'. This is the photo from the magazine. Do join us - the more the merrier! I'm going to find it quite hard to join in and keep up, (although I've specified that there are to be no timescales and/or deadlines for the SAL), as I have still so much college work to do and want to get the band sampler done ASAP as well. Here's the latest on that one, btw. Just done a few more bits at the bottom and it's coming along quite well now. There are 22 bands and I've now done 18 of them. Just the beading and finishing up to do after that.

I haven't done any more college work as yet as I wasn't ready with designs to take with me over the weekend - too busy doing other stuff and still feeling quite drained after that virus and another little something that's trying to get me at the mo. I haven't even done another stitch in that tree piece, (which is meant to be autumnal, Mary, although I admit the background painting is a bit lurid for that season!), but I hope to have that complete module done v soon and also have the shape one ready for marking after the Easter break. We have 2 weeks off coming up when I can't get any more behind, but can get caught up a lot, but there are still 2 more classes to go to first. I'm going to try and get there tomorrow, but I can't see myself staying a long time as I really feel quite rough again.=(

I took this little cross stitch kit away with me to Frankfurt. I bought it at the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch Show in Harrogate back in October 2007 when I was comfort shopping. I had planned to display it on my desk as befits a Chinese teacher, but it seems that, had I stayed at the Language Centre, I still wouldn't have had a desk! One of the managers, (who was so brassed off recently that he even complained to me!), was bewailing the fact that there are secretaries in other departments who have their own spacious offices, whereas LC staff have to see students in the corridors! I did see his point and, even though there are now 5 nice new classrooms and some more workstations in the new building, they've had to take on so many new English teachers this year that sides have burst again already! I wonder how it will go long term....

Got my scholarship application in the post today at last. Deadline is Tuesday and we should get the outcome mid-April, so not too long to wait. DH has to go through the German office and he won't know his outcome until sometime in May. He has a telephone interview to do before then. I kind of wish I had as that gives you another chance to make an impression and convince the awarding body that you're a good use of their funds. I was able to say, quite honestly, on my application form that I intended to spend some of my year in Taiwan on researching peculiarly Taiwanese textile and needlecrafts, which no doubt get over-looked in the shadow of China. They're keen for people to contribute to cultural exchange and this is one way it could be done. I also mentioned that I wanted to learn the Taiwanese language (not just Mandarin) so that I could communicate with the elderly and others on the island who speak less Mandarin than I do (and there are plenty of them). Well, time to wait and see.

2 hours later: DH and I have sussed the 'close-up' problem with the camera and it should now be OK. Hurrah!