Adventures in Egypt - Part One

Sphinxes at Karnak.

DD and I have just returned from our fabulous girls holiday to Egypt – it was the most perfect week in every way.

I won’t overwhelm you with a huge post but thought I’d write a few smaller ones to share some of the highlights with you.

We stayed in Hurghada, on the Red Sea coast. This is a reasonably new resort, created specifically for the tourist trade around an older fishing port. It was a nice place to be but I desperately craved some real culture and history. 

So, DD and I booked a trip to Luxor, approx 300km away. We had the choice of a coach trip (6 hours each way with lots of other tourists) or for a small amount more we could have our own private car and driver and our own guide for the day. This also cut the driving time down a bit. Having our own guide seemed like a worthwhile idea and so we went for this option. I am so glad we did!

The day started at 5am with the long drive to Luxor with our driver and our lovely guide, Ash. Ash studied Egyptology at Cairo University and became an archaeologist before leaving all that for the thrill of the tourist trade.

First stop the Egyptian equivalent of a motorway service station which was an experience. Expensive, useless items for sale, queues for the toilets, cheery staff, they had it all! Except pasties.

Our first visit on reaching Luxor was Karnak Temple which should correctly be called Temples as it’s a huge complex of different religious sites all together. Its earliest parts date from 2055BC which is pretty mind-blowing in itself. It covers over 200 acres and features statues, pillars, carvings, sphinxes.... all of it awesome and impressive. Two obelisks remain (most of Egypt’s obelisks have been relocated around the world eg London and Paris). Of these two, the tallest was erected by Queen Hatshepsut (more of her later) and stands 97ft/30m. The second one was erected by Tuthmosis I and stands 75ft/23m high.

The obelisks.

So many beautiful carvings!

The colours are still visible.

After a visit to a Papyrus Museum we went on to the Valley of the Kings. This was so exciting although cameras are strictly banned so sadly I have no photographs. This valley, which stretches beneath a natural pyramid shaped mountain, is the resting place of the New Kingdom Pharaohs, approx 1539 – 1075BC. After the showy pyramids of previous dynasties, these guys decided to hide their tombs away in a bid to defeat the tomb robbers. All to (mostly) no avail. The Valley’s most famous inhabitants include Seti I, Ramses II and, of course, Tutankhamun. Tut’s tomb was famously discovered intact by Howard Carter in 1922. The tomb itself is tiny but the discovery ensured Tutankhamun’s is the best known. However, in 2005, another undisturbed room was found, leading some to suspect there could be further tomb discoveries still to be made. Our ticket allowed us to visit just three tombs, they are super careful to ensure the tombs are not overexposed to humidity and dust from visitors. The wall carvings and paintings were just wonderful. The colours still bright, the pictures and hieroglyphs fascinating.

Following this visit we saw how traditional alabaster carving is still done and how beautiful it is compared to newer machined items. I bought a small vase to hold a candle and the light it gives off is worth every penny.

Next stop was also a big ‘wish’ on my list – the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut . This iconic place is built on three terraces and truly took my breath away. Hatshepsut was a rare female Pharaoh, ruling between 1503 – 1482BC (approx). She was regent for her stepson Tuthmosis III but took the power herself, adopting the dress and false beard to show her stature. After her death, he succeeded her and defaced all depictions of her, trying to erase her from history. An interesting discovery was made in 2007 when a box containing her liver was found to also contain a tooth. Through this tiny piece of evidence they were able to match the tooth to an unknown mummy discovered by Howard Carter in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Hatshepsut had been identified! It also revealed she had been obese and ill at the time of her death. It did, however, quash rumours that she had been murdered.

DD and the awesome temple of Hatshepsut

You can still see the paint on some of the statues!

Our final stop was a short cruise on the Nile – a perfect and relaxing way to finish the excitement of the visit. We saw so many birds, including ibis and kingfishers.

Ash had given us so much information and entertainment throughout the whole day – he was truly patient and lovely. It also helped that he was prepared to offer DD 500 camels for me. She turned him down. Mainly because she only had a 15kg limit on her luggage!

Introducing Edgar

Halloween Pumpkin  for effect!

Have you ever met a person before that shares so many interests and things in common that it’s actually a bit spooky? Well, I have such a friend – in fact I work with her. My friend Kathy understands the love of a button tin, the excitement of a bizarre collection, the thrill of a weird thing found at a charity shop... We are like two peas from a very strange pod!

Kathy and I went to London some months ago to take part in a taxidermy class – you may recall a post on this adventure. We came away with rats which we were most proud of. Now, taxidermy is not something I have mentioned much on my blog as I know it’s a subject which divides people. But I do appreciate the art and have a fair collection ranging from rather good to frankly Frankensteinesque. (As in his monster).

We had talked about taking part in another class when we discovered a very talented taxidermist lives not very far from Kathy’s house – how convenient. This lovely lady, Kate Latimer, now runs classes and so this is how, last Sunday, Kathy and I found ourselves stuffing birds!

Edgar - I still have to finish off the display/stand.

The first thing we learnt was that our previous foray into the art was not proper taxidermy – we were about to discover how to start by making detailed drawings and measurements, how to make proper body forms from wood wool, how to wire and position, how to..... well, I won’t go into details!

The specimens are all ethically sourced and Kate has a huge respect for all the creatures that she transforms. She is also a patient and gifted tutor who guides you through the whole process. Even when you are confronted with wires and wood wool, wings and legs which you cannot possibly imagine will turn back into anything vaguely bird shaped, she is there to twist and coax, helping to create a piece of art.

I was thrilled with my crow – even after I had done something strange to his wing which meant it would not sit flat, Kate managed to help me sort it out. So, in honour of the season, here is Edgar Allan Crow in all his glory!

Spooky Edgar!

I’m off on holiday now – I promise the next post will be ‘stuffed’ full of new adventures! (see what I did there?)

Emeralds and Poppies

This week saw me brave the Big City once more. I had been invited to accompany some friends to see the wonderful Caro Emerald play at The O2. We decided to make a whole day of it and fit in some sightseeing and girlie shopping too. How could I resist?

The pre-visit planning session took place in a pub and was not much use. Two of us turned up, we couldn't get WiFi and neither of us had brought maps or could visualise what London looked like other than a vague recollection of the shape of the Thames from the start of EastEnders. Cue conversation along the lines of “I think the O2 is about here” (points to beer stain on table) “So, we get off the bus here” (indicate dry roast peanut to left of beer stain) “The best place for lunch, then, is here” (slightly bent beermat somewhere in the middle). We decided to go with the flow and delegate all responsibility to the lady who hadn't turned up for the planning meeting!

It ended up being a relatively stress free day. I drove to Oxford and we took a coach into London, starting off in Covent Garden. I had never been here before and thoroughly enjoyed it! They even had a Moomin Shop! A whole shop dedicated to all things Moomin, I was in heaven! I only bought a pencil as that is all that would fit into my stupidly small handbag...

After this we had a very grown up lunch in an Italian restaurant. I’m quite glad I was designated driver for the day and had an excuse to avoid a glass of wine with lunch as this normally results in having to have an afternoon nap.

Covent Garden - I wish I'd taken more photographs!

After Covent Garden we strolled along the Thames Path towards the Tower of London. I wanted to visit the Poppy Garden exhibition there and the other ladies were kind enough to indulge me. I am so glad we did.... It was simply breathtaking. If you haven’t heard of the art instillation, check it out here. Basically they have created 888,246 ceramic poppies to represent those who died in WW1 and they are being planted around the moat at the ToL. It began in August and will finish with a ceremony on 11^th November. I can’t even describe in words the impact that all these poppies have. And when you stop to reflect that each one represents a person then it becomes even more mind-blowing. Truly moving.

Poppies at the Tower - 

Following this sombre moment we continued on our journey to The O2. The gig was pretty awesome too. Caro soon had people up and dancing and we forgot the prospect of the epic homeward journey that still awaited us and got caught up in the music!

Bring on the music!

I finally crawled into bed at 2.15am – It had been a day of contrasts, fun and sombre reflection. And Moomins :)

On Niddy Noddys and Hot Air Balloons!

I am currently being seriously rubbish at keeping up with my blog.... 100 lines, “I must try harder”.

Things have been pretty much ok at Mothball HQ. We are a few staff members down at work which has been a bit overwhelming at times but it has meant that I have learned some new skills (booking in groups) and had lots of opportunities to answer the phone (I’m honing that telephone voice technique!)

In real life I have been continuing the spinning. I treated myself to a new fleece – from a Dutch breed called a Zwartble. This fleece is mainly black with light tips and it has really long fibres. In essence this means it is a little easier to spin which I figured was a good thing for a learner. I have also created my first bobbin of yarn from two bobbins of thread wound together in the opposite direction than they were spun (are you still with me?). Now I need a piece of kit called a Niddy Noddy to wind the yarn into a skein. Well, I don’t actually need one, I could do it round the back of a chair but the idea of owning something called a Niddy Noddy fills me with such glee that I can’t suppress it.

The gardening is winding down. I have to admit that my half hour allotment visits have been a bit sporadic what with work and all. But the leeks are growing nicely and one pumpkin has overcome all odds and will hopefully provide some Hallowe’en centrepiece. Our plot is right on the corner of the allotments, nearest the entrance. This means it is easy to get too, not only for us but for everyone else. Unfortunately it means that all the local dog walkers seem to see it as fair game for their dogs to use.  People who have things to dump also seem to find it attractive. We’ve had bricks, rubbish, cuttings, you name it. Last week I found a lovely hanging basket, complete with flowers. I was tempted to hang it from my raspberry supports for some added colour! We have decided to make some form of fencing a priority over the Winter.

DD has passed her Fitness Instructor course – one proud Mother! She has gone on to do some extra courses so she can teach classes at her local gym. Of course, being a supportive type, I have been there at the classes. Power Pump is mostly fun. Loud ‘modern’ music and some hard work with weights. I am still struggling to move my arms for a couple of days afterwards but I am assured this will get better! The other class is enticingly called ‘Insanity’. I was swayed by the promise that there are actually only 15 minutes of exercise in this class. What they fail to tell you is that the 15 minutes are pure hell. To tell the whole truth, I was really swayed by the promise of Haribo after the class but so far this has failed to materialise.... I would like to tell you at this point that the classes have been totally worth it and I now have the physique of Linda Hamilton playing Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. That would be a lie and I suspect that the mirrors in the gym are in fact fairground mirrors because after all that pain my arse is still the size of a hot air balloon!

Oh well, back to those squats..... 

Feeling Mellow....

There have been some spectacular sunrises.

I absolutely love this time of year. The days are getting a little shorter, the mornings a little cooler and everything a little more mellow. I love the feeling of slowing down and reflection – of preparing for the coming cold days. I love the harvest and making things with what we’ve grown or gathered.

I don’t have an actual post for this week – nothing of great importance to share. Instead, here are some pictures of the things I have been enjoying!

We have been trying hard to hang onto the holiday feel by recreating some cream teas. Homemade scones, homemade jam and the chance to use my vintage china!

I have been trying to catch up with some friends - this isn't one of them... we had a great knight! (ha ha ha)

The allotment and garden have been producing some delicious things. These potatoes were not purple all the way through, much to my disappointment. We've had beans, sweetcorn, chard, more beans, potatoes, pears, apples, beans, courgettes... did I mention the beans?? I have been preparing the beehives for the Winter too - ensuring everything is ready to give them the best chance through the cold weather. I have been brave enough to go up on my own a couple of times and I can honestly say it is such a mindful activity.

This time of year sees lots of agricultural and country shows. I didn't manage to get a lot of photographs due to various technical mishaps but we have enjoyed Uffington and Wychwood amongst others. I have been inspired by the crafts and chatted to some lovely people too.

My latest experiment... we have been doing a major clear up at work and this beauty was uncovered. I decided to borrow it to clean up and fix and then learn how to use it. I have had a go at cleaning fleece, carding it, rolling it into rolags and learning to use the spinning wheel. So far, so good. I am finding it very therapeutic and enjoyable. My yarn is very lumpy still and I am coming across lots of problems but it is my goal to produce something knitted which I have made myself from raw fleece to finished product. Watch this space :)

Holidays and Hurricanes....

Porlock

Well that’s the holiday over and done with! How come it takes forever to arrive and then flies by at the speed of light?

We have had a pretty good week down in Devon. Things didn’t get off to the best start when the remains of Hurricane Bertha were due to wreak havoc on our first weekend. Typical. Weeks of tropical sunshine, we go away and BOOM – Hurricane! Luckily the worst of it passed through early morning and it didn’t cause much damage where we were. Also, looking on the bright side, our rented apartment had fantastic views directly over Ilfracombe harbour and so we would have had the best seat in the house for any spectacular weather related adventures. The rest of the week ended up being mostly sunny with a few showers but nothing to cry about.

Verity and the rainbow

This little chap was near our apartment.

Our week passed in a whirl of walking (lots of it), eating (also lots of it) and doing touristy things. We made a list on the first day and by the end of the week we had crossed most things off. Eaten lobster on the beach? Yep! Coastal walks, ice cream, beaches, collecting shells and seaglass, corn mill visit, Lynton and Lynmouth, cream teas and cycling. In fact the only thing I got voted against was the trip to Watermouth Castle. We have been before and yet no one else seemed excited by a return visit to GnomeLand and the dodgy mannequins in the castle itself. I consoled myself with a visit to Ilfracombe Museum – a really odd little place with all manner of weird things (two headed kitten anyone?). The children had fun pointing out all the things we already had at home. It made me happy!

Collecting stuff from the beach

The cycling was actually a highlight of the trip. We hired bikes and cycled the Tarka Trail from Barnstaple to Torrington (approx 14.5 miles) AND BACK! DH learned a valuable lesson before we started the ride. Namely I am rubbish at directions and they had all left me to take directions from the bike hire bloke on how to get onto the trail. In fairness it involved more than one instruction and I kind of lost concentration after this one. I tried my best but we did set off in the wrong direction and spent the first 15 mins cycling up a huge hill that proved unnecessary! 

As close as we got to Torrington

Instow signal box - pretty obvious really!

Forgiveness eventually followed and we set off in the correct direction. The T Trail is along a disused railway and so is pretty flat and easy going. You get fabulous views over the Taw estuary and all the wildlife on the mud flats and salt marshes. Along with that you get to see some pretty places and some remains of railway stuff too.

Overlooking the Taw Estuary

Torrington was the scene for a battle in the Civil War in 1646. I won’t pretend to sound knowledgeable about this period of history but basically the Parliamentarians under General Fairfax whooped the arse of the Royalists under Lord Hopton. The battle came to a climax when 70 barrels of gunpowder got blown up in the church killing lots of people.  Sadly I didn’t discover any of this stuff until afterwards and so we didn’t venture into Torrington itself, staying at the old railway station for tiffin and much needed tea!

The week ended with that old tradition, fish and chips on the harbour. Dodging seagulls and coats firmly buttoned against the wind we battled the wooden forks and flapping paper. Next day we packed up and headed home – the fun of the M5 gently thrusting us back into real life once more!

Still – only 11 weeks til I’m off to Egypt with DD. Bet I still won’t get to see any Gnomes there either :(

Pretty bubbles in the air

Mr Boss Man had been on holiday and seen some magical bubble street artists. So this week at work in between all the stuff that needed doing we tried our best to recreate these wonders! Apparently they weren't quite so spectacular but they did make for some good photo opportunities :)