Strand-Beests and Chasing the Giant's Daughter

Model Strand Beest

Door bell ring has me leaping out of bed, quickly putting on my dressing gown and rushing dowstairs. After all that, it was a delivery of socks for Jane. However, marginally awake, I made a cup of tea and sat down to leisurely finish off constructing my Strand Beest model. The only fiddly bit was the shaft of the driving propeller. If inserted too deeply into the main spine, then the resistance was too great and the propeller would not spin. The compromise in the picture above, however, worked and the machine would slowly scuttle sideways if you blew onto the propeller. If you used a hair dryer, it moved quite fast - probably enough to frighten any spiders lurking under a chair.

I suddenly realised that the Cambridge Open Studios (COS) AGM was today. I quickly entered my COS account online and added the guidebook image. It was a piece of fabric that Louise would be using in a patchwork, photographed under the microscope, set in a faux frame to be viewed by Merry Mouse from Jane's book. Yes, all three of us would be exhibiting in the middle two weekends of the July Cambridge Open Studios event!

Having missed breakfast as still too full from last night's meal and missing lunch as there were nibbles promised, I set off to the COS AGM. It was over in 40 minutes, a record time and giving people a chance to do something else in the afternoon. I stayed on to help a couple of people who needed some advice on how to complete their own entries, so it was fortunate that I'd done that myself earlier. Realised afterwards that I had given a persistent questioner the wrong advice - Oops!

Earlier in the week, I was sufficiently intrigued by advance notice of a story-telling show, called "Hunting the Giants Daughter", Jane and I went to see the show at the Junction in Cambridge tonight. It was an interweaving set of stories from the Mabinogion and Arthurian tales. The lead story was the tale of the geas of the young warrior Culhwch, to find his future bride, the beautiful Olwen, Giant's daughter. It was told by storyteller Michael Harvey, interspersed with haunting songs in Welsh by singer Lynne Denman and accompanied by Stacey Blythe on harp, accordion and also vocals. It was gripping and the three performers, on a very basic stage, really brought the magical and bloodthirsty Celtic legends to life. Loads to take on for improving my speeches in Toastmasters.

President Trump reacts predictably to Judge James Robart's ruling against his immigration ban, trying to diminish him with the phrase a "so-called judge" in a fierce attack.

Some positive news in that Tory government to act more in support of renters, with guaranteed rental periods and tackling exploitative landlords. Let's see what the white paper says when it emerges.