Incredible India

My cake, a gift from the Radisson Hotel, Shimla

Bill and I are back from an unforgetable trip to India, my surprise 60th Birthday present from my great husband! I did not know about the trip until a week before we flew so the packing was a little haphazard!

Shopping in old Delhi

We flew to Delhi and spent a day touring the city and wandering the streets. We travelled on the underground trains and then had a ride in a rickshaw. I think my whole life flashed before me as we missed lorries and people by a whisker!

My favourite form of transport in India, a Tuk-Tuk

We then travelled by train to Amritsar and stayed in a very old and quaint hotel from the days of the Raj. Just lovely! Our brilliant guide, Vikram took a few of us to see the Golden Temple at night and to watch the Holy Book being carried to its night time resting place. A magical evening – I felt priviledged to be one of the very few Europeans  in the crowd and made feel very welcome – I do not know how many people came to shake hands with us.

Vikram and yours truly

The Golden Temple at Amritsar

Before travelling to Shimla, we visited the monastery at Dharamsala where His Holiness the Dalia Lama has his residence and the offices of the exiled people of Tibet.

The peaceful garden at the monastery

After Amritsar, we travelled by train to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas. This so-called hill station has a population of 250,000 without the tourists and must be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Towards the Himlayas

I am afraid the pictures do not give you a clue to the magnificence of the scenery, and you do not want to imagine the excitement of the drive on single track roads with hairpin bends…….

Now my problem is a very simple one – where to find the time to use the inspiration of the trip and to create all the designs in my head!

Winners in the Prize Draw

Just a quick note as we are posting the first batch of winners from our Prize Draw on the CSG  web site. If you have not entered,   go to the site and click on the Prize Draw button. We do the rest!

Current winners include

Diane Loehr, New York, USA

Bridget Ballantyne, Northampton UK

Virpi Rantakangas, Finland

Kim Hales, Texas, USA

Lesley Stafford, Victoria Australia

Maria Tsobanidou, Greece

Mary Scotting Hampshire UK

Jill Ormiston, Rotherham UK

Karen Decker, Arizona USA

Angela Howes, Ipswich UK

Marilyn Sackheim, Florida USA

Jane McKelvie, Hong Kong

Cath Gibbons. St Helens Lancs

Happy Stitching

Jane

I am frantically packing for India

I have spent the day ironing all my linen clothes and making a new cami, trousers and sparkly top. The new camera is excellent and I intend to take hundreds of pictures whilst in India.

The office here will be staffed as usual but you are most likely to catch someone during the mornings before the post leaves at 13.50. Thanks for all the comments about Stitch That – I was pleased with it except for the goof with a colour on the peony……

Have a lovely fortnight and I will keep in touch via Twitter if I can work out how to do it!

Happy stitching

Jane

Now! about India!

For those of you wondering what I am warbling about here are the details.

After Bill and I returned from our stitching trip to Paris and Bruges (see Our lovely trip to Paris) and we had seen off all our guests, my lovely husband produced a bottle of Bollinger champagne and two glasses. He then presented me with my passport which he had mysteriously carried for the entire trip!  I found the Visa for India and then he gave me the tickets!  Monday morning, we will be flying to Delhi and on to the Golden Temple at Amritsar and then by the little train to Shimla in the mountains.

What can I say! I have a new camera, lists of things to look for and a certain amount of chaos in the packing department!

If you are trying to get in touch, I will be back shortly and will be nailed to my desk again – The office will be manned (surely womanned) but some things may need to wait till I return.

Sorry, no need for any more bag carriers- Bill has taken the job

Love Jane

Issue 80 of Stitch That is on its way…..

As I am updating my Journal pages, I am having difficulty concentrating on the work in hand. As some of you will have seen from Twitter, Bill and I are leaving for India on Monday morning. He surprised me with this as part of my 60th Birthday celebration and I am so excited……. I have ironed all my linen clothes, sorted stitching for the plane and bought a new camera so I will have loads of pictures to show you when I get back.

We are away for 10 days but the office will be manned during my holiday and so feel free to call. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I thought you would like a preview of some of the projects in Stitch That which is winging its way towards you as I write (Stitch That is our Members magazine posted five times a year – go to Join Us) As promised, there is a skein of Madeira stranded cotton in your parcel as well as your magazine and an advance order form for my new book which will be published in June.

Papal Basilica of St Fancis of Assisi

I have included an Assisi project inspired by the city of the same name where this type of counted embroidery is thought to originate.  Bill and I visited the walled, hill-top city whilst on holiday with our son and his wife where we saw Assisi embroidery in use in local homes as well as for sale to tourists.

Assisi Tile

I thought it was time to indulge ourselves in a little pure cross stitch and so I have included two flower studies this time as well as a a pretty floral idea for our linen tote bags.

The Peony

Needles Prayse Tote Bag

The linen pocket tote bag materials pack will be available to Members in Members Treats very shortly