Our online stitching group meet up every year for the weekend in Harrogate for the annual Knitting and Stitching show in November .... always the best of shows and this year it didn't disappoint ...
There were only eight of us this year and when I did the booking for our regular Hotel, I was assured that we would all be together on the top floor .... unfortunately this didn't happen ... the person who sorted out my booking forgot to put it into the book so we ended up on different floors .... we were not happy with this and me in particular as I was put into a small room above reception and facing the road - those who know me well will know that for me to sleep I need a dark room and no noise .... I decided to go to the manager to complain ... there was nothing he could do this year about putting us all together as the hotel was full, but he did arrange for me to get another room on the ground floor facing the back of the hotel where it is quiet ... he took my case and led me to the room and opened it ..... I was gobsmacked 'bloody hell' I managed to say ..... what a room ! a very comfy double four poster bed !! .... a nice bath/shower room and then another surprise, on opening another door he showed me into a private sitting room !!!! Guess I had been given a suite - was I happy ?? oh yeah !!
Spent some time in the show on the Friday, then we all met for dinner in the hotel .... a nice dinner but have to be honest and say that it was not up to the standard of last year thanks in part to a new chef .... however, because of the mix up with rooms etc, the manager had promised to put some bottles of wine on the table so I reminded the waiter and he happily obliged :)
I am not a night owl and neither was Sheila one of our ladies, so we opted for bed before the others - can't say what they got up to without us ;)
But neither me nor Sheila got much sleep ... I am a bad sleeper at the best of times, and hotels are not the quietest of places - the usual with people not knowing how to close doors instead having to bang them shut ! Still awake at nearly 3 in the morning, tossing and turning with someone above my bedroom talking loudly until 3.30. in the morning before I drifted off ... awake at just after 6 - I am an errly bird lol .... met up with everyone at 8 for breakfast which is always a really good one with juices, cereals, fruit and a variety of breakfasts from full English to a sort of pick and mix ...
Time to hit the show once again .... the good thing about being in the hotel for the week is that we can pop in and out of the show and back to the hotel for a snack and a rest from the stash shopping ! I was going to meet up with a friend and bring her back to the hotel for lunch as she only goes for the one day - she lives in Yorkshire and goes to the show every year with her local Embroiderers Guild ... we had a nice time to catch up and chat and she had even brought me a packed lunch ! brilliant - we have been friends since our school days in Great Yarmouth and both married lads from the North East who we had met while we were in the Army many years ago ... after she went back to the show I attempted to teach a few of the ladies some hardanger ... can I just say that I hope they were able to learn something amid all the laughter - say no more lol but my posh sitting room came in very handy for that !
Back again to the show for some more stash shopping ! I have to say that after visiting these shows for many years there is very little I really want ( I don't actually NEED anything !) and my total stash came to two hardsanger designs by LoopyLou designs, and two smaller charts with animals on ... plus a few threads ....
Have to say that it is quite tiring going round these shows and me and Sheila opted for an early dinner because there was another booking for dinner and ours would have been a bit too late for me .... after dinner I had a little surprise for them .... I had stitched them all a 'biscobud' .... and hope you can see what I mean in the picture below ...
Another sleepless night - fireworks out the back after midnight ! then a gale force wind blew up, rattling the windows and banging the doors in the corridor !
Some of the other ladies took pics of all of them but unfortunately I didn't - but they were all lovely ... I also gave them all a leaving pressie wrapped for xmas so if you see anything on their blogs let me know as they are supposed to keep them for under the xmas tree and open them on xmas day !
All in all another nice meet up - it is always lovely to meet them all again and I am sure we will be doing it again next year .... hope I haven'tt bored you all with this long blog ! I shall sign out now .........
