Summer Holidays

I have been a very bad blogger for the last couple of weeks... things at Grace's Favours HQ have been manic to say the least! We've had Birthday Celebrations, Spring Play festivities and then fun and games with Thomas The Tank Engine:

One of the funny cards I got

Lady Sybil and her pet dragon

Thomas the Tank Engine Day Out

And now after all the commotion has died down, we're on holiday!

We're spending a week in Ireland with my husband's parents (affectionately known as the 'Lovely Out-Laws') which we're ALL loving - life is so relaxed here and the kids adore spending time with their Grandparents (and we've had a couple of lovely lie-ins already!)

Taking a breather from shell collecting on the beach

And then we have a week in a holiday cottage with some friends near the beach, which we're really excited about!

So sorry for the lack of handmade creations this week and next, but I will at least get a couple of posts in while we're away which is more than I've managed recently - but I promise normal service will resume once we get back in 2 weeks time!

Terry Pratchett's Guards Guards

Long time no post - sorry, things have been a bit chaotic here for the last fortnight, hence not joining in the Handmade Monday last week.

It was my birthday in the week, so we were frantically trying to get one of the rooms in our extension in a usable condition for the weekend, as we had 10 friends coming to stay and that was the only room the dining table could accommodate us all! We achieved it, in a manner of speaking - the walls and floors aren't finished, but our wonderful builders got us to a good point:

Then after the fun of last weekend, we had to take it all out again :-(

BUT... then this weekend, it's been the Big Performance!

I know some of you are keen to see some pics (I apologise for them - they're not brilliant!) so here you are.... anyone familiar with Pratchett will recognise some of the characters, for the rest of you - I apologise and can only recommend that you find a copy of the book and all will become marginally clearer!!

Here is the play synopsis:

Guards! Guards! is from the prolific pen of Terry Pratchett and has been adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs.

Terry Pratchett's infamous city of Ankh Morpork is under threat from a 60 foot fire breathing dragon, summoned by a secret society of malcontented tradesmen.

Defending Ankh Morpork against this threat is the entire, underpaid, undervalued City Night Watch - a drunken and world-weary Captain, a cowardly and overweight Sergeant, a small opportunistic Corporal or dubious parentage and their newest recruit, Lance-Constable Carrot, who is upright, literal, law-abiding and keen. Aiding them in their fight for truth, justice and the Ankh Morporkian way are a small swamp dragon called Errol and the Librarian of Unseen University (who just happens to be an orang utan).

The 'Dwarves'

Death in action!

The Watch - drunk in 'The Shades'

Lady Ramkin in full dragon-protective-getup!

Flirting with Vimes

Ook The Orangutan

It was a really fun performance to be part of and our Director did a great job, keeping 25 of us on our toes, with all our lines, getting everyone on and off stage sensibly and with not one, but two flying dragons! (sadly no pics of that, but it was a sight to behold!)

I'm off over to Handmade Monday now, so see what everyone else has been up to and to put my feet up for a well needed rest! More actual creative stuff next time!

Creating Props for the Terry Pratchett Play - Guards! Guards!

This week I've been working on something slightly different - thankfully there's not been too much dust compared to last week as the builders have moved on from wrecking the joint to putting the new roof on, which was just in time as the heavens opened mid week!

I don't know if I mentioned that I'm part of a local Am Dram group and we're performing Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett at the end of April (25th - 27th inclusive in Lydbrook in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire if anyone's keen to come and see me make a fool out of myself (again!!)) and as such we all play a part (geddit?!) in organising the costumes and props.

I offered to make the 4 badges/shields for one scene which has two unnamed Worthies (So I've chosen their Guilds for them!), The Head of the Guild of Assassins and The Arch Chancellor of the Unseen University... so based on pictures that I found online these are the Shields that I've made:

The Guild of Assassins

The Guild of Embalmers

The Fools Guild

The Unseen University Shield

The shields are to be worn on heavy very pompous looking breast plates (which is fitting for these 4 who think they are Very Important People!) and later in the week I'll sneak a pic on here so you can see them on the costumes :-)

Here are all 4 together:

All 4 Shields

And now I'm off to check out what everyone else has been up to in the Handmade Monday link up.