Ballet Lorent

 Been a good few years since my last post. Sounds like a confession, but it was 2017. Since then I have a new grandson making three. Theo lives in London and I hope to visit soon. He is one year old and so far I have made three visits, with P and K here once. 

My fourth book The Grainger Market. The People's History was published in 2015 and since then Cobbled Streets and Penny Sweets hit the shelves. A memoir of growing up on Tyneside and family scandals. I have been working on a follow up which will follow on from the early 70s where I left off.

 This time I am finding it very difficult to motivate myself to gather everything together. Continually putting other projects in the way, however enjoyable they detract from what should be my main task. Hence I am setting about making an anthology of 85 of my poems, meeting up with pals and knitting. 

I am past knitting for the grandsons as my efforts leave alot to be desired but lately I have enjoyed helping out in a knit and natter group at John Marlay Centre in Benwell. The ladies meet at Ballet Lorent premises on the site and have made the most amazing cushions for children to sit on during performances. Sunflowers ladybirds, leaves and beautiful butterflies and flowers adorn the cushions. I helped out in a small way stuffing things. But I am half way through knitting a cushion to which the talented ladies will add the embellishments. 144 stitches and 18 x 18 with an extra pillow style flap to fold in! 

I took my two grandsons to watch the performance of Velveteen Rabbit and we loved it. I was able to catch Rumpelstiltskin but too late to bring the children however, the next ballet will be Snow White, so I will secure tickets.