Stitches and stones

Today we:
 
* Got the Edinburgh train from Carlisle

* Had an excellent lunch at Fishers in the City

* Took a bus to the National Museum of Scotland, where:

- I found by chance a fascinating exhibition of Scottish Samplers,  stitched  by young people in the 18th and 19th centuries  Embroidered Stories. One could only wonder at the intricate and tiny stitches

  - We took the lift to the 7th floor – the Roof Terrace, for fabulous views over the city and an Andy Goldsworthy installation- Hutton Roof, in which sandstone sculptures have been sliced to represent the layers of time so as to evoke the theories of Edinburgh geologist James  Hutton (pictured above with the wonderful view of the Castle in the background - I gave up trying to get a photo without people!)

* Walked to Dovecot Studios for a talk by the author of a book I have mentioned before – Threads of Life, a history of the world through the eye of a needle. Clare Hunter described some of the stitching projects that have meant so much to people at different times in our history. 

Oh and before the talk we were able to wander round an amazing exhibition of the work of designer Orla Kiely. The name may not be familiar, well it wasn’t to me, but the patterns may be – see extra
 
Then we got the train back to Carlisle.
 
A super day and the weather was perfect – fine, bright and mild.