I know, it’s a cliché.  But sometimes, like yesterday, it’s uncannily accurate.

 

 

Yesterday morning, I jumped on a train bound for London, to meet five friends from my online textile group, the Artful Dodgers, to visit the Quilt exhibition at the V & A. Fellow Dodger Maggie got on in Swindon and having made one surprise encounter with a colleague of hers on the train, we met Sue as planned on Paddington station.

Now we were three.

 

 

Over the last couple of months, I’ve been trying to hook up with my Aussie friend Sandy, who’s been flitting here and there across the UK, somehow never staying still for long enough for me to catch her.  But we’ve kept in txt touch and yesterday morning, I txted her to say “I’m in London today…meeting friends at the V & A”

You’ve guessed…she txted back to say “Wooohooo, so am I!”

 

 

 

After a brief stop to take photos in the courtyard  we settled down to eat cake and enjoy our surroundings in the cafe for a while.  Lynn-with-no-blog arrived and we met up with Helen and mini-Dodger Richard before going into the Quilts.

 

 

No photos in there, of course, but as you will imagine, plenty of opinions, shared thoughts, close looks, ideas and inspiration.  A silent, illicit txt from home brought good news* and two hours later, we emerged from the show feeling that we’d had more than our money’s worth from our tickets.

 

Whilst in the shop, another txt message…Where was I?  Sandy had arrived and was spotted across the merchandise!  After brief introductions all round, more cake was needed.

 

 

 

It was over a pot of tea that the loose ends of the day all tied up.  Not only did Sandy’s friend Clare share so many interests and enthusiasms with us, as we chatted we realised one further uncanny coincidence.

When I was in Thirsk recently, assessing embroidery, the woman who made all the arrangements and whose textile talents I’d so admired was none other than Clare’s friend Sue.  Who would have guessed that a passing mention of the WI would lead to the discovery that, of 200 000 members, we were talking about the same person.

Spooky or what?

 

 

Sandy and Clare returned to the Quilt show whilst we Dodgers went to take the now traditional group photograph in the loo, where we could frame ourselves in the mirror with the beautiful tiled surround.

Here are the tiles.  The Dodgers, of course, are too shy to appear in public.

 

 

*  Good news came in the form of a potential buyer for Mummy’s bungalow, after more than two years on the market.  Fingers crossed.