Home again

I had the opportunity to spend a day with Kate in London last Sunday at the Victoria & Albert Museum -- one of my very favorite places. We were surprised to find both the fashion exhibit and the textiles rooms closed -- one for refurbishing and the other for mysterious and undisclosed reasons. The upside of this, for me, was the chance to spend time in two areas I'd missed in the past.

The glass area is a little tricky to find; there's only one staircase in one corner of the museum that goes up to the 5th floor. It's worth the climb, though! Here is a very quilty piece for inspiration:
There's a little mezzanine in the glass room that has this beautiful glass railing --
Here's a closer look. It's made of stacks of glass blocks about an inch thick, threaded on a brass dowel.
And some cute little decorative pieces:
Once you've found the glass, it's only a short staircase up to the ceramics; this area has been remodeled recently. My favorite was this display of small bowls and cups.
After lunch in the museum's cafe, we took a walk through Hyde Park and found a few signs of approaching spring, including sprouting daffodils and this pretty blooming witch hazel bush.
Now for more laundry, and maybe some sewing -- it's been more than a week and I'm suffering from withdrawal!