Japan Matsuri 2010, Spitalfields Markets

http://japanmatsuri.com/




We loved the Japanese festival at Spitalfields yesterday. Spitalfields has to be one of the best venues for these big celebrations. We heard the drummers onstage, I had some crab sushi and bought Martin's birthday presents from the wonderful Tea Smith http://www.teasmith.co.uk/ - some Oolong tea and biscuits.


We watched how a kimono is put together















One of the highlights was being served coffee by an ex-student, now working for a Young Offenders Team in Tower Hamlets, going into schools and working with teenagers at risk - such a tough job, which I know she will be brilliant at.

Making Chloe's silver spoon: Part One

Take one sheet of silver and hammer out the bowl

As I hammer the handle, it is leaning to the right, so have to keep hammering in the right spot until it's straightened

Start to add the curve in the handle

Take off some of the silver.

A moth has settled on the equipment and I like its shape - might use its outline in the butterfly etching at the end.

Spoon next to the smaller one I made in March. I keep hammering the bowl to get the perfect curve and saw off superfluous parts.

It's beginning to take shape:)

Silver Circles

Sawing and hammering
silver circles
for coral roses: 30 completed, I'm halfway through!

Some good reasons for returning to Dali

Can see myself living here some day...... loved it!

By the way, the coffee shops and restaurants which I didn't photograph were also fab!

China Dogs

Note, dog shoes

matching owner's.

Jasper, my all-time favourite

Chinese dog: much loved pet thankfully!

mmmmm....?

How did I create atmospheric seventeenth century-style photo/painting?

(really, I have no idea!)

Cute fluffy things on the street: can't help wondering what happened to them next....

probably best not to know!

Old Stuff

We like old things in the West. My friend took me to a second hand market in Xining. Huge place. Furniture with faded colours and patterns. Pieces with a history. And some cool retro fun things like a luminous old 50's telephone from Shanghai. But we had to look hard for the good stuff. I suppose it gets snapped up quickly.

I noticed alot of the furniture was painted over in bright orange. These probably are new rather than antique.....I hope.

I liked this wall surface. Got a few funny looks as I photographed it though. I just like the texture and colour. It looks like a landscape or a map.

Then we went to an old part of town that is being demolished and will be built over by the time I return so I had to get some pictures.....

I like the old patterns on the doors and loved this house. Someone still lives there but I suppose not for much longer. They have their buckets of coal lined up outside.

An old street. No-one living there now. It was quiet and eerie. Just waiting to be knocked down.

But the last place we went to has to be the coolest cafe I've been to in China.

The Green House Cafe.

Old reclaimed furniture throughout, doors suspended from the ceiling, not an orange painted chair in sight. Great coffee, great atmosphere. Popular with Locals and Foreigners.

Yak Market

My favourite place in Xining was the Yak Market. Well that was my name for it. Lots of Tibetan goods, people in exotic looking but definitely very warm clothes, monks wandering around and even recorded chanting blasting out from a shop, all added to the atmosphere.

I bought some lovely gemstones there - set in silver (we think). Aren't they pretty? Also bought quite a bit of turquoise. Beautiful.

In the Turquoise Shop while my friend was bartering away for me I got distracted by a strange bit of taxidermy: a deer with paper ears. Poor deer! adding insult to injury. Apparently they are killed for their horns which are ground down to make a highly precious medicine. Would love to know what it's used for.

My friend took me to her favourite restaurant at the Yak Market for some meat and noodles. It was a massive bowl of hearty country portions. SO much meat in one bowl. Two of us couldn't finish it. But it was delicious. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Though I have to admit it doesn't look so great in this photo....