Jan. 3rd, 2025

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Ordering my belated festive batch of magazines from my favourite postal newsagent in Whitstable. And just realised that the latest issue of British Archaeology Magazine from the Council for British Archaeology has articles about both The Detectorists TV series and Innerpeffray Library in Perthshire. Ok, got to buy that one!

Busy Kimono

Jan. 3rd, 2025 01:07 pm
vivdunstan: Warning sign re risk of being mobbed by seagulls (dundee)
Astounded by how packed the V&A Dundee Kimono exhibition is today. Way busier than Tartan near its closing. Bought stuff in the shop, then lunch (coffee and filled bagels) from the kiosk outside. Heading home now. More thoughts later.
vivdunstan: Warning sign re risk of being mobbed by seagulls (dundee)
Back home from the V&A Dundee now. Really enjoyed the Kimono exhibition. We could turn up any time to get in, with our new joint memberships, and the V&A staff handled that we hadn't got our member cards in the post yet. I came away from the front reception desk with a freshly printed temporary membership card, and they will look into the missing cards (I'm thinking Dundee East postal depot backlogs!). It was incredibly busy when we got into the exhibition, so much queuing needed to get around the different sections. Slightly anxiety inducing for infection phobic us. We dodged a few obviously coughing or sneezing people ... And we skipped some bits that were of less interest. But I saw all the bits I really wanted to see. I was especially interested in the early history and some of the related artefacts on display. Plus kimono pattern books and drawings and paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. I was agog at those. I only had a few things I struggled to see from my wheelchair because of height/arrangement. More of a problem was navigating around the fellow visitors, who were so engrossed that we'd often have to very clearly alert them to wheelchair coming through. I needed a horn! But we both enjoyed it and are glad we went. And just outside was the Dundee Tapestry exhibition still, which was also attracting lots of visitors, and we were happy to go round it. Bought stuff in the shop after - which is still a bit too much of a squeeze with a wheelchair, though somewhat improved after my feedback a year ago which they acted on. Then coffee and bagels lunch at the kiosk/van outside. Very glad we made it, though I won't be surprised if the same thing happens as last time we went there, and we've picked up an infection (was Covid a year ago). Fingers crossed not though!

P.S. Martin just said he could have done with fewer physical kimonos on display. I also found some of those some of the less interesting elements of the exhibition. But as he said, if you went to a kimono exhibition and didn't see lots of kimonos you would probably be justifiably disappointed! But overall the balance was good.

P.P.S. Have just emailed the V&A Dundee with some feedback on the Kimono exhibition, including how it was much better for me accessibility wise than Tartan, and also to thank them for improvements they have made re accessibility in the shop. Which they did after my feedback a year ago.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
One thing I was pleased about today is that I was wheeling myself well around the Kimono exhibition in between Martin pushing me. Definitely better than when I was at Tartan a year ago. I’m often very weak in my arms or otherwise struggling to control them. But this morning my arms and also hand grip were good. I was also coping well with a very packed and busy room. Though sitting down helped with that! Now in bed and going back to sleep!
vivdunstan: Photo of me from Melrose Grammar School plus NHS thanks (nhs)
Could happily have done without one of my appalling choking fits while eating at dinner. They're becoming more frequent. Especially likely when I'm extra confused or overloaded cognitively. But can happen at any time. I'll have to mention them to the rheumatologist next time I speak to her, along with the extremely frequent now forgetfulness and losing things. My neurological disease is progressing more and more with time. But since I've lived with it for 30 years, and we managed to slow it down a lot, I'm grateful to be coping as well as I am.

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vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
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