The Culture Vulture

Sonata :
Actually , it would probably have been quicker if I had been a vulture since the trip involved around six hours on trains and an hour on buses , but it was well worth it .
I'd seen that there was an exhibition of late 19th/early20th century posters in a small Lithography museum www.steendrukmuseum.nl near Eindhoven so took some sandwiches and a good book and set off . And I'm very glad I did ... though half way there , when it started to snow , I did wonder whether I'd get back .
As well as the posters , they have the limestone blocks and printing machines , a couple of fascinating short films and a lovely selection of items made using chromolithography . There were soap and chocolate wrappers , cigar bands , maps , book covers and puzzles but no holy pictures , despite having a  few printing blocks  

but then , perhaps collectors like me have got them all .
I can't show you most of the posters , since they were behind glass that fiercely reflected every light however dim  and made photograpy difficult ... though the reflection did amuse me on this one

All those who find the feeble light cast by the new "green " light bulbs irritating might agree  ! and the Mucha of Sarah Bernhard was striking .

As I was leaving , the rather elderly volunteer who was on duty asked if I'd mind filling in their survey to say how I'd found it all  . When I handed it back , he glanced at it and seeing that I'd ticked the 65+ box for age , he exclaimed "Surely not ! " . So I'm inclined to recommend the place ... and it's staff ... highly !  
Not so Eindhoven , I'm afraid , it's very modern and bleak and rather windswept . Though , if you're passing , do try to pop into the Heuvel Galerie shopping mall . There's a lovely Carla Rutgers statue paddling in the fountain .

Beginning As I Hadn't Meant To Be Going On ...Wittering And Photo-less

Sonata:
I wish I could show you my wonderful vintage ad. of a ballerina twirling round her kitchen holding a saucepan on high , and say that I , too , was leaping round like a gazelle , thanks to a week of Pilates and a startling variety of vegetable dishes . But I can't . Blogger won't let me and besides , I'm really just feeling girlishly lightheaded and giggly because it's not raining at the moment and there seems a possibility that Winter will one day end . A feeling shared by two magpies who strutted about outside yesterday afternoon , thumbing their beaks at a rather dopey ginger tom who probably knew that he'd never be able to pounce on them but felt he had to try ...
As for the unusual vegetables ? Well , I'm doing my best .  Husband  decided that he really prefers his Brussel sprouts lightly boiled and tossed in butter and really didn't seem overwhelmed by the offer of the countess's  Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin or a Pain de Choux de Bruxelles ( a sort of savoury Bread Pudding containg a kilo of pureed sprouts , stale bread and eggs and baked in the oven for an hour before being served with a cream sauce ) . Still , true to the spirit of more adventurous eating , I did put a discreet amount of fresh ginger in the red lentil soup at lunchtime and it was declared the nicest for a long time . Stealth is apparently called for ....
I see other people are busy with their New Year resolutions , too . This morning a very little boy came whizzing round the corner on his tiny two-wheeler , followed a second or two late by a puffing father in a track suit , rather niftily combining babysitting with taking more exercise  , I thought .
Oh , and in case anyone's wondering if I've abandoned my knitting , not at all ! I had to stop for a couple of weeks , having suddenly received an order for a second doll's quilt to match the one just bought by someone decorating her new dolls' house . But it's been sent off now and I'm ready to start up again . A turquoise mohair cardi. is nearly mine .
Anyway , any lingering temptation to stay online ,  reading everyone's blogs , is quashed by the yowling of next door's cat , who's just the other side of the kitchen wall . A cat on heat makes a startling amount of noise ,  we're finding .
edited ( with a smirk .. and fingers crossed ) : I've just followed the instructions on a Google problem solver and hope that works . Let's see ....