My friend Thelma, a dynamic Colmworth woman who has been involved in fashion and textiles for all her long working life, was sponsoring a talk at the Higgins Museum in Bedford this morning and this afternoon.  The redoubtable Lucy Adlington brought history to life through the medium of 1st World War clothing which she showed us both on and off her own frame.  She explained how women had been written out of the history of the First World War (not to mention -which she did – the popularity of womens football at that time where over 53000 fans flocked to watch the amazing Lily Parr playing at Goodison Park in 1920).  Bet you’ve never heard or her? Nor had I.

The Higgins is the main museum and art gallery in Bedford and Cecil Higgins, a successful brewer who died in 1941, donated his collection of ceramics and fine arts as well as his house to the City of Bedford detailing how this was to be made available to the good folk of Bedford to view for free.

Some months ago Thelma had asked me for some Jacob wool fleece when the sheep were shorn.  She mentioned that she wanted to use the wool in an exhibition in the autumn and she hoped I would buy a ticket for the accompanying talk.  I really hadn’t any idea that the talk and the costumes and old photographs would be so amazing and informative.  To top it all Thelma had displayed some of the wool and given us a mention in despatches.  I will definitely be buying a ticket for Lucy’s next talk in the New Year about Jane Austen (with costumes, of course).