Sadly excited

One of Hartlepool's prime attractions

Off to Hartlepool today!

Not words that would normally make me ridiculously excited, but I've never claimed to be anything other than an obsessional geek.  Forgive the exclamation mark.  I regard these as the sign of a diseased mind, but some statements need the emphasis.

The port town has two things strongly in its favour.  The first is a wonderful maritime museum.  It's true that I probably won't get to visit it, but the Trincomalee is such a beautiful ship.  For someone who gets seasick in a deep bath, I have a passionate love of the sea and all that sails.  As long as I don't have to get on board and, you know, actually sail.

The second - be still my beating heart - is a college which does courses in costume design.  They do millinery.  They do corsetry.  They do pattern cutting.  Friend and I are going to attempt to inveigle ourselves onto some of these courses.  As my co-conspirator put it, "we don't need the actual degree after all.  We're both much too old and we know how to spell already."

I imagine myself armed with rigilene and making these:

Another Hartlepool attraction

Cake may also feature if we can find any.