The Knitting Noras are filmed by BBC1

Yesterday was a very exciting day. Bev picked me up in the afternoon to attend my first photo shoot for the Naked Knitting Calendar. Thanks for the lift Bev as I would have hated to have missed the day's fun. We were being filmed by BBC 1 so that we could be included in the same programme as the famous W.I Calendar Girls. Wow what an honour to be included in a programme with them.

The programme is about the W.I Calendar ladies 10 yrs on and I presume how they started the ball rolling for other ladies to "bare all". From what I could gather from the lady who interviewed us the programme is touching upon the subject of body issues. She asked us how we felt about having photos taken for the calendar without clothes and how we regarded our bodies. Deb and I told her, off camera, that having had major surgeries and sporting quite a few scars between us we wanted to do it for the confidence it would give us as women. For me as an older, overweight lady I would like to look good in a photo so that I could feel womanly, and dare I say it sexy, once more (if only for the moment) as during the last year those feelings have gone out of the window somewhat. Hobbling about stooped like an old lady with a stick, dressed in practical clothes, doesn't exactly conjure up a picture of the woman that I really feel that I am inside. I am getting old and everything is migrating southward so I need to do it now whilst I still have a chance of looking OK. I can always tape the photo to the mirror and pretend that I look like that everyday!

I didn't feel at all nervous about having my photo taken and having the camera crew there was easy to ignore, unless someone asked me a question and then I got tongue tied and a bit nervous.They left lots of sound gaps in the conversation and I didn't know whether I was supposed to chatter on and fill them or stay silent. I felt quite comfortable in the studio and were it not being filmed for the BBC I would have done my naked photo shoot there and then! The studio is in quite a woody aspect at Rivington Bolton and it felt private and intimate enough to shed inhibitions so I think I will be OK when it's my turn to get my kit off for the camera. A bit of Reggae or Salsa music to get me in the mood and I will be very happy.

Laurie Jeffery, Vicky's husband, who is our photographer took the photo of me that you see on here. I think he has managed to make me look good which is a tribute to his expertise as a pro photographer. I would like to assure you that the knitting needles in the hair are for the photo and not something I normally walk the streets wearing (although it could start a trend). Vicky has updated the Naked Knitting blog with more photos that Laurie has taken of us and of the BBC crew and if you click on the blog title then you can share the experience with us.

The BBC crew followed us to the Blundell Arms in the evening for a Knit Out. After they had finished the poor cameraman almost knocked himself out on one of the beams in there. He is a very tall guy and although he ducked under the beam he must not have ducked far enough and gave his head such a whack that he dropped to the floor. He will remember us for a while as I bet he is sporting a huge bump and bruise on his head today that will remind him of the Knitting Noras!

The crochet photo today will be remembered by me as my "famous featured on the TV" sweater. I managed to crochet 2 x 50 grams during the course of the day. At the moment it looks like a tunic as I have not yet made any sleeves.

If you want to see the programme we were told that it should air on Bank Holiday Monday 25th May on BBC 1 at 9pm. The title is The Calendar Girls - 10 years on. The interviewer promised to tell us if the schedule is changed.

It's back to the real world for me now. I shall, of course, be available for signing autographs and personal appearances after it has aired. Well a girl can dream can't she? We are all entitled to our five minutes of fame in our lives.