Tuesday.

The piano tuner is here- nice bloke, much my vintage. I can hear him working on the piano in the hall - I'm downstairs in the cellar- he has finished tuning it and is now putting it through its paces, scraps of music, tunes and old songs- Joe is enjoying himself and so am I. I must nip up and pay him (and thank him). He always tunes it well before Christmas. All done, now to blog business. Last week we nipped down to Cornwall. Well actually we took five days over it (there and back) rather than nipping. The A.G.M. of the antique Metalware Society was held at Cothele on Friday, and as (among other delights) Anthony North (ex V.& A.)was giving a talk on the armoury there, we decided to treat ourselves. We did a good deal of exploring (and stock buying) while we were down there. As our daughter Sarah and family were holidaying in North Devon from Saturday onwards, on Sunday when we returned, we made a detour and spent an hour with them on our way home. Ann drove all the way (me being engaged in navigating) for a grand total of 375 miles!!! It was a lovely break. As we've a very busy weekend coming up I've been working hard since we got home. Before closing though, on Sunday 14th October, I made mention of a victorian wooden doll I'd repaired. Well the Monday before we went off to Cornwall we dropped it in to its owner, who was as pleased as punch with the repairs, and told us the full history of the doll. It had been given her by her grandmother, who had been given it by.............. etc.etc., and has in fact been in the same family since new (circa 1850), and had suffered the expected ravages of being played with by many generations of children. The owner was overjoyed to have her back complete, and I was pleased to have done a good job. Like the village blacksmith - something attempted, something done, had earned a night's repose- to misquote slightly. Goodnight all.