Thursday 28 February 2008

Thursday.

Got back from Mikey and Sarah's about 4.30 p.m. today, having baby sat (or rather child minded) Sarah's family while she was away at a conference from Tuesday afternoon onwards. At one a.m. on Wednesday morning I woke to hear a creaking/crackling sound, and then felt our bed swaying. I assumed Ann was having a bad dream so said "Are you alright ? You're rocking the bed".
" I wasn't rocking the bed," says Ann "I thought you were. I'd better just check the little ones are alright". She came back a few minutes later and said "Lucy was out of bed. I think we must have heard her running down the landing". Well Lucy is a stout little party, but I really couldn't imagine that her running along the landing could have made our bed rock so violently. Anyway, as you'll have guessed by now, when we heard the news in the morning there had been an earthquake in the night, centred in Lincolnshire, and we had felt the effects in Buckinghamshire, which seems an amazing long way for the effects to travel. I had never experienced an earthquake before but I remember my grandmother telling me of one in the 1920's in the Norfolk fens that had set the china on her dressing table rattling and woken her up. The photo above is of Ann getting Lucy and Guy ready for school the following morning. At half past six this evening we had just had our evening meal (pork sausages from the farm shop at Semer - disappointing !!!), when the 'phone rang and Margaret Jarvis said she wouldn't need a lift in to choir practice, as she wasn't feeling up to it. I'm afraid she wouldn't have got one if she hadn't 'phone to say she didn't need it, as we'd both forgotten about choir practice being resumed this Thursday evening. We decided we aught to go, and in fact found we had time to walk to Church, so did. Practice went reasonably well I think, and we've still got time for an early night. Before I do though, I must stress again how early everything is this year. We have seen snowdrops, daffodills, primroses , violets, aubretia, and forsythia, in full flower on our way home. Called in at David Theobald's shop, which wasn't busy. So he locked up and then we walked round with himto visit his mother, June. It was lovely to see them both. Must close now, feel as if I'm having to retype every other word.Goodnight everyone.
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Sunday 24 February 2008

Sunday.

Snapshot of Ann's amaryllis admiring itself in a mirror - it's a vain creature, but with good reason for vanity - it's a flaring great dramatic beauty of a plant. Sunday much as usual. Family Eucharist this morning. Choir back in usual choir seats, having tried new (and not very successful) seating arrangement at previous one. After service met the new member of the Stranach family -Finlay- very bright and smiling baby. Got to him first and relieved mother of him for a short time (until a bevy of church ladies turned up, relieved me of him, and organised a rota) -proved a most sociable child- great fun. After lunch did some smithing work in the potting shed on a tinder box. As the forge is in the shed and the anvil outside I had to heat up the work, charge outside, bash away with a hammer as the work cooled, then back inside to reheat. Did this about five times but it went well, and I'm pleased with the result. I'd left the anvil outside partly because it's a serious weight on a shed floor, and partly because I don't suppose I'll need to use it more than about once a year ; but when I do need to use it nothing else will do. Roast pork again this evening. Oh, by the way, I said yesterday that it was Tamworth, well apparently it isn't - it's Gloucester old spot. It's rather fattier meat than is fashionable these days, but it's VERY tasty !!! Must close now. God bless you all.
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Sunday 17 February 2008

Still Sunday.

Same roses in a corner of our sitting room.
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Sunday.

When John and Ann C.T. visited us last Thursday they very kindly bought Ann this bunch of roses. Yesterday (Saturday) had choir practice in the morning - went well. Ann couldn't get to practice - prior engagement- manning Love is.... exhibish in U.R.C. Joyce Wells, who'd also been helping, came home with Ann, had a bite of lunch with us (soup and sandwich, etc.) then we all went off to scrabble club, Joyce riding her electric tricycle. Three good games. Home for our meal (just Ann and I this time). Very good beef casserole (second day) and cabbage. In the evening we went out to a concert - mainly choral- lovely stuff (which of course means music we are fond of anyway, but it was well sung. Baritone soloist sung the Hippopotamus song, and we all joined in the chorus - great fun). This afternoon we went to a Churches Together service - Grand Finale of Love is.... do. I said a day or so ago that the senior married couple in town arecoming up to their 69th anniversary. We were misinformed. They were married in 1938 and are coming up to their 70th !!!!! Lovely old couple. They toddled down the aisle together and cut the 'wedding' cake, the one illustrated about about a fortnight ago. Afterwards in the Church Room the senior wife was looking at the refreshment table holding a couple of plates for herself and husband. "It's a job to choose" she said to me "what sort do you think all these cakes are ?" "Well, I only know about those," I said. "Those are apricot flapjacks. I know they're good, because my wife made them."
"I'll take two of those, then. We both like apricot, and I'm a great believer in personal recommendation." Needless to say, they thoroughly enjoyed them. I told the old gentleman we had 45 years of marriage in. "Ah, newlyweds." he chuckled. You don't hear many real chuckles, but he could after seventy years of marriage !!! Ann's just called out that a cup of tea is available. More blog later.
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Friday 15 February 2008

Friday.

Yesterday evening we went to the 'Love is....' exhibition, held in a local church (and also in the church room). It was very interesting. Lots of local ladies (including Ann) had lent their wedding dresses. We have four couples in town who have sixty years plus to their credit. The senior married couple are coming up to their 69th (!) anniversary. Only two of the blokes (your blogger and the minister of the church) were able to display the morning suits they had been married in. I thought this probably indicated that blokes are less sentimental, but was instantly informed that this was because the majority of men hire their wedding suits. The church ladies had put on a superb buffet meal in the church room. Most of the wedding dresses had the appropriate wedding photoes with them, and my best (or, thinking about it, possibly worst) moment of the evening came when the minister's wife (our hostess, I suppose) came up to me after examining our wedding photo and said "Gosh Mike, weren't you a looker forty five years ago. Ann's changed very little. " I quite realise the inference :- Michael in comparison is now a clapped out wreck. Still, I think it was meant as a compliment.
Spent most of today pottering - finishing odd jobs and cleaning things. Weather's turned duller and colder. As a direct result hibernated for a couple of hours this afternoon. Still feel ready for my bed now, though. Goodnight all.

Thursday 14 February 2008

Thursday.

On tuesday's blog I said that I'd been putting off a job that I was feeling a bit apprehensive about. Well, I did the job yesterday morning. It took me, in all, about 15 minutes and went well. I woke up yesterday morning knowing that there might be an easier and more effective way to do the job. There was; it involved hitting the clock hand (from a rather fine 18th century longcase clock) with a hammer. I won't go into finer detail as it would involve giving away trade secrets and might indeed worry the owner if she ever reads this blog. As so often happens it meant redoing work done previously (and badly) by someone else who hadn't thought things through. Today John and Ann C.T. came over for coffee and stayed on for a 'soupy' lunch. It consisted of celeriac soup (made by Ann with chicken stock and celeriac), new bread (again, made by Ann this morning, and a cheese board (mainly a decentish cheddar). It was lovely to see them, and Ann seemed a good deal brighter. John was in his usual good form and told us rather more about his stay in hospital in Antigua. This reminded me of a limerick I once read :- A certain young bride from Antigua once said to her spouse "What a pig you are". He said "Oh my queen, is it manners you mean, or do you refer to my figuah ?" It is one of Wodehouse's lighter efforts. This was very apt as John is really a character from Wodehouse. He didn't really remember it, but thinks Uncle Fred, from Uncle Fred in the springtime, recited it. That was as near as I could get to. Must close as we're going to see an exhibish (Wodehouse influence still at work) in the Ansell Room called 'Love is....' 'Bye all.

Tuesday 12 February 2008

Tuesday.

We seem to be having a run of frosty nights (not really hard frosts - just enough to whiten the roofs) and bright sunny days - absolutely brilliant weather for February. Most of today I've been pottering in my workshop - doing a good many 'ten minute jobs' -case hardening a firesteel from a tinder box for a dealer friend, doing an 'invisible' lead solder mend on an Adam style candlestick (one of a pair, and rather grand), sorting out a clock pendulum, cleaning brass, etc. I think I've been doing these jobs to put off a fairly major job on a clock hand that I really must do tomorrow (dreadful thing self knowledge!!). This afternoon we walked into town to do a little shopping. Ann's cold is rather better but she's been feeling a little lethargic after it -not like her. Must knock off now- got an early start tomorrow. God bless you all.

Monday 11 February 2008

Still Monday.

This is a photo of a lane (or rather a cart track) near here. It's a lovely walk, but muddy at times- wellyboot country. This afternoon I spent my usual monday two hours at lip reading class. It's surprisingly good fun, and - certainly in the long term - very helpful. Evening meal was very good tonight - consisted of hotted up leftovers. Ann had also turned out a delicious pudding - apple and cinamon fool - made of leftover stewed apple and custard. Thought Ann was in for a heavy cold last night, but it seems to have got rather better during the day. Still- an early night would be no bad thing. Good night all.
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Monday.

This morning cycled to Gallows Hill to look at a large boulle french clock that is playing up. Should say 'was' playing up. Now restored to order. On way home took snapshot of some of the violets in churchyard I mentioned yesterday. Our friend who owns the french clock showed us an area of her garden that has a bank of sweet violets in full flower. When we got home I looked in a shady area of our garden and found that we too have violets in flower. Should have been more observant. More perhaps later.
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Sunday 10 February 2008

Still Sunday.

Very brief blog coming up. This has been a very good winter in our area for things coming up early. This morning ( fine bright morning it was, too) on coming out of church about noon, I saw on the grass near the church door small splashes of deep purple colour. On looking more closely I saw there were about a dozen or fifteen dog violets in full flower. Not the tiny scented sweet violets, but the big colourful dog violets that usually flower well after them, and normally much later than this. I'm not sure if dog violets is the correct name for them, but it is our country name. Nice cheerful sight it was. Several ladies coming out of church came to see what I was looking at, and we agreed it was a pretty sight and unusually early. Good night and God bless you.

Sunday.

I think I'm going about this using a long way round. However, the previous four pictures are all of the wash road at Welney, all taken at Suspension Bridge (not that it is now a suspension bridge - hasn't been since 1926 I think, and there's been two bridges since then) last Wednesday; two at about midday and two on the way home at about 5pm when the sun was setting. We had been to see Gran in Wisbech, and called in on Mick and Erica on our way home. And now I come to think of it, it wasn't last Wednesday but Friday. On Wednesday we went to the antique fair at Long Melford. Liz Alport had stayed overnight with us. She bought one or two pieces of restoration work with her, and also (bless 'er) a brace of partidge and a pheasant. We had the partidges for dinner on Thursday evening. Ann had again cooked partridges in a delicious sauce. She told me there was a glass of madiera in the sauce - it seemed to work very well. Been a busy week - can't remember all of it. I think I'll have to try and make a habit of entering things on blog daily. When I try and do it weekly I find I've forgotten things I'd intended to put on it. Ann has just told me that we're due to take tea at the Deanery, so I'd better knock off now - may add more later.

Sunday.

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Both of these pictures were taken about Midday on Wednesday.
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Sunday.

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Sunday 3 February 2008

Sunday.

Nice bright day, but very cold, which is unusual as the wind is in the south. We were both in the choir this morning for sung Eucharist. Afterwards we picked up Sue and David and went off to have lunch with an old friend who has just moved into a very well appointed flat in an elderly folks' complex in a village a few miles from here. It is very well appointed and Coral had laid on a very good cold collation. About ten people there, most of whom we knew. Hadn't met the wife (or rather partner) of our local travel agent, who was a very nice (and amusing) woman. He had a heart attack about a year ago (every sympathy) but is now fully recovered, and looks really well. There is a stream/rivulet (?) of very clear water flowing past the back of Coral's flat, with ducks and moor hens on it. She says if she opens her kitchen window they all congregate and demand food. She's had it completely redecorated, and it really is very spacious for one person. There are a couple of good shops in the village within easy walking distance, but she has just bought herself one of those little electric buggies that many elderly folk now whizz about on. I think she has fallen on her feet there. Must close; we've been answering the 'phone as well as writing, and it's time I knocked off and we got ready for evensong. 'Bye all.

Friday 1 February 2008

Still Friday.

Another snap - just in case.
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Friday.


Been decorating a cake today (see illustration). The ' Churches together ' movement decided to celebrate St. Valentine's day with a 'Love is' exhibition, Old Wedding dresses on display etc. One of the ladies baked a cake, Ann iced it, and I was volunteered to decorate it. This is the result. I can only do two sorts of flowers - seventeenth century looking drooping tulips and Victorian cabbage roses (this is the latter) . Not very weddingy, I suppose, but it's red roses, and the best I can do, anyway. Hope they all like it. This afternoon we motored over to Sudbury to see the dentist. I'd lost a filling- well I hadn't lost it- I kept it and offered it to the dentist to see if he could shove it back in again- he declined to reuse it but refilled the tooth anyway - whole thing took him about seven minutes - he never wastes any time, but it was good of him to see me at such short notice- only 'phoned him this morning. As we were in Sudbury we took the opportunity to do some grocery shopping at Waitrose's which has a decent little canteen. Ann helped at the Luncheon club this morning so we had a sandwich at about eleven, and by the time we passed the Waitrose canteen at about five we were ready to eat (especially as there was the scent of a good curry wafting towards us), so we had our hot meal of the day there - a Rogan Ghosh with a special rice, - can't remember the name of it- it was delicious, thoroughly enjoyed it - had a glass of cold milk with it. Been a busy day, time to knock off now, Goodnight all.
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