Monday.

 

Spent yesterday in London. This is the third time in eight days. Above group photo taken in youngest daughter Lizzie's kitchen. Glamorous creature to my left is granddaughter Georgia. Whilst her brother Matthew and I had been out viewing an auction, she and her sister Beth had been out and purchased the shoes Georgia is wearing!!!! FIVE inch stilletto heels and platform soles! They reminded me of a story my Norfolk grandfather once told me about an incident in the 1930s. My mother (then in her teens) had been into Wisbech and purchased a pair of the then new (and highly fashionable) 'peep toe' sandals. My grandfather had returned them to the shop on the grounds that they were incomplete - no toes in them. He got a full refund, too. Told the shoe shop manager, who had tried to persuade him that 'they were meant to be like that', not to be a £$*%"!!! fool. Forceful character, when he had to be, my grandfather.

Today whizzed over to Littleport and dealt with a long case clock of the 1690s. It has recently been moved, and was sulking over the matter. Took about three minutes to persuade it to resume its full duties. Lunched in Ely at the Almonry- a building of 13th century date, near to the cathedral, and built as part of the cathedral complex. Excellent lunch - I recommend the place. Then on to Swaffham Prior to rerope a Norfolk (Thetford) grandfather clock I last had dealings with thirty years ago. Good to see the clock and its owners again - the clock hadn't changed a bit. Nor had the owners much- all three were recognisable anyway. In fact didn't have to rerope it - old rope was in pretty good shape generally - just had to resplice it. Got a busy week coming up, so will blog when I can.
Goodnight all.