Thursday.

On Tuesday afternoon we took Ruth and the girls to Stansted, to take a homeward bound plane back to Sweden, via Germany for a couple of days. Freja is learning German at school and wanted to practice it. Yesterday we got up early for early service at which I read the first lesson, a long, but interesting chunk of Genesis when Joseph was chief officer for Pharoah, and his brothers needed to buy grain (detailed  account of life in the bronze age).   Spent the rest of the day doing a fairly major rebuild on what may eventually be used as a mystery object on this blog, so won't say more.

Today went with the U3A collectors club to have a look round  the Yoxford Antique Centre. Ann didn't come because she had a prior engagement (tea with Helga). The Yoxford Antique Centre has recently changed hands and was a bit disappointing. The six of us had a cuppa and a bite to eat at 12.30p.m. and discussed what was to be done next. I suggested that there were three antique shops in /near Yoxford so we drove back into Yoxford village. The first antique shop was very CLOSED! (so there!). We went onto the second, much smaller shop, which was very much open, and we all made hay. This shop has  four rooms and, I would think,  three or four dealers who take turns to man the shop. Contents are a real mix, as were the six of us, and we mostly found something to suit our various tastes. Your blogger bought three pairs and one single brass candlestick (all reasonably early), a brass puzzle padlock (minus its key - which I'll have to make) and another small item which may well reappear here as a 'mystery item', as well as a rather handsome copper kettle.

The picture above is really for practice and is of a bonsaied yew tree, which has taken ten years to reach its present nine inches high, but is beginning to look like a tree; which, on exerting the memory, I think I may have told you before.

Before closing I must tell you a rather good story that Ann told me after church yesterday morning. A good friend of ours has a granddaughter who has just taken a job at a 'call centre'. Her job consists of selling, over the 'phone, a small gadget that is kept beside the telephone and then informs the buyer of any incoming nuisance telephone calls trying to sell them something. Lovely bit of irony, but makes me think our world is getting dafter daily.