Thursday.

Been a good, active week so far. Yesterday evening I gave a talk to the Mothers' Union (and about half a dozen assorted husbands, and a grown up son) on the subject 'The History of base metalware', illustrated by a table topful of early objects, from the late Stone Age to the late eighteenth century. I usually do this on the principle that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the actual, three dimensional object is worth at least a hundred pictures. There was a slight problem at first in that the Mothers' Union Secretary was labouring under the delusion that my subject should have been 'Precious metal ware'; so at the end of about forty minutes waffle on 'A History of base Metal Ware' I produced a very ornate, mid Victorian, silver drinking cup, for her special benefit, and in case that didn't satisfy her lust for 'precious metal ware', I hauled out my gold hunter watch and its gold chain from my weskit pocket, and added it to the silver cup. Also as usual, I introduced a 'question and answer' session at the end of the talk, in case I'd not covered everything or made all clear. As sometimes happens this session went on nearly as long as the talk itself (I'd been asked to make the talk somewhere about forty-five minutes long - I'm always a little surprised to find that it's easy enough to carry on for that time on an interesting subject). At the end of the lecture (and, as Ann is a member of the Mothers' Union - I'd not made a charge for the talk) the secretary presented me with a bottle of wine as a thank you, which was much appreciated. It's always a pleasure to talk to a captive audience on one's own subject. Today (Thursday) we've been over to Sudbury to do a little shopping - Ann found some plants she wanted for the garden on a plant stall (it's Market Day in Sudbury on a Thursday); and I took a weskit in to my Tailor. It has shrunk in my wardrobe over the last few years - I don't know what they do to wardrobes to cause this to happen, but I know it is a not unusual effect. Matthew, my tailor, thinks he can get the necessary repairs done. Must go and assist Ann with some cat feeding - not our cats -neighbours' cats- Two neighbours - three cats. May finish this later. P.S. Consider it finished now. Cats wouldn't co-operate, which is a bit ungrateful of them considering we'd gone there to feed them; you'd think it would be little enough gratitude to pose for a photy or so. Cats!!! humph!! Good night All.