Shopping At The Showground

Last Friday [7th] Julian arrived at lunchtime, as Bob got back from the Hospice. We had a quick snack then drove off to the Royal Norfolk Showground arriving at 2pm. The tickets were reduced after 1.30, which was a pleasant surprise.

We had much fun walking around the many stalls - some outside, some inside the exhibition building, and a few in a large marquee.

What can I say about the event? It was much as you would expect, a real mixture of stuff, ranging from overpriced tat which you might find at half the price on Romford Market, to handcrafted artisanal products made with care from quality materials, also costly, but perhaps better value for money!

And in between some middle range stuff, and lots of foodie gifts, with enthusiastic stall holders plying visitors with samples.

Bob and Julian were channelling Homer Simpson...

Chutneys, oils, chocolates, almonds [almonds are the best nuts] fudge, cheeses...a veritable banquet. And tiny sips of whiskys, fruit gins, and other drinks for those who like that. We sat outside with large cups of flavoured hot chocolate.

I did not feel the need to purchase vintage cutlery stamped with twee messages "Grandad's porridge spoon" "lovely grub" etc. So many of the items had spelling mistakes! Nor did I splash the cash for a pair of waving Santa legs 

We chatted to some interesting stallholders, and some who may have been related to Del and Rodney Trotter. There was a woman selling Primark pyjamas [with just ½ the label cut out] and another 'Norfolk Crafter'with "handmade ornaments" with the 'made in China' labels still on the bottom!  Lots of food stalls, with wide choice of menus [burgers, fries, pizza, donuts, curries, cookies, etc] And at the end of the row, 3 open fronted tents set up for selfies - Enchanted Forest with sleigh, Fairyland, and Royal Palace. A kind passerby took our family picture

Altogether a fun afternoon out. A much drier Friday than yesterday. All three of us bought a present ir two. But I can't reveal what!

News Splash!

 

I've joined an exercise class! Every Thursday evening, I'm going to an Aquafit session. It is held at the pool attached to our Village School. There are about twenty of us in the group and Hannah is our instructor.

She's bright and enthusiastic, and spots if anyone is struggling with the moves. We range in age from teens [Faith, my friend's daughter] to OAPs [me] and at least two of the class have knee problems.

I've been doing it since September, its good fun, and I think its helping me feel better - less stiff, more supple. But some weeks I am so tired and have to really push myself.

I think I may have been trying a bit too hard though. During one session, Faith's mum was a little concerned about me.

She whispered to her daughter "You've got life saving training. If Ang keels over, you've got to rescue her, she's one of the oldest here"

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Norfolk County Council is preparing the gritters in readiness for winter. They have 55 lorries, and this year held a competition to name each one. Asking the public for names is always dodgy [BoatyMcBoatface] BBC Radio Norfolk, and the Eastern Daily Press helped. Over 600 entries, mostly from children and local schools. They have just published the list of the winning names. You can tell the majority of entrants were children! I am impressed by a four year old suggesting Control Salt Delete [I suspect parental influence there]
Many refer to famous people or films, some [in red] are folk with Norfolk connections, others relate to the Canaries [Norwich FC] Some I found a little confusing [Doris? Gracie?] In Norfolk dialect, great is pronounced grit. One in six have ice in the name somewhere. One in 3 include ice. One in 8 have salt.
My own Norfolk favourites are Edith Gravel [Miss Cavell's name often mispronounced, but her family insist the emphasis is on the first syllable, so this one works well] and On the ball, Gritty [the Canaries song is the world's oldest football chant] And I think it is lovely to have Kitt The Grit. Terry Kitt was Assistant Norfolk County Surveyor for many years, and responsible for winter maintenance. That was his nickname at work. He died last year. and this is a fine tribute.

A Fine Gritty - Elaine  Albert Icestein - Albert, 7  Alfie Hew-Grit - Anonymous   Attlebrrrr - Timothy  Banham Blizzard - Florence, 5  Big Mean Ice Machine - Zane, 5  Billie Ice-Lish - Hope, Year 5  Blizzard Of Oz - Mia, Year 3  Boud-Ice-A - Dennis, 8  Captain Grit - Kye, 7  Chris Thawham - Gail  Control Salt Delete - Melodie, 4   Dan Gritter - David   Doris - Jake, Year 5  Edith Gravel - Lisa, Matt  Elsa - Darcey, 4  Frostilicity - Felicity,     Gracie - Bawdeswell School  Grant Salt - Nick Grit Astley - Bruno The Grit Gatsby - Ellie, 9  Grit Expectations - Riely,   Grit Yarmouth - Stanley, 9 Gritosaurus - Florence, 4  Gritty Gritty Bang Bang - Frankie, Gus The Gritter - Erin, 6  Harry Gritter and The Chamber Of Salts - Tudor, 10

Ice Warrior - Horsford School  Kitt The Grit - Andrew  K-Popsicle - Clara,    Lando Norice - Chloe, 7, Nyle   8  Let's Be Gritting You – [3 votes] Luke Grittler - Bill Maleficent - Sorina, 6  Margrit- Stanley,    Norwich Gritty FC - David On The Ball Gritty – [5 votes] Paddington Brrrrrr - Dougie, 5  Polar Patroller - Joseph,    Salt and Gritter - Bonnie  Saltimus Prime - Mabel, 4  Sandy Snowgo - Martha, 9  Sleet Caroline - Ralph, 8  Slippy Slayer - Kye, 7  Snow Stopper - Archie, 6  Snowball 3000 – Alexis 9  Snowbi-Gone Kenobi - Mia, 9  Sprinkle Sprinkle Little Star - William, 11 Taylor Drift - Millie, Thawa Hird - Richard The Ice Tamer - Lexi, 5 True Grit – [14 votes] Usain Salt - Lily-May, 7 Wall-Ice And Gromit - William, 9 Walter The Salter - Sydney, 9

Thank you Liz for sending me this news story.

Does your county council name its gritters?
Which is your favourite name in this list?
And what would you call a gritter?

NOT Feeling Jaded

The word jade  has three different definitions - A verb, jade,  meaning to wear out, leading to the adjective jaded -  exhausted, lacking enthusiasm, often through being satiated. From the Middle English jade/chade for a worn out horse [and later, disreputable woman

A noun jade from the Spanish piedra de ijada  which means flank-stone. Centuries ago, people believed this lovely green semiprecious stone would cure ailments of the flank or kidney.

The jade plant, crassula ovata. Also known as the money plant or friendship tree. Liz has a very large plant, in summer 21, just before Jess was born, she gave me a small cutting, I put it in a coronation mug . Look at it now, three times the size. I am quite excited by this growth.

Later that year, Liz gave me a small Christmas cactus, to replace a much larger one which I had for years, and which died when we lived in Kirby Muxloe. I know it survived to 2023, as I blogged about it just two years ago. But I think it must have died. I cannot find it anywhere! I may treat myself to a new one.

How are your Christmas Cacti plants coming along?

Do you do the darkness thing, to encourage blooms on cacti and poinsettia?

Do you have any jade jewellery or ornaments?

This Gets Right Up My Nose!

In the middle of all the celebrations, I developed a health issue- I couldn't seem to breathe easily through my nose. It was noticeably worse at night, and Bob said my snoring was irregular and worse than usual. I rang 111, and a very helpful woman did her checklist [mucus? no, nosebleeds? pain? no....] She directed me to a nearby pharmacy, and explained she thought it was sinusitus and the pharmacist would be able to help and advise. So I went off and waited less than 10 minutes. 

The pharmacist diagnosed blocked sinuses - I came away with a little plastic bottle to enable me to rinse out my sinuses. "This is free, we were given a load of samples" said the guy. You can get more sachets from us or online. I have been diligently squirting morning and evening for a week or so. It is making a difference. 

But its an undignified process and I hate doing it. One of the reasons I took forever to learn to swim was that I hate water up my nose! The guy said many people do not seek help until they have a painful infection. By acting promptly, these rinses should prevent that. 

Since May 2023, the NHS has been working to help patients access primary care, and ease that early morning rush to book GP appointments. This includes encouraging people to Think Pharmacy First - there are seven conditions which pharmacists are now able to treat, and offer prescription medicines if needed.

I went to a pharmacy in Dereham - open 8am-9pm Monday to Saturday, 8am - 6pm Sundays. 
This is such a useful service. 
The expression 'gets right up my nose' seems to date back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Certainly it was used by English troops to describe something annoying.
This medical provision is anything but annoying, I am very grateful for it.

You Are Only Seventy Once!

People have been saying that a lot, as we all have marked this significant "Milestone" event with Bob. I think he has been overwhelmed by the kindness and love shown to him.

It was one truly memorable week of events [and good food]

Sunday - cake, singing and a birthday ode with church family

Monday - special meal together, followed by late night opening of gifts and cards

Tuesday - birthday lunch in Norwich with good friends

Wednesday - Kippers for breakfast, then Men's Shed with cakes, Indian banquet

Thursday - Cambridge, seeing many dear friends 

Friday - Julian arrived- fish and chip tea from our favourite shop

Saturday - a family birthday meal, with Julian, Marion and Adrian 

It was good to have a celebration meal on Saturday, between Bob's birthday [4th] and Adrian's birthday [16th]

Also, November 8th would have been the 69th birthday of my dearest cousin Gill - Julian's mum. I was so glad he could be with us.
As well as this mahoosive card, and enamel mug, there have many other cheerful cards and thoughtful gifts. I may mention some of them in a later post. Once again, thank you to everybody who has sent such kind greetings 💓

Poppy Sunday

As a small child, Remembrance Day meant standing with Mum in the cold, damp, misty weather, watching the solemn procession to the War Memorial - the military band, followed by men in uniform, then the dignitaries from the council with heavy overcoats and gold chains, and the local clergy [Dad being the only one not in clerical robes!] and finally the Scouts and Guides. Poppies were wire and paper, with a black bitumen centre and held on with a regular pin.
In my teens, I was marching with the Boys' and Girls' Brigade companies [in my smartest uniform, diligently keeping in step] They started putting plastic stems on poppies in 1967, and the paper leaf disappeared. In 1982 there was the Falklands War. There was a resurgence of support for the poppies. In 1987, the leaf was returned [by popular demand] and in 2000 they introduced large poppies to fix onto cars.

Then we had 9/11, and wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Previously the veterans had been mostly from WW1 and WW2 - but now there were young men marching, or being pushed in wheelchairs, and young widows, proudly wearing the medals their husbands had won, posthumously. We were not just remembering distant past conflicts, but conscious of very recent sacrifice. More people turned out to walk down to the Memorial in Kirby Muxloe, Rachel played the Last Post, Bob and the Vicar led the Act of Remembrance together

2014 was definitely the Year of the Poppy - 100 years since the beginning of WW1, and the Tower of London had a display of 100s of ceramic poppies, entitled "Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red". I went to see it with Liz. Adrian gave me a poppy for Christmas.
Back at church in Kirby Muxloe, we had a huge picture of the local castle. and people added their own messages of remembrance written on paper poppies

And that was the year I worked in the Autism Unit, and helped the girls to sew their own poppies, using four red felt hearts [love] with a black button centre[ sadness]

Now the British Legion poppies are 100% paper, and 100% recyclable. And there are far more public poppy displays than ever

But whatever these red flowers on our lapels are made from, however many knitted poppies adorn our churches, shop-windows, lamp-posts and pillarboxes, the message remains the same...throughout the years, so many have paid the price for our freedom - and we honour their memory, their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

We WILL remember them

A New Raised Bed

In 2009 - two single beds. They went against the wall, with a pair of matching cabinets between.

Later, we moved them to the opposite side of the room so we could accommodate a wardrobe. Only room for one cupboard - the other came into our bedroom. In 2023 we pushed them together as a double, and I made a 'filler strip' to go down the middle where there was a gap between the mattresses. Really wide, room for two parents and a grandchild. Or two grandchildren and Gran.

Now we have changed it for a King size Malm. With two extra cupboards for more storage [thank you FB Marketplace] It is also higher - and we think this raised bed will prove useful, as we can store stuff underneath, and it is easier for oldies like us to get in and out of! Currently there are 2 single mattresses, awaiting delivery to Manchester. 

The single quilts which I made in 2009 are really large- so one placed sideways is adequate. As I took the photo I realised our picture [Holkham Beach] needs moving. I think it needs to be central over the bed! 

If you need b&b in central Norfolk anytime, let me know!

My Tree In November

A Day In Autumn

It will not always be like this,

The air windless, 

A few last leaves 

Adding their decoration to the trees’ shoulders, 

braiding the cuffs of the boughs with gold; 

A bird preening in the lawn’s mirror. 

Having looked up from the day’s chores, 

pause a minute, and

Let the mind take its photograph

Of the bright scene, 

- Something to wear against the heart in the long cold.

Ronald Stuart Thomas 

Celebrating A Special Friend

These two pictures show Ray Brown - aka Rev Dr Raymond Brown. A Baptist minister and scholar, a pastor, preacher and writer, who became Principal of Spurgeon's College in London.

The photos show him in the 50s, when he began ministry, and then in his retirement. 

He became friends with my Dad, when they were accepted, on the same day, to become Baptist Ministers. I first heard Ray preaching when I was five, and still vividly remember what he said to the children then,
Ray was Bob's principal at College in the early 80s. He retired in 1986, the summer that Bob left College. I thank God for the privilege of knowing him and his family. He and his late wife Christine were wonderful people. Both incredibly clever, wise and gracious, generous and thoughtful, full of humour and humility. He died last month in his 90s. 

Today we will be joining many friends in Cambridge to celebrate that amazing, grace-filled life.  He had an impact on hundreds of people down the years. A man of faith, a disciple of Jesus, who spent his entire life sharing the good news of God's love. May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.  

Well done, good and faithful servant - enter into the joy of your Lord

Autumn Leaves

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First of all, thank you everyone for the kind wishes you've sent for Bob's birthday. He is having a great week [as am I] More on that later...

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Among all the post for him was a small envelope for me. My October 2x2 patch from Kirsten. As often happens, we have been thinking along similar lines. As I was making autumn leaves for a cake, she was stitching them.

Inspired by some leaves stitched by Karen Turner, Kirsten did this piece.

What a diverse collection of stitches: backstitch, seed, stem, split, chain and satin. And among the regular stranded floss,  some rainbow glittering thread to catch the light.

So charming!

And my flat gift was  a stack of little origami envelopes each contains a folded sheet of paper [15x15cm] These will make lovely gift tags, or little notelets to tuck inside a greetings card. UPDATE See Kirsten's comment below about notelets

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Such lovely colours, a joyful,celebration of the season. Maybe you can describe being in our 70s as "the autumn of our lives" - but that is no reason for the days to be dull and colourless and lacking in beauty and happiness...

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Happy 70th Birthday, Bob!

 

Really 'making a meal' of the milestone birthday. Sunday we shared the cake with our church family [thank you Charlie for writing a special birthday ode]

Monday - just the two of us, at home, enjoying Bob's favourite  moules et frites.

Today - lunch with close friends in Norwich

Wednesday - small cakes at the Shed with his mates

Friday - Julian arriving

Saturday, us, J, Adrian and Marion having a special meal at Cornerstones

Next week - we will diet! [till 17th, when Denise and Kevin are coming for a meal]

And in between all the eating, there will be cards, and gifts, and celebrations. Because he's worth it 💚💙💜

This Sucks...But In A Good Way

So the new bed arrived on the IKEA lorry [and yet again Bob's M&S card got temporarily blocked because it was a 'suspicious transaction'!] We have dismantled the single beds. The frames are out in the workshop, and we slid the mattresses under the new bed [this one is higher] I have washed and sorted bedding to go to Manchester. Each bed will have a mattress protector, duvet, and linens. To reduce space in the car when we transport them, I've put them in vacpac bags.

I love these bags! All the bedding [inc. duvet] for a single bed fits in the bag, and then the trusty vacuum cleaner sucks out all the spare air. It contracts the bag so small that it fits into a pillowcase. [which will stop the plug getting knocked in transit - thus preventing any sudden expansion!]
I use these vacpac bags for all my spare linens, and for my stored summer clothes. 
You can't see it in the photo, but there's a sheet of paper in there, listing what is inside. 
I've reduced my own bedlinen collection, and have 2 sets of linens for each of the double beds here. One is UK kingsize [150cm] , the other is Euro king [160cm] I have embroidered  K and K+ on the fitted sheets, because i do not want to get them muddled. 
Why do so many manufacturers fail to put sizes on the labels?
Do you use vacpac bags for storage? What is in yours?
I'm planning a special meal this evening for Bob and me - it is his 70th birthday tomorrow

Waiting, But Not Worrying

Easier said than done - the moving to a new house, changing to a new job, getting the much needed hospital treatment, replacing the car, paying off student fees, restoring a broken relationship...you can add your own things to this list. 
This Graham Kendrick song is 30 years old now, but I find great comfort in the words...

Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.[Matthew ch 6:34]

A Foat? Whatever's That?

It's a new portmanteau word, I told Bob. Ferret+stoat? Fishing+Boat?  Nope, it is a Funnel-necked Coat! I kid you not, it was in Red Magazine. 

How ridiculous is that name? Whatever next? Pumper = polo neck jumper, Rardi = round neck cardi. 

Netmums suggest this cream one from Sainsbury's for less than £50.

No thank you. Not with a silly name like that!

Furthermore, knowing my clumsiness, a cream one would be besmirched with coffee stains, or worse, within seconds of being put on. They do it in a few other colours, including "this season's Must Have brown twill" 

Being told something is a Must Have puts me off buying it.

Wrap up warm, everybody - and don't worry if it is the comfy garment you've had in your wardrobe for months [or years] and keep your hands warm with Loves or Witts [leather gloves or woolly mitts] 

Woolgathering

Defined in the dictionary as indulging in aimless thoughts or daydreams. I've definitely been woolgathering as I've continued with the Loft Sort!

One of my nieces is expecting a baby next year, so I thought I'd do some knitting. The day before going to Manchester, I confidently climbed the loft ladder in search of baby wool. I was sure it was in a wicker hamper. There was a hamper, but only one suitable ball of wool. I found a pair of 4mm needles on the table in the back bedroom. I began knitting a little hat.

I'm embarrassed to admit that on Tuesday as I began to move the stacks of boxes around I unearthed seven hampers of wool, a large plastic box of wool, and a smaller one with assorted needles. One box was full of Sirdar baby yarns. 

I brought the blue box downstairs and spent an hour sorting the needles into pairs, and discarding damaged or odd ones. Then I lined them up in size order from 2mm to 20mm. 

Then I was ruthless removing all my duplicates. There were more than 2 dozen pairs. They will go to the Big C Cancer Charity Craft Emporium at Wymondham. Whenever I visit, someone is sorting through looking for a particular size. I'm sure they will sell.

Here's the little baby hat in a soft lemon shade. Now I've found the hamper with all the baby yarns, I think I'll try a little cardi in another colour.  Is it really November tomorrow?  The year is racing by. Last November I did a knitting challenge for the Bone Cancer Research Trust. I'm too busy for that this year...

So What Are YOU Celebrating Then?

Years ago I was in WHSmith looking through some Easter cards, when the lady next to me complained "This is no good, these are all religious!" I said, rather more loudly than perhaps I should have done "But Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead - what are you celebrating then?" She looked very embarrassed and scuttled away. 
I thought about her last week as I was looking through the John Lewis Christmas section whilst Bob was sorting out the replacement microwave.

JL declares there are four themes to their decorations this year, "these are Heirloom Splendour, Enchanting Tales, Worldly Treasures and Ancient Wonders, and each have been thoughtfully curated to add charm to the festive period."
I don't need any more decorations, but it is fun to have a look. Heirloom Splendour seems to baubles and wrapping paper [retro items like telephones and sardine cans], Woodland Tales is animals [felt ones, or decorated baubles, tableware and beauty products] Enchanting Tales seem to be mostly interesting shaped baubles - and Ancient Wonders include a wooly mammoth, a dinosaur. acorns, pine cones and more. But did they have any nativity crib scenes? [Sue in Suffolk is hunting them out for a friend's fundraiser]

Yes they did! starting at around £100, there is this porcelain Alessi model. Personally I think it is odd - particularly the smug baby Jesus standing up with his fingers in his ears. 

There is another more expensive Alessi range, and you can buy the pieces separately, like these musical angels [£34 the pair] and animals for the stable. 

I am not sure they gave much thought to this. Surely a Jewish stable is unlikely to contain a pig! So basically, any representation of the true Christmas story is not in the main Christmas section but round the corner in the kitchen/china area - and rather too expensive for the average family. Why not buy something much cheaper for your tree, like this felt Christmas Toilet Roll?

On our way home from JL, we stopped at Next to have as coffee in Costa, and I browsed their Christmas Shop. They seem to be fixed on Highland Cattle - decorations, tableware, bedlinen. If you have bought the JL loo roll, why not add a Highland Cow in a Santa Hat sitting on the toilet reading her book? 

My Christmas tree is covered in all sorts of eclectic items - a Maine lobster from Steph, a tiny Marmite jar from cousin Gillian, and a little glass sewing machine from Julian, the little mermaid Rosie and Liz brought me from Denmark. Each item has its own story of love behind it - but the majority of my decorations are angels, nativity scenes, or items saying love, joy, peace, hope etc. 

If your entire house is bedecked with highland cattle this Christmas, then I am just wondering, what exactly are you celebrating? 
And yes, there will be a candle on my Christmas Cake - it's Jesus' birthday after all! 

Cash In The Attic?

Definitely Not! But I am starting the process of tidying and ordering the loft, because it has become something of a mess up there. I get down some project [eg Shed Aprons] and all the stuff is in a large plastic box. But when I return it, I realise there is another 'loft thing' - so that goes in that box. Or in a rush to tidy up because guests are coming, I put a suitcase away, without checking it is properly emptied. And then there are the bags labelled with messages like "Old greeting cards, 2022, sort these out ASAP" I wrap up well for this task, and wear sensible footwear [going up and down the loft ladder in slippers or socks is a bad idea] Here is my equipment

• 7A rubbish bag [for rubbish!] 
• a couple of large strong bags, for stuff that needs to come down and be relocated[Charity Shop, other people, the craft cupboard etc]
• A reel of masking tape, sharpies and a pencil - for labelling
• A pair of scissors  - always useful
• My tablet [to listen to the radio**]
• My phone - in case somebody phones me, or in case I need help for some reason [eg lifting down a large item and Bob is out in the workshop] I used the phone for the picture hence its not on the table

I found an angel's tinsel halo, so put it on and felt joyful. Then there was a large freestanding mirror - redundant now we have a mirror on the wardrobe door That's going to Manchester for Steph's new house. Note the rubbish bag hanging down, gradually filling up. That empty cardboard box is for recycling, and is the THIRD one I filled in the first hour. I have decided I do not need every cardboard box which has entered the house [the new kitchen came flatpacked in over 100 boxes] 

They have just announced there will be a village Yard Sale in the Spring, to raise funds for the Parish Church - so one corner of the loft is now 'possible yard sale stuff'. But my task was interrupted by an IKEA delivery lorry. We are changing the two single beds in the back room for one double. It will free up a bit more floor space. But that means as well as sorting the loft, I also have to sort out all my bedding. The singles will go to Manchester, along with their linens, [and that mirror] when we visit at Christmas. 
I'm hoping to have the loft and back bedroom straight by Friday 7th when Julian comes. There is loads going on - especially Bobs 70th birthday on Tuesday.

All four grandchildren appear to be having a great half term, at Forest School and Holiday Club.
** I listened to the final episode of Jane Eyre, a programme about Men's Sheds, and a 'Limelight' thriller on BBCSounds.

Always in my loft I hang the paper heart which turned up in a loft sort about 30 years ago. It has hung in three different lofts, but the message holds true. My loft, and the world in general, may appear to be in a chaotic mess sometimes - but there is One who is watching over us, and his love never fails.

Cut To The C[h]ase

Did you know the phrase "Cut to the chase" is a century old? It comes from the early days of silent cinema, in the USA. Film makers shot lots of film, but it was hard to make dialogue interesting. The rapid chase scenes were exciting however, so superfluous footage was excised- the editors phrase was "Cut to the chase". Now the phrase means "forget the trivia, get to the point"

The point of this post is a case. Specifically, a case to help you cut. I recently purchased some folding scissors, and was intrigued to realise they would fit perfectly into a square case - the same size as our TwoByTwo patches. I decorated two squares of lilac felt. One side with three Boteh motifs, and the other with a letter K [for Kirsten] The crimson K is decorated with running stitch and coloured seed beads - the other side has sparkly sequin embellishments. The squares are attached on three sides, open at the base. I threaded a ribbon through the scissors and then through a hole in the top corner of the case. And attached a pair of buttons at the top.

When folded, the scissors are inside the case. But they can be pulled out, unfolded and used. The little buttons retain the ribbon. 

This should fit tidily in a sewing bag, and when folded, all the sharp points are safely enclosed. 

I included this as Kirsten's "Flat Gift"

I am becoming quite fascinated by the constraint of having to work on these little squares each month! 

Working At Warp Speed?

James Doohan, who played"Scotty" in Star Trek, was the grandson of a Scottish weaver. It is said that he suggested "Warp Speed" for the extremely high speeds reached by the Starship Enterprise, as a reference to the flying shuttles he had watched in his childhood. I was pondering  on my October Two-By-Two patches, and realised I'd done a fair bit of mending and fixing for friends and family recently. So I thought I would decorate this months patches with darns.

I dug out my Speedweve darner. I picked some Autumnal colours, and used some white Aida even weave cloth to keep things neater. Here are my two patches

You start by threading the WARP using the hooks to make a tidy top edge. Then you WEAVE THE WEFT from side to side. It's fiddly but fun. I like the way the colours blend and remind me of the falling leaves.

In the way these things turn out, Kirsten sent me a link [after I had begun working on the idea] to the website of Jessie Mordine Young, who had an exhibition of her 'woven year' based on a collection of daily pieces created on a small loom.

K. had no idea what my October patch would be about - but I am fascinated by the way similar ideas come to us as we are planning...
By the way 'Speedweve' is a bit of misnomer. This one took ages - and these are patches #3 and #4, as the first two just weren't up to snuff!