How much water does your household use each day? Do you ever think about it? We checked our consumption for August and found we were up by about 35%. Which sounds a lot until you factor in all our house guests, and one neighbour without bath/shower facilities and another with serious washing machine issues...so lots of extra people using our water supply.
I am not getting stressed about it, it was all justified extra usage.
However it appears that Cornerstones' August consumption was still less than 50% of the average 2 person household in the UK, so we are not doing too badly. There is a helpful site here which explains the amount used by household appliances, and efficient practices.
Since I did the Green Living Project back in Dorset 4½ years ago, and got a shower timer, it is rare for my showers to take longer than 4 minutes. Bob and I shower alternate days. [When I was growing up, I had a weekly bath, so 7 showers a fortnight feels more than adequate!]
Other bathroom savings - I'm pretty obsessive about teeth cleaning, but not with a running tap. Turning the tap off during brushing saves 10 litres a time. And we don't flush if we use the loo in the aptly named "wee small hours" - we're fortunate in having an efficient dual flush.
I run the washing machine every 5 days or so, on an eco programme, and the dishwasher usually every other day. And we ensure that both machines have a full load. And the garden and greenhouse are watered from the water butt. I've used the hose just once this summer.
In the kitchen, I boil just enough water to fill the teapot - not a full kettle. I use the vegetable cooking water to make gravy. Vegetables are scrubbed in a bowl of water, not under a running tap.
Water is a precious resource, we need to use it wisely [more tips here] The water companies may have let us down badly, failing to fix leaks promptly and discharging effluent into rivers... But that does not a solve each one of us from our responsibilities to use water thoughtfully and carefully.
In some parts of the world, women and children walk miles every day to carry water to their families. And many children die from drinking contaminated water.
Never let me take the clean water from my tap for granted!
To be fair, I have not watched more than about one-and-a-half of these programmes. Dear Stacey goes to help people living in overcrowded chaos to minimalise their possessions, and get everything organised. All the while she is relentlessly cheerful [except when consoling people as they part with emotional items] Her decluttering technique is quite a common one - empty everything out. sort it into categories, then dispose of items which are duplicated, dated, damaged or despised. Sounds good in principle, but I get hot under the collar when this reduction includes getting rid of books or haberdashery.
SS herself lives in a massive Tudor style mansion costin £1.2M which she calls "Pickle Cottage". So she has loads of rooms to play around with. Anyway, back to my decluttering.
Cornerstones' original garage is a small, damp brick built, flat roofed building. And since 2009 we have been filling it up with more and more stuff. Bicycles, gardening equipment, outdoor toys, painting and decorating supplies etc. Plus old freezer and even older tumble dryer. I said "If we have a dry sunny day, I will empty it all out and tidy it up." Not least because all my flower pots were at the end behind three bikes, and I could not get to them. I have no idea how many I have, nor yet what sizes. Here are the before shots
As you enter, the frudge and dryer are immediately inside the door. The bench is stacked high with gardening stuff, and you cannot reach the green drawer unit because there is a lawnmower, dustbin full of compost and sack barrow in the way. Then on one side shelves crammed with paint, toys, tools, a gas heater, whilst the opposite wall has a hanging rack full of tools
and the central space is packed with bikes, and bits of wood etc. There is no room to swing a small felt mouse, let alone a cat. We have bizarre things like huge rolls of foil, a large bag of microphone stands - and a pair of coffin trestles. I am not sure why Bob rescued them from a church decluttering day...
Everything went outside in vague "Categories" . The wheeled stuff included bikes, lawnmower, 2 sack barrows[flatbed and sacktruck] 2 pressure washers, shredder, shopping trolley, toddler vehicle, trolley jack...
Cans and boxes, trugs and bags, the gas heater, and my sign from a skip. And a heavy box - not unpacked since Easter 2021. Why do you have so many vices? I asked him...and the blue thing that holds the drill to the bench...
I put paints and chemicals under the windows in the shade and Bob came and sorted them out, I found a strange thing that looked like part of the Starship enterprise [it is the heavy base of a stand for holding things up when you are working on them]
And Liz's 1982 nappy bucket, now totally full of funnels in all sizes!
And a mysterious jar of green liquid which is definitely not seafood sauce.
But I ran out of time, the items were put back neatly, but the bench is still stacked with my garden stuff and unsorted flowerpots. That's for another day. But lots of junk went into the bin, and I was able to repurpose my tall flower arranging buckets to store garden canes, brooms and 'spare broom handles' very neatly.
Now one bike is hanging up at the end by the door [which cannot be opened due to the sandbags on the other side] But in the space behind it, the coffin trestles have provided an excellent stand for the mic-stand case to rest horizontally, no longer in danger if getting a soggy bottom from a damp floor.
Tools hang neatly, brushes are supported in tall buckets. The mower is parked sideways and takes up less room.
You can see the clear space around the bicycles.
All is good, and we are happier.
I am still wondering what the green stuff in the seafood sauce jar is though...
And I never realised I had so many of those blue stacking Sainsbury boxes from 1998...
Does your home have a name, or a number? In 1765 an Act of Parliament decreed that all new properties should have a number and a street name, for better identification. We live in #4, but have named our home Cornerstones. It is a fairly ordinary 1970s bungalow.
I read that there are more than 11,000 properties named "Rose Cottage" in the UK [even more are named Orchard Cottage or Meadow Cottage] During the pandemic, when people in lockdown sought to escape from the things going on around them, the idea of 'cottagecore' was developed. A sort of dreamy escapism, where home was sanctuary, and people could adopt a slower, simpler way of life.
It is a nostalgic, romanticised version of life of rural England, where everyone lives off the land, and women float around in floral frocks. The kitchen is full of home baking, whilst freshly laundered linens waft on the breeze as they hang on the washing line, and baskets of new laid eggs and shiny red apples are displayed on the dresser. Homespun and home made, plus Arts&Crafts furnishings are the key.
Hand stitched cotton quilts, and folded woollen blankets are ready in the bedroom to provide winter warmth, and buzzing bees and bright butterflies are seen in the [weed-free!] garden. Everything is warm and welcoming and soft. The emphasis is on layering. No minimalism here - just prepare to be enveloped in cosiness!
I wonder how you feel about this style? Cottagecore has had an astonishing 12.5 billion views on TikTok [but not me, I've never ever looked at TikTok!]
What aspects of it do I like
obviously, I'm very happy with the idea of life in a pretty country village [but poor street lighting and only one bus an hour can be frustrating]
I like my Kilner jars full of 'pantry staples' [but think using them in the freezer is a daft idea]
I love my William Morris curtains [but much A&C furniture is too large, dark and heavy for a small bungalow]
I'm grateful for my garden and the flowers, and fresh veg [but acknowledge that its hard work keeping it tidy and productive]
I'm definitely all for hand made, hand stitched, hand crafted and home baked
On the other hand, I appreciate many of the advantages of modern technology, and whilst I acknowledge that some of greatgrandmama's herbal remedies were of benefit, modern pharmacology has saved many lives. And nowadays solar panels on the roof are more useful than thatch. I'm glad I do not have to get up early and 'lay the fires', or carry jugs of water from the kitchen to the bathroom for washing.
Are you into 'cottagecore'?
or do you prefer a minimalist approach?
Either way, it is the love and care that makes somewhere 'home' isn't it?
And thank you everyone for your kind words yesterday regarding the Vertigo. It is clearly a much more common problem than I realised, and all the suggestions were really helpful!
It's OK, I know we have a King now...but yesterday Bob and I had a day out in Diss and visited an establishment which sells old tools/militaria/army surplus/catering supplies/ etc etc etc. Gillings of Diss brands itself as "East Anglia's biggest Aladdin's Cave" and it certainly is. Bob had two items on his 'wishlist' - and the retail price of the cheaper item [Maun parallel pliers] was £28. We came away with those [new and unused], and three other items - for a total cost of £30. Result! I found a Coronation Mug from 1953. Well - more of a tankard really, it is way bigger than your average mug.
It measures 4½" high - and holds well over a pint, and was designed by Robert Guyatt. As you see, the design incorporates the Lion and the Unicorn, the Crown, and" 1953“- inside the gold rimmed mug are the words "God Save the Queen"
According to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, [who own a mug just like this] "Richard Gerald Talbot Guyatt CBE (1914-2007) began his
career as a freelance graphic designer with posters for Shell-Mex and BP and
book illustrations. At the Royal College of Art, where he was a professor from
1948 and later rector, he led the introduction of education in graphic design
and influenced subsequent expansion into typography, illustration, printmaking,
photography, film and television design.
From 1952-55 and 1967-70 Guyatt was consultant designer to
Wedgwood and this commemorative mug for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in
1953 was the first of his Wedgwood designs to be put into large scale
production. The company had revived the use of engraved designs in the mid
1930s – a mode of decoration which allowed the artist’s own work and
‘hand-writing’ to be reproduced in a factory setting, and well suited to
Guyatt’s style. He also designed Wedgwood commemorative mugs for the Prince of
Wales's Investiture in 1969 and several royal weddings. Guyatt’s other commissions included stamps, the WH Smith logo
and packaging for Anchor butter.
I found the mug at the rear of a dingy shed, at the back of a shelf of plain white china. It was exceedingly grubby, and I took it to the bloke and asked how much. He looked at me and said "Three Quid?" "OK that's fine" I said [I'd been prepared for anything up to £10 for a mug this size!] It is very mid-century in design, reminiscent of the artwork of the 1951 Festival of Britain. I like it.
Checking online, I see that optimists are advertising them for sale at prices between £30 and £300, and one recently sold at auction for £360. I shall keep mine and put a pot plant in it.
Following the incident with the Sylvanian Meerkats last month, I spotted some in a CS in Diss - but now priced at £15 for a box [previously £3:50] They had six sets on the shelf. But I wonder if they will sell at that price in the CS, where all the other toys are £5 or less?
This is an old bit of slang meaning "It's finished, ready to be shown" and comes from the early days of film making. Rolls of film were stored in metal cans [being highly inflammable, and damaged by exposure to light] Unfortunately here at Cornerstones right now, this phrase means the exact opposite.
It is months since we tried out tester pots on the walls and agreed on a colour for the atrium. The previous owners extended the property, and so there is a large space right in the middle. The ancient Romans always called such a space The Atrium. So that's what we call it.
Since retirement we've rearranged rooms, the Atrium is now our dining area. It is currently a tired yellowish magnolia shade. We tried three testers from Wilko, named Ahoy, Almond, and Natural Twine. #1turned out identical to the existing shade. #2 great name but too 'cold' #3 just right. [But I'm amused that the name twine seems very similar to Farrow&Ball's best-selling shade string.]
There has been a lot of fuss in the press of late regarding 'green' paint [ie eco-friendly, I don't mean sage, emerald, eau-de-nil etc] Upmarket paint companies are encouraging us to buy their products, and to shun cheaper ranges.
The high end stuff is water-based, and low in dangerous VOCs, they say. [VOCs are volatile organic compound, which can cause breathing issues, allergies etc]
Well, we think Wilko's own brand [water-based, and low VOC] is both good quality, and excellent value for money. The only problem in our home is that the paint is still in the can! I'm hoping that by the end of September, the walls will be suitably entwined!
[nb I understand that in the USA that phrase can also mean "in the loo"!]
I spent a whole afternoon vacuuming and sweeping floors, and found myself thing back 60 years to my childhood in Bishops Stortford. Between the ages of 5 and 7½, I often spent Wednesday with Mrs-Lakey-Next-Door while my Mum was busy at the Church Ladies' Meeting.
Mrs L was a very kind neighbour - she fed me chocolate cake, juicy tangerines, and bags of Smith Crisps [with a blue paper screw of salt] I stayed in a room at the front of the house. Her three sons were late teens, still living at home. The room held their billiard table, and lots of bookshelves. I remember sitting on the carpet under the table, happily reading.
I was an early reader, and worked through the boys' books. Wind in the Willows, the Dr Doolittle series, and also Treasure Island, Biggles and John Buchan's Hannay stories. I'm sure Mrs L didn't realise I was reading these slightly more complex tomes - but I was quiet and she left me alone.
My four memories of that room - the table, the books, the snacks - and the square of carpet surrounded by parquet flooring. I was mesmerised by the herringbone pattern made by the wooden blocks. I thought it was wonderful. Mum said you needed a lot of money to have a floor like that. We had lino [linoleum] with small 'area' rugs.
Most people I knew had flooring like that. Fifteen years later, when I got my first flat, things were very different. Kitchens had vinyl flooring [I found this picture of the exact pattern I had in my flat in 1977] and people were buying wall to wall fitted carpets.
Ten years later, people started opting for laminate flooring - a product developed in Sweden - hygienic, easy-to-clean, and back to "area rugs" again to soften things up.
We have laminate in the lounge, dining area and our bedroom. It is rather useful when Jess is learning to feed herself and food regularly hits the floor round her high chair. And when I am sewing, I like to be able to sweep up threads that drift to the floor. But apparently for the super wealthy, the current flooring of choice is...linoleum!
Made in the traditional way with linen and oil [linum = flax, oleum - oil] it has many advantages over PVC/plasticised floors. It doesn't melt, it is anti static and anti-microbial, made from all natural, renewable products. It will last up to 40 years, but then can be put outside where it will degrade completely safely with no 'off-gases'
I'm happy with our current flooring - but still remember Mrs Lakey's Parquet and the lovely smell of polish. One other memory from that era
Every morning at school, we lifted our chairs down, and every afternoon put them back up, on the desktop. I was small and struggled to balance my chair. I asked the teacher why we put them up only to take them down again next day.
She explained to me that 'putting up the chairs' was a sign that the schoolday had ended, and we could go home, and next morning, lifting them down was a sign we should concentrate and start learning again. It was about three years before I realised it was just a way of making it easier for the cleaner to sweep the floor of the classroom!
Let's clarify this - Silicon is a chemical element, symbol Si, atomic number 14. It has a hard, brittle blue grey crystalline structure, and is used in hard coatings for computers, keyboards and more. You are probably looking at or holding something made of silicon right now as you read this. Its oxide [silica] occurs naturally in sand, agate, quartz etc.
Silicones are synthetic polymers, rubber-like compounds. Used widely in insulation, kitchenware, medical equipment, dentures etc [and breast implants] Silicones are seen as an eco friendly alternative to plastics. Resistant to oxidative deterioration (normal aging) for
decades on end. They cope well with exposure to extreme heat and cold, harsh chemicals, sterilization,, ultraviolet radiation, ozone and acid rain, just to
name a few. Not toxic to aquatic or soil organisms, not hazardous
waste, and whilst not biodegradable, can be recycled after a lifetime
of use [lasting longer than similar plastic items]. If disposed of at a landfill for incineration, silicones (unlike
plastic) is converted back into inorganic, harmless ingredients: amorphous
silica, carbon dioxide, and water vapour.
So not perfect, but considerably better than plastics. And extremely useful. Here are some pieces of silicone ware which are in regular use in my kitchen. I mentioned moopops lids last year. Perfect for pots of cream or yogurt in the fridge. I also bought a pack of stretchy silicone lids in Robert Dyas which give a good airtight seal to different sized containers. [Waxwraps are good, but not as airtight or secure, particularly with a pyrex bowl of sloshy liquid stuff]
My pan lids [from IKEA and Lidl] are SO useful. They fit saucepans, and bowls - on the hob, in the microwave and in the oven. Mostly mine are used in the microwave - but good in the oven if I want to keep a dish of food warm, without drying out.
And my collapsible colander is fabulous. It packs flat in the lid rack, in my pan drawer - but opens to three possible depths. I can put it over various different sized pans. And if I use it with my stainless steel steamer pan, then I can cook potatoes in the bottom, and steam two different veg - all on the same ring. A great energy saver. And I can strain the veg easily too, as its handles do not get overly hot.
I love my silicone spatulas- flexible enough to scrape every scrap from the mixing bowl, and easy to wash. Following Steph's tip, I always use one of these to make my scrambled eggs nowadays. Very fluffy and all the contents properly delivered to my plate.
I don't have a lot of silicone bakeware - mostly because I have an adequate supply of tins already and I'm not replacing them just for the sake of it.
But a little sili is definitely useful - do you have any silicone stuff?
In our family, we have always enjoyed board games. But they do take up a fair amount of space. I decided I needed to tidy up the shelf. We have children's games, like Junior Scrabble and Kangaroo, and 'trad' games from my childhood [Cluedo, Monopoly, Scrabble] and some of the newer games. Over the years we acquired duplicate, because we liked having games 'at home' but also here in Norfolk for holidays. Duplicate Monopoly, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit have gone to the CS.
Back in 2008 I reconfigured one Scrabble board, and made a waterproof zip bag so that we could slip the game into the motorbike pannier for our holiday. I wondered if there was any way to modify other board games in our collection to take up less space.
In a CS in Sheringham, I'd bought "Kangaroo" [very like Buckaroo] to play with Rosie - you load all the kit onto the animal till the spring clicks and throws everything into the air. But the original plastic tray was missing, and all the components were rattling around in the large box. I trimmed it down by about 50%. Everything fits neatly, into the smaller box.
We have Cranium, which we love- and Steph gave me a box of extra cards for my birthday. By removing the plastic insert, it was possible to get old and new cards neatly into the box. There was a lot of wasted space and the new arrangement is much neater.
I have done a similar thing with my extra Trivial Pursuit cards. My next move will be to cut the Cluedo Board to make it fold into a reduced size box.[This post has a tutorial on modifying boards]
"What shall we do on Bank Holiday Monday?" we wondered - and decided to find a Boot Sale. There is a big one just off the Norwich Ring Road, every Sunday, but on BH weekends, t is there Mondays too. We left the house just after 7, with our coffee flasks, parked at 7.30 and began with bacon rolls before we started meandering round the huge site.
Established in 1987, Arminghall car boot sale is one of the
biggest car boot sales in the region, regularly hosting up to 600 stalls. It is
situated just off the A47 in a riverside location in close proximity to the
Boudicca Way Walkway & Norwich City Centre. 2022 marks the 36th season of sales.
"I shall be looking for old tools to refurbish" said Bob. "I would like to find a replacement kitchen clock" I replied. This is a sore point, we left a few clocks behind in Dorset, because we thought we did not need them. Then Bob moved the kitchen clock to the Lathe Palace - which seemed OK, as there is a digital clock on the cooker, and the microwave, and the coffee maker. BUT I realised that I like a proper analogue clock - and I kept looking at a blank spot on the wall.
"I'm setting myself a £1 limit for any purchases, unless I can really justify them. And I shall keep an eye open for Penguin Coffee Mugs too" First buy, as I queued for the bacon rolls,I spotted this on the stall opposite. 50p. It is now up on the wall and exactly what I wanted!
50p on a summer dress for cheetah-obsessed Rosie. £1 on a cotton shopping bag - not that I need the bag, but those 20 buttons are beautiful, and will be repurposed into other craft makes.
And one chap had a whole box of brand new wedding fascinators. I went over my limit and splashed out £2 for a blue one to go with my dress and shoes. [I was planning to get one in Norwich on Friday - and expecting to pay at least £5]
Then I met the family who had been queueing in front of me for rolls earlier - they had a pitch and their son was selling his Playmobil. The travelling vets clinic - in a carry case - was priced at £4. "You can have this little box too" he said affably, when I explained it was for my animal loving granddaughter. It was all there,[even the tiny bandages syringe and stethoscope] and would have been around £30 to buy new.
I'd bought another box of Playmobil for 50p earlier on a different stall, but that needs a bit of attention.
Bob spent £3.50 on tools.
I came home really pleased with my purchases. Total spend for both of us, including breakfast, well under £20.
First looking again, then learning graciously, now leaving deliberately
What do I mean by that? It is all about my mindset around letting go of things. For all of my 66th year, when I wasn't adjusting to the lifestyle changes inflicted by the Pandemic, or running Grandma's Nursery for Rosie, I was working towards retirement and moving.
There was definitely a lot of letting go/leaving behind at that point
letting go of church responsibilities.
letting go of superfluous furniture and 'homewares'.Lots of stuff as we went from 40 years in large Manses [plus holiday bungalow] to just Cornerstones.
leaving behind many friends - yes some friendships last, but there is a difference between day-to-day contact and distanced relationships.
leaving behind resources which we have no storage room for, in our new life - and realistically no use for. My beloved Palm Tree and my knitting machine.
definition deliberate [verb] "to engage in long and careful consideration"
definition deliberate [adj] "done consciously and intentionally
Much as I love Cornerstones, and life in Norfolk, in many ways laying down 40 years in ministry wasn't done lightly. I found the leaving UCF easier because we did it deliberately. Bob spent a really long time considering his different roles, and working out how to leave the church in a 'prepared' state. Nobody in a church/school/workplace/family wants to find themselves asking "How do we do this?" and find the answer is "We don't know, X always did it" or "That was Y's job, and we've got no idea where the key/contact number/password is"
Noneof our furniture ended up in a skip. The dining suite went to Manchester. We considered what we could sell, and the 'better' pieces went off to Facebook Marketplace. And then two young friends were allocated Married Quarters at the barracks- and really grateful for a bed, sofas, coffee table, bookcases etc [it was dead weird going to visit, and sit in their lounge surrounded by our stuff though!] I am so glad to be able to picture my stuff in their family home now.
After a couple of months in Norfolk, I deliberately left some social media groups I was in. I explained that we had settled happily, miles from Dorset and it just wasn't appropriate for me to be part of the group anymore. People were kind, wishing us well - and many have sent the occasional private message since.
My Palm Tree went to a Primary School, along with a set of Nativity Costumes. And my knitting machine, unused since Kirby days, went to someone who wanted to take up the craft in herretirement. Leaving these once much-used, special items with people who would love and care for them and give them new purpose felt really positive.
I acknowledge that I have been blessed with the time to prepare for this huge change, many people have to get up and flee and leave everything. But these news pictures remind me I have too much stuff - I need to be passing it on to others. My newly widowed neighbour told me yesterday that her late husband's winter coats have all gone to Ukraine Relief on a lorry - I said he was a good, kind man who would be glad that they were blessing others, and not hanging unused in a wardrobe. She said that thought was helping her.
Minimalism is definitely a Work In Progress for me. I can't look at an item and make the keep/discard decision quickly. I want to be sure I am not ditching something which still has a purpose for somebody else- nor yet hanging on to things which hinder my progress. This is a spiritual issue as well as a practical and emotional one. As the Bible says in Hebrews ch 12
So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the
way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with
determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on
Jesus, on whom our faith depends
The loo, with a turquoise Toftbo IKEA pedestal mat, bought in 2009 [I think] When we bought it we also bought a pedestal mat for the handbasin, and a rectangular bathmat. My friend Lesley made me a mat to go by the shower door using recycled shirts as a housewarming present back then too. But the shower mat has worn out - and the pedestal handbasin replaced by a 2 drawer washstand. So we had one pedestal mat spare.I moved the rectangular mat along to serve both bath and basin.
But I don't like stepping out of the shower onto the tiled floor - it's slippery when my feet are wet. And the regular bath mat is a big too big - it gets in the way of the bathroom door. Then I had an idea- why didn't I modify the spare pedestal mat? I carefully unpicked the binding round one "leg", cut off the spare fabric and reattached the binding.
I am so pleased with the result. It sits neatly 'round the corner' of the shower, but does not impede the door. The mat is now L shaped not U shaped
And I can walk safely on mats from the shower to the medicine cabinet, with no fear of slipping.
I am ridiculously pleased with this project.
You could say that I'm no longer putting my mat on a pedestal.
In Kirby Muxloe, and Ferndown, we had a mantelpiece and a Tapley display shelf. My various Willow tree figurines were displayed there- and some were also on the bookshelf in the lounge at Cornerstones. The nativity set only comes out during Advent.
But now - the bookshelves are full of books, the Tapley shelf was sold along with the matching wall cupboards - and my pieces have been packed in a box for 9 months. After much debate, we decided that there was room for a set of shelves over my bedside cupboard. A place where I could enjoy them, and they would be safe from little fingers!
I am so pleased with this [thank you Bob] Bob repurposed some wood he had in his stash, and used clever chrome brackets [designed for glass bathroom shelves] to fit these three shelves neatly to the wall. You will see that the bottom shelf is wider - that is because one piece has a much wider 'footprint' than the others. Also, having declared in 2013 that I had enough, and wanted no more, there are two new pieces in the range [this and this] which I might like to possess one day. They're a bit more expensive, and will have to wait for a special moment.
My first piece was bought on our original trip to the USA in 2002 - "angel of courage". That was followed by two 'family' pieces, and the year we got Cornerstones, Liz gave me "mi casa" for Christmas.
That was followed by three more angels [loving, caring and winter] and then Bob gave me 'blessings' [that was Christmas 2012]
Finally, in March 2013, Steph gave Bob "quest" - he had just written off his motorbike in a nasty accident. She said she wanted him to know she was sad about the bike, but truly grateful she still had her Dad. I love the way the guy is sitting on a pile of books, reading, with another open at his feet, in an ongoing quest for knowledge. Very Bob!
Preacher, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, craftswoman. Married to wonderful Pastor Bob since 1979, now happily retired to Norfolk, but still busy. I am blessed with two brilliant grown-up daughters and four wonderful grand children
