Friday Family Funday

Poor Bob, we are holding a Holiday Club at Church today and for a fortnight he has had to live with crafting stuff all over the house. It is only an afternoon event, not the full week of activities which we used to organise in our other churches before retirement. But it does take a lot of time and preparation. There will be four different craft activities [my responsibility] and media stuff - songs, music, powerpoint [his area of expertise]  Nick, our pastor is doing two magic tricks
Our theme is Jesus- Light of the World. Good to have some light and joy on the day before dark, spooky Halloween arrives. The crafts are Christmas related - my justification for this is that God was planning Christmas from the foundation of the world! [also I happen to have all the resources for these in my stash already] We don't use the "Messy Church" logo - ours is a Family Funday.

• We are making shepherds - left over bottle men from Pyramid Rock two years ago, with new outfits.
• Globe baubles - an easy one, recycling old Christmas cards
• Wooden 'baubles', which Bob laser cut for me, with a candle design
• And angel spinners using old CDs
• And there are the usual worksheets with colouring and word puzzles 

I am always mindful that children frequently leave things behind in the rush to go home. In Kirby, they all had folders for sheets and 'flat' crafts, and a labelled carrier bag - on the last day, everything was distributed and taken away. This year I appealed in church for old shoeboxes and got lots - thanks friends! I spent Wednesday evening covering them with gold foil. Each child will have a shiny box to carry away their creations. The gold foil is from a huge roll [it is 5 foot long, and quite heavy] which my dear friend Dave Ford gave me nearly twenty years ago. Bob is afraid it will last forever even though I keep using it for projects. 

I will tell you how it went next week..

With The Girls At Blickling

 

Well done National Trust for so many autumnal activities at Blickling Hall this week.
The girls loved all the fabrics, Jess explained to the guide about the Uzbek dress her Daddy brought back for her from his work trip. Rosie enjoyed designing a kimono. Shaun the Sheep is there advertising an event starting in November. 
The Global Textiles Exhibition started three months ago - I was pleased to see how it has developed with extra stuff [eg a local secondary school made some collaborative kimonos using separate fabric squares stitched and dyed by pupils] 

The hot chocolate was very welcome after a cold walk following The Crone Trail. I wasn't so sure about that, a bit too spooky for Jess [and me] - we weren't told it was really for age 7+. We skipped the really weird bits - but did dance round the tree singing "Mulberry Bush" and we answered the question "Who might have gone through the ancient doorway 50 or 100 years ago". Jess thought of a sad person who had lost a friend. Rosie decided on a barefooted stable boy who was too poor to buy shoes - I imagined a girl in a miniskirt and heels, who'd just got her degree and was skipping happily along [as I myself was doing 50 years ago...]

Bizarre conversation with another visitor, who asked me if I thought it was worth buying the Norfolk Museums Season Ticket. "Oh yes," I said, "You only have to go to the castle or Gressenhall a couple of times to get your money's worth" and she asked me if I knew anything about Gressenhall. Funny you should say that....

Once Again, I am Unwittingly Fashionable

Back in September, as I packed for Cyprus, I discovered my wardrobe already reflected the very trendy Coastal Grandmother look. I was happy in my lightweight white and blue tops, cool linen trousers, white plimsolls and brown leather sandals, and my favourite sunhat.
But as they say on Game of Thrones [not that I have ever watched it] Winter is Coming! so time to swap over between my summer and winter wardrobes.

On Monday, I took Ro and Jess to Blickling Hall, it was a drizzly, windy day. I wore my dungarees [bought with a gift token in FatFace Sale, about 10 years ago] and my LLBean lumberjack shirt [Camden Market, 2nd hand, £5] This outfit is warm and comfortable. [My hair is growing really long now, you can see the ponytail in the mirror] 
I dress for comfort these days.  But then I read in the Guardian yesterday that I am incredibly on trend. "Everyone is dressing like Barbara in the Good Life" - this style is called allotmentcore.

Would you believe it? The article goes on to mention clogs, gilets, woven baskets and the Norfolk based Carrier Company. CC sells Norfolk 'slops' - fisherman's smock for £90 - I got my for £4 in a CS nine years ago

“I’d describe it as Little House on the Prairie meets Felicity Kendal in The Good Life, meets Bill and Ben,” says Mal James, professor of fashion design at the University of Edinburgh. But he is sceptical about whether the allotmentcore look has life beyond social media. “I haven’t seen anyone actually garden in it, that’s for sure”  Well, Mr James, you should have been in Swanton Morley last Saturday morning! I was out there weeding.

I could have given Felicity K a run for her money! Who am I kidding - I am more in the Bill and Ben league when it comes to stylishness!

Speaking of stylishness, That Beard is growing thick and fast. Bob is looking less like his much-missed brother Frank, and more like Bradley Whitford in The Diplomat....

Bob has very kindly managed to save the Gressenhall Museum radio clip to an audio file. [CLICK HERE] I hope this means friends across the Pond can hear it after all. 

Oh and I must say a huge thank you to Liz, who gave me a pair of IsoBaa slipper socks for my birthday, They are so thick and warm, and so brilliant to wear around the house. The grippy soles prevent slipping, and they keep my feet and ankles toasty warm. I keep my gardening clogs just inside the back door - I can slip the clogs on over my socks if I need to pop out to fetch the washing or deliver tea to Bradley Bob in the workshop

Diamond's Are... A Girl's Useful Craft

 I just realised I have not posted any pictures of my Thrive Conference the other weekend. It was really good, and I appreciated the time with old friends, the opportunity to rest, the encouraging study sessions led by Sara and Sam Hargreaves [see here] I had been asked by the Steering Group to run a couple of craft workshops on the Saturday afternoon. I decided to do a simple sewing activity - making diamond decorations. 

This would be something which people might enjoy creating - and also a useful standby if they got landed with the job of producing the tree for a Tree Festival which might happen in their area.

I first made these down in Dorset eleven years ago and at the time, posted a tutorial here on the blog. It proved a worthwhile project back then, and so many people got involved. We inserted embroidered panels in each piece, bearing one of the names of Jesus [Light of the World, Lamb of God etc]

Here are some of the photos of people the other week with the diamonds they made. I provided beads for extra embellishment, and suggested for a 'one off' they might put a family names or similar on the back.

We had a lovely time, people worked so hard. Hannah was really chuffed- she had never really sewn anything before so was very proud of her piece.
So easy, and they look so good when completed, with or without an insert!

Perhaps I should make up some kits for my online shop

Famous For Five Minutes

I have posted often about the Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, a few miles up the road. It is owned by Norfolk Museums service. Built in 1777, next year is the 250th Anniversary. 

In 1946, 80 years ago, what had been the Workhouse was turned into an Old People's Care Home, called Beech House [for the large tree at the front of the premises] It remained a home until 1975. when it was closed, and became part of the museum service.

Rachel Kidd, curator of the Museum now, felt that those 30 years were not properly marked in the Museum, so decided that next year there should be an acknowledgement of the Beech House years. 

An appeal went out this summer for anyone who had a memory of Beech House. I replied - saying that as a child/teenager I had gone with my Dad, to visit church members who were resident there. 

We would talk with them, and say a prayer before we left. Sometimes young people from our church went and sang hymns [and carols at Christmas]  Rachel was really interested, and so in August I went to be interviewed about this, and Gabby Meadows recorded our conversation. I was the first recording she'd made. I gave my permission for the recording to be used as and when needed. G thought there would probably be an audio section as part of the displays.
Then on Saturday morning, I was reading the BBC news website, and in the Norfolk section there was an article. It mentioned me, and the fact that I'd said residents were unhappy being sent to live in "The Workhouse". They were the generation who were told "Be a good child or you will end up in there" - and they lived through 2 world wars, and now were sent here in their old age. It was hard to convince them that this was not a punishment!
I'm on the BBC News Website!! I shouted to Bob
Then yesterday at Church, Barbara said she had heard me speaking on the Radio. BBC Radio Norfolk had interviewed Rachel, and two clips from recordings had been played. At the end, the two people were named and thanked - and one of them was Angela Almond!! Barbara said she remembered me mentioning the interview back in the summer.  I have tried to find it, unsuccessfully on BBC sounds. 
I will wait to see if anybody else messages me about it. 

Slightly frustrating to be on the radio, and not get the chance to hear it!!

Update, Barbara has just sent the link Here  1hour17 minutes into the show

You Are Not That Mistake

On Wednesday morning, I read a story on the BBC News webpage which I found very moving. As I drove across to my dental appointment [it takes 45 minutes or more] I realised the guy from the article was the guest on BBC4's "Life Changing" programme.
Twenty years ago he was a top civil servant, who accidentally left some highly classified documents [about terrorist activity] on the train. He realised almost immediately what he had done- but the train had left the station and continued on its way.
Very quickly, somebody found the papers and handed them in to Frank Gardiner, BBC Security Correspondent. But Richard was guilty of gross negligence and more besides. He was convinced he had ruined his life- and that of his family. The press were camping outside his house, it was top story on the news that week...He began to fall apart - and felt the world 'might be better if I wasn't in it' 

His loving wife Maddie, and two daughters stood by him from Day 1, his boss and previous boss were really supportive, and in the programme Richard pays tribute to them. He was given a fine, and demoted. He left the Civil Service, and went to work on admin for the London Olympics, and then the Samaritans. 

Now he runs a company NewDay and is a lifecoach for people whose work is really stressful, and struggle with mental health issues. He uses his own experience to help others pull through their tough times. Here are his tips for people under stress who make a genuine mistake, and need help to recover

Get your thoughts out of your head. In a dark place, your mind jumps from "I made a terrible mistake" to "I am a worthless person" at the speed of thought. Writing it down or talking to someone slows things down to give you a chance to notice the illogical leaps.

Continue activities you enjoy. When you feel unworthy, you stop doing the things that lift you up. Work out what they are - the gym, a book, a long walk - and make them non-negotiable fixtures in your routine.

Remember your worth and your success. I keep an evidence board by my desk with notes of things I have achieved and kind things people have said. It's a tangible reminder that I am not that mistake, I am so much more.

Find your critical friend. You need someone who is your cheerleader but will also call you out when you let good habits slip. Anyone who is truly on your side.

Work out what you can fix, and what you can't. If you've caused harm, take responsibility: apologise and put things right where you can. But don't assume responsibility for things that were never yours to carry.

Don't confuse your worst moment with the whole story of your life. You are not that mistake. You are still the person who existed before it, and there can still be a person after it whom you haven't met.

The radio programme was quite emotional in places - but really positive and helpful. Thank you Richard, for sharing your story - many people will be helped by your words, I'm sure. This chimes with my word for 2026 -
  Restoration - Richard's experience shows that it is possible

 

An Extra Hour In Bed...

The end of British Summer Time, back to Greenwich Mean Time. 
We lived in Orpington, whilst Bob was a student, and less than three miles from our house was Willett's Wood, named for William Willett a local resident. Just after the start of the twentieth century, he was out riding one morning, and noticed how many houses still had closed curtains. 

William advocated moving the clocks forward in the summer "Daylight Saving Time". It was another 10 years before the Germans adopted his idea during WW1. Now most of Europe follows the pattern.

Every year people argue about the wisdom of this action - some say it is helpful, others say it is pointless! Willet's Memorial is a sundial in the wood - set to show  BST "I only tell summer hours" says the inscription.
It takes me a while to adjust each time the clocks go back/forward, less crucial now I am retired. I feel sorry for those are really affected by the change. 
But I am grateful for a warm home, and a comfortable bed. In my youth I'd often stay up late, because I had an extra hour, and did not want to waste it - This year I plan to use that hour for extra sleep!

It takes ages to adjust all the clocks in the house on the Sunday morning! We had a brief power cut a few weeks back, my cooker clock is still wrong!