Drawing To A Close

People often cite William Morris' useful/beautiful statement - but here are two more of his comments which resonate with me

I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.
History has remembered the kings and warriors, because they destroyed; art has remembered the people, because they created

It is five years since we got the lovely William Morris "Strawberry Thief" curtains for the lounge [all my saved up John Lewis Vouchers] They still bring me great joy, and I sit in the lounge in the evenings, having drawn them closed, enjoying the lovely print.

Here's the thing - these curtains are excellent fabric, well made and beautifully lined - but the lounge is the coldest room in Cornerstones. The French Windows face North, and the side window faces East.[FW sounds much more stylish than 'Patio Doors' don't you think ?] Although these are double glazed, I think we could do with improving the insulation.

Steph and co stayed in an Airbnb cottage over the New Year. I noticed the curtains were interlined [as were the ones in our Scottish holiday cottage in 2023] It really did seem to make a difference.

So I have ordered some thermal interlining fabric from a company I know and trust. It arrived yesterday, and next Thursday is blocked out on the calendar as Curtains Day. This should make a positive impact on the room

I have made, and lined, dozens of pairs of curtains down the years-  the ones in the back bedroom were sewn in 1979 for our first bedroom when we got married. But I have never interlined any, so I'm asking for advice from you, dear blogfriends 

- do any of you have experience of interlining curtains? 

- I am starting with already existing ones, so do I have to completely deconstruct, and start again

- is there some way of putting the interling inside without the faff of taking them completely to bits first? 

- they are currently hung on a track with Rufflette tape and hooks, would I be better going over to a rod with rings now the curtains will be thicker?

Thank you - I am sure some of you out there have the knowledge I need!

In other news - I spent time yesterday researching the whole knicker issue. I have found some which look to be what I want and have good reviews and I've ordered a multipack of 5. I will let you know what happens. But now I am being bombarded with ads from online underwear companies. I definitely need a 'brief respite'

SpongeBob Square Pants

I have never actually watched this programme, but I had four things I wanted to mention and tis title sums them up beautifully. I shall deal with them in reverse order [all those palindromes have made me think backwards.

pants, square, Bob, sponge

Firstly then, a pant-rant. What has happened to M&S briefs?

They are so flimsy now, and wear out really quickly. I hgave some pre-covid ones I bought in Dorset which are fine, but a newer 3-pack is already giving up on me. My thumb went through the other days as I pulled them up. I found this pic on line of "visible mending" Life is too short to waste time and thread on such things - and you rarely hear me say that! I shall have to pull up mny bug girl knickers and buy some more.

Then square-Xmas-cards. We received 32 cards this year, and 24 of them were square. That's 75%. Square cards are taking over. This cheerful handprint angel is from Grandson George [not sure why the greeting is in Spanish!] You may have had one of these school-fund-raiser cards from children you know.

Bob is now going to the gym Mondays and Pilates on Tuesday, which appears to be helping strengthen his back and improving his mobility. If your GP recommends the gym for back problems, you can get a discount at the Leisure Centre [Useful tip picked up at the Men's Shed] 

Here he is with all four children at Christmas, watching him  as he breaks open a lump of clay containing "dino relics". George was happy with the result an eye, a skeleton, and a mini dino - but I didn't think we got a lot of 'bang for our buck'. The tiny wooden hammer in the kit was hopeless - Grandad had to provide a heavier one!

And finally- sponges - last year I mentioned I had changed over to Wettex - biodegradable, allegedly the ultimate ecofriendly dishcloths. Here is my review a year on. I have been washing and reusing three in rotation all year. 

They have been excellent all rounders - dishwashing, general cleaning, windows etc. Only downside - coffee spills stain them badly. The pink one has just gone into holes and is being retired as a garden cloth for wiping flowerpots etc. And eventually will go to compost. 

You can see by the new yellow one, they do shrink a little in use. 

I rate these a ***** product

There you are pants, square, Bob, sponge - have a good Thursday!

Backwards And Forwards

Here's my newly learned word for this week

AIBOHPHOBIA

Well done if you worked out that it means 'fear of palindromes' I love palindromes*, there are the simple words like MUM, DAD, DEED, ABBA, ROTOR, CIVIC, ROTATOR, REVIVER. 

And then there are some amazing sentences - here are three animal related phrases

The first palindromic sentence was not

MADAM, I'M ADAM

and I doubt Napoleon ever said

Able was I, ere I saw Elba
in 1880, the canal dreamed up by De Lesseps led to

A man, a plan, Panama

I remember a very embarrassing moment when I was supply teaching. In the staff room at lunchtime, somebody started a game where we were writing favourite palindrome sentences on the whiteboard. I'd only been at the school a couple of days, and everyone was very friendly. I had come across one just a few days before. So I said "I read this last week - it is advice for anybody who has upset their spouse" and grabbing a pen, I wrote 

Lapses? Order red roses, pal

There was an uncomfortable silence. One teacher quietly rubbed out my words, and another whispered "the Head's wife has just found out about his affair" Oops! 

Along with aibohphobia, I also came across SEMORDNILAPS. These are words which forms another word or phrase when it is reversed. Semordnilap /Palindromes

Here are some pairs

dog/god , repaid/diaper, live/evil, gateman/nametag, pupils/slipup. stink/knits.... and my favourite - stressed/desserts

*Even the name of my online shop is a palindrome

Sorted!

Yesterday, the sewing machine came out for the first time this year. I was mending a couple of jackets and shortening a pair of trousers for my neighbour. And I finally got round to doing a job I have been muttering about for around 10 years. 

For about ten years I always wore this jumper at Christmas. It was a gift from a friend when she moved away from our village in Leicester. Cheery, and bright - but it was acrylic and not the most comfortable [and my teenage daughters did not like it] But it refused to wear out! I finally took it to a CS.

Then I found a much nicer jumper in a CS. It is from Next, and 'winter scene' rather than specifically Christmas. 

But there was s problem- it was polo-neck and there was just too much of the neck for. I rolled it over a couple of times to be more comfortable, but it was always a bit lumpy. And it did that every Christmas [that picture was taken post lockdown, when I needed a haircut] Last week I washed and de-pilled the jumper. And yesterday I finally turned the excess to the inside, and using my sewing machine made it into a comforatble crew neck.

This looks and feels much better. Why didn't I do this years ago?? My other post Christmasd mending task was a double hip operation on the little wooden millennium teddy bear. He somehow came off the tree and got involved in some sort of role play with the grandchildren. The elastic holding his legs in place snapped. I suspect it was perished - he's 24 years old after all. But it was an extremely fiddly job requiring a curved needle and a magnifying glass. He is fixed now!

So that's all the Christnas stuff dealt with [apart from trimming the pictures from 2024's cards to make cards and tags for 2025]

Going Potty

Potty = acting a little strangely

Preserves = [noun] Jams, chutneys etc [verb] maintains in good state

Jam = [noun] a fruit preserve [verb] to squash inbto a small space

Can you believe it? people are actually trying to sell these empty jars on eBay, now that is potty IMHO [average price, inc postage, 50p each] 

I suppose some people might want to buy them. Here are some ideas for using them. Remember to label them! 

Buttons when I am dismantling shirts for memory bears, I save all the buttons [four shirts can yield anything up to 60 little buttons]

Seeds saving seeds - from tomatoes, sweet peas etc

Herbs and spices - especially when they are sold in flimsy plastic bags.

Packed lunches and picnics - a small amount of salad dressing, or sugar for someone's coffee, a few peanuts to nibble

PVA glue - when I run craft workshops, its often easiest to give each person their own little pot, rather than have them reaching across the table. 

Especially when working with children! And the unused glue will keep liquid if the tiop is screwed on firmly.

Craft supplies - as well as buttons, they are a good size for beads, sequins, etc.

Travel - earrings, pills, earbuds, hairclips and elastics, mini sewing kit.

Small change- useful in the car, £s for the trolley, and odd bits of 'shrapnel' for all those Norfolk Pay&Display carparks which only take cash if you do not have their particular Parking App.

Tiny gifts- pot up a little terrarium with a mini cactus and some moss, or put some home-made jam or chutney in a jar 

[and add a fabric 'hat'], or fill the pot with tiny sweets or mints - or make a mini candle. Glue on a padded ciurcle of fabric to make a pincushion. 

I was at a lunch event before Christmas, and every woman had one of these little gifts at her place, prepared by our hostess.

There are literally dozens of ideas out there for reusing mini jam jars

How have you repurposed yours?

Are you getting rich selling them online? 

A Prayer For Lighting Candles

Steph and I have both heard from friends in California, who have seen the smoke and the devastation, and been affected by the air quality [but live outside the evacuation zone] The BBC yesterday morning posted a map showing the size of the area affected.comparing it to New York, or London. I cannot take this in, it is devastating [and fires continue to spread]

I found this Shabbat Prayer for Los Angeles on a Jewish website. 

A Prayer for Lighting Candles

We give thanks for the ones who offer prayers.
We give thanks for the ones who take action.
We cannot heal the world without both,
We must pray AND we must do.

When so many people have vanished into the darkness
We light these candles, and say the blessings
And pray for those who have been injured or killed.
And pray for those who are worried, homeless and hungry.
And pray for those who are lost to themselves.
    May we all be joined in yearning holy conversation
    And pray when prayer is needed.
    We must pray AND we must do.

When so many people have vanished into the darkness
We light these candles
And bless those who are working so hard to make things better.

 May we join with the stubborn 
Of all places, religions, races, and sexual orientations,
Who, when times are hard, refuse to disappear,
Those who fight so hard for their communities
With food, advice and shelter - organizing. work and love
    - insistence and resistance.
    May we all be joined in holy struggle,
    and act when action is needed. 
    We must pray AND we must do.

We give thanks for the ones who offer prayers.
We give thanks for the ones who take action.
We cannot heal the world without both,
Blessed is our God, Source of Light!
We are holy with the obligation to speak goodness and do good
    As we light these candles,
    we will pray AND we will do. Amen.       [Trisha Arlin]

The Pasadena Synagogue, was totally destroyed, as were many churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship. May the members of these faith communities be given grace and strength to work together in the coming days, to help and support others.

A Tree For The Year

A number of bloggers choose a tree near them, and take a photo every month of the year. I dithered about this last January - and by March I realised it was too late to start. This year, I have been more organised and I 'found' my tree in December.
It is on the road out of the village [called Swanton Road] and just the other side of the farm which used to sell free range eggs. And less than 1 mile from my house. I can walk there, but there is a convenient place to pull in on the opposite site of the road. So this picture was taken from my car window...

I love its size and shape, and I think it is going to be fun to watch how it develops each month, as winter turns to spring. 

Do you have a special tree?