The Blue Bird Of Happiness

In 1908, the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck wrote a story called The Blue Bird about two children, brother and sister, named Tyltyl and Mytyl. It is a fairy story [not specifically for children - synopsis here] but in the tale, the fairy gives them a magic diamond which will reveal truth to them. Mytyl wants to find happiness, and they seek everywhere for the mystical Blue Bird which will grant this. In the end, they go home, and there all along is a cage containing a blue bird. Tyltyl gives this to his sister. That's sort of where this happy blue bird idea started [why did he give the children such odd names though?] And in 1939 Judy sang about bluebirds over the rainbow, and soon after Vera added the bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover.
But what are these bluebirds? Here's the thing - in the USA a bluebird is one of three species of thrush [Easterm, Western, and Mountain Thrushes] with vibrant blue and reddish brown plumage. But we don't get them in Europe...

The writer of the 1941 song was from the US, and never even visited Dover till long after the war. He was unaware we didn't have bluebirds here! So people have made various suggestions

• that blue birds' represented the RAF pilots in their blue uniforms
• that they were the peregrine falcons with blue feathers in their backs - flying over the Channel, trained to intercept German carrier pigeons.
• that the swallows arriving each summer had a blue sheen to their plumage, and that return brought hope.
• they could be the Eurasian Jay which has a bright blue flash on its wing
• they could be blue tits... feeble claim, these are tiny garden birds, and unlikely to be seen soaring over Kent!

Sorry if that burst your bubble...

But do have a look at my bluebird which has just flown in to Cornerstones. A tiny little amigurami crochet blue tit. It was a gift on Monday when I delivered a pair of memory bears. My friend's mother died recently - she was a very colourful lady, 89 years old, and fond of brightly coloured dresses.

I made two identical bears, for my friend and her sister. They have blue bows at the neck and personalised backpacks. And the 'pads' are made from her Mum's fleecy dressing gown - which she wore all the time in the last few weeks of her life. I used the dg to make two bags for the bears to travel in
My friend was thrilled [I may have to include packs of tissues next time I deliver bears] and said she couldn't sew. I admired the crochet items in her lounge, saying that I struggle with crochet. She immediately gave me a tiny bluebird!
Currently he is sitting with the orchids - but I may add a hanging ribbon and put him in the Xmas Tree box.

Can you crochet?

 Have you ever made amigurami birds or animals?

What I've Been Watching...

If you like sport, then the last few weeks have provided some good TV. Tennis, Football, Grand Prix...and more.(sad that England lost last night) If you are like me, and don't really like watching sport on TV at all, the programme listings have been a little dull. 
However, I did manage to catch some of the Penelope Keith programmes, following her recent death. How I loved her wardrobe - both as Margot Leadbetter and Audrey Forbes-Hamilton! She was so tall and statuesque and could really pull off those fabulous silk kaftans, satin evening gowns and glorious millinery. At a diminutive 4'11" with a small budget, I was more at home in the old jumpers and dungarees favoured by Felicity Kendall. PK was a brilliant actor and I can watch re runs of The Good Life any time. 

At last Quizzy Mondays have returned. This week we had to deliver something to a friend, and we were delayed, so it was just after 8pm when we arrived "I thought you two would be the sort of people at home watching Only Connect right now" she said. Our friends know us too well! We watched it later, when we got home. Good to see Clive, Amol and VC-M quizzing away as before. 

We have been watching the 2010 reboot of Hawaii Five-O on Netflix. Quite enjoying it, altho it can get a bit violent.  But we are particularly grateful to Liz for alerting us to a policeman called Panda

NO not Peppa Pig's Policeman Panda, voiced by VCM's husband David Mitchell, but a French crime drama on Channel 4's Walter Presents

Panda [aka Victor Pandaloni] is an ex-cop, turned relaxed vegan pacifist, who is reluctantly dragged back to the force. But he insists on working on his own terms. So no early morning callouts, cycling rather than using a car, no weapons or violence.
It's so clever and so witty. Providing you can cope with subtitles , it is easy viewing for a warm summer evening. Set in the Camargue [yes there is a pony, sunshine, sandy beaches etc] It has all the usual tropes...

-longsuffering boss [permanently tired due to young family]
-attractive but highly-strung female partner, who is his polar opposite
-younger idiot cop who worships Panda 
-teenage son whom Panda 'accidentally' adopted

C'est Très Drôle

No Reds Under The Beds Here!

When we got married, Bob's parents bought us a bed. The guy in the shop told us to turn/rotate the mattress every three months to ensure even wear. I diligently marked each corner, top and bottom. Thus in the corner under Bobs pillow, it would say Jan 1st/ Apr 1st/ July 1st/ Dec 1st depending on which season we were in. We kept the bed, but changed the mattress a few times. The bedframe had four built in underbed drawers. So useful when we lived in tiny flats.

Then Bob got sleep apnoea. We got a new bed and a new mattress. Now we had one with a definite top and bottom, so it's turned round, but not over - every six months. Last week we did the July turn. This is an IKEA Malm bed, and matches our bedroom cupboards [as does the one in the back bedroom] IKEA are about to phase out the Malm range. Look out for bargains on FB Marketplace!
A few years back, IKEA had an ad campaign for its beds "Where family starts" claiming that German researchers had discovered than 10% of European babies were conceived on IKEA beds. They had a photographic family tree including bed pictures. [The other Europeans were presumably conceived "out of bedlock"]

It is always slightly embarrassing to see how much dust collects under my bed despite my 'swiffering'. There are a few things which live there

• the extension cable for plugging in bedside light, phone charger etc
• A small zip underbed bag where I keep our summer sandals and beach shoes over the winter.
• The big pack of spare kitchen tiles, because when the boiler dies, probably soon, I will need to fill the gap. And these tiles are big and need to be stored flat
• A small box of emergency foodstuffs. A hangover from the days of my Brexit box, I check this and use/swap stuff that is going out of date every so often. Rosie recently asked me "Grandma, why do you keep snacks under the bed?" I pointed out that a can of red kidney beans doesn't really count as a midnight snack!

In the back room, the bed is a little higher, and I have two proper Malm storage drawers. One has all my craft paper and card [flat and accessible] The other holds spare bedlinens and tablecloths. The contents of both drawers are slowly being used up/donated to CS. 

There is something very satisfying about doing a thorough clean, washing the bedside rugs, putting fresh linen on the bed... 

At the moment I use the duvet cover as a loose top sheet. Even in hot weather, I like to have something over me when I sleep] My preferred heatwave pjs - an ancient "Friends" t-shirt, and M&S men's boxer shorts.[3-pack, for £10 in 2023] Confession; some of these hot mornings recently, I get to lunchtime and I'm still slumming around the house in these!

Years ago [having read the joke in one of her dad's books] my daughter asked her Sunday School teacher

"Is it true that we come from dust and go to dust?"

The somewhat surprised lady said "Well, that's what the bible tells us, dear"

My cheeky child responded "Well, there's a lot of people coming and going under my bed then

Seeing Double

On Sunday evening we went into Norwich for a classical music concert. The two performers were identical twins, Peter and Zoltan Katona, playing identical guitars. They were absolutely stunning. Although they are Hungarian, they are expert in Spanish guitar. They thrilled the audience with Scarlatti, Manuel de Falla, Bocherini and more

The two came to England to study at the Royal Academy of Music, and then settled in Liverpool. They love the Beatles, so their encore was a great rendition of "Come Together" 

It was a simply magical evening. Bob had booked the tickets months ago, not really what to expect. They are in York this week, Cheltenham next. There are tickets still available. Do check out their Website.

Have you ever heard them play? What did you think? 

Hanging Hockney

Never one to hang about, Bob got busy on Saturday morning withe the Hockney print. He trimmed it square to fit the frame, then prepared the hooks. Et voila! 

It works beautifully on the blue wall. Also in the room are two photos [Holkham Beach, and Liz, Steph and Ro in Dorset] plus Steph's painting of beach huts.

Bob thoughtfully used his Xtra Hand,the brilliant attachment for the vacuum cleaner,which sucks up all the dust when drilling. I've posted about this before . You can buy cheaper copies,  but reviews all say how flimsy and inefficient they are. This pukka gadget would be a good gift for any DIY-er. 

Goodnight, Ladies

 Four notable, strong women have died this week.

1. July 7th - My Auntie Jean, at 101. The rest of the world did not know her, she won't get a mention on the BBC, but for her 100+ relations, and her many friends, her passing will be noted, her life and faith celebrated. She gave so much to so many. always with a warm smile or a cheeky grin.
2. July 8th - Bonnie Tyler. Aged 75. 
   This Welshwoman, with a wonderfully powerful voice had been ill for some weeks. She had been married to her beloved Robert for 53 years. They had no children, but she did a phenomenal amount for charity across the world, but particularly in Wales, especially child-related projects. Her most famous hit was "Total Eclipse of the Heart" [my favourite is "Holding Out for a Hero] Deeply loved, she was described as 'a proud Welsh Icon' by Prince William
3. July 9th - Anne Widdecombe. Aged 78. A feisty, outspoken woman, of very strong views. She was raised Catholic, became an agnostic, then Anglican, then converted back to Catholicism. Brought up Conservative, she was a local councillor, became an MP in 1987. She joined the Brexit Party, then the Reform Party. She remained single and had no children, saying she had chosen to commit her life to public service. In her later years she became a 'celeb' appearing on Strictly Come Dancing, Celeb Big Brother and made numerous other TV appearances. Rev Richard Coles described her as "Ann Widdecombe, who I knew a bit, both as an adversary and as an inconveniently congenial acquaintance." and wrote a prayer on Facebook which was very gracious, I felt. We have since heard that she was murdered. So incredibly sad. 
4. July 10th - Patricia Greene - aka Jill Archer. Aged 95. Part of the soundtrack of my life until I stopped listening to the radio soap during Covid! She was 'married' to Brookfield Farm for 69 years! She did other roles here and there on TV - but basically she had one job, and she did it brilliantly. The longest serving actor in any soap [radio, TV or Internet] in the world. The matriarch of a huge fictional farming family - her character was so popular [Queen Camilla is apparently an Archers Addict] She continued recording, even when she moved into a care home. Patricia [Paddy] was a much loved member of the Archers Team, "unfailingly warm and encouraging" She was awarded an MBE ' for services to broadcasting and charity.

May these strong women rest in peace, may their loved ones be comforted, may others carry on the good work they did and the generosity they showed.

Watching The World Go By

Friday was really quite tiring. We went to see my old schoolfriend, A, who I reconnected with in the autumn, who is now out of hospital. But her mobility is poor and she decided she was not able to look after herself properly any more. So she's relocated to a care home by the sea. I have visited her there three times now. The journey is quite exciting, as the satnav takes us on a route through the backroads, and villages I have never heard of before. Like Sco Ruston, a tiny hamlet mentioned in the Domesday Book. 

Last week, we went down a hill, on a narrow hill between some cottages and rounded a corner. Bob slowed right down as he steered the sharp right hand bend. And there, in the middle of the road was a guy in a red stripy jumper and bobble hat. "There's Wally!!" called out my witty spouse, as he braked. We did not see Wally this week. 

A has no phone and no internet connection. She asked Bob to sort something out for her. He spent the morning setting this up - once the care home had managed to find the wi-fi password for her. I don't think many of the residents are able to use modern technology - and her bedroom is woefully short of power sockets. We finally got away at 2pm, and decided to go to Sheringham for lunch.

I had my first ever iced matcha. I suspect it may be my last. It was cooling, but I didn't feel it was that special. As I told Bob "It doesn't taste green either!" We popped into a few charity shops, and I bought a mug. I don't actually need it, but it brought back happy memories. 

You may know La Vache Qui Rit, [the Laughing Cow] the processed cheese made by the Bel Cheese Company in France for over a century.  There is a Belgian company with a similar name

When we had a family holiday in Belgium 25 years ago, we saw adverts for "La Vache Qui Regarde Passer Les Trains" [the cow that watches the passing trains] This is the logo of a  family company producing foods which are organic, vegan, and made with ingredients sourced locally to their factory near Liege.

Sauces, dips, spreads, biscuits, crackers, desserts, chocolates...all very delicious, and good for the planet. We enjoyed some of the foods on our holiday.  At one of the major Belgian stations, there was a lovely tiled mural. The cow is standing, wide eyed, chewing the cud, watching the world go by.

The girls were growing up, that was one of our last family holidays together, just the four of us. Bob had spent all his childhood summers in Belgium staying with his grandmother. We took the girls once. So I treated myself to this mug because of the joyful happy memories that flooded back. And I shall show it to the grandchildren when they visit. 

I do like this little cow, and if it were not so hot right now, I might even get out my silks to embroider a picture of her on a piece of cotton. 

Standing watching the world go by is about all I have the energy for at the moment...