The Turning Of The Seasons

 

The clocks have gone back - and for me that always marks the turning of the seasons. My four small sunflowers, which were never going to grow into massive golden discs, like their sisters higher up the stem, have been snipped. They stand on the window sill in a red coffee pot - bringing joy and colour to these darkening autumn days. 

Half term is ended and the family have returned to London. November starts tomorrow and I shall begin serious preparations "to celebrate the birth of our Lord" [we've been using this phrase in family conversations so that we don't mention the C word in front of Rosie!]

For ten years, we arrived here at Cornerstones on Christmas Day in the late afternoon, after Bob had done the morning service at church. Last year we didn't come at all [pandemic] This year we will already be here on Christmas morning. That is, after we get back from Chapel, where Bob is taking the Midnight Christmas Eve service. 

Much has happened in the last 6½ months since we moved here, joyful things and sad things, but all part of the Circle of Life. Over 300 years ago, Nahum Tate, the Poet Laureate who wrote the hymn 'While Shepherds Watched ' also wrote a hymn base don Psalm 34, which reflects life through the seasons

"Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy
The praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ"

In the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, the writer speaks of the different seasons. Take a few minutes to listen to those words, in this beautiful song written by Pete Seeger 60 years ago, singing here in a duet with Judy Collins.

Happy Half Term At The Workhouse

We took advantage of our Norfolk Museums pass again this week, and went with Rosie to the Workhouse. Price per child is normally £12.90, but as she was in a family group, her ticket was £11.61 [and we went 'free' with our pass] There were lots of special Half Term activities to get involved with. We took a picnic lunch and sat under the trees in the central area to eat - then looked at what was on offer. Rosie enjoyed the tractor driving!

Although there were carved pumpkins around I appreciated the fact that the place was not full of spooky Halloween displays. We spent time in the old schoolroom, the 1950s home and the old shop. There was a 'trail sheet' and at the end Rosie received a Certificate for all her Autumn Activities

There was an excellent Craft Room, where you could choose to make a 'wand' [Fairy, Harry Potter, or whatever] Lots of materials - feathers, wool, pipecleaners, gfelt, card, crayons, tape, glue...the lot - also a wall display showing possible ideas. Rosie instantly settled on The CatWand. Jeanette, the supervisor kindly went off to find more black card for her, as it had all disappeared from the resources table.

Rosie modified the original idea by adding a pink heart! The CatWand accompanied us round the rest of the visit.

The Fairy Wood was gorgeous - some staff must have spent hours making and placing  the little doors [we found all 21] and palaces. The area was marked off with autumnal ribbon streamers - and full of delighted children joyfully discovering yet another door or castle...

Then we walked down to the adventure playground. This is utterly splendid with all sorts of equipment for various ages. 

These shots are from the website, there were so many children there it was almost impossible to take pictures. I did manage one of Bob with Rosie on the basket swing.

We walked back to the café, and I said "I really need this hot drink". Rosie informed me "This is what being a parent feels like, Grandma!"  Bob politely informed her that we had actually had parenting experience when Mummy Liz was a little girl!

She collected fallen leaves as we strolled back to the car - red, orange, yellow, green...and back at Cornerstones, she made an Autumn Collage.

I really felt we got our money's worth- the site is well maintained, staff are so helpful, and the activities were varied and suitable for all ages. 

And there are plenty of seats and picnic benches around the site - that definitely scores extra points in my book. If you are carrying a baby in a sling, or you're a little bit older and need to sit down now and then, or you want to enjoy your own food and not buy it in the café then these are so useful. A really well thought out venue!

This Blessed Plot

 Some updates on the garden...

In the raised bed, the rows of Mixed Rocket, Red Frill Mustard and Spinach are really flourishing. Most days I snip off a few leaves for our salads. 

There was half a row of 'space' between Rocket and Spinach, so I thinned out some of the plants into that gap. They don't seem to have benefitted!

With determination and optimism, having watched Monty Don, I bought a bag of Téte-a-Téte narcissus bulbs and a container. Then found two empty plastic bins in the garage. I drilled drainage holes, and planted them up as per MD's instructions. Roll on Spring! 

The seeds are still forming on my sunflower heads [when should I expect to harvest them?] I'm still excited to be able to pick things I have grown myself. In the picture below, you can just see my red trough of herbs [mint, thyme, coriander and parsley] all of which seem to be thriving.

Bob donned his PPE and cut down a slab for the last section of the front path, which is slanted. Now I am waiting for a fine day and some time, to flatten the slabs and finally concrete them in place [yes, I know they are still uneven in this shot!] I am glad my jigsaw has worked out.

It Ain't What You Say...

... It's the way that you say it! Do you use shorthand when you are sending messages on your phone? I try very hard to write 'proper' English, with full punctuation, and even paragraphs. I rarely succumb to words like l8r, or 2nite. I will admit to btw  [by the way] and imho [in my humble opinion] but avoid LOL [correctly 'laugh out loud', often misused as 'lots of love']  There's a whole language out there of emoticons and emojis which I have yet to fully grasp.

Emoticons [short for emotional-icons] came about in 1982 when a joke about a mercury spill was posted on a message board at a University in Pittsburgh, causing confusion - and panic among those who took it seriously. One of the professors, Scott Fahlman, suggested using a 'smiley' character to indicate jokes at the end of such messages, made from the regular keyboard characters - colon dash rightbracket :-) ,  and colon dash leftbracket for serious messages :-( .  However :-( soon became anger or displeasure.

I rarely use these- but some of my friends who comment [eg Bless] are adept at putting a brief combination of symbols to express their feelings :D [big grin] :-O [surprised] ;- ) [winking] etc. There are many listed here

Emojis are a different matter. The name is from the Japanese e means picture and moji means character

These were invented in Japan in 1999, but Apple hid an emoji keyboard in the first iPhones in 2007. There are now hundreds of these, expressing feelings, or food items, transport, flags, animals, body parts, buildings etc. When I type a WhatsApp message, my phone often suggests an appropriate image for me. And If I press the emoji button, the last six emojis used show up. 

Someone asked me recently, and my phone said 🙏🙏🙏❤️😊👍. I guess this means I do a fair bit of praying and loving along with smiling and encouragement. But I do keep my repertoire limited- it is far too easy to get things wrong. 

The aubergine [eggplant]  symbol means good luck in Japan. But should never be used in the west, unless you want to embarrass yourself and others. Similarly, please do not mistake that brown emoji as a swirl of soft scoop chocolate ice cream.

Recently Liz sent me this, which she had seen on twitter

I checked it out - in fact this is officially the prayer emoji, agreed by Apple in 2008, and the high-five interpretation is an urban myth. So do not worry if you use it to indicate your prayerful love and concern!

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

However you should worry if your eyesight is not good. One friend of mine wanted to say how much she would be praying, and inadvertently sent a row of noses instead of folded hands!

👃👃👃👃👃👃

Use Your Loaf

 

Have you got any linen, Mum? asked Liz, and sent a link to this site. There were a number of linen bread bags, all measuring around 30cm x 40cm with drawstring tops. Made of a natural, breathable fabric, these should keep bread fresher for longer. The ones on the website cost £17.50 - £24.

Liz makes a lot of her bread, but occasionally buys a fresh loaf from one of the local shops. 

In the loft, I found a piece of linen. Measuring 35cm x 90cm, It was a kitchen wall hanging from the 1970s, with pictures of herbs and spices. Exactly the right size for the project.  I cut it in half, seamed it and made a casing. Job done!

Maybe it is not quite as chic as the blue linen, but it does the job, and used fabric from the Great Stash [plus some blue cotton tape I already had]

Better than a plastic bag too...

With Tuppence For Paper And String...

 ...sang Mr Banks, in Mary Poppins. He used his purchases to build a kite for his children. I found two craft books in the library about paper and string recently. Here are my reviews

first up -Folded Book Art by Clare Youngs. I rate CY as a brilliant contemporary crafter who generously shares her varied skills and techniques through her books. This volume is no exception. I'm not a great fan of folded books, tbh. Clare demonstrates clearly how you should do it - here's an ampersand and a butterfly

But some of her projects involved sculptures within opened books- the mermaid and the bees are my particular favourites, whilst other pieces involve pages removed from the books and recreated into natural object like fungi or spring bulbs.

The dog is a crazy bit of fun [she advises cutting the strips quickly with a paper shredder' and the sailboats are made from the stiff covers and decorative endpapers of a 50s Girls' Annual.

This book gives you all you need about 'conventional' folded book art - but 35 projects in total and some very diverse ideas - there are also reindeer, mice, sardines [in a can] birds, a village, a castle, a theatre...and even paper knitting. 

Definitely *****

StringCraft by Lucy Hopping was a little disappointing. I'd hoped for something to craft with string which wasn't macramé. This definitely was not that craft - but neither was it string!

Another CICO publication offering 35 projects, it was disappointing to discover that less than 5 used what I would term "string" - all the other items required embroidery floss, sewing cotton or wool.

Lucy has variations on the 'pin and string' designs popular in the 60s, and suggests making 'string' by machining three strands of yarn together on your sewing machine, and then forming it into a basket. There are a number of designs which involve stitching through an already perforated object [like this wpb] Those triangles look good - until you realise she expects you to count the holes in your  basket and do all the calculations yourself to get those triangles [not forgetting that the bin tapers, so the bottom row will have a different stitch count!] This was an attractive book, and an entertaining read, but did not inspire me to make anything, and didn't include enough string to justify the title imho! So I'm only giving **

My Encyclopedia of Needlework [50p in a CS I think] was written by Thérèse De Dillmont in 1884. My edition was a Christmas gift to E O Cole in 1911. It is tiny [postcard sized, 4cm thick] and full of useful facts and techniques.

Last week I was looking up an embroidery stitch, and discovered a whole section on macramé - I learned that it is an Arabic word meaning ornamental fringe, that for centuries this craft was practised by nuns in convents, and sailors. Around 1860 there was a great revival of the art among the craftswomen of Europe - then it was mostly forgotten again till the 1970s. My quiet crafting these last few days has been embroidery [hand and machine] I'll reveal more next month.

Popular Norfolk Hybrids?

I was a little concerned the first time we drove past this sign

- then I worked out what it meant!

A Light For My Path

On Thursday, the day after Bob's hospital visit, we went for a walk after lunch. This little path runs parallel to the main road through the village, behind the houses, and coming out near the village school. It was so beautiful to see the dappled light of the afternoon sun shining through the trees. It reminded me of that verse in Psalm 119 "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path"

When I was 9, I started using Scripture Union Bible Notes every day. There is a short Bible passage to read, then helpful notes, questions and prayer suggestions. 

I still use the SU notes [but have moved on from the children's ones, to the more age-appropriate version] and Bob and I read them together each morning after breakfast.

Here's the tiny little SU badge I was given back in 1964. If anyone asked about it, I could explain that reading God's Word every day helped me to follow Jesus. The old oil lamp was a reminder of the Ps 119 verse.  I found the badge recently, in a tin of random bits of jewellery. 

Years ago, somebody gave my dad this oil lamp. It's a 1st century bronze Roman lamp. 

I like to think that maybe 2000 years ago, someone else read God's word by the light of this lamp. 

I'm wearing the badge again, and maybe somebody will ask me what it means. None of us can see the future, where the path will lead us - but I am grateful for the the daily light, hope and encouragement I find in reading my Bible. 

Gastropod/Gastropub

Following diligent reading of Huw's book [helpful advice from lots of you, thank you] I have upped my Slug Defence Measures. Along with the Slug Pub, I have added an Eggshell Border and a Grapefruit Igloo**. I have yet to see any slugs on the raised bed [the teetotallers are avoiding the pub, the vegans are avoiding the eggshells, and those on statin medications are avoiding the grapefruit]

The various salad crops are coming along a treat - and I'm able to harvest the bigger outer leaves. I was excited to see Monty Don advocating the Mustard 'Red Frills' variety. Yes, they do taste good! Every day we are having some of these salad leaves, or a few of the herbs from my little trough in the back garden with our meals.

Did you know that in Australia, they have a bright pink slug which is 8" long? 

And the correct name for a person who studies slugs is a malacologist?

**I am not sure if igloo is the correct spelling anymore, now we properly refer to Eskimos/Esquimaux as Inuits. I understand that the word iglu simply means house, so it can be made of ice or grapefruit skins. For more in this subject check out here

And I Will Walk 500 Miles...

first I have to say thank you - we've been truly overwhelmed by all the kind words on and off the blog. It really helped to know so many friends were thinking of us on Wednesday. We're having a few Very Quiet Days now. Such events are physically and emotionally draining. But I hope things will drift back to some sort of normality eventually [whatever that might be] but there's no rush! Maintaining good health is still high on my priorities list however.  

Oh I love this song! When we retired, I was determined to walk more- and set myself a target of 10,000 steps a day, and 1000 miles in a year. I knew it was important for my health to  deliberately incorporate exercise into my routine. Six months in, and my daily average is over 10K paces [some days less, but then I make it up with extra later] and my total distance is already around 600 miles. We are so blessed in having lots of different walks which we can do from our front door - east, west and north, down quiet roads or footpaths - round the village and through the village. Last Saturday, despite my cold, we took a new route, and foraged* some late blackberries and three apples. It wasn't far [6500 paces, around 2 miles] but we enjoyed the sunshine and the scenery.

In case you are wondering about foraging*,  Section 4 (Property) of the Theft Act (1968) (England and Wales only, though similar in Scotland) says...

“subsection (3) A person who picks mushrooms growing wild on any land, or who picks flowers, fruit or foliage from a plant growing wild on any land, does not [although not in possession of the land] steal what he picks, unless he does it for reward or for sale or other commercial purpose.”

This means that you can pick anything growing wild (the 4 f’s: fruit, flowers, fungi and foliage) on any land as long as it is for personal consumption. However, picking cultivated crops or collecting wild food for commercial purposes would be considered theft. [This provision does not apply to seaweed or if the plant or mushroom in question is listed as endangered species. And you certainly cannot uproot plants, or chop down trees!]

Happy Birthday Steph

 

Two of my favourite photos - above my daughters and granddaughters this summer, below Steph, Gaz and George last summer. Today is Steph's birthday. Hope you have an absolutely fabulous day. 

With Grateful Thanks

 

UPDATE : Bob has had his angiogram. No sign of coronary disease. They think the pains relate to the Atrial Fibrillation and hope they can be managed with medication. I'm collecting him from the hospital at 3pm.

Thank you everyone for your kind words and prayers. Thank you NHS. Thank God. 

 
I will keep you updated, when I have news to share

At The Heart Of It

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to an online Art workshop   along with a load of other Ministerial Spouses. This was run by my mate Chris Duffett, Baptist minister, artist and more [ check him out here ] As instructed I had a canvas and some acrylic paints and brushes at the ready. I've never used these before, in fact I haven't really done 'art' since O level in 1971 ...

First Chris asked us to read some selected verses from Psalm 18.

I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
    and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me…
 In my distress I called to the Lord;
    I cried to my God for help….
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me… He brought me out into a spacious place;
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Then we had to select a verse which really spoke to us and sketch something [an image, not words] about. I was drawn to v19, where it talks about being rescued into a spacious place. I envisioned a dark and stormy night at sea - but at the heart of it, God's love and peace. We only had 45 minutes, and this is what I painted

When we had all finished, we were each asked to show our picture and give any explanations. I said that in recent weeks, there had been some difficult issues but even in the darkest moments, I knew God was there for me.

Then Chris said that we were not to keep our pictures, but ask God to show us who we should give them to. 

I decided to pass mine on to Bob. Recently he has had chest pains, and the GP acted really quickly [Bob has an ectopic heartbeat, and 2 years ago had a TIA] She sent him straight off to the cardiac unit in Norwich for further tests. They were so efficient and kind, and tomorrow at 7.15am he will go into hospital for an angiogram, and if necessary, an angioplasty procedure, and stents fitted immediately,  depending on what the angiogram reveals . He has been told to expect everything to take between 3 and 4 hours.

This is run-of-the-mill, everyday stuff for the medical team. But it is not so for us. It is a huge, unknown experience. To be honest, it is quite scary, when I think about what is involved. 

The picture is on the table in our study, so we both see it when we come in here to work on our computers. 

It is a reminder that nothing can separate us from God's love. And that is what is keeping us going right now ...

Please Keep Away!

For the next few days, Bob and I will be self-isolating [explanation tomorrow] In March 2019, right at the beginning of the first lockdown, Bob shared these words from an Indian writer...

"Social distancing is a privilege. 

• It means you live in a house large enough to practise it. 
• Hand washing is a privilege too. It means you have access to running water. 
• Hand sanitisers are a privilege. It means you have money to buy them. 
• Lockdowns are a privilege. It means you can afford to be at home. 

Most of the ways to ward off the Coronavirus are accessible only to the affluent. In essence, a disease that was spread by the rich as they flew around the globe will now kill millions of the poor. All of us who are practising social distancing and have imposed a lockdown on ourselves must appreciate how privileged we are."

Gratitude for being able to stay together in our warm home
Gratitude for good food and fresh water
Gratitude for friends and family who love and care
Gratitude for an NHS free at the point of need
Gratitude for all the many blessings we have

Help me never to forget just how privileged we are

Thankfulness

Today is Harvest Festival at Church. Unfortunately I cannot be there- I have a very heavy cold at the moment. Our Village Chapel takes it all very seriously, this is a farming area, and people are aware of how much effort goes into providing our food. I was reading through some old notes, and I came across a Harvest Prayer which Bob wrote for a Kirby Muxloe Harvest in 2002 - almost twenty years ago. 

Father -

We thank you for this day

As the leaves take on the tints of autumn

And the air cools to the touch

As harvest fills the barns and evenings shorten

So we remember your faithfulness

And the turning cycle of the seasons

turns our grateful hearts once again to you.

Protect us from ingratitude, selfishness or greed;

and just as your love overflows,

pouring out beauty and wonder,

so may our thankfulness overflow

with generosity of heart and mind.

Amen!

 

 

One Potato, Two Potatoes...

On another potato related issue- did you play with Mr Potato Head as a child? I had this crazy discussion with Bob the other day about my MrPH. In the box there were various ears, eyes, noses, mouths, hands, hats and shoes but no potato! I remember asking Mum for a spud on Christmas Day.

She wasn't pleased- we didn't have a lot of spare money, and this was tantamount to wasting food. I had a wizened specimen from the bag, and no chance of a second one to make a friend for MrPH. 

Bob checked up - and yes, although the toy was first marketed in 1952, Hasbro didn't include a plastic spud [with holes] till 1964. This was due to concerns about children playing with rotting vegetables and the features having pins which were sharp enough to pierce the skin of the tubers!

I feel this must have reduced the play value somewhat. No opportunity to put the ears at different levels, or make him cross eyed, because the holes were already determined. I'm not sure Liz or Steph ever had one. Of course, the arrival of Toy Story in 1995 caused a resurgence of interest.  Earlier this year Hasbro announced that the character was going gender neutral. 

Then they backtracked a little. They tweeted "Hold that Tot – your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD" In future you will get 1 small and 2 large bodies, and a selection of 42 features in your box to create your own Potato Head Family. [but the original Mr & Mrs PH as seen in Toy Story will still be available] There will also be a 'wider palette of colours'

However 'woke' they hope to be, toys like this with small, fragile components are not conducive on my journey to a zero-waste, less plastic lifestyle. R, G& J won't be getting these from this Grandma anytime! [Sunday's post will not be about potatoes!]

Spudulike?

Long before Nigella tried to make her kitchen gadget sound more posh by calling it a Mee-Cro-Wah-Vay, my family were upping the status of fast food by calling that potato place Spu-Doo-Lee-Kay. 

In the 90s you could get a reasonably priced snack lunch there, which felt slightly more healthy than many other fast food outlets. But over the next couple of decades, the prices went up in comparison with the others- McDo's KFC, Burger King etc all seemed a lot cheaper [and were introducing salads and more healthy options] In 2019 the chain went into receivership and sadly 300 jobs were lost. 

But it's back again! Last week it was announced that the company had been bought by Albert Bartlett [the 'Rooster potato' company] and is working with TV chef James Martin to produce a new menu. I had a look at the website

I have to say, it looks tasty - BBQ Pork ribs, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese, and Chickpea Dhal are a million miles from a dollop of baked beans or a scattering of grated cheese.

James says he loved Spudulike as a child and jumped at the chance to get involved with the project. He does look like a comfortable 'gentleman farmer' in this picture, don't you think? 

There will be ten stores- the first four [including one in Norwich] open this weekend. They are not putting prices on the internet yet, so I'm not sure if I'll be going. We wait and see...

What Is Wishcycling?

This was a new term for me - I confess that I have been guilty of this in the past "do you think this will be recyclable, Bob? I hope so!" And now I find that I may have messed things up by putting in the wrong stuff. Sue's post about the onions started me on this.The dilemma of buying onions loose [from Spain] or in a plastic bag [English] Which is the better eco-choice - plastic or transportation?

And when you get the goods home from the supermarket, how much of the packaging can go into the recycling?  I didn't realise that the triangle of arrows symbol can be used by any manufacturer, and does not guarantee the item can be recycled. 

I'm pleased that most supermarkets now have facilities for 'soft plastics' - bread bags, veg bags, soft plastic carriers [not biodegradable ones] And others have bins for water filter cartridges - I noticed our big Sainsburys actually has a collection point for used Teflon pans. All very laudable, but it does mean a lot of sorting, and remembering to take these things when you go out to shop. 

Local councils are trying hard to keep people informed about what to put in the recycling bins - and it really does vary from place to place. Some still insist you take glass to a bottle bank - others are happy for it to go in the recycling [unless it is Pyrex, or broken glass] Below is the chart for North Norfolk residents [here in Breckland, green is the ordinary bin, the recycling one is black. I have stenciled huge symbols on the back bin, so our visitors know whats what!]

But it  really does depend on where you live. I put some thin wire coathangers in the bin just before we left Dorset [tin foil, drinks cans, hangers - all metal, right?] But apparently that was wrong.

This site has lots of helpful advice. And getting back to those arrows, which have been around for half a century now, created to honour the first Earth Day in 1970

Numbers 1 & 2 are consistently OK for recycling [shampoo bottles etc] 3 through to 7 are the more complicated plastics. These numbers were developed by the plastics industry in the 80s. I have no idea where 9 fits in!

Wish-cycling is what we do when we put materials in the bin with a wink and a prayer, hoping they will get recycled but not knowing for sure. Most of us have found ourselves hovering there for a moment. Can I recycle a crisp packet? What about a food-splattered napkin? A half full pot of hummus?  Wish-cyclers believe that they’re better off popping the material in, because it’s all headed to a recycling facility further down the line. Unfortunately, misplaced optimism when it comes to waste can have bad consequences. 

Wish-cycling causes contamination, which prevents the good stuff getting through. Hand sorting is the first element of the process at most UK facilities. Real people will work hard to filter out the good quality recyclables so they can be sent on to make wonderful new things. This job can get quite tough if the sorting line is full of half-full soup pots, dregs of lattes in coffee cups or even broken glass bottles. Essentially wish-cycling doesn’t do anyone any favours.

Positive steps to take

1. Where possible avoid all plastic wrapping
2. Think about it before you buy
3. Encourage local traders to be more conscientious
4. Check your local bin rules
5. Find out where other stuff can be recycled
6. Please make sure it is clean
7. Go to recyclenow.com for more advice
8. Encourage others to recycle too.

And if anybody tells you they are too old to start this game, point out that they have a responsibility to the younger generation! During WW2, it became second nature to avoid waste- saving paper and string, making do and mending, washing and cooking with the minimum of water and fuel, feeding food scraps to the animals...If great-granny could do it, then so can we. She was doing it to help the nation win the war, now it is to help the people save the planet.

Oasis [From Manchester]

 

Sorry, this post has absolutely nothing to do with the Gallagher brothers! 
As we move slowly and carefully back to more social opportunities post-Lockdown, our little chapel has opened a café on Wednesday mornings. 

Just from 10-12, serving tea, coffee, and cakes. We even have a fancy new filter machine from Kingdom Coffee. All free, but with optional donations to charity. We've advertised in the village magazine - and wanted a sign outside to indicate we were open. We have one of these boards, which goes out every Sunday with appropriate wording, when it is our worship service - and there was a spare plain white metal sheet with it.

For the first few sessions, I stuck a paper sheet on both sides to tell people we are open. But that is not very weather-proof or longlasting. Professional signage does not come cheap.

What I needed was a Cricut machine so I could produce my own professional quality adhesive vinyl letters and graphics. If I were younger, and still doing a lot of church and youth work, maybe I'd have considered buying one. 

Right now, I cannot see I have enough need of one to justify the purchase. However, my friend Hayley posted on FaceBook how much fun she was having with her new bit of kit. 

Hayley was our Church Youth Worker for some years, back in Kirby Muxloe. Now she is happily married, with two young sons, and lives in Manchester. So I emailed her - and she was thrilled to be able to produce the lettering for us, and posted it back to me in time to make up the sign for today's café session.  Thank You Hayley!

Now do you understand the title of the blogpost?
[D'you know what I mean? as Liam and Noel would say]

UPDATE - Everybody likes the new sign. We had a couple of dozen people come in, and I sent Hayley a picture.