More Mice For The Museum!

Last Summer I was asked to create some mice for our local Museum. Katie had suggested we had a mascot mouse called Bonnie [from Bishop Bonner's Cottages] and the idea sort of mushroomed - we ended up with seven on the mouse trail. A sleepy Victorian gentleman in a nightshirt, a kitchen maid, Ann who lived in one room in the cottages, Bonnie the mascot, Sam the grocer, Ellinor Fenn [local educator] and Jethro the farmer.

This year, Katie asked if I could dress a few more mice, as she wanted to have some different displays...
Knowing I was a little bit busy, what with a bear and a kitchen and stuff, she undressed three of the mice, so I only needed to make one new mouse and four costumes.

Yesterday I took them round to BBCM, ready for the opening on Friday morning. My brief was two guys and two gals. First, a general purpose "boy" mouse [I've called him Jake] who could be used in different settings.

He just had a simple pair of dungarees and a cap - and could probably be set in any period in the last 150 years. The second male mouse was much more specific. Could I make "Brian" to represent Brian Aldiss, who came from Dereham and became an award winning Science Fiction Author.  

2025 is his Centenary Year.
In many photos he is wearing colourful braces, and often a hat

Here's Brian, holding a copy of one of his books, "Comfort Zone". I confessed to Katie that I chose that title because I could make a tiny, but neat label on my Labelmaker. She was pleased, as it was not one of the titles in her display, so it was good to have it recognised.  I am glad it will be inside the glass cabinet - if anyone did flick through the pages, they would realise it has been made using an instruction manual from an IKEA flatpack cabinet [ the pages of small print] Making Mouse Hats is difficult, because of the ears!

I will post pictures of the girl mice later in the week

🐭🐁🐭🐁

Having A Whale Of A Time

Fortunately Bob has a very well equipped workshop, and almost all the tools needed for the Kitchen Project. [Thanks Alan, for coming round with the worktop cutting tools and necessary expertise and lending the tile cutter] But there have been two items purchased which have proved really useful. Around 150 flat pack packages from IKEA needed opening. 

This inexpensive little Whale is a safety cutter. I have known people open packets with bread knives, or Stanley knives and do real damage to the contents inside. 

This orca makes quick work of slitting tape and cardboard without injuring me or the products.

The second item is a helping hand

It is so useful when drilling holes in walls - the hose from the vacuum cleaner holds it in place as all the dirt and dust is sucked efficiently away. A genius idea, and it makes cleaning up so much easier. There are a number of adaptors included so it will fit different vacuum cleaners.

I can see both these gadgets being well used in the future. 

Puppies, Pickers, Creepers, Kickers

Have you noticed how many names we have for types of shoes? Some are stranger than others... 

Take the winklepicker. This footwear is characterised by extremely pointed toes, like the pins used to extract shellfish [my Mum's holiday treat was to sit on the seafront at Leigh on Sea with a pin and a cup of cockles or winkles.

Hush Puppies are even stranger. Allegedly Civil War soldiers threw these soft cornmeal snacks to their dogs to keep them quiet 

- and a shoe salesman thought this was a good name for his brushed pugskin casuals. 

You can work these out for yourself!

My pink plastic sliders are very comfy,  but quite chunky. Sometimes, in the "old" kitchen, 

I'd nudge the plinths by accident and they would fall out with a clatter. Bob now refers to them as my Plinth Kickers!

Are there shoe names which amuse you?

Just Like That!

Today, the first Sunday after Easter, is traditionally called "Low Sunday" in some parts of the Christian Church. Low because Easter was one of the high Sundays of the year, so this would definitely feel like an anticlimax. Others believe it is a corruption of the Latin laudes or praise,  from the opening words of the Sarum Rite [The form of Latin Rites used in England before the Reformation]
Many new Christians were traditionally baptised at Easter, in white robes, and on this subsequent Sunday, they laid aside these garments. On this Sunday, they were encouraged to follow the words in the first Epistle of Peter - 'like newborn babes desire pure spiritual milk', which, in Latin is translated  "Quasi modo geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite"  So sometimes this is actually called Quasimodo Sunday. 

The protagonist of Victor Hugo's book was thus named, because he was left on the steps of Notre Dame on the first Sunday after Easter. Quasi Modo  means 'in the manner of' or 'just like that' How have I got to be this old without learning that?
I have looked back at my Lenten Pauses, six Sundays entitled
Reflection, Rooted, Repair, Relationships, Readiness, Release
Last Sunday, obviously was Resurrection
So maybe this Sunday, when many of my Catholic friends may be understandably feeling a little low, we should remember in our prayers all those who are bereft, and the Latin Phrase
Requiescat In Pace

Eureka!

The Back Bedroom is an absolute tip. I really must try and get things into some sort of order. Everything from the kitchen went in there in March, and I took the absolute minimum of crockery, cutlery and foodstuffs through to the Futility Room Temporary Kitchen. But every so often, I need something which has been packed.

It was lovely to receive flowers for Mothering Sunday and my birthday - but the boxes of vases was totally inaccessible, so they had to be displayed in a coffee pot and a kilner jar. I have put the two lids somewhere 'safe' but now I cannot remember where!

Monday night, we had some air-fried salmon with a sweet chilli coating, I thought I should add extra Blue Dragon Sauce, as it seemed a little dry. But I could not find it - Bob suggested a splash of the IKEA dill instead.

I got the jar out of the fridge., "This is almost empty, we must buy another jar in Nottingham" I said. But on Tuesday I was hunting for my book about felt mice - and I found two new jars of the dill sauce [I got them in Lakeside IKEA in February, and had forgotten about them] I did not find my mouse book. I spent an evening drafting paper patterns from scratch...

On Wednesday I was looking for my Mixed Herbs, and unearthed the pattern book underneath a bag of baking sheets...Along the way I am discovering kitchen bits and pieces I have not used for ages, and probably do not need any more. So I have a Charity Box in the corner which is filling up with decent, usable stuff to donate. And another box which is for rubbish.

I'm still not sure why the crown from the dressing up box was in with spare Tupperware though. I wore it all Thursday afternoon as it made me feel important [and made Bob laugh]

Refitting the kitchen is both a Steep Learning Curve and a Voyage of Discovery....

When Archimedes shouted "Eureka!" was it really because he'd discovered a new scientific principle, or was it that he had found his bar of soap?

Here Is Bear Number Thirty

On Monday I mentioned a funeral, weddings, and birthdays. After Barbara's funeral I had two sewing tasks to complete. Shortening a dress for a friend to wear at her grandson's wedding - and making another Memory Bear. I think this one is my thirtieth! Two years ago, my friend lost her partner very suddenly after twenty years. His daughter - her step-daughter - gets married today. She and my friend are very close - and I was asked if I could make a Memory Bear as a surprise for the bride - a way of remembering her precious Dad at the wedding. I had a lovely morning at F's cottage, looking through his shirts, and we talked about him.  I selected four which I felt would make a good bear, but there were a couple of special things to include - firstly his pride in his Scottish Heritage, and secondly, his love of Short Mat Bowls,

So this little chap has the family tartan on his paws and ribbon - and the bowls club badge on his side. But please could I do something with his Clan Teeshirt?

That is always a challenge, because teeshirt fabric is stretchy, and has to be stabilised if it is for a bear - and it is not wise to mix woven and stretch fabrics. I suggested making the teeshirt into a tote bag for the bear to travel in!

Oops, just spotted the thread on the badge in the photo. I assure you that is not there on the bear!

In side the backpack flap are embroidered the details of H's Dad. I do this for all my bears, usually following the same formula 

In memory of  

xxxx  

Years of Birth and Death

Made with love

for yyyy

It is so much more special if there is some sort of personalisation I think, and I hope it brings comfort. My friend was pleased with the result. I hope to see wedding photos soon.

The three birthdays - one is another good friend from church, who asked me to shorten a jumpsuit she had bought to wear at her birthday event. She has recently started using her sewing machine, and said "I ought to be able to do this for myself" I did her jumpsuit, but gave her a careful set of instructions about shortening trousers. I was so thrilled when she turned up at church, with pictures, of the second pair which she had managed to fix by herself, following my notes. "Now I won't need to ask you anymore, now you have taught me." A very good result all round. 

Tomorrow, we are going off to Nottingham to join a couple celebrating their 70th&80th birthdays. A happy family event - but also en route, we will call in at the nearby IKEA. I need a new waste bin to go under the sink in my new kitchen!

A Word In Your Ear

The other week when I was doing my Volunteer Visiting at the Hospital, a very cheerful patient asked if I could help her. She had a small tablet on her bed-table, and was trying to listen to the radio through earphones. But the cable had got horribly tangled. It wasn't too difficult to get everything straight again, and we had a brief chat, then when I left she plugged in again to listen to her programme.

I told her that my husband had bought me some lovely Samsung wireless earbuds, which ensure I don't get tangled or strangled [especially when listening in bed!] 

Don't you worry about confusing left and right? she asked. I said that they were marked, with tiny letters, but I had put a sticker in the right earbud, to make it easier.  And most of the time it doesn't really matter.
These past couple of weeks they have been put to a lot of use. If Bob is using power tools, I can still hear my programmes, and when I am at the sewing machine, I can still hear quite clearly. 
For years I have listened to fiction and drama on Radio 4 Extra, but just recently I have got into the Limelight podcasts from Radio 4.

I have enjoyed "Discretion" which was produced by Jed Mercurio [well known for his TV stuff like Line of Duty, Bodyguard etc]
Also The Specialist by thriller writer Matthew Broughton [whose 'Tracks' I listened to last year on 4Extra]
I am currently working through the slightly bizarre Aldrich Kemp series. with great actors Tim McInnerny and Nicola Walker.
Most of these are serials with half a dozen 45-60 minute episodes. Whjilst listening to The Specialist, I built SIX kitchen cabinets on Tuesday!

I am not sure why people make such a fuss about IKEA flatpacks. The instruction booklets are like Delia Smith recipes. Begin by reading through, and checking you have all the right ingredients [components] and bakeware [equipment] Then follow the instructions in the set order, doing exactly what they say. And you will end up with a lovely cake or cabinet. 

Cupboard one took me 45 minutes, but after that, I was assembling them in 20-25 minutes. And all the while enjoying a radio drama!
Have you listened to Limelight? and if so, what would you recommend?

The Greatest Story Ever Told

My 70 Things List, item #6 "Go to the Cinema" has been ticked off. On Easter Sunday, Nick our Pastor showed a trailer for "The King Of Kings" which came out a couple of weeks ago. 

After a morning of worktops, it was our Bank Holiday Monday Treat. This film was showing in Norwich - two tickets plus fees, parking etc >£30, or Fakenham <£10. No contest!
This was an interesting film with an intriguing history. In 1849, Charles Dickens wrote a story for his children "The Life of Our Lord" which he then read to his family every Christmas. He bequeathed the manuscript to his sister in law in 1870, and said it was never to leave the family or be published whilst his children were alive. She died in 1917, and it passed to the youngest of Charles' sons, Henry. In his will, he stated that if the majority of the family agreed, it could be published. So in 1934, his widow and children sold it to an American company for £200K....Fast forward 90 years, and an animated film has been produced.

Bob and I sat in the tiny 3rd Screen of Fakenham Central Cinema [F's only cinema] along with just one other family. The seats were comfortable. The film was...vaguely bizarre. Here is the UK trailer to give you a flavour

Why was it bizarre? Well it seems to be sponsored by some US Christian groups, but produced by a South Korean film studio. It has a rather star studded cast - Kenneth Branagh is Dickens, Uma Thurman is his wife, Ben Kingsley is Caiaphas the High Priest, Pierce Brosnan is Pontius Pilate. Mark Hamill is Herod, and Forest Whittaker plays Peter. Oscar Isaac is Jesus and Roman Griffin Davis Is Walter [Dickens' son]

In the film, Walter is obsessed with King Arthur, and Mrs D suggests to Charles that he tells his son the story of The King of Kings and Son of God. So he does, and the boy [plus the cat] gets caught up in the story, and is transported to 1st century Palestine. He warns Mary and Joseph to escape from Herod's soldiers, he sits and listens to the Sermon on the Mount, He watches the Palm Sunday Procession and the crucifixion - and witnesses the Resurrection. 

They have tried to cram too much into 105 minutes - Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection plus Adam and Eve, and the Passover story en route. And how did they decided which Gospel events to put in? They've included Slaughter of the innocents, when young Jesus got lost, The Temptations, Blind Bartimaeus, Resurrection of Lazarus, Sermon on the Mount, Miraculous Catch of Fishes, Walking on the Water, Feeding 5K, Man through the roof, the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, clearing the temple, Judas with his 30 pieces of silver...and even the woman taken in adultery. It is a year's worth of Sunday school lessons and then some.

One minute you see the Victorian child at home in London as his dad tells the story, then next minute they are transported to a dusty, crowded middle eastern street [still in their 1800s clothes] I think if you don't know the Bible narrative very well, you might get a bit lost. And I am not altogether sure about the characters 

All the Pharisees and disciples had HUGE noses and were generally not very attractive. But the Jesus character was slim, with a tiny neck, and lovely hair - but he looked like those bobble head caricatures people stick on their dashboards. And the three Marys all looked the same to me [Mary his Mum, Mary sister of Lazarus, Mary at the tomb]  Over the closing credits, inexplicably, they played the 1896 hymn "I surrender all"

It is rated PG in the UK and USA because of violence.
So who is this film aimed at?

I am not sure I'd use it as an evangelistic tool. But as Bob said, there were some clips that would be good sermon illustrations, or useful to tell a story at Holiday Club [no, we are not doing anymore!] I don't think I'd take my grandchildren - too scary for the little ones, and too complex a story even for Rosie to make sense of. 

It was a fun afternoon out - but I was glad we had not paid over thirty quid for the experience! I am sort of relieved that the Guardian reviewer had similar reactions

*** please let me know if you have seen it and what you thought

Just before we went to the cinema, I heard of the death of the Pope. I am pleased he was able to come onto the balcony in St Peter's Square on Sunday and wave to the crowds. RIP Francis. Having recently read Conclave, I suspect we may now shell out a fiver to watch the film at home sometime.
But a final thoughtful comment from Pierce Brosnan who was interviewed about the film, he simply said
I tell you, this will be good to have a retelling of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Saviour. Why not? We need it....

High Days And Holey-Days

We enjoyed a lovely Easter Sunday -thank you Julian for our eggs- and especially the proper Lindt bunny [not a Lidl copy] I don't think I have had one of those since I was a child!

We got back to kitchen work on yesterday. Bob's ShedMate Alan had helped cut the worktops last week, so we spent the morning installing them.
Lots of drilling and sawing and glueing [and tea and laughter!] 
The rebuilt cooker hood is in place, and works perfectly. No joists were harmed during this process! And Bob's rescued coffin trestles have proved very useful for supports for cutting things.

It's beginning to look a lot like a kitchen!

Two Weddings And A Funeral [Plus Three Birthdays And A Centenary]

"Well, I am fairly busy in March and April," I said back in February "We are putting in a new kitchen and doing it ourselves" But I clearly didn't say it loudly enough. And I hate to let people down. So there were funeral flowers on the coffee table over the weekend, waiting to go to church on Sunday. Then four different sewing projects on the dining table [in plastic bags to avoid the dust!], all with deadlines in April/May. I have been diligently working on these items for my friends, and 3 out of four have been completed and delivered. The fourth will get done in time, I am determined. However, next Saturday we are away all day for another couple's "Milestone Birthday" Event. 

Here's a Teaser Picture for you - my resource materials for some of the work...
No, I am not making any dolls. I cannot reveal any pictures of completed work just yet. Sewing is my Happy De-stressing Activity. I admit to ignoring all the above tasks on Thursday evening, and working on the April CoverStory stitching. Truly a balm for my soul.

Hallelujah! Christ Is Risen

He is risen indeed! 

Easter Eve

Yesterday was a quiet, yet busy day - Bob went to the Hospice and shared in a Good Friday service, then came home, and after lunch we went to Chapel for a Good Friday Meditation. We drove from there to see our relation in King's Lynn Hospital. She has been there three months, and was expecting to go home this week, then told "sorry, it will be after Easter now" Despite the delays she was in bright spirits and looking much better. On our way home, a WhatsApp from my neighbour's DIL. They'd brought the floral tribute back from the Crem. and placed it in her garden - but now wondered if I would retrieve it, and take it to my church in Easter Sunday? These lovely flowers are now in my lounge - the one room which is not disrupted at the minute. I am in limbo, caught between the grief of losing a friend - and the prospect of time with family members in coming weeks. Between the overwhelming chaos of the unfinished kitchen, and the anticipation of preparing food for loved ones in a beautiful workspace, when all the hitches and glitches have been dealt with.

But this is nothing compared to the limbo of that first Easter Eve, experienced by Mary, and Peter and the others. I found this thoughtful poem by Emily Gibson on the Internet

This in-between day

after all had gone so wrong
before all will go so right,
puts us between the rock
and the hard place:
all hope, love and faith is squeezed from us.

Today we are flattened,
dried like chaff,
ground to pulp,
our destiny with death sealed.

We lie still
like sprinkled spices
trying to delay
inevitable decay,
wrapped up tight
stone cold
and futile.

The rock is rolled into place
so we lie underneath,
crushed and broken.

We are inside,
our bodies like His.
We are outside,
cut off and left behind.

We cannot know about tomorrow,
we do not fathom what is soon to come:
the stone lifted and rolled away,
the separation bridged,
the darkness giving way to light,
the crushed and broken rising to dance,
and the waiting stillness stirring, inexplicably,
to celebrate new life.

 

Hope...

We have this hope as an anchor for our souls, sure and secure...
 

Pin Up Girl

I put on a fresh white shirt. and the front was gaping a bit between the buttons. So I grabbed my pot of safety pins, found what I needed, and felt I could face the day with confidence.
In the pot I found three of these sets of little brass pins. Where did I get them? I have no recollection of ever going to Paignton. I think they must have been in one of those tins of random haberdashery I have acquired over the years.
Haberdashery is such a great word - but none of the etymologists can fully agree on its origins - it goes back to the 1400s. It could be

• from Middle English haberdas meaning small things, sold by a pedlar or market trader
• from the French haber d'acheter, "to have to buy"
• from Old German habt ihr das?, have you got this?
• from Dutch haberdoedas, gibberish
• from avoirdupois - merchandise sold by weight, which was occasionally spelt with an h

Nobody seems to be sure. Finding this little set of pins reminded me of my Mum who always carried some in her handbag, telling me" because you never know when somebody might need a safety pin, Ang". I have a great fondness for buttons, pins, little skeins of thread and sewing notions. I have just added "sort out my haberdashery" to the 70's List!

Tuesday Tasks

Bob worked very hard all morning installing the built-in fridge and the cooker hood. Both of which required modification to fit in place. I shortened a dress for a friend to wear at her grandson's wedding. Then set about refixing the insulation on the oven doors. Quite amused to realise my tinfoil is called "Trust" and the kitchen knife I was using said "Have faith in God"

In the afternoon Ro and Jess came over for an afternoon of Easter crafts. Well, I had some leftover Holiday Club stuff which needed using up! Rosie and Jess made Hama bead hearts and crosses, then Ro added to hers. Lack of kitchen space meant we decorated biscuits at the coffee table. I am borrowing Julian's Carpet Shampooer next month!

Wednesday will be a little quieter for me, as I am going to my neighbour's funeral. Bobs Shed Friend is coming after lunch to help with the worktops. It's beginning to look like a kitchen at last!

What's Cooking?

The first air fryer was not around f9r the Battle of Hastings and the Bayeux Tapestry.  It was made of wood, and aluminium, with a chicken-wire basket - and it was as big as a dog kennel. The inventor was a Dutchman, Fred van der Weij in 2006. I know this because I watched Hannah Fry [who seems to be all over the BBC TV and radio lately] in this programme

I have a confession...having declared very firmly back in November that I didn't need one, I must tell you that one arrived at Cornerstones at the beginning of March.

Liz and Steph had suggested it might be useful once the Kitchen Project started. Who knew how long I'd be without my oven? 

After much discussion and research, we settled on the Tefal Dual Drawer model, agreeing it should be counted as part of the Kitchen Project. I was still dithering, then discovered it was on offer in John Lewis. [I think the reduction was because it was about to be rebadged as part of their Jamie Oliver range]

Four weeks in, I have to report I'm getting on better than i expected. Sunday breakfast croissants are delicious. Jacket potatoes are quick and easy.  Salmon fillets, and other fish pieces are moist and flavourful. The two baskets with synchronised finish time are a good idea. Fish and chips, meat and potatoes, all work well. I got a small chicken and produced a proper Sunday Roast Dinner. I did pork steaks with Aunt Bessie's bake-at-home Yorkshire puds, combined with veg from the microwave...all good. I've not tried any cakes yet.

"We lived on sandwiches for over a week when they were doing our kitchen" said a friend, most concerned that our DIY plan, with a longer time frame would mean uninspired cold meals. I assured her we were enjoying a varied, flavourful cooked diet, and not splurging on meals out or takeaways.

Jamie's chicken and mushroom parcels looked and tasted good [with baby potatoes cooked in the second drawer, and mixed veg in the m-wave] Recipe here

It will be interesting to see if my cooking styles change when I'm back to a full size kitchen with oven and hob. But I'm managing on a small worktop with the microwave, toaster and A-F [and kettle] 

Which is a lot more than a lot of families have. So many people across the globe have one pan on a fire or single gas ring. I am grateful for good food, and so many ways to prepare it.

I've Got A Little List

I had so many lovely birthday cards, they are all hanging on the wire in the hallway. This is so useful, as there is nowhere else to display them properly, and with all the kitchen traffic in and out at the moment and doors opening and closing, the draughts would blow them all over the place if they were standing up.

Towards the right is a bright blue one, handmade - with 70 cut out of card, and each numeral covered in colourful tinfoil. It's from my old friends Elisabeth and Mark in Cambridge. She sent a lovely newsy letter with it, and posed this question "have you got a list for the year?" It's apparently a thing for 'milestone birthdays'.  Either you have a long list of Small[ish] Aims, or a shorter list of Big Ambitions. So she suggested 70 little things I might want to do before next April 10, or seven major things, one for each decade.

Learning the Saxophone, Growing My Hair To My Waist, Writing a Crime Novel, Visiting The Kennedy Graves At Arlington, Seeing the Northern Lights, Owning a Lotus Elan [like Emma Peel's], and Running A Half Marathon. These seven were all previously considered at some point in my youth, but long since abandoned due to lack of finance, time, health and talent. So The Big Seven List is out...
This week I shall try and come up with 70 things which I could aim for. What's that phrase? SMART Goals

My dear Auntie Peggy used to have a plate like this in her china cabinet, my Mum gave it to her, because she was always saying 

"One day I'll get around to it" So maybe this is the year for me to do all those things I have been intending to do...

Watch this space [please, NO suggestions, I am afraid that once I start writing it down, there will already be more than 70 on my own list, without additions from well meaning friends!]

ITEM NUMBER ONE - WRITE THE LIST!

I just spent 10 minutes on this project and came up with 20 items without much difficulty 

Lent 6: Release

The calendar picture is a little late - because I took it down from the hook in the kitchen, and then couldn't find the 'safe place' where I had put it!It turned up on Tuesday, when Julian was helping me go through the stacks of kitchen stuff in the back bedroom. 
It seemed a very apposite message - not everything that came out of my kitchen cupboards is going back! I even managed to let go of a beautiful NordicWare Bundt pan.  On sale at £50, it cost me £5 in a CS, but I have never used it [it was 'as new' when I got it] And my gran's glass jug [never used, as I was always afraid I might break it!]

There is no point in hanging onto things like this. They can go and bless others. But more than material items, it is important to let go of other 'stuff'

• bad, hurtful memories
  
• grudges or ill feeling because of past slights
• aspirations you will never realistically achieve 
• worse, aspirations for your children [they may not want to be doctors or lawyers or whatever]
• envy because you do not have as much money as someone else
• resentment because age or health is limiting your activities 

As we get older, we need to let go of things which have may been an important part of our lives in the past but we are just not able to do them anymore. Maybe we don't have the stamina, or the flexibility for the activities we enjoyed in our youth. We need to learn to  let go of these things with grace, rather than resentment

I spoke with a lovely lady on my Hospital Volunteer Visit this week. She is a widow, with no children-or grandchildren - she asked the head of a local school if she could give an Easter Egg to every pupil. She's done this for a number of years. The village children speak to her when they see her on her mobility scooter. She was so bright and cheerful [even in a hospital bed]  

In her eighties, she reluctantly had to give up knitting because she can't manipulate the needles anymore. So she gave her wool stash to a knitting group - and also made a donation to a group which provides "angel blankets" for mothers of stillborn babies. Rather than become embittered by her lack of family, and her loss of craft skills, she is using her resources in a positive way. She's making an impact.

I had a friend who used to say of things she was letting go of"it was mine for just a season, but now that time has gone". Release what is past to make room for what is to come. It will sometimes take courage. Don't dwell, don't dither, step out in faith.

Who knows what that new found freedom may bring?

In And Out Of The Kitchen

So the idea is, you all work together, doing your set task, following the rules and everything, and once it is all done, there it is - complete.
Strippers, plasterers. plumbers, electricians, painters, powder-coaters, floor guys, cabinet builders, counter-fitters....But it is like doing the foxtrot*, two steps forward, and then two sideways. Trouble is that the first job [the strippers, Bob and me, taking out the old fittings] revealed so many unexpected issues. Our home, built in 1972 has surprisingly non-straight walls, and the floor-to-ceiling distance varies. Add in the extra time for rejigging a cupboard to fit round random pipes, and time for altering the cooker hood so it can vent though the ceiling, into the loft and outside, whilst avoiding the rafters and joists, and the project soon over-runs the time schedule. If we had hired fitters, they would have got on with it, but added ££££ to the costs. We are DIYing it, and fitting the work round funerals, hospital visits and other unexpected appointments. So it is taking longer. But Bob did warn me that would happen. We plod on, doing work most days. We follow the IKEA instruction books assiduously [the only way to make it work] There are many tea-breaks

 

* I must confess, I cannot dance the foxtrot, or the cha-cha for that matter.

This little quirky guy - part of Julian's birthday gift - is making me smile.
Please can someone suggest a good name for Mr-Potato-Head-With-Aloe-Hair?

The Wonder Years

We were a bit late getting up on Tuesday, and therefore we were still getting dressed at 8:15 when the doorbell rang. I pulled on a dressing gown and ran to answer, expecting a parcel delivery or something. And there stood Julian, grinning, with a large gift bag - "Happy Birthday!" he said. As he had  Tuesday off work, he decided to come up unannounced and deliver his gift in person. I was utterly thrilled. 

We went out to breakfast [North Elmham Post Office] Then we came back, and I opened J's gifts, an Ottolenghi cookbook [Simple, which is one I have been keen on for ages] a quirky plant holder, and another little gift. And a birthday card saying that now I am 70 I am entering the Wonder Years.[I wonder where I put my car keys, I wonder what I did with that book...] He'd addressed to Ang aka WonderWoman!

Julian helped us with more kitchen work, stopped for a snack lunch, then went home mid afternoon. What a lovely surprise.

Wednesday was another birthday event. My best friend Chris treated me to tea and cake at Tall Orders. I made a real effort and dressed up properly [having lived in my red overalls for most of the previous few weeks]
She gave me a lovely card, bouquet of flowers and a little book about "You are entering the Wonder Years, now you are Muddle-Aged" [I am spotting a theme here]
Late Wednesday evening, I opened all the cards, and Bob's gift. A new Breadmaker, to replace the one I have had since 1998 [which no longer produces a decent loaf] That will be reviewed once I have a proper kitchen again. The girls and their families gave me a joint gift of a Spa Day [oooh!]
We got up early on Thursday. I delivered a card and plant to my SIL as it is her birthday too. She gave me a card and a plant in return! Then on to collect the oven doors. In the last ten years, they have got very scratched and tatty, but now they have a new powder coating and look splendid. Thanks Tom and Ian at Colorcote.

On the way back a quick stop at a plant centre [coffee and scones] The afternoon was spent planting, sorting flowers, and building kitchen cabinets - and then a lovely meal of moules et frites. I feel truly spoilt - thank you everybody for all your lovely comments yesterday. I don't know about wonder years, I certainly had a wonderful day.