More About Those Stamps

Reading all the notes on the Royal Mail website, I have found out more about how the artist wanted to portray the star as representing hope and fulfilment, and the need for guidance and peace. The words below are from the £12 presentation pack. I think it is a good read...

Mary and Joseph did not choose to make the journey to Bethlehem; it was a requirement for the couple to be registered in Joseph's ancestral town. It was a difficult and uncomfortable trip for the heavily pregnant Mary and on anxious one for Joseph, who was resolved to keep her and the baby safe, yet they kept going, and eventually the little town come into view. 

In our journey through life, the difficulties we face on the way need not prevent us from reaching our destination. None of us arrive at the fulfilment we all seek without guidance. In ancient times, travellers navigated their progress by following the stars. In the Christmas story, the star is the guiding light for Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem. 

Stars have always fascinated human beings because they show that the universe is bigger than us, that our world is only a small part of the whole. In the Bible story, the star of Bethlehem was a new star that appeared in the East and heralded the down of a new age. The Bible story of Christmas also includes angels. 

The word "angel” simply means messenger, and the biblical angels are supernatural beings who travel between Heaven and Earth. Their role is to bring guidance to humanity and to announce peace. Angels represent communication, and so remind us of all the affirming links and connections that help us to find our way in life. We are never alone. 

...angels bring good news from Heaven to help us on our way. Two very different groups of people come to the stable at Bethlehem to greet the new born Jesus. The first are poor working men-shepherds guarding their sheep from thieves and predators. At first they had been terrified by the appearance of heavenly visitors, but the angels calmed their fears, and they found the confidence to set out to find the heavenly child.

The second group who come to the stable are strangers, wise men from the East who follow the star. They represent those whose arts and skills have made them powerful. Yet, in spite of their riches and success, they have the insight to know they need something that fame and money cannot give. Realising that they are not self-sufficient, they find the humility to follow the star on the long journey that leads to the stable, where they offer their gifts to the infant king. For rich and poor alike, the birth in the manger represents the need for something or someone greater than ourselves and the humility we need to find our true goal.

We are all in our different ways on a pilgrimage through life, a search for fulfilment and meaning, and the star of Bethlehem symbolises the goal of life's journey. Old or young, rich or poor, we cannot stay the same forever. The birth in the stable represents the renewal of life, the reassurance that our existence is neither empty nor meaningless. Our passage through time invites us to make choices. We can move on or stay still, be self-satisfied or self-giving. As we advance towards a new year, the star is the symbol of all we most hope for and desire and of the effort of seeking and finding - and that remains true this Christmas and every day of our lives.

Buzzwords

Popular words or phrases which are trendy for a while. Many of them make no sense to me, like mogging iand maxxing. 

My latest squares are pattern #80 in the book and called 'Buzz' I did these over half term , and found them ridiculously simple. They grow so fast, as every other row is 2 stitches shorter than the previous. It is wonderful to watch that long row of stitches decreasing and becoming a square with a neat diagonal. A variation on this and this . I had four small balls and used them up pairing in different ways

Blue & dark pink
Dark pink & pale pink
Pale pink & green
Green & blue

This had a pleasant sort of rhythm to it. They can be arranged in any orientation and I had fun flipping them around to make different patterns. This is my favourite arrangement. I have two and two have gone to Sussex. [the author chose black and yellow for her stripes, I presume that's why she picked that name]

Last night, we flew back to Manchester. Our city break in Copenhagen has exceeded all our expectations. Once we are back to Cornerstones next week, and we have sorted out the photos, I'll write a proper post. Thank you everyone for your kind words. 

My Grandfather's Surname Was Spooner

William Archibald Spooner [not my Grandad, not a relation] was a Victorian Clergyman, and a long serving Oxford Don at New College, where he was a student, then a member of staff for over sixty years. He had a nervous tendency which made him occasionally transpose the initials of words. This characteristic became well known, and the word "Spoonerism" was coined to describe it. I love finding new Spoonerisms. Famous phrases allegedly spoken by the man include

You have Hissed all my  Mystery lessons, Tasted two whole Worms, 

        and you will leave Oxford by the Town  Drain

As an after dinner toast in the College Dining Room "God bless the Queer Old  Dean

He was riding a well Boiled  Icicle

 

You get the picture...

Last Friday, the morning after my dental visit, Bob came out with an unintentional Spoonerism. As he said it, he knew it sounded wrong. We had just woken up, and he asked "How are you this morning, sweetheart?" I answered cheerfully "I'm Happy!" 

Bob responded "Well at least you're not Gropey and Dumpy"

90 years ago, when the original film was made, there was a very long list of names, and these are the ones which were discarded by Disney's team.

Awful Baldy Bashful Biggo-Ego Burpy Daffy Deafy Dippy Dirty Dizzy Doleful Dopey Dumpy Flabby Gabby Grumpy Hickey Hoppy Hotsy Hungry Jaunty Jumpy Lazy Neurtsy [?] Nifty Puffy Sappy Scrappy Shifty Shorty Silly Sleepy Snappy Sneezy Sneezy-Wheezy Sniffy Snoopy Soulful Strutty Stuffy Swift Tearful Thrifty Weepy Wheezy Wistful Woeful

Dr Spooner would have had fun with that lot.
They do say that if someone asks you to name one of the seven dwarfs, the one you say first describes your character.

If there was an eighth dwarf, what would you call him?

Here And There

Sometimes it is wise not to mention something on the blog in case it doesn't happen. Like moving house, or a holiday. In October last year we had planned a rather expensive trip to France. It was cancelled at the last minute due to Bob's back issues. I only wrote about it after everything fell to bits. Saga Insurance were brilliant, and we put the money into a separate holiday fund, to be used after Bob's treatment. We spent some of that money in September, when we had our wonderful week in Cyprus with Peter and Wendy.

A few weeks after that, staying with SIL on our London Bayeux trip, she was telling us about all her holidays. We decided to spend the remainder of our holiday fund on a winter mini city break somewhere in Europe [otherwise it may end up paying the dentist's bill]

We chose where to go, and discovered good flights from Manchester Airport. Sunday we drove to Steph's [cheaper than airport parking, and a chance to spend time with family] Tuesday Steph drove us to the airport at 6am [thanks]

And now we are here...

And it IS wonderful! [As are the subtitles in the clip above]

Have you ever visited Denmark? 

Armistice Day

World War One ended on 11th November 1918 with the signing of the Armistice, but now this day is often known by different names- Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day in the UK, Veterans' Day in the USA. Here in the UK, there are now poppies in other colours apart from the traditional red ones - these include

Red for remembrance and hope,

Black for pride, honour and glory - since 2010, these have been worn to commemorate the contribution of African, Black, West Indian and Pacific Island communities during conflict.

Purple for animals who died working in wartime -horses, dogs, and pigeons, worn since 2006

White poppies show a commitment to peace, and worn by those dedicated to promoting non violence and finding peaceful solutions to conflict.

But what about the rest of the world? How do they remember?

In the USA I understand that people wear a red/white/blue ribbon in their lapel

Alongside the poppy [worn in the UK, Canada, Oz & NZ etc] you may see

In France, a blue cornflower [le Bleuet]is worn

In Germany, the forget-me-not [Vergissmeinnicht] - also worn in Newfoundland and Labrador
In Belgium, a daisy - also worn in the Netherlands- it was a symbol of the Dutch Resistance

Scottish poppies have 4 distinct petals.

In India, the marigold is worn on Nov 11th, but in Mexico, the marigold [Cempasuchil] is worn on November 1st and 2nd

On Anzac Day, April 27th, sprigs of Rosemary [for remembrance] are worn in the lapel to honour the fallen

I shall be in Denmark today - which remained neutral in WW1 - and they mark September 5th as National Flag Day, remembering those who have served their nation. But there may be some wreath laying at various Commonwealth War Graves.

Wherever you are, whether or not you have a pin, a poppy, or another flower in your lapel [or not] please remember those who served, those who suffered, and still suffer, those who are bereaved - and let us work together for peace in our world...

Boxing Match

I cannot remember where I saw this, online somewhere. Apologies if it was your blog! I am the sort of person who has always kept ongoing craft projects in a multitude of carrier bags. Wool, needles, pattern - or fabric, threads, scissors, pins and needles - paper, pens and crayons, ruler, scissors, pritt stick and sellotape. And I carry them into the lounge, then later shove everything back in, and the carrier joins all the others on the spare bed. But there are disadvantages...

• They fall over and things roll out
• I have to sort through lots as I cannot remember what is in which bag
• I have to scrabble in the bag to find the thing I want

What I need is a neat basket or box with a open top so I can see the contents and locate things easily. And here it is, the carrier bag box. Made from things I had already, in a few minutes..

I used bags from Morrisons, their woven reusable bags, around £1 each. I cut up old grocery boxes, to make stiffening panels. You simply open up the bag, and fold the sides down inside, till the top edge touches the bottom.
Then slide those card panels up to hold everything stiff. Now I have two useful boxes, which I can turn back to bags whenever I want. TaDa!

Ever So Enthusiastic

We had a lovely day out on Tuesday, celebrating Bob's birthday. And twice people remarked on my enthusiasm. 
Firstly, over the birthday lunch we enjoyed in Tallow Steakhouse in St Benedicts Street. Liz and Jon had recommended this place. A very simple menu - but beautifully cooked. When the waitress came and asked if everything was ok, I said I thought it was fabulous, and utterly delicious "I love your enthusiasm" she said.

Then Bob went off to M&S for handwash, and I went to Lush - but diverted into the new Lego store. Wow!! There was a model of La Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona [Steph and Liz went there two decades ago] I was about to take a picture, when George, a cheerful young assistant with gorgeous red hair [just like my George in Manchester] said "I can take the picture so you can be in it too!" We talked about Lego together, and the model at Bury St Edmunds. It is completed now, but in 2019 [pre pandemic] I added my brick to the model. Perhaps they could do Norwich Cathedral?
Another member of staff remarked on my enthusiasm.

My purchase in Lush was a little pot of cuticle butter. Liz put a dab on my fingers last Saturday and I really liked how well it moisturised my fingers. So I treated myself to a tiny tin for my bag,

The word enthusiastic comes from the Ancient Greek word enthousiastikós (ἐνθουσιαστικός), meaning "inspired" or "excited," which is built from entheos (ἔνθεος)—a combination of en ("in" or "within") and theos ("God"), literally translating to "having God within" or "inspired by a deity". I'll take remarks on enthusiasm as a compliment then!

Remembering

The November calendar picture. A reminder on this Remembrance Sunday to be grateful for peace and beauty, and to pray again for those places torn apart by war, where once beautiful surroundings have been reduced to mud and rubble.

The little bear looks alone and pensive on the bench as the two swans swim by together. Beautiful surroundings, but an awareness that for many people today they will be remembering lost loved ones.

May God bring peace and comfort...

You Can't Always Get What You Want!

 
Here is the 2026 John Lewis Christmas Ad with Kristen Scott Thomas - it is the 20th one they have done. You can find a link to all the other 19 here. My favourite was 2011, the little boy who couldn't wait to give his gift. I confess to being in the NO group in my response to this year's offering. There are so many things about this that just don't hang together... 

The family have obviously come a long way, so of course the first thing they will say is "I need the loo!" It is usually the first thing I say when I arrive in Manchester. And the usual response is "OK. Shall I put the kettle on, Mum?" That is not a sign your grandchildren do not love you, or are being rude. They do not want to wet their pants, and you do not want to have to shampoo the carpet. 

Grandma KST is clearly rich  - I think she should explain to her family that they are very wealthy but a lot of people are lonely and hungry at Christmas. Perhaps she could invite her MI6 colleague Jackson Lamb round to share lunch with them - that would give the children a new experience, I think they would love him and his scatological sense of humour

I cannot say "what kind of granny fills a room with sparkly foil and twinkling lights then plays music loudly and dances about enthusiastically with the children?" because that is exactly what I did recently at the Church Funday. But I do think Christmas gifts require forethought. 

I could go on, but I won't. My main gripe is that KST appears to live alone in a massive house in London and is extremely wealthy. 90% of the families watching the ad will not be able to identify with her lifestyle. I think the advertising team at JL have missed the mood of the nation. 

Huge thankyou to Eleanor who alerted me to the lovely M&S ad. Where Santa SHAVES!!! 

What's your favourite Christmas advert? 

A Short Extract

Yesterday I had a dodgy molar removed. It was huge, and cracked, and needed to come out. Roshan removed it smoothly, in one go, with no pain. Lots of anaesthetic involved. Much numbness. And then 4 months for the gum to heal and then an implant to fill the huge gap. [leaving a huge gap in my savings account...] 
 

A Journey Of Hope

This is the theme for the 2026 Christmas stamps, released in Tuesday by Royal Mail and designed by Rebecca Sutherland and Gareth Howat. I think they are absolutely lovely. I shall buy a year's worth! The five illustrations chronicle the classic Nativity narrative:

• Mary and Joseph's difficult journey to Bethlehem
• The infant Jesus in the manger
• A watchful angel
• The humble shepherds receiving the good news
• The Three Wise Men following the guiding star

PS Thank you l for your kind birthday wishes for Bob yesterday

Happy Birthday, Bob

I love this picture, taken on our Wedding Anniversary in August. A week later Bob started preparing to be Santa for the church toddler group

He looks so very different now...

But inside, he's still the same clever, funny, caring, bloke - both loving and loved. A very special husband, dad, grandad and friend. Have a wonderful day 

What's Next On The Agenda?

September and October were ridiculously busy

• There were the fixed points where I had to be somewhere else - Cyprus, College Thanksgiving, Bayeux Tapestry, Thrive Conference. 
• Special local events - Harvest Festival, Choir Concert, Lunch with friends, the Family Funday at Church. Four PLACE assessments at local hospitals.
• Half term with the grandchildren.
• And all those medical/dental appointments - between us we had fifteen appointments in seven weeks [and an extraction this coming Thursday - a large molar, which will then mean an implant]

On Saturday I stayed in my pjs until 1pm! Then we had a pub lunch, because Bob had been busy all morning and a break together was a good idea. But I came home and wrote a new to-do list for November. It is alarmingly long. There are so many little tasks which have been deferred because of all the other stuff. I have a definite system for my lists.

1. I begin with a totally random list writing things down as they occur to me
2. After another cup of coffee I add in some more things
3. Then I rewrite it in a more sensible order [eg'meal planning' has to come before 'making shopping list', and 'putting things back into loft' must come after 'sorting out craft stuff on spare bed']
4. There are always instant tasks which I can do easily and tick off quickly to make myself feel better [put purple trug back into the garage

And occasionally I put things in categories - craft tasks, home tasks, Christmas planning.

I may put stars by more important activities or write due dates in red before 7th November

35 years ago, I admit I would write things like
Get Dressed
Eat Breakfast
Take Girls to School-
simply because I knew those things would get done, so I'd have at least three ticks on my list by bedtime, no matter what other urgent matters had taken precedence over ironing, or mending.

But I am so much more laid back about lists and deadlines than I was back then. I was working part-time 2 days a week at the Primary School in the next road to the one my daughters attended. On the days I was there, my two would wait patiently at the school gate, and I would be there about 10 minutes after they came out. I'd often walk up the road with another parent from 'my' school. One day she said to me "How do you fit in all the work, and home and church stuff? I mean, I am just a stay at home Mum and I can't manage it all. I haven't washed my skirting boards this week" I was dumb-struck
Admit it, readers, how many of you washed your skirting boards down last week, and plan to do it this week as well? Apart from redecorating, we haven't had serious skirting board ablutions since the great Chocolate Mousse Disaster of 1991 [when the visiting missionaries who had come for lunch knelt down to help us, even though their dessert had been comprehensively splattered everywhere]

Next on my agenda right now - another cup of tea, I think
Do you have urgent things on your to do list?
And what about the less important feel-good tasks?

I Enjoy Thrillers

 In the autumn evenings, I am quite happy to curl up with my knitting and watch a thriller or 'police procedural' on TV. My favourites at the moment [apologies to those without these channels]

On Netflix, the wonderful "Lupin" - a very clever contemporary take on the vintage detective novels of Maurice Leblanc "Arséne Lupin, Gentleman thief" starring Omar Sy. 
This is Series 4, and the action takes place mostly in Paris - with great motorbike stunts, and a heart-stopping climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Family relationships and struggles of conscience underlie the action.[subtitled]

Also Netflix, political thriller The Diplomat. West Wing stalwarts Alison Janney and Bradley Whitford in the White House [she's POTUS] and Rufus Sewell is VP, married to Keri Russell [US ambassador to UK] Rory Kinnear is an excellent British PM, ably assisted by two of my favourite UK actors, Celie Imrie and Nancy Carroll

On "U", this NZ series [1&2 available now] features a homicide detective who comes home. Her mother is played by Rebecca Gibney, who you may recognise from Halifax f.p., Winter, and other Oz dramas.

Anna Pigeon,[also on U] a woman who left City life following a personal tragedy, and became a Park Ranger. The scenery is wonderful, filmed in Alberta, Canada. Based on the novels by Nevada Barr. I'd not heard of NB before, but she, and both her 1st and 2nd husbands qualified as Rangers in the US Parks Service, so I guess she is an expert.

Finally, the delightful Adrian Scarborough, pedalling his bicycle furiously round London, in The Chelsea Detective, Season 4 [another on on U]

What are you watching this season?

Jesus Had Difficult Days Too...

Nick the Pastor had strung pretty lights from the balcony, and after Wednesday's "Oasis Cafe", folk had helped him move out many of the chairs, and put the tables to the side. On Friday morning I was at the supermarket at 8, buying refreshments, and at church by 9.30 preparing the space. After the dreich drizzly Monday, and the cold fog of Thursday it was good to see bright sunshine again.

I put shiny gold covers on all the tables [then put chairs round them] I stacked the gold boxes along the back wall [and stuck on labels ready for children to write their names]  At the front, the craft materials were sorted and ready to distribute. Foodstuffs in place in the kitchen.
We had a quick sandwich lunch and were at church by 1.10
Altogether there were 13 adults on the team, all present, plus a teenager and 3 children from church families.
We ran through the programme, assigned tasks [welcome, registration, kitchen duties etc] and then Nick prayed for the event, for the team, and the families who would attend.
At 1.55 we opened the doors. Nobody there! Bob and Dan stood outside to welcome people.
Nobody came
By 2.30, nobody had arrived. I tried not to be despondent. "Its the last day of half term and the sun's shining" "People will have gone to the beach" Everybody suggested good reasons why there was nobody there. Nick and Bib were encouraging "Don't be despondent, Ang, Jesus had difficult days too..." Rachel WhatsApped a few mates, whose general response was "Oh we're out because the weather's so good" 
What to do?
I said it would be good to show the PowerPoint I'd prepared [God had a Plan, Jesus came at Christmas, the light of the World" As we got the three church children settled, another family came in, and then another. We watched the PP, and sang the Boing!! song, And began a craft activity. By 3pm we were up to 10 children. And more came - we had 15 in total. 

They clearly enjoyed the crafts, and the Mums chatted away. Yes, we did have to rearrange the programme drastically. Nick did two magic tricks, we had a coffee break at 3, and finished early, as many of the children were preschool and KS1 and had clearly done all they wanted! And we didnt have enough children for the team game. 

We did play the Light Game successfully. This is like the Jelly Bean Game, but instead of acting like a Bean you act like a light [Head Light, Search Light, Traffic Light, Starlight, and Lighthouse] That game went very well.

They were all very proud of their shepherds and spinners. And took unfinished crafts and worksheets home in their boxes.

Everyone helped with clearing up - and we are planning a church lunch today to use up the food [Pizza and Soup]

Yes, it was hard, when there was nobody there at the start. I wanted to get in the car and go home, but I am glad I waited. And we sang The Lighthouse Song [they know that from school assemblies] which is always a great pick me up. 

Jesus is the peace in my troubled sea

Thank you everyone who sent encouraging messages, your words were greatly appreciated

I Hate Hallowe'en!

Despite that, we have had three costumes to help with this week. Rosie is wearing her 2023 Worst Witch Cape as part of a Traitors Outfit. Three years on, that costume continues to prove useful! Bob was prevailed upon to make a Traitors Badge, and he produced an excellent laser cut piece, sprayed gold. I found a spare chain for it. It did not get photographed, but it looks just like this one! Clever Bob 

Then I was asked to alter these two. The one on the left is a "Big Mouth Monster" But the problem with these is that the head is so big, it came right down over the owner's face, then the open mouth revealed his chin and neck - but he was totally unable to see anything! The Super Mario dungarees were way too long and baggy to be safely worn whilst in a wheelchair. They were easy to take up.

The BMM took more consideration. I needed to raise the head, so the eyes could see through the mouth without it looking stupid. I think this looks a little daft! I turned the head inside out and made an oval cardboard pattern, the same size as the brown furry hairpiece. Then I made a small cushion, stuffed with wadding and stitched that in place.

I sewed the edges of the lips together to make the mouth opening smaller. Bob suggested a strip of red gauze would obscure the eyes a little.
Here I am, about 6" taller than normal, modelling this bizarre outfit (I did not feel the need to zip up the legs! SuperMario is much less scary

If this hairy green creature arrived on my doorstep on a gloomy autumnal evening, I think I'd probably slam the door in its face, with neither trick nor treat! 

Who thought this was a good idea? 

Friday Family Funday

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

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

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

I will tell you how it went next week..

With The Girls At Blickling

 

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

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

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

Once Again, I am Unwittingly Fashionable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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