Spectacular!

In the continuing saga of "things at Cornerstones which are wearing out or falling to bits", the latest casualty - my glasses. Wearing them to read in bed, I fell asleep and bent them out of shape. Repeatedly!  And on Sunday the 'arm' snapped off completely.  

The guy at Vision Express could not have been more helpful. He said that for £25 the [rather expensive varifocal] lenses could be put into new frames. It should be less than a fortnight before I get them back. I'm very grateful for his help.

My older black framed glasses are OK for distance, so I can drive in them - but I really struggle to read. I splashed out a further £5  on a pair of cheap reading glasses with blue plastic frames. I can wear these in bed without worrying too much. And will go on doing so even after I get my others back. 

So I'm wandering around with two pairs at once, swapping over when I need to read something or do closework like sewing. Looking like horologist Steve Fletcher!  Julian was very sympathetic, having just had to replace his glasses at significant cost. He sent me this...

At least I don't have to buy a complete new pair, I only got these in May, and my varifocal lenses are pretty costly. Eyeglasses were first invented around the end of the 13th Century, about 150 years before the printing press. Which makes all those phenomenal embroideries, like the Bayeux Tapestry, and Opus Anglicanum even more amazing, 

Those stitchers had no means of magnifying their work. Some guilds restricted the hours of work, and insisted it was all done in daylight, to protect the eyesight of their needleworkers. 

I started wearing glasses when I was 30, what about you?