Jesus Brings Us Joy

On Friday there was a FunDay at Church. I was not there [explanations later] but I did help with planning and preparing all the crafts. The theme was Jesus at the Wedding Feast In Cana - so the children made party crowns, placemats, and these little joyful cup-people. And there was a photo booth for wedding selfies [with suitable attire for a wedding feast]  Friends Sue and Alastair from Essex came to run the day, with music, puppets and games - assisted by Nick with his magic tricks. Alastair [&AI] produced a song [which blogger will not let me post!] 

Nick is away today, and I am preaching on the same story. I have chosen three songs especially for the young at heart; My Lighthouse, Our God is a great big God, and this golden oldie - one of James Partridge's 'Assembly Bangers'

Half a century ago, we used to add an extra verse "Give me Unction in my Gumption, let me Function". They were Happy Days....may your day today  be filled with JOY

Waste Less - Waist Bigger

 

So my lovely Orvis skirt was way too tight - in the CS shop it was stretched on a wooden hanger. I got it home, and it had pinged back to shape - a 24" waist! I have not had a waist that small since before Liz was born [40+ years ago]. Not a casing with a circle of elastic inside, but like many pjs, the elastic was sewn in with 5 rows of machine stitching. And very tight when contracted. Not easy to enlarge, but I needed some wriggle room!
Solution - 
Cut a 2" slit down each side, and open up into a straight line, bind these raw edges with binding. 

My waist is around 30" now [oops!] and once I tuck the elastic inside [as I did as a teenager] the skirt sits comfortably just below my waist and is the right length.

I have been living in this skirt for the past week, so cool and breezy. It's been complimented too, which is pleasant. And it goes well with lots of different plain teeshirts and vest! 

Take Me With You, I Can See Perfectly!

Whenever I spot a pin on the floor, I remember Donald Pleasence in The Great Escape, convincing James Garner that his eyesight is fine. [DP had actually been a POW in WW2]  I am aware that my eyesight is not what it once was. I've been wearing glasses for half my life. And they are not cheap! But I have recently had an eye test and acquired new ones. This time I have chosen slightly more colourful frames than usual - tortoiseshell at the front, bright peacock blue at the side.

Our Vision Express is situated at the back of Tesco. When they told me the glasses were ready, I nipped down to collect them, stopping only to buy some Alka Seltzer, and a meat and pastry snack as I left the supermarket. 
As Sue said last Friday, once you get to our age, life is just "Specs, Drugs and Sausage Rolls"!

If you are in the UK, enjoy the Bank Holiday, and do avoid getting dehydrated or sunburnt

Free Parking?

Are you sitting comfortably? I am going to have a rant. 
First a relatively minor one...

This sign means the space is for disabled people, blue badge holders. Bob is so grateful for his permit, it means the walking distance from the car park to the door of the shop/church/theatre is reduced. My neighbour knows the hatched areas around the space means there will be room to manoeuvre her daughters wheelchair. 

These spaces are not for Joe Public, who is in a hurry and doesn't want to walk from the other side of the carpark. And people who park in such spaces should display their blue badge. 

So the other day, when we returned to our car outside a busy Sainsburys, and a couple pulled into the adjacent space and both jumped out, and set off speedily towards the InPost lockers, Bob called out in a cheerful tone "Hey! You've forgotten to display your blue badge!"
The man said "We'll only be two minutes, we are going to the InPost Locker" and the woman said "oh, I'm waiting for my blue badge"  I know not all disabilities are visible, and maybe she was 'waiting for her blue badge' to arrive...but as we drove away, I was pretty certain they did not return to the car after depositing their parcel, but walked towards the supermarket. Bad behaviour if you ask me.
But that is nothing compared to the utterly selfish people on the Norfolk coast this weekend,.

On Sunday morning, seven people, including four children were trapped on a sandbank with an incoming tide at Wells Next the Sea. This is not uncommon at this time of year, visitors do not heed the warnings

The siren sounded and the volunteer lifeboat crew scrambled to get to the station so they could launch a rescue craft - only to discover that holidaymakers had taken up all the crew's designated parking spaces by the lifeboat station. Which obviously delayed the rescue - where every minute counts as lives are at risk.

This is unbelievable thoughtlessness - I am grateful that this time, all the stranded people were rescued safely. Operations manager Chris Hardy said “Today, our crew experienced difficulties parking when responding to this shout.The restricted parking near the lifeboat station is clearly marked for RNLI crew and emergency access, and it is vital that these spaces are kept clear." He asked visitors to respect the restrictions staff, who try to enforce them. Parking issues persisted throughout the bank holiday weekend The crew pleaded again with people not to park in their spaces after more issues on Monday morning. "We are asking everyone, respectfully but very clearly: please do not park in or block RNLI access areas, emergency service spaces, slipways, gates or turning areas," 

Personally I feel that people who park in the RNLI Crew spaces should have their cars towed away and impounded, and be fined for reckless endangerment of life. I don't think people would park their cars in ambulance bays, or across the front of the fire station. Why do they think it is ok to regard these spaces at Wells as "Free Parking"? 

Another Family Birthday

The other day my phone offered me the chance to look at "Pictures of Liz down the years" This selection represents the last 21 years - from our trip to Budapest in 2005 to new spectacles this spring. 

So grateful for this wonderful daughter - the mother of my grand-daughters, and such a thoughtful, intelligent, caring witty woman. We have had so much fun together recently - both here in Norfolk, and when we were in Manchester last month looking after the boys during the Marathon.

Thank you for all the joy and laughter you bring to our family, have a wonderful birthday, Liz! 

Here We Go Again!

Drum roll please! Just to announce the next great Kirsten&Ang collaborative craft project is underway. K had the brainwave for it. 

We were both wanting to do different individual stitching stuff, and we took a bit of a break after our Two-by-Two patches, to consider what we might work on together.

K read this book, and wondered if this time round we should knit rather than sew. Jan Eaton's book has dozens of 6" squares to inspire you 

I got my own copy of the book 2nd hand, online, and started looking through it. Some squares she does in 4 colourways, so strictly speaking there are less than 150 different stitch patterns
I was really excited about the idea - as K said, it would be a good stash buster, not much yarn needed for each square. Like 2by2, we'd each prepare two squares every time, one to keep, and one to swap.
What will we do with them? I asked. Neither of us needs another throw, especially in this hot weather! 🔥🥵🔥🥵🔥

18, or maybe 32 squares would make a patchwork cushion cover. I have gone right off this idea, ever since someone at the craft group brought in her new book, showing how to combine squares not in a quilt but in a pillow [the term our US friends use for cushion] and the author called these items quillows. No!!! I do not want a quillow , thank you. Ugly word imho.
Bob suggested a waistcoat/gilet type garment. We plan to wait till we'd finished to decide what to make.

I just could not choose which square to start with. So as Heather and I sat in Costa, I said "Go through this book and quickly point out 4 that you like" So she did, and I said I would do one of them as my first square. Then I asked Rosie to pick two balls of wool for me to knit the square. That was a little difficult, she kept suggesting alternative patterns! I am grateful to my supporters, when I get stuck with a decision

I used the white and random-dye balls Rosie had chosen to start knitting the pattern. 

But I really did not like the resulting stripes. I swapped out the white for a rusty shade - but that sort of disappeared.  
Now I have started again with completely different shades, and I am much happier with the outcome. 
We are going to swap as and when we've both finished our 2 samples. And the accompanying notes will be written on 6" squares of paper or card.

So that will be two women

    each knitting two squares

        on yarn that is thinner than aran and thicker than four ply

thus our next collaboration has the working title

DOUBLE KNITTING

More will be revealed in coming weeks...

Ice, But No Water

Thank you all for your kind words. Bob has continued to get stronger, and preached a great sermon this morning. 

It has been a good weekend. 

Saturday afternoon it was lovely to have the girls at Cornerstones. Jess did Spirograph, while Rosie sorted all the pens for me. 

Then the Ice Cream van stopped right outside. Treats all round! 

I had a friend who told her son that unless the van stopped outside and the driver rang their doorbell and asked if John Smith wanted an ice cream he couldn't have one. And I knew another Mum who said when the van played a tune it meant "I've run out of ices, returning to depot" [And it was not because they could not afford it - I felt it was not kind to mislead children like that] 

The girls heard the chimes, but did not ask for ices - so I was really delighted to treat the family. We had fun choosing, and they were delicious and creamy. 

Sunday we got home from church to find no water in the taps - a water main had burst in the heat and hundreds of homes locally were cut off for over 8 hours. I checked our neighbours were OK, especially the older ones and those with pets. It was SO hot! Then we went over to the family at their cottage, where the taps all worked! We returned in the

evening with a large bottle of tap water, just in case. The water was back, but pressure still low.

It was an inconvenience, but only a minor one. And a reminder that 99.9% of the time we have fresh, clean water on tap. Some people will have to walk miles today in  blazing heat to get a bucket of dirty water to meet the needs of their family. 

Lord make us truly grateful.

10.30am Woke to find water off again, no details about when it will be back. Used bucket of water from garden water butt for loo flushing. Now off to Liz to refill bottles! 

Pentecost Sunday

Today is Pentecost Sunday, when Christian celebrate God's gift of the Holy Spirit to his Church [Acts Chapter 2] He has many names - the old fashioned and outdated term Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Jesus, the Comforter, the Paraclete [a Greek word meaning comforter, not to be confused with colourful tropical birds] For some, today will be marked with lively enthusiastic worship, and that is great - but lately I have been reflecting on the ways in which the Spirit of Jesus guides and empowers us in a gentle way, comforting us when we are distressed, encouraging when we feel weary, guiding us when we do not know which way to turn. This hymn, set to the beautiful, traditional Scottish Skye Boat Song sums this up 

PS , if you are the praying type, please thank God that Bob is so much better than he was a week ago - and ask for God's strength for him as he preaches at Church this morning. Thank you.

In Loving Memory

 

Peter's service went well. I allowed plenty of time because of all the roadworks along the A47 and arrived 20 minutes early. I stood under the trees chatting with Roger [aka Spronk], who had known Pete since Primary School. Like me, he did not really know anyone else there apart from the immediate family. The Yarmouth Crem is relatively modern, light and bright, with comfortable seating!
Daphne had written a piece about her brother's life - growing up, his love of motorbikes, [shared with his best friend Spronk], his work on the ambulance crews, his love of dogs, and in retirement his unwavering support for LIB Dog Rescue. His great nephew gave a lovely tribute to the man himself - how everyone had loved Uncle Pete. 
Roger and I sat together in the chapel and again at the Wake - mostly discussing motorbikes. Well, he talked about all the bikes he and Peter had owned, and I added relevant comments where I could. I never did pluck up the nerve to ask him why he was nicknamed Spronk  though.
One older relation was looking at me with that "I ought to know you..." expression. I smiled and said "I'm Angela, Hilda and Stan's daughter" "Of course!" he replied. Then his daughter said "I was at your wedding, it was brilliant, Uncle Stan conducted it, and the balcony upstairs was full. Everyone was happy and the music was good" She can only have been about 10 at the time. But I fully agreed with her description. 
Lots of Pete's LIB friends were there - and said they should have brought the dogs to form a guard of honour outside the Crem [possibly not....] They'd printed out lots of lovely photos of Pete-with-rescue-dogs which had been on their Facebook page in recent days.
Happy memories

Saying Goodbye

Thank you for all your good wishes for Bob. The meds have kicked in quickly and he is recovering well [I know this because his appetite has returned!] This is a good thing, because we are both due to be at funerals today - he is going to one locally [a friend from Men's Shed] and I am driving over to Yarmouth for my cousin Peter's funeral. Unfortunately both services are at 1pm.
My cousin Daphne, his older sister, has been helping him so much in recent years since his wife died suddenly. Fortunately she and her husband Cliff live close by. Cliff has had two other family bereavements since Christmas

Whilst it will be good to meet up with my cousins, it is for a sad reason. I hope the love and support of family and friends will be a comfort to all those who are bereaved at this time.

Colour Coded

When I was repairing the bra this week, I got all my threads out to find the best match. In recent years I have tended to buy spools of Gutermann - but I've been accumulating thread for more than half a century. Many of these have been given by older friends, so I have lots of wooden reels of Sylko. I love the traditional chunky reel, with the branding on one end, and the colour name on the other.

In 2013, Bob made me a side table which I use every day based on a Sylko reel. 

I keep my threads in some square M&S biscuit tins. I put them all in with the colour labels upwards. Much as I love Gutermann, I think names are
So much nicer than numbers. 

spring green, almond green, Chinese green, emerald green, light emerald, lime green, mallard green, light apple green, dark olive, light olive, sage, dark jade , royal blue, saxe blue, light petunia, mid petunia, dark myrtle, wine, dark reseda, pink, geranium, sunrise, light pomegranate, light rose dubarry, mustard, beige, deep brown

Rose dubarry is a pink shade, from a shade of porcelain developed in the 18thC named for Madame du Barry, mistress of Louis XV. Reseda is a deep pink shade [alternative name for mignonette flowers] 

Not all my vintage threads are Sylko. These ones have interesting labels too. 

There is definitely a poetic quality to these names - just reading them, and looking at the jewelled hues makes me want to stitch something... 

Bosom Buddies

Not very much has been done at Cornerstones this week. 

Bob's cough has kept us both awake at night, and he has been pretty poorly. He's been sleeping in the daytime, and I have felt very dozy too. He was able to get an appointment with the GP, who has prescribed strong antibiotics. They can can cause photo-sensitivity, so he must keep out of the sun for the next 5 days [even if it is cloudy]
He is calling them his Vampire Pills!
I did mend my neighbour's bra. I carefully cut the straps on either side of the chewed section. Then I practised machining on the spoilt part to enable me to plan my repair. 

I butted the two edges together and then tacked a strip of bias binding behind.
I zigzaged across the join, then machined around the edge of the repair section, and did a strengthening diagonal cross in running stitch.
Fortunately there was enough spare elastic in the 'adjustable' strap at the back. Garment duly restored

This is not a good picture, the colour of the bra was a very pretty pale green. The stitching looks white, but actually it was a fairly good match and almost invisible from a distance. Not that anyone is likely to see her underwear under normal circumstances.
When I took it round, she invited me in for a brief chat - I said Bob was poorly, and she's going to make him a cake to speed his recovery! He hasn't been able to keep anything down [except water] since Sunday. I think just the thought of spongecake is good medicine!

TeaTime Treats

It is over 20 years since I last went to Port Sunlight. This wonderful village was built in 1888, by William Hesketh, Lord Lever - the Soap Millionaire. He built  Port Sunlight to house the workers at his soap factory, Lever Brothers, which eventually became the global giant, Unilever. The village represents one man’s vision to provide industrial workers with decent, sanitary housing in a considered architectural and picturesque form.

However, rather than a philanthropic venture, Lever claimed it was all part of a business model he termed ‘prosperity-sharing’. Rather than sharing his profits directly with his employees, Lever provided them with decent and affordable houses, amenities and welfare provisions that made their lives secure and comfortable and enabled them to flourish as people. It was also intended to inspire loyalty and commitment. Now maintained by the Port Sunlight Village Trust, this fascinating community is a great place to explore [lots more information here] The Lady Lever Art Gallery, with its fabulous collection of Pre-Raphaelite Art, is somewhere I would especially like to revisit sometime. Maybe if I am in Manchester for a holiday with Steph I can zip down the M56 for a day...

Back in 1929, 'The Port Sunlight News' was a regular magazine produced for the workers who lived there - and they had a competition for a sweet treat to rival other local products [like the Eccles Cake]  It was won byMiss Lee, [who worked in the Soap Factory] with her "Port Sunlight Bun". It cannot have been that much if a success, because it seems to have been forgotten - until last autumn, when a PSVT staff member found a copy of the magazine, and persuaded The Nettle Café -[a local community run café] to make it for customers

The original Port Sunlight Bun recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. plain flour
• ¼ lb. margarine and lard mixed
• ¼ lb. sugar
• A good pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar
• ¼ lb. currants
• ¼ lb. sultanas
• 2 oz. candied peel
• 1 tablespoonful of ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoonfuls of milk
• Grated rind of orange or lemon

Instructions
Mix all dry ingredients together, rub in lard and margarine. Now add fruit and bind into a stiff dough with well-beaten egg and milk. Now take a fork full of the mixture and put in lumps on a greased tin, the rougher the better. Cook in hot oven for 15 minutes; turn gas lower after first five minutes.

My Notes, May 2026
Preheat oven to 200°C then turn down to 175°C

I halved the recipe, and made 6 buns. I omitted candied peel and rind [Bob dislikes them]  I had no ground almonds – but it still tasted good

I served mine with butter, jam and fresh strawberries. Bob said they reminded him of his mother's Rock Cakes. I did use lard&marg, not butter as per the recipe. I think Miss Lee made bigger buns!

Unlike scones, these tasted just as good on the second day. I do enjoy recreating these old recipes! Bob has discovered Max Miller's YouTube Channel Tasting History which is very clever, and most entertaining. He covers a wide range of recipes from ancient times, to WW2. Fortunately Bob has not yet felt the need to make the Cooked Jellyfish of Ancient Rome, or Hildegarde of Bingen's Cookies of Joy [allegedly not at all joyful!]

Big shout out to Carolyn at the 1940's Experiment, who continues to research amazing recipes from eight decades ago

Have you got a favourite "Heritage Recipe"?
Something local to you, or perhaps one handed down through the generations in your own family?

Shedloads Of Stuff

We held a yard sale on Saturday, to raise funds for the Men's Shed. Bob in the coachhouse with lots of tools and stuff, me round the corner, under the Shed's Big Red Gazebo, with stuff that wasn't tools or shed related. We'd told our neighbours we were doing it, and half a dozen others joined in with their own sale tables. The weather was kind, we had publicised it widely on Social Media, and put a big sign out on the main road.

There was a lot of fetching and carrying, and a lot left.  
We had a few visitors, not a lot - and made about £30. I am beginning to think that sewing BBQ aprons was an easier way of fund raising! A couple of guys expressed an interest at coming along to Shed Sessions, and I had good chats with some of the locals and their dogs*. 

Over the course of the weekend, Bob has developed a nasty cold, and I think I am catching it now...

Today will be a Slow Day - I don't think I should go to Craft Group in case I have a sneezing fit. 

A quick mention of  Heather, who has been following Tracing Rainbows since March 2015. I did not know this till we actually met in person last autumn, and I discovered she lives less than 3 miles away. So we meet for coffee and chat sometimes. She has become a really good friend - I hope she has a lovely day today, as it is her birthday. 

* speaking of dogs, my latest sewing challenge from a neighbour "Ang, can you mend this do you think? It is my favourite bra, I left it on the bed, and the dog has chewed right through the strap!" [if I manage the repair, will she become a bosom friend?]

You Are The Peace In My Troubled Sea

On Sundays at church, we are studying the Gospel of Mark. This week, Mark chapter 4, when Jesus calms the storm. 
Here is a favourite song from Rend Collective 

In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea,

In the silence, You won't let go
In the questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea,

My Lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My Lighthouse, my lighthouse  
I will trust the promise,
You will carry me safe to shore

I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea,   
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
My Lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You

I will trust the promise,
You will carry me safe to shore
You are the Peace in my troubled Sea

Snöskyffel and Aglet

I think these should be a pair of Scandinavian cartoon dogs - the Nordic equivalent of the Antipodean Bluey and Bingo. In fact Snöskyffel is the name of the cute red metal shoe horn from IKEA and Aglet is the correct English word for the sheath at the end of as shoelace, which stops it unravelling and makes it easier to thread through the holes.

I have been thinking about both recently, because summer approaches and I am wearing both my white plimsolls and my new trainers on warm dry days. I get frustrated if my laces come undone when I am out - finding somewhere to balance whilst I retie them is not always easy. I do not want to kneel on the path, there is never a convenient ledge or step when you want one, and I do not want to roll inelegantly into a heap on the pavement like a distressed hedgehog. I decided to try the 'no bow' system, turning the shoes into slip ons.[Ignore the fact that this video is for gents!]

But when I push my foot in, the back of the shoe rolls over. The shoehorn is brilliant at assisting my heel into place. The aglets are inside, invisible, and my feet are comfy. And my shoes have been converted into slipons. I am sure many of you knew the word aglet already - I have posted this video of the aglet song before...

Skirting The Issue

Two cotton skirts, one navy and white fishes,  the other  a pretty leafy print on a golden background. Except this is the same skirt, it is reversible!

I bought this in a CS recently. I thought it was a yellow skirt and the blue was the lining, and didn't realise it was reversible. If you look at the zip, you can see the 'pull' can flip over to the other side. And between the two layers, you can find a "White Stuff" label. The CS price tag said "large" and it was within my "Cup of Coffee" budget [£3.50 or less] I am afraid I was in a hurry and did not try it on. I figured the fabric was lovely and I could remake it if it didn't fit.
I was pleased when I got home to find it was two-for-one, and being White Stuff, very well made. However it is definitely not Large - the tag has been cut out, but I think it is a 10. Certainly too tight for my waistline. At the moment it is just hanging in the wardrobe waiting for some sort of alteration.

Along with this one - a very pretty vintage Orvis brand ankle length skirt. This too is beautifully made, but rather too long for me. The waistband is elasticated, and again a bit tight. I shall probably undo the seam in the elastic and simply turn it to the inside. A quick and easy fix.
When you were at school, did you ever turn over the waistband of your school skirt to turn from prim uniform knee length, to a miniskirt?  I notice the teenagers round here still seem to do that!

Little, And Good

Are you aware of the Japanese company Muji? The name is a contraction of a phrase meaning "No brand, quality goods". They have half a dozen shops in London. You can read about the company and its philosophy here. Everyday items, well designed, sustainable, minimum packaging - stationery, homewares, basic garments.

They have recently opened a store in Hong Kong, and to celebrate, they invited artist Tatsuya Tanaka to produce some artworks featuring their products. I've posted about TT before, here in 2017. He uses regular items as the basis for minuscule works of art. Look at the ones he has come up with for Muji

He made a tiny Muji store using various items, stationery bits and small shopfitting components. Then he did lots of pieces which have witty names referencing the products used.
I like the jeans waves on the socks beach, and the ice-cream store...  His attention to detail is fantastic

Finally, to the delight of the residents of Hong Kong, he recreated Victoria Harbour and its iconic skyline - using Muji products for the buildings, a brush for the circular exhibition centre, a toothbrush for the pier - and staplers to represent the ferries which carry passengers back and forth,

What a clever guy, what a lovely shop!

Je Ne Sais Pas!

 

I really don't know what to make of this. I was so looking forward to Clive Owen's appearance as Sam Spade in a "What happened after he left being a PI in the US and settled in a beautiful French Village"story. But for me, it didn't quite deliver. No Spoilers Here

Pros

1. the scenery is lovely - beautiful countryside, great French mansions, and all set in the amazing, ancient village of Bouzoul which is built round a massive canyon. 
2. the vehicles used are lovely 1950's & 60's French cars 
3. the background music is great, with Brigitte Bardot, Francise Hardy and others
4. the costumes are gorgeous and correct for the time [1960s]
5. Clive Owen interprets the Spade role brilliantly imho

Cons

1. it is quite violent. Ok, I know it is 'film noir', but it was a bit too graphic in parts [eyes down, concentrate on my knitting through these bits...]
2. you really do need to concentrate on the English subtitles, as much of the dialogue is in French, although the spelling of some subtitling is execrable.
3. some of the characters seemed too caricatured to be believable.
4. there were just too many characters. I found it hard to follow the plot
5. the story seemed to move slowly and there were lots of flashbacks. But I think if it had been faster, I'd never have kept up and the flashbacks were essential to understand the many characters.
6. A better knowledge of the Algerian War of Independence would have helped. I couldn't follow all the references to SDECE, OAS, FLN, CIA, MI5 etc
7. at the end, all the loose ends were tied up [just about] by a character who flew in just for the last 5 minutes. I found it a rather unsatisfying denouement.

Short Video of Bouzouls - I mean - wow, look at this place!

Forget everything you remembered about Humphrey Bogart in the Maltese Falcon, which was set in 1930s America, and enjoy this for what it is - a thriller set in 1960s France, with the backdrop of the Algerian War of Independence. [De Gaulle, Kennedy and Queen Elizabeth all get a mention]  After Spade, I found the teenage girl the most interesting, and the little boy was very sweet [but his character was a bit colourless]
See what you think - I know quite a few of you who follow the blog have a much better knowledge of the French language, and experience of the country than I do. 

I'd rate it trois étoiles et demie ! 
Monsieur Spade is currently on U&Drama,free to watch in the UK

Wake, And Pillage

My own fault, I shouldn't have mentioned my fondness for Peanuts Cartoons, and  Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse. I've been a bit Peppermint Patty myself this week.
I'm not saying I did fall asleep, but afterwards, the friend sitting behind said "Bob said before the service that you had a disturbed night, and I noticed him squeezing your hand during the sermon" [oops! I didn't actually snore though]
The problem was that at 4.30am I was woken up up this random bleeping noise.
I tried to identify it
Not the smoke alarm - Not a phone
Not the new microwave [which is given to random bleeps, as part of its "childsafe" setting, which I cannot unset]
Not the washing machine - that plays little tunes
Not the insistent alarm clock - Not that wretched Alexa woman
What was it? - I decided I ought to wake Bob 

It was the carbon monoxide detector

When we check that, we get a single continuous alarm - not this cheep every 30 seconds.
Bob decided it was a battery alert.

He removed the battery, and opened windows and internal doors so there was a good air flow
And I made the obligatory middle-of-the-night-event recovery pot of tea [glad it was a warm night] On Sunday morning, Bob read the small print inside the battery compartment, which warns that after 7 years of use, this chirping will alert you to replace the unit. So that was OK, and we didn't die...
Bob has had his own sleeping issues of late, but a new memory foam pillow has made a significant improvement. He no longer has a pain in the neck in the mornings [other than his wakeful spouse]
... and Pillage? Not the Violent Vikings, but rather the whole medication routine which is now part of our daily sleeping and rising rituals. I am very grateful for the things which help

• free meds from the NHS via our efficient local GP Practice
• Tony at church, who recycles our pill packaging for charity
• the health benefits which the pills provide
  

I am not so thrilled with the way the various tablets sometimes come from a different manufacturer- and so my Vitamin D pills [evening] are the same shape as the ones for my digestion.[morning] I have taken to drawing lines with a sharpie over the packing of the latter when that happens, so I do not take the wrong ones by mistake.
And the side effects of tablets are sometimes hard to manage

There is much historical evidence showing that Martin Luther [German Theologian] had digestive troubles. It is my belief that his doctor prescribed him omeprazole too...

Half A Century Later...

I have always loved Peanuts cartoons. As a teenager I collected the books. A friend gave me a lined Jaeger skirt when I was 17. It fitted perfectly, but was mid calf length on me. I shortened it to mini-length, and made a pocket with the trimmings, on which I embroidered Snoopy sleeping on his doghouse. I adored that skirt and wore it all one summer. [I had slim, tanned legs back then!] Sadly no photos remain. 
When I was 21, a friend sent me a Snoopy Teeshirt as a birthday gift. In 1981, there was a hitch with a house move. I rang cousin Gill and said "Everything is packed in teachests and I just have an overnight bag. I'm running out of clean clothes" The next day, a large envelope arrived containing two pairs of pants and a Snoopy Teeshirt. I wore the tees often and treasured them both. But after having children, I never got back into size 10 tops, they went into a memory box. At the last Winter/Summer wardrobe swap I took them out. My granddaughters like Snoopy too. So Rosie now has the pale lemon one, and Jess has the white one [a little big, but it will make a good summer nightie]

"Look after it!" I told Rosie "I have had it for 50 years" She knew about Gill, Julian's Mum - but enquired about the friend who gave me the lemon one. I said I hadn't seen him for a number of years- but that he became a Baptist minister like Grandad, and is also retired now. And that  when he gave me the teeshirt, it was originally a custardy yellow colour! These were among the oldest items in my wardrobe.

The sweatshirts from the 70's and 80's were recycled into a blanket 35 years ago, 

I repaired that during lockdown and it's still in use as a garden blanket inside the teepee.
I do try and squeeze as much use as I can from my textiles!
Do you still have any garments from decades ago?
Have you recycled them into other projects?