I've Got Some Nice Legs!

Said Bob. It was during the great pre-retirement downsize, I realised that one thing I did need at Cornerstones was a small table in the back bedroom. I had hoped it would be a worktable for my craft activities, and a place for visitors to put their stuff. That was why Bob mentioned his nice legs [!] and that he had a piece of wood, a short length of kitchen worktop retrieved from our neighbour's skip in Dorset when they had a refit. The legs were red metal [IKEA bargain basement, £5, years ago] and had remained in his stash, stuck together with parcel tape. He promptly screwed the legs to the wood and there was my table. It has been in use ever since. But he never actually finished it properly. I put a tablecloth on it when we had overnight guests.

Here it is, this time last year, stacked with food and jars during the kitchen refit. The top is grubby, it had sharp edges and corners, and the base of every leg [hidden in this shot] is a mess of half removed brown parcel tape. More recently my worklamp has been clamped to the edge, and the table has been covered with sewing projects.

On Thursday, I had been tidying the bedroom, the tabletop was clear. Bob leapt into action, and took the table outside. He removed the legs, and while I set to work with solvent to clean off the sticky tape and goo, he rounded the edges of the top. He sanded everything and finished it off with a coat of Osmo. It looks so much better now

Clean, shiny and no sharp corners! This will count as a restoration project, another of my #word365 activities. Thank you Bob. I shall refix  my lamp and I'm 'good to go' again

A Week Of April Anniversaries

If you read Sue's post yesterday, or Mary's, you will know there are some great poems out there celebrating April. I cannot agree with TS Eliot's assertion that April is 'the cruellest month'. For me, this past week - April 10th- 17th is one of joyful celebration and gratitude for so many good things in my life.

1955  April 10th
Easter Sunday
The year I was born. Back then, the fathers had to wait outside the delivery room. They told Dad I'd got the cord wrapped round my neck and was unlikely to survive the birth. But I was ok [and he was late for church!] 

2009 April 15th, Wednesday
54 years later, we took possession of Cornerstones - our wonderful bungalow in the heart of rural Norfolk

We still wake up every morning marvelling at God's grace in providing us with this lovely home.  When we first bought it, we were living in Leicestershire - our daughters were both in London.

2018 April 14th, Saturday
Off to Manchester for the wedding of daughter Steph to her beloved Gaz. In the past eight years they have achieved so much, moving house, both succeeding in their careers, and best of all, becoming parents to two gorgeous little boys.

2021 April 12th, Monday
A week after Easter, Bob retired from being minister in Ferndown. With the help of masked friends [lockdown rules!] we packed our belongings in to a van and drove the long road up to Norfolk. Next day I left a message on the fridge.

Retiring in Lockdown was difficult. I really felt for Bob who didn't get the razzamataz his college buddies did when they retired in 2019 or 2022. 
But here we are - five years on from retirement. I'm grandma to four lovely children, and 'auntie-mum' to Julian in Romford.
We are happily involved in our church, and our community.  

The family are thriving, and we have lots of good neighbours - although since 2009, many of the residents have moved on and we've made more new friends . Cornerstones has become a place of love, peace and joy. The new kitchen is fabulous, the solar panels keep us warm and the garden is growing. He's Shedding and I'm still Sewing [and blogging]

So this week in April will always be a special one for me, full of happy memories. There's a lovely old song that begins "Oh how good is the Lord, I never will forget what He has done for me"
I hope I never do

A Household Name?

Have you come across the author Geoffrey Household? He was an amazing guy, born in 1900, died in 1988 - and as well as writing, his  career also included training as a banker in Bucharest, selling bananas in Spain, serving as a security officer in WW2...He was passionate about cats, gardens, Spanish Rioja and pipe-smoking - a quintessential Englishman with a glamourous Romanian wife. He wrote 37 novels, numerous short stories and a few children's books. 

I first came across GH in the late 1970's, when his book "Rogue Male" was made into a film for the BBC, starring Peter O Toole. I thought the plot was brilliant and found a secondhand copy of the book, which I read, and re-read till it fell to bits. GH wrote it in the late 1930s. Told in the first person, it is the story of an aristocratic Englishman who makes a failed solo attempt at assassinating a 

particularly evil European dictator. He escapes captivity, and gets back to England where he hides from foreign agents seeking to capture and kill him.

Having grown up in Dorset, our hero returns there, and digs himself into a sandstone tunnel at the end of a country lane in a remote woodland area. Radio 4 commissioned a audio version of the [abridged] book, which was first broadcast in 1989, and starred Simon Cadell. Then in 2004, Michael Jayston read the whole book [15 halfhour episodes] 
During March 2026, to mark the 30th anniversary of Cadell's death, R4extra re-broadcast his Rogue Male. For the next few weeks you can hear Michael Jayston reading the sequel, Rogue Justice [which Household wrote in 1982, 40 years after the first book] 
Household was an extremely prescient guy - living in Europe in the 1930s, he watched Hitler's rise to power. He was aware of what Adolf was capable of, long before many others.  He hated the Nazi regime with a passion. This  inspired his Rogue Male story. It is considered to have inspired Fleming's Bond, David Morell's Rambo, Forsyth's Jackal, and a number of other action-hero books. 

Just before we moved to Dorset, author Robert McFarlane set out to find the "Hollow-way" where Household's hero hid, although GH had said it was not marked on any OS maps. He failed! But since we left the area [typical!] another author, Sara Hudson, claims to have located the spot.  One day I might get back...

It is a cracking adventure story, a true classic, and I think Geoffrey Household deserves better recognition. 

I recommend you get ahead of the game, and read Rogue Male now. If only because the lovely Benedict [Sherlock etc] Cumberbatch is busy making a new film version!
Have you read Rogue Male?

Do you remember the Peter O Toole film?

Jesus Says "I Will Give You Rest, Come!"

That is the theme of this year's World Day Of Prayer, planned by the women of Nigeria. WDP always happens on the first Friday in March. I checked the Find A Service Near You page, and was pleased to find there is an afternoon service just a few miles away in Dereham. I felt sad that to find that there was no service listed in Kirby Muxloe, and Ferndown was 24 miles from the nearest service. [surely somebody in one of the many Bournemouth churches is doing something?] You can find out more here

A Word Of Appreciation

Covid prevented many important social gatherings - weddings, funerals, birthdays - and retirement events. I was sad that after 40 years in the same job, serving so many churches and communities as pastor and friend [councillor, school governor etc etc] Bob felt his ministry had sort of fizzled out unnoticed. He didn't get the big send off that most ministers do. I was determined to do something to rectify that. So in June I sent out about 30 emails, to the people and places where we'd been since 1981 when he first became a student pastor, up to the present day. I asked for letters, just acknowledging something about the friendships he had made over the years. I asked people to pass on the request to others. The letters were all to be sent to my friend Wendy [so he would not suspect anything] He had no idea!
I was delighted to receive 50 letters, representing over 80 people. Some I had completely lost touch with, and wondered how they had heard about the secret project. The letters were so appreciative, from pastors he had mentored, people whose marriages he'd conducted, or families who appreciated his input when they were bereaved, college staff, those in the community who had benefitted from his contribution to the well being of the area...

I collected the letters and took them secretly to a friends, where I printed off Bible verses and favourite hymns too. And on the evening before his birthday, after our special meal together, I presented it. We were both really moved by the kind words we read together. I am not posting any of those here - they are his letters and very personal. Just a few photos

But the day after his birthday, a letter came from Rosie. This is going to be added at the back of the book, after these final photographs.

Bob, your ministry certainly has not fizzled out unnoticed. In retirement, you are still doing amazing things here in Norfolk, and with your family. We love you so much - cooking pancakes and bbqs, craftsman, doing silly voices and telling great stories, the best grandad, dad, husband...

That's definitely the end of the 70th birthday celebrations!

Adventures Of Tin, Tin And Tins

I've always had a fondness for tins [and for Tintin, my second favourite Belgian] Cocoa tins, biscuit tins, mustard tins... In 2012, Bob gently suggested I might like to review the stack of empty tins which I'd amassed in the Kirby Muxloe garage.

At the time I counted 42 unused tins - I got rid of quite a few. When we left Dorset I gave even more away. But they've somehow been building up again. 

There were twenty one tins on the top of the kitchen cupboards! But I'd stored them neatly like matryoshka dolls, nesting inside each other. It was only when I separated and stacked them that it became apparent how many there were. I removed all duplicate sizes, used some for food storage, and recycled others. There are 7 left. . I was on a roll! I then got out all my glass jars -- Gü ramekins, Bonne Maman yogurt jars, screw top jam and chutney jars, tiny Tiptree jars, and little glass bottles. There were dozens

Collecting yogurt jars is a recognised hobby Who knew? Do I need a dozen pretty little aperol bottles?  Gone. Eight ramekins will be enough, surplus gone. The recycling bin is filling up fast. 

And then I did my food tins. I have labelled them clearly with BB date, and they will be stored with oldest to the front, so things get used in order.



I'm declaring 2025 the Year of the Kitchen

Casting Off...

It is the end of the month and therefore the end of my knitting challenge. I was supposed to do 30 minutes every day. That would be 30 x 30 =900 minutes = 15 hours
There were two days when I only managed a brief 10 minute knit [looking after grandchildren was keeping me rather  busy] but in total I've knitted for over 60 hours not counting today, And my generous sponsors [thank you all] have helped me to raise over £450 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust. My JustGiving Page will be open for another two weeks, and I'm hoping to pass the £500 mark. 
What did I knit? One of my Christmas Projects, and a lot of little mini-jumpers. But the second project [a knitted nativity] has languished untouched. I realised that I didn't actually like it! Mary, Joseph and Jesus were knitted in Dorset, but not sewn up. I may just complete those three and make a little stable - without the collection of angels, animals, shepherd and magi outside... 
I have enjoyed the challenge, and the opportunity to promote a very worthwhile cause. And the weather has certainly proved an encouragement to stay inside.

Hanging On The Telephone...

 My phone rings, and "Becky"* is calling. The conversation goes thus

A    Hello Becky
B    Hello is that Angie?
A    Err, yes  

[nobody calls me Angie]
B     Angela from Church?
[now I'm suspicious, the Becky I know doesn't go to church...]
A     Yes, um, who are you exactly?
B    I'm Becky from church
A    Which Church?

B    St Philips

[Where on earth is St Philips?]  

A    I'm Angela from Foulsham Baptist Chapel

B    Where's that then?

A    Norfolk

B    Are you sure?

[of course I'm sure]

A    Positive. 

What was your name again?

B    Becky Snowflake

 [Ahh, I remember...]

A    Ah! right, that Becky - you used to come to Alison's choir at our Church in Dorset

B    Yes I did, in Ferndown

A    My husband was minister, but we retired 3½ years ago

B    Oh, was he a very tall guy called Bobby? 

[nobody calls him Bobby]

A     That's right. I'm his very short wife

B    You're not the Angela I thought you were

[there's no answer to that, is there?]

A    Well never mind. I have to go. I'm rather busy. 

God bless you. Goodbye!

B     Good bye then 

[she hangs up]

What a crazy conversation 

[*names changed to protect the confused.I've deleted this Becky from my contacts]

PS thank you for kind words about Julian's appearance on Countdown. We are so proud of him 

Posh Paints

I know that you get what you pay for, when it comes to decorating - and if you buy your housepaint in a discount store at rock bottom prices, it may not have the coverage of a better quality paint. And the range of colours may not be quite what you want. Our go-to mid-range paints for years have been Homebase [well, a huge bucket of blue, bought in a sale which we used in Leicester and here] and Wilko [sage green in the lounge, grey in the Futility Room, twine beige in the atrium, deep blue in the kitchen...]  and we have been very happy with the results.

But posh paints, that's a different matter. In Dorset, Farrow and Ball were situated close by on the Ferndown Industrial Estate. Labels saying Stiffkey Blue, Elephant Breath, String and other hi-faluting names were stuck on the elegant cans.

This week I was with Bob as he bought some varnish. I picked up the guide to Morris&Co paints. The guide has no prices in it - although, somewhat bizarrely it has a nice recipe for squash and feta salad, and a guide to making candles in their empty glass tester pots! Inky Fingers, Fired Biscuit, Ernest White...£45 a can

In a bucket by the door were sample rolls of Morris wallpaper labelled FREE. I don't need telling twice! I got a an 8' length of "Snakeshead' pattern, and 6' of "Marigold". I checked online. Full rolls cost between £118 and £139. So my bits were together equivalent to £55 ! Bob pointed out there was not enough to do even a feature wall. I said they would wrap some very classy presents, or make elegant dust jackets for books.

Then my National Trust magazine arrived.

I flicked through the pages after lunch "I've entered the free online competition in the National Trust magazine" I told Bob. "What do you win?" he asked. "Well first, you get an hour's consultation with a Little Greene man..." "What ?!?" he expostulated. I explained that it was the paint manufacturers and you were given advice, then got money off the L G products.

Bob was greatly relieved, he thought I'd said 'little green man'. I know the National Trust prides itself on its inclusivity. But this would be carrying things a bit far. Mind you, the paint colours would probably be "out of this world"

Puzzled!

 

If the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, does the jigsaw of a thousand pieces start with a single corner? 

During Lockdown, my good friends Richard and Mary lent me lots of puzzles from their vast library. And every one had just 500 pieces.

I discovered that this size really suited me. 

Apart from the Notre Dame puzzle I did in May, [1000] I've stuck to the smaller size.

But before Lockdown I'd picked up a 1000 piece one in a CS and left it on top of the wardrobe here at Cornerstones. It was John Constable's Salisbury Cathedral - a place we loved to visit when we were in Dorset. I thought I'd tackle it in retirement and it would bring back happy memories if that lovely city. 

I finally took it down and tried to assemble it recently. It took two evenings of real concentration to complete the edge. It is a good quality Falcon puzzle.  But [unlike this picture] I think mine was in the window of the CS for a long time. The picture is really faded and I've found the jigsaw impossible to complete because I cannot work out where the pieces go.  Many shapes are so regular that some are interchangeable. After two weeks, I have given up on it. It was giving me headaches! 

But I don't know what to do with it now. It is too difficult and I really wasn't enjoying it. I feel it wouldn't be right to put it back into a CS, but I'm reluctant to consigned it to the recycling bin.

What would you do?

Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width

Older readers may recognise this as the name of a sitcom from the late 1960s. It involved two men [one Jewish, the other an Irish Catholic] who ran a tailor's shop. It was definitely not politically correct, and we did not watch it in our home. But the saying - allegedly deriving from East End businesses who were seeking to sell their customers shoddy merchandise, came to mind recently when I bought some fabric.

In Dorset, I used to go to Fabricland  - this was a good source of inexpensive cloth for play costumes, curtains and dressmaking. 

They have an online store, but I have not used them since moving to Norfolk. Recently I discovered Pound Fabrics. They're in Birmingham. I ordered a couple of lengths of fabric, and was very pleased with the efficiency of delivery, quality of cloth, and value for money. 

My latest purchase was a grey safari print in organic cotton poplin. It was the work of an afternoon to make another little dress with pockets for Jess. 

The fabric cost just £3 and was lovely to sew. The binding came from my stash - an unopened pack of Aero tape - originally costing 9p! I bound the neckline, armholes and pocket tops. I used a fancy stitch for hem and pockets, and an 'overcast' foot to help neaten seams and raw edges.[more new skills learned on my new machine]
It is so sweet. Let's hope Jess loves this as much as her pink dress.
If you do dressmaking, where do you buy your fabrics?

And They All Lived Happily Ever After

When we moved to Dorset, Sir Julian Fellowes [creator of Downton Abbey] lived25 miles up the road. And Highclere Castle, location for the filming, was in the opposite direction, in Berkshire. Less than an hour away from Ferndown. I know it isn't in the National Trust, but please can we visit? I said. In 2015.

I met Sir J and his wife in a local Charity shop once [Lady F took the photo on my phone] A jolly nice chap he was too. In the autumn of 2019 I went with a group of 10 friends to see the first Downton film at the cinema in Poole But I still hadn't been to  to Highclere. "We retire in eighteen months" I said - so in 2020 we must go" Bob said that was fine, we would. Nobody went anywhere in 2020 did they?  [except Barnard Castle, or parties in Downing Street]

And we moved to Norfolk [200 miles, nearly 4 hours to Highclere] The sequel film came out in 2022. Bob wasn't interested in going to see it, I couldn't find anyone to go with. 
Then at last, it was released on Netflix on Friday. Saturday Bob was doing woodwork in the workshop - so I settled down with tea and cross stitch and indulged in an afternoon of  sheer escapism.

If you enjoyed the series and the first film , you will enjoy this. If you are not really up on the backstory of DA it may be a little confusing in places.
But I loved it - crazy plot, but somehow it managed to tie up all the ends in tidy little bows. People who should have got together did, difficult people were placated. Some neat little in-jokes - like when the French Milliner mistakes Carson the butler for Lady Bagshaw's husband. [Carson being played by Jim Carter, Lady B plated by his real life wife of 40 years, Imelda Staunton]

It was enormous fun and I shall probably watch it again sometime. *****

For Those In Peril

 This should have been published yesterday - because on 4th March, 1824, two centuries ago, the RNLI was founded, in The City Of London Tavern in Bishopsgate, by Sir William Hillary. He was a wealthy military man, who lived at Douglas on the Isle of Man. He had seen many ships wrecked in the treacherous waters round Britain, and had a passion to do something about it.

Hillary petitioned the Admiralty, and got nowhere - so instead gathered various notable people [including the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the abolitionist William Wilberforce] to a meeting down the pub and explained his campaign.

They founded the National Institution for the Preservation of Lives from Shipwreck. The Prime Minister [the Earl of Liverpool] agreed to be president, and King George IV gave royal patronage. Thirty years later, 1854, the name was changed to The Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The full history is here

In 1884, the familiar logo was designed by Laura Preston, after her brother was rescued by the Ramsgate volunteers. To date, in excess of 146,000 lives have been saved by the RNLI. 

On average that's more  than two souls EVERY DAY

This charity is independent of government, and 96% of its funding comes from donations. I am grateful for their independence - it means nobody can stop them rescuing all people in distress - even if they are desperate refugees in tiny boats.

This is the Mary Somerville - the Walmer Lifeboat, 130 years ago  . Walmer is a small town on the East Kent coast, joined to Deal and close to Dover. Walmer Castle is the residence of the LOrd Warden of the Cinque Ports and the town has a fine maritime history. The Deal and Walmer Lifeboat Station was established very early on, in 1830. Over the centuries, there have been many ships which have foundered on the treacherous Goodwin Sands, just offshore - and these brave crews have saved many lives there.
I mention this one because it has a family connection. Bob's Paternal Grandmother a Mercer, and the men of her family were long associated with the boats.

"Old" Joe Mercer was a regular crew member, and "Young" Joe, and "Young" Dick served as 1st and 2nd coxswains. I wish I knew more about them - i'm proud to have married into such a family.

Norfolk has a number of lifeboat stations, and famous crewmen - like Henry Blogg of Cromer - the most decorated lifeboatman in history.

When we lived in Dorset, we were very close to the current RNLI HQ and training centre in Poole.

Do check out the RNLI website - but more importantly, support them - do send them a donation, or leave some money in your will, or buy something from their shop. If you are on holiday, by the sea, take the grandchildren to see the lifeboat station.

These men and women have been doing a wonderful job for 200 years, and I thank God for them. 

Their motto - to save lives at sea

Their vision - to save everyone

Their values- to be trustworthy, courageous, selfless and dependable

Coming Clean...For Less Than Half A Crown!

We all piled into the Skoda on Monday Evening for a special outing. A few miles down the road we encountered a minor RTA - which meant Bob had to reverse some distance up the narrow country lane.  The guy directing us said they did not need help. There was no room to pass - or to turn round - and we needed to get out of the way before the emergency services arrived. Back on the road again, and poor Jess was very sick. Having taken her and parents home, Bob and I began the journey again with just Rosie [avoiding the RTA road - although we did hear sirens] The three of us did have a good outing, in the end.

On Tuesday, we had to clean the inside of the car. "What do we have for cleaning carpets?" said Bob. I had tidied up all the cleaning stuff last week - and discovered I had a lot of carpet cleaning materials. Down the years, I have had reason to clean a lot of carpets it seems. Both here at Cornerstones, in Kirby and Ferndown.

We did discover on Tuesday afternoon, that the Little Scrubber has died completely. The LS was a freebie when we got the Vax Rapide around 25 years ago. The VR packed up in Dorset after 19 years, so I cannot complain that the LS has stopped working.

However the 1001 Troubleshooter Spray, combined with the Dr Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover [useful built in brush] seem to have done the necessary in getting the stains and smell out of the car carpets and upholstery.
We only have two rooms with carpets here - everywhere else is tiles and laminates, with rugs. So I do not think I need to invest in another Vax. I must ask around at church if anyone wants an [unopened] bottle of Vax shampoo! Do you remember this ad ?

And if you are really old, like me, what about this one?

How do you clean carpets? 

Or do you just have hard floors and rugs?

We Are Not Made Of Sugar, Grandma!

Said Rosie, when I muttered about the heavy rain on a trip to the coast last year. Her Mum helpfully gave me the Dutch version "Jij bent niet van suiker gemaakt" - and I try to remind myself of this when it starts to rain, and I'm tempted to get in the car instead of on my bicycle for a quick trip to the Village Shop. Then of course the Norwegians say this little rhyming couplet

there's no

dårlig vær, 

[bad weather] 

just 

dårlig klær! 

[bad clothes]

I have been thinking about this a lot recently.

I did my seasonal wardrobe sort - and then October brought us some very unseasonal weather. Bob has been outside in his shorts, and I've been cycling wearing a teeshirt and no jacket or jumper. I did get caught out one day wearing sandals and came home with rain-sodden cold feet. I am very fond of dressing in layers, so I can add one or peel one off, depending on the temperature 

Then I found another Norwegian word-  friluftsliv - this means "free-air life" and the term was coined by playwright Henrik Ibsen in 1859, to convey a spiritual connection with nature. This 'getting outside in the fresh air is good for your soul' concept is huge in Norway - check out the  Visit Norway website which lists loads of activities, and shares fascinating facts

• 90% of Norwegians say that friluftsliv is important to them - 
• Friluftsliv has its own law, Friluftsloven, which includes the right to roam
• Norway has several outdoor kindergartens [friluftsbarnehager], where the children spend 80 per cent of the time outdoors. [we are getting more 'forest nursery schools' in the UK now]
• Many Norwegians look for an active partner, and it’s not unusual to go hiking or cycling on the first date.
• In Norway, there are government-sponsored “libraries” where you can borrow outdoor gear.
• In Norway, you can take a bachelor’s degree in friluftsliv.

I had friends in Dorset who were into the Japanese idea of shinrin yoku - forest bathing - an ancient practice of being calm and relaxing among the trees. But this is much more than that. 

I am trying to get outside in the fresh air every day if I can. Maybe just a walk to the medical centre to collect our pills [oh, the joys of old age!] or a cycle ride to the village post office. But some days maybe just a walk around the garden, pulling out the odd weeds, saying encouraging words to the walking onions or perhaps having breakfast or a midmorning cuppa sitting outside [if it is not too wet or windy] It ups my body's supply of Vitamin D, and lifts my spirits. Scientists have shown that exposure to morning sunlight helps reset our circadian rhythms and benefits our night time sleep patterns. 

So I WILL wrap my weather scarf round my neck, put on a warm coat and good footwear, and sally forth into the fresh air for a brief while, EVERY day. Even if what I really want is to do my knitting in front of the TV, with a mug of tea beside me.

I'm not sure what the weather was like outside Tate Britain on Saturday - but one member of my family was certainly making sure she had the right clothes for the occasion. [Maybe she wants to audition for Cabaret, or Wicked!]

Are you a fresh air fanatic, or do you prefer warm and cosy?

This Little Light

Bob has been out in his Lathe Palace again. He's had a piece of timber for a couple of years [a discarded section of kitchen worktop, from our neighbour in Dorset] Bob's made it into a dozen candle holders for the Christmas PopUpShop. 

He picked up a load of these scented candles in glass jars when we were last in IKEA. Half the holders have an oak finish, half are walnut. Some hold one candle, some two. The candles have the scent of Scandinavian forests. When the candle has burned away, a regular tea light can be dropped into the glass jar. 

The photos don't do them justice. I hope they are a sell out. 

Here are some joyful young people to brighten your Sunday

And how appropriate is this month's calendar picture?

Thank you everyone who responded so positively and generously to yesterday's post. May those who work with Under One Sky be blessed and encouraged.