Fancy Birds, Crazy Words

We have been having such a fabulous family time. I've had some issues with my photos, but I did get this one on Monday on my phone. This 'fancy bird', as one of the family described it, paraded across the picnic area at Roarr! . So lovely to see these real creatures, in among all the animatronic dinosaurs, strutting their stuff, and owning the place. 

The peacock reminded me of that 'trick poem' written nearly 400 years ago. You can read it as it is, or read it from the middle of one line to the middle of the next [use the red blocks # as line breaks.] I must show Rosie when she comes round later

    I Saw a Peacock # with a fiery tail

    I saw a Blazing Comet # drop down hail,

    I saw a Cloud # with Ivy circled round,

    I saw a sturdy Oak # creep on the ground,

    I saw a Pismire # swallow up a Whale,

    I saw a raging Sea  # brim full of Ale,

    I saw a Venice Glass # Sixteen foot deep,

    I saw a well  # full of men's tears that weep,

    I saw their eyes # all in a flame of fire,

    I saw a House # as big as the Moon and higher,

    I saw the Sun # even in the midst of night,

    I saw the man # that saw this wondrous sight.

[pismire = ant, Venice glass = venetian glass goblet]

Hominid/Homonym - A Weekend Quiz

This is Ook,the Orang Utan librarian who keeps watch over Bob's library of Terry Pratchett books. He is a hominid. 
The word watch can be a verb [to look upon] 👀or a noun [a timepiece] ⌚. Such a word is a homonym. A word with one spelling and two meanings.

I came across a short list of homonyms recently which fascinated me - each had two syllables. But the stress was on different syllables, and that made all the difference. For instance
subject - what you learn at school
subject  to force someone to do something
"I should do a blog post on that" I thought. And then I completely forgot about it. Till Thursday, when we happened to be in Waitrose. Bob had suggested we drop in for some Thai Red Curry Paste** and a yellow-sticker hunt. At the back of the store I saw this display

Their new range of summer crockery is called "Curate" -which is a homonym. The dictionary says 

1. curate -  to select the best and moat appropriate for presentation
2. curate - a member of the Anglican clergy.

So is this new range designed for Vicarage Tea Parties, do you think?

Here's a weekend quiz for you. A list of paired definitions. Between them, in brackets, the number of letters and the initial of the word in question. Remember, same word, but two pronunciations and two meanings. I will give the answers on Monday. The first one is obviously curate. The last two are a bit more challenging!

Member of clergy	[6,C]	Select best for show
A trade agreement	[8,C]	Get smaller
A gift	[7,P]	Show, or bestow
Way in	[8,E]	Charm
Disabled	[7,I]	Incorrect/without effect
Tiny	[6,M]	60 seconds
Stick out	[7,P]	Plan or design
Rubbish	[6,R]	Turn down
Gather together	[7,C]	A short prayer
Create something	[7,P]	Fruit and Vegetables
Ignore	[8,D]	Reduce in price
Fault	[6,D]	Go to the other side
Mouth wide open	[5,A]	God's love [Greek]
Was miserable	[5,M]	A small scooter

**to make some fish curry for the freezer. Thank you Sue for that idea! 

Great Oaks From Little Acorns Grow

Sometime I must ask Ann just why they call the Toddler Group "Little Acorns" I mentioned yesterday that the lady at the Fete from the local council had been very interested in our group. She gave me a nylon zip bag and two plastic folders and hoped they would prove useful.When I got home, I unpacked them in the kitchen

Would you believe this amazing hoard?

The contents were: five quality books*, thirteen activity cards, two booklets (songs and games)  one finger puppet, one headband, one  set of "feelings" cards,  one Orchard Toys boxed game, a safety mirror, a wooden pig and a cow, a stress ball, a pot of bubbles, one-minute timer, chiffon cloth, foil blanket, biro, box of crayons, and two Norfolk Council information sheets. 

I reckon at least £40 worth of materials. The activities cards related to the books too, so you could plan a morning's activities round the stories. Ann was really astounded at church on Sunday to receive this bag of goodies. She asked if the lady was giving them away to lots of people - I said that nobody else came up in the whole time I was near the council display. Which is a real shame. [* including a proper Julia Donaldson lift-the-flap one]

Thank you Louise, from Broadland Council for your generosity!

Are you involved in any sort of Toddler Group or activities with Preschoolers? 
Have you come across any positive support for young families in your area?

Half Term, Half And Half

 Half the holiday in Norfolk with the girls

Then half in Manchester with the boys

Highlights

Monday's Beaver Trail at Bkickling Hall, followed by lunch at The Whistles top café at Aylsham Station. Yes that Aylsham - now much more famous than it was a week ago. Also teaching Rosie how to embroider. Board games, and pancake party. 

Word games, and Mousetrap, stories with Grandad.[when he wasn't fixing things and doing odd jobs] And some of us shared a nasty cold. 

So lovely to spend so much time with our two daughters and their families.

Cornerstones is going to feel very quiet this week. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Here is a picture of the jigsaw I bought in November. I started it early December, then rolled it up on the felt mat - and only got it out again this week. It took a couple of evenings to complete

The Kiss seems a fitting picture to post on Valentine's Day!  I found it quite challenging, all that black hair and the black rectangles - not to mention the curved edge [no corners !] 
Bizarrely the picture is actually the mirror image of Klimt's original artwork. I wonder why? This is such a small section of the canvas too.
But today I celebrate love... not just Eros - romantic love, but also Philia - true friendship/family love, and Agape - God's perfect love.
Today is a day for showing love and kindness to all. And being grateful for those we love, and who love us.

Fun And Games

Tuesday was wonderfully quiet and restful. In our pjs till midday, and I spent the afternoon sitting sewing.  and watching yet more TV while Bob sat in the other armchair - coughing, blowing his nose and drinking honey and lemon. [Thank you NellieGrace for the brilliant suggestion to make large quantity and keep it in a flask]

We have enjoyed all the quizzy stuff on TV these past few days [thank you Victoria, Amol, Clive and Richard] We were able to catch up with "Slow Horses" at Steph's. 

And while Julian was here, we watched "The Man Who Invented Christmas" - an interesting take on the creation of Charles Dickens' classic novella. An excellent cast and clever script.

The only downside- we have been watching Miss Scarlet. That's also set in Victorian London and filmed in exactly the same Dublin streets. 

And we have enjoyed sitting round playing games - an old favourite, Cluedo, and a new one, Shenanigrams. That's a Scrabble/Upwords hybrid. [Thanks Julian!]

The Klimt jigsaw is half done, rolled up to be finished next year! 

Have you enjoyed any good programmes or family games this Christmas?

Does Someone Have A Screw Loose?

I quite like the work of the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt [1862-1918] He was fascinated by Impressionism, Symbolism and Art Nouveau and created some spectacular works. He painted naturalistic figures- but often against sensuous, complex backgrounds - with rich colours, geometric designs and using deep and bright colours. On Tuesday, one of his paintings sold for a record sum.

Two of the most well known are "Portrait of Emily Floge" and "The Kiss" So I was quite excited to spot a jigsaw, reduced to £1 in the Cancer Research Charity Shop. It was in a round box, and the label informed me it was double sided, 19" in diameter, and had 500 pieces. I already have some puzzles yet to do, but this was a bargain!

It was from 'Past Times' - that retailer of retro goods which went into liquidation in 2012, and was bought out by WHSmith [I cannot call them TGJones] I have no idea how old this jigsaw is - but the plastic bag of pieces has never been opened. I suspect [like many PT products] it was given as a gift and never used. Emilie was a fashion designer, it is thought she designed - and maybe stitched - the gown. I know that Kaffe Fassett likes Klimt too, his knitwear is full of coloured patterns like this! 

Inside the box is the sealed bag, a small information leaflet about Klimt - and a small brass screw. We have no idea what it is - and suspect it has nothing to do with the puzzle. But how did it get there? and what is it for? 
Perhaps someone was clearing up the Christmas decorations and found it on the floor, so popped it in the box, and forgot about it.

Which side should I complete first? the blue Emilie, or the golden Kiss?

Good Hare Day

Two weeks ago we realised we needed to cancel our holiday. On the Sunday afternoon I decided to do a jigsaw to cheer myself up. A few months back, my lovely BIL Kevin had given me some puzzles which had belonged to his late Mum,  Ruth. I chose this Angela Harding 500 piece square one.

It was fun, but challenging. 

It took a few evenings, and I was glad I'd used my felt mat so I could roll it up and put it somewhere safe when the family arrived. 

Once it was finished Bob said how much he loved the picture, and I did too. It shows two beautiful Irish Hares on Rathlin Island [Details here] We decided to frame it. A couple of coats of Ravensburger Puzzle Conserver, and a spare picture frame and here it is on the wall. Thank you Kevin, I love it!

Did You Solve The Rebus?

I wonder how many you worked it out, We were at Dunston Hall, a luxury hotel, spa and golf course, just south of Norwich. 

 

Weekend Puzzles

For my 70th birthday in April, Liz, Steph and their families gave me a special present - a double ticket for a day here. It looks Elizabethan, but was actually built in the 1850s. Here is a rebus, can you work it out? The things we did and places we went during our day - and the two facilities we did not make use of...
Thank you family, for a wonderful gift

but we did not do these...

Answers will appear at 5pm [BST]

Bits And Pieces

Just when I thought I was coming to the end of sewing tasks, a request for a school play costume, and another for a memory bear arrived over the weekend. But the weekend was Hot Hot Hot and I decided to chill out and have a go at a jigsaw instead. I got this one three weeks ago - and it seemed appropriate as we had old friends visiting on Sunday, on their way home to Leicestershire after a trip to Norwich on Saturday. I decided to time myself. It took 5 hours

I spent 10 minutes sorting the edge pieces, and another 30 assembling the edge. Then we had tea. I faffed around for a bit trying to sort out a strategy, and finally concluded I would have to find the street names and put them in their approximate locations, and built up the city round that framework.

I discovered that my geographical knowledge of the city of Norwich is not as good as I thought. Finally I finished just after 11pm, with one piece missing. It was under the table! The map is slightly strange,  it marks some car parks and bus stops [but not all] The colour palette is quite limited

It was a fun challenge. I shall keep this one and do it again sometime. It measure 47x32 cm, quite small.  Now it is midnight and I need my sleep!

Back To Bletchley Park?

I love puzzles - number ones and word ones. Most days I try to complete the Guardian Crossword, a Killer Sudoku and Wordle. This little book is currently by my bed and I keep dipping into it. A gift from Rosie, who is very proud that her great-grandma [my Mum] was a BP codebreaker. Currently reading a Peter Wimsey whodunnit which involves code-breaking. [to be reviewed later]

But this week I was in The Range, and was totally baffled by two signs on display. The were obviously relating to products on sale, but I found the combination of words quite incomprehensible. I walked over to get a better look and even then I wasn't quite sure... this bizarre arrangement of nouns [or verbs?] looked like some sort of coded messages 

Take the first one. Ignore the fact that of all the words here, Wilko should have a capital letter. But the spacing makes it hard to follow
Wilko Skin Tea
Tree Face 25
Wipes  79p

What is 'skin tea'? It sounds like a drink. I have heard of 'body milk' and 'hand cream' ... but tea? Tree Face is clearly an insult, or maybe the top part of Julia Donaldson's StickMan. You have to look at the packet to realise they have missed out crucial words
Wilko - Skin Therapy Range
25 wipes enriched 
with Tea Tree   79p

OK that makes sense. Let us move on to the second item costing 760 times as much.
Wave Vienna
Drop Stitch
Spa £599.99
So what is this one about?  Am I to wave Goodnight to Vienna? [GV is the title of a film from 1932, and also an album by Ringo Starr, 1974]
Drop Stitch - well, I thought I knew that, it is a mistake in your knitting
Spa £599.99 a leisure item for the back garden.
Clearly if I go to Austria and sing Ringo's song whilst lounging in warm bubbly water, I will get very expensive holes in my knitting...

After much research I found that Wave is a company making these tubs, and Vienna is the name of this particular model of home spa. And it appears that drop stitch is nothing to do with knitting. It is a type of material. Defined thus Using tens of thousands of tough polyester threads 'drop-stitch fabric enables the building of inflatable structures with flat surfaces that can be inflated to rock-hard rigidity
So know I know. I did not buy either product, and as far as I could tell, nobody else in the checkout queue was buying them either! I was tempted to ask the assistant what the words meant.

But maybe it is coded messages for passing spooks. Drop Stitch Spa is an anagram of Ditch passport  and Skin Tea Tree Face can become Fire Ken, Case Tate 

Bargain Hunt

Sue In Suffolk is a very savvy shopper, especially when it comes to the regular boot fairs held in her neck of the woods. She mentioned once that she kept a list of 'things to look out for' and I decided to follow this idea when I am mooching round charity shops. During May, I was able to tick three things off my list.

 I wanted to try out a craft idea which required electric tealights. [Dereham PBL Hospice Shop] Then I realise that my lovely slippers, although fine on the outside, are getting a little worn inside. I wanted some decent insoles [not cheapo £shop ones, which are a waste of money!]  I actually found pukka Cherry Blossom ones

[Taverham PBL Hospice Shop] Finally I decided I needed a new jigsaw, as all of the ones I had have been passed on to the CS. This was a bit more complicated - I didn't really know what sort of picture I wanted. Then we were with Julian at Sheringham and I found one in the Salvation Army shop. A Jigraphy CityScape Map

There are 98 UK Cities in the series - but the box did not say which city it was! "I think I would like this" I said to the assistant, and asked if she could undo the sellotape to see where it was. "I hope it is Norwich, but I will take it if it is Leicester, Bournemouth, Manchester or London" I said. It proved to be Norwich!

So I spent £5 on about £25 worth of goods. Bargain!! And in the wonderful way that things happen, I have just been given a carrier bag full of lovely jigsaws. They merit a post all their own.

One thing still on my list, is a 4th Penguin Book Cover mug, I have three [pink, blue and orange] I am on the lookout for just one more [in red, green, purple, yellow or turquoise] so that my everyday mugs match. The first three only cost 50p each - but I haven't seen any in CS since the pandemic, and I am too mean to pay full price!

The Play's The Thing

Board Games are enjoying a surge in popularity. At my conference the other weekend,someone brought a stack of about 30 for people to try out. When a strategy game like"'Carcassonne" will set you back about thirty quid, you want to be sure you like it before you shell out you hard earned dosh. The trad games,like Scrabble, Monopoly etc retain their popularity. In the summer, we enjoyed Cluedo with Julian one evening.

But I want to flag up a excellent company which produces games for children - and it's based just a few miles away from here, in the Norfolk town of Wymondham [pronounced Windham by the way] 

There are quite a few of the Orchard Toys which are enjoyed in our family. Shopping List is suitable for 3-7 year olds, with 2-4 players. 

And a while back, I picked up Greedy Gorilla in a CS. You often see these boxed games going for a pound or two and they are worth getting.

The great thing about these games is that they avoid using plastic wherever possible - perhaps a few counters and a dice, but certainly not many little plastic bits to get lost!

Greedy Gorilla does need a battery though. Because as you turn over the cards, healthy foods go onto your playing board, but unhealthy stuff is fed to the gorilla, who then burps loudly! This makes the game very popular with small children.
Rosie's set has a flat battery - so on Saturday we all had to make our own burps [even more laughter]

You often see these games in Lidl and Aldi too - I got the Manchester boys a box of 3 dinosaur games in the summer.
When Liz and Steph were small, I tried to get them Ravensburger games, which were good quality, and designed to be enjoyable and educational. Orchard Toys are similar.

There are other benefits too 

• an excellent website, easy to find what you want, sorted by age and subject
• a blog with news and ideas
• lots of free downloadable printables
• a replacement service if parts do go missing, or you lose your instructions

This is a quite unsolicited recommendation - but in the run up to Christmas, if you have little ones to buy gifts for, please do take a look at this company. Their prices range from £3 stockingfillers to complex jigsaws  for £16 [designed for older children, these come with posters and fact books included in the box] Personally I'd rather buy something produced in Norfolk than shipped across the world. And I would rather sit round the dining table as a family playing a game than have everyone sitting playing on their own screens. 

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?

Après Le Feu

I first visited Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, on 29th July 1981[memorable, because it was the day Charles married Diana] It was my first ever holiday abroad, just before Bob started training for ministry. 

So I was really sad when the Cathedral burned on 15th April 2019. "I wish I had a jigsaw of the Cathedral" I said to Bob. We hunted everywhere...Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, but no Notre Dame. 

Finally Bob found one of Notre Dame at sunset. It's lovely. It is most unusual, as every piece is a different shape. There are 1000 pieces!

Over the weekend I completed the jigsaw. And I am really excited, because this year, for our 45th wedding anniversary, Bob and I will be going back to Paris! Not later in the summer, but now  [to avoid the Olympics] Later today we drive to Romford and leave our car at Julian's, then tomorrow, train into London, and Eurostar to Gare du Nord. 

Not sure how much blogging I will do [I may set up a few posts before we leave, if I have time] But do not worry if there is a hiatus. 

There have been days recently when I wasn't sure the holiday would happen, but here we go! Au revoir! 

Mysterious Makes...

Thank you everyone - for all the kind birthday wishes, and also for all your really helpful comments about dental implants. 

Feeling a bit "long in the tooth" ! 

Here's a teaser picture- lots of scraps of fabric, some cut into shape, and some stitched with fancy embroidery patterns on my new machine. 

Any guesses as to what I am creating here?

London Pride

 I love London. There is always something new to discover, somewhere fresh to visit - alongside the comforting familiarity of well loved favourite places. My friend Lynn posted a picture of a London Jigsaw she'd just completed. It is based on the A-Z map. "I can see the street where my family live!" I said. Lynn is preparing to move house, and decluttering. She kindly sent me the puzzle.

I'm usually a 500piece puzzler

But this was too good to ignore.

The streets were very small, and the printing minuscule on some sections. I got out the Bug Viewer I use with the grandchildren. It magnified the pieces beautifully. I began on Good Friday morning, and worked on the green felt mat. That meant I could easily roll up the puzzle whenever we needed the dining table.

A few slight problems . Firstly,it was a while before I realised the picture on the box was slightly misleading. The A-Z logo in the corner was smaller, so more stuff showed in the Edgware section. And in the top right, there was no badge saying "1000 pieces" And then there was Marylebone. One section of road was missing three letters from the middle of the word. I checked and checked - but could not find the piece.

Over the weekend, I worked on the jigsaw, and Liz and Bob added pieces as they walked past. At 9pm Monday evening [after watching the various quizzes. Well done UCL for getting to the Univ Challenge finals] I returned to the dining table. Things were looking good. "I am not going to bed till this is finished!" I said. Bob had a programme to watch, then he came to help me.

Bob solved the MARY---ONE problem, ... he finally realised the damaged piece (had it fallen in a mug of coffee, or been licked by the cat?) was the one which fitted, but the letters were no longer visible.

We kept going and finished at 11.50pm! I took a photo and we had a final cuppa and went to bed.

So satisfying to have it completed! 

Lynn's intended destination for this puzzle was a charity shop - and I said I'd make sure it got there in the end. Lynn has been a good friend for decades, she has great faith, a generous heart, and a wonderful sense of humour. She is arranging this move while her husband is in hospital [where he has been for over a year] I am praying for her, for resilience and strength, and for her husband, continued healing. 

Is there anyone out there who would like to have a go at this puzzle and then pass it on to a CS?

Please comment on THIS POST by Saturday, including the words LONDON JIGSAW, and I will pull the winner's name out on Sunday. But you must agree do it promptly, and to pass on the jigsaw to a CS after completion. It is not to sit useless in a cupboard.

The Easter weekend marked the 16th birthday of Tracing Rainbows.

Nearly 7000 posts, almost 50,000 comments...and soon it will pass 5 million hits. Can you believe it ? I can't!

But more importantly, dozens of friends I didn't know back in 2008. Thank you everyone who takes the time to read my ramblings. God bless you all.