Last week's post about misheard/misinterpreted names generated some amused responses. Later that day a friend posted on Facebook about the fact that lockdown has given her the space to rewatch lots of her favourite musicals. ["My granny likes Rogers and Frankenstein" as the schoolboy said] I realised that lots of people enjoy musicals - precovid, some people made an event of it - dressing up as nuns, or donning suspenders to spend an evening singing along with Maria and the Sound of Music, or The Rocky Horror Show etc.
I have never participated in such an evening - but I do enjoy joining in with songs from the musicals when they come on the radio. Trouble is, we have a weakness for tweaking [no, not twerking] For instance, in My Fair Lady when Jeremy Brett* * * sings about being"several storeys high" the family chorus "nearly five feet high"
In Show Boat, Ava Gardner declares that "fish gotta swim and birds gotta fly" but I prefer "sharks gotta swim and bats gotta fly" - it seems to reflect the way she has resigned herself to the inevitable And if in South Pacific, Mitzi Gaynor thinks the sky is canary yellow and she is incurably green, then I definitely feel she deserves to be described as a Cockeyed OctopusBut my favourite tweak of all is the love song from Kismet with Vic Damone
Take my hand, I'm a strange looking parasite...
***this is before JB became Sherlock Holmes. I am also amused by the conversation at the beginning "Would you like to come in Sir? They're having dinner but you can wait in the hall" and he replies "No thank you, I want to drink in the street where she lives" now that could be interpreted in two very different ways!
Do you have any favourite musical tweaks in your family?
Back in MarchI mentioned that my neighbour Brooke has a new Tomcat bike. These are specially adapted for children and young people with mobility issues.
Brooke wanted to give something back, so recently did a sponsored ride round the beautiful Eaton Park in Norwich, in support of the charity.
This story has been picked up by the local paper and she and her hard working and supportive Mum will be interviewed on Radio Norfolk today. I feel so privileged to know this determined young woman who refuses to let disability stop her showing love and concern for others.
When I hear people moaning about "wretched teenagers" who [allegedly] drop litter, spray graffiti and disrespect others I presume they've not actually encountered many - and certainly not cheerful, friendly ones like my friend Brooke. Thanks Brooke, you are an inspiration! [thanks Justine for photos]
No, not a misprint- I came across this word, a hybrid of mending and mindfulness, in a library book I have just read, called Mending Matters.
The author, Katrina Rodabaugh, tells how in 2013, she embarked on a "Make, thrift, mend" project - vowing not to buy new clothing for a year. A 'fashion fast' when she would pause her clothing consumption, and include her wardrobe in her attempts at green living. She embraced the concept of Slow Fashion
Katrina - an artist by trade, and a young mother - found the whole experience life-changing. She moved 3000 miles across the USA to build a new life in a 200 year old farmhouse.
KR uses traditional methods- European darning, American patchwork, Japanese sashiko and Indian Kantha quilting - to repair damaged garments. Sometimes 'invisible' mends - other times turning the fix into a decorative part of the garment.
If you ignore the term 'mendfulness' [which I personally find a little too contrived] the book itself has some good ideas in it - backed up with a great layout, well planned sections, and superb photography and instructions. It is lovely to flick through - a blend of black white and indigo!
Each technique begins with a description, and list of equipment needed- then is followed by a series of carefully worded instructions and accompanying photographs.
I really enjoyed the book - my only issue is that her wardrobe seems to be entirely composed of denim or natural linen. - jeans, jackets, shirts and smocks. Many of us [precovid] have worked in environments where the dress code was 'no denim'. I have tended towards owning 'a smart pair of jeans' which then became 'tatty odd-job working jeans' - so a stack of seven pairs [as on her cover] wouldn't ever feature in my wardrobe. Maybe her follow up book [called, unsurprisingly, "Make Thrift Mend"] will be a little more colourful, with its themes of "stitch, patch, darn and dye"
A very interesting read - but that awful hybrid word, and tight focus on denim mean I rate it ****
My second library book on the mending theme was this one by Japanese writer Noriko Misumi from Tuttle Publishing. TP has been around since 1832, based in Vermont. Their aim is "to create books which bring people together one page at a time... focusing on informing the English speaking world about the countries and peoples of Asia" They have produced thousands of books on all topics ranging from martial arts to papercraft.
Noriko runs mending workshops - and so the book is full of examples of 'consultations' - showing how she has demonstrated both 'invisible' and 'statement' techniques. Again, well written instructions and clear photographs make these projects easy to follow and replicate.
She uses a lot of needle-felting to repair woollen garments - and 'playful motifs' [kittens, balloons, dogs etc] and is very fond of making patches using colourful crochet squares [see cover picture of denim jacket]
Her section on darning is well written [I was taught to darn when I was about 8 - and I think this skill is sadly neglected]
However I am not convinced that a hole under the armpit needs to be mended with an obvious darn in a different colour! Her techniques include darning, crochet, patchwork, felting, sashiko and rug-hooking
She says "Joy is not simply a passive experience of pleasure, but an active participation in the creation of pleasure. Sharing that kind of joy makes me very happy" I'm still pondering on that statement. I do know that mending - and therefore saving - a garment, especially when it is a favourite piece belonging to someone else, gives me a great deal of joy.
I also rate this one ****
Realising that long straight rows of stitching requires a longer needle, I have treated myself to a pack of needles. Now I am checking out the contents of our newly built wardrobes [thank you Bob] to see if I can find anything that is worn and in need of decorative repair. But before that, I have three garments from family members needing discreet, invisible fixing. My brother will not thank me for sending back his smart jacket repaired with rows of purple stitching, or a cheerful puppy embroidery!
May those who have the wealth and the power to make a difference also have the wisdom and grace to work together for good outcomes, which benefit the poor and the weak.
My parents and grandparents were amazing people. They taught me many things- and one of them was their belief that men and women should not be stereotyped. Women could preach, and wield power tools - and men could cook and sew, and work in the 'caring' professions. Gentleness is not just for women - and violence is not manly [it's not right for anybody]
My daughters are raising their children in the same way. I recently came across this poster and accompanying article and thought it contained some good ideas worth sharing.
Sociologist Dr Finn Mackay, who designed the poster says this
"Tell your girls to be adventurous, let them climb trees
without telling them to be careful at every branch. Buy trucks and bricks for
your girls because they might be architects one day, or racing drivers. Hug
your boys, comfort them when they are upset, tell them they are beautiful. Buy
dolls for your boys because they might be fathers or carers one day, or nursery
teachers.
When we look at the problems we have in the world, which will be
imposed on our children, it is clear we all, as communities, need to raise
change-makers, peace-makers and souls with gentle hearts and strong minds."
Searching through Netflix for an interesting cookery/craft/homes type programme, I came across something called "Best Leftovers Ever!" I thought that sounded worth checking out - especially as it mentioned that Rosemary Shrager was involved. RS is a very British sort of cook. She's done all sorts of programmes, including an interesting one about the cuisine of the Royal Palaces [with Michael Buerk] and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here [which I cannot comment on, because that is a show I never watch] Anyway, here's the trailer
Suffice it to say, having watched programme 1 and half programme 2, I realised I had seen enough! The presenter - who admitted to knowing nothing about cooking [I don't know about beef stroganoff, what is it?], kept making dreadful jokes about her cash-erole prize.
Yes, they did come up with innovative ways to use the leftovers presented to them. But if you need to use lots of cream and other expensive ingredients, and then just add a spoonful or two of the leftover, have you really transformed it? Making a few cold chips [fries] into gnocchi by mashing them with a bowlful of fresh potatoes seems daft. And these were not the sort of leftovers I have in my fridge anyway. They did enjoy making fun of RS and her Britishness, contestants imitating her accent and struggling to pronounce Worcestershire Sauce. [I say "Wooster"] She was wearing her chef's jacket with top button undone, showing her classic pearl necklace. Bob decided that Prue, Delia and Mary can't have been available... It wasn't exactly top-class TV.
At the weekend, I had a leftovers challenge of my own. Steph and co arrived with a bag of food - mainly the contents of that week's veg box, but also a few items for George, and non dairy 'milk' and spreads for Gaz, who is lactose intolerant. There was a lot of food around, and things got a bit muddled. And when they came to leave, she suggested I keep the food, as it wouldn't travel back to Manchester well. On Saturday morning, I emptied the fridge contents onto the worktop and sorted out what was definitely old and in need of throwing out [fortunately not much** - a small box of leftover salad which had got hidden at the back, and a pot of beaten egg, half of which had been used to glaze pastry - the remainder had congealed] We have lots of cheese and tomatoes!
I wiped down all the shelves and containers, and concluded the prime candidates for immediate use were a fresh pineapple, and some Frubes. I had not encountered these before - strange tubes of yogurt for children - rip off the end, and suck out the contents. I suppose this makes school lunchboxes easier - no teaspoons to lose, or sticky little tubs. But I did think, as I looked at the box, that the Frubes man looked very like the Peperami Animal. Bob agreed.
I peeled the pineapple - I needed to cut out a few bruised bits, and ended up with around 335 gm of fruit. I found a recipe online for pineapple cake [here]
I decided that I could make just half the quantity, and that I would [a] skip the frosting and [b] use my small 6-cup Bundt tin. I made the mixture, and had a little too much for the tin - so put the remainder into a small loaf pan.
This is my usual way of using up surplus spongecake mix - you can always use a slice of sponge cake as an impromptu dessert. And a Bundt cake needs no icing, just a snowy frosting of icing sugar
It does look good doesn't it? But I have a confession...It tasted fine, but rather squidgy. It was my own fault. The recipe needs a can of crushed pineapple - including the juice. This was a fresh pineapple. So I just slung it all in the food processor and whizzed it together. That's the equivalent of 'crushed' isn't it?
With hindsight. I should have whizzed everything except the fruit [which I had already peeled, sliced and diced] and then folded in the pineapple pieces at the end. But it tasted fine, and Bob had second helpings...
The remainder of the fruit I diced and divided between two little bowls, and squeezed a Frube over each one. Well chilled they made another good dessert.
Unlike Dorset, Norfolk binmen do not collect food waste separately, so I am working on filling my new compost bin. Kezzie, you would be proud of me - I'm chopping up peel from fruits so it rots quicker, and cutting the teabags and emptying the contents into the bin, putting the empty non-compostable bags in the regular bin. [but, I am not ready to go over to loose leaf tea just yet] Since retiring, Bob's had more time to share in the cooking - he made some fab croutons from leftover crusts the other week, and next day remembered to put the veg trimmings in a box to make stock later.
**there was a small, unlabelled bottle of purple liquid in the door-shelf. Was it sloe gin? or a leftover glass of red wine I'd intended to use in a casserole? I got Bob to check. He concluded it was definitely not alcohol, and probably Ribena I'd diluted for Rosie and she had not drunk it. We decided it wasn't worth keeping!
Rosie really did need a haircut- it was getting straggly and easily tangled and the ends were split. When we went out for Liz's birthday lunch, Liz put it into a very neat French plait. But as the day for the haircut approached, the young lady concerned started getting nervous.
Her wise Mum suggested that as this was a Rather Grown Up Thing to do, to go to the hairdressers, they should make a proper day of it. A Spa Day in fact. So into Norwich on the bus, for the haircut [that went ok]
Then to the Lush Shop to purchase a Unicorn Horn Bath Bombe. Lunch with the family in Middletons - where the service was excellent, the prix fixe menu very good - and children's menu superb value. Rosie was happy to colour in the menu sheet, and do the word puzzles on it with Grandad, as we waited for our food.
When she got home, her Spa Day included the fancy bubble bath - and proper Beauty Treatment for her eyes! I don't know how she found out about cucumber eye masks- but Mum obliged.
Clockwise from top left
1 - Colouring the week before the trim. Straggly unmanageable locks. 2 - French plait for Sunday Lunch [charmante et chic]
3 - After-cut - still curly, just a little shorter, much better condition. 4 - Spa Day Treat [unicorns and cucumbers]
Once again Liz has deftly steered Rosie through another stage of growing up. This time last year, she was a pre-schooler, about to start Grandma's Nursery School. Now she's a confident 5 year old, almost at the end of Reception Year at school. Ready to be a Big Sister.
On Monday I went off to Norwich [with Bus Pass- it took 90 minutes]] to see the Norfolk Maker's Festival in The Forum. Much of it was given over to Margaret Seaman's knitted creations - but there were other things too. Captain Sir Tom was there to greet us on arrival.
Many craft groups have not met during the Pandemic so I guess there were fewer entries this year. One of the secondary schools had submitted a collection of clay figures on the theme of 'Emotions -what I am feeling right now' [Click on the pictures for a larger image]
Another sewing group had produced a "Coronaquilt"
Some squares full of hope, others joking about the restrictions, others acknowledging the separation from loved ones
Postcards and embroidery hoops [these were on a 'sea' theme] made for consistent sizes for the displays
Four friends got together to produce Christmas decorations, because they would not be with friends and family to celebrate [I had been looking at Xmas polyhedra on Pinterest recently - these gave me further ideas]
There were three worthy winners of the Costume and Textile Association 'scarf' competition. The 'eco' theme included Marine Conservation up on the coast, the Peregrine Falcons nesting on the Cathedral, and increased cycle provision in the city.
And then of course there was all Margaret's fundraising stuff The Knittingale Hospital
And Great Yarmouth seafront back in the 60s Up close, one is aware of the intricate detail. Textures, brickwork, foliage, and clever use of different techniques [pompoms, french knitting, cable, moss, stocking stitch, fancy yarns...]
Here's Margaret beside Sandringham...
I remarked to her that I had noticed Prince Philip was still standing on the balcony with the Queen. "Yes" said Margaret wistfully "I had to leave him with her - I couldn't bear to separate them" How sweet!
I had a great morning, and picked up two craft books in the library [also housed in the Forum building] I got the fast bus back to Dereham [30 minutes] where Bob met me and we enjoyed coffee and cake in Costa!
OK we dealt with her last week. Rosemary Beetle is just a pest. But there have been other strange characters mentioned in the past few days.
Lying in bed the other morning, we heard the bin lorry coming up the Close. Due to the excessive number of cars parked at the end, there is not sufficient room for a bin lorry to turn round.
In fact, no room for a hearse, fire engine, ambulance or any long or large vehicle to manoeuvre - so the majority of these come in backwards and go out forwards. So as I was lying there, contemplating making a cup of tea, I heard one of those synthesised voices,repeatedly announcing these two men Theodore McNurty, Stan Wellclere
Theodore McNurty, Stan Wellclere could be refuse collection workers for Breckland District Council. But they aren't - it is just my crazy brain interpreting the automatic warning from the dustcart - Vehicle Reversing, Stand Well Clear !
Bob was talking about things he might like to do during retirement, including acquiring new craft skills. And getting to know new people "I'd like to learn more about Miguel Ding" he announced. I thought this was a craftsperson of Spanish/Chinese descent - but no
This was what he had in mind I love these misheard Mondegreens [explanation here]
Do you have any strange characters whose names make you smile?
Yesterday, 6th June 2021, was the 77th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, during WW2.
On our motorbike holiday to France in 2006, Bob and I visited the Normandy beaches. There were many monuments and sites to visit. We spent a lot of time at the Juno Beach Centre, maintained by the bilingual Canadians, it is utterly brilliant. But at that time, there was no British Memorial.
Nine years later, George Batts, a D-Day veteran, met BBC broadcaster Nicholas Witchell, and pointed out that alone among all the principle Allied nations in WW2, the UK did not have its own memorial. The Normandy Memorial Trust was established.
Fundraising started, research was commissioned - and the aim was to honour all who died, whether on land, or sea- or in the air - who were in some way involved with the Battle of Normandy.
Two years ago, in 2019, on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the site was inaugurated, and a bronze statue of three servicemen unveiled. This inspiring piece is by David Williams-Ellis.[ DWE is the great-nephew of Sir Clough W E who designed Portmeirion in Wales]
Despite the pandemic, work continued, and on Sunday the Memorial was finally officially opened. You can find out more here- and watch the ceremony. Prince Charles spoke via videolink - watched by selected guests in Normandy, and a number of veterans and their families at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
160 columns of French stone were shipped to Northern Ireland to be inscribed with the names of 22440 men - and two women who died. The women were nurses Sister Dorothy Field and Sister Mollie Evershed, working on the hospital ship Amsterdam, treating casualties of Juno Beach. The ship hit a mine and began to sink. The women went back into the lower decks, repeatedly- carrying seventy five injured men to safety, before they themselves drowned. [Find out more here]
The names have been inscribed in a rather unusual way - names down one face, and on the adjacent face, the person's rank and age. But all listed in chronological order of death- so you see the names of those comrades who died together being listed together. [ reminiscent of 2 Samuel 1;23, 'beloved and beautiful in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided]
This arrangement will make it easier for visitors, who know when their loved one died, to identify quickly where the name is written - simply by going to the columns for that date.
Jane Furlong, the lead historical researcher for the project has spoken of the moving stories behind these names. Do check out the website- it is full of tributes to the men and women who gave their lives for a free Europe - and inspiring stories of veterans who lived on to fight for a lasting, fitting, memorial to their fallen comrades. I am so glad Nicholas Witchell took up George Batts' vision - and helped make it happen. Let us never forget the cost of the freedom we enjoy today.
My embroidery machine has really come into its own in the past few weeks. I have really enjoyed making bibs for new babies. In fact I have done 6 since we moved [forgot to photograph one of them]
The parents have chosen special names for their children, and it is a joy to give a personalised gift like this.
I always look up the meaning, and wonder if the child will have those character traits. But websites vary, and you often get different meanings
Talitha - precious little daughter
Freya - noble lady of goodness and beauty
Alyson [not pictured] also noble
Elena - ray of light
Antoni [named for his polish grandfather] highly praiseworthy, of inestimable worth
Rudi - a famous wolf among men.
Somehow I feel that babies born in these strange days of the pandemic are a sign of hope.
It has been a real joy to have George with us this week. Last time he was a babe in arms, now he is a real little character, responding to our words actions and learning little mannerisms.
Praying that our next grandchild arrives safely. Thank you for all your kind words recently. So many of you have sent private 'off blog' messages, and Liz and I have been touched by your comments.
I have been reading Psalm 139 recently -
You created every part of me; you put me together in my
mother's womb…When my bones were being formed, carefully put together in my mother's womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there - you saw me
before I was born.
God bless and keep all these precious little ones, may they bring much joy and be surrounded by love and care.
The expression came into use after Frederic, Lord Leighton, painted his picture back in Victorian times. But it really wasn't a comment on the weather- and nobody is quite sure whether he was referring to the name of the model, the colour of her dress or her flaming red hair. This art is quite a contrast to the contemporary stuff at the Blyth and Waveney exhibition.
It is proving to be glorious weather here in Norfolk, after all the rain of previous weeks.
The beach at Sea Palling was great for a family picnic.
Rosie taught George how to make sand-castles. She is taking her responsibilities as Big Cousin so seriously! The sea was not particularly warm. Sorry Mags, I didn't manage a cold-water-bathe. Bob was disappointed that I never took any photographic evidence of his swimming [he spent ages in the water]
I've been doing more reading up about the Leighton picture. I knew it was in a gallery in Puerto Rico, but didn't know the full story of how it got there. It's truly fascinating...
Painted in 1895, it went missing, then in 1962, a builder renovating a house uncovered it. He took it to an art shop in Clapham who paid him £60 for it. They sold the frame, and put the canvas on display for £50. A teenage boy fell in love with it, and begged his grandmother to lend him the money to buy it. She refused [she didn't like Victoriana!] So he was disappointed [and the boy in question was a young Andrew Lloyd Webber] The painting was sold on, and within a year, the retired Army Officer who purchased it decided it was too large for his London flat. He sold it to Jeremy Mass who ran a gallery in Mayfair. JM realised its worth and offered it to all the major British Galleries - who turned him down. But the director of the main art gallery in Puerto Rico bought it on June 24th 1963 for £2000. It remains in PR to this day!
Jeremy Maas was the father of Rupert, that lovely expert who appears regularly on the BBC Antiques Roadshow.
The Leighton House Museum is temporarily closed- I had a wonderful visit there with Liz in 2012. I think the way that Leighton paints fabric and draperies is utterly amazing,
One young lady with flaming red hair went into Norwich on the bus with her mum this week - for her first ever haircut!
I love the pre-Raphaelites'. Bob, like ALW's grandmother really isn't fond of them at all. Now we are living here permanently, Millais' "Mariana" aka "Backache Woman" has been removed from the bedroom wall, to be replaced by a mirror. I miss her
No, not this- I was at primary school when screaming at John, Paul, George and Ringo was in fashion [1963-66] But I am developing a mania [of the negative sort] about beetles right now.
We returned from a glorious day out, family picnic in the park, and I went to the front door to check for parcels. I looked at my rosemary bush and it was shining. It was covered in tiny little beetles - like ladybirds but with bronze/blue iridescent stripes. They were beautiful.
Bob went inside to check them out on the RHS website. He returned bearing less than cheerful news. The website was full of helpful information about the Rosemary Beetle aka Chrysolina Americana.
A nasty little pest related to the Colorado Beetle. It arrived in Central London in the 1990s and is now widespread across the UK. [YouTube explanation here] The RHS are monitoring this carefully. [I really hope they do not reach the Norfolk Lavender Centre up at Heacham] Bob filled in their survey and sent photos of some of our affected plants. These pests eat not just rosemary, but also sage and lavender. Guess what is in our front bed? Exactly - those three- plus roses and a passionflower. And the beetles just chomp away at the foliage and flowers.
My poor shrubs! Smothered in the things. The website says there is little that can be done. Nasty pesticides may also harm bees and 'good' insect life. I won't use them. So I'm supposed to pick them off one by one and drop them in soapy water. So I did that - but also cut off some of the branches which were thick with pests.
This rosemary is descended from one in a pot which I acquired in 1983 - before Steph was born. Despite my lack of green fingers, I have managed to root cuttings and leave healthy rosemary plants in five other gardens besides this one. It is pretty special to me. That's the bush I left back in Kirby Muxloe
The site says that the shrubs may survive. Or not. I rang Jenny, my Orchid-Mentor, in a panic. Would it be possible for her to nip round to the Ferndown Manse and take a cutting from that shrub please? Unfortunately not - the Church Work Party have done all the necessary jobs and fixed windows etc and the new temporary tenants moved in last week [Manses are often let out on short-term contracts in between ministers]
But she suggested that I take four cuttings from my plant here- looking for healthy sprigs and avoiding the beetles. and hope that at least one of them takes root. I have to say that when I went back outside to do this, there were already 5 more beetles back on the shrubs. That's despite my diligent removal of all that I could find, and a serious baptism of fresh soapy water.[and I am a Baptist - so that means lots of water, not a mere sprinkling]
Thank you Jenny for the suggestion. Lets hope it works. I take heart from the fact that one of the orchids is bursting into bloom again. I will get to grips with plants one day!
Do you have any experience of Rosemary Beetle, and how did you deal with it? Please tell me your shrubs survived.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this morning's post is about a Norfolk boat - but you would be wrong. I want to tell you about Margaret Seaman, a remarkable lady in her 90s, who has spent the past few years perfecting her knitting skills. During lockdown, she's taken things to a whole new level.
Margaret recreates scenes in miniature. She recreated the seafront at Yarmouth in its heyday
Then during lockdown she decided to do something to help the NHS - and came up with the Knittingale Hospital, and invited people to sponsor her
She has put hours of work into this. The underlying structures are card and polystyrene, and her nimble finger Ed friend Jan has supplied wool covered pipe cleaner patients and staff.
She has since been working on adding to her 2019 model of the Sandringham Estate [making a model of the church and the stables block]
I am hoping to get into Norwich next week [after half term is over and all the family have gone home] because the Norfolk Makers' Festival has returned to the Forum in Norwich , and this piece will be on display.
What a generous woman, using her talents to raise money for others like this. You can find details of the festival HERE - it is free to enter, and all covid safe protocols will be in place. And Margaret's Crowdfunding page is HERE.
When the model was first shown, there was a tiny couple on the balcony - the Queen and Prince Philip. I hope she has not removed him, and left Her Knitted Majesty bereft.
Preacher, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, craftswoman. Married to wonderful Pastor Bob since 1979, now happily retired to Norfolk, but still busy. I am blessed with two brilliant grown-up daughters and four wonderful grand children
