Bearing Fruit

This is just to say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

[by William Carlos Williams]

I know, I post this poem most years- but when somebody gave us all a bag of plums on yesterday, at our craft group, I thought of it again! How generous of this woman to share the fruit from the tree in her garden. They are so delicious, cold from the fridge on a hot day! But also lovely in a plum crumble when the weather turns colder [it will, it will...]

In the afternoon, my neighbour gave me a bag of Bramley apples from her tree - and asked if Bob would kindly help with picking the higher fruits sometime this week. I think there will be a few pies going into the freezer soon.

Last week the bananas went soft incredibly quickly in the heat - as did those in my neighbour's fruit bowl - I made a couple of banana loaves with them all, which freeze well [recipe here- but I substituted sultanas for the nuts]

I'm looking forward to dealing with the harvest of apples and pears from the two fruit trees out by the raised bed soon too.

And if it gets cooler, we shall walk the lanes and pick blackberries.

How blessed we are to have such a rainbow of fruits to enjoy...

Caravaggio's 'Still Life with Fruit' [c. 1603] I could just eat one of those figs! Of course it is very unlikely that this amazingly gifted artist would ever have unzipped a banana for his midmorning snack.

Hot Tips

I'm swooning in the extreme heat, dreaming about the sewing I would like to be doing, but my hands are too hot and sweaty ... 
I thank the Lord that I never went to Africa as a missionary. I'd have been useless! Mind you, the swooning woman in the top picture and Katharine Hepburn are both a little overdressed for hot weather imho.

Here's a few hot tips for staying cool

• check out this NHS advice page - we are keeping curtains closed during the day, and it does make a difference
• the BBC has good ideas here - limit 'hot' activities, so don't spend hours at a hot stove, and keep showers short and cool 
• keep to your regular routines, and avoid daytime naps which can disrupt your sleep patterns. 
• try to keep the bedroom comfortable and cool. I sleep best under a sheet or empty duvet cover. 
• my neighbour puts his socks in the fridge and they cool down his feet [and thus his whole body] I keep a damp facecloth in a lock&lock in the fridge and it is always fresh and cool if I need to wipe my hands, and face.
• wear natural fibres - cotton or linen - rather than nylon and polyester
• wear fewer, looser clothes, eat smaller lighter meals
• wear a hat or visor to keep the sun off your face - but keep out of the sun as much as possible
• keep a bottle of cold water in the fridge [don't wastefully run the tap till the water is cool]
• stay hydrated
• don't rush about

Wetter is better - Kezzie carries a water spray to mist her face for instant relief. Rosie has a small water pistol for cooling her grandparents in the garden.

Limit your alcohol - it dehydrates you, and affects sleep patterns [moderation is always good] but up your fluid intake with water, and foods with high water content [cucumber, melon, strawberries etc]

Wear sunscreen - reapply it frequently. Sit under a sunshade.

Be aware of the risks - heat exhaustion and heatstroke can have serious consequences

Watch out for the vulnerable - children can easily get sunburned, or forget to have drinks. My elderly neighbour went outside 'just to quickly check on the garden' and very quickly became disorientated and overcome by the heat. I'm so glad I popped round to see her - and was able to help her back inside. Pets need to be monitored too, refill water bowls, and never leave them in hot cars.

Please avoid lighting fires or portable BBQs, or dropping cigarette ends. This is Studland Heath, Dorset at the weekend

Please share your hot tips for staying cool.

Spice Girl

I have this jar of za'atar on my spice rack. No idea which recipe I bought it for. I suspect one of Yotam Ottolenghi's Israeli/Medierranean dishes. It is the last one at the top [because everything is alphabetical, but it didn't work when the frequently used C spices** were out of reach, so they go from A up to Z]

I was listening to The Kitchen Cabinet of Radio 4 yesterday and they mentioned za'atar. I read a lot more about za'atar afterwards. I had not realised it is the herb hyssop which is mentioned in the Bible, part of the thyme family.

Za'atar [Arabic /Hebrew names are ezov / אֵזוֹב] is believed to be a cleansing herb - so the Israelites were instructed to use it as they prepared for the Exodus - they took bundles of the twigs and used them to paint a mark on their doorpost, so that the Angel of the Lord would pass over them. Hence it is used in the Jewish Passover ceremonies to this day [Exodus 12:22] After David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he asked for forgiveness, saying 'purify me with hyssop  and I shall be clean" [Psalm 51;7] In John 19;29 we read that when Jesus was dying, they too a long hyssop stalk and put a sponge on the end, moistened with sour wine vinegar to moisten his lips.

As well as its purifying properties, za'atar is also believed to keep the mind alert - many Palestininian grannies encourage children to sprinkle za'atar on their breakfast before school! 

So there you have it - a spice which cleanses, and keeps us alert. I must check out my new Ottolenghi book to see which of the recipes in there call for this [if I have any spare thyme!]

**I have loads of 'C' herbs and spices- caraway, cardamom, cayenne, chili flakes, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder...

The Vikings Are Here!

I blame Hollywood - historians say that Vikings probably didn't wear helmets-with-horns most of the time. Yet that is what people picture when "Viking Warrior" is mentioned

The other week, on our way home from a family trip south, Bob and I stopped in Thetford for a bite of lunch, and visited the "Ancient House Museum, currently hosting a Vikings Exhibition.

This wonderful 500year old building was gifted to the people of Thetford by Frederick Duleep Singh, of Elveden House, and opened as the town museum in 1924. [Fred was the son of Duleep Singh**, last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire who came to Britain in 1853]

The Museum is fascinating, and as I say, we looked particularly at the Viking Exhibition. 

The staff have worked very hard to make the info panels understandable, and there are plenty of things for school parties to look at! They were sad that covid rules mean there are no longer baskets of costumes for the children to dress up in. I did persuade Robert the Fearsome to don a helmet for this picture. He can't see properly [the helmet wouldn't accommodate his specs] Thetford is a fascinating place- 1000 years ago it was the sixth largest town in England! It is hard to imagine that now. 

The Museum staff are very proud of the "Thor's Hammer" pendant on display - it was found near about 10 miles away, and is usually kept in the British Museum. We usually think of the Vikings as warlike invaders, and also on display, is the Hingham hoard - showing coins marked with the king's name and a cross.

We forget they were over here for around 300 years- and furthermore many adopted Christianity, abandoning the Norse religions. This plaque shows St John the Evangelist [his symbol was an eagle]

Amazingly, just a few days after our visit, another fascinating discovery was announced. 

In a field near King's Lynn, a detectorist dug up this Viking pendant. A'st Edmiund's coin' just like the ones from the Hingham Hoard, had been hammered into shape and a hole pierced in the top - to make a pendant bearing not the warlike hammer of Thor, but the rather the cross, the Christian symbol of God's love. 

I much prefer Bob the Loving Christian to Robert The Fearsome Viking! We had free entry to the Ancient House as it is one of the Museums covered by our Norfolk Museums Subscription - but it is well worth a visit, lots to see and other [non Viking] stuff on display. And 'Tall Orders' round the corner serves good food at fair prices!

**Duleep Singh and his fascinating family deserve their own post - watch this space.

Starry Starry Night

The Northern Lights were clearly visible over North Norfolk on Monday night. I should have loved to have gone and seen them, but Bob had a Parish Council meeting and I didn't fancy driving up there by myself. Maybe another time...

But I will go outside to see the Perseids tonight, the meteor shower should be at its peak in the early hours of Saturday morning [says the paper]

When the world seems a dark and dreary place, it restores my soul to go and stand outside on a warm summer night and look up at the stars. 

I think of Isaiah 40;26 which says

“So—who is like me? Who holds a candle to me?” says The Holy. Look at the night skies: Who do you think made all this? Who marches this army of stars out each night, counts them off, calls each by name —so magnificent! so powerful!— and never overlooks a single one?

and I look again at Philippians 2 which speaks of stars too...

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be innocent and pure as God's perfect children, who live in a world of corrupt and sinful people. You must shine among them like stars lighting up the sky, as you offer them the message of life.

that's quite a challenge!

Hubble, Bubble...

We've been on Grandparent Duty this week. Great fun, but exhausting! Rosie asked if she could create some 'mythical magical potions' like she had done at home with Mummy. She just needed a few kitchen ingredients and she would sort it all out...

I decanted a few of my baking 'sprinkles' into small plastic pots. Then she asked for salt and sugar.

That was easy, and I added 2tbsp yellow cornmeal, and some demerara sugar. "This could be Dragon's Blood"  Rosie said, handing me the blackcurrant squash. I put a tiny drop of green colouring into a beaker of water. 1tsp sumac gave a pot of deep red powder.

Rosie took everything out to the table in the garden, along with plastic spoons and mixing bowls. Then requested pen, paper and scissors so she could prepare labels. She had lots of fun mixing up potions, and by lunchtime, all the little pots were empty and strange concoctions were in evidence. I was impressed by her renaming of everyday ingredients

fairy dust

shooting stars

sun powder

moon dust

dragon's blood

and my favourite - the green water was algae sneeze! Rosie insisted on leaving her bowl of potion outside overnight "tomorrow it will be thick" she said. 

I made a magical concoction of my own this week too - I put a spoonful of apricot jam in the bottom of 4 glass jars, then topped it with a creamy mixture of kefir, whole milk and a sachet of gelatine. It made a refreshing, cool dessert after Sunday lunch. I have named it Kefir-cotta. The kefir continues to work well - I left it in the fridge, unattended, all last week as we were away a lot, but it revived again quite happily on the Saturday. I really do like it on breakfast granola, and in fruit smoothies.

Rosie returned on Wednesday to check her potion - which had mysteriously become a sparkly jelly. She was very excited that her prediction had come true [I confessed to her parents that a wizard called Dr Oetker had sprinkled his special granules overnight!] 

Being Prepared

A quick - much belated- review of two more library books. First up, Keda Black's "Batch Cooking - Prep and cook your weeknight dinners in less than 2 hours".

This one is beautifully photographed - lots of clever food stylists involved. And very well thought out.

The plan;

1. You do a big grocery shop on a Saturday [or maybe Sunday morning]
2. You spend up to two hours on Sunday chopping, assembling, precooking, etc
3. Each weeknight, your dinner will be ready in next to no time "20 minutes, including 5 minutes prep" etc. 

The book begins with a clear explanation, and a list of containers and utensils needed, and also a chart of seasonal produce. Then you get 13 sections in this format

1. A menu for 5 days dinners plus one 'treat' - this page tells you how long Sunday's prep time is, gives some substitutions [inc vegetarian ideas] and which containers you need
2. A picture of your labelled containers to go in the fridge [as per book cover]
3. A full shopping list of fresh and frozen proteinsm fruit and veg - plus general groceries and store cupboard ingredients
4. A timetable for Sunday's activities with careful storage instructions
5. Mon -Fri daily plan - each page has clear picture of the dish, timings and what to do [inc any prep for next day e.g. 'take Friday's soup out of the freezer to defrost'] Plus the treat item [usually a cake, pudding or cookies which can be eaten throughout the week]

It is all very clever, and delightful to look at. I think it would be really useful for someone who works full time and doesn't want to swap hours on the laptop for more at the stovetop once they get in the door at night. The carefully calculated quantities mean there is little food waste, and you are always eating fresh stuff. Recipes are for 4 adults- but there are notes on altering quantities.

It is all very attractive to look at- and full of good ideas. The 13 sections go through the seasons - heavier casserole type meals in cold weather, lighter salad options in summer etc. And if you follow it, I think it would work well. It would be a good primer for anyone not used to meal planning.

It reminded me of Shirley Conran's "Superwoman" where she advocates a fourteen day meal plan [lunch and dinner] ...day 15 you start again!

An interesting book to borrow, but not to own ****

The Whole Vegetable" by Sophie Gordon is quite different. Subtitled 'sustainable recipes for a happier planet' the author divides the year into six seasons- spring, early summer, height of summer, autumn, winter begins, depths of winter. She believes this makes it easier to eat seasonally. In less than 400 pages, she has 130 recipes. I was well into the book before I realised the recipes are all vegan. No eggs, butter, milk, or cream but plenty of coconut oil, plant-based 'milk' , nutritional yeast, and nut based 'cheeses'. I'd need to buy in some different store cupboard ingredients as these things aren't on my regular shopping list.

Lots of interesting salads, and use of many different less common grains [freekeh, quinoa, fregola and more] plus tips to avoid waste. 

It was a fun read - but I do not think I would make many of the recipes.  They are basically just a few techniques -cut up the veg for a salad, make a dressing. Or roast the fruit, add a vegan 'cream' with spices. Or put it all in one pan with herbs and spices, and bake. Good photographs, clear instructions - but a poor index. 

Yes I know I'm a bit fussy about indices - but this one is hard to navigate. So just ***

Bean...And Gone

I'm not sure if it is the heat, or blackfly, or both - but having harvested around 100g - a mere handful - of runner beans, the remaining little beans are curling up and dying as are the leaves. The tipi is dismantled [and the components readied for next year]

Meanwhile I went out to check on the peas last week - and they were not there- just a few chewed stalks and brown leaves. Older wiser gardeners have told me that it was probably mice. 

"It is not worth growing peas, anyway, Angela. Captain Birdseye sells them at a reasonable price, and they are always fresh from the freezer, all year round" Well, that's as maybe - but I did want to try it once, if only for the pleasure of sitting on the back step with Rosie, podding a bowl of peas together, like I used to do with my grandmother. I find Lidl peas as good as Birdseye, and a better price. But maybe I just didn't watch my crop carefully enough. As somebody once said

The price of peas is eternal vigilance

The Animals Went In, Two By Two

Last week, another 'nibling', my niece's son Arthur celebrated his first birthday. We gave him a Noah's Ark with all the animals - and I made a bag to keep everything in. I used a square of blue fabric, and appliqued a corner with grass, plus fishes, rocks and plants, and used the sewing machine to stitch 'waves' on the water. I backed this with a square of waterproof 'fishy' fabric.

Then I put velcro on the edges, and rainbow loops on the corners. So Arthur has a double sided playmat, which folds up into a storage bag. The embroidery machine came in useful for producing a name tag. 

Here's Arthur's Ark. I hope he has lots of fun with it

IMPORTANT UPDATE I've finally got my Memory Bear' hints and tips' typed up properly, and have emailed them to C and SA, but I am sure somebody else asked and |I cannot find their details. Sorry If you would like a set of notes, then please email me [address on my profile page] or send me your address in a comment with the words DO NOT PUBLISH and I will reply as soon as possible.

Helen's Hope

Down to Essex on Thursday this week, with my brother Adrian, for another family funeral. Helen was only 54, and whilst on holiday in Kent with her husband Chris, she suddenly had a massive stroke and died very quickly. She was an amazing woman, always so full of life and joy. Everyone spoke of her laughter, and her smiling face

She and Chris had been married over 25 years - they had no children of their own - but she was a nursery nurse, and Chris is very committed to Scouting. He works at a mental health resource centre. Both totally committed to loving and caring for others. My last conversation with her was at another funeral [pre covid] and she said "I hope when it is my funeral, the preacher gives people hope" 

Well, thank you, Rev Rob and the people at St Peter's Church, Harold Wood. It was a true celebration of her life,faith and eternal hope. Her dad read her favourite Bible passage from Ephesians 6 [the Whole Armour of God} Rob preached about our hope of eternal life in Jesus, and we sang her favourite hymn, In Christ Alone

We listened to the music she loved- Elton John, Rocky Horrow Show, Whitesnake and more, and watched a compilation of family photos - her beaming smile on every one of them. Helen loved life- and knew that her life in Jesus had begun here, and will continue in heaven. Her parents and her husband miss her - but find comfort as they share that hope too.

Her crazy sense of humour, her happiness and her enthusiasm for living was so evident. She often visited the Solace Centre where Chris works, to chat to people, bringing comfort, joy and encouragement. A bench is to be placed in the garden there in memory of this vivacious woman.

I have never seen a Marmite jar on the back of a funeral order of service before - but it was just right.

Film Classification [My Version]

Here in the UK, the British Board of Film Classification  gives age ratings, and viewing guidance before any film can be shown in the public cinema or on TV. Introduced in 1912, there was U and A [Universal and Adult] in 1951 X was added [explicit content] ...and now there are 7 bands [R18 is restricted to 18+, only shown in sex shops]
As well as the rating, guidance can say things like "violence, racism theme, threat, language, rude humour, dangerous behaviour" That is the warning on the new Railway Children" film - a PG. I think that's fair - we might feel that children are unlikely to copy the bits about running on railway tracks and playing in the sidings between the carriages, but you never know. And there is fighting, there are bombs, and racist actions and language. I wouldn't take Rosie [I might sit at home and watch the original with her though, that's a U]

I found myself thinking about this on Monday when my neighbour gave me this book. "I Was Monty's Double". She said it had been Daphne's [who also lived in The Close and died in 2010, aged 100] and that Daphne was related to the man who wrote it.Sadly the book is not signed by the author M.E. Clifton James. That might have made it valuable. "I love that film!" I declared. 

"Well you must definitely have the book then, Angela" 

Written in 1954, this autobiography covers events of 1944 - when 'Cliffy' was an actor on the London stage. He was the spitting image of General Montgomery - and someone in MI5 had this brilliant idea of getting him to impersonate Monty reviewing the troops in Africa in order to confuse the Germans [meanwhile plans for the the Normandy landing are taking place] The plan worked! Four years after the book came out, it was filmed [starring James - playing himself and the general, and John Mills is his aide] A great film imho.

It has set me thinking about some of the favourite films I am happy to watch over again, and how to classify them...

• children's films/cartoons [Toy Story, Mary Poppins, Railway Children]
• romcoms [Sleepless in Seattle, Working Girl, Love Actually]
• thrillers/crime [Witness, any Hitchcock, 39 Steps-1978 version]
• classics [Gone with the Wind, Moby Dick, Kill A Mockingbird, Breakfast at Tiffanys]
• sci fi/fantasy [Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings] 
• musicals [Cabaret, Carousel, West Side Story, Sound of Music, LesMis]

But more importantly than that, there is the category known in this family as IRONING FILMS. These are films which keep me going when I have a mountain of ironing to do. Many of these are black and white classics from the 30s-60s. Like Monty's Double, or anything filmed at Elstree or Ealing Studios. And such films fall into one of three categories - general, hot or cold.

hot films make me feel hot, so I only watch them in the winter months...Lawrence of Arabia, Twelve Angry Men, Ice Cold in Alex, Capricorn One. If these are on, I find myself reaching for the fan, or opening windows

cold films are the opposite, and just what I want to watch right now...Where Eagles Dare, Scott of the Antarctic, the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Even in this sweltering heat, I shiver and reach for a cardi.

general films are anything else with no specific temperature/climatic features but are a useful distraction from the task in front of me.  

I know people who won't watch thrillers before bed in case of nightmares - I understand that. But am I the only person who won't watch "Mississippi Burning" on a hot day, because I shall faint from feeling excess heat?

What is your favourite film? and is it HOT or COLD?

Making Memories

Kirsten and I have just swapped our linen postcards. I was a little late in posting- so I had both pieces of embroidery in the house at once. That was a rare treat. It was interesting to compare - one card looks a little 'fuller' than the other. I think that is because I did my stamp in the same month I did the address- but K took great pains over her wonderful Ukrainian postage stamp, so that took two months. I know it will all even out eventually.

You will get to see a proper picture of these when they are done!

My stitching for July was all about the bears. Using a dtp program, the words 'making memories' were printed in a circular design and stitched.

I found a simple teddybear graphic, and chose three of the bear fabrics. Using bondaweb I applied them to a piece of denim, and stitched details in red, adding a ribbon bow at the neck, and two black beads for eyes. The nose is black satin stitch.

Kirsten was back at Standen NT property again - and sketched then stitched this wonderful view across the valley. A wall, a tree, flowers and fields.

The random yarn makes a delightful chainstitch edge [I may have to add a circle to my bears next time!] Read what she did here

Thank you for all the lovely ideas for 'flat gifts'. I found this card of three magnetic bookmarks in the Oxfam shop - I hope K will find the explanations of the Maori designs an inspiration for her sketching and stitching.

Great minds think alike - K sent me a set of repositionable bookmarks from the Avery/Martha Stewart range. This is just what I need to mark my place in Huw's gardening book, so I don't have to keep flicking through to find the sections on August activities etc. 

I already have an idea for this month's piece - but it is another complicated challenge. That's OK, Isaac is up in the loft, and there are no bears awaiting construction right now.

My Crafty New Friends

I have mentioned the Craft Group to which I belong. We are an incredibly diverse bunch, taking all sorts of different crafts along to work at during our two hour session. During July we were working on a collaborative project for the Gressenhall Museum- a banner saying Farmers Foundry. This will be hung behind a large piece of agricultural machinery [made locally a century or more ago] in an upcoming exhibition. One member made the banner, which was dyed using rust dyes generated with old cogs and washers etc - then we all worked on cutting and sewing the letters from recycled materials.

But on Monday of this week, everyone was back to their own activities

Left to right, top to bottom we have...

1. Socks knitted on 4 dpns, random dye yarn
2. English paper piecing quilt
3. A large quilt made throughout the pandemic
4. A baby's cable knit cardi in random dye yarn
5. Dorset buttons of various designs
6. Flower loom flowers for a pram quilt, using family yarns
7. "Visible mending" - Japanese sashiko stitching
8. Faux quilting with Styrofoam
9. Dressmaking - vintage Simplicity pattern, upcycling a sari.

Sometimes people bring crochet, needlefelting, embroidery, and more. We have a library of craft books which members are free to borrow - and often people bring a new tool to demonstrate, or a complete piece for 'show&tell'. There is a sewing machine available at the Village Hall  and we enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits, and we pay £2 a time towards costs. I love the different skills displayed, the exchange of ideas, and the passing on of tips and techniques. This is definitely a group I am glad to have joined, and I've made new friends here. We're all aged 60+, but that's not surprising with a daytime group

And I love being able to cycle along the country lanes, less than 10 minutes door to door. I am not sure I will cycle in the winter though] And, like my group in Ferndown, I appreciate a mixed-interest group, it suits my random crafting habits!

Are you in a craft group? 

Is it single interest [eg just knitting] or various skills?

What sort of age are the participants? 

Do you meet evening or daytime?

What do you like best about the group?

Pressing Matters

 Yet another memory bear has gone off to its new home. A friend brought round some of her Dad's shirts to make a bear for her Mum. As always, I ask if they want the leftover fabric back. And as usual, they say they don't. I had five long sleeved shirts - and there was a fair bit of stuff left. So I made my friend a patchwork cushion as well as the bear for her Mum. I'd already used the black shirt for the back pack, but realised I could make a cushion cover with a fastening easily from the front of the shirt - but I used 5 different colour buttons.

The photo of the cushion back looks grey - but it is really black with chalk stripe. I still had fabric left. Bob gave me a Clover Mini Iron for my birthday. It's ideal for pressing tiny things [like a bear's ears, for example] It came in a plastic and cardboard packet. I needed to keep the iron, the stand and the screwdriver in a tidy way - so I took the fronts of two of the shirts which had pockets on. I made a bag to hold the iron and its accessories. I may get one of the other tips in the future, so two pockets are useful. I also kept two pieces of the card with important information. I fastened the top with an elastic casing and toggle [from last month's bodywarmer bears] The front band made tabs to keep the pockets closed. Result!

A colourful way to 'iron out' the problem of equipment storage!

And Though She Be But Little...

 ...She Is Fierce

This is one of my favourite quotes from A Midsummer Night's Dream - in fact it is on our family photos wall, a gift from my daughter. Clever Bob spotted an ad for an open air production of MND taking place just outside the village, last Sunday afternoon at Bylaugh Hall.

When my family moved to Dereham in the 60s, the Hall looked like this - an absolute ruin. All the lead had been stripped from the roof, there were trees growing inside the walls. But about 15 years ago, it was bought, and is gradually being restored. 

The Festival Players  [patron Dame Judi Dench] were coming for one afternoon as part of their 2022 tour, to perform this seasonal delight. We bought tickets, and packed a small picnic lunch, and our folding chairs. It rained during church, but then as we arrived at the Hall at 1pm, the sun came out.

On the South Lawn we found a small stage in front of a gazebo, and lots of other visitors. There were a few stalls selling local crafts, and snacks.The gardens were clearly a WIP. And four quirky older ladies, with daisy hairbands and fairy wings were selling raffle tickets [we never found out who they were, or what the raffle was supporting!] The sky clouded over as we ate our ham rolls.

See the clouds getting worse- as the play began, the heavens opened. It was almost impossible to hear what was said, but the actors carried on - and the brollies went up. The Blue Barclays Brolly in front of me went left, then right, then down then up - and at times I couldn't see the stage [so I amused myself watching the lady who was sleeping through it all! The rain stopped, for Oberon and Titania.

As per Shakespeare's Men at the Globe, all the cast were male, and all played two or three parts each. One guy was a charming Hermia, a mischievous Puck and a boring Snug-the-joiner. Costume changes were swift and clever. Bottom's ass head was really over the top!

It was a great afternoon - we had a good chat to a couple of friends in the interval. I'm pleased to report that the portaloos were clean, fragrant and efficient]

But a couple more brief bursts of heavy rain left me wet through. At the end, we came home, and stripped off all our clothes. "I am soaked to the skin - even my knickers are soaking! "I complained. But it was worth it - what a treat for a summer afternoon.

And then I watched the first 10 minutes and the last half hour of the football. [That's ten times my usual attention span for the beautiful game] Rosie was bedside herself with happiness when we WhatsApped afterwards. I tried to explain that last time we won any sort of football trophy like this, her Uncle was just a little boy not even at school. But the win has certainly lifted people's spirits. 

Good times never seemed so good...