Go With The Flow!

Dereham has a new coffeeshop -the Flow Craft Café in Norwich Street, between the health shop and the hairdressers!

It opened yesterday and I called in at midday to check it out. Nina, the crafting enthusiast who is the owner and manager, was really welcoming.

We talked about our mutual love of crafting, and she asked me which crafts I was particularly interested in [I gave her the short list...]She's hoping to make this a cosy place where people can come for a chat, and a coffee, and do crafts - with various workshops available during the day and in the evening. She's worked hard at the coffee-shop side of things.

We chatted briefly and she returned to the serving area. A lady beckoned me over. "I heard you say you do knitting, can you help me with this scarf?"  and indicated the wool and needles in front of her. Fortunately I was able to sort her query. 

I was pleased to see some children's activities on the side. Kids can easily get bored when Mums are chatting!

There's a great variety of baked goods on offer [or you can just have a round of toast!] My teacake was excellent! 

I shared a table with someone else who had also come in to check the place out, and it was lovely to chat about crafts with another enthusiast. I hope we will meet up in there again sometime.

There are three workshops coming up - wreath-making, card-making and a Hallowe'en Children's session. Can you see the kusudama flowers on the shelf? 

I'd taken them in as a welcome gift for Nina, and offered to run a workshop for Nina sometime. Is it really eight years since I ran one of these in Dereham?

I really hope this venture takes off- Nina and her family have obviously worked incredibly hard to redecorate and equip the premises.

It is close to the town centre [and free carparks] and has a lot of potential.

I wish Nina and her team every success in the coming days.

I meant to ask about the logo but I forgot. I think it is a rhino.

But why??

Do you have craft cafés where you are?

 

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?

More Than One Day In March...

I knew that each year.the annual Day of Prayer Service in March was planned by the Christian women of a different nation. During my time on the National Committee, I learned that the country was asked 7 years beforehand, and given their theme by the international HQ. They had to have their service prepared at least 3 years in advance of the day, so it could be translated and distributed round the world. Often that theme proved to be timely and challenging once the set year arrived. The upcoming 2024 service was prepared under lockdown conditions - by women from Palestine. 

A month or so ago, I was sent materials for next year's service. The theme will be based on Ephesians 4: 1-3 "I beg you...bear with one another in love" The picture on the cover of the service booklet is of three Palestinian women sitting together under an olive tree. 

The Palestinian Christian women who wrote this worship service have invited the world to pray for peace, justice and freedom of religion and freedom of movement. Their prayers specifically call us to pray with women, refugees, persons experiencing homelessness, and all who are sick, dying and grieving. They also call us to confess to our collective role in causing the climate crisis, and to commit to repairing what we have destroyed. Finally, they call us, the global church, to be united in treating all with justice and love.   

In the light of the awful things happening in Palestine/Israel right now, the WDP International Committee has issued a statement

The World Day of Prayer is not just one day, and especially in this time of extreme violence, we call for prayer now, and in the days to come. Sitting with the discomfort of this moment is essential as we listen to the cries of the world and the call of God.   
As a Christian women’s prayer movement, we join with our siblings of all faiths, especially Jews and Muslims. We caution against the use of gender-based violence, all too common in times of war. We call for the protection of all children, noting that half of the 2.2 million inhabitants of Gaza are under the age of 18.  
 We long for the dawn of a new day for the peoples of Israel and Palestine. We believe that God is always at work, and always moving us towards love, justice and peace. We pray with all of our siblings in Israel and Palestine for a just and lasting peace. We hope that our worldwide community, divided as it is, will recognize that we are all connected, and that we must all take responsibility for the circumstances in the Holy Land. We must never give up on a commitment to peace, justice, and dignity for all the people living in the land. 

WDP International also published this prayer. I share it with you now. 

God of Peace and Justice, 
We cry out to you with broken hearts and deep anguish for what is unfolding in Israel and Palestine. It is difficult to find the words to express the weight of this moment. We rest on your Spirit, who intercedes with sighs too deep for words. We ask that you heal every wound, and you give us wisdom for how to stop this cycle of violence. We pray especially for women and children, who are particularly vulnerable in times of war. 

Move our world quickly towards peace and justice - Amen

One Life

I have posted before about Sir Nicholas Winton - an ordinary young man in his twenties, visitng Poland in the 1930s. He saw what was happening - and organised trains to carry refugee Jewish children to safety in the UK. He was a London stockbroker, son of a German Jewish family. Hundreds of children owed their lives to this brave man - whose deeds remained almost unknown for almost half a century. Then many of us saw him on the Esther Rantzen 'That's Life' programme in 1988. He was properly thanked for his actions. [Sir Nicholas died in 2015] I cannot watch this brief video without weeping

I was very pleased to discover yesterday that they have finally made a film about this good man - Antony Hopkins plays the older Winton, Johnny Flynn takes the part of the young man. Helena Bonham Carter plays his mother, and Jonathan Pryce also stars. A stellar cast indeed. The Winton family have said how pleased they are with the film.   'I felt as though my father was in the room' said his son.The film will be in cinemas from January 1st. I've told Bob I am determined to go [with some clean hankies in my bag] Here is the newly released trailer for "One Life"

He often quoted a phrase from the Jewish Talmud... 

To save one life is to save the world entire

Heads And Tails!

 IMPORTANT - the cross stitch parcel arrived safely with Kirsten yesterday. Much rejoicing all round!

Moving swiftly on- the other exciting news of the day [a cheery item, much needed as the world is so full of sadness right now] The Royal Mint has just revealed the designs for the new King Charles Coinage. Reflecting the King's love of the natural world, there will be wildlife with heads - and tails - on our coinage.[btw heads is properly called obverse, tails is reverse]

1p: A hazel dormouse, which has seen its population halve since 2007

2p: A red squirrel, which is expected to blend into the colour of the copper coin

5p: An oak tree leaf, signifying its role as a rich habitat for biodiversity in woodland areas and an association with monarchy of the past

10p: The capercaillie - the world's largest grouse - found in a small part of Scotland and threatened with extinction again!

20p: A puffin

50p: The Atlantic salmon, which is at threat from river pollution and habitat loss

£1: Bees

£2: National flowers - a rose for England, a daffodil for Wales, a thistle for Scotland and a shamrock for Northern Ireland

My thoughts

Apart from loving the idea of nature on the coinage, these seem great choices to me.

The dormouse is a beloved character from Alice in Wonderland

I was privileged to see red squirrels on Brownsea Island, when I visited with my dear friends Peter and Jenny a few years ago.

King Charles II hid in the Royal Oak in 1651

Capercaillies are a favourite of the King [he mentions them in his children's book The Old Man of Lochnagar] - the name means 'horse of the woods'

Puffins are just so cute!

Atlantic salmon have such an amazing life journey

---and bees are definitely a favourite insect for me [pollinators, symbol of Manchester, all those biblical references to bees and honey]

And the multinational bouquet is fitting for our largest coin.

Three interlocking Cs feature on the coins, representing the third King Charles, and taking its inspiration from the cypher of Charles IIl
Round the edge of the new £2 is inscribed "In servitio omnium", which means: "In the service of all". This phrase was chosen by the new King Charles - part of his speech in September last year, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth .
These coins will come into circulation at the end of the year.

Rebecca Morgan, director at the Royal Mint says that although use of coinage has declined in recent years "We know a large proportion of the population is heavily dependent on coinage. And it is tradition to mark the coming to the throne of a new monarch with new coinage"

I'm old enough to remember pre decimal currency - and my grandad, [who was a Church Treasurer at one point ] talking to me about the two 'natural' things on the coinage then

We had the wonderful twelve sided 3d - threepence [or 'thrupence] with the thrift plant growing upon it. I was taught the word dodecahedron, and the virtue of thrift 

And the little Jenny Wren on the ¼d farthing [fourthing] Luke chapter 12 v 6. "Five sparrows sold for two farthings - but not one is forgotten before God. Fear not, for you are of more value than many sparrows"

I can think of four little children who are going to get a lot of lessons about our natural world from Grandma when they are given holiday spending money next year! 

What do you think of these designs? 

Do you have a favourite?

How and when do you use coinage these days?

Squashed!

Travis Geinger of Minnesota has just smashed the world pumpkin record. This weighs in at 2749 lbs

These are the four finalist squashes on forklifts, waiting to be weighed.

Let us put this into context.. My squash, bought in the village shop a couple of days ago weighs 2.4lb. The one Travis grew is over 1000 times heavier! If 7 year old Rosie, and her classmates- and the other Year 3 class from her school got together, they would weigh about the same as the pumpkin.

Travis won last year [that one was a mere 2560 lns] He says he spent $15,000 on the growing and feeding of the 2023 pumpkin - but he wins $30,000 so I guess he is happy. Nick Kennedy, who came second gets a mere $3000. The organisers had to buy a new industrial scale this year, which could weigh up to 5 tons, as their previous equipment could not handle the Geinger monstrosity

But what on earth do they do with them afterwards? You can't cut them up for soup can you? [This is even worse than the UK marrow problem discussed previously] Gary Miller, who came 9th, and won $1000, says his is a 'Cinderella Pumpkin', which could be carved out for her golden coach! 

The cucurbitacea family is huge, over 900 species, and includes pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, marrows, melons, zucchini, gourds and calabash.

I love the name calabash*. It's also called the Bottle Gourd, because once dried out, it can be used in dozens of ways - hollowed out as a bottle, or fishing float, or musical instrument. It can be carved into utensils and plates, and has hundreds of uses.

I don't think I have any calabash products - but I do have a pack of calabash pins which Liz gave me, to use as knitting markers. They are shaped just like a bottle gourd!

They are tiny, the size of a penny, and brightly coloured, and so useful. I am using them on my current Christmas project - which I cannot post here just yet. But I've borrowed a picture from Kirsten's blog of one of her fabulous socks, with calabash pins marking the stitches.

Are these mega-veg competitions a good idea?

Do you have any calabash products? [Kezzie, what about the instruments?]

And do you mark your stitches with these cute pins?

*The English word calabash comes from Middle French calebasse, which in turn derived from Spanish calabaza meaning gourd or pumpkin. It is either loaned from Arabic قَرْعَةٌ يَابِسَةٌ‎ (qarʕatun yābisatun, “dry gourd”) or directly from its etymon Persian خربزه‎ (xarboze, “melon”).

I'm Not Banksy...

...But I Do Love A Can of Spray Paint!

Can I have a little rant? If you have something to advertise, make an effort to get your message across. I am heartily sick of posters for the charity ploughing matches, the PTA School Fayres. the fundraising event for the church bells. whatever - which are neatly produced on someones computer, printed out on a sheet of A4, and then placed on a stake at ankle height, in the grass verge by road junctions all across Norfolk. Who is going to read them?

They are too low for anyone except a passing terrier or rabbit to scan, they are too small for anyone in a moving vehicle to read - and usually they have far too much information on them. 

My top tips for great banners

1 - make it large, keep it simple

 A large banner hung from the fence, against the wall at least a metre high is best. You can buy these new, printed to order [allow £20+] But if you don't want to shell out the money, reuse an old banner and make your own

2 - ask somebody else for their old one

Many venues have one-off, dated banners to publicise their events which are no use afterwards [eg for firework displays, Summer Festivals, music concerts etc] They are often happy to pass them on to someone who can use them - especially in a good cause. And scrounge half used spray cans [you sold that car, but still have Renault Dark Green paint in your garage. Or you bought red, white, blue for the Jubilee]

3 - work out your wording

Event , date, time - and possibly location

Print out the letters on scrap paper and lay them on the banner to get them looking good. Choose a simple font, and letters as big as you can [minimum 20cm high, 15cm wide for visibility] If necessary add details using a smaller laminate sheet

4 - forget brushes and stencils

It is so hard to do brushwork or stencils neatly - go the other way - spray over pre-prepared letters then peel them off, to reveal a white message on a dark background. Put your banner on newspaper, or a tarp to protect the floor. Best done in a garage not on the lounge carpet.  Doors open to let fumes escape. Try to avoid a windy day

5 - go off the straight line

Because one letter out of place will look so wrong - but if they are all dancing about it's OK. Use a can of spray mount, put the letters inside an old cardboard box and spray them in alternate pairs. e.g. for  charity you would do c, a then h, r, then i,y finally t. This helps with the spacing and lining up. Press them down very firmly so paint cannot bleed under the edges.

6 - line up all your cans and use them in rotation

That way if one can runs out, you can still keep up the stripes. Aim for diagonal stripes about 30cm wide, and spray all the banner. Wait, wait, wait!

7 - finally peel off all your letters and reveal the banner 

Drop sticky letters in that box, its no good for any other purpose!

And if you are passing through Swanton Morley any Thursday, please do call in at the Parish Church for a coffee! 

Rev Rachael, my friend the vicar, makes exceedingly good shortbread. And she is very pleased with the banner I made her to publicise this new village event.

All Is Not Lost!

Kirsten rang her local sorting office (again) and today has been told the parcel should be with her on Friday. Thank you everyone for the encouraging words - I was beginning to think that we'd have to reconstruct our work. Having lost almost half the month, we are going to give ourselves time, and only attempt two more sections between now and December 31st not three.

Last year we had a very busy August and agreed not to stitch in September... And the Queen died, so we did end up recording that. This year we will take a break! 

The picture is Woman Sewing, by Mary Cassatt [1914]

It's A Boy

Bob's God-daughter has just had her first baby. We haven't had a new baby in the family since Jacob over a year ago. I'm afraid I went into creative overdrive - knitting, sewing and cardmaking...

I stitched a card using a design from the little book of patterns which Kirsten sent as her 'flat gift' in with the cross stitch a couple of months back. I added a couple of words above the posy, and I am quite pleased with the result.

I'm less pleased with Royal Mail who have seem to have mislaid the September cross-stitch parcel posted to Kirsten on 27th September. 

Where can it be? We have exchanged nearly 40 parcels since we started this collaborative stitching project, and this is the first time one has gone astray. 

It was a few days before the postal charges went up, but even if it didn't have enough stamps, surely they would have been in touch with K for her to pay the difference by now? 

I shall have to take this baby parcel into the Post Office and pay for tracking I think. Another Norfolk village has featured on the BBC News for their postal problems recently

Todah Raba, Liz!

That's the Hebrew phrase for thank you. After his excellent sermon on Passover yesterday, Bob had almost a whole pack of matzos left. I don't think many people in the congregation had ever sampled unleavened bread before! I mentioned to Liz and Steph we'd probably be eating matzos for lunch.

Liz immediately WhatsApped back a recipe from the Waitrose site, for using up leftover matzos. It did look more interesting than serving crackers with salad and a bit of cheese, and it was quick too.

Matzo brei [it rhymes with fry] is described as 'a distant cousin of  French Toast'**

Serves 2

30g butter

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

2 Medium Free Range Eggs

2 sheets matzo

Soured cream, chopped chives and grilled tomatoes, to serve (optional)

1 - Heat 15g butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the salad onions and a pinch of salt and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened; set aside. Meanwhile, in a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork.

2 - In a separate large mixing bowl, break the matzos into 1-2cm pieces. Cover with cold water and leave for 1 minute, then drain and gently squeeze out the excess liquid. Add the drained matzos and softened salad onions to the eggs, season and mix together.

3 - Return the frying pan to a medium heat with the remaining 15g butter. When foaming, add the egg mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes, gently breaking up the mixture with a wooden spoon (see Cook’s Tip), then turn everything and cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes until golden. Serve with a dollop of soured cream, chopped chives and grilled tomatoes, if liked. It’s great with sautéed mushrooms or spinach on the side, too.

Admittedly it doesn't look desperately appetising in the photo - I mixed my sauteed mushrooms into the eggs, and used some leftover creme fraiche, not sour cream.

But it was very pleasant, light and tasty - and as I had all the ingredients to hand it was easy.  I skipped the tomatoes and spinach though. I'll do this again [well, there are 6 more matzo sheets in the box!]

** what do you call French Toast in your house? Is it FT, Eggy Bread, or the wonderfully arcane term "Poor Knights of Windsor"?

My grandmother called this dish PKofW - there is still a group of 13 retired army officers today  They are based in Windsor and their history dates back to the battle of Crecy in 1346. I suppose this was a cheap and simple dish for impoverished men, based on stale bread and a few eggs. So poor that "They pawned their doublets and sat around in their singlets"!!

Thank you Bob for a good sermon, and Liz  [and Waitrose] for this very pleasing recipe to use up leftovers.

Rejoice!

It has been a very busy week for both of us. Bob is preaching at chapel today - and we are studying the Jewish Festival of Pesach [Passover] I'm really looking forward to that. He has chosen some cracking good hymns too, including this one [a Getty & Townend collaboration]. A reminder that as Christians we are one people, whether we are going through good times or dark days, and together we can come to worship God and to rejoice in his goodness.

Come People of the Risen King,
who delight to bring him praise;
come all and tune your hearts to sing
to the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
we will lift our eyes to him,
where steady arms of mercy reach
to gather children in.
Rejoice, rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun,
and those weeping through the night;
come, those who tell of battles won,
and those struggling in the fight.
For his perfect love will never change,
and his mercies never cease,
but follow us through all our days
with the certain hope of peace.

Come, young and old from every land –
men and women of the faith;
come, those with full or empty hands –
find the riches of his grace.
Over all the world, his people sing –
shore to shore we hear them call
the Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!

Inspiration For Hand Stitchery

Last weekend, Bob and I visited various locations as part of the Norfolk Open Studios Fortnight. It was good fun, and we must have looked at the work of around two dozen artists in total [many combine at one location] We say painters, printmakers, jewellery makers, woodworkers, ceramicists, textile artists, glassworkers and more. Our final stop was The Old Workshop Gallery in Corpusty. [The village's unusual name is from the Viking for 'Raven's Path']

This lovely building is also the home of textile artist Jill Hill. Her family have been there many years.

Bob picked up a flyer headed "Inspiration for hand stitchery" about a workshop Jill was running on Friday and Saturday. No need to book, just drop in, No fee, just a donation for the NSPCC. "You should go" he said.

So I put in my new scissor ear-rings [Aren't they cool? A gift from a dear friend who knows me very well!] and drove off to this quaint little village. Just three of us turned up - the table was piled high with fabrics and threads, and Jill showed us a number of pieces she had produced using simple stitches on basic fabrics. 

Some were just small rectangles, ideal for greetings cards - others were mounted on larger backing fabrics to be wall hangings.

She had a huge stack of vintage embroidery books, from 1930s-1970s to inspire us.

Jill uses a lot of scrim - lightweight, loose woven, inexpensive cotton fabric. The name has been around over 200 years, but nobody is sure of its origin.She stitches it, dyes it, uses it as a foundation for patching and lots more.

I decided to take a strip of scrim and do lots of rows of different stitches, then subsequently mount them on a larger piece [similar to the hanging on the left]

I worked from 11 till 2 without a break. I'd selected 5 colours of thread. 

red/ caramel/ orange/ yellow/ beige

I chose stitches from one of Jill's books.

I did not finish my strip by 2pm so I plan to work on it in coming days. I brought home a heavier piece of cream cloth to be the backing. It was a fun day out and I met some interesting and gifted people.

In last week's great sort out, I discovered some M&S loyalty vouchers and a garden centre gift voucher [which I thought I'd already spent!] So I ordered a new shirt - and on my way home from the workshop, called in at the garden centre and bought some bulbs. The daffs, tulips and narcissi will have to be planted in the coming week. 

My SIL declared on Thursday evening that Craft Workshops are the way forward [she has already binge-watched the whole of Make It At Market] and we are waiting to see what the new Craft Café in Dereham offers when it opens at the end of the month.

Have you been to any good Craft Workshops? 

What have you learned?

Simple Suppers Chez Cornerstones

Having friends and family round for meals is a delight and a privilege. It's nice to pull out all the stops sometimes - but an easy meal in good company is just as good. Adrian and Marion were coming and so I did an easy "poule avec aubergines" , along with rice. Followed by Eve's Pudding, using some of the Freebie Bramleys from the freezer [with creme fraiche to spoon over]

It's a bit of a French bistro theme - using my Le Creuset pots, cutlery folded simply into napkins, and plain bistro glasses which can hold water, wine or beer.

I don't have any fresh flowers - so my felt posy is brightening the table.

All put together with the minimum of fuss. Just a few touches to make it feel special... 

Thank You To Our Key Workers!

For two weeks, from 26th March - 28th May 2020, people stood outside their doors, and banged pots and pans and 'Clapped for Carers'. People hung banners on their fences saying "Thank you NHS" and key workers were able to obtain all sorts of benefits- special shopping slots at the supermarkets, discounts on all sorts of goods...And rightly so. When the majority of people were Working From Home, and shielding from Covid, the police, fire brigade and NHS worked on regardless. Many put themselves at risk, others separated from their families, in order to do their job without the possibility of bringing the virus home. 

In Early Years teaching there has always been a part of the curriculum which includes acknowledging those who serve our society in this way. As a "Young Leader" in Girls' Brigad ein the late 1960s, I had to teach the Explorer Section [aged 5-8] for one of the badge sections entitled "People Who Help Us". Last term, one of Rosie's class assemblies was a Thank You to the NHS [she wore a green tee-shirt, and played the part of a paramedic] I was really excited to find these three characters for £1.50 each in the CS last week. Aren't they lovely?

Representatives of the Fire Service, Ambulance Service and Police Force. [there was also a lady doctor, but she'd been picked up by the woman who'd got there five minutes before me!] I put the police constable on my hand and strolled to the till. "Allo!Allo! Allo!" I said.

"Oh! are they puppets? I thought they were just soft toys" said the saleswoman. 

I brought them home and washed them thoroughly. Here they are, standing on the bookshelf, drying out, balanced on plastic bottles.

They are in superb condition, I don't think they'd been played with at all [sadly] But given the grandchildren's fondness for role play, I hope they will get a lot of use over the next 2 or 3 years. 

Yes, there will, sadly, always be those who are not worthy of honour - firemen and police officers who abuse their power in order to rape women,doctors and nurses who deliberately inflict suffering and death on patients. There have been all too many such cases just in the past year. 

But the majority of these people are decent, hardworking people, who put themselves at risk for the greater good - and sadly some sacrifice their lives. Men like Graham Saville, a Notts police officer who was killed, just six weeks ago, whilst trying to help a distressed person on the railway tracks. And Fire Officer Barry Martin, who died in January, fighting a huge blaze in Edinburgh. There have been more than 300 healthcare professionals who died of Covid in the past 3½ years.

I hope these puppets will bring joy to my grandchildren as they play with them - but also I hope they will learn to respect and to be grateful to all those who serve in our communities.

I Smashed It!

My favourite 1 pint Pyrex jug took a tumble on Monday afternoon and ended up in pieces on the kitchen floor. Fortunately I have a second identical one [bought when we first got Cornerstones] 

My first Pyrex jug, acquired as a student was similar to this, with a closed, loop handle. But the Corning Company decided to update the style in 1983 and went in for the 'open' handle, which enabled stacking. Over the past 40 years, I have acquired a complete set of these

I now have a ½pint, 1 pint, 2pint and 4pint. And also a 2pint with the markings worn off. When I replaced it,  the design had changed from short and squat to tall and slim - so all 5 stack neatly. The 4 pint is big and heavy and has a closed handle. I use all of them, frequently.

I love Pyrex, and its crazy history... The Corning Glassworks in New York State developed in 1908 a borosilicate glass which could withstand heat, and was use for railroad lanterns and battery jars. One of their scientists, Jesse Littleton, had an idea. He took home one of these jars and got his wife Bessie to try baking a cake in it. She loved it - the glass worked well in her oven and did not warp like metal cakepans. The rest is history...

They'd called their original glass Nonex but for kitchen use, and pies, they combined those two words and got Pyrex. The 12-piece range, including pie plate and loaf pan, was launched in 1913. The printed designs were made until the 1980s.

Jessie and Bessie had four children - and three of them went into the glass industry. 50 years after his Dad developed Pyrex, Harvey, who was extremely artistic, started using glass as a medium for artworks. Harvey founded the American Glass Studio

I used to have dozens of pieces of Pyrex -it was always available for pence in Charity Shops, and it was so useful if I needed to take a contribution to a Church Supper, or deliver a Shepherd's Pie or Apple Crumble to a friend. So easy to store and reheat [in oven or microwave] But I have radically reduced my collection now. 

Bessie and Jesse- sweet young newlyweds, who really did change the way we cook!

Do you use Pyrex - and what is your most useful Pyrex product? 

And why does Lakeland only stock ONE Pyrex product now, the pudding bowl?

And thankyou for all the great suggestions yesterday, for upcycling my Moppe Boxes

Mrs Moppe

In the Great Sort, I've unearthed, and emptied, three sets of IKEA Moppe Drawers. They're all around 25 years old. Over the years I've decorated the outsides in different ways. The 6 drawer set was covered with pages from an out of date Leicestershire A-Z map book. On of the 5 drawer units was decorated with "angels in art" after Christmas 1999, and was on my desk at school for two terms. The third set was covered in blue and white pages from a French Marie Claire Idées craft magazine. But they are all looking faded and tatty now. I think I may make them an autumn project and redecorate and repurpose them. 

I saw a 6 drawer set stained olive green in a CS for £9 last week. They were not very attractive imho.

How would you refinish these if they were yours?

Field Work

 

My September stitching celebrated the Harvest, with a tractor beside a golden cornfield. Wildflowers including poppies in the foreground, and a couple of barns on the hills behind. I made up the picture, using a number of rural scenes for inspiration. Variegated threads gave good colour for the land. The tractor has come out well. I'm not too happy with the barns [they look like little cars] 

It's all done in cross stitch apart from the back stitch outlining, and French Knot poppies. I don't think it is Norfolk - too many hills! 

Kirsten's September piece is this lovely stitch sampler in autumnal shades

Holding On!

My calendar picture for October. I have spoken often of the motto of Spurgeon's College, where Bob trained for ministry.

Et teneo, et teneor - meaning 

I both hold, and am held

What a blessed relief to know that I am not responsible for keeping everything going. None of us is. And there will be times for all of us when we should just stop, rest, and know that we are loved...May your Sabbath rest be a good one [whenever it happens!]