Friday 22 October 2021

Friday round up

I finally blew the dust off two x-stitch projects this week.  This William de Morgan one I can share with you but the other is a present (albeit a couple of years late!) so I can only share once it has been received and opened.   I bought this kit when we visited Wightwick Manor, some 3 years ago now, for my birthday day out.  However, I had to start with some unpicking on the other project, AND order DMC 844 as it was NOT in the zip-lock bag with all the other threads for the work.  My new craft light is perfect for close work like x-stitch.

 


When we went to Hay yesterday, after a break of 3 weeks, I saw this book and Keith offered to buy it for me.  It's a castle we've not been to, so are planning a visit.  The book is very good and focuses on the de Lacy family as well as the castle and the development of this piece of landscape since prehistoric times.


I'm also reading this, which my friend Gay sent me - part of a series.  Nice light reading.



Ignore the cobwebs - I need to get on the steps and sort them tomorrow.  These are my ex-display flowers I've used on our stand at Antiques Fairs, so they have been put out to give some colour to that corner and replace the faded Hydrangeas which were there before.


Below: lowering grey skies a couple of days ago when I was up on the Bank.



Looking across to the Church.  The dratted wires always get in the way.


It rained on Tuesday.  A LOT.  A good day to start tackling these eyesores in our bedroom.  Unfortunately I can't remove the outer "frames" without taking half the plaster off the wall, but I have scraped (laboriously) the wallpaper off the centre panel of the first one and removed the beading from the other two.  I am hoping that when it's all painted blue, the "frames" won't be so obvious. I shall, however, hang pictures inside them.


Someone asked for a look at the current wallpaper in there - this pinky-brown and beige is it. You can see it's rather gloomy in the photo of the wall. NOT to my taste.  I'm back to the plan to use the original dark blue wallpaper I chose, which has Meadowsweet and other wild flowers on it in a nearly-white design.

    All these jobs take me a long time though - I can't do them day after day as my muscles and joints complain, but I'll get there in the end.

    


More expense this week as 4 of my pans AND the Wok, don't work on the new cooker.  These were on offer at Nibletts in town (£7 off marked price) and I had to have more pans, as although I have my Le Creuset set I find them very heavy to pour from when full, since I fell over Little Whale and damaged my wrist about 18 mths ago. More expense to come as the aged heating boiler is on the blink.  So we had a chap come out today to give us a quote, and now need a couple of others.  Needless to say the quotes will be 4 figures, which is never good news.

This afternoon I called on my neighbour/friend C and had a cuppa and a chat and then we walked her dogs, so I have my steps well up today.  My hip joints had been very achey after my Covid booster on Wednesday, but the walk helped loosen everything up again.

    Now Friday evening beckons, with a glass or two of white wine, and something enjoyable on tv. Sad to see the last of All Creatures Great and Small last night.  So enjoyable and well done.  Anyone else been watching it?

6 comments:

  1. My whole family have been watching and have really enjoyed it. It is so comforting and uplifting. My only (minor) criticism is that I would have liked to see a bit more 'vetting', as the creatures of the title seem to have been largely pushed to one side. I am old enough to remember the original series and was lucky enough to witness the real James Herriot, Alf Wight, at work a couple of times. He was the official vet at Thirsk races and, thankfully, didn't have to put his hand anywhere nasty!

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    1. How lovely that you met him. I imagine he thoroughly enjoyed his life - including the "dirty" bits! I have to say, he wrote very well and drew so truly from life. The bit I remember from his books was the brothers and sister who just spent their evenings just sitting side by side on the settle, waiting for bed. That was their sole bit of relaxation - not even a radio to amuse them.

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  2. That is some rather drab wallpaper. Small bites of the elephant and things will get done.

    God bless.

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    1. You're spot on there Jackie - DRAB it is!! Someone may well think the same of my navy with flowers but hey-ho, at least it is my choice and I'm not living with someone else's!

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  3. I've loved the programmes too. It takes me back to my childhood when I spent a lot of time living with relatives on farms.

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    1. I like it because it is almost a rerun of the first series - they have picked their actors well. My only grumble is that the practice was NOT run by the Housekeeper!!

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