Getting things tidier

I've had a useful couple of days, sorting things out, moving them around, giving stacks of magazines away and moving books so I no longer have piles on the floor in the Library.  Heck - even the Christmas decorations finally made it upstairs!!  You can actually see the carpet in there now!  It had become a dumping ground for "stuff" as it was just a room that we moved through rather than lived in.  Having taken Danny and Emma's books from one of the bookshelves on the half landing, I was able to fill it with my Church books from the kitchen, and some of the books I had picked up from the Co-op Book Donation table.  I know - it's unlikely I will ever read through all of them (some for the 2nd or even 3rd time, in the case of Jean M Auel's The Plains of Passage and Edward Rutherford's London, and 3 of Ken Follett's great epic novels - all doorstop size though!) Yet they are there if we have a hard winter and I need entertaining. (Yes, I'm missing Sky already . . .)

More books are now gone from the table and the head with the Boudoir cap on is now over by the window.  The bearded head with the helmet was another of Keith's favourite things and he'd bearded and painted the head himself - it tickled him pink to have a "Viking" showing off that helmet!  Some of the folk viewing our old house thought it very odd, as he always pointed it out (for badness, as he could tell they were the sort who wouldn't be buying Ynyswen), but hey ho, that was my darling man, who didn't give a sh*t what other people thought.

The little settle which we bought locally has replaced the large oak 1740 coffer which has gone to D in Dorset.  This will probably go in time too, when I get a Unit and can put a decent price on it.  No rush though. It's too big for me to take to Fairs. It's late 17th/very early 18th C.  I will give it a good polish today.

Here is the lovely old coffer which has gone down to Dorset.  Thereby hangs a tale - Couriers turned up.  Told it was a "two man carry" he bought his wife . . .  They came from Birmingham and when there was an immediate problem as English was not his first language and we had difficulty in understanding one another.  Seeing the two mouse-nibbled sun loungers in the yard, he pointed and said "these?".  No, I told him, it's a big and heavy coffer.  Obviously he had never come across antiques before as they carried it out but then stood it on end to travel.  I tried to get across to him it had to stand on its feet but to no avail.  I had to phone D and tell her what he'd done, and how it left here in perfect condition but travelling like that could well loosen joints. Hell, it's nearly 300 years old and deserves respect.  She was going to phone the hauliers and insist it went back onto its feet . . .  I will worry until I hear it's arrived as it left here.  The chair just got strapped to the wall of the truck!  Yeesh.

I got a good walk in around lunchtime, just a couple of miles, but there are hills there and back so it's a good workout.  I do 15,000 steps or so most days now.  All along the lanes, but I need to start checking out more footpaths in the area now I'm a bit fitter and have the time.

I had official post this week - 4 pieces which all arrived on the same day.  Two were a case of reading, and putting on one side until I heard from them again - HMRC being one and pensions the other.  One was a form to fill out for the Hospice who supplied the overnight nurse.  I forced myself to sit down and fill it out yesterday and got it in the post teatime yesterday.  The final one was from Army Veterans about Keith's pension, and whether I am entitled to any (according to K, I should get 1/8, as we married after he left the Army so he only had 6 years' pension entitlement to cover me.)  So, we'll see.  If I do qualify, I shall go for the lump sum rather than a little dribble of money each month.

I also set to with the glue yesterday, and fixed a couple of things which had become loose, and also filled in the holes drilled in one of the low-back Windsor chairs (screws put in to fix wobbly arms at some point in its history).  It was an honest obvious repair, but a bit unsightly.  The glue has settled so I need to add more, with a little bit of the sawdust Keith saved to do little repairs like this.  The little apprentice-piece Welsh settle with its beautiful carvings is also repaired now - the little bobbin in the middle of one arm had come off (and been put inside it for safe keeping) and I'd put off sorting it for years.  Now it's fixed and can finally go to the Fair.  It's a real quality piece and someone should love it. Gorilla Glue rules :) :)

Well, I woke at just gone 4 a.m., was up at just before 5 a.m. and now feel shattered.  I think I will get the heated throw we bought Keith and lie down on the sofa for a bit and get some more sleep before I am off to Tretower Court. The re-enactors (Marcher Stuarts) are there this weekend and I want to go and have a chat and see if they still want me to join them.  With this in mind, when I spotted some lightweight dark emerald velvet at the car boot sale last week (about 1.5metres of it), I paid my £2 and bought it.  I haven't done any dressmaking since I was pregnant with Tam and hat's 38 years ago now!

Have a good weekend all.