Family near and far in time and place

 

I bought just a handful of things yesterday.  This really appealed to me and I paid £15 for it - more than I wanted to pay but she wouldn't haggle.  Her loss - if she'd dropped to £10 there were a couple more I'd have bought, including a lovely watercolour of Lower Brockhampton Manor and gatehouse.  Ah well.  Now I have to try and find a frame for it in the charity shops.

I had a VERY frugal shop today, sticking to my short list.  Lidl was £23, which included back bacon and chicken breasts, onions, biscuits to go with cheese, small zip-lock bags, butter, fizzy mineral water etc.  I needed a bath mat from Tesco (slipped and bruised my arm the other day, and Rosie needs one if she is to have a bath here).  A pack of reduced pork mince which I will make meatballs from and freeze.  Two cheap for all the wrong reasons Miss Molly chocolate eclairs (79p) as a treat, a small multi-seed wholemeal loaf and some fizzy pop.  £18.  Since Tam is booking my middle week in NZ accommodation and travel this week, I need to keep my current account as high as I can as a chunk of my savings is going out and I need to pay all my bills from my current account.  Tea tonight is bacon, baked beans which need using up and a spud made into home-made oven chips. ('twas very boring!)  Pork meatballs tomorrow.

The Giraffe I bought yesterday, and the lovely little model of Ledbury Market Building which is just in shot.  Both £10 each.  I kept it cheap and light as dragging the camping trolley through the long grass, even without a great deal in it, was very hot and tiring work.  

It feels like Autumn here today.  I have belatedly taken quilts off the sofa and put them in the wash.  We are having short showers now and again but should have them dry by tonight.  My Anthisan cream has arrived (thankyou Amazon Prime) and is helping the bites.  

I found 3 books on Co-op's charity book table and bought them for winter reading - yeah I know, like I NEED more books don't I?!  Another Ken Follet doorstop - The Evening and the Morning; and two new-to-me Kate Shackleton mysteries - A Death in the Dales and Murder in the Afternoon.  Nice light reading in those anyway.

I have been researching one of the items I bought yesterday, which was a German 1920ish wooden horse and cart.  He's lost the end of his nose decades ago - Keith could have repaired him easily - but is very unusual and I can find nothing like him.

I've just been out in Keith's workshop and found a bit of wood exactly the right thickness and with a rounded nose shape.  I think Keith must have sent it my way! It needs trimming to size though so I will make a template and see if my neighbour can do that for me.

I thought I would need a nap when I got back yesterday but a post on the IoM family history page involved Keith's ancestors, so within minutes I was searching for my notes, and checking out the whys and wherefores and within half an hour, another rellie hove into view!  Wonderful stuff, and we are keeping in touch.  

Next month one of my Hampshire cousins and her husband are coming to our part of Wales (Rhayader) and are taking me/us out for a meal.  They want to meet little Rosie again (and of course, Tamzin).

Now it's time to sit down and work on the quilt back.  Enjoy your evening/day.