weather men

Chalk Head is a good friend of my son. When we were in San Francisco in December he rushed up in his loony way and announced he would be visiting us with his new wife, so Saturday there they were.

Americans doing the World Tour, I must admit we Europeans get a bit snide, until we go to the States then it all makes more sense,

We were lucky it was a lovely day, sunny and bright and after a couple of months trolling thru Europe in clouds and rain they thought we lived in Paradise, or at least a Disney Cartoon with fluffy sheep, moo cows, oyster catchers and even the odd cuckoo drilling in the woods.

The boat yards are messy, and they looked a bit confused.

Contrast between spending time and money in the States - so it shows, and aiming for the understated awe shucks approach here - where a definite effort is made to look as if one really hasn't made an effort.

CH had an emergency appendectomy soon after they arrived in Bangkok, so the first week of their honeymoon was spent with him in hospital attached to tubes and wifey sleeping in a chair.

Fortunately he had taken out super duper health insurance- for the first time- so had millionaire treatment.

They showed us lovely pics of the Eiffel Tower and Gaudi's cathedral, Amsterdam's canals [as an ex bicycle messenger he was particularly taken with plethora of latter trilling their bells] but every shot was dripping with rain.

I could feel their pain. Husband No 1 lived here for years but could never come to terms with the interminable cloud cover, specially when we lived in Carlisle on the NW coast.

Probably only the wetter, greyer area is Wales, oh no Ireland is wetter I imagine.

Husband No1 was a New Yorker, [lower east side] thus had a volubly expressed opinion on the subject of British weather, especially after a 6 pack or 2 and spinning Dylan for a few days.

Now I live on the English East coast and it is often bright, but when we stayed in Reno I had a yearning to move next to g'son and relax under the clear blue skies, maybe find a coffee shop to show my work..........but I couldn't afford the health insurance.

colour scheme

Us S.L.A.P.P.E.R.S. [Stitchers, Lacemakers And Patchworkers Practise Embroidery Regularly in Suffolk] arranged to drive to Cottenham [near Cambridge] to see their latest Textile show. It is on every year, - a couple of local groups exhibit but more exciting there are many many stalls, attended by encouraging people frantic to sell us threads and fabrics, so we look forward to it immensely.
Unhappily life has a habit of slapping your face just when you are smiling cheerfully, Isabel the tutor who taught most of us to take up a needle with menaces, found her husband dead, and the funeral was Friday.
L was nominated to represent us.
Then M's son who was appearing as Wishee Washee in pantomime and suddenly needed her to supervise the refreshments.
R's daughter decided to visit and could push the heavy furniture into new places for her........................ A offered to take me on Saturday, but I decided i just had to Do It! enough of interference from Fate, however weighty.



The colours were very therapeutic.




The only fat fly in the face cream was that I had a migraine and was in a very bad temper. I had already taken 2 magic pills on previous days and had only one left of the rest of my allowance for the rest of the month, so I staggered around growling clutching paracetamol and watching the clock until i could take another dose - and forced healing cash into willing hands.
I also bought some paper covered wire, quite thick so that it holds its own shape, from which to make more figures or even "vessels". We each have to make one for TAGS summer exhibition. It could be anything from a bowl to a pencil holder i suppose, I am thinking of a pregnant woman with a lid that lifts from her stomach, but what to put inside?
Then there was this Organza stuff that the printer, it is claimed won't eat and get indigestion. And some blue and purple dyed scrim, that was perhaps a mistake, but beautiful colours and cheapish.
And finally a pack of dyes and brief instructions. I have a book but I can't concentrate long enough to get to the end of the chapter.




This is some of what I carried home in triumph after a mediocre lunch at


Retired Person,who had filled the idle hours walking Hatters, disapproves of the beer, but any port in a storm, oasis in a desert, etc.
We drank a toast to Isabel in the hopes that the colour would return to her life in time.

The end of Bob

The construction is finished and there is now more room in the manshed.
Always good news for the woman.