be prepared

Change of routine today as I went with some of the sewing ladies, to the funeral of the ma of another.
The ma was 90, so not that sad an occasion, as we all have to go sometime, and she had managed to put it off for quite a long time. I would guess tho that it didn't seem that long to her when she looked back however.

Attractive old church, high and light inside - did think about taking a couple of pics but desisted.
Very high Anglican, the vicar would probably have thrown the incense at me, or drownded me in the holy water he was splashing on the coffin.
One of my colleagues is Lutheran and was quite agog at the goings on. This was her 5th funeral in five weeks however so she was hardened to the task by now.
The vicar was a sprightly old bloke with the traditional twinkle in his eye, even as he intoned the rituals he did refer to God as "him, her or whatever you will".
Us heathen were welcomed too, which instantly reduced me to snuffles at the generosity of inclusion.

One of the readings was from Paul to the Corinthians? - the one about the "greatest of these is love" which can also make one weep if one doesn't watch out. The hymns were robust and well known so enjoyable to sing.
The eulogy was less generous. The oldest daughter was still rather annoyed with her mother, feeling her ma had not been loving to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. So thus she wrote, saying she might have been praised to her mothers friends but never to her face
So NB to remember to tell ones off spring how much one loves them, often, or one will get a dusty send off.

I wore the black silk hat I made years ago for just such an occasion, and added peacock feathers, even tho they may be unlucky [evil eye], I felt a funeral was an appropriate luckless situation
.

cold comfort

Short feature film starring Glorious Grandson, Son, Son's Girlfriend, Daughter and Snow [and their best friend television].

I had an irate friend P on the phone this week as she had been inches deep in snow and unable to travel to the Big City and all we had here 15 miles away was rain.

I would have preferred the snow really as all we did was trundle into town, which at the moment is just about resisting the one in five shops will be shut syndrome [as in run out of money rather than early closing]
I bought me a heavy weather jacket, given that next year most of the shops will have disintegrated and there will be no petrol to reach them anyway - or something.

We have always regarded ourselves as pretty much the Golden Generation [this girl does like her Gs] as we have had the benefit of the NHS, Free Education, House prices going up and down at almost the right time, and Lord love a Duck we have even got a Pension.

We also expect to expire before the worst of the global warming takes effect.
However the next election [May i suppose]. will herald terrible cuts in public services and we will no longer be able to look forward to meals on wheels, continuing free bus travel, extra heating allowance, cheapo train tickets.

It will all be snatched back and we will have to live on memories.

bird man

Went to visit the birdtable man today, as a couple of friends Need to own one of his one offs.
He lives with his wife and dog in a tiny cottage, we found it by knowing the right area then looking for a garden with one of his tables on show.

He works in his shed down the garden, his wife does patchwork and knits.

They have just had the phone put on so people can phone them, so I can now arrange to take friends down there.
It was lovely to talk with people who also have this insane need to "make" things continuously.

long February weekend

Yesterdays walk in the sunshine, glory be praised, was in wellies thru icey mud.
The gorse is bravely in flower once more and lunatics were sailing, have you ever been on a yacht - it is freezing at the best of times.

Went to a Textile show on Friday, the Three Disgraces went too as a homing beacon on our Forum table to all stitchers with a rebellious frame of mind. Seemed to work, but maybe I wasn't there to witness the more critical responses to work that was so merrily bodged.
Not merry today, rain is p*ssing down, sky is overcast [as it would be to maintain a logical world view] and I have a headache.

Can't remember what this intense line of concentration was viewing, obviously some fascinating technique, most of the stall holders seemed to have sprouted eccentric headgear this year.
Re-upholstery seems to be a good practical craft to learn, also good for the hips it seemed as the demonstrators had the tightest leanest jeans on show.

gnomes in spring

Another cold wet day, with what was possibly a hoar frost this morning over the river and the fields, looked very mysterious and attractive but made us all wet.
Sue has put some Spring cheer up on her blog, these catkins will add to her her aconites and buds.
The primroses are coming thru but looking fairly weak and wobbly, but the snowdrops are thrusting in a very bold manner, encouraged no doubt by the resident gnomes. They are not all mine, next door abandoned them when they moved away and new neighbours binned them, which seemed unnecessarily tough. The frosts haven't harmed them unlike several pots which are cracked or losing chips.
The daffs are playing a waiting game, only one in bud, the rest still staying short stemmed and unobtrusive.

poo to everyone

Lots of cold wet rain. Mother has chosen today to go on a coach trip to Kings Lynn, I suspect she will wish she hadn't.
However i am sat at home whinging, so not much fun here either.
We walked Hattie the dog round the Long Fields, RP in his new hat and moi under a woolly hat tied tightly under my chin, and then with my hoodie over the top. {I noted that hoodies are not viewed with negativity or anxiety in the States, everyone there seems to wear one at one time or another, burkas in Reno would probably cause a flutter however].
My shoulders, as they do, got cold and wet as the rain tipped mercilessly down, alos the knees as the water puddles down off the jacket. Thick bed socks in my wellies saved the day tho.
There was a new notice, thanks to the Parish council, decorating Pages Wood requesting that poop scoopers do not throw their full bags into the spinney, as the plastic is not degradable and the scoopers will disappear before the bags do. Cheering thought.
Maybe we should choose one tree and decorate it with used bags to exhibit that we can be thoughtful ramblers.
Why aren't the bags degradable anyway. Surely eventually in landfill the contents will warm up and explode. Hopefully.
I am not in a good mood it seems.

snow again

Winter Summer house

Snow is still enough of a novelty to take notice, even celebrate - especially as I am designated stayer in today to await delivery of RP's new hat while he and Hattie the dog have a trudge.
They claimed they delivered it yesterday and we weren't in at the time, which was a lie, RP is ranting and may get up to the Court of Human Rights [to have a new hat] before he is satisfied.

I took this shot from the upstairs window today as horse and I are wearing matching colour jumpers, but you can't see mine as it is several layers down.
Daughter rang late last night to claim the GG is much recovered, and I could hear him chortling in the background so I think he may be on the mend.
Have been making figures for my new Group, Gossiping Goddesses.This may one day be Venus plus shell

This one is going to be Kali
I am also working on Hathor at the instruction of Hattie the Dog, as she is her namesake.

cough, cough, cough

Lots of light, bright snow today, not thick yet. RP keen to 4 wheel drive up the hill - till we slid sideways, but fortunately we just scraped the holly tree and kept going up.
The horse in the field opposite has his coat and a very dour expression on, arse end to the wind. We went out to lunch and loaded up on good hot food so we feel ready to face the worst, as long as we are home and in the warm.
Daughter phoned to report on the GG and his poor old lungs which are suffering a respiratory infection, not doing too well at the mo, the doc offered hospital, but if Daughter felt Ok she could keep him at home to see how he goes.
As he is taking on water and eggy bread so he is holding up well, they are going to see how it goes. Of course his temperature shoots sky high at night, and neither of them are getting much sleep.
Hopefully he will improve before the w/e, or it may be best to take him to hospital, just because things always get worse Friday nights when everything is closed down.
Feel very helpless so far away.

my friend oscar

Ho Ho Ho, I am amazed that as someone who rarely tips out into the cold night air to the cinema these days, I have actually seen 2 of the 10 nominations for Best Film......Inglorious Basterds and surprisingly District 9. Saw both on the planes to and from America, how starry.
I have also seen Sherlock Holmes in the States and In the Loop on the gog, they have been nominated in various other sections.
Inglorious Basterds was a very odd concoction, but it got me back across the Atlantic, [once I had read an entire book] so it gets a tick.
District 9, an Indie film was even odder in a way, in a better way - tho very gory. Neither film was subtle, the gore count was lower in IB, in District 9 it was fairly horridly high, it was also funnier as well as knowing, but still tense and engrossing, which where giant insects are involved is clever.
They both had a message I suppose, one that hardly needed subtlety - naughty Nazis and Apartheid [+scifi] is also naughty.
Both went about their story in a singular fashion, and were well acted but i prefered District 9, but not on a full stomach.
Sherlock Holmes did look very good, [inevitable as it was led by Robert Downey jr]I think it is up for Art Direction, and In the Loop for adaptation, however I think the TV programmes were better.
I don't fancy Avatar, even tho I expect it is beautiful, the story line looks crap. I would like to see the Hurt Locker maybe, tho it must be gory as it is about dismantling roadside bombs in Iraq. The director is a woman, interestingly the ex of Avatar's director, so it should be worth seeing to decide if gender does affect POV.I hope she wins as i doubt any of my films will.
In our Big Textile Group we are having trouble keeping people trapped in the committee to do the grunt work. Creative women are probably not the correct profile for knuckling down to making executive decisions in the main, and those that are possibly shouldn't be.

clean up

Just spent the whole morning destroying cobwebs and viciously laying about me with the hoover. I hate cleaning, it is never finished.
I could hear Thoreau laughing at me for having so many objects and things that needed dusting. I love to have things around me, to be able to see all my colourful stuff.
Retired Person took responsibility for the bathroom and kitchen. As we left after two weeks here with daughter and child for America, then spent two weeks there, then had a week's jet lag the detritus has grown and probably bred.
It is winter, we have coal fires, pets, gardening, stitching and long hair that winds round the hoover brushes and binds everything together.
Di the Cleaner gave up on us about a year ago, retiring as a cleaner with clinical depression, I rest my case.