privileged

The buyer who bought Eve and Adam is an enthusiastic lady who tends to stalk her artists; after many phone calls I surrendered to her kind invitation [having run out of excuses, except the truth I am an anti-social grump] and accompanied by Ruth riding shotgun, we set out to go for lunch at her rather lovely farmhouse deep in the countryside.
R drives a black and shiny Beemer convertible, which also seemed an appropriate horse on which to ride up on, except we got horribly lost down the rabbit runs of country lanes.
At one point Ruth tried to take a tractor driver hostage and force him to guide us until i pointed out [with a squeak] that his tractor was pulling a heavy trailer and approaching us at a rate of knots.
An hour late for our appointment and fruitless use of petrol and temper we came across L striding along a lane looking for us, presumably she would have hunted us down whatever we did.
I am not good with posh persons who drawl yahhhhh and show no sign of nerves in any situation, but L was also very sweet.
She has amassed a full load of local and more prestigious artists work and introduced us to each one in turn.

I was very taken with this.


and these two.

We had lunch eventually in the kitchen, which was originally the dairy. So on a grey, rainy day very cold, but being upper class she didn't notice, tho she did go so far as to warm up her remaining morning coffee for us till it was at least blood heat. Oh the insouciance of those with total confidence of their position in the cosmos.
We had an almost living trout unceremonious salad with home made mayonnaise and flies, lots of flies. I am a fly fanatic and own two swatters, unfortunately L didn't.
After lunch we toured the grounds

Apparently there are no fish for the mermaid to look after because otters have been reintroduced into the county. L and the mermaid are not amused.
Not a problem in our little plastic pond which is only occasionally visited by a roaming frog or thirsty pigeon.

I won't name this maker as L would be anxious about the info floating round the web about her garden ornaments. Suffice to say as teenager I was besotted with his work and to see it roaming free was a special pleasure.

Batter wars

Against Gillian's Dave's Yorkshire [17th August] I play Retired Person's Toad in the Hole

stitched up

Finally finished and posted Dinosaur to Glorious Grandson. Hopefully the swearing and general irritability incurred when I couldn't get the legs right won't be sewn into every stitch.
I got the basic pattern from the net, tho really it was kind of common sense scrawled on some newspaper. But the original had the legs as two blocks and I thought it might confuse the Talented Genius at the other end, so I struggled mightily to produce 4 separate appendages.
Who knew it would prove so difficult, no wonder on the Seventh day She rested, I found creating very dispiriting.
Fortunately I have oodles of purple felt so can now chuck all the scraps of failure with a clear conscience [mostly, obviously I was bought up to save string and wrapping paper etc.]
Hopefully the hand stitching, which was more fun, will be strong enough to withstand the full five minutes of attention before GG goes on to something that makes a noise.
He is very taken with Dinosaurs tho. When we Skype he has the book to hand with a pic of different dino for every letter of the alphabet. Quite useful for maintaining contact with limited vocabulary at the mo.
Other projects have not flown along, tho it isn't the legs in this case.

I have added a table line and a fallen petal to balance the design, but once I stretched it the lines I had endured much fury trying to get straight have wavered some what.
Ma-in-law donated an abandoned print for the frame, so maybe the unusually minimalist design is a reflection of her restrained relationship avec moi. I notice one of the petals i upside down too, damn.


This effort is supposedly Green Woman as opposed to Man. I have no idea how to move it forward.
We were going to see a textile exhibition at Hyde Hall [RHS] today, until I noticed it doesn't start until the w/e. Life is stuck in the slow lane/lay-by/.......garage.

wellie weather

Feel a bit like the swan's view at the moment as it is raining so continuously, but can't complain when half of Pakistan is suffering so badly.
We are between two tidal rivers here so I am conscious of what could happen if the seas rise in time but seeing those devastated families struggling thru the mud on the gog is a nightmare.
Hopefully the charity money will get thru to those who need it.

The sun here [I suppose]has produced this total covering of ponds with tiny emerald green leaves.

short break

Queen Mothers birthday again, so time to take a quick mid week break to mark the day we met,[RP and me, not us and the QM] I stuck to white wine rather than gin and it however.
Hattie the dog enjoyed the beach walks and also the ramble thru a bird sanctuary.
Not particularly frequented by birds on the day but lots of butterflies and [as we now know,] day time moths

Lots of little brown jobs, white ones with and without spots and tiny blue ones. Other bolder - more colourful too, but the very devil to get a photo, they stay still up till the last second then giggle and flit off.

It was so relaxing to stay in a big old fashioned hotel and get regularly served hot food. Wonderful sausages in our "full English" and multi story ice cream sundays [not at the same meal, tho I might have been tempted.
Miles of walking meant I didn't really put on much weight so a win win situation, or zero sum, whatever that is.
Old lady [older than me] on the bus one day harangued the shell sculpture on the beach, everybody here hates it she chanted, only thing it is good for is a dogs toilet. Philistines everywhere.