December Book List

We had a lovely Christmas at Sarah and Gareth's house (with 3-year old Struan and 7-month old Ilsa). Then we gathered at Helen and Martin's house (with 9-year old Charlotte) where Sarah's family and Simon and his wife Katie were also to be found. It's the first time we've all been together at the same time in far more than two years, so it was very special. We all took lateral flow tests on the morning of each gathering so I felt relatively safe. It's to the point where 'normal' feels a bit odd...

Looking forward to 2022, other than a little concern about what the final consequences of Brexit may bring us, with lots of staying at home over the winter (love my solitude!) and planned visits one-on-one with friends.  

- Grave Mistake, Ngaio Marsh

- *How to Cook a Wolf, MFK Fisher

- *Codebreaking Sisters - Our Secret War, Patricia and Jean Owtram

- *The Five: the untold lives of the women killed by Jack the Ripper, Hallie Rubenhold

- The Wardrobe Mistress, Natalie Meg Evans

*Non-fiction

November Book List

I'm certain it will be 2022 before I know it. I am excited about this for two reasons: the US Census for 1950 will become available and the adoption records of my Dad's half-brother, Albert, will be 100 years old and therefore accessible. How easy that will be remains to be seen.

I read another six books in November, two of them (*) non-fiction. The Philip K. Dick book became the film Blade Runner, which I remember seeing but nothing about electric sheep stuck in my mind at all. I found it interesting to see how many bits of modern technology the author accurately predicted. Thankfully, we do not all (yet) buzz about in hovercars. The Appeal was particularly clever.

- The Sisters of Auschwitz: the true story of two Jewish sisters' resistance in the heart of Nazi territory, Roxane van Iperen*

- Dress Codes - How the laws of fashion made history, Richard Thompson Ford*

- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy

- The Appeal, Janice Hallett

- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick

- The Manningtree Witches, A. K. Blakemore

October Book Update

I'm struggling with the diminished light of late and dreading winter. I think I may have to bring down my Lumie light from the attic (or as Bill calls it, Loonie Light). I keep falling asleep while reading, which is bad enough, but also while knitting which is disaster! Was due to join my WI for a walk, but I've wimped out due to gale force winds and piercing rain. 

Finally gave in and subscribed to New York Times Cooking section. It was only $25 for a year (on top of my regular subscription). We'll see if it pays for itself. 

October Book List (6):

- Specials, Scott Westerfeld

- Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

- Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

- The Pearl Sister - CeCe's Story, Lucinda Riley

- Sex and Vanity, Kevin Kwan 

- Moriarity, Anthony Horowitz

Kitchen Work

Last month Bill and I went to Brockbushes Farm, near Corbridge, to pick plums. Even though it was mid-September and their website said plums were available throughout the month, when we got there most were already rotten, with plenty of wasps buzzing around. We did manage to find a few kilos (hint: if you're shaking the tree to knock down fruit, don't look up, look down to see where they fall). The second disappointment was that - even with the discount the guy said he gave us - they cost more than at the green grocer. I don't think I'll do that again. Nevertheless, we are enjoying our plum jams, made with 'zingers': nutmeg and brandy or orange zest, ginger and brandy.

When we were foraging for rosehips (already made into rosehip syrup and put into the freezer), I found a yellow pear tree. There were only dropped pears in reach, but I managed to salvage enough pear to make several jars of jam. I used half the usual sugar to account for their very ripe state. For both Bill and me, foraged food is far more satisfying than bought food. However, I did buy a bunch of green pears, thinking I might need to add them to make enough to bother with. Instead, I ended up making a separate batch of green pear jam, which has an unfortunate colour. If I ever do that again I will definitely peal them first!

I use the jam recipe provided by a book by the author of blog NWEdible, Hands On Home by Erica Strauss. She's not blogging for free any longer, but there are still plenty of great articles at NW Edible Life. 

I got a surprise gift of a bunch of crab apples which I'm still working on.   

I have another project to re-process some mixed fruit: strawberries (from Brockbushes - a much better deal), red currants (gifted from a friend's allotment) and gooseberries (from our own 2-year old bushes!). I'm still trying to decide whether to boil it down further (as Erica does) or whether to give in and add pectin.  A lot of the strawberries went into vodka, and sloes into gin and blackberries into whisky, mainly for Christmas presents. 

Then to work on the damsons and more blackberries for more jam. I made so much jam and jelly during 2020 that we're quite spoiled to the pleasures of homemade, far less sweet than storebought.  Life is busy here in late summer/early autumn.

Still waiting for our seven apples to be ready to pick!

September Book List Update-

My reading seems to be slowing down these past months. I think that's a good thing. I'm socialising a bit more, knitting frantically for Christmas, foraging and making jam & jelly!

September - 8 

- Past Caring, Robert Goddard

- The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

- Young Sherlock Holmes - Death Cloud, Andrew Lane

- *Women's Lives and Clothes during WW2, Lucy Adlington

- The Red Ribbon, Lucy Adlington

- The Offing, Benjamin Myers

- The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams

- The Sewing Machine, Natalie Fergie

Things I've Made

I've fallen down the genealogy rabbit hole again. My cousin, John, in Buffalo NY helped me work out another person to test as being my possible first cousin (once removed). The test will be sent off to Duluth, Minnesota soon and then a daughter from Chicago needs to visit to help set up her mother's account. It will be about a month after it is sent off when I know.... I'm very excited!

I thought I'd post about what I've been making, then realised I've told you about the big thing - Isla's cardigan. It suits her well, if it is a bit big (which is a good thing!). I'd love to show you a photo, but her father - who works in IT - has views about his children's online privacy, so I need to respect that. Sarah shares photos with family and I have to say they are gorgeous. Nothing to do with me, I know, but I feel very lucky to participate. I have a blue sweater / jumper on my needles which hopefully will be ready for Struan by Christmas. I hope to do another cardigan for Isla, the same pattern as before but with a hood on it. Struan's sweater will be BRIGHT blue (he's madly in love with blue just now). I found some coral red for Isla's hoodie and I think it will suit her well. 

One thing I don't think I showed you was the green bag I made for Katie, Simon's wife, last spring. I'd started it a long time ago and just got around to finishing it in time for her April birthday.   (I've clearly lost my mind) bag I made for my lovely friend Pat's 75th birthday. I made it in green and purple (Women's Institute colours) and white (which makes it suffragette colours). It has a pocket on the outside and two inner pockets, one on each side.

The other thing was that I finished the knitted blanket I began 2-3? years ago. I can't begin to say how thrilled I am to be done with it. Knitting patterned squares was a much bigger challenge than I'd expected, and I needed so many of them! in spite of having only made a half-sized blanket. This knitted blanket has obvious errors in it - some of the squares got put in sideways - but I'm not prepared to fix them. I think it just adds to the hippy-dippy 1960s look all the more (a bit more psychedelic, man). 

Then there were loads of leftover bits of yarn from that, which I made into my usual granny square type of throw.

Finally, I've been doing a few Innocent smoothie hats for Struan to play with. These are all the rage just now in my WI Craft Group, but I tend to do the ordinary hats. Much faster and Age UK gets 25pence for each hat whether they are fancy or plain. I'll do fancy for Struan, but not for Age UK. If that makes me mean, so be it.

This is a bird called a 'blue tit'. It took me a
long time to get used to that name.

This pattern is called a 'cheeky monkey'. 'Cheeky' seems to
be a word that refers to mischievous behaviour on the part
of children that is being accepted as 'cute'. 

August Book List Update

2021 Total to Date: 79 (67 / 12); *18 non-fiction

New Books; re-read books

 August - 9

- *Respectable, Lynsey Hanley

- The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue

- The Architect's Apprentice, Elif Shafak

- *Who Owns England? How We Lost Our Land and How to Take it Back, Guy Shrubsole

- Ghosts, Dolly Alderton

- Heidi, Johanna Spyri

- Pretties, Scott Westerfeld

- The Shadow Sister, Lucinda Riley

- The Clockmaker's Daughter, Kate Morton

Mom's Birthday

I'm posting this on the right date, but admit to being rather late on this, which sort or surprises me. If there is any birthdate I'm ready to remember, it's Mom's. But life has been rather busy lately and much of it has had me thinking of her.

I always think of her when I'm sewing, but also when knitting. She taught me knitting and crochet when I was very young - 7 or 8 years old. I remember making a crochet poodle, named Pierre when I was 8. I'm sure I had loads of help. 

I also remember one Christmas in my 20s when she gave me a dozen sweaters she'd knitted for me in the previous year. I was astounded. I'm sad to say I can only recall a few:

a grey cardigan

an oatmeal coloured dolman sleeved sweater (jumper)

3 vests (waistcoats) in baby blue, light pink and purple

short sleeved sweaters (jumpers) in cranberry and another a red

I know I still have the first two and the blue waistcoat up on the attic. I'm sad I can't remember the other five sweaters, perhaps they'll come to me in time. They were all made with acrylic yarn except the dolman sleeved thing which was cotton. They weren't exactly up to date styles either, but I wore them as much as I could. Perhaps the other five were just too unfashionable, I don't recall. I remember the red short sleeved top was a bit scratchy and I wore a cami underneath to make it tolerable to wear.

My roses didn't fare well this year after we ran off to Scotland for a couple of weeks (to see Sarah and her young family) when they most needed dead heading. When I finally tidied them up there wasn't much left. These white roses were hanging down, droopy, so I cut them and put them on the dining table. I didn't know if the buds would bloom, but they did and I've just caught them before they began to drop petals. When thinking about this post I remembered that white roses are a symbol of eternal love. The words 'white rose' are engraved on Mom's wedding ring, which I now wear as mine. 

I've been busy working on a sweater for 3 month old Isla, Bill's newest (and probably last) grandchild. Since her mother, Sarah, has Isla's brother Struan calling me 'Grandma Shelley' and has been quite positive about the idea of my knitting and sewing for her kids, I guess I can say I'm knitting a cardigan for my granddaughter, Isla. It feels a bit weird to say that, but it's lovely at the same time. 

I also managed to crochet a frog for Struan. He named him Gordon. I'm still working on the dinosaur pattern, I may need to consult with some other knitters who managed this one.

I found this pattern on a blog called Oliver Boliver. I can see there is a lot more there to explore.

We had a wonderful weekend, in spite of the rainy weather. We had barbequed chicken, potato salad and carrots and broccoli in the tent, after I toasted/microwaved Struan's dinner: beans on toast. He sat in the motorhome quietly entertaining himself while I cooked dinner, careful to instruct me he needed butter on his toast. 

We had a lovely walk in the woods at Kielder Forest, taking in all the sites and signs. It rained quite hard at one point but as I was very warm and mostly waterproof, I loved it. It wasn't warm rain but it did feel like being a child again and playing in the rain. The raindrops on all the different plants sparkled beautifully after. We walked past the first really dark forest I believe I've ever seen - completely black and impenetrable. Sadly, I didn't think to bring my camera.

Saturday night it was raining so we all crammed into the motorhome - my covid red flags all seemed to have evaporated somehow, but then all the adults are fully vaccinated. We had barbequed ribs, rice and ratatouille (leftover from another meal at home). Sarah and Gareth provided wine and desserts for both meals and I got to 'cook for company' for the first time in ages. 

Struan came back to supervise my making his dinner again Saturday and watched me packing up Sunday morning. It may have been that he enjoyed being in a new space, one without a baby sister, but he let me cuddle him a bit and help him on and off with his waterproofs. I felt wholly honoured by his company. I'm grateful Sarah is a generous woman to give me 'granny rights'. My Mom would be so pleased for me. 

Reading List 2021

Blogger often does have its little (or big) hitches. I'm a bit fed up of not being able to update my reading list. If I finished a book and put it on here you can generally consider it a general recommendation. Exceptions have (?) after the listing. I accept they may have been widely acclaimed, but I didn't much care for them; that said, I managed to finish them. I've finally given myself permission not to waste hours of my ever-shortening life on things I really hate that are completely voluntary (what took me so long?) 

So I guess that will be at least a monthly update here about what I've read during the month.  

Reading List 2021

Finished - 72 (61 / 11) *Non-fiction: 16; Orange titles new, black white titles re-reads)

July - 11

- Eliza Rose, Lucy Worsley

- The Dutch House, Anne Patchett

- The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley

- *Elizabeth David on Vegetables, compiled by Jill Norman

- *Mary's Household Tips and Tricks - Your Guide to Happiness in the Home, Mary Berry

- *Cute Clothes for Kids, Robert Merrett

- *RHS Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener - old, new, common and curious vegetables, Simon Akeroyd

- Get Shorty, Elmore Leonard

- The Paris Library, Janet Skeslien Charles

- Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

- Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

June - 11

- Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

- *The Miracle Pill, Peter Walker

- Turn on the Heat, A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)

- The Bigger They Come, A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)

- *A Life on Our Planet, David Attenborough

- Raven Girl, Audry Niffenegger

- The Sweetness of Forgetting, Kristen Harmel

- The Day of the Storm, Rosamunde Pilcher

- The Forgotten Seamstress, Liz Trenow

- Y is for Yesterday, Sue Grafton

- X, Sue Grafton

May - 11

- W is for Wasted, Sue Grafton

- V is for Vengeance, Sue Grafton

- Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart

- *There is No Planet B, Mike Berners-Lee

- Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo

- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark (?)

- The Storm Sister, Lucinda Riley

- Phoenix Rising, Bryony Pearce

- *Murder on the Home Front, Molly LeFebrure

- Rodham, Curtis Sittenfeld

- *Penelope Fitzgerald - a Life, Hermione Lee

April - 11

- Enola Holmes - The Case of the Missing Marquess, Nancy Springer

- The Rose Code, Kate Quinn

- Tehanu, Ursula K. LeGuin

- The Farthest Short, Ursula K. LeGuin

- Simple Genius, David Balducci

- The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. LeGuin

- 1st to Die, James Patterson

- A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin

- The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

- Anne of the Island, Lucy Maud Montgomery

- Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi

March - 12

- A Time of Fire, Robert Westall

- The Mermaid of Black Conch, Monique Roffey

- The Violets are Blue, James Patterson

- Skellig, David Almond

- Dark Hollow, John Connolly

- *How Bad are Bananas?, Mike Berners-Lee

- Hour Game, David Balducci

- S is for Silence, Sue Grafton

- Mrs. Lincoln, Janis Cooke Newman

- The Silence of the Girls, Pat Barker

- *The Moment of Life - How Empowering Women Changes the World, Melinda Gates

- R is for Ricochet, Sue Grafton

February - 10

- *A Life on Our Planet - My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future, David Attenborough

- Split Second, David Baldacci

- Roses are Red, James Patterson

- *Threads of Life - A History of the World through the Eye of a Needle, Clare Hunter

- Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout (?)

- The Christmas Train, David Balducci

- The Giver of Stars, JoJo Moyes

- Q is for Quary, Sue Grafton 

- *Permanent Record, Edward Snowden

- *Sew...The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge, Barbara Emodi

January - 6

- Every Dead Think, John Connolly

- Pop Goes the Weasel, James Patterson

- The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman

- M is for Malice, Sue Grafton

- N is for Noose, Sue Grafton

- *Born a Crime, Trevor Noah

Roses and Gooseberries

Having started a Garden Group for my WI, I've had to up my game in this area. I've learned a bit but of course still have miles to go. I deliberately didn't call it 'Gardening' as I thought some would be put off by this: taking pleasure in someone else's garden or in visiting a garden centre counts in my group!

I knew some time ago that the least harmful way to fight aphids on one's roses was to wipe them off with a rag and soapy water - bathe them in a manner of speaking. Up until now I've left it with Bill who sprayed them with some sort of chemical, with only moderate success. So I did the bath thing a couple of times and it's worked a treat. 

Another thing I read somewhere was to soak banana peels in water and pour this on the roses' roots. Apparently this feeds them potassium, which they crave. I've no idea if this is fact or fiction but I've done it this spring and now have loads of buds.

My roses seem to come out much later than most, but they do hang about for quite a while. I see loads of potential there and just the first few pink blooms.

Also, I kept reading that gooseberries came in June but we saw none on our two youngish gooseberry bushes, in spite of having had a small crop last year. Then one day I lifted a branch - prickly things they are - and saw a neat row of pale green berries underneath! But they were tiny, no bigger than peas. So I did some internet research and found the advice to pick alternate berries and leave the remainder to grow and ripen into July and August. So that's what I've done.

In a very old book, Every Man His Own Gardener, by John Abercrombie (published in 1782), I found the advice to prune gooseberry bushes in the shape of an umbrella. I can see how this would make everything a lot tidier, which is very useful when dealing with something as prickly as this.

I found this book at Berrington Hall a few years ago when we were down sound for Simon's wedding. I have been working at indexing my digital photos of late. This is a wonderful way to re-discover what you've done with your life, also to find new topics never before blogged about. 

Knitting Fish

 

I can't believe I haven't shown you my knitted fish - it's a herring, to be more specific. Others who have been knitting fish all seem to feel compelled to give them names that begin with H. I must admit I've felt the same pull but have thus far resisted. 

Why on earth might one take up such an activity? We have a local museum, The Old Low Light, which requested that the community do so for an upcoming display about women's work on the Fish Quay. For this they want loads of herring - they don't care what colour - and they provided a pattern and even offer if it was needed.  

At the end of the pattern using the normal wool, the author suggests knitting a fish out of plastic. I'm currently cutting up bags to make 'plarn' (plastic yarn). In the meantime, I stuffed my fish with plastic. I know that some of the members of Tynemouth WI craft group are knitting fish as well as the Age UK knitting group I belong to. The display will be quite interesting, I think, and surely all of us who have contributed will want to see it.

This heritage centre is all about the fishing industry which has played a significant role in this coastal area. Up until Brexit, the North Shields fishers was Europe's main supplier of prawns. I've no idea what has happened to that since given the difficult customs arrangements that delay the delivery of fresh seafood. 

The name Old Low Light refers to a building that formerly was the lower lighthouse. In the old days, ships coming into port needed to line up the high light and the low light in order to navigate safely. The high light is now a private home. 

We are fortunate to live in an area with such rich history - and to be given the opportunity to knit fish!

Murder on the Home Front

I first met Murder on the Home Front as a Netflix programme, which I really enjoyed. It plays up a potential romance between the author and her boss, which isn't mentioned in the book by the same name, memoirs of Molly Lefebure. These stories take place in London during WWII. I was lucky enough to get the book from my local library. While it took a while to get used to her writing style, by the middle of the book I was hooked. Bill even read it since it met his criteria for 'Very British' and 'not too sad'. Mind, the story is pretty sad for the bodies involved, but not for the main characters. 

Of course, being set in the 1940s and British, I did run across some words and phrases I didn't really know. So I've looked them up for this:

fruit & junket - according to Wikipedia this might also be called fruit & curds & whey. Made with sweetened milk and rennet. Not high on my list of things to try, but apparently quite a common dessert in the past.

dimity posy - couldn't find this online. Dimity is a type of cotton fabric woven with cords along the length (warp). It was generally used for household items such as bedding or curtains. Originally made from silk or wool, since the 1700s it has been made with cotton. A posy is a small flower bouquet (aka tussie-mussie, or nosegay - particularly if flowers are scented). Doilies were traditionally used to wrap the flower stems. My guess that a dimity posy is a nosegay wrapped with dimity instead.

prie-dieu - a type of prayer desk used for devotions. Wikipedia talks about these being found in churches and sometimes used in part of a wedding ceremony, but I recall that this referred to one seen in a murder victim's house. 

rexine - is a trademark name for a type of artificial leather, used in upholstery and for book covers, car dashboards and, for a while, teddy bear paws. It must have been widely used during the war as the author refers to it as 'the inevitable rexine'.

Bakst - probably refers to Léon Bakst, a painter and costume designer in Russia. 

Imagine an ornate alcove, rather than an actual room, with a big window for the said relatives to look through at ... ah, yes, at poor old Joe, or Liza, or Harry, stretched out on a magnificent bier between two giant standard lamps, against an exotic backcloth reminiscent of Bakst. Dramatic concealed lighting heightens the effect. It is certain that Joe, Liza and Harry never lay in such splendour all their lives; rickety old beds, seedy bedrooms, were no doubt their lot, damp and uncomfortable. But now that death has robbed them of all feeling and all pride here they lie, in the most sumptuous style imaginable. The relative of the deceased invariably express immense gratification.

The Dun Cow and Father Time

I'd not appreciated Durham is a World Heritage Site, though I have visited Durham Cathedral and appreciated the view from its rooftop.

On our recent family walk there was a big metal cow with a stone marker mentioning footsore monks, a cow and a couple of milk maids. So I took a photo to look it all up later. 

Apparently Durham Cathedral is built on a shrine to St. Cuthbert, a local 7th Century Christian hero of sorts, having converted a lot of Danes to Christianity,  The story goes that several monks - this is in the 11th Century - were moving his coffin back to Chester-le-Street (sort of a suburb of Durham) when the waggon carrying his coffin stopped and refused to move. After a three-day fast and prayer session, it was revealed that the coffin should be placed a place called Dunholm, but they didn't know where this was. About this time one or two milk maids came along (the story varies), searching for a misplaced dun (defined as a neutral grey-brown - I'd call it taupe) cow. She/they directed the monks to Dunholm and there they built a white church which eventually became the site of Durham Cathedral, a Norman structure that replaced it. 

I always forget what a really big guy Martin is. 

Also, the word 'dun' is old English for 'hill' and 'holme' is Norse for 'island'. (So my house, which is named Seaholme by the builders, means I live in Sea Island?). In medieval times this word was Latinised to 'Dunelm'. There is a chain of department stores called Dunelm around here. Somewhere in Norman times, Dun Holm was changed to Duresme. No one seems to know when it became Durham. The name Dunelm is apparently hallowed by those associated with Durham, it being the official name of the Bishop of Durham and it refers to any degree earned from the University of Durham. 

So the cow represents the lost Dun Cow - and I believe there is a coffee shop in Durham by that name.

A bandstand with an interesting weathervane grabbed my attention from across the river. Fortunately our walk took us past it on the way back and I got a better photo. Bill knew all about it, having lived in Durham for several years during his childrens' early years. 

The weathervane is a copy of one at Lord's Cricket Ground, London. It shows Father Time removing the bails from the wicket. The quote below is 'Lest Time Bails You Out'. This has something to do with one of the rules of cricket: "After the call of Time the bails shall be removed from both wickets".  I gather there is a cricket ground near this location in Durham. And one can buy a copy of the Father Time weather vane from the shop at Lord's for £400. I wouldn't even attempt to explain one thing about cricket, as everyone I know says it is terribly complicated. Also the games last for days. All I know is that the players wear white.

I take it that this is another of those upper class signifiers of Conspicuous Leisure, having the time to understand and enjoy cricket. 

Shincliffe Wood

We met up with Simon and Katie in the woods near Durham on Sunday. At least we thought it would just be Simon and Katie but Helen and Martin decided to come along as well and to bring Charlotte, their daughter. This made us a party of seven, which may have been illegal, though my vague understanding is that children aren't counted in these groupings. 

In any case, I mostly walked well behind the group. I haven't walked with anyone but Bill so far during this pandemic, even when it was permitted. My experience walking with him is that he's prepared to come much closer to groups of people that I want to. He seemed irritated with my caution and I felt pressured to take more risks so we stopped walking together. That experience suggested I wouldn't be happy walking with other friends either. It's not so much them as navigating all the other people around. A nice sit down in a front garden is much more conducive to pleasant, relaxed conversation. Sadly, for some period the government decided only public places, not private spaces were appropriate for meeting, so that ruled out private gardens, which struck me as short-sighted on their part.  

It turned out to be quite a lovely walk of about four or five miles. It seemed much longer given the terrain and the occasional crowds. I must admit I felt a bit overwhelmed at times. Even though signs everywhere warn to keep a 'social distance' even outdoors, no one appeared to pay it any mind whatsoever. We went along the riverside, crossed a bridge and continued the other side of the river until a detour took us through a wood full of blue bells. The white flowers, Bill's app told us, were stitchwort. I don't know what the lovely chartreuse coloured leaves were but the blue bells - which look more purple to me - and those green leaves made a wonderful contrast and reminded me of WI colours - or suffragette colours.

Though I didn't have much conversation, I got a lot of crochet done in the car on the way down and back. We did this 30 minute trip twice since Bill thought we were to meet at 11 but upon checking when we arrived, it was 1. So we went back home, had lunch, and returned. My blanket I've worked on for about three years is finally done - except it needs blocking. I see errors that could be fixed, but I'm fed up with the thing. I'll send it off to some refugee camp or other as originally planned. It was mostly about being a learning project. What I learned was not to knit a blanket of squares using scraps of yarn others have discarded. 

I saw on Facebook that a couple of former work colleagues, Jamie and Bev, had also just been to Shincliffe Wood the very same day. Shame we didn't run into them - it would have been nice to chat. 

A Friend's Garden

I have an American friend I met at my WI. We've managed to keep in touch throughout the pandemic and I've twice been invited to visit her in her garden. Three times if you count when she hosted our Book Group. She kindly gave permission to take this photos for this blog.

I've known where she lived for several years now, but I was stunned to realise that my back gate and hers are just about lined up through the alley that crosses the streets between us. Coming in through her back gate is like entering a magic kingdom. Perhaps I exaggerate a bit, but have a look for yourself. 

This last time it was rather drizzly and I told her I had water-proofs at the ready. She sensibly sat in her conservatory with the door open. I sat outside covered in Bill's walking gear as none of my coats are more than water resistant. We managed a good two hours before my knees were stiff and feet frozen and I took myself home. 

A south-facing garden is highly desirable here in the UK as is a double-fronted house. These odd things never crossed my mind when I came across. 

In addition to this lovely garden, her husband also keeps an allotment. I've occasionally been gifted a giant marrow or a box of red currents, so I on this visit I brought her a couple of jars of my homemade jam. All this the benefit of being a WI member!