Travelling

Lovely daughter has been learning Portuguese and now she is off to Brazil. While she is there she will be living with families. What could she take as presents for the smallest children? Then I remembered that when our other lovely daughter went to China, I made finger puppets. I started off with gingerbread men. Then I branched out into jelly babies. There is a slit in their backs so little fingers can slide down into their legs and make them run along. In China they were a success and it delights me to think that they may still be making children smile there. So here they are, lined up, no luggage, waiting to fly off to Brazil, maybe with a packet of real jelly babies to keep them company...

Knitting for babies

There are going to be two new babies in our family this year, so Anne are I are reaching for our knitting needles. My mum was a great knitter and kept lots of old patterns. I found this little booklet in her folder. This is an essential list for the best dressed baby in  1952.......on the front cover you can see a picture of Nurse Vincent who wrote the pamphlet. She writes that you will need 4 long sleeved woollen vests, 4 pairs of woollen knitted leggings, 4 woollen knitted nighties, 6 day gowns, 4 pairs of knitted boots reaching to the knee, 1 large knitted woollen shawl, knitted bonnets, woollen gloves.... and so the list goes on. She also tells you how to boil cow's milk, adding sugar and cod liver oil for a new baby, but that's another story. So Anne and I had better start knitting. There's not much time if we are going to produce all these vests.........