Last weekend
husband and I went to a local farming show. It was a lovely autumn day
and the animals were looking at their best. Pigs and piglets brushed and
polished, the heavy horses with tails plaited and manes bright with
ribbon. The sheep fluffed up, long ringlets curled like Victorian
girls, everyone so proud of their poultry and stock. The gymkhana was in
full swing. Little moppets clinging on tightly to the saddles of their
ponies as, with huge aplomb and steely determination they charged around
the jump course. Charlotte on Cobweb got a clear round and were very
pleased, extra polo mints for Cobweb tonight I should think.
At the dog
agility course enthusiasm was everything. Dogs of all shapes flung
themselves around the obstacles, tails waving madly. The wrong way
through the tunnel, halfway up the ramp, miss out the difficult weaving
rods, who cares, we're all having fun! Some people dressed up for the
occasion, taking account of the threat of rain. It is important to feel a
cold wind won't spoil the day for you........ so Betty chose her outfit
with great care....
I rarely get
time to venture into Lincoln, but last week I rushed in to meet a
friend. My highly tuned fashion sense ( ha! ) instantly noted that
there is a lot of knitting about. In fact there is a lot of knitting
everywhere. And there are Ponchos! I can't remember when we last had
ponchos, maybe 1975....... I was astonished. On arriving home I dived
into my extensive knitting pattern boxes and found this, saved by my mum
from Woman's Weekly magazine. There they stand, gazing dreamily, a
gentle smile on their faces, wrapped in their ponchos and now the height
of fashion again. I expect you would all like a copy of this pattern.
So that you too can knit or crochet your own poncho. And stand, looking
poised and sophisticated, as they do... or you can just gaze in awe. Did
we really wear such things? Please send photos........
There are
things which we do every day which are mundane, repetitive, even boring.
For me, many of these jobs are to do with housework. I once read about a
writer whose hobbies were dusting, hoovering and ironing, but, she
wrote sadly, that there was little time for her hobbies in her busy
life. But there are ways that we can make these things more enjoyable.
So now I have spotty pegs. And they came in a delightful box with a
picture of a glamorous lady in a frilly apron. She looked so happy. And
strangely, I feel happy when the washing is pegged out. With the spotty
pegs. Such a simple pleasure to see them sitting all jolly on the line,
but the mundane business of washing pegging is all the better for them!
I have neglected the
blog I know. I have been having long conversations with my new
grandaughter on Skype and admiring her dimples and gorgeous chubby
thighs. But we have also been to the north for a visit. Husband had an
important meeting and I sauntered around Alnwick. I took my picnic to
the countryside, it was a beautiful day. The local folk were very
friendly. Everyone came to say hello and look enquiringly at my
sandwiches. But when it came to the Polos I knew there wouldn't be
enough to go round. So I felt mean, I didn't share, I hoped they
wouldn't notice. But I did rub their ears and chat for quite a
while...........
Yesterday I
went to the dentist. I go because I am more scared of what will happen
if I don't go. Life's a careful balance! To get there I walked along the
Marina side, admiring the boats in the sunshine. Then I heard a loud
whooshing and thwacking noise and to my delight seven swans decided to
try the pond weed at the far end of the water. In careful formation so
not to bump into each other, they ran along the surface of the water.
Large webbed feet, toes spread wide, they slapped down on the water.
Wings outstretched and beating hard and fast, the huge, heavy birds took
off with enormous grace. It took the length of the marina to get
airborne. Would they clear the bridge? With careful calculation, they
glided underneath and out the other side. It reminded me of a sculpture I
saw in Newcastle on Tyne recently. And going to the dentist wasn't so
bad after all.
Throughout July I
have been in Singapore. It was a very special trip to meet my first
grandaughter. I may be biased but she's gorgeous, so new, skin so soft
and hair all fluffy. I took along things I had made for her, a pink
velvet rabbit, tiny cardigans, a coloured blanket I knitted in the
winter. Also a baby dress which her mum once wore. I was so glad that
my daughter was safely delivered and her new girl was well. Did my mum
have the same worries for me? I remember her making little baby
nighties, arriving with apple crumbles, holding my daughters with such
care. It's a precious gift to be a granny.
In my English
garden I have a fiberglass wild boar near the pond. And blackbirds who
have eaten all the raspberries. The bees which frequent the borage have
nasty tempers and the squirrels bury walnuts. But my troubles are small.
Denise in Ohio on the other hand, has racoons. The racoons have babies.
And the babies are badly behaved. They use her pot plants as a litter
tray. Now they have discovered the bird feeder. Here is the photo she
sent me. I will stop complaining about my squirrels.......... and the
racoons do look so cuddly!
