Gold Fever

Yesterday, our latest wedding certificate (1897) arrived for my great grandparents. I found out that my great, great grandfather's occupation was a gold miner. I am now wondering was he one of the 49ers? Was it in Australia?, Klondike? California? or Wales?, was he a claim staker or claim jumper? All to be revealed now I have some more dates and names to work with. I gather he never found any us not being rich like. This is more like it, better than an insurance salesman!

Civilization restored..well almost

At last we have furniture back! I really thought we would never see it again as the days have crept past and I couldn't get him on the phone. But it has returned, brand new and a bit stiff; needs breaking in now, just like new slippers. With everything back in its place - we hate change - all is comfy cosy and we thought how peaceful and relaxing ... until there's a hell of a clatter in the kitchen and two huge cats fighting, neither of them ours. My favourite Royal Worcester mug (collectors item) smashed to smithereens by Ferret and Toby who had finally met up after weeks of us making them miss each other. They must have crept in through the cat flap one at a time whilst Molly was out and while we were admiring our new furniture. I am now looking on the Net for a replacement of my Art Deco Sails in the Sunset Royal Worcester mug, not the later conical shaped ones, if there is one left anywhere. I would settle for Castles in the Air instead if I could find one of those. Meanwhile, I said to Molly 'you can come upstairs with me to look for a mug'. She immediately started looking up the wall for bugs not mugs and made me laugh when I felt really fed up. It was a tonic.

Karma

I think I am beginning to believe in Karma. This morning, I went out to do a good turn and by sheer 'karma' found my mini photo Christmas albums. Oh what joy. I am now set up to do my parcel packing and table decorating. Hope it comes out as I am expecting or all that shoe leather and time will have been wasted. But never the good deeds.

I Got 'em!

They say seek and ye shall find. We went to our favourite city of Lichfield this morning, and found the elusive candy canes almost straight away in Hawkins Bazaar, who'd have thought it? Then, across the road in The Works, boxes of 'em at 99p a box so I am well stocked, and well pleased. You'd think there was a war on... now for the miniature photo albums....

Where, Oh Where?

Having no furniture is one thing, we are adapting. But not being able to buy a few traditional Christmas items is quite another. Thinking we had better try and do something towards Christmas whilst we can't sit down anywhere, we have worn ourselves to a frazzle over the silliest things. For instance, I took it in my head that I would like candy canes for Christmas tree decoration and for putting on our parcels as the Americans do. Every year since I can remember, BHS have sold 12 in a box for £1.99 or thereabouts. This year, there is not one in sight in BHS, M&S, House of Fraser, garden centres, supermarkets, Cosco or sweetie shops, not one bl...dy Christmas candy cane. Where are they? So, I thought, I'll try another idea, I will look for very small Christmas photo albums. Not a lot to ask for, WHSmith, the biggest stationers we know, sent me to Poundland, they also sent me there for bookmarks which no one has either. This is a Catch 22 situation. The shops tell you they don't stock it because no one buys it, and no one buys it because they dont stock it. Is it me, or them? Bring back Woollies, all is forgiven! Help....

A Long Days Fortnight!

How your life can change so easily. We have only had no furniture for two weeks, but, in this fortnight, our leisure time has changed dramatically. We have found that we have nowhere to sit together to blog, do our family tree, Christmas shop on line, e-mail friends, quilt, read, make music, watch a good old movie or entertain friends and family. All these things we have obviously taken for granted and boy, do we miss them when they are taken away. Our furniture is being reupholstered. They took it all in one go and have now decided that it will take longer than they told us before we will get it back. A lesson to be learned here is to always appreciate the things you do day by day and never take anything for granted whether it be small or large as you do not realise how much they make up your lives until they are gone. You may wonder where we are writing this but we have found an old deck chair as Molly has taken the best seat in the house loaned to us by Terry and Yvonne as they took pity on us. The other lesson we have learnt is to never take anyone's word, but to always get it in writing. The days when a gentlemen's word was his bond have truly passed. We can now take pity on Terry and Yvonne who have ripped up their kitchen and hall floors awaiting their new one and have just been told that the man is starting the job at least half a day late. Good luck with that then!

Enchanted Places

It's no secret that my brother and I are tree huggers. When autumn arrives, each of us goes around picking up the reddest, goldest leaves we can find, I press them in books or my flower press. I don't know what Terry does with his. We try to find tree places that have the best displays to ooooh and ahhh over. This weekend, Bri and I went to Shugborough, nothing grand there, but today on our own doorstep, in Sutton Park I found an enchanted spot in the woods by Henry VIII's old hunting Lodge at Bracebridge. I also found the reddest holly berries by the side of Blackroot Pool. Our Park has so many hidden gems in autumn and, in winter, jewels of a different kind, frosty spider's webs, watching the ducks skate on the frozen ponds in fact, lots to look forward to.

'and there would, she knew, be crumpets'...

this is a quote from Jan Struther's Mrs Miniver, it is about her return home after the summer has finished and winter is arriving. I love this book, it is almost poetry in her wonderful descriptions of daily life in the late 1930's. On turn - the - clocks - back -Sunday I appreciate it even more and always read the bit about tea. It is cosy comfort on a page.
Last week was my birthday and I had a quilting frame, which I absolutely love, It will be a joy this winter seeing my almost finished Bear Paw quilt in the frame waiting for me when I come home to crumpets for tea after toiling down the plot , muck spreading or cleaning out the shed, or harvesting the last squash, leek, swede, parsnip or collecting my well dried out onions. Ooooh! how I love long evenings with things to do.

Plum's Little Hooligans

Hooligans come in all shapes and sizes and mine are no different. We had Molly two years last week so I decided to take a photo for posterity, a nice one I thought, one that shows her true nature I thought. Well did I get a surprise when I looked more closely. There she was sticking her tongue out at me as she leaned over the edge of next door's trellis. Was this a coincidence or was it the real Molly? I will never know. The other little hooligans that came in from the cold was twelve little one meal sized pumpkins from our plot. I guess they are called hooligans because, although the seed packet says they are mini pumpkins the vine itself sprawls all over the place and I couldn't control it... Now to cook these little gems you just take the top off, scoop out the seeds, pop 'em in the microwave for four mins and then fill the centre with butter, cheese and bacon bits, just like a jacket potato, but apparently they taste nutty. I will let you know.

Rock On!!

Yesterday, when we went to the plot to do some tidying up and check on our mini pumpkins and squash, I had a nice surprise as Julie (second best in Bham) had kindly brought me some pink rock back from her trip to Barmouth. She has even offered to do this on a regular basis from the famous Barmouth Rock shop (pictured) am I looking forward to that ..thanks Julie, rock on!!!