Sunday 27 April 2008

Still Sunday.




No explanation needed of photo. It's a small, early 18th century wall clock that I put to rights (and photographed) some years ago. London made, and in a red laquer case. Must take camera out and get some more photies of Suffolk in spring. The last few times we've been out in the car we've got a mile or two up the road and I've said to Ann "Oh blow. I've forgotten the camera again." It's one of the penalties of being in my prime - memory skids occasionally. Another is dropping off to sleep in my chair after lunch and waking up an hour later feeling foul. Not every day, thank goodness. About twice a week. Nasty middle aged habit. Must strive against it. Oh well, it's time for proper sleep- in bed- good night all.
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Sunday.


Photo taken last Christmas. Boxing day morning I think. Showing (left to right) Ann, son Jonathan, and meself. Been a very busy week. Last Saturday we went on a protest march with about seven hundred others, all of us (as Mr. Wodehouse puts it) whilst not exactly disgruntled, were very far from being gruntled. We chanted, marched, and waved banners, to the extent that the police had to close the High Street. Never done that sort of thing before, it's nice to know there are still new experiences to be had. The annual art exhibition has been held this week (we've both been stewarding, serving tea etc.) On Wednesday went to London. Spent morning at the V. & A. Had lunch at the canteen there. Very good, and not too expensive for London. Then to Knightsbridge Bonham's in the afternoon for auction. Reasonably successful. Must go. Ann's calling that supper's ready.
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Monday 21 April 2008

Monday.

Photo I took last week in nearby village. Apologies for thin state of bloggage lately. It's art exhibition week again and we've both volunteered for rather more than our usual ration of stewarding and providing tea and cakes, as we seem to be shorter than ever of people to do the donkey work. It's the willing horse syndrome ( to mix, or rather continue, our metaphors). Went to London yesterday to view an auction. Grandson Matthew volunteered to carry my brief case and took charge of my catalogue as usual (finding the catalogue numbers of the items I was looking at before being asked) - he really is becoming a great help when in London. After viewing we went back to Lizzie's for supper. She had done us roast lamb (New Zealand) and vegetables, followed by a frangipane pudding. She really is a very good cook. Before I close must just record an incident in our public library recently. I was pottering round the whodunnit section and realised that instead of having the subject lettered on the spines of the books there was now a symbol - the mystery section symbol looked like a stylised tennis racket. I asked a passing library assistant what the symbol meant. "It's not a tennis racket," he said "If you look closely at it, you'll see it's a magnifying glass - like Sherlock Holmes used". "Yes, I can see it now," I said "But why has it been decided to use symbols rather than lettering the subject on the spine as you used to do ?" "It's for the benefit of people who can't read" he replied, totally straightfaced. Goodnight all.
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Sunday 13 April 2008

Sunday.


This is a snapshot of part of our very small garden. It is just begining to assume the shape and appearance we want it to have. Yesterday evening we went to a concert in St. Mary's by the Community Light Orchestra. Very good and varied concert. The final piece in the first half of the concert was Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1. The conductor told us that, as Sir Edward Elgar was a keen cyclist and he knows of a statue of the composer with a bicycle, he always thinks of it as the pump and cycle clips March. When the orchestra got to the 'Land of hope and Glory' bit of course we all sang along very lustily. It bothered me slightly that the great majority of the orchestra were elderly (or to be honest - old). I don't think there were any young people in the orchestra. I found myself thinking that at this rate in thirty years time there won't be any good amateur music to be heard. On the other hand, I don't suppose that in thirty years time I shall be too bothered about that. Family Service this morning. A new family attended - father, mother, and charming four year old daughter, who, I was informed is, called Lucrecia !!!!!!! Find that I can't quite believe this, and that, anyway, it doesn't matter as she is known as Louie. I think I must have misheard this, and will make further enquiries (mem- diplomatic ones, of course). Deafness can make life very interesting at times. When we got home met people we know slightly, and as he knows about computers asked them in to consult him about problems that my computer had manifested last night. He put it through its paces, and problem continued to plague us (and computor). Announced himself baffled - said he'd not come across anything like it, felt sure that fault was in keyboard, and it would probably mean a new one. After they'd left I found that problem had vanished and computer had returned to full duties in proper frame of mind. Very perverse behaviour on part of computer, but I emailed would-be helper to congratulate him on unexpected success of his ministrations. Quick shower and bed, I think. Goodnight all.
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Friday 11 April 2008

Friday.

In the church with the two porches and the unusual font cover are these two memorials. The brass to the vicar's young son shows him in his bed with his shoes under the bed. The memorial to the very old lady is on the wall a few feet away from him. Either one of them would, on their own, be both noteworthy and rather touching. But in such close proximity they form together a comment on the human condition. One had lived through more than a century; the other was barely out of babyhood, but both during their allotted lifetime had inspired enough love to cause their families to create moving memorials to them. I'm not putting this very well, but I think I mean that the love that caused those memorials to be put up lingers enough to cause us who see the memorials to feel some love for both of them. And perhaps for the child's bereft parents and Mrs. Hyam's sad friend's too. This is getting a touch involved, so will close before it gets too tangled. Goodnight all.
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Friday.


Same church as yesterday. The font, with the font cover closed and then open. It is a little difficult to read, but the trick is to start at the bottom left hand of each scroll and then continue on the scroll. I think this font cover might be unique. I don't know of a similar one. If anyone else does I would be interested to hear of it. More later perhaps.
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Thursday 10 April 2008

Thursday.

Back with you; now where was I? Oh yes. While Ann was entertaining our guests to coffee, etc. I took the pendulum down to my workshop, and manage to unpin (that should be unrivet really)the top and bottom blocks from the suspension spring and remount them on new spring, so as to retain as much of the originality of the clock as possible. For once in a way the work went well so that I was able to present Michael with a complete restored pendulum before he'd finished his coffee. He then produced a flintlock strike a light (or tinder lighter) by I. Savage of London that I'd sold him some years ago. After a short and civilised haggle I rebought it, so felt I'd had a good and productive morning. After lunch Ann anounced that she needed to do 'a big shop' at Waitrose in Sudbury so I went with her as I needed to buy some stationery. Walked round a garden centre on the way home and bought some garden twine and Ann bought a pair of gardening gloves. Made a detour on the way home and took photoes of Church porches (illustrated). And also one or two interesting ones that I may publish in next blog. Goodnight all.

Thursday.

Both these photoes are of the same Suffolk church, a few miles up the road from us. The wooden porch is on the North side of the church, and is of 14th century date; The stone porch is on the south side and is of 16th century date. Aren't they a lovely couple. This morning a friend of ours and his daughter (who I first met when she was a premature baby - she is now a very lovely young woman and is about to take her A levels, or the modern equivalent thereof) came to see us, bringing with them the pendulum from a lantern clock with a broken suspension spring. The spring had been made from a section of watch mainspring when the clock was made about three hundred years ago, so has always been very fragile for its job. It says something for the clockmaker's ingenuity and workmanship that the spring has only just given up the unequal struggle. Being called for supper. Will complete later.
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Thursday.

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Saturday 5 April 2008

Saturday evening.

More Suffolk cottages we snapped yesterday afternoon. Went to scrabble club this afternoon. My table consisted of Joyce, Doris, Kevin (a young man learning the game - and learning fast and well) and self. Won the first two games. Joyce won the third game. All three games well played and with very few points between all of us. Good scrabble. Good night.
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Saturday.

Took this snap on Thursday. Like a good many houses in this area, this one looks a pleasant enough, ordinary, house, until for some reason you can have a look below the surface (repair work in this case) and you realise that a medieval skeleton is on view. This morning we motored across to a village about five miles beyond Stowmarket, to look at a couple of 'off colour' clocks belonging to an old aquaintance, and to drink tea/ coffee with him whilst at the same time examining the patients. One was a rather handsome skeleton clock, which was becoming reluctant to perform it's duties. I'm not keen on Victoriana generally (prefer antiques), but gave this one some t.l.c. and generally attended to it's needs. The other is an early 18th century country long case clock, just UNDER six foot high, but with a ten inch dial, and a case in proportion, so that despite it's shortness, it is an elegant, tiny, clock. This one was suffering from a surfeit of clock rope fluff, and being slightly out of beat. Attention given, both clocks sounded much happier, and have now resumed their duties full time. Very satisfying morning's work. Quick grumbled egg for lunch , and now off out to play scrabble. More later, perhaps.
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Friday 4 April 2008

Friday.

Thisd is a Suffolk street scene I took yesterday. Not a busy street now, is it? But you should see it in the tourist season. Craig came this afternoon, as planned, and found that my computer had 'a fake antivirus programme' infesting it. It took him about seven minutes to locate the problem and deal with it (i.e. banish it - to outer darkness I imagine), and then about another ten minutes or so to run tests making sure all was clear. He is like a modern version of a knight in armour sorting out dragons. Anyway, Craig, I am once again very grateful for your skills - I can put this acknowledgement on the blog as I know you read it. Now I must retire to my workshop and practise some of my skills. 'Bye for now.
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Friday.

Here is another photo (taken this morning) of a primula I mentioned earlier, 25th March to be exact (a drumhead primula according to a comment by Crowbard). It is doing nicely considering it gets no direct sunlight in it's shady corner of the garden. Perhaps Crowbard could confirm his identification of it ? Ann has gone off to help at the luncheon club for the elderly, as she does every month, which rolls round with frightening frequency. That looks odd. I suppose it would be even more frightening if the months ceased to roll round, but I meant that it is frightening just how quickly they do roll round. I have been pottering this morning, with little to show for it. I really must get stuck into some work now, and make a winding key I've been putting off. More later perhaps.
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Thursday 3 April 2008

Suffolk cottages.

This is a fairly typical group of Suffolk cottages a few miles from us. They are probably pre tudor, and when we first moved this way, these were very much farm laboureres' cottages with bicycles in the doorways. They have been a bit 'tarted up' since then, but still look very much as they have done for the past five centuries or so. The picture below is of a pond at the top of a hill, which always puzzled me. I had assumed that it was a 'dew pond' but when the tree fell into the middle of it a year or three ago, I assumed that the branches would pierce the clay base (if a dew pond) and drain the pond. This has not happened, and when I had a closer look today (stopping to do so was also a good excuse for getting off the cycles for a rest) I could see that the pond is fed (via a culvert) from the field to the right- across the road- which is in fact slightly higher than the pond, and therefore drains off into the pond. Even so, I am surprised that the pond never seems to dry up, even during some of the long, hot, summers of the last few years. Any suggestions as to how this works would be welcome. Ann's just gone up to her well earned rest, so must follow. Good night all.
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Suffolk.

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Thursday.

This morning was such a lovely morning that we decided to cycle to a farm shop where we were meeting friends Dianah and Terry for lunch. Although Suffolk scenery is generally thought to be flat, I can assure you that,from the saddle of a bicycle, it is not so. Perhaps, from the point of view of a Welshman or a Scot, it is fairly even; but from the point of view of a Norfolk fenman (i.e. your blogger), it is distinctly undulating, with quite steep bits. Still, it was a lovely morning for a ride through pleasant Suffolk scenery (see above). When we got to the farm shop at midday we found it was so crowded that Terry and Dianah could find nowhere to park, and as the restaurant was already full we left the cycles there, and went on with Terry and Dianah to another small restaurant about three miles further on where we found a table and all had ploughman's lunches (two cheddar, one brie, and one stilton, and no, I wasn't the stilton, I was one of the Cheddars - although the cheddars turned out to be part cheddar and part double Gloucester, and none the worse for it). Very pleasant lunch accompanied by a pot of tea for three and a coffee. After lunch we pottered round the craft shop and garden shop, where we ran into Craig, (who is coming to help and advise me with this machine tomorrow) then got back in the car, returned to the original (still very crowded) farm shop, and returned home by a slightly different route though the villages. Being called for supper, so will complete this blog later (D.V.)
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