Make Do And Mend and Wear A Mask

 Hi Dear Folk,

With all this staying at home hunkering down and not traveling anywhere, it's rather taking me back to bygone days. I seem to be reverting back to a Make Do And Mend Era and Attitude.

I have been watching 1940s House and Wartime Farm, which if you've never watched them, you'll be in for a treat.  If you follow my Instagram which you can view on the sidebar, I've been using up odds and bods of yarn to crochet slippers, as gifts for friends.  

I also wanted to crochet a slip rug for either side of my bed in an off-white Aran, but after using one whole skein of yarn I realized how expensive these rugs might prove to be, so decided to use old 1970s red acrylic yarn which was destined for the thrift shop.  My friend gave it to me when her mum died.  It came from the old Korvette's Store.  I think I have enough for two rugs. I hope to be able to dye it with Rit DyeMore for synthetics, has anyone tried it?  I hope it works, as synthetics are almost impossible to dye.  I'm thinking some shade of green.  If they do not dye at all well, I will just use them in the basement.

I found this crochet stitch on You Tube.  Quite simple but thick and puffy for a rug. I love it.  Chain what ever width of rug you want, turn miss the first stitch.

Hook though loop pull up yarn, YO pull through 1 loop, 2 stitches on hook, hook through same stitch, pull up yarn and though 2 stitches on the hook.  I do not know what the stitch is call.  

On a more sober note I think at this stage there isn't anyone in the USA who does not know of a friend or relative who has not caught COVID or died from it.  My friend's husband died early on in the pandemic,  another whole family we know caught it in about May, and just last week our son caught it, but is OK.  He had a headache, fever and sore throat for a full day and then was feeling like he was getting better the next day.  

He felt ill on the Sunday, he had just come to visit us on the Saturday, the day before, as he moved out about two months ago and has been coming home to pick up odd and ends.  Obviously he was contagious, but when he came in the house we all wore masks.  He did have something to eat, just on his own, but we stayed at a distance and he didn't stay a long while, later going out to the garage to pick up different tools.

Rob phoned on Sunday to let us know, as he was concerned for us.  He was not able to get a test until the following Wednesday, when he was feeling much better.  I'm sure the wearing of masks saved us from getting ill, we never caught it.

As an older gentlemen in the Dakotas said it attacks your weak spot and of course when you're older you have a lot more to attack.  But still young people are dying, one must keep vigilant.  So really from our own experience we feel the wearing of a mask helps.  

Take care,

Christine  

 

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Santayana

Hi Dear Folk,

The weather is crazy they've been talking about a Cyclone Bomb, I had not heard that terminology before, but this morning was in the low thirties Fahrenheit, it is cold and windy, but I think we may have missed the snow that will fall further north.

A bomb cyclone is simply a storm that intensifies very rapidly. Bomb cyclones form when air near Earth's surface rises quickly in the atmosphere, triggering a sudden drop in barometric pressure — at least 24 millibars within 24 hours.

I was looking back on the month of May from bygone years, some happy pictures from four years ago, son's graduation from Ithaca.  Not to say we're not happy now, but we're not gallivanting.

The Lake in the distant background is Lake Cayuga, one of New York State's Finger Lakes.  Mum and son.  It's an area of great beauty, renowned for vineyards and some great wines.

With Mr. B. and I love those shell earrings I bought in Hawaii a few years back.

How are you all coping?  I've been reaching out to family and friends.  Had a wonderful Zoom meet with friends from forty years ago, some of which I have not spoken to in that long, who are now dispersed all over the States, Kevin in CA, Prince in Chicago, Jill in Charlotte, NC, Florence in FL and the others all in this area but a radius of fifty miles, so was great.  We did have some laughs and reminiscing over old times, good for the soul.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."  George Santayana

Although the Spanish Influenza affected a different part of the population, mostly younger people with strong immune systems and Covid-19 affects more older folk, many parallels can be drawn. The actions of governments and individuals have a similar ring to them, lack of unity and disinformation.

The Spanish Influenza started in the January of 1918, not too dissimilar to the Corona Virus, but what was really distressing was the second wave that began in the autumn of 1918 and was far more deadly.  I'm not a soothsayer, but this does concern me.

I think it's interesting that basically we can do no more than they did one hundred years ago, wear a mask and socially isolate.  Of course we've got better follow up once in hospital but still.  How quickly things change.

I enjoyed looking at these old photos of folk during the Spanish Influenza all wearing their masks, but  they don't seem to have been as creative as our generation.  But maybe they were and we just don't have a picture of their masks.

Take care, keep safe.
Christine

60th Anniversary Dinner Day

Hi Dear Folk,

Last Thursday I went out flower shopping.  It was a beautiful day and I landed up driving through Valley Forge Park which was beautiful, with a sprinkling of snow and driving through the covered bridge.  I was happy to find the colours I wanted for the three orchids to reflect the colours of the bride's dress, lilac and her accessories in lemon.

I landed up shopping for a container to hold them in and came up with this galvanized metal piggy container.  I think it was a hit.

Picked up a few flowers for myself.

This was the bouquet I ordered from a florist where Rob's friend works and I've always liked their work and this was no exception.

Our other tables looked like this.

Gift table, with a video of greetings from friends in South Africa.

Everyone got a personal cupcake, with their name on at their seat.

It all went well, everyone enjoyed it and especially Wilf and Rose, as it was their night.

Christine

60th Wedding Anniversary

Hi Dear Folk,

A friend and I are planning a 60th Wedding Anniversary for this dear couple.  Married in Rhodesia as was, in 1959.  Do you know where they had their honeymoon?  I can't think of a more romantic place, Victoria Falls.

Rose's mum made her dress which was a pale lilac and her accessories were lemon yellow, hat shoes and bouquet.  What a lovely couple.

Wilf used to work on the railroad, he's done many jobs in his life time, one working down the gold mines of South Africa.

I love this photo of them both.  They are such an interesting and fun couple to be with.  I am looking forward to the dinner.

Christine

The Week That Was

Hi Dear Folk,

The week that was.

My friend makes the most beautiful cards and shares them as gifts.

A quiet moment.

Mum routing around at the last moment, looking for plastic bags to pack Rob's boots in for a skiing trip in Vermont.  Where he lost his phone on the slopes, but they did find it and sent it back to him and it still works.  Joy of Joys.

A friend visiting from Chicago.  Rob and Yesenia, who he has known since Middle School.  Here they have just finished making dinner for us.  Steak with mushroom gravy, asparagus with garlic and mashed potatoes.  It was very good.

Red poinsettia, I love them.  Sitting in my grandmother's Victorian copper pot.

Popped over to say good bye.

Christine

1st September 2018 Village Hall Square Dance and Games

Hi Dear Folk,

Stopped by to post a few photos of a lovely square dance I went to while I was in England.  It was held at Horseheath Village Hall, which used to be the village primary school.  Besides dancing we played games and chatted and drank cups of tea and snacks.  A good time was had by all.

Brewing up tea in the kitchen.

Christine

24th August Jean D's Bungalow

Hi Dear Folk,

I thought you might like to see a social semi detached council bungalow, my grandma lived in one almost identical in Halstead.  This was a certain style that they would build a few of, I think there are six in this little close in a country village.

Jean loves her garden and has planted almost everything from cuttings which she put in root grow, which I'm going to look into, because it's an inexpensive way of expanding ones garden.

Jean has two bedrooms, one at the front and one at the back, kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and central hallway.  It is most cosy and a lovely little place to live when you're older, almost all costs picked up by the government.

Jean is very spry and in her eighties.  A lot of fun to be with.

Christine

24th August Finchingfield The Dirty Duck

Hi Dear Folk,

Today is a beautiful Indian Summer day. I do love it, it gives you that extra time before winter to get jobs done. I was so cold getting into bed last night with cotton sheets, I said "it's time."  Mr. B. and I made our bed and put on the winter sheets.  I had also bought a new mattress cover, with a lovely cotton top pad.  We have a deep mattress with a topper on so was happy to see that what I had bought fitted perfectly, long overdue.

It's been busy around here, bringing in all the garden furniture and finding a space to put it, which is the real problem.  Then all the china pots have to come inside, I put all these on the steps to the basement, which gets closed up for the winter.

While I was away the basement got flooded and the boys had to sort this out and clean this up.  It seemed a drain pipe had gullied out a deep hole hidden under the pavers on the Simla patio and water was collecting in there and has eventually found a hole in the basement wall.  Mr B and Rob filled and concreted this up, redirected the down pipe and it seems to have solved the problem.

Although they had cleaned the basement up, it still needed more.  I had to wash all the rugs and scrubbed one side of the basement floor 1'm much happier with it now.  An old basement is continual work.  If I spent as much time on other parts of the house 1'm sure they'd sparkle more.

Mr. B. bought a new gas grill.  Almost seems the wrong time of year to buy one, but we use our grill summer and winter, it sits right outside the back door, it would be nice if it had a little cover over it, but doesn't.  He had to put that all together.

I re watched The Barchester Chronicles last night, by Anthony Trollope.  A most satisfactory ending.  The seven episodes are on YouTube, 1982 production by the BBC.

Back to the UK.  I was able to spend a few days with an old family friend Jean D.  We had such a lovely time together, lots of long chats, and reminiscing about my mum and dad, and thoughts on life.

Here we are in Finchingfield a popular picturesque village.  The sad thing I noticed about a lot of villages of my youth, that would have had little general store, a bakers and a stationery/sweet shop, were now all gone to be replaced by teashops and restaurants.  Lots of places to eat at, but no little shops to wander around and enjoy.  No cakes to buy, no little bags of sweets and a pretty postcard to take home.

We had lunch at the Dirty Duck.  Probably named after the area of the village Duck End,

The view from our table.

I had the pate, it was good.  Several pots of tea and chocolate Victoria Sandwich for desert.

A Post Mill, you can literally turn it around for the sails to face the wind.

Jean.  The leaves fell early because of the draught.

This little blue cottage is slightly tucked behind another cottage, I'd take that.

The restaurant we ate at just behind the bridge.

Christine