October blog try.

Somewhere that is the online world I read about blogging throughout October, well I will try to do so, perhaps after a month I will return to my earlier style of recording the trivialities of our lives. These have formed a record of work done on our home in the past few years when I was recording such incidents as the extension of a cloakroom into a shower room. Life has been very much revolving around our house in the sense of maintenance and upgrading our 1930s home, the latest upgrad involved replacing the grubby carpet in our back room, sitting room, reception room - call it what you will - with traditional herringbone parquet flooring as was done earlier in the dining room, that is the front room in our upsidedown world. Joseph who laid this flooring commented that there was a problem with the bouncy floor in the above mentioned bathroom, turned out there is a leak from the toilet, the damp had rotted the plywood under the vinyl flooring, fortunatley the joists appear unaffected. we entered a new world, Joseph advised us to claim on our home insurance, we have done so, briefly Liverpool Victoria were most helpful, passed the claim to a company called Hexagon, they have supported us so we await the next visit from them to decide if the damp has gone before a new floor, covering and replaced loo avoid the trek upstairs everytime we need the loo! Can anyone explain how I can add photos to this blog please?

Musings

My get-up-and-go seems to have gone, replaced by much thinking about the past, the regrets, the conversations I would like to have had and ones and how life is o different from how I grew up. i do not mean the technological changes, it is the subtle ramdom changes in the domestic and social whirl of which I am aware whilst indexing photographs appearing in the local paper some 50 years ago. The subjects do not change, council houses were being sold at a discount locally long before the 1980s, homelessness, redevelopment of the town centre, bus services or the lack thereof, it is the social differences. For example, there was a dinner dance at The Bull at Shene arranged by Queen's Hall Old Time Dancing club, the people photograhed were all in formal evening dress, likewise guests at a reception and civic ball given by the Mayor & Mayoress, again all dressed up. There are jumble sales, home helps were given awards, a 19 year old girl won a silver ashtray. Considering domestic changes we have a drawer filled with items like tray cloths, duchess sets, tablecloths, mats to go under ornaments, we do not use them, DS and DD will not want them, many are beautiful examples of craft. This blog was drafted over a year ago, little has changed the newspaper of 50 years ago continues to delight and to invoke memories, the advertisements for such goods as electric fires, fridges, clothes and for much missed department stores. As this is a test in no particular order here are a few things I find irritating:- why is everything AMAZING? Why 'decades' and not 'years'? The latter is more precise. On TV 'see you soon' to the viewers, and 'still to come' especially irritating each week during Gardeners' World. Tattoos - why? I do not understand why anyone would want to cover most of their body in tattoos, why not have a design printed on garments and wear that to advertise their latest love or interest? So many news reports use the measure Decades rather than the more precise Years. An assumption in the media that everyone wants a holiday sitting on a beach in the sun, advertisements, clothes advice columns, cookery features all speak of going away and in August. THat is my first attempt to try and blog again.

What to do.

 I wish to carry on blogging, my iPad and Blogger do not seem so keen on contributing to that, I was unable to upload my photos, you did want to see the socks I have just finished after a year of on and off knitting didn't you? I am typing this on my laptop, however I have not uploaded photographs on to the laptop so this is not a solution either. It doesn't  seem possible to add the labels or to link back to earlier efforts.

When I have attempted to comment on other blogs using Blogspot it has been most difficult, although I know I am guilty of not commenting on blogs it is part of my attempt to reduce my screen time. I like to have a blog as a record of my life for such mundane domestic events such as when did we update the kitchen or record my crochet and knitting projects for example.

If you were yearning to see the socks I finished I have posted pictures on Instagram as @thepixiemum. This platform is good for picture heavy postings but not for musing,  Will head over to wake up Wordpress again if that will provide what I need. 

A tribute.

 A week ago we heard that Ian’s brother, Gregor had died in the early hours of that Monday morning. We had been expecting the news for four weeks, he had fallen, dislocated and broken his shoulder, taken to nearest hospital, had a massive heart attack, not his first, transferred to a specialist hospital. 

Ian was able to see him for about 30 minutes the week before he died, the only visitor apart from his wife and children who were at the hospital all the time. Gregor was very matter of fact, told Ian he would die in a few days.  It was a comfort for Ian to be able to say goodbye, but the death has hit him very hard. The brothers grew up in a close knit military family, very much a unit, Gregor was six years older, looked after his little brother, it is through Gregor inviting Ian to attend an IVC new year’s eve party that Ian and I met.  

I would have  liked to add a picture of the brothers, Blogger doesn’t want to let me, nor does it let readers comment. Pictures can be added to Instagram but that is really what that platform is about, this for me is more of a thoughtful and journalistic place with fewer photos. 

Bank holiday musings.

 I do wonder about the need for secular Bank Holidays nowadays, Even more so after GB Ltd has had to shut down because of Covid-19. When instituted in nineteenth century there were few paid holidays, for many years offices and schools were open on Saturday mornings, today working hours are shorter, when I started work it was 9.00 to 5.30, Monday to Thursday, Friday one finished at 5pm, holidays were three weeks and two days, fewer Bank Holidays, no May Day, no New Year’s Day, no flexitime.

Bank holiday means TV schedules are changed, loads of sport, bad films, the TV is showing Mamma Mia:  here we go again, it is so bad none of the fizz of the original. At least we had University Challenge, what a wipe out, waiting for Only Connect to return.  

Gradually I am venturing forth more, yesterday we went to a not so local garden centre in Shepperton, felt safe there, staff were masked, it was spacious, here was a good display of birthday cards, a haberdashery area within the craft section. The yarn was all Stylecraft, grey plastic needles, but joy, Knitpro waves crochet hooks. Now I have a set of these in a fancy pink case, however I don’t like to take a hook from the case out of the house in case it’s lost so stocked up. Bought some Classique cotton, have been making face cloths for daughter-in-law to use instead of disposable wipes, better to chuck these in the washing machine rather than disposable wipes in the bin. 

Thinking about the day I don’t feel I have achieved much, too much time was spent trying to solve the moderate sudoku and the ‘quick’ crossword in the newspaper, the ones in the freebie Metro seem a little easier, occasionally I can manage all three, easy, moderate and challenging, we both try to do them so Ian picks up two copies, Metro isn’t available on Bank holidays of course. 

It has been another unusual day in that Ian was out, for the last week  along with others he is painting walls, doors and woodwork in a vicarage which has been empty some eighteen months. The building is to be occupied by four interns who during the year will decide whether ordination is for them, each will be supported by and assist in a different parish.  They move in on September 12th so there has been a concerted effort to ensure the house is furnished, equipped and welcoming. Although the main task has been to preparation for this, Ian has gained so much working and chatting with other people, lockdown is not kind to him, he has found it very difficult to isolate, he misses his choir, U3A activities, family, monthly men’s group and the normal church services so to see him happier, more energetic in spite of physically working hard has been such a bonus.

Chop, chop, chop

 

Photographs have come out in the wrong order, as I am struggling with Blogger I will not delete and start again, more important is to show what a difference a haircut makes. It is five months since I had my hair cut, before it was a classic bob, fringe, all one length style of Anna Wintour and Esme Young. Considering how muggy and hot it is the new style is a bonus, now earrings don’t get caught up, no more hair blowing on my face or in my eyes. I feel liberated, such a boost to my well being. 

My lovely hairdresser Simone, had cut Ian’s hair last week out in the garden, she was so careful with masks, wipes etc, that I decided to book her in to have mine cut last Thursday as the weather was dry and not windy so we were able to be outside again. All the cut hair went into the compost bin.