Let's start this blog with feelings of love, and hope that they continue throughout it!
Love was definitely in the air for me and Mr Cooper on Valentine's Day, so much so that I cancelled my Wednesday evening exercise classes (Bodyblast, followed by Arms and Abs) in order to cook a succulent steak for us both, whilst sipping Prosecco.  Here is a romantic photo to just capture that glow.  Why three cards?  Mr Cooper always adds a humorous one as well.

And here is this year's funny card.  He thinks the humour is about me disturbing the football match, I think the humour involves me actually vacuuming at all!

I have found an excellent way of coping with football when on TV (apart from being in a totally different room) and that is to knit, so at least it is not time wasted.  This Saturday we are off to Bristol to watch The Rovers in action. Live football is a whole different experience.  My excitement (as well as seeing them play, of course) is the fact that we are going to spend some time in a micro pub after the match, a place that Mr Cooper has visited often and raved about.
The pub is called The Draper's Arms, and the ravings have been in a good way, not at all like how he raves about any TTLs* within a five mile radius of our house. 
I had better not take my knitting to the match, particularly as we will be standing and not seated.  I suppose I could ask the supporter next to me to hold a ball or two of wool for me......

Here is my current knitting project, pictured at an 'interesting' stage.  What you are seeing are two mink 'fronts' on the left and the right, and a mink 'back' in the middle.  When I have completed the second mink back, all I need to do then is knit four tails, sixteen legs and four ears,  and buy some mink eyes and noses.  And then, voila, hopefully I will have my very own desirable mink stole.
'But what will you wear it with?' I hear you ask.  Well, it can't be worn with just any old outfit, and luckily I have a cunning plan, and a pattern up my sleeve.

This pattern, as yet unused, is from an original vogue from 1954.  Just right for a mink stole!  Now, I have been very frugal with the cost of the outfit so far.  The mink is being knitted (let's overlook the fact that it is being knitted with Merino wool...) and I already have the pattern and will of course make the dress.  What I do need though is a pair of shoes to go with the mink, there are no brown heels in my wardrobe at present.  So when the mink is complete, I will rush to my one of favourite shoe websites, Irregular Choice of course, (the other being Dr Martens. Again, 'of course') and purchase a wondrous pair of sparkly brown and gold shoes, and then I can choose the fabric for my frock to go with the stole and the shoes.  It's a bit like buying a wedding outfit, where the bag and the shoes are the first purchase.  Luckily I do already have a vintage brown handbag, another money-saver for this outfit.  And that is my idea of saving money!
 Mr Cooper thinks I need help with understanding and managing money....

Lets leave the world of fashion behind, and dip our toes into the literary world.  This week's book is by David Lodge, and was first published in 2001. It does feel a tiny bit dated, but not in a bad way.  David Lodge is an author whose work I have enjoyed for perhaps 30 years.

I didn't even need to read the reviews (all good) before plucking it off the library shelf.  After having read it, I did try to describe the plot and characters to Mr Cooper, who managed to keep an interested expression, just like I will, when we discuss The Rovers' victory over Scunthorpe on Saturday.
He writes very much for an intelligent reader, and one well versed in the English language.  So much so that I read some parts of it very quickly (the difficult bits) so as to get on to the bits I understand better (relationships and stuff like that).  After reading one of his books, I always wish my English language education had gone beyond A level (grade B, not too bad) and also that I was returning to Uni to do English.
Adultery is a big theme throughout the book, but looking at it more from the way it causes people to create their own rules and boundaries,  and what happens when these are then broken, or transgressed.  It made staying faithful to your partner seem a very attractive thing to do, but it also explored many grey areas surrounding adultery, not least forgiveness.  I don't know whether that will encourage you to read it or not!  And don't forget, lots of books read better when borrowed, for free, from your local library.

That is the end of culture for a while, we will now switch to when I was very little, in those 'happier, simpler times' as my Mum would say.  When I was very young, and visited Granny and Grandad Beba where they lived in Dean's Farm in Gedney Drove End, I have three very distinct memories of their bedroom.  One is that their bed was really high, the mattress being around three feet from the floor.  I think there was a small stool to help you get into it.  If not, there should have been.  Then there was a door which led onto a little area above the stairs, where there was a plant in a pot, and on a plant stand.  We weren't allowed to go through the door, as the area was 'unsafe' and would probably collapse, resulting in us falling straight to our deaths at the bottom of the stairs.  That was another feature of life in the 60's, being told of the threat of danger and death round every corner.  It was always a worry to think of the extreme danger Granny was in, when watering the plant.
  The third memory was of the very first weather house I ever saw, and I loved it.
And here is that very one!

When both my grandparents had died, we all took something special from their house.  I have the little green donkey, which has become the title for my book, and this blog.  My youngest cousin Dinah had the weather house.  When she read my blog which featured many references to weather-houses, she decided to give it to me.  Thanks so much Dinah, here it is with some friends either side of it.  Strangely enough, in all three houses, only the weather women come out.  If it is anything like my own house, the women are out socialising, whilst the men are inside catching up on Bargain Hunt, which they recorded earlier! (Mr Cooper has just told me that he doesn't record it, but winds the TV back.  Is there much difference, I think to myself.)

I never really want to get out of bed early on Monday mornings, but I am always glad when I do, as Monday mornings find me working at Mind in Andover.  Here is the table all set-up for the handicraft session, real proof that there is planning and preparation involved.
The papier-mache boxes are nearing completion now.

Here is a really lovely one, almost ready to be taken home.  Luckily most of the group share a similar love for glitter.  What better thing to use on a Monday morning?  I think the working week would get off to a much better start if you had to spend the first two hours of it sharing stories and happenings, creating artworks, and using glitter.  It's definitely worth getting out of bed at 6am for.

Now I am nearing the end of this week's blog, I have realised there is a shortage of photos with actual people in, as usual.  Sam and I went over the road in Stockbridge on Tuesday to enjoy coffee and cake at Prego's.  https://www.facebook.com/pregostockbridgehampshire/
  Here was an ideal photo opportunity, and I asked Sam to pose for me.  In the first photo, Sam looked like I was really boring him, in this one he was told to look as if he was enjoying himself.  The third photo was unusable, as he looked like dangerous escapee from a very secure unit!
Here is Sam having fun with cake.

Then later on in the week another picture came my way, from many years ago.  Here am I, at school and by the look of the uniform, at the end of my 'O' level year.  With me is my extremely stylish and gorgeous best friend Deborah.  Not only did Deborah have an up to the minute asymmetrical hairstyle, but she also had pierced ears, something that I wasn't allowed to have.
Thanks Mel, a real treat to see some school-day photos.  We need a reunion!

Strangely enough, one of the first things I did when starting my art foundation course in Cambridge was to get my left ear pierced.  I got my right ear pierced six years later, before I got married, something that pleased my Mum greatly.  The piercing, that is.  At last I was becoming 'normal'.

Well, perhaps this week, let's leave 'normal' behind just a little bit, and do something different.
Try something for the very first time.  I will let you know what I decided to do next week, probably some housework!  Perhaps 'different but fun' would be a more apt heading.
 So be creative, and surprise yourself.  I think I might try something new in the culinary department......
Whatever you decide, I hope you have a lovely time doing it.
Don't forget to drink lots of water, and laugh with friends, even if at times you may feel like crying.
And if you need to, there is nothing at all wrong with crying with your friends, they love you.
See you all very soon.

*  Temporary traffic lights, there are some just yards down the road from us even as I write this!

Looking back at last week, I have been pleasantly surprised and pleased that it was one full of achievements, albeit small ones, but achievements nonetheless.
The week before, I had decided to knit a fashion accessory for me instead of a jumper for Mr Cooper.  This is definitely a selfish act on my part, but this week, not only did I choose to knit the mink stole and not the fox fur from my new book, but I then bought the wool and began knitting.  I did say to Mr Cooper as I looked at the model below that I wished I could also knit myself a new face, and instead of rushing to reassure me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with my increasingly elderly face, he just nodded a little sadly, and patted my arm.  Well, I think his jumper might be a little longer in the making now!

 On Monday morning, for the first time this year, my journey to Andover took less than two hours, and I had time for a cup of tea in Asda, before running the 10am handicraft club at Andover Mind.  When I looked in my bag it was to realise with sadness that I had left my current book at home, so I had to look at what Asda had to offer.  They do not have a very great selection of books, but this one caught my eye, and also only cost £4.

 I read the reviews on the back, and positively rushed to the checkout to buy it, and then read it in any spare moments because it was just so good.  One of the phrases on the back is so relevant in describing this book, 'An outstanding debut about loneliness and the power of a little kindness'.

 I also want to share a paragraph from the book with you.  I do think we live in a world where some of us are very quick to judge, and form unfavourable opinions without much knowledge or understanding. I also think that we inhabit a world where more knowledge is needed, especially of the lives and difficulties that other people experience.  This book was a real bargain at just £4, and acts of kindness are even more of a bargain, as they are free.

 And if you are intending to be unkind to anyone, just try two things before you do it.  Think two thoughts first, number one being 'Would I like to hear or experience myself what I am intending to do to this person?' And number two, just take a little time to think of the consequences of your action, beyond how it is going to make you feel.  'Engage brain before opening mouth' sums this up succinctly.  Blimey, I will be telling you to buy more fresh fruit and vegetables soon as well! (As well as exchanging pleasantries with the greengrocer as you do so....)

Another achievement this week included sticking to my exercise plan.  Monday evening, spinning class, Tuesday afternoon, hilly walk for 45 minutes, Wednesday evening, spinning class, and Friday morning, early swim.  Most of this has been in place this year, apart from the Friday early swim, where I have made a variety of excuses to myself, to hide the fact that I didn't actually fancy getting up at 6.30 on a cold morning to go swimming.  But, surprise surprise, I felt a lot better for my quarter of a mile swim, and because I wore a coat, scarf and gloves travelling to and from the pool, and the fact that the changing rooms and the pool were as warm as they always are, I managed to stay warm from leaving my house, to returning. 
The other good thing about swimming first thing is that you then have the rest of the day to fill as you choose.  On Friday we had Rachael come for an overnight stay, with Henry of course, which was lovely.  In the afternoon, after it stopped raining, we set off on a mini adventure to show Rachael where we intend to live, and we had a seaside trip to Selsey.  It was beautiful on the beach with the breakwaters acting as amazing sculptures.  I would have been happy to have made this one as a work of art in itself.

 And this one too.  I did take a lot of photos of 'beach art' and then I remembered what I don't usually take photos of, which is what most people usually photograph, which is pictures of friends and family.  So I thought I had better act more like a normal person.

Here is my family photo, with Rachael looking both beautiful and cool, and Mr Cooper looking much hidden and positively frozen.  Henry is ignoring requests to pose with Mummy and Grandolph, and is intent on heading to the sea with a big stone to throw in it.  And who can blame him?

 He did provide an ideal photo opportunity the next day, when he also modelled his new jumper which I finished in time for his second skiing holiday in March.
  I was 39 before I had my first ever skiing holiday!  But at least I remembered it afterwards, which is one advantage I do have over 22 month old Henry.

Another advantage is that I have a proper bed, and not just a mattress on the floor, poor Henry!

 What else have I achieved this week, I hear you ask.  Well apart from the usual, I have had three trips to the shed, to continue with my Green Donkey cookery book illustrations.  On Wednesday afternoon, I painted in watercolours a plate of Hungarian biscuits and raspberry shortbread.  When I added it to the background, which was done in a combination of acrylic paint and collage, it looked a little pale.

 So the Friday morning before Rachael arrived found me in the shed again, painting Hungarian biscuits in acrylic, and Saturday afternoon, when Rachael had set off back to Leeds found me heading out again, to add a plate and the raspberry shortbread biscuits.  It does look better in acrylic, doesn't it?  If only I had engaged my brain and thought of the consequenses before picking up my brushes!

Now I am working on the main illustrations again, after too long an absence, ideas for more illustrations are forming.  Each chapter is going to have an large illustration at the start of it.  The one above will be for the biscuit chapter, and the one below is for the pastry chapter. 

One idea that has formed itself over the past two weeks is very exciting.  Well, it is to me.  Another feature from life in the 1960s was that every female in our extended family was able to knit or crochet, perhaps both, and sew.  Knitting and dress-making were very normal activities.  Me and my brothers sometimes wished that buying ready-made clothes from a shop was a normal activity, apart from anything from Marks and Spencer.  In those days, it supplied children's clothes designed to please the old-fashioned parent, and not the child!
I will be adding smaller illustrations for single recipes, and these will feature cakes that I have knitted, or sewn, combined with either painted or photographed items.  This idea is very much in its infancy, but the good thing is that I am excited about the prospect of creating cakes in this way.

I explored another food idea that is also very much in its infancy earlier today, when Mr Cooper and I embarked on our first walk together this year, both of us needing to be walking-fit in June.  We drove to Compton, and halfway round the five and a half mile walk, we paused, as is customary, for a slight snack.  It was time to be brave, and try a Christmas present sent from the Haslam clan who reside in Glasgow.  We had half each and chewed it thoughtfully....

....perhaps expecting to encounter a feeler, or a leg or two. But no, there were none.

 The overall sensation was that it tasted very much like a very healthy bar full of things that are good for you (including crickets).  So much so that we then washed it down with a Snickers (me) and a Tunnocks Caramel Wafer and a Mars Bar (Mr Cooper.)
This is the view from where we had our snacks, some of us having had more than the other.

And these are some delightful sculptures that you often find strategically placed throughout the countryside of Hampshire and West Sussex. A really good talking-point, I find.

So another achievement for the week, well two really, if you also include eating crickets for the first time.  I may consider adding them to my rations when I walk the South Downs Way in June.  At least no one will ask me for a bite of them!

Now I will return to where I came in, and continue to knit my mink stole.  It is my intention to have it completed by Easter, ready to be teamed with my (fake) leopard print coat, when I have repaired its lining.  I should have the animal rights brigade coming forward to congratulate me and my new ensemble.  And looking at a close-up of the completed product, perhaps people will be coming forward to request commissions.  I will go so far as to send them the details of the book.  Who knows, they may also go on to make the knitted tiger-skin rug that is featured within.  And yes, I might attempt it myself one day.

So in the coming week ahead, let's turn our thoughts to being kind.  I know not all our thoughts will  be kind ones, as we become irritated and sometimes enraged by the actions of others.  But if we pause before responding, and employ kindness, we can help make the places where we live and work more like places where we would like to be.  Then later on you can find a non-gossipping friend or partner to say 'you'll never guess what so and so did or said' and lay it safely to bed that way.  Try also to find some time to take a longer walk than usual, particularly with a friend, and enjoy a good chat and a laugh in the fresh air.  Why not share a high-energy bar made from cricket flour too?
Looking forward to seeing you all very soon.
I hope you have a week ahead where you also achieve small things, and gain a sense of satisfaction.

Whilst me and Mr Cooper have spent January weekends socialising to avoid those post-Christmas blues, Sam and Molly went one step further than this.  They spent a whole week on holiday, and in England too.  Molly organised a surprise (for Sam) week, in Lyme Regis.  Luckily, Molly was not also 'surprised'.  Mr Cooper and I went there once off-season, in the half-term before Easter, and found very little to be open, especially on the eating-out front.  Sam said that the eateries were open, but he wished my present was better, as the more amazing confectionery shops were closed.
But what could be more delightful than some foil-covered chocolate sardines?

'At least I know you'll eat them,' Sam said to me.  This was  by way of being a reference to his father's habit of keeping edible presents as artworks in themselves, unless they were then promoted to becoming part of a larger artwork.  Eaten just as an edible gift? Hardly ever.

Here is part of a diorama made by George, where you can see the wrappers of three chocolate sardines having become part of an amazing art work.  Sam is happy with gifts to be used this way, just not kept intact and going past their 'use but' date by weeks and months, if not years.

I have yet to confess that I couldn't eat all of Molly's Christmas present to me and Mr Cooper, as they were just too beautiful.  But now I have taken a photo of them with my new camera (hurrah, we seem to be getting along just fine) Mr Cooper has started to devour them with gusto!  How could he?

At least I have evidence that me and Mr Cooper polished off the chocolate sardines.  We ate one each, then Mr Cooper went heads and I went tails on the third.
 I just need to create some art with their outer-casings now.

Last week found me setting off to the shops, and taking what was my last week's advice to you, by putting an additional vegetable into your basket, plus a more exotic fruit.  Pak choi accompanied our Saturday night Ragu Bolognese; not a traditional accompaniment, but quite delicious.  This was followed by a quick dessert of 'golden Kiwi fruits'.  Do try them if you spy them, they are much less acidic than their green cousins, and these four came with their own green spoon!

In my 'book of the week', none of the characters in it would have been enjoying pak choi or golden kiwis, let alone green ones.  In 1937, an movement called 'Mass-Observation' was formed, where 'ordinary' people were invited to record and send in their thoughts and views of their everyday lives.  Here is an extract from one of its promotional leaflets from that time, to help explain its aims.
'Intellectuals find it hard to express themselves [but] observation comes naturally to people who are living in the thick of work-a-day existence.  Among our best Observers are a mechanic, a coalminer, a waiter, a clerk, a house-wife (middle-class) and a housewife (working class).'

In this book the author researches and puts together the recordings of five 'everyday folk', from the days preceding the declaration of war to the midst of the Blitz in October 1940.
It gives you a very real insight into the very varied thoughts, and fears, of the nation at that time.
I have given it to Mr Cooper to read, as I feel that he will also greatly appreciate it.
Also, it is in quite large print .

 We set out to visit the pictures last Sunday, planning to watch 'The Darkest Hour' at 3pm.  'Do you think we should book?' I asked Mr Cooper in the morning.  So we didn't, and when we got there, it was to find we would not be able to sit together.
  'What if I fall asleep next to a total stranger?' was my worry, so we went home after a very enjoyable interlude in Chichester, and booked two places for the following Wednesday, at 11am.  There are decided benefits to being a) retired.... Mr Cooper, not me and b) self-employed....definitely me.

If  you have recently gone to the pictures to enjoy' The Darkest Hour', you will remember that the King advised Churchill to listen to the people.  The book of the week is actually written by 'the people', just like those whose opinions he sought.  If you loved the film, seek out this book.
I have now got to find the one written about the times between 1945-48, called 'Our Hidden Lives'.  In fact, I may do a little Internet shopping in half an hour or so......*

The 'enjoyable interlude' in Chichester started with Mr Cooper showing me a public garden he had discovered when visiting Chichester by bus (another advantage to being retired, free bus pass.)  The garden is called The Bishop's Palace Garden and is a gem. It was such a delightful and tranquil garden that neither of us had known anything about, and one which we will visit often in the future, perhaps with a picnic. http://www.visitsoutheastengland.com/things-to-do/bishops-palace-gardens-p613661 Then we retired to the Crate and Apples where we received a very warm welcome, and a seat by the fire, even though we were there for a drink and not a meal (subtle dig here to pubs that only seem to welcome eaters, not drinkers, you know who you are!)
We did become diners later, as at four o'clock we were given some roast potatoes to enjoy.  We both whole-heartedly recommend this hostelry, especially at 4pm on a Sunday!  http://crateandapple.co.uk/

Although I do not like the way technology seems to have replaced so many peoples brains, creativity and individuality, this morning I was able to check my bank-balance, pay my N.I contributions, catch up with my emails, email a complaint to the insurance company about the repairs to our door, look at wide-legged jeans, buy a book and then wonder where all the time had gone.

Just staying on the subject of emails for a bit, when Saturday found me catching up on that side of things, it was to find one from the organisers of the annual South Downs walk, which contained the following information.

'Annual Walk 2018. Some places are still available at each of the four pick up points - Shoreham, Worthing, Arundel & Chichester - but both the 7 & 9 day options have filled up faster than in any previous year. If you know anyone who hasn't booked yet and is planning to do so, please let them know. '


 Ten minutes later I texted Dawn, my fellow-walker,  to alert her to this fact, then I went on-line to join and make my payment. Just after that, Dawn texted me to say she had done likewise, great minds not only thinking alike, but acting at rapier-like speeds.

Then I acted so quickly again that I forgot to do some groundwork thinking. 
As I had joined the walk, I thought had better start  training immediately.  Whilst John goes to see Pompey play, I will do a shortish local walk, that involves a steep uphill, starting from Stoughton.

Well, I was well-dressed for the rain, which alternated between fairly light but very heavy, but in my haste I had forgotten that January had been a very wet month.
I got to the top without too much difficulty, and realised that I was fitter than I had been at the start of last year, but not as fit as I was at the start of June last year.

Then I realised what happens to the countryside in winter .
Here is the view I had halfway round the  four and a half mile walk, looking at where I had come from.... 

.....and here I am looking at where I have yet to go.

The good news is that I now know my kit is waterproof!

As well as struggling through the mud, another struggle I have been having this past month is with my knitting.  My latest jumper for Henry, a rather natty fair-isle creation, is proving to be problematical.  I have never had to pull-down to correct mistakes on such a scale before.  Although, when I have analysed this a little further, the evenings when I am knitting whilst drinking tea are more successful than those where red wine makes its welcome appearance.
Here is a little glimpse of it.  One sleeve to finish, then it is nearly done, as am I!

My next jumper was to have been one for Mr Cooper, but I have just acquired this gem of a book.

You can guess what I need to knit next!

Friday morning found me walking to Tuppenny Barn, for my second visit to join in with the monthly craft club which meets there.  The first visit saw me cutting shapes from a camouflage jacket that I have been intending to customise for a year or so.  In the interim, I added some beautiful fabrics to fill the shapes, stitching them in by machine.  The second visit was used to add some hand-stitching to the shapes.
 In theory, I will complete this during February, ready for the next stage to begin during visit three.

As well as spending a very pleasant couple of hours sewing and chatting, I acquired a knitting booklet to rival the book that I had purchased earlier in the week.  'How could that be possible?' I hear you ask.  Well, just take a look!

My first one to knit from this book has to be to the cover for a wine bottle, in the shape of a poodle! I took this book with me on Friday night to share with Juliette and Colin, who were as charmed as I was by it.  After a lovely evening with them, and Mr Cooper too, of course, I was pleased that I was able to knit, as I spent most of Saturday slowly knitting, and drinking quite a lot of water.  Thank you both, it was a lot of fun, and Sam's prediction was all too true!

In the coming week, which may be getting colder, be sure to do something to bring a little colour into your week.  You could start knitting a fox stole, or just bring home a bunch of flowers.  Buy two, and give one to a friend. Be sure to wrap up warm, and this is where your new fox stole could really help!
Looking forward to seeing you all again in a week or so.  In the meantime, enjoy the snowdrops.

* Arriving in the next 3 days, £3.13, very good condition plus p&p.