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!
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