Desert Island discs

Today is the 70th Anniversary of Radio 4's  Desert Island Discs. The idea for this programme came from its first radio presenter Roy Plomley.
Their have been only four presenters in the 70 years of this programme, the first Roy Plomley, followed by Sir Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley and its current presenter Kirsty Young.
The format is this, a guest on the programme chooses eight of his or her favourite records to take when they are on a deserted Island, they have a record player to play them on, plus they are allowed two books, already on the Island consisting of Shakespeare and The Bible, they can choose a further book to go with these. Also one luxury item is allowed, the favourite among guests on the programme is a piano.
This year for its Anniversary programme the guest is Sir David Attenborough.
So for a bit of fun, we decided on our choice of 8 records each , plus luxury item and  a book if we were going to a mythical island.

June
1. The lark Ascending Vaughan Williams
2. Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams (both to remind me of England)
3. Peaceful by Georgie fame ......      for being 16 and off to Switzerland on holiday
4.You've got a friend by James Taylor  for Gary and I..our song
5.Hello by Lionel Richie... babies
6. Clocks by Coldplay...Memories
7.Rose on a bridge by Seal. ...camping with the kids
8.Stanyaland By Naked Sunday...Because its family

My Luxury Item would be a four poster bed, with curtains, windproof and rainproofed.



This one is my choice

 Followed by a Book, which is going to be An Invisble Friendship by Joyce Grenfell,


Gary choice is going to be:

1. Put your head on my shoulder by Paul Anka..childhood memories
2.I'm a boy by The Who. Teenager and growinfg up
3. Major Tom by David Bowie..Just left School/started work
4.Youve got a firend by James Taylor..Our song
5. Arthurs Theme.by Chris Cross...babies
6.Feelings by the Shadows... for Elizabeth
7.Out of Africa by John Barrie...Just because he likes the music
8.Knockin on Heavens Door..by Martin Stanyer/Naked Sunday...taking martin to his gigs

Garys Luxury item is an endless supply of Beer




Followed by his choice of book, Walks in Britain.

The end of opur delve into the past our discs , our luxury items and choice of books, hope anyone who reads this will have a go at this themselves, good fun.

Precious sight

I was admiring this lovely stained glass window in a Church at the weekend for the beauty of it and for the words.
This stained glass window reads as follows

A
man who
looks on glass
on it may
stay his eye
or if he
pleases
through
it pass
and then
the heavens
espy
After admiring the stained glass, and moving towards the altar, I met a lady who was 88 years old,who came to say wasnt the stained glass splendid, she had a merry twinkle in her  blue eyes, the only problem was she had matricular degeneration in her eyes and could only make out vague shapes and colours. But she knew the feel of the church even though she could barely see the stained glass which she pointed out to me, other than that, she could not see  much at all. . She told me that her sight had been deteriorating for 40 years, that nothing could be done, and said she could neither knit or sew or crochet anymore, or make herself a meal, because of the risk of fire.
This ladys light shone from within, and we embraced with a good hug.
It took her two hours to sew on a button she told me and yet she only laughed at this, she wasnt sorry for herself, all she wanted was that the Lord would give her a few more years of the light she could see, if not the shapes of things.
 I love spirited people like this, they give you something to aim for in life, she was still having her hair done, still going out , living her life, whatever frailty she had , and she couldnt see much to do anything. But there was a special something about her. So what could have been an ordinary day was turned into a special day of remembering because I met a wonderful lady, and that the Gift of sight, is truly that, a wonderful and precious Gift.

Photos on friday



arrival



thinking

abseiling

contortionist

Gourmet

Cool Photographer

Cake and Create night

It was entertaining ! more of a laugh with a bit of crochet thrown in. Cups of tea , flapjack bought for us all by Laura, biscuits, tea and coffee, thankyou  for the flapjacks Lou. In attendance the usual suspects that are Zoe, Katie Laura and me.

 Three of us squashed into my two seater settee for a photo taken by Katie, more weird photos taken by zoe on her new app which distorted us all completely caused a riot of laughter.Dont we look a merry band.

 Well here is katies piece of work, her first ever crochet square, trebles and then doubles all around it, to start off her cute crochet blanket.

 Doesnt this look very Vintage.? Zoes lovely multicoloured blanket she has been working on for ages.It is coming along lovely, slow but sure wins the race as they say.

 Whos nimble little fingers are these....Lauras..as she attemptsd and succeeds at her first row of treble crochet in red, on a scarf.

This is my effort for the evening, a daisy in a square, one of five so far I have done. When they are completed they are going to be made into a babys pram blanket. aaaaaaaaaaah.
We await another social evening and wish Katie all the best in her forthcoming op,and hope to see her as soon as we can. Good luck our katie Alice.xx
You are all completely bonkers, but you brighten up my life , thankyou ladies.

Crochet in Blue and white

I have been working on the design of this little cushion for three days, and finally finished it. Based upon the various coloured blue and white china plates, I have tried to keep to the blue and white theme.

Just starting the individual squares, different designs to each crochet square, number 4.crochet hook and double knitting wool.

All of the squares completed, they have all been blocked and ready to be assembled.

The squares have now been crotched with a double crochet row, that makes a standup ridge on the design of this cushion.

This is my Ta Dah moment , with the finished cushion in place on the rocking chair in my craft room.I am squeally pleased with it.

Wintery skies

I woke up this morning and remembered that it would have been my grandmothers birthday, Winifred florence Sockett nee hammersley born Newcastle under Lyme 17 january 1906. She was a good gran indeed, not a kissy huggy sort of gran, but one who showed by deed how much you were loved by how she cared for you.Scrubbed knees, hair plaited so tight your eyes were high in your head when she had finished. Then the treats of silk socks with sometimes, if you were lucky, a fine colour band at the cuff of the sock. Silk ribbons for my hair,Patchwork pieces to make dolly clothes.  Into Cannock on a saturday to do the shopping together, buying a hot roast chicken which i carried in a big bag to keep my hands warm, then chicken baps with stuffing for tea, Oh and the treat of a Ladybird book every saturday, if i was good , and i took ages choosing one, while gran was trying to hurry me up because we had a bus to catch.  Then Roast beef dinners on a Sunday, sewing together, starched clean white sheets, icy cold and white,spotlessly clean home, she didnt have a lot of money but she kept home sparkling.She worked so hard all of her life and bought me up in her own home . Most of all i remember her laughing with me as I grew into a young woman, when we could exchange confidences.My wedding day when after the wedding we all went to the train station and we sat opposite a vicar on the train and gran was knocking on the train window making us laugh and saying do you want him to read it again.She lived to see me have her great grandaughter Jenny and hold her and to visit, what wonderful Happy memories, no sadness just joy to have had such a wonderful granny.
Then I got on with the day as you do for life goes on, and i was up early enough to capture a wintery sky full of colour aginst the dark of the trees.



January early morning sky




The sky taken looking east



Two of my favourite winter poems by joyce grenfell

 Then i baked plink plonk cakes, they were supposed to be butterfly cakes, but i cut a hole and the shape of the butterfly wings did not emerge, so i plonked them on as a lid,hence the name plink plonk cakes and very plinking  nice they tasted too. Note my Christmas present a wallace and gromit radio from martin and laura.

As evening was setting, i captured yet another sky, by now it was really getting cold, but January gives so many lovely skies that I hope to take more.

Looking for the good

Well the year has not got off to a good start emotionally draining and family bad news, so today it was a dig deep kind of day to see the good in small things. So staying positive in the gloom, it was off to buy a bunch of tulips my first bunch of flowers of the year.

Tulips reduced from £4.50 to £2 00..BARGAIN

Followed by a bargain treat of a new diary for 2012 that i hope will be filled with happy thoughts, happy events and days out, this little diarys lovely polka dot red cover called out buy me, buy me, so i did, it was at a knock down price of 80p, who could resist.

Here is my bargain book at 80p

Of course there is always a spot of crochet to help the day along, i am working up some mini crochet squares in traditional blue and white to make a small cushion when they are finished. I am experimenting with variations in patterns from the internet.

SCRAPS OF LEFTOVER WOOL ..COST NIL

Inventiveness and creativity to beautify the home and lift the spirit does take some motivation to do it, but the satistaction of a job done well and life going on as normal, is so well worth the effort. It gave me a lift, helped me write a blog post i can read again and again when the going gets tough, and life goes on.
This post is dedicated to June xxxx

Saturday walk 2012

The weather had brightened today, and glad of a spot of sunshine we  decided to go for a winter walk as the sun was out and it wasnt too cold. We started from the farm shop in Great Haywood, along the canal towpath, then across Essex Bridge, through to look at Shugborough Hall , then back through Great Haywood Village.
But before the walk a funny moment when Owen and I were playing eye spy in the car.Its always better to record the things children say or they get forgotten in the busyness of day to day living. This way you get to enjoy them again and again.
Owen. I spy with my little eye something beginning with G
Me,     Grass....Green....Gate...and so on
Owen   NO TO ALL
Me       Give up
Owen   No its not that Grandma
Me       No i meant in as I give up Owen, not as the answer,
I forget just what was the answer now , but it was funny.




Over the bridge to the Canal

Climbing up the cobbled canal bridge



Boats moored up in the Marina

  Here in the marina, is a small blue boat which we had a day hire on when owen was about 15 months old.It was great fun, we had a packed boat with friends and family. A famous day out or infamous day out as Gary tried to do a three point turn across the canal after we had gone too far along the canal.

feeding the Ducks

Owen and his grandad by canal bridge 73

Not forgetting a cuddle with Grandma

Shugborough Hall

Owen took this of us both , but he wanted sonic in the pic too

Essex Bridge

On the way back from the walk now, over Essex Bridge, here at the bridge Owen and I played Pooh sticks, from the book Winnie the Pooh, racing across the bridge to see whose stick came to the other side as the river swept the sticks under the arches, Owens T shaped stick won. We had a lovely time our first walk of the year.

Smoked Mackerel PateRecipe

2 pieces of Mackerel
Juice of half a lemon
4 spring onions
Philadelphia cream cheese or cottage cheese
Black pepper
Horseradish(optional)

Use a blender or whatever you have a pestle and mortar will do, flake the smoked Mackerel into a bowl. Chop 4 spring onions, add to the mix, along with the juice of half a lemon, or the equivalent of juice from a botle. Add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of cream cheese  or cottage cheese, along with pepper to season, or horseradish if you prefer.
Mix well in a blender, until the mixture is smooth .
Put the mixture into Ramekin dishes and set aside and chill in the fridge.

This makes a nice starter with thin toasted circles of bread.
Or a main meal on a Ciabbata, or French stick loaf, cut into fat slices, and served with a salad.
It is delicious, and just right after the excess of Christmas. 

EPIPHANY 6th January 2012

My first posting of the New Year, celebrating   EPIPHANY , the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus in the manger, where they bought him gifts of Gold ,Frankincense and Myrrh. It is also celebrated in eastern Europe as the birth date of Jesus Christ. My Grandfather William Henry Sockett was born  on January 6th 1901,He always used to say he was born on the Lords Day, and so he was. I never forget his birthday, every year I think it would have been Grandads Birthday today, and so i go on celebrating his birth every year because he was such a very Good Grandad, born on this day, EPIPHANY.As I always remember that on this day the Three Wise Men gave their gifts to Jesus.