Do You Think I had Forgotten You ?
Category: Home at Hemingway
My 2017 Wish: â¤ï¸
When I was younger, I never thought about losing someone I loved, silly me, how naive but I thought as I loved my Mother and Father utterly and entirely that they would be there forever, well at least until they were VERY old. Then the years passed quickly and so did they and they weren’t…Then a few short years later I lost my ‘ best love’ ! I recently looked at my old address book and was saddened at the names crossed through, friends no longer here. 😔
â¤ï¸As a New Year starts, 2017, a once thought of faraway number for me, may I ask you something dear family, dear friends, may I ask you to love and cherish those precious to you. Hold them tight, never take them for granted, give them loads of hugs and tell them you love themâ¤ï¸
My constant consolation in life is that I told my Mum and Dad and my ‘ best love’ often how much I loved them – we all did – it’s a family thing perhaps but it wasn’t always so but how very important you know, for one day you may ‘ turn around’ and ‘they’ have gone…
Do it at the start of this New Year, â¤ï¸do it todayâ¤ï¸do it now, say it often,hold them closeâ¤ï¸for love, if you feel it, is the greatest gift you can give, it is also the greatest gift you can receive. Tell your children, your wife, your husband, your partner, your lover, your mistress, your dear friend, your pet, that you love and cherish them if you do â¤ï¸Never miss the chance, for life is so fleeting and memories are all that remain when those you love are gone, remember love is the greatest and most powerful gift of all! ..â¤ï¸
Corinthians 13:1
” I may speak in different languages of people or angels but if I do not have love I am a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secrets things of God and have all knowledge and I may have faith so great I can move mountains but even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing…”
â¤ï¸I love you my dear family and my dear friends and I wish you all a very Joyous And Healthy 2017â¤ï¸
They spread their petals pink and white
scatter like snow flakes amid the green
a sea of roses this beauty seen, unique their faces an elegant theme.
A single rose becomes my garden
a million is my world…
Finished Garden Room.
Such a busy time since the completion of my lovely Garden Room. My youngest Son has married beautiful Julia in a most  stunning setting and we had the most perfect day to remember. I shall write about that special day and my travels to Rome and then to Tuscany shortly..
Such a fun filled few weeks watching the Garden Room rise-up towards completion. Not the best of weather with quite a bit of overnight rain and it looks bleak everywhere but the good workers championed on to get the roof secure before the Christmas and New Year break. They all worked hard and with copious cups of strong tea and many plates of biscuits and Xmas Mince pies they succeeded. The garden is in aterrible mess now but when Spring approaches it will be great to think about the design for a small patio and a good general tidy-up. Still lots to complete before then with the stud-boarding and plastering to all walls and the knocking through to the kitchen, the tiles and lighting. With the plumber having done his bit, the pipes for the radiators have now been ‘picked-up’ and joined from the main system but the radiator has yet to be installed.
Christmas has been strange this year opting to stay put at home with not knowing at what stage the project would be at when arrangements were being talked about, although I was lucky with several invites I was worried to leave but as it turned out all was secure, still I had made up my mind to stay put and stay put I did.  It was not so bad as anticipated with a nice walk down to the village pub on Christmas day andfestive chats there, kept me buoyant as did the couple of good brandies to ward off the very chilly weather. Boxing day I went to Lincoln and roamed the furniture shops looking primarily at sofas and dining tables and nice pieces to decorate my Orangery. I enjoyed my day and snuggled down comfortably in the evening content to watch some films and eat far too much chocolate! The first ever Christmas spent alone at home but I managed it well I feel,  it was all rather peaceful and calm and I like that.  I managed also to clean Hamada’s headstone in the churchyard after I had my delicious warming brandy of course – it does get cold up there with the wind cutting through the bare branches of the surrounding trees.. His headstone tends to get covered in a green verdigris type substance at this time of year. I had my usual little chat with him and felt comforted on my walk back. Life is after all what you make of it. I am rarely lonely, alone yes but feel very lucky that I am able to be content and peaceful when life does not always deal you the best hand.  I miss my ‘best love’ more than words can say but as I have said before “Sorrow is better than fear, for fear is a journey a terrible journey but sorrow is at least arriving” Deep sorrow is something you CAN live with but the fear when someone is ill, the constant worry that you are doing all you can for them, even though deep down you know you are and the deep desire that when the time comes that all will be peaceful and right, is far far worse than the sorrow and loss I feel now. I have drifted off the subject somewhat but that’s what happens with writing sometimes.
As we approach 2015 I would like to wish those who read here a truly enlightening year with all good and delicious new things coming your way, peaceful pleasures that bring joy to your soul. Mostly I wish you good health to be able to go out and walk – if you can- in this lovely world of ours. If not to look at the magic wonders of our sky especially at night with the twinkling stars that fill this velvet void. Thank you for reading my simple words. ” Our joys as winged dreams do fly. Why then should sorrow last…” Stay strong all those that live alone and know that I am thinking of you and wishing you well. And so with these words I march onwards with this good life of mine. God Bless!
We learn wisdom from failure much more than success, or so I like to believe but starting a large project when living alone is mighty daunting never-the-less. For sure I have always been a brave woman if that’s really the right word, one can become complacent when getting older and for me approaching my seventies, I have recently thrown caution to the wind!
The past couple of months have been exciting for me in many ways, pulling and shaking me from my gentle quiet life here in the country. Not that I might add I am ever bored or feel there is not enough to do, often not having enough hours in the day for all the things I desire to achieve. I have a lunch date or two most weeks and often go out to dinner. I spend time writing of course, walk with the “Wold Walkers for Health” and join-in many social occasions in the Village. Having marvellous holidays too and I go visiting south, now and then and even manage the odd day in London, recently spending another day at “Westfield Shopping Mall” a great fun day out. I am content and happy with my so called ‘quiet life’, living alone has many compensations. Pleasing yourself with what you choose to do with your precious time is one of them and something I luxuriate in these days.
I have now been without my beloved for four years, adjusting well to this terrible loss or so I believe but now a time of reassessment has arrived. I live in a most modest bungalow quite perfect for retirement, the garden is probably a bit too big for me to cope with alone and that’s costly to keep under control but I would hate to part with it.  I have just had all the trees pruned and some removed as the garden was becoming untidy and growing inwards, hopefully that will last for a good few years before needing attention again. I love so much the quietness and tranquillity of this village , we have fun here but its still perfect to retreat to your own little space and that’s something I love.
Still reassessment of one’s life  is a good thing to do from time to time and at any age, bringing many different thoughts together and perhaps as folk might think, should I move to a smaller place? A flat/apartment perhaps because I am getting older? Should I return to the county I came from, nearer my sons and their familes? I of course love them muchly but do not wish to be the Mother that is just run the corner. As long as my independence lasts and I keep well and active then here I shall stay. I have been pondering for some time but have never wavered from my love of this quiet village of kind good people, a village with no lights, starlit skies, one pub and the little church of St Margaret’s and in the ten years I have lived here the many memories that have been made and of course in the churchyard lies a special spot near to the church door… Could I leave that? And rings the answer loud and clear – No!
I have learnt well that possessions do not last, it is remembered  joys that make the heart strong and content. I am happy here although living alone, so feel I must make my home as comfortable as I can for me and for the guests that perhaps will brave the ‘A’ roads to visit me occasionally.  And so to that end and because it is an exciting thing to do at any time of life and especially now in mine, I have decided to extended my home and make it the best I can for the years that remain. Since moving here over a decade ago, and downsizing greatly, I really missed not having a dining room, yes I could have taken one of the bedrooms but so often when family comes all the rooms are taken. I love to entertain and yes we have managed – when not many folk are here - we have eaten in the kitchen, quite big enough really, but when needing more room we have had to put a long table in the sitting room not a problem in the past but now I need to make things easier for me and a little less hard work.
So with that in mind I have decided to have a large Orangery built to the rear of the bungalow and as I sit here writing this, the garden and driveway to my home are covered in cement mixers, diggers and all manner of building equipment. How strange when the planning takes months and all of a sudden there you go, an invasion of the nicest kind. I am of course keeping a record of the build, always fun to look back on in years to come and I am glad to learn the manner and order of these types of modern day builds, not that I will ever attempt one I’m sure! But knowledge is knowledge and all is good to retain. I have longed to have a light airy room and to be able to glean as much of our English sunlight that I can. I have spent much time looking at designs, chatting to architects, walking showrooms with a dear friend, debating and discussing, mulling over the few complications of drains and interior heating cupboards, radiators and fires, light fittings etc etc. Doing things by yourself is more of a challenge of course. I have to keep within a budget and my always champagne taste with beer money comes sharply to mind. I have discussed things with a good friend who reminds me often that however my vision, it must be tailored to my own needs and taste and I should have just what I what, well thats ok to a degree but I must stay within my budget and could without doubt like all of us, get carried away! Still It’s fun and enjoyable  searching out ideas for the interior, which I would like more modern than the rest of the house. Have manage to find a contemporary mounted wall fire that I like and that I hope will work well with the radiators, selected lights too, not wanting the normal ceiling fan which I dislike because of the whirring noise and have certainly overdone the budget on a huge ceiling and two wall lights, oh well, we all need a bit of glamour in our life. I shall update as things continue but they are racing away and progressing so quickly after only a week of work. Watch this space friends this will be fun and fingers crossed…
 
How heavenly are the roses that bloom
turning heads to sun in June
tiny faces in perfect form
that scatter their smiles on the lawn
majestic, abundant and heavens gift
that give of their beauty, and our hearts a lift…
How heavenly are the roses that bloom
turning heads to sun in June
tiny faces in perfect form
that scatter their smiles on the lawn
majestic, abundant and heavens gift
that give of their beauty, and our hearts a lift…
“No spring or winter has such grace as I have seen in one little face…“  This little verse is dedicated to the memory of Maeve Craven, much loved Mother of Karen who died in June 2014.
We awoke to a grey rainy morning the skies the colour of old gun metal. My heart felt heavy although I knew nothing of course would spoil this special day but how lovely would it be if the sun shone down on this little village of ours, warming the colours of the pasture land and sending the dapple rays we know so well across the lanes and up to the path of our little church.
Much preparation had been done in the days and weeks before when the weather had been unusually warm for May and in all our minds the sun just had to be shining at least for the most important time of our beautiful bride arriving and the departure from the church to the perfect green carpet walkway winding its way through the grounds of this beautiful garden to the Marquee…
I had fed my house-guests well – a large breakfast to set them-up for the day and after clearing away the dishes I took myself off to my room to prepare for the wedding of dear Ellie and Stuart. The rain continued to pour, running off the gutters and down the drive so forcibly that even Noah would have been proud. Perhaps a prayer might help an imploring to the heavens, maybe if I begged earnestly the almighty would listen? So placing a disc of favourite music and something appropriate for the occasion I selected Al Giochi - Romeo & Juliet sung by the powerful Luciano Pavarotti, this strong robust tenor at a suitably high volume would certainly do the trick and a quiet prayer to my Hamada-who loved this song -to have a word with the Almighty to change his designs on the weather for today, just this once please but the rain continued to pour…
At about mid-day I thought a nice Bucks-Fizz would go down well. I prepared these and then continued with my intonations when a lovely voice came from the front of the house “I can see a small patch of blue over towards the west!” We dared not to hope but slowly the rain eased and the watery sun appeared. And so this perfect day unfolded like a beautiful wished for flower forming from a bud into perfection.
I have a job not to cry at weddings being the eternal optimist in all things romantic and this wedding was no exception. Ellie my much loved niece, had found her perfect man in Stuart. Tall and handsome, kind and compassionate they were entirely perfect for each other in every way. Her natural beauty and the gasps of admiration for this stunning bride in her exquisite lace wedding gown could be heard in the intake of breath from all assembled. The service was quite perfect the Rev Avril in her amazingly charming and confident manner guiding the way. More tears from me when I saw my fourteen year old Grandson Manu resplendent in tuxedo, looking so mature and handsome bearing the rings. How very smart and stylish the best men, the brides father/bridegroom’s father looked in their tux. How very beautiful the Matrons of Honour in their delicate pale green dresses, serenely matching the foliage in their bouquets of cream roses and blending with the sweet smelling newly mown, rain fresh grass and the beautiful trees surrounding this now sunlit churchyard. We sang with gusto, we sang with praise and thanked the lord for giving us the sunlit rays now coming through the old mauve leaded lights of the arched windows that were filled with wide masses of cream roses We sang to bless this beautiful couple. We sang in praise of how lucky we are to be together to rejoice in their love and joy.
I had tears in my eyes as I watch my dear sister lift back Ellie’s veil and then again when her father Ian laid his hands gently over the hands of this lovely couple as prayers were said. And lastly the beautiful singing and guitar playing of my youngest son Jo, his voice lifted and soared to new heights echoing his rich tones over our heads so even the Almighty could hear the praising of the day and the love that filled this church of ours. Thank goodness for the white linen handkerchief my dear friend passed to me, which was damp with joyous emotion.
The assembled guests, family and many friends stopped for photographs outside the little church and in the courtyard of the nearby country house, as the sun came out to greet us, delicious perfectly chilled champagne and canapés were served by the many waiters and waitress’s weaving cleverly and skilfully amongst the guests.. Ellie and Stuart left for a quiet moment together and for private special photos and arrived to joined us all in the garden in a fabulous 30’s Beauford Bentley-Styled beauty of a car, entering slowly through the main gates of this stunning house and gardens.
The trees hung with white wicker hearts and the rails of the churchyard were festooned with handmade celebration flag bunting, perfectly made by Ellies mum Jenny and lining the length of the gardens. Beautiful young woman in an array of pretty summery frocks walked arm in arm with their handsome partners along the pale green carpet that laid across the grass. Close family all dressed in their finest attire with loving smiles on their faces so happy to greet relatives not seen for a while. Jenny and Ian, Ellie parents, looking resplendent  in their superb wedding clothes beaming with pride at their gorgeous Ellie and her charming Prince. A storybook affair of magical visionary arrangements and just as a country wedding should be and something conjured-up only in the dreams of young girls.
The large Marquee continued the pale green theme, sharp white tablecloths with pale green fine linen napkins, silver cutlery, sparkling silver candelabras on each of the five long tables, holding long white candles, the crystal chandeliers shone enchantingly. The whole marquee twinkling in its simplicity and design. The long tables reaching from end to end of the Marquee given the names of chateaus in honour of Ellie and Stuarts engagement in France. Perfectly written name places and a menu better than the finest restaurant. Superb French wines and champagne continued this theme. There was a cocktail bar to one-side and a chill-out area comprising of curved backed wicker sofas and again the matching colour of the pale green cushions set the scene. A wooden dance floor with a DJ ready for action. A pianist greeted us as he played gentle music while we took our seats for a very special ‘wedding breakfast’ How difficult to describe how enchanting it all was, perhaps my photos may help in some way.
The speeches were wonderful!! Totally entertaining and amusing too. Stuart recalling how they met and fell in love, with some amusing tales of the early days of their romance, spoken clearly and with great confidence and such a pleasing way he played with his words of love! The father of the bride making us laugh with tales of Ellie’s younger years – especially her girlfriends who’s chuckles could be heard around the marquee as they listen to the recalling of fun girly days of the past and remembered their teenage years, all friends growing-up together. Then my eldest son Matt stood, an important role as Ellie’s Godfather, consummate in delivery of an amusing and in places poignant gathering of clever phrases and words that made us smile as he recalled many special family moments. But the speech that stole the show entirely was from my Grandson Manu who spoke of his love for Ellie and Stuart and for the fun they enjoy together and a perfectly funny tale about Stuart, when he was staying over at their home – we laugh and laughed at the funny antics of this time, delivered so confidently and with such great aplomb and even ad-libbing that brought much laughter and the ‘house down’ with clapping and cheering at the end. Manu is just fourteen years of age!
We ate wonderful culinary delights, we dance with gay abandon well into the early hours. We drank cocktails, raspberry mojitos! We chatted with family and friends enjoying every single moment. I looked and listened and drank-in the atmosphere of this perfect day – for this was my beloved family who had planned and worked hard to achieve perfection and if only I could convey to you my readers, just how very special it all was.
The love of this gorgeous couple will last the test of time of that I’m sure. For when love is found it is seen in the depths of the eyes and faces of those that truly love. The effort of romance starts with small seeds of devotion to each other that grow and cultivate into the years of all our tomorrows.
Celebrate your loved one in creating memories of kindness and of respect. In nurture of each other, praise and thank them daily for the joy they bring to you, for this will create a life of harmony and a love that will grow into longevity. Life brings ups and downs to us all but bonds made strong in the early days and in the new flush of romance build the strength to carry you through the tough times. Be kind to each other daily, taking time to listen to each others needs and most of all rejoice in your love.
Dreams are made of perfect days like this, love brings so much, for it is the greatest of all life’s gifts…
Specially Remembered Things: Bowls of Love-Heart Sweets- Soft Pashmina’s for the ladies just in case they needed to get cosy.  REAL bathrooms in a Marquee!- with every imaginable cosmetic you just might need. A long Mirror, Special hangers for your precious hats. Oh and so much more…
More Photos of this lovely day can be found at https://www.flickr.com/photos/susiehemingway/Â
It has been a glorious week. A week of sunny balmy days with little puffs of gentle breeze, a cloudless blue sky which cast a Midas touch across this pasture land. How good this has been for us as we start to count down the days to the wedding of my dear niece Ellie and her beloved Stuart here in the village next Saturday.
Much must be done and the excitement is mounting as my dear Sister Jenny and Brother-in-Law Ian and others too, go about the many preparations to make this a most memorable day. Our village church will have an extra special clean, windows will shine, pews will be polished with vigour, brasses will be cleaned, and flowers skilfully made into bouquets and beautiful displays to decorate this tiny church. The churchyard will be mown, borders and edges trimmed, telephone and post boxes in the village will be given a good wipe clean and a ‘once-over’ and slowly during the coming week folk will travel from all corners of this treasured land and some even further to celebrate the marriage of this lovely couple who have chosen to have their wedding here in this pretty Lincolnshire village
Of course not everyone can be here, some who loved her dearly are no longer with us. I think now of my Hamada whose  love for Ellie was continuous throughout his life. As a little tot he would always take time to gently chatter with her, her sweetness and eager need for knowledge always brought a huge smile to his lovely face, he always had time for this little beauty. How very proud he was when she graduated from Reading University.
Still he will be close-by in his resting place here in the churchyard, just a step away from the old church door and the footsteps of this beautiful bride and her handsome groom will be but a pace away. I wish he could see this scene, I wish he could see her now but I’m sure he will know we are all here. His memorial stone will be bedecked in the  flowers of the wedding decorations in honour of a good and much loved Uncle who would be so proud of the woman his niece has become today. I will drink-in every single moment of this glorious day, I will whisper all the details into the breeze for him to know all, perhaps if I try hard enough…he will hear?
I will feel his absence greatly, his quiet manner and his lovely smile and the love he had for his family and I know at some time during this fabulous celebration,that Ellie and Stuart will think of him too.
I  wonder also of  Ellie’s Grandparents and the perfect love they all had for her. How thrilled they would be about this union and the love this unique couple so obviously have for each other. How proud they would be for the woman Ellie has become today, for her choices and for this family celebration that continues to keep together this close family for which they created.
The circle of life continues to turn,  a life of love and change and of courage too. How lucky I am to be here with them and my two sons, their families and partners to enjoy this marvellous day to the full. I am sure I will shed a tear or two of joy for I am truly blessed indeed.
Happy New Year All – Seems I’ve been away from the computer far too long. A lovely festive holiday break in Buckinghamshire starting with an excellent meal with my eldest Son Matt, his beautiful Wife Sandrine and of course my dear Grandson Manu. A superb evening with a wonderfully delicious meal starting with Goat’s cheese tartlets and then a marvellous almost peasant dish of braised chicken with spicy chorizo sausage and then a super chocolate pudding followed, also some very good cheese! All this set in beautiful  twinkling Christmas surroundings. They were then leaving for France the following day. A gorgeous meal with them and a perfect start to the holidays.
I then spent the rest of Christmas with my youngest son Jo at his house in the Chilterns. There was a crowd of us, fifteen in all, so much preparation took place in the lead-up to this special day.
Lots of food shopping and preparing and decorating of the Xmas table – a lovely jolly atmosphere prevailed the whole time and we settled to a warm cosy Christmas Eve around a lovely open fire in this beautiful old farmhouse high-up in the Chiltern Hills.
A simply super special celebration meal followed on Christmas Day with fun , many smiles and much laughter, the children enjoying their new gifts and delighting in each other and the games played.
So special for me amongst our Christmas party was the arrival and sharing of Christmas day with a very dear Niece and her two beautiful children all the way from Cairo. We spent so much time catching up and chatting and recalling old times together, it made this Christmas very special to me as we talked about her dear Uncle Hamada bringing back lovely memories for me of times past spent in Egypt at Christmas time, time spent out in the desert under the stars. It was truly wonderful to spend time with such a delightful group of people. I arrived back to the Lincolnshire Wolds a week later with lovely memories to recall and mull over. The perfect ending to a good year.
And now we are well into 2014 I wonder what it will bring? What it will bring for all of us?  The weather has been playing such a big part right from the start with the UK in the grip of many storms and bringing with it floods to many areas. Daily storm warnings of quite frightening proportions  and then sadness seeing the loss and damage to so many properties. And further afield across the  ‘big pond’ three quarters of America is engulfed in the coldest weather for more than twenty years with unbelievably low temperatures causing such problems and a danger to lives.
Wherever you are whatever you are doing or however you are feeling – I wish you a joyous, healthy, safe and happy 2014 – with much love and heaps of fun too. Sx
Music drifting in modern sounds
clinking glasses as wine was found,
laughter filled the balmy air
the girls looked pretty sitting there.
Delicious smells in smoky night
candles shimmered in dimming light.
Roasted lamb with chopped mint leaves
sweet green salad with feta cheese.
Crispy chicken with succulent sauce
happy faces but of course!
Barbecuing with such flair.
I almost saw you standing there…
This has been a very busy and some what exciting week! It started when my sons Jo and Matt invited me to join them all on their summer holidays in August. They usually arrange something about this time of year but I have not been able to join them in recent years, as leaving Hamada for a fortnight in the care of others would not have been something I would have considered. This year they had their usual grand debate about having a villa in Tuscany or the South of France. They really love villa holidays and a large crowd all went together last year, having much fun. They are also lovers of the “All Inclusive†deals that take all the hassle out of arranging flights, accommodation and all the extras that go with a really good holiday. So this year we are all going to a very nice hotel near the Red Sea in Egypt. Both of my sons have been there before and do select well from the Hotels they know. This particular Hotel has a large casino, so I must put aside a little for that. What fun! Also Shisha and a nice Spa which Mummy likes very much. The recent troubles in Egypt have not reached this far, having a nephew in this area he assures me that all is calm and much the same as always. Egypt relies so much on it’s tourism that they must get back to normal as soon as possible. So lets hope it stays calm and peaceful and we get to go later in the year, I can’t wait!
So having then really got the holiday bug I booked a sneaky week away in May. Taking a page from their notebooks, doing the “all inclusive†thingy. This time a nice looking hotel about a mile from Denia on the Costa Blanca in Spain. I’m going back to a place I first visited in 1968. Denia was only a small port village then but is now a large rambling town. Set at the base of Mount Montgo, it has a very pretty Marina and I chose a hotel near to the sea-front and a room with a balcony. I shall look forward to doing a little walking in the May sunshine and also catching-up with an old friend while I am there too.
What a hoot! Two holidays booked in one week! Get me,the lady who has hardly left her village in five years, with only one exception, a short holiday in 2008 when we managed to take Hamada to Minorca, so he could dip his toes in the Mediterranean once more.
And so my exciting week continued…when attending a local auction I bid successfully on several lots, coming home with a much battered 1920’s writing desk. Needing much restoring but won for a ‘song’.
I may leave this desk with it’s busy past alone, as it seems to tell a story showing well it’s providence and what life has done to it, much like me really!
Then with a really silly bid, I managed to get a lovely picture that I fell in love with on the preview day. This picture shown below, called “Oranges and Lemons†was in a lot of two old pictures, well knocked about. I have cleaned and restored them and one now hangs in my sitting room the other, a sort of old Art Nouveau print is in a guest bedroom.
There was a few other little things but needless to say these also needed some restoration work, this will give me much pleasure to attempt and with little cost turn these bargains into something worthwhile. It was such an exciting day as my Sister Jenny and I were also bidding for another friend and I loved watching what items sold for, what we could manage to achieve and the antics of the whole procedure. We plan to make this a regular event, it’s such fun even if you don’t spend a thing. It was warm and cosy,we had lunch and even made new friends. Our local Town of Horncastle is well known for it’s antiques shops and with many house clearances that make-up the majority of these auctions. I am planning another little foray into this unique world of the local Auctions . Exciting it was!
Moving on now with days becoming more cheery and loads of Spring shoots appearing in the garden which always brighten your spirits. It goes without saying that of course I am still missing my special man very much, but there has been much excitement in the “Hemingway home†to keep me distracted. I have so much to be grateful for. Jo and his new lady arrived for a really nice weekend together with Ellie (my niece ) and Stu, with all of us having a jolly time at the village pub over a good meal. The house seemed brighter and it was lovely to have their company.
Firstly something to cheer and finishing last week, a new vamped kitchen! Bringing everything more up-to-date with wonderful work achieved by dear brother-in-law Ian. Keeping the cost down by using the little bit out-of date but still good condition, existing cabinets. I added two extra high level cookers and two new hobs. All the cabinets and power had to be redone with new under-shelf lighting and a microwave was added into a concealed cabinet to make it more streamline and modern. It was no easy task as rearranging an older kitchen is always so much harder than starting from scratch. It was long overdue but not being able to have the disruption while Hamada was poorly I am now thrilled with the result. Thank you Ian, for putting up with all my requests and for the perfect work achieved.
Also, as shown in top photo, I wanted you to see the wonderful work my sister Jenny did re-upholstering a chair that I’ve had since 1967 ! This chair with the most unusual shape being very wide at the back, was brought for me by a dear Aunt who is no longer with us and so the chair was much treasured. It was very shabby having been used all these years for everything from a nursing chair to an extra dining chair, and many more uses besides. I can see my babies sitting in this chair at various stages of their lives and so pleased that it could be saved with Jenny’s skill.
Jenny took this old chair stripping it right down to the solid oak frame, re-varnishing the woodwork, replacing stuffing, webbing and even piping and covering silk buttons, completing with this very beautiful but rather impracticable silk material. This was chosen by yours truly, a pattern I just fell in love with. I am so very thrilled with the result and the beautiful work that Jenny has done, it fits my eclectic/mishmash taste so well. Thank you Jenny for your skill and for saving this much loved chair. I wonder what dear Auntie Dot would have thought of it now? At 44 years old I think it looks splendid, what do you think readers ?
