WOYWW 595: The never-ending vineyard scarf & lion stories

The never-ending vineyard scarf, my current project, is now 1m long. 

It's getting tricky to photograph!

I'll get back to the Persian tiles afterwards but this is a present so I want it to be finished soon. I'll sew the leaves down a bit more, but want to leave them free a bit.

Here’s Thea introducing my work space this week, for What’s on your Workspace Wednesday. 

I should mention I’m left handed so when Thea relaxes on my left arm, like this, I’m doing no more crocheting! 

Thurs 22. It was one of those crisp, golden days that make you sure that they must mean winter is coming

I’d been moping over the birthday photos of my late mother, which Facebook so helpfully displayed. We decided to go out to lunch instead.

A quick call and we are on our way through Lyminge forest to the Duck at Pett Bottom

Through the forest, and out into the valley through the glorious hamlet of Lynsore Bottom, all Tudor houses, but a place I could never live, though for a while I did have riding lessons there.

The forest is a Site of Special Scientific interest, lots of rare species.

 

As the valley widened out, we were surprised to see a vineyard growing now on its slopes, although we know the big champagne producers like Taittinger have planted here. We’re on the same chalky terroir as Champagne and the move north is to preserve the character of the wine in the face of global warming.

And so to Pett Bottom and the pub which belonged to Ian Fleming’s aunt Joan. It has a blue plaque to him now. 

Inside has been done up and is no longer full of James Bond memorabilia. The shelves are now full of cookery books and odd preserves like bay leaf vinegar. 

When I asked what it was for, the waiter told me it was for curry; the chef-owner is South African and loves his curries. Not quite sure about vinegar in curries but never mind. 

The food was lovely, copious and tasty. I had a roast loin of pork with apricot purée. (Meat with jam as the French would say). 

We talked of the pub’s summer Braais, and I told the waiter Marcus Brigstoke’s story about biltong. It made Marcus fart so badly, that the safari guide thought he could smell lion. So every time, the safari guide said "lion", and they drove around, chasing Marcus’s farts. 

B and I reminisced, in part about that terrible restaurant south of Caderache, near Aix,  where we walked in, made terrified excuses and left. The bar’s inhabitants threw off the menace of a Scandi fascist motorbike club, and we couldn’t get out fast enough. The Duck had a much more welcoming atmosphere.

And so back through Lynsore Bottom and the forest and home to the cats.

Health

B is to have cataract ops, and the only place that can do them quickly is Benenden Hospital, in W Kent. We thought his covid test was Saturday, so we drove all the way there, but it was Sunday and we had to go back, this time in pouring rain. His op was due to be today, but they had an issue with his test (It "leaked"???) and so we'll be back again on Sunday for another test, and for an op at 8:00 next Wednesday. I know that at least he's having the op, when others wait endlessly, but our car will know the way there by itself soon.

Dino is improving slowly but I still have to give him antibiotics by syringe, grrrrr. Thea and I are ok. The cats are both in winter hibernation mode now, but say miaow to other cats on this blog!

Anyway, that's me for this week. I hope you all stay safe and well. I'm not good at getting round all the posts and am especially allergic to Xmas, but I'll visit where I can. Many thanks for your visit; I'd love it if you can leave a comment, please

hugs, Lynne

WOYWW #594 Vineyard scarves and canal songs

 Hi all, we're back having a look at our Wednesday workspaces, as hosted by Julia on the Stamping Ground. 

Thea is modelling the upper shelves of my work space this week..

I've been working on my vineyard scarf, all grapevine bobbles and autumn leaves. It started with a bunch of grapes or a leaf either side, but as it's determined to be unruly, I'm going with it:

As I've multiple strands of wool going, I'm now clipping the green balls to the side to reduce the tangle as I crochet.

Some people get aerated when crochet is mistaken for knitting. I've been known to do both, but this year I've been firmly wedded to crochet, which is what I'm doing above. The difference is well explained here:😀

The difference between knitting & crochet

Walk

   

I was back along the Royal Military canal, this week, at the Western end in Hythe.

There's a memorial to the builders of the canal here. There were fatalities, particularly where the sea rushed in when they were digging at the seaward end.

I've  had the song Manchester Ship Canal by June Tabor in my head all week since. I can't find a link to her version, but the song, originally known as Your Loving Son Dan is here:

http://www.waterwaysongs.info/your_loving_son.html

Dino isn't very happy with me as he's now having to put up with liquid medicine squirted into his mouth. Here he's complaining to B all about it.

B and I are mainly ok and he now has a date, 28 Oct for his first cataract op, so I may not participate next week.

Anyway, that's all from me this week. Thanks for your visit; I'd love it if you leave a comment. i'll get round as many of your blogs as I can x 

Take care, happy WOYWW, hugs, Lynne

WOYWW #593 gardens, vineyard scarves and stories

Hi all, welcome to my Wednesday workspace. This is part of our What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday, hosted by Julia on https://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

I've been working on my vineyard scarf this week. Ordering online makes it tricky to get the right colours, so I've lots of wool.

I started off with an over-the-top version, but I think it was too much. I even put a snail on one leaf.

I've enjoyed making lots of autumn leaves. I've since started a slightly more restrained version.

It's hard to keep a straight edge but I'm working on it.

Story

Neil Gaiman related a wonderful story this week, good for anyone with confidence issues as well as for people on the autistic spectrum. I was so impressed I've 

copied it and linked it here:

David Bowie's magic mask

Mystery object

Last week I asked you what my little carved owl was used for.

 When I was small, my father took over a warehouse. In the attic, he found a box of letters from a priest in a leper colony, and this little owl inkwell.

My mother wouldn't have the letters in the house; I don't know what happened to them. Still, I was allowed to keep the little owl. Its inkwell insert is missing, and I don't know how old it is. I remember the letters had stamps, so I'd guess 19th century.  No new mystery object this week, but I hope you enjoyed them.

Family

We're all improving. B's foot is better and the cats are mainly engaged in radiator-worshipping, Thea 's good morning greeting to me is always up close; she reminds me of the lionesses rubbing heads that we see on TV.

  

Holiday memory -Japanese gardens

Four years ago this week I was in Kanazawa on Japan's west coast. It is famed for the Kenro-kuen garden . I also went there for the ninja temple, full of secret panels, passages and traps (no photos allowed). 

Kanazawa has lots of smaller gardens, too.

This samurai garden was so peaceful I stayed for hours.

 

Anyway, that's me for this week. Many thanks for visiting; I'd love if you can leave a comment. Stay safe, hugs and happy WOYWW,

Lynne

 
 

David Bowie’s Magic Mask

 

A Neil Gaiman story;

My friend told me a story he hadn’t told anyone for years. When he used to tell it years ago people would laugh and say, ‘Who’d believe that? How can that be true? That’s daft.’ So he didn’t tell it again for ages. But for some reason, last night, he knew it would be just the kind of story I would love.

When he was a kid, he said, they didn’t use the word autism, they just said ‘shy’, or ‘isn’t very good at being around strangers or lots of people.’ But that’s what he was, and is, and he doesn’t mind telling anyone. It’s just a matter of fact with him, and sometimes it makes him sound a little and act different, but that’s okay.

 

Anyway, when he was a kid it was the middle of the 1980s and they were still saying ‘shy’ or ‘withdrawn’ rather than ‘autistic’. He went to London with his mother to see a special screening of a new film he really loved. He must have won a competition or something, I think. Some of the details he can’t quite remember, but he thinks it must have been London they went to, and the film…! Well, the film is one of my all-time favourites, too. It’s a dark, mysterious fantasy movie. Every single frame is crammed with puppets and goblins. There are silly songs and a goblin king who wears clingy silver tights and who kidnaps a baby and this is what kickstarts the whole adventure.

 

It was ‘Labyrinth’, of course, and the star was David Bowie, and he was there to meet the children who had come to see this special screening.

 

‘I met David Bowie once,’ was the thing that my friend said, that caught my attention.

 

‘You did? When was this?’ I was amazed, and surprised, too, at the casual way he brought this revelation out. Almost anyone else I know would have told the tale a million times already.

 

He seemed surprised I would want to know, and he told me the whole thing, all out of order, and I eked the details out of him.

 

He told the story as if it was he’d been on an adventure back then, and he wasn’t quite allowed to tell the story. Like there was a pact, or a magic spell surrounding it. As if something profound and peculiar would occur if he broke the confidence.

 

It was thirty years ago and all us kids who’d loved Labyrinth then, and who still love it now, are all middle-aged. Saddest of all, the Goblin King is dead. Does the magic still exist?

 

I asked him what happened on his adventure.

 

‘I was withdrawn, more withdrawn than the other kids. We all got a signed poster. Because I was so shy, they put me in a separate room, to one side, and so I got to meet him alone. He’d heard I was shy and it was his idea. He spent thirty minutes with me.

 

‘He gave me this mask. This one. Look.

 

‘He said: ‘This is an invisible mask, you see?

 

‘He took it off his own face and looked around like he was scared and uncomfortable all of a sudden. He passed me his invisible mask. ‘Put it on,’ he told me. ‘It’s magic.’

 

‘And so I did.

 

‘Then he told me, ‘I always feel afraid, just the same as you. But I wear this mask every single day. And it doesn’t take the fear away, but it makes it feel a bit better. I feel brave enough then to face the whole world and all the people. And now you will, too.

 

‘I sat there in his magic mask, looking through the eyes at David Bowie and it was true, I did feel better.

 

‘Then I watched as he made another magic mask. He spun it out of thin air, out of nothing at all. He finished it and smiled and then he put it on. And he looked so relieved and pleased. He smiled at me.

 

‘'Now we’ve both got invisible masks. We can both see through them perfectly well and no one would know we’re even wearing them,’ he said.

 

‘So, I felt incredibly comfortable. It was the first time I felt safe in my whole life.

 

‘It was magic. He was a wizard. He was a goblin king, grinning at me.

 

‘I still keep the mask, of course. This is it, now. Look.’

 

I kept asking my friend questions, amazed by his story. I loved it and wanted all the details. How many other kids? Did they have puppets from the film there, as well? What was David Bowie wearing? I imagined him in his lilac suit from Live Aid. Or maybe he was dressed as the Goblin King in lacy ruffles and cobwebs and glitter.

 

What was the last thing he said to you, when you had to say goodbye?

 

‘David Bowie said, ‘I’m always afraid as well. But this is how you can feel brave in the world.’ And then it was over. I’ve never forgotten it. And years later I cried when I heard he had passed.’

 

My friend was surprised I was delighted by this tale.

  

‘The normal reaction is: that’s just a stupid story. Fancy believing in an invisible mask.’

 

But I do. I really believe in it.

 

And it’s the best story I’ve heard all year.

Paul Magrs (via yourfluffiestnightmare)

WOYWW #592 :wood and vines

Here we are again, having a sneak peek at each other's workspaces on a Wednesday, courtesy of Julia on the Stamping ground.

 I mentioned last week that I love different woods. I’ve now created a little space on my work shelves for some. It’s a space that gives me quiet pleasure  

At the back is a jewellery roll made for me by my best friend LLJ, and a needle case my local friend Liz made for me. Front left is a bowl with a few treasures in it: a first pruning of the vineyard in Beaujolais,   2 Furls crochet hooks (pretty, but..or all fur coat and no knickers as we’d say at home 🤣) and some beads. More details below, after the craft section.

I’ve had to do some sorting this week. My bobbins are great for multiple colour changes but the rotation snatches up any loose thread and needs sorting before it gets into the mess below. A bit of untangling required.

                                       

I struggled this week with that Gloria crochet project I fell in love with, but the yarn and pattern are so fiddly I really wasn't enjoying it. So I've admitted defeat and have put the yarn, which I worked so hard to source, up for sale. 😿. I don't ever like giving up, but what's the point? I simply wasn't enjoying it.

So I am continuing with my Persian tiles (triangles now, I need 12) and I have a new project: 

The vineyard scarf. this is just a proof of concept piece so far.  

I saw a vine blanket pattern, with nice bobbles for the grapes, but the leaves were apple rather than grape vine, and it was very neat. I'm going to create a wilder 3d scarf, with green and autumn leaves, twiddles for the little curly tendrils, and it will all be fun to create. The background colour will be variegated stone, but these photos give an idea.

it’s 44 years since my better half discovered grape picking in Beaujolais, and 41 years since I first went there with him. 

The family there have become our family, and the granddaughter of our first boss is now our goddaughter.

We don't pick grapes any more (it is HARD work, especially when you party till 03:00 and get up 4 hours later to start work again!) but we keep in touch. This year is a very good year for Beaujolais- it was a very hot summer. 

 
 This is my favourite photo of the vineyards, taken by our friend Jean-Pierre Commarmont . 

Here is our god-daughter, Alexia, in the vineyard this year.

Mystery object

Well, last week's mystery was a bit easier, it was indeed a bone folder. 6 of you guessed it correctly, and I picked Sarah Brennan’s name out of my hat!

Sarah, your mask adapter prize is in the post. Well done all! 

This week is a little different. the picture below is clearly of a carved owl, but what was it used for?

Family

Well, we've all been a bit laid up this week, apart from Thea, pictured here warming up after being out in the rain. 

 We finally gritted our teeth and took Dino to the vets. They confirmed his lungs are ok, did a swab and it's a feline bacterial infection so he has antibiotics that hopefully will cure it. He didn't speak to us for about 3 days after, and hid under the settee whenever we came into the room. I must talk to the vets about feline PTSD but I fear it's incurable. You can't exactly do CBT with a cat, can you?

He's forgiven us now and is back to practicing hibernation with Thea.

On the right of my wood shelf s a little covered bowl which my father brought back from WW2. It’s one of my most treasured possessions. It has a carving of the shrine of Miyajima, in Japan, on the lid. Miyajima was an almost mythical place for me when I was young, my father venerated it so much. He taught me to use chopsticks, to count to 5 in Japanese and always talked of the beauty of Miyajima. 

It is a mystery how he could love Japan so much. Most of his contemporaries hated Japan for its atrocities. My father, as a Marine, accompanied many of the POWs home . Sadly he died in 1979 before I realised the oddness of it. When I went to Japan 4 years ago, this week, I got off the ferry in Miyajima and burst into tears. 😭 I wanted to tell him I’d finally made it.

My better half has had gout and I pulled a tendon in my knee so we haven't been out for walks. 

Both are minor irritations, and responding to treatment, so soon over. My treatment was CBD ointment and sitting with my feet up crocheting and watching the French open tennis, so no hardship! There are some excellent youngsters making their mark this year, so it's very interesting.

Anyway, have  great week, and stay safe! 

I really appreciate your visit and a comment would be lovely

many thanks

hugs

Lynne