Zebedee update

Look who came to lunch today......little Zebedoodle. Guess who also weighs 9lb 4 oz?

Bellringing in strange places

Sorry for the last mushy post succumbing to the pressures of the media machine.
Here's one on a much higher level.......
Last Saturday we both just wanted to stay home & vegetate, but we had said yes to the quarterly meeting of the Norwich Diocessan Association of Bellringers (Proving there is an association for everything).
I know it doesn't sound all that scintilating but actually it was . Just as well we went. We got to ring the bells at another amazing church in a place called Garboldisham (pronounced Garblesham for some unknown reason). These little country Churches have the most amazing artifacts in them. Look at this beautiful kneeler with passion fruit flowers on it, next to the tessellated tiles.

and this ancient painted screen with the faces all scratched out, probably by Oliver Cromwell's men in the 17th century.

And this ancient head stock from a bell.

There's always the Mother's Union banner too & this one was a beautiful Art Deco example.

Another reason why I love being here in Norfolk UK

A Valentine at last

After saying I didn't really mind about not getting anything for Valentines day, I realised I did...somehow Richard picked up on this & brought home a big bunch of tulips & a Sea Bass for dinner on Friday night. So here it is... evidence of no longer being on the shelf.

At last....

At last the whole white and gold set of Vestments for East Harling Church is finished.....

Here are a few photos taken in the workroom...the Stole...

The Burse....

Strangly enough it was the Burse that took the most time, it all had to be hand sewn. The one I undid to see inside had the tiniest stitches I have ever seen. It was made of beautiful silk like babies skin. I had calculated perfectly for the amounts of braid I had to use...PHEW.

They wont be seen now until Easter, but that's not that far away now. We are already learning the songs for it in the choir.

New boots

Here, a couple of photos of his Royal Tiny-ness Zebedee Man in his very beautiful new boots with his tired (but still very beautiful) Mum.

My clever sister

My darlingest loveliest sister is coming to visit us for Richard's birthday in April....it's a BIG birthday for him. One of those scary decade ones & so we are honoured to have Thomsey Tom coming to stay for a whole month. There will be much squealing & cooking & sewing & Stately Home action over here. We are trying to book a week in a spectacular house in......wait for it................THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. Here's the link of the Lemon house in Collioure http://www.collioure.com.au/index.htm They haven't replied to my emails yet.... oh my I hope it's available. How unbelievably exotic.

The following pictures are of a curtain Suez (said sister) has done for her local bookstore. So clever. All appliqued.

They look exactly like the Maisie Mouse drawings.

Wow snow in London

Snow at the "Eye". Wouldn't that be wonderful from the top. (Pic is a link to where I got it from)

Romance

On Sunday night, too tired to drive home, we stayed the night with our buddies Julie & Stef at their London pad in West Hamstead.

I've known Julie for more years than I care to remember. We met when she was the furnishings buyer at David Jones (an upmarket retail store in Melbourne) and I was an up & coming cushion maker in sunny St Kilda Melbourne Australia. We catch up every now & again in a big way for a talk-fest...Ricardo & Stef are very understanding of our need for gossip & news.

They came to our wedding. Here they are looking absolutely gorgeous side by side.

Stef had some photos of our wedding that we hadn't seen before....in the church that we now know so well, from bellringing & singing in the choir.

On the wedding barge...

William Fairbank Esquire...

and Humphrey Bogart, whom Stef fell in love with.

Joey Gets BLOGNAPPED BY A CAT

Wolfie Wolfenstein, courageous and daring cat/dog and owner of Ed and Gita has napped the blog and reports on last weekends activities in the household where he lives:
"My heroes Ed and Gita invited these oldies, Jo and Richard, down from the wilds of Norfolk, where Gita was partly brought up.

Talk about rude - as soon as Ed's back was
turned the old geezer was messin' about with his instruments, trying to play the Saw;
well - I can sing better than the noise he
was making on it.
They went out that night to see my Ed play with Sandy Dillon. Now she IS one WILD CAT imagine if you crossed Screamin Jay Hawkins with Tom Waits and added a dose of Joplin ( thats Janis not Scott ) you'd be a bit near it - check her and Ed out (that's my boy with the white hat )
This is him with the black hat in Salty Pirate Ed mode

They brought with them a couple of monkeys here's one of them with Ed and Geetz you can see they are being very nice about it as you know how smelly monkeys can be.
At least the monkey that my guys have WEARS CLOTHES, in fact a space suit as he is an astromonkey here he gives them a few pointers on space travel and personal hygeine.,

I must confess though that the darker monkey could fly and scream which just made me want to maul her even more. Anyway they went home on Sunday so I had the house to myself again. mmmmmmmmmmmm might have to start my own blog after this , love Wolfie xxx "

Lampshade

Finally after living in this house for more than a year. We no longer lie in bed staring at a bare bulb.

I found this gorgeous silk at Laura Ashley & made the shade after a customer brought it to me to make a Roman blind, a cushion & to cover a picture frame with it (good idea for later on...maybe a in few more years we'll get some pictures on the walls).