Friday 17 February 2012

The Apron!




I recently received an email from my lovely friend, Amanda,

who had received it from her dad.

Too good to read and then throw in the deleted bin...

I thought I would share it with you.

Enjoy!!

******


THE APRON


I don't think our children know what an apron is!!

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath
because she only had a few.

It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses
and aprons used less material.

But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion
was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs,
fussy chicks and sometimes half-hatched eggs
to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how
much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch,
waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to
come in from the fields to dinner.


It will be a long time before someone invents something
that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Send this to those who would know (and love) the story about Grandma's aprons.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Happy Birthday Meggy!! ;-) x



It's someone's birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEGGY!!

Where did that year go?!!

I hope that she has a lovely day with her mummy and daddy!

We're looking forward to seeing her at the weekend.

Meanwhile , yesterday, Mr S took me to Totnes.



Totnes was very much in the mood for love! ;-)



And to have lunch out... was a real treat!




I did get flowers...and just for a laugh, Mr S got an onion

(along with a bottle of wine, naturally!)



Hope you had a good day too ;-)

Meanwhile, I have some presents to wrap, for Saturday!

;-)


Tuesday 14 February 2012

Darling...I give you an onion! ;-)


Valentine

by Carol Ann Duffy


Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.

It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.

It promises light

like the careful undressing of love.

Here.

It will blind you with tears

like a lover.

It will make your reflection

a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.

Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,

possessive and faithful

as we are,

for as long as we are.

Take it.

Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,

if you like.

Lethal.

Its scent will cling to your fingers,

cling to your knife.

Sunday 12 February 2012

The Vintage and Textile Fair, Tavistock.



Let's start off with cake!




Then it will give us enough energy to journey through

the rest of this blog post.




Yesterday, we set off early and travelled across Dartmoor,

to Tavistock.

Lying on the River Tavy and on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park,

Tavistock is a lovely little town,

full of history. It also has a traditional, market hall.

Furthermore, it has this stunning town hall, which is where we spent the day.





We were there to take part in the Vintage and Textile Fair,

which was superbly organised by a lady called Sian.

I don't know how she did it but all day long there were crowds of people

coming through the doors. I was amazed!

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Tavistock too!




I took along all my vintage fabrics and few other bits and pieces.







My friend Amanda was next to me, with all her

wonderful vintage quilts, china, linens etc



There were many people whom I didn't know, stalling there

but here are some snippets of the things they had on offer, each stall

being beautifully displayed.











And then there was that cake...and more!

'More Tea Vicar' provided us, and many others, with all the nourishment

that one needed for the day.

And not just cake...home made soup for lunch, as well!

Oh..and not forgetting the home made chutney and marmalade

with which Avril was also tempting us!!



A huge thank you to Sian for organising another brilliant fair!

;-)