Farewell sweetheart

Smitonius

 We called the vets in for a home visit, and they were very kind, sensitive and careful. We were able to be with her, and that meant she was at home and comfortable at the end. Our companion for 15 years, and will be missed.

A Very Merry Christmas ..

Sonata:

I wish you all a very merry Christmas with the people you love , excellent food , the occasional glass of something delicious and lots of good music !

Husband , Youngest Daughter and I will be munching our way through the usual turkey etc. and finishing on a literary note with a stylish Christmas pud. from Waterstone's , the bookshop in Amsterdam . And the Christmas music will be beautifully sung Polish carols from an ancient CD ( Vànocì Koledy ) I found in a junk shop .

The days when we could all be under the same roof for the holidays have passed but , as for so many other families , the phone will bring us all nearer and I , for one , am looking forward to hearing Eldest Grandson's long , rather breathless catalogue of Lego bits received and chocolate buttons eaten and Little Grandson's squawks of protest over the possible tardiness of milk delivery .

This year's Christmas Greetings are brought to you by a 1929 advertisement from a German magazine and might , with luck , mean an end to Bad Hair Days all round . And yes , I got a new plaster cast today and can move my fingers again .... hence the capital letters . Quite the best present so far !

" oh , have you broken your arm ? ". week 1

sonata :

the world's suddenly strangely different . i can't thread a needle or tie a bow . i can get dressed , after a fashion , but i can't do up my coat . i can't turn the pepper mill or drain the pasta . i can't put handcream on by myself but it doesn't matter because , within twenty-four hours , i realised that i couldn't do most of the things that make my skin dry , anyway . i hadn't realised how many languages i could swear in , either .

breaking your wrist and being one-handed requires a whole new battery of skills . for instance , you learn to grip things between your teeth or your feet ( this is not the time to be a denture wearer or lumbago sufferer )

mind you , the glow of sheer triumph when you get the top off the marmite jar does fade after breakfast , when you find that you can't open the shampoo bottle ( child-proof flip top ) .

still , you square your shoulders and stand plump but grubby , remembering that it's only for a few weeks ..... and , as people never tire of saying , it wasn't my right hand .

oh , and you might have noticed . i can only type one handed , so , not having any capital letters , this looks a bit odd .

More thrift than vintage...

Smitonius says:

Before I blog about my finds yesterday, I am sure you would want to know that Sonata has had a tumble off her bike and broken her left wrist. She is in remarkable spirits though, but finding out what she can and cannot do whilst bandaged up: she is not sorry she can't peel potatoes, but is sorry she can't sew. Hope she recovers well!

There was a vintage kilo sale yesterday in London, and I was ever so curious about what one might find to buy by weight. We were rather late in the day, but the racks were still loaded. Some dreadful things you would not have wanted first time around, like a Jesus gold and red waistcoat, but lots of vintage summer dresses, leather handbags from the 1950s (I scored a black faux snakeskin one), and staples such as jumpers, sweatshirts, jeans, and more.

I grabbed almost 3 kilos for the bargain price of £30. This netted me one vintage handbag, a cute waistcoat, and 13 tops. They are more thrift than vintage, to be fair, but will be worn! I would most certainly go again, earlier and armed with sharp elbows.

Keeping a cat company

Smitonius:

Have had a quiet day recovering from my recent eye laser treatment for Glaucoma, and keeping my cat company. She is now on medication for the kidney failure but, it has to be said, is not too happy about the whole thing so we don't think she is going to hang around for too long. Here she is posing with my new deer stalker hat:



The iridoplasty treatment has made the world an incredibly bright place, so I have taken to look like someone who needs to hide from the paparazzi: dark glasses and a brimmed hat. So I guess I have to start a new collection of brimmed hats for all seasons.....

The ( First ) Seven Days Of Christmas

Sonata: One scarf knitted and worn in lightning weekend dash to England.
Two grandsons inspected , cuddled and delighted in .
Three SinterKlaas parties held at the playschool with customary overexcitement , paper hats and presents .
Four hailstorms cycled through .
Five Christmas presents bought and one ditto card written .
Six endives blanched , wrapped in ham and gratineed .... and manfully resisted by me , depite the tantalising toasty cheese smell wafting through the house .
Seven tiny patchwork stars sewn , which only leaves another sixteen to do ...