Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Silver Work

As a hobby I have been attending the Jewellery and Enamelling Classes run at Fydell House in Boston. The house is an old merchants house built in the 1700s and is part of the Boston Heritage. Next door to the house is the Guildhall where the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower were incarcerated prior to sailing to the Americas. A very big restoration project has just been completed at the Guildhall which was opened to the public again at Easter.


We students were asked to exhibit our work during the opening. As the security would be a problem it was agreed that we would exhibit our work by photograph. Now that the exhibition is over the photographs which were taken have been given to us. Below are the photos of my work.


The first is of a bangle and under that a pendant and broach






The next a pair of boxes - sorry that the size is not clear but the round box is 5 centimetres tall and 4.5 in diameter - the other box is 7.5 long 4.5 wide and 1.5 high. The bangle fits me.




Thimble - candle stick and spoon with "strawberry forks"



A selection of rings and a bangle and broach which are made from the offcuts of silver from other work. This is one of Margaret's favourites



And finally a pendant which was my first attempt at mounting a stone.


Monday, March 24, 2008

Easter Sunday 2008

Both our children aquired a dog at about the same time - both for some reason and unknown to each other called their dogs Max. Robert and Zarah's Max appears in this blog in previous posts so here is Samantha and Jim's Max for R & Z to see.




Easter Sunday dawned to a small blizzard.




Much to the grandchildren's ???????? delight


A job well done apart from him loosing his hat.

Some snow left over for a seat



Sunday, March 16, 2008

Wedding Lists

We have been ferreting about in the bottom of the old oak chest. There are a lot of carrier bags in the bottom of the chest containing lots of old papers and photographs. One of the many things we have found is the list that Margaret prepared to give to family and friends as a guide to what to buy us for wedding presents. It makes interesting reading







I know that we did not get the clothes line and pegs because that is what we gave to each other for our first Christmas presents - the 6 odd plates and the cheap tea service bemuse me but I think that it shows how much the standard of living has changed in the last 44 years.



Rob asks "What is prestige about a Prestige Whisk"



Here is a photo of the whisk purchased for us as a wedding present in 1964


Still working after 44 years and looking good as new. Over engineered - high quality.

IN MEMORIAM







Geoffrey Rushworth died 1962



Dorothy Rushworth (Nee Lockey) died 2008


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Photo of their wedding 25th December 1939

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In civilian clothes
















Monday, March 10, 2008

Old Family Photos

We have been going through Margaret's Mums things and found the wedding photos taken when her mother - Margaret's grandmother - was married at the turn of the century. The photos were taken in the Botanical Gardens Sheffield in 1911 and judge for yourselves the opulence. First a photo of Margaret's grandad




Now a family group


And now the whole wedding group




The wedding breakfast was a quiet affair at the bride's home


Winter 2007/8

It has been a quiet time as the weather has not encouraged much outside activity. However the daffodils are now showing and the world is waking up to 2008 so here are a few photographs to see us into Spring.

The new owner of the field around us has been busy ploughing and planting - the field is now covered in Polythene fleece and looks like a series of lakes which have waves on them in the 70mph wind we have today.

The view from upstairs gives a wider angle



The daffodils are out both full size and miniature









We are visited by the cock pheasants each morning so that they can eat our chicken's feed - if one of them catches a chicken will we end up with phicken eggs ??

The Council have spent the winter working on the road outside which has been closed to traffic for 8 weeks - what peace - no cars or lorries. We have of course had the works going on as they widen the road. First the road edge was dug up then the new wider tarmac was laid then rolled and then we got a set of curbs - nothing posh just enough to protect the new telegraph post which has been put just for us !!!!



Between the road works - the earthquake and the gales our brand new chimney has been damaged and I can hear it banging back and forth as I sit here underneath it. Micheal says that he will come and look at it as soon as he can but he is flat out with all the work to repair the damage the earthquake etc has caused.

Roll on the spring and a bit of warmth so that we can get out and garden etc.