Christmas Preparations

From Facebook Archives

4 June 2024 at 19.10

The Christmas knitting has commenced. 

I've set myself the task of making a Knitivity, or at least completing the one Carey started and had to give up on due to failing eyesight.

She's done most of Mary and Joseph, six arms and legs and some other bits of Shepherds.

The pattern is a bit beige and I decided there should be a bit more diversity in the three kings (as LD:NorthEast's staff and clients are diverse).  

Here are Caspar, Balthazaar and Melchior to represent Northern European, African and Asian people (admittedly I shall have to do something about Balthazaar's bizarre beard).

The next bit of the project will be the three shepherds.

Mrs Lasagne  So cute

Mrs Bun  They look great. Leave the beard it's fabulous. X

Mrs Bursar  Is that you thinking about Christmas?!

Bentonbag  Mary, Joseph, 3 shepherds, 3 kings, an angel, a sheep (or two), donkey, camel, manger and baby Jesus take some knitting ... Once we'd stopped doing Easter bunnies at knit'n'natter we started on snowmen for Xmas, but we've been sidetracked into baby hats for hospitals.

I once commented to Mrs Bursar that she was planning Christmas things a bit early: such remarks are seldom forgotten.

Everything Carey made she put into little zip-freezer bags with the contents written on the label.  “Kings: 6 arms 6 legs” was a little offputting

The knitivity was finally given to LDNE for Christmas 2025.  This was because every swaddled baby Jesus I made looked like a maggot.  Friends told me this was normal.  Mrs Quilt finally came to my rescue by knitting a tiny nappied baby Jesus that I made a little nightie for.

 

 

Hedgehog Headless Cherub

From Facebook Archives

3 June 2020 at 22.49

After seeing the hedgehog a few nights ago I've started taking a bowl of the day's rejected catfood and putting it up by the bower and the pond. It is always gone by morning, licked clean yesterday.   

This evening as I was coming back towards the house with 3 captured snail who should come under the back gate but the hedgehog.  It stopped and looked at me. I said hello, put the snails covered up in the trug so they can't get away, and came back in.   

Not sure if it was the same one as last time.

Fay  Given the choice of cat food or snails, you might find the snails still there...

Bentonbag  I'm hoping it gets the slugs and snails I don't catch.

Fay  It’s useful to put out a shallow bowl of fresh water for them in dry weather. 

He (or she) will pop in regularly if they know where to find food and water.

Bentonbag  Frog pond #1 and #2 and an old grill pan by the garage.  Somebody keeps knocking Bruce-the-headless-cherub into the pond.  I've made a ramp out of an old broken chimney pot so creatures can get safely down to (and out of) the water.

Fay  That might be the hog - they’re a bit clumsy.

Mrs Walker  Ben, I expect there's a story behind why your cherub is headless - and why he's called Bruce?!

Bentonbag  He's named after the bloke who was head of Woodlawn.  Once when we were sorting out stuff for a Summer Fair a terracotta cherub fell out of his packaging and knocked his head off.  As there's no way we could have sold him, I brought him home, superglued the head back on and sat him next to the pond.  Sometimes he goes a funny colour (mould? slimemould?) but it always stops at the neck so he looks as if he's wearing a skintight onesie.

Woolerwoman  I've got several of those large plant pot saucers around with water in and keep them clean and fresh. The hedgehogs use them regularly and birds use them as a bath!

Mr Mull  Rejected cat food - is one of your chaps getting fussy about their food?

Bentonbag  Always have done, it used to go on the bird table - magpies and starlings love it.

 

 

Mobile Snails Jubilee

From Facebook Archives

2 June 2018 at 17:37

Panicking because I couldn't find my mobile. 

It's in my bra - no pockets in dress

Mr Minor  Happiness is a warm phone...

Ms Elplates  I’m fed up with clothes without pockets.  New designs needed for the modern woman!

Dicky Brown  You'll never lose your ding a ling,

Mrs Leftfoot  Was it on vibrate?

Mrs Poet  Everything is always in my bra.  

When I first disrobed before my current husband he was confronted with a £ coin and a metro ticket.

2 June 2020 at 20.36

Torchlit snail patrol in the rain produced 4 snails, obviously coming out of their hiding places.   

Good to hear the water butts filling up.   

Everything will look much greener tomorrow, and there'll be less watering to do.

Woolerwoman  I should have put out a severe weather warning!  Sorry - didn't think yesterday but it's obvious now - the plumber came to me yesterday and fitted an outside tap - so obviously it will rain for the rest of the year.  Sorry.

Twinny P  This is what the snails in my garden have been waiting for; 'Night of the slow chew' as they attack my runner bean.  Expect devastation in the morning.

Bentonbag  Go out with a torch, never mind what the neighbours will think.  

My record a very wet summer a few years ago was 25 in 15 minutes.  You also chance to see a hedgehog or frogs.

Twinny P  The younger-son did a virtual scout camp in the garden and saw our hedgehog on his nightly ramble.

2 June 2022 at 15.18

I keep thinking it's Saturday.   

And that tomorrow's Saturday as well.  

And the day after ...

Mr Melodeon  No it’s Ma’am Day!   

Tomorrow is also holiday so it’s Calm Day.  

Or if you are having fish it could be Fry Day!…

Madame Fifi  I'm confused too, doesn't take much these days.  I thought yesterday was Friday.

Miss Doozer  I don't know the day of the week without looking at my watch and haven't done since Christmas 2019

Woolerwoman  Yes and me but don't know what day it is, but I do know it's cold and miserable.

Mrs BW  Me too.

Fifi D  I only know when it’s pay day!!!

Darklady  What’s so special about Saturday??

Woolerwoman  It's a bit like the days around Christmas and New Year, and the telly doesn't help!

 

I knitted the Queen for LDNE's Jubilee decorations and added the pair of angel wings when 

HM Queen Elizabeth passed away.  I wondered whether people might find it disrespectful but far from it.  Most years she is the angel at the top of LDNE’s Christmas tree.