So this time it's really about Vintage

Why Vintage ... well here goes - it's about time I said something about why I am VintageBarbara.

There was a time when I lived in a grey world, of black and white TV, in a 1930s semi detached house with no central heating.  The house also contained a small bookcase of works by Dickens and Huxley (but little else for a while). I did have shoes though. I went on holidays, packed in the back seat of the car with all the luggage, to spend two weeks in a tent in Devon with Mum and Dad.  Always, given the option, I chose the tent in Devon, close to Dartmoor - my favourite place was Dartmeet. (I loved the cream teas they served there too.) I was an average kid who didn't enjoy school much (sadly, on reflection) and much preferred playing with my pals (mostly the boys I grew up with) in the park, making dens in the woods, riding on box carts and climbing trees, or just walking.  I lived opposite a large park and would escape there whenever I could. Some things have stayed with me since that time, as I loved them and I cannot say why.

A love of cars! Special for me was my Dad's garage, detached brick and tile with rafters hung with all sorts of things  I especially remember that oil and metal smell from work on the car and the tools he stored there. Sundays were often spent in the garage helping him paint something or fix the car. Dad was originally an engineer, but eventually found that selling engineering tools was more lucrative, and provided us with the car he couldn't have afforded otherwise. To earn my pocket money I would clean the car, polish the chrome and make sure it was sparkling.  Dad taught me how to change a wheel when I was about 10 years old.  He had a new car every few years and it was always the latest model of whatever the fleet were handing out. I do remember a blue Consul Classic with wings at the back and that back swept rear window. I know, basic stuff, nothing truly exciting, but it seemed so to me as a small kid at the time. Brooklands is a place I go to now sometimes just to smell that garage smell again.

Brooch by Sphinx

A love of jewellery. Back in the dark days of school, I was told I would have to learn to play the piano so I could be a concert pianist like my Aunt. To me, the music was dull, the scales repetitive and seemingly pointless. I was far more interested in by the brooch worn by my piano teacher than playing the piano. I knew if I played my scales very very very evenly she would close her eyes and seemingly nod off. Yes she did!  It passed the time and the lesson was soon over. Long after the piano lessons ceased and my memory of that faded away, I remembered that brooch.  I now know it was most likely by Sphinx and I am pretty sure I have one like it now (above right).

A love of Star Cut glass. You know that simple tiny star design you see etched on some old glasses? The first time I saw a glass like that, Dad was picking up a special ring he had bought for Mum from a local antique shop. I must have been about 10 years old, possibly younger, and had 7s 6d to spend on something for Mum too. I had no idea what to buy for her, and was just looking around. Then I saw them, the little glasses - a set of four - each with a little handle and studded with stars.  I fell in love with them instantly. So excited, I went over to Dad and asked him to have a look at them. He agreed they were lovely, but I couldn't afford them. They were a guinea! So disappointed and crestfallen I tried to find a way to buy them but there was no way I would be able to find the money. However, as we were leaving the antique dealer said I could have them for whatever money I had. He said he had never seen anyone so young get so genuinely excited about an antique. I was stunned (still am - I don't think Dad coughed up on the quiet either, the antique dealer genuinely let me have them for about a third of the marked price). I gave them to Mum for Christmas that year. She loved them too. I still have the glasses, and many more with that design since.

Having said all of this, today is better. It's in colour for a start. So don't think that loving a few good things from the past means I would rather be there. Oh no. Now is good. Now I have the galactic interweb and can buy things from all over the world at the click of a button. Ooops. There I go again. Someone please save me from eBay (no don't actually). 

Still to come:
Fabrics
Roses

More things, and much more on Jewellery, much much more. Be warned!

Spring #Innit ... a time of change

So Twitter says #Hashtags and @signs are passé and old hat, and they will go. I don't mind about losing the @sign, just type a name or use a dropdown, I can deal with that.  That reminds me of the old days when you had to use <b> to embolden a word, or <u> for underline was it?  In Wordperfect or Prime or Nixdorf? Yes I am that old! I barely remember now! So yes, we got rid of upfront HTML in word processing so it makes sense.  But I would miss the #Hashtag. Still, many of us don't use it in the way that Twitter does. Its a joke. That's the whole point. So #LongLiveTheHashtag.  And Twitter is eight years old - I wonder how anachronistic hashtags will seem in another eight years time!

Spring means a big change of course, and it's here now thank goodness.  Already the Snowdrops and Crocus are fading, some of the early Daffodils in the garden are already going over. The Hyacinths are out, and we await the Tulips, Forget-me-nots and Bluebells.  The dark red leaved Cherry, the loveliest of trees, has dropped nearly all its delicate pale pink petals now.  And glory of glories, the Magnolia has opened up at last. British Summer Time approaches fast! 

For so many weeks we watched the flood waters rise, with terrible consequences for so many. Now there is little evidence to be seen, apart from the towpath down by the bridge being covered in silty sludge and the water table still high, evident in some water meadows. The real consequences for so many people are hidden inside their houses, now being dried out and refurbished. Recovery will take time.   

This time of year brings many sad memories for me.  My Mum, Dad and Auntie all passed away in March and early April.  Its 'that time' when energy returns, or not. This week I went to the funeral of an old family friend. She lived a long life, full of joys and lots of hardship too.  We had kept in touch with her and were glad to hear from her son that those small acts of kindness, letters, photos, just keeping in touch, had been very welcome and supported her over the years. Those little things matter so much, letting someone know you care, if not spoken out loud, by just not letting go and abandoning them.

There were good things to remember at the funeral, old friends to reconnect with and time to remember the life we lived 30 years ago. For me, a moving moment was seeing the son of a friend, looking so like his Uncle who died tragically years back. Time became meaningless and for a fleeting moment he was standing in front of me again.

So excuse me if I am a little melancholy and reflective at the moment, it's that time of year. I am comforted by the thought of good days ahead, and I can carry with me the wonderful  memories of family and old friends. 

#SorryIfThatsAllABitWoollyAndTooFloweryThatsHowIAmFeelingRightNow

Watery Winter Walk ... or What A Difference A Week Makes

Just over a week ago I took a much needed walk in the sunshine along the tow-path and over the bridge to Hampton Court gardens.  I also started a blog, which for many reasons I didn't manage to finish at the time. Time to catch up. My pleasant walk started as follows with photos to show the river levels.
Friday 7th February ... 
Some of you may know how much I love a wander around Hampton Court. My favourite time is in Winter. Access to the gardens is free between October and March, there are fewer tourists so you can enjoy the fabulous views and architecture in peace.

So with a break in the awful rain, bright sunshine and blue skies encouraged me to take a stroll and see if Spring has started to stir.  The path along the Thames, heading towards the Lytyens Bridge over the river is my starting point.  Taking the tow-path with Molesey Boat Club to my right, I head along down to Molesey Lock to see if the flooding is as bad as the last visit. This time the path is clear, the water is high but I have seen it much higher.

Onwards past the Lock, all is well there. I head past and over the bridge. The main road is busy as usual ... always take care at the traffic lights crossing from The Mitre over to the entrance to Hampton Court.  As a driver it's too easy to concentrate on the roundabout ahead as you come down the slope of the bridge and miss the crossing. There have been so many accidents there. The traffic lights have been improved but really, never take a risk there.

The Skating Rink and the Merry-Go-Round which covered much of the lawn in front of the Palace is gone now. So many enjoyed all of that over the Christmas period, now there's just an echo of laughter left.  The grass has been patched up a bit will be back to a smooth green sward by Spring. Now head down to the Palace, but take a sharp left just before the Moat and head towards the Tilt Yard Cafe ... plenty of good grub in there but not right now. Take a sharp right to the Gardens, the Maze is to your left but I am not going there today.  The main road into Kingston is over the wall to the left and you can just hear the noise of the traffic in the distance.

Here in the gardens there are the stark bare trees with shrubs underneath, and hidden under the shrubs are the snowdrops, carefully planted by the gardeners and now in full bloom. Crocus in yellow, mauve and purple are also opening up, scattered occasionally across the lawns.  Onwards through the entrance where you normally would have to pay or show a ticket ... enter for free for now and enjoy the gorgeous Hellebores in full bloom (I wish mine were as good).
Go on around the paths and find the gates leading to a grove of trees heading towards Kingston upon Thames.  All of a sudden the sunlight strikes a church tower in the distance. Surely not, I had never realised there was a path direct from Hampton Court, with a bridge over the water, then on through the beautiful glade of trees to All Saints Church in the distance. All of a sudden it has gone, the sunlight no longer highlighting the tower, no, its back again, the tower a beacon in the distance. I turn around and behind me an avenue of beautifully trimmed Yew trees and the Palace stretch ahead. I wonder who designed that?! I must find out one day. 
Moving on through the gardens the sky is bright and clear, it's windy but not too bad. There are patches of watery gravel on the path with trees and sky reflected, more apt than I realise just then, as I try to capture the vision.
I long for green and the Spring but realise there's plenty of green around. The moss is thick and rich on the north side of the walls in the gardens, and the green of the lichen and algae on the Beech Tunnel is bright.


For the rest of the walk I wander around just taking pictures and people watching, those few who are here seem to have specific interests, or walk around with the maps wondering where to go next.  


I carry on until my sore feet tell me to head home, make a cup of tea and download my pictures.  It has been a lucky day, bright sunshine makes up for all the grey days of the past week.



I am no historian, so I won't pretend I have done loads of research but leave you with a few links so you can browse if that's what takes you fancy.
 



Firstly the official Hampton Court website:  http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/

A bit from the site about the Conservation of the Tudor Chimneys is rather interesting and probably calls for one of my photos of some of the chimneys!

http://www.hrp.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/AboutUsWhatwedoBuildingConservationProfileDecorativeChimneys

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/hampton_court_01.shtml
Jonathan Foyle's BBC documentary 'Hampton Court: The Lost Palace' about discovering Wolsey's Hampton Court.

This book looks interesting and may have the answer to my question about the planting of the trees in the direction of All Saints, Kingston. http://www.gardenhistorysociety.org/post/publications/book-reviews/the-gardens-and-parks-at-hampton-court-palace/

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22209
British History on-line also has a very interesting article which indicates that the three double avenues radiating from the east side of the Palace were designed in the reign of Charles II. More research is needed and books are to be ordered!


Sunday 9th February : 
And there were going to be more links but time got the better of me and by Sunday we had a different view of the river. 

East Molesey Cricket Club field was underwater .... the tow-path to Hampton Court no longer navigable unless you are in a boat.  The cafe at the Cricket Club was still in business but the outlook while we had our tea and cake was a little different to what you would expect... 

The tow path from the Boat Club is underwater so you have to take the main road to get up to the Bridge.  If you want to sit down and take in the view you will be out of luck ...

The Mitre looked fine at the time but since this picture was taken I think the lights are off  at the lower level.

The residents of Hurst Road closest to the bridge were having to start pumping their cellars presumably due to rising groundwater.

The Emporium in Bridge Road also had the pumps going but they said it was working fine and all was well. We took a stroll around as usual and certainly it seems dry and warm in there!

Friday 15th February 
So ... a week later we have floods all around. I won't repeat all the reports in the press, we all know about Chertsey, Walton, Datchet etc. Hopefully Molesey has come off better than many places.Along the Hurst Road the residents are now aided by tankers in removing the water from flooded cellars.

The high winds last night have resulted in many trees and branches coming down. The worst I saw from my rather limited walk around was  a car and van with a tree on top (I believe there may also have been another car but didn't see that).

I don't know if anyone was hurt but hopefully it's only the vehicles that are damaged (I know bad enough if it's yours).  Taking a close look at the tree it was well rotten at the base and inside.



To end on a brighter note, here are a couple more photos from the walks which hint at spring yet to come and happy times .... or as someone would say, don't worry, eventually it will be Spring and we will all be happy.

All Photos by @VintageBarbara 

Cyclamen in the formal gardens

A hint of blossom and leaves

Mute Swan at Molesey Lock

Somewhere ...
 

It's February already ...

Hello
I realise it has been a bit longer than intended but I notice my January blog was a month ago. So a little update is required. What has been happening? Well a fab trip to Glasgow to see Top Gear Live. More on that later.

We had some culture during our visit too.  First, a very interesting tour of the Glasgow School of Art http://www.gsa.ac.uk/ .  The splendid tours are run by the Students, http://www.gsa.ac.uk/visit-gsa/mackintosh-building-tours/ - highly recommended.  Book in advance just in case as they are popular.

We also visited the Kelvingrove Museum to see the Jack Vettriano Retrospective.
http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/kelvingrove/current-exhibition/Jack-Vettriano-A-Retrospective/Pages/About.aspx .  I didn't know much about Vettriano.  His paintings (those few I had seen) seemed too polished and commercial looking for my taste. However I now understand a bit more about him, as the exhibition is peppered with various taped interviews and you get to know the chap a bit more and understand what it's all about.  He has done well, successful commercial paintings tend to be sneered at by the art critics, some say he can't paint. I have to say I liked the Bluebird ones (commissioned by Terence Conran) best.  I found the nightlclub paintings (or erotic as the critics like to call them) slightly depressing. 'The Weight', a self portrait, is one of the best, and should indeed be on permanent display in Scotland.

I also loved the "Portrait in Black and Pearl" http://www.jackvettriano.com/exhibitions/days-of-wine-and-roses-london-october-2010/portrait-in-black-and-pearl-2/
I love the brushstrokes used to create the effect of fur and the glowing pearl earring (yes I know Vermeer did it first ... ).  You can only really get the effect when you see the painting in person. It also reminded me of some Tudor paintings (often by Dutch artists too) adorned with many pearls.

Here's a recent article about Vettriano moving back to Scotland:  http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/vettriano-reveals-return-to-edinburgh.23307282 

I wish we had more time to look around the whole museum as there  is so much else to see. It was well worth the visit.

The whole pearl thing is on my mind a lot after the recent 'Pearls' Exhibition at the V&A which I saw just before Christmas. The way things link together in my butterfly mind never ceases to amaze me. The pictures of Mars (Art from Mars article in the Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/jan/10/art-from-mars-the-best-pictures )  inspired me to make a necklace with pearls.
 

Sorry, yes I know, they are the hated cheap mass market freshwater pearls so abhorred by the proper pearl industry, but I am not rich enough to afford the real thing! See left: Iolite, Swarovski bicones and (cheap!) freshwater pearls make a delicate little necklace.

The next cultural trip is to the Cheapside Hoard at the Museum of London, sometime before the exhibition closes in March.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/london-wall/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/cheapside-hoard-londons-lost-jewels/

So what else? OH is currently restoring (mostly restored now) to working order a wonderful light which I bought for him for Christmas the year before last.  They were used in Lancasters and other WWII planes.  It should also have a red filter so it can be used as a night light but it came without that. So far it has a new bulb and wiring, and the light is working for the first time in maybe 60 years.  He decided it was a shame to leave it there in its shabby state so it has been gently cleaned, rewired, and the appropriate transformer has it down at the proper voltage/amperage.  I will get a pic of it in it's restored state for a later blog.  

Oh and finally, Good News!!!! Top Gear is back again tonight.  Thank goodness. We need a bit of fun. 
We much enjoyed the trip to Glasgow, and the return to our screens of the Fab Four (yes I include The Stig) just can't come quickly enough!
When we booked the tickets for TGL we thought one show was enough but then, ooooh at the last minute ... I know whenever I leave a Top Gear Live Show I just want to go back and see it all again.  So yes we booked two tickets. It made for a well rounded visit, one show on Saturday night and one on Sunday afternoon. The last time I went in Birmingham and in London the show included much in the way of stunt driving, races, bits with Tiff in it.  This time it was more a 'best of' show, for 90 minutes we had mostly the guys themselves, cocking about as usual.  The Saturday night game of Car Football was without doubt one of the best ever! Three footballs were destroyed and the Stig's car was almost destroyed too!

So - I will add a couple more pictures below for you to enjoy, then, I think it's time for a cup of tea and a bit of jewellery fettling. 

TTFN

VB 

xxx

 oh all right one more then ... yes that one!

New Year, new ... all sorts of things

I don't expect to make this a regular thing you know, two posts in a row.  No, definitely not.

Months of work sorting my room and gradually things fall into place.  The room is decorated.  The desk design decided upon at last, but not yet ordered (because it's New Year's Day and the shop is closed).  So I sit and ponder what on earth am I going to do whilst sitting at this splendid new desk. When it arrives.

It's worth getting it right because this will set me up for the next instalment of life's rich pageant.  Start a new businesses? Create a website? Design and sell things?  Write about things, research, photograph and publish things ... it's all a bit predictable isn't it?

It's not the 'things' though really is it? (As a bright spark on Twitter likes to point out - we are not talking about mere things here - it's just not the thing.)

The best 'thing' of all is that I am here alone, and not alone.  You lot are out there/here.  I know no-one ever ever comments on these blogs here but perhaps someone will some day. The point is I can reach out to all of you from my new desk (when it arrives), and we can all be here (literally!) and chat, drink tea, put the world to rights (oh and if anyone has a link to cliches to avoid when writing please let me know.)

Top Gear, Dunsfold, one of the best 'things' to happen in 2013!

That's quite enough. I am off to do some sewing now.  Or shall I sit in my cosy corner and read the Larkin bio I just bought ...oh so many choices, so many new things!

#TTFN

VB

Being in the moment

Hello, time for another occasional blog, as I have time, and time is what it is all about. Don't worry I am not going all Professor Brian Cox. I am no physicist, or philosopher come to that, just an ordinary person with time to reflect, for once. 

So it is the last day of 2013, and time is passing ever quicker it seems.  I have no idea how many more years I have left here but have resolved (no not resolved, decided) over the last few months to do those things I have always wanted to do. Now you could say you should spend your whole life doing that, but few of us have that luxury.  The need to create an income is the barrier to most doing what they want, only the lucky few can spend their lives doing their heart's desire. 

We spend our time filling it with 'things to do', lists, goals, priorities being shuffled constantly, and we lose ourselves in all the 'stuff'.  Then come the dark nights, the inevitable Christmas rush, and all of a sudden it stops.  Holiday at home, for me, is the only time I have to to finally and quietly be myself.  But then ... what ... make more lists, fill the time with things I 'must' do?

The alternative is just to sit, and be.  Watch the clouds go by, the crows cawing at the wind and rain. Is it a waste of time?  Why do I feel guilty about it?   Actually I don’t feel guilty, well not any more. For once I am doing what I want to do, as I was able to do as a teenager when I first had this sort of time to myself (and then no responsibilities).  Watch the clouds, the trees silhouetted against the sky, the different patterns of trees, and life.

So now onwards to one of the things I enjoy – reading:

I have just finished reading a book that was recommended to me, and it has rather stopped me in my tracks.  I saved the last few chapters for the holiday as I had consumed the rest of it in snatched moments before falling asleep or in between decorating.  I wanted to absorb the last of it in my own free and relaxed time.  It is the autobiography of a pilot, who survived the early(ish) to middle years of flying but whose fate was always just out of reach of his own control, or so it seemed.  Towards the very end he recounts how he flew a plane which had an increasingly bad reputation for crashing, but somehow he was able to fly it because of a particular combination of circumstances … in the end, and in his innocence, he found the only way to fly the plane without it crashing.  So he navigated his life and fate … (well in the end his fate was to live and be a very successful author).  At the end he looked at his flying bag, the one that had accompanied him all those years through his flying career, battered and stained.  And he loved it, that bag (yes love … for a bag!).  And flying, he loved that too, but he finally decided a particular fate had come too close, and it was time to stop. 

I am coming up to a similar decision, not to stop but to change, more gradually I hope, but it is time for change, yes.  I am looking forward to seeing where my fate takes me.

Oh dear, I need to say a little something about cycling and cyclists ... and drivers and driving ...

I may have to duck after posting this but here goes ...

Dear Cyclists
I agree cycling is a great way to get from A to B. It's a great sport too.  But you have to share the roads with others, so please, don't run red lights, skim so close to a car that you scare the wits out of the driver (who really doesn't want to run you over despite what you may think), or damage the car as you go by ... yes it does happen.

Dear Drivers
I agree driving a car is a great way to get from A to B. It's a great sport too.  But you have to share the roads with others, so please, don't run red lights, skim so close to cyclists that you scare the wits out of him or her (who really doesn't want to be run you over despite what you may think), or damage the bike or rider as you go by ... yes it does happen.

Do you see what I did there?

So why this all of a sudden? I live on the Olympic Cycle Route.  We have to travel the route regularly and find ourselves stuck behind bike riders two, three or even five abreast (yes ... holding up the traffic on purpose). The cyclists can also be very abusive and aggressive towards innocent car drivers (repeat that sentence with the words cyclists and car drivers transposed).  There needs to be a way forward and I am concerned that nothing is being done. 

There are responsible car drivers and responsible and very good cyclists but we all know there are many who are not.  The resentment is growing.

I know I have heard of the police stopping drivers for not keeping up with the flow of traffic (yes driving too slowly!) and now the Government have decided it is appropriate to fine those hogging the middle lane of the motorway.  I won't bother to comment on the last point because someone else has already done that far better than I ever could  (yes I do mean Jeremy Clarkson).

Cyclists are supposedly fined for cycling on the pavement nowadays, how about fining them for deliberately holding up traffic, running red lights, etc.  We know they do it ...

And we all know it would never work.  None of it works.

The only way to change behaviour is to put yourself in another person's shoes and see it from their point of view.  Do away with the stupid legislation and spend the money on a bit of education instead.  Drivers are given the option of retraining or taking a fine for speeding.  Let's do the same for cyclists - just cycle well, do a good job or be given a bit of professional advice. And drivers get on a bike now and then and see how it feels.

That's quite enough from me.

VB