OPL Monogram (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
A good busy week taking in hospital appointments, a nest of new born kittens, and 2 lunches with two pairs of old friends lured to Cheltenham with one of my husband’s monthly U3A Art Appreciation classes as bait. Oh, and a letter from our insurers to say they’ll pay for my replacement wedding ring. Little sewing but much catching up.
Detail OPL Monogram (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
Our night at Daughter No 2’s was spent in Daughter No 3’s bed, which she had kindly vacated for us. Mabel, the cat, had very cleverly chosen to have her kittens in this room, obviously in full knowledge that in Daughter No 3 she had to best possible gatekeeper to filter out any unwanted visitors. The 6 kittens were just two weeks old and stayed tucked away out of sight in their cardboard box cave, Mum Mabel came out from time to time to enjoy a bit of peace, sprawled out on a cool window sill. A very young mother – nowhere near a year old herself, Mabel had about her the air of one fighting the grip of overwhelming duty at the same time as fending off the desire for it all to be over. It’s probably 25 years since we had our last set of kittens and I was certainly way beyond remembering what it had been like. The kittens were very quiet – too quiet ?- and mum came and went silently with just a gentle thrum of a purr when she’d got all the kittens latched on and where she wanted them. I slept badly, worrying that so little noise meant the kittens were not thriving … or even worse. Morning dawned and all was well. Since our visit they have had the once over from the vet and declared to be in good shape and healthy, though Mabel should be watched in case mastitis develops. All are girls, though the sexing of kittens is not a perfect science. Happily, 4 of the six are already spoken for.
Detail OPL Monogram (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
Daughter No 1 and family are here for the weekend. Daughter No 1 likes to go off for a day every month for a surfing lesson, although Storm Brian – or Dennis as I now realise it’s called! – has put a stop to that this weekend. Instead she will join her husband, children and me on our child friendly trip to The Wilson (Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum). I am in the middle of devising a set of questions which the small person must answer to find various items in the museum. So far, I have:
Detail OPL Monogram (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
Q: Find a mode of transport with 0 (zero) wheels, no steering, no brakes and anything from 32 to 48 legs. (A: a dog sled- in the section devoted to polar explorer Edward Wilson.)
Q:I’m tall, green, covered in flowers and used to go tick tock. (A: A green lacquer long case clock covered in Chinoiserie flowers.)
Q: Now you use an Oyster, when I was little we just got punched. (A:a bus ticket.)
Q: A country scene. Make hay while the sun shines, men with their scythes, women making stooks. The lord of the manor observes progress on horseback. Meanwhile in a corner of the picture, Morris dancers twirl their twirls and wave their hankies. (A:One of two very big paintings showing life during harvest time at Dixton Manor, Gloucester. Dating from 1715, it is one of the earliest images of Morris dancing.)
Q: What am I? My Greek sisters stand between shops looking out over Montpellier Gardens. (A: A caryatid, based on the famous figures supporting the entablature of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis.)
Now to do some more questions.
Q: Black storm clouds hang over a farmhouse. Find me and you can enjoy the chocolate cow as well. (William Rothenstein’s painting of his house, Iles Farm, Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire.)
Q: Rambling roses languorously twine, fixed forever in wood. They never grow ,and they never die. They stay the same for ever. (A: Arts and Craft s bedhead.)
Q: In wood, not in a wood, ancient musician Orpheus plays music to charm the animals. (A: Music chest by Benson and Sumner.)
OPL Monogram (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)
This monogram is one I did a while ago, shown in a blog post about Kaffe Fassett (here) but thought it looked a bit plain compared to that I did for her sister (see last week), so I added a border of flowers. Now I can send them both together,
6 Comments
Love the questions in the quiz! Just the thing to keep little people a-sparkle!
Good of you to say so Rachel.
I’ve had to blog the questions so I don’t ask him the same again next time. I did manage 10 questions in the end.
Both monograms are beautiful and so colorful! What keepsakes!
Thank you, Bev.
So clever to do a hunt with clues for the young ones in the museum. Lovely monogram.
Yes. it just directs them look at things they might not ordinarily cast a glance at and helps sustain their interest in a place that can be overwhelm with so many objects. I think an hour in a museum with little ones is doing well.
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