New China

Oh yes, we don't just splurge on new roofs, we buy china too. Here's the latest purchase.

This is Royal Doulton china in the pattern Rosedale. When my parents got married they were given a tea set in this pattern ( six cups and saucers, six tea plates, milk jug, sugar bowl and bread and butter plate) along with the stern admonition that it was for 'better days than Sundays'. Partly as a result of that I grew up with the tea set kept in the cupboard and very rarely seeing the light of day.

I loved it, all my life. It's a funny thing because if I came to it now, cold, I probably wouldn't even like it, but I am so used to the habit of loving it that I have never shaken it off. It was always understood that it would come to me eventually, and became a bit of a family joke. In latter years my parents used it more than they had earlier, and I'll never forget the day  we went to see my parents and my Dad told me he had dropped and broken one of the tea plates. he hadn't, but apparently my face was a picture. I'm a bit sorry about that because I don't like to think that I am attached to particular material things in a big way, but there again, this is as much about my family, my home and my childhood as it is about the actual china.

 

The OH has an alert for if any of it ever comes up on e-bay, not that it does very often, but this popped up recently. Three coffee cups, six saucers and a 'coffee service' type milk jug. It was a tenner plus carriage and an absolute bargain.

Of course we may never find another three coffee cups for the extra saucers, and I had a bit of trouble finding space in the kitchen cupboards for them. But I don't care. I love them regardless. And if any of you out there ever spot any at auction or in a local shop, please let me know!

New Roof

I came back to find that we had a new roof. Obviously this was not quite the surprise that that sentence might lead you to believe, since even in Orkney we don't have bands of roving tradesmen who pass a house, think 'that could do with a new roof, or door, or whatever' and proceed to provide you with one out of the goodness of their hearts.

No, I knew the roof was coming and in fact had had progress reports from Son No 2 who was here when they started the job while the OH and I were in Cardiff, and then more from the OH himself once he was  back in Orkney and I was doing my long lonely peregrination round various bits of northern England and southern Scotland.

 

But knowing you have a new roof and actually seeing it are two different things. My first thought was 'That will take a bit of getting used to' and my second thought was 'We need to repaint the walls'. Since exterior paint needs a guaranteed minimum temperature and 48 dry hours after it has been applied I tend to think our opportunity actually to do this will coincide with the silhouette of a flying pig crossing an unmistakeably blue moon, but we'll see.

 

Meanwhile the roof has been tested by several hard downpours since it was finished and does not leak. Moreover, by being away I avoided all the nose and mess associated with its construction so that appears to be a win-win. For once.

And She's Back

She, being me. I am also fairly exhausted, determined never again to go away for almost six weeks en bloc and contemplating several days when I shall be doing very little but unpacking, washing, ironing, tidying up and cleaning.

 

I will however take a moment here to bask in a bit of glory; my Gaelic assessment results arrived while I was away and I got a Grade A and an average overall mark of 82%. To say that I was surprised is an understatement, but obviously very pleased as well. It does encourage me to continue.

 

And now before I forget I must go and renew some horribly horribly overdue library books. It's a good thing they don't levy fines for late books here in Orkney.

 

Pics of some of the excitement from when I was away to come over the next few days.