Return to Kate's Cottage

We are in Reading. Miss P's washing machine broke, her housemate is away, we've finished the publication of the newsletter, so it seemed appropriate to come, armed with tools. HoF grovelled underneath while I held the machine up, and he fixed the pump which had been infiltrated by a piece of bamboo from the laundry basket. So that job is done and now he is revelling in the chance to watch 'rubbish' on the TV. Well, probably. I am catching up on emails and the reserach I'm doing for an elderly friend which has included finding a long lost cousin on GR for her, and for someone in Australia who has a village-born Jones in his tree who could be one of ours. Life gets very involved with all this IT we have nowadays.
Tomorrow there will be all the other mending jobs to tackle, broken stair rail, frosted-up freezer, broken DVD player. What it is to have a handyman in the family.
Oh, and although his foot is very painful to walk on, the last infection has cleared, and a bit of DIY seems to have helped.

Saga Weekend

How about this for a clever, accidental photo. We had our now annual oldies gathering a 'Saga Weekend' , so called by the next generation down. We had a good time of fun and reminiscing and updates on children, grandchildren etc. Thence deteriorating into the three P's of pensions, pills and politics. It was reasonable weather back then and five of us had a good walk up and down the hills around while HoF went to the Remembrance Day service to support the new rector. We had our two minute silence leaning on a gate looking over towards my ancestral home in the woods.
Now we are very busy, which means spending long hours on computers. Firstly there's the next village newsletter to get out and HoF is still researching formats whilst I try and slim down the articles and write an editorial and send all of for proof-reading. Then there's booking a Christmas trip to H and family. Next is checking the Excel lists of presents to buy and cards to send and subsequent online research. After that there is transcribing local parish registers, and finally there is making the most of my subscription to explore the 1911 census. Just as well perhaps that it's pouring with rain so there is no need to feel guilty about the garden, and too gloomy to notice the dust piling up. I have even been neglecting the making of menus, so that tells you something.

Happy Birthday to me

For my birthday treat we went out to lunch today at a special place, here. Its an experience not just a meal. You pay for three courses, but in between these you are served mini courses with food that looks like an artwork. One tiny course, served in a dainty cup, had three layers including squid, prunes and cauliflower cheese. Sounds awful? It was delicious. I hadn't realised till I read this site, that it is linked with L'Ortolan where I never did go, in Reading. The cost of the wine was rather a shock, though. Guess we're not quite knowledgeable enough to appreciate that, but my wine certainly tasted delicious.
Yesterday we discovered another perk for the senior citizen. Free swimming! Good therapy for The Foot. If you click on the photo, you'll see there's a special chair to lower the disabled into the water, but HoF was too chicken to use that and managed on his crutches.
For the family history buffs, I now have a subscription to the 1911 census for six months so let me know if you want anything looking up.

Steeple Houses

Some of you may remember the phrase 'steeple houses'. Well here we are again. Are we going backwards or forwards? When does a building matter and when doesn't it? Yes, I know the church is not the building, but the disassociation is a lot harder when the beautiful building in question sits in the middle of your village. Yes, the church is the people. So what does that make the building? A meeting place, a historic artefact, a museum?
These are questions that may mean more to us in the year ahead.
Friday 6th November saw the outward culmination of our prayers. Our new rector, for whom we had prayed since January, was installed. (Yes, I know the term sounds more as if it's to do with central heating, but that's what they say) We look forward in hope to New Things. Above all, that Jesus would be glorified.

The key of the church door, presented to the rector. The original was lost and a replacement made by taking off the lock to make a model for the locksmith who treated it as a labour of love.


Meanwhile I am transcribing the register for the first decade of the eighteenth century. I wonder what church meant to the folk back then.......

Gadgets

The Head of Finance has two new gadgets. For his birthday he bought himself an assortment of camera paraphernalia so we went to a beautiful local garden armed with a camera each, and got in free with a special offer. To get around he used the other gadget, a mobility scooter which we've hired for a month. Although he can hobble about now on his crutches, they are no use for distance, so this is ideal. We compared photos and mine were best because he was too busy experimenting!