Christmas on the Home Front

Tea and Christmas cake anyone?

I have had a very exciting couple of weeks at work (well, more exciting than normal!) which I wanted to share with you.

I am involved with the WW2 programme at work where we run an evacuee camp and get groups of school children to try out lots of different period activities whilst learning what life was like on the Home Front. I love running these days – dressing up and indulging in my love of this period of history. So, I decided to approach Mr Bossman and see if I could run a couple of weeks of Christmas on the Home Front as a special offer. He happily agreed to let me give it a try and I am proud to say it was a huge success.

Some of our props.

We decorated our WW2 building and shop with period decorations. I spent hours creating paper chains from facsimile WW2 newspapers and sourcing paper decorations and streamers of crepe paper. We found the tiniest tree in the world and added some red, white and blue bunting too. I even found a supply of old Christmas cards to stretch above the mirror. Some fresh greenery from around the site completed the decor.

I spent hours researching facts and figures. Being a bit nerdy I wanted everything to be perfectly accurate but in truth we could just give an flavour of the time. Hence we had some American supplies in the shop alongside ration guidance from earlier in the War. Petrol rationing facts didn’t quite match with the dates on the magazines – but overall it gave a good impression of life in that era. And I just had to get over it!

The children got the chance to look at some toys and to think about what they might find in their stockings. They cooked and tasted authentic WW2 recipes and learned about rations in the shop. They got to weigh out a weeks’ worth of sweet ration to take home with them although I suspect none of them managed to make them last a whole week! Hopefully alongside the fun we managed to get the children to appreciate some of the hardships suffered by people, we certainly had several very thoughtful comments from the children.

A visit to our authentic Anderson Shelter (also decorated for the season) and an exciting Beetle Drive game with an onion prize were also on the agenda.

To top off the fun for me, I got to spend some time away from my Land Girl dungarees and look a little more dressed up. Curled and pinned hair, a nice party dress and even some lippy (apparently those Americans down in the town have a little to spare!!) 

Egypt Adventure Part Three - in which we ride camels and get sand in our crevices!

I promise I won’t be boring you with any more Egypt Adventure posts but I just wanted to share one last experience with you all!

DD was determined to ride a camel while we were out there – it was number one on her wish list. This is actually one of the few things that I could say ‘done that’ to, but I was quite happy to have another go.

So, the trip that best fulfilled this brief was the ‘Desert Adventure’ which promised a day full of excitement and a camel ride too. On booking the trip we were presented (read ‘sold’) a scarf each. This was the traditional keffiyeh which I have since learnt has different political meanings related to colours. We wondered if ours were more of a stereotypical tourism trap – like selling University sweatshirts to Oxford or Cambridge visitors but I can safely say they were very welcome out in the desert!

 

Don't you just hate it when you dress for the desert and someone is wearing exactly the same!

The day started at the Centre where the trips are run from. This was an attractive place just outside of Hurghada. We arrived and met up with the rest of our group for the day over a lovely cup of Hibiscus tea. First part of the adventure was Dune Buggy driving. DD and I had teamed up with a couple from Yorkshire. Myself and Julie decided we would let the others take turns in driving while we admired the view from the back. DD was very excited – dreams of speeding off into the desert were, however, cruelly dashed when we found ourselves at the back of the convoy and stuck behind someone who had to stop and take photographs every 5 seconds.

 

Pedal to the metal - not.

Next we all piled into jeeps and set off into the real desert. This took us into the Red Sea Mountains. I was surprised at actually how beautiful the terrain was, not at all what I expected from desert.

We made a couple of stops on the way to a Bedouin Village, the first one to see a real mirage. It was ok, but I didn't feel the awe that I think our guide expected.

The second stop was to climb a sizeable mountain and run down a sand dune on the other side. Now this was pretty awesome! The top of the mountain afforded some great views and a chance to glory in the peace before we whooped our way down the slope.

We arrived in the Bedouin Village not really knowing what to expect. Clearly they no longer live in the huge tents that everyone visualises but in huts and shacks. Not so romantic but that’s the price of progress I guess.

We got to share sweets with the children – this felt a little weird, were they really hanging out for Werthers Originals and Haribo? Then followed a tour around the Village. I couldn't help but feel bad about this too. Many of the Bedouins now make their living through tourism which basically amounts to herds of us traipsing through their space while they put on a show of making bread, weaving, and generally getting on with the day and trying to ignore us. It felt wrong, a little like being in a zoo and getting them to perform. And I felt bad that I was contributing to this trade but then also I was helping them to maintain a living. All a bit morally confusing.

However, we did get to have the camel ride. Some of the children (buzzed up on all our sugary treats) helped us on and off the camels and led us for a few minutes’ walk. DD was thrilled! I was just overawed by the absolute silence in the desert. Not a bird or a creature, no wind, just nothing…. It was a moment of pure calm.

The trip back to the Centre took in a visit to a water spring and a chance to take some photographs as the sun went down. We were told we didn't get the most spectacular sunset due to clouds – but I was impressed anyway.

 

The camera sadly just didn't capture the colours....

Back at camp we got to settle down for a Folkloric Show with a pretty poor bellydancer, some whirling dervishes and an impressive men’s stick dance. There was a good buffet and BBQ and some traditional tea.

To finish the evening we had the chance to use some massive telescopes to star gaze in the night sky over the desert.

It was a full on day and we left the Centre tired but very happy. We snuggled on the balcony back at the hotel to chat about the experiences and how the beauty of the desert would be with us forever.

How true this turned out to be when we took our shoes off and prepared for bed that night!

Egypt Adventure Part Two - In which I narrowly avoid drowning.

Dolphins just out of shot.

Today’s post is all about being brave and trying something new. As regular readers will know, this is something I try to do every now and then but I had the opportunity in Egypt to push this to new heights (or depths)!

So, I will fess up at this point and say I don’t actually like water that much. Not huge expanses of water anyway. I like the sea from the shore; I could sit and look at it for hours. But I don’t like going in it. Not really. So it was with huge amounts of trepidation that I agreed to book on a dolphin/coral reef snorkelling trip with DD in Egypt. She loves the water and swims like, well, like a fish and this was her idea of heaven. But anyway, the man at the hotel did a really good selling job and described the day in glowing terms and so we found ourselves at 6.30am the next morning heading off to the marina.

 

The marina - our yacht wasn't quite as impressive.

We were in a group with mostly Germans on a fairly large yacht with a friendly and experienced crew. I did try to explain that I had never snorkelled before and would this be a problem? I had lots of smiles and thumbs up in reply which I took as a good sign!

 

We set off into the sea, looking for the dolphins which we found fairly quickly. Much excitement as they were spotted in the bay and lots of pointing and turning of the boat as we followed them. Then there was a mad rush as we were all piled onto a tiny dinghy off the back of the yacht, flippers and snorkels at the ready. I could feel the fear growing…. Not helped as most people happily threw themselves backwards off the boat and into the sea. I clambered more sedately into the water then realised that I couldn’t touch the bottom. D’oh. Panic! Then I realised that the very nature of the snorkel meant that I couldn’t breathe through my nose. More panic. The guide was brilliant but clearly torn between helping Mrs Theatrical Drowning and the rest of the group who were there to snorkel with dolphins. I decided in the interests of everyone I would get back into the dinghy (not the most dignified entry) and just observe proceedings from there. The driver (do you drive boats?) looked at me with the air of one who has seen it all before. In fairness I did get a spectacular view of the dolphins from the boat, close enough to touch and all very magical if you could ignore the exhaust fumes.

 

Once the dolphins had had their fill of performing for the humans we all got back on the yacht. I kept my eyes down with embarrassment. DD was full of it, dolphins gliding past her face, baby ones, big ones, real, live, wild dolphins. Bah, I could see them from the boat! Her only complaint was that our specially bought underwater cameras had leaked and stopped working after one shot.

From here we took a leisurely cruise to a coral reef. This rose up before us in the middle of nowhere like some barely submerged island. I had never seen an actual coral reef before and so I guess I wasn’t sure what to expect. We moored and everyone got kitted up again. The guide came to chat to me, to plead with me to have a go. It was wonderful he said - I would be fine. Just take it easy and relax. I would love it. I listened and decided I would love it more on the boat watching everyone else loving it in the water.

Which is what I did. Relaxing in the sun and seeing everyone else swimming about and loving the views.

 

DD selfie with me sunning myself under a towel behind her.

In fairness, DD did play down how fabulous it had been when she finally emerged from the water. “It was ok” she said with the biggest grin ever. “Lots of fish and wonderful colours. You can’t really see that from up here”.

 

The coral reef - much more spectacular from underwater.

After lunch on board we moved off to the third and final reef stop on the trip. After much soul searching I decided that maybe I should give it one more try in the calmer waters. DD promised to be with me every flip of the way and that if I decided I really didn’t like it then I could get straight back on the boat. Well, I am SO glad that I was brave and made that choice. I snorkelled for about 15 minutes, never far from the boat but what I saw totally made up for the fear. It was beautiful, a whole underwater world, so many fish and other weird sea things. The colours were wonderful. For a few moments I would forget the snorkel and just enjoy the experience. Then I would remember that my breathing was compromised and I would have to stop and relax again.

I can’t say that I enjoyed snorkelling, I am still too scared of the water to fully like the experience. But I appreciate why people do this kind of thing as a hobby – and I am so proud of myself for taking that opportunity. What an experience!

PS all photos in this post courtesy of DD as I didn't have my camera on that day!

Adventures in Egypt - Part One

Sphinxes at Karnak.

DD and I have just returned from our fabulous girls holiday to Egypt – it was the most perfect week in every way.

I won’t overwhelm you with a huge post but thought I’d write a few smaller ones to share some of the highlights with you.

We stayed in Hurghada, on the Red Sea coast. This is a reasonably new resort, created specifically for the tourist trade around an older fishing port. It was a nice place to be but I desperately craved some real culture and history. 

So, DD and I booked a trip to Luxor, approx 300km away. We had the choice of a coach trip (6 hours each way with lots of other tourists) or for a small amount more we could have our own private car and driver and our own guide for the day. This also cut the driving time down a bit. Having our own guide seemed like a worthwhile idea and so we went for this option. I am so glad we did!

The day started at 5am with the long drive to Luxor with our driver and our lovely guide, Ash. Ash studied Egyptology at Cairo University and became an archaeologist before leaving all that for the thrill of the tourist trade.

First stop the Egyptian equivalent of a motorway service station which was an experience. Expensive, useless items for sale, queues for the toilets, cheery staff, they had it all! Except pasties.

Our first visit on reaching Luxor was Karnak Temple which should correctly be called Temples as it’s a huge complex of different religious sites all together. Its earliest parts date from 2055BC which is pretty mind-blowing in itself. It covers over 200 acres and features statues, pillars, carvings, sphinxes.... all of it awesome and impressive. Two obelisks remain (most of Egypt’s obelisks have been relocated around the world eg London and Paris). Of these two, the tallest was erected by Queen Hatshepsut (more of her later) and stands 97ft/30m. The second one was erected by Tuthmosis I and stands 75ft/23m high.

The obelisks.

So many beautiful carvings!

The colours are still visible.

After a visit to a Papyrus Museum we went on to the Valley of the Kings. This was so exciting although cameras are strictly banned so sadly I have no photographs. This valley, which stretches beneath a natural pyramid shaped mountain, is the resting place of the New Kingdom Pharaohs, approx 1539 – 1075BC. After the showy pyramids of previous dynasties, these guys decided to hide their tombs away in a bid to defeat the tomb robbers. All to (mostly) no avail. The Valley’s most famous inhabitants include Seti I, Ramses II and, of course, Tutankhamun. Tut’s tomb was famously discovered intact by Howard Carter in 1922. The tomb itself is tiny but the discovery ensured Tutankhamun’s is the best known. However, in 2005, another undisturbed room was found, leading some to suspect there could be further tomb discoveries still to be made. Our ticket allowed us to visit just three tombs, they are super careful to ensure the tombs are not overexposed to humidity and dust from visitors. The wall carvings and paintings were just wonderful. The colours still bright, the pictures and hieroglyphs fascinating.

Following this visit we saw how traditional alabaster carving is still done and how beautiful it is compared to newer machined items. I bought a small vase to hold a candle and the light it gives off is worth every penny.

Next stop was also a big ‘wish’ on my list – the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut . This iconic place is built on three terraces and truly took my breath away. Hatshepsut was a rare female Pharaoh, ruling between 1503 – 1482BC (approx). She was regent for her stepson Tuthmosis III but took the power herself, adopting the dress and false beard to show her stature. After her death, he succeeded her and defaced all depictions of her, trying to erase her from history. An interesting discovery was made in 2007 when a box containing her liver was found to also contain a tooth. Through this tiny piece of evidence they were able to match the tooth to an unknown mummy discovered by Howard Carter in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Hatshepsut had been identified! It also revealed she had been obese and ill at the time of her death. It did, however, quash rumours that she had been murdered.

DD and the awesome temple of Hatshepsut

You can still see the paint on some of the statues!

Our final stop was a short cruise on the Nile – a perfect and relaxing way to finish the excitement of the visit. We saw so many birds, including ibis and kingfishers.

Ash had given us so much information and entertainment throughout the whole day – he was truly patient and lovely. It also helped that he was prepared to offer DD 500 camels for me. She turned him down. Mainly because she only had a 15kg limit on her luggage!

Introducing Edgar

Halloween Pumpkin  for effect!

Have you ever met a person before that shares so many interests and things in common that it’s actually a bit spooky? Well, I have such a friend – in fact I work with her. My friend Kathy understands the love of a button tin, the excitement of a bizarre collection, the thrill of a weird thing found at a charity shop... We are like two peas from a very strange pod!

Kathy and I went to London some months ago to take part in a taxidermy class – you may recall a post on this adventure. We came away with rats which we were most proud of. Now, taxidermy is not something I have mentioned much on my blog as I know it’s a subject which divides people. But I do appreciate the art and have a fair collection ranging from rather good to frankly Frankensteinesque. (As in his monster).

We had talked about taking part in another class when we discovered a very talented taxidermist lives not very far from Kathy’s house – how convenient. This lovely lady, Kate Latimer, now runs classes and so this is how, last Sunday, Kathy and I found ourselves stuffing birds!

Edgar - I still have to finish off the display/stand.

The first thing we learnt was that our previous foray into the art was not proper taxidermy – we were about to discover how to start by making detailed drawings and measurements, how to make proper body forms from wood wool, how to wire and position, how to..... well, I won’t go into details!

The specimens are all ethically sourced and Kate has a huge respect for all the creatures that she transforms. She is also a patient and gifted tutor who guides you through the whole process. Even when you are confronted with wires and wood wool, wings and legs which you cannot possibly imagine will turn back into anything vaguely bird shaped, she is there to twist and coax, helping to create a piece of art.

I was thrilled with my crow – even after I had done something strange to his wing which meant it would not sit flat, Kate managed to help me sort it out. So, in honour of the season, here is Edgar Allan Crow in all his glory!

Spooky Edgar!

I’m off on holiday now – I promise the next post will be ‘stuffed’ full of new adventures! (see what I did there?)

Emeralds and Poppies

This week saw me brave the Big City once more. I had been invited to accompany some friends to see the wonderful Caro Emerald play at The O2. We decided to make a whole day of it and fit in some sightseeing and girlie shopping too. How could I resist?

The pre-visit planning session took place in a pub and was not much use. Two of us turned up, we couldn't get WiFi and neither of us had brought maps or could visualise what London looked like other than a vague recollection of the shape of the Thames from the start of EastEnders. Cue conversation along the lines of “I think the O2 is about here” (points to beer stain on table) “So, we get off the bus here” (indicate dry roast peanut to left of beer stain) “The best place for lunch, then, is here” (slightly bent beermat somewhere in the middle). We decided to go with the flow and delegate all responsibility to the lady who hadn't turned up for the planning meeting!

It ended up being a relatively stress free day. I drove to Oxford and we took a coach into London, starting off in Covent Garden. I had never been here before and thoroughly enjoyed it! They even had a Moomin Shop! A whole shop dedicated to all things Moomin, I was in heaven! I only bought a pencil as that is all that would fit into my stupidly small handbag...

After this we had a very grown up lunch in an Italian restaurant. I’m quite glad I was designated driver for the day and had an excuse to avoid a glass of wine with lunch as this normally results in having to have an afternoon nap.

Covent Garden - I wish I'd taken more photographs!

After Covent Garden we strolled along the Thames Path towards the Tower of London. I wanted to visit the Poppy Garden exhibition there and the other ladies were kind enough to indulge me. I am so glad we did.... It was simply breathtaking. If you haven’t heard of the art instillation, check it out here. Basically they have created 888,246 ceramic poppies to represent those who died in WW1 and they are being planted around the moat at the ToL. It began in August and will finish with a ceremony on 11^th November. I can’t even describe in words the impact that all these poppies have. And when you stop to reflect that each one represents a person then it becomes even more mind-blowing. Truly moving.

Poppies at the Tower - 

Following this sombre moment we continued on our journey to The O2. The gig was pretty awesome too. Caro soon had people up and dancing and we forgot the prospect of the epic homeward journey that still awaited us and got caught up in the music!

Bring on the music!

I finally crawled into bed at 2.15am – It had been a day of contrasts, fun and sombre reflection. And Moomins :)

On Niddy Noddys and Hot Air Balloons!

I am currently being seriously rubbish at keeping up with my blog.... 100 lines, “I must try harder”.

Things have been pretty much ok at Mothball HQ. We are a few staff members down at work which has been a bit overwhelming at times but it has meant that I have learned some new skills (booking in groups) and had lots of opportunities to answer the phone (I’m honing that telephone voice technique!)

In real life I have been continuing the spinning. I treated myself to a new fleece – from a Dutch breed called a Zwartble. This fleece is mainly black with light tips and it has really long fibres. In essence this means it is a little easier to spin which I figured was a good thing for a learner. I have also created my first bobbin of yarn from two bobbins of thread wound together in the opposite direction than they were spun (are you still with me?). Now I need a piece of kit called a Niddy Noddy to wind the yarn into a skein. Well, I don’t actually need one, I could do it round the back of a chair but the idea of owning something called a Niddy Noddy fills me with such glee that I can’t suppress it.

The gardening is winding down. I have to admit that my half hour allotment visits have been a bit sporadic what with work and all. But the leeks are growing nicely and one pumpkin has overcome all odds and will hopefully provide some Hallowe’en centrepiece. Our plot is right on the corner of the allotments, nearest the entrance. This means it is easy to get too, not only for us but for everyone else. Unfortunately it means that all the local dog walkers seem to see it as fair game for their dogs to use.  People who have things to dump also seem to find it attractive. We’ve had bricks, rubbish, cuttings, you name it. Last week I found a lovely hanging basket, complete with flowers. I was tempted to hang it from my raspberry supports for some added colour! We have decided to make some form of fencing a priority over the Winter.

DD has passed her Fitness Instructor course – one proud Mother! She has gone on to do some extra courses so she can teach classes at her local gym. Of course, being a supportive type, I have been there at the classes. Power Pump is mostly fun. Loud ‘modern’ music and some hard work with weights. I am still struggling to move my arms for a couple of days afterwards but I am assured this will get better! The other class is enticingly called ‘Insanity’. I was swayed by the promise that there are actually only 15 minutes of exercise in this class. What they fail to tell you is that the 15 minutes are pure hell. To tell the whole truth, I was really swayed by the promise of Haribo after the class but so far this has failed to materialise.... I would like to tell you at this point that the classes have been totally worth it and I now have the physique of Linda Hamilton playing Sarah Connor in Terminator 2. That would be a lie and I suspect that the mirrors in the gym are in fact fairground mirrors because after all that pain my arse is still the size of a hot air balloon!

Oh well, back to those squats..... 

Feeling Mellow....

There have been some spectacular sunrises.

I absolutely love this time of year. The days are getting a little shorter, the mornings a little cooler and everything a little more mellow. I love the feeling of slowing down and reflection – of preparing for the coming cold days. I love the harvest and making things with what we’ve grown or gathered.

I don’t have an actual post for this week – nothing of great importance to share. Instead, here are some pictures of the things I have been enjoying!

We have been trying hard to hang onto the holiday feel by recreating some cream teas. Homemade scones, homemade jam and the chance to use my vintage china!

I have been trying to catch up with some friends - this isn't one of them... we had a great knight! (ha ha ha)

The allotment and garden have been producing some delicious things. These potatoes were not purple all the way through, much to my disappointment. We've had beans, sweetcorn, chard, more beans, potatoes, pears, apples, beans, courgettes... did I mention the beans?? I have been preparing the beehives for the Winter too - ensuring everything is ready to give them the best chance through the cold weather. I have been brave enough to go up on my own a couple of times and I can honestly say it is such a mindful activity.

This time of year sees lots of agricultural and country shows. I didn't manage to get a lot of photographs due to various technical mishaps but we have enjoyed Uffington and Wychwood amongst others. I have been inspired by the crafts and chatted to some lovely people too.

My latest experiment... we have been doing a major clear up at work and this beauty was uncovered. I decided to borrow it to clean up and fix and then learn how to use it. I have had a go at cleaning fleece, carding it, rolling it into rolags and learning to use the spinning wheel. So far, so good. I am finding it very therapeutic and enjoyable. My yarn is very lumpy still and I am coming across lots of problems but it is my goal to produce something knitted which I have made myself from raw fleece to finished product. Watch this space :)

Holidays and Hurricanes....

Porlock

Well that’s the holiday over and done with! How come it takes forever to arrive and then flies by at the speed of light?

We have had a pretty good week down in Devon. Things didn’t get off to the best start when the remains of Hurricane Bertha were due to wreak havoc on our first weekend. Typical. Weeks of tropical sunshine, we go away and BOOM – Hurricane! Luckily the worst of it passed through early morning and it didn’t cause much damage where we were. Also, looking on the bright side, our rented apartment had fantastic views directly over Ilfracombe harbour and so we would have had the best seat in the house for any spectacular weather related adventures. The rest of the week ended up being mostly sunny with a few showers but nothing to cry about.

Verity and the rainbow

This little chap was near our apartment.

Our week passed in a whirl of walking (lots of it), eating (also lots of it) and doing touristy things. We made a list on the first day and by the end of the week we had crossed most things off. Eaten lobster on the beach? Yep! Coastal walks, ice cream, beaches, collecting shells and seaglass, corn mill visit, Lynton and Lynmouth, cream teas and cycling. In fact the only thing I got voted against was the trip to Watermouth Castle. We have been before and yet no one else seemed excited by a return visit to GnomeLand and the dodgy mannequins in the castle itself. I consoled myself with a visit to Ilfracombe Museum – a really odd little place with all manner of weird things (two headed kitten anyone?). The children had fun pointing out all the things we already had at home. It made me happy!

Collecting stuff from the beach

The cycling was actually a highlight of the trip. We hired bikes and cycled the Tarka Trail from Barnstaple to Torrington (approx 14.5 miles) AND BACK! DH learned a valuable lesson before we started the ride. Namely I am rubbish at directions and they had all left me to take directions from the bike hire bloke on how to get onto the trail. In fairness it involved more than one instruction and I kind of lost concentration after this one. I tried my best but we did set off in the wrong direction and spent the first 15 mins cycling up a huge hill that proved unnecessary! 

As close as we got to Torrington

Instow signal box - pretty obvious really!

Forgiveness eventually followed and we set off in the correct direction. The T Trail is along a disused railway and so is pretty flat and easy going. You get fabulous views over the Taw estuary and all the wildlife on the mud flats and salt marshes. Along with that you get to see some pretty places and some remains of railway stuff too.

Overlooking the Taw Estuary

Torrington was the scene for a battle in the Civil War in 1646. I won’t pretend to sound knowledgeable about this period of history but basically the Parliamentarians under General Fairfax whooped the arse of the Royalists under Lord Hopton. The battle came to a climax when 70 barrels of gunpowder got blown up in the church killing lots of people.  Sadly I didn’t discover any of this stuff until afterwards and so we didn’t venture into Torrington itself, staying at the old railway station for tiffin and much needed tea!

The week ended with that old tradition, fish and chips on the harbour. Dodging seagulls and coats firmly buttoned against the wind we battled the wooden forks and flapping paper. Next day we packed up and headed home – the fun of the M5 gently thrusting us back into real life once more!

Still – only 11 weeks til I’m off to Egypt with DD. Bet I still won’t get to see any Gnomes there either :(

Pretty bubbles in the air

Mr Boss Man had been on holiday and seen some magical bubble street artists. So this week at work in between all the stuff that needed doing we tried our best to recreate these wonders! Apparently they weren't quite so spectacular but they did make for some good photo opportunities :)