Author: SpinningStreak

The Christmas mugs. Lost. All 27 of them. In the house. It could only happen here.

But it does mean Christmas has arrived rather early, because I’m not letting them out of my sight again this year. We missed them.

My personal favourites are these:

Nothing to do with the designs – just that they are rather fine china, unlike most of the thick, clumping other ones.

I have a similar attitude to tea towels. Some of mine are quite embarrassingly coy (cute fluffy things) or tourist souvenir maps – but what they have in common is the fabric – 100% Irish linen every time. It’s getting much harder to find now – the mills closed in NI in the early 1990s. I have had a go at spinning linen – but I would need a lot more practice!

I think this is the male in the local territory. He appears to be in great condition – no doubt limbering up for another rowdy mating season in January! He is more than happy to stare you out and is very used to having his photo taken, though the official strategy is to ignore him.

We have a garden morning tomorrow – I still have a few hundred daffodils to get in the ground. I expect he will stroll past to inspect the works.

Both names used by locals to refer to the i360 tower, right next to the elegant Victorian bandstand on Brighton seafront. A 531 ft moving observational tower, opened in 2016. I’m used to it now, but it took a while. Mostly because it crashingly bisects the view of the sea that we used to have from almost every window in this house.

Very controversial financially as well. It cost £46 million – £36 million funded through Brighton and Hove City Council. Visitor numbers were significantly over estimated – result? The debt to the council (ie. to Brighton and Hove residents) now stands at £50 million and the loan is unlikely to be repaid before 2424.

Probably not a choice most of us would have made!

Almost deserted on the seafront this afternoon, despite the amazing light. The Victorian bandstand is one of my favourite structures. It was put up in 1884 – but I don’t think it has ever looked as good as it does today. The original seems pretty dull and dark in the old photographs, though the lacy ironwork has always been spectacular. I can also remember it very run down and peeling, as well as later in its Corporation Acid Aqua period – thank you, Brighton Council…All is forgiven now though – it was beautifully restored about 10 years ago and is back in service – various musical performances over the summer, and of course lots of wedding photos all year round! I love those tile patterns and the shadows – just wish I’d had time to hang around for the sunset.

Before the spinning wheels sucked me in, and quite some years before Etsy attacked my time, I indulged in these. Most of the designs are still available as printed kits – from Kaffe Fassett and Candace Bahout at Ehrman tapestries, for example.

But the ones I really love are these:

They are not printed on the canvas – they are counted stitch designs and are much more interesting to work. They came as kits by designers like Jane Rainbow – popular a couple of decades ago but now almost impossible to find.

Sadly, there were once more….including my very best one…

Certain Unnamed Members of my family were sprawling around on them late at night, left them all over the floor in front of the open fire, THEN left the fireguard off and went to bed…smoke everywhere, seriously charred wooden floorboards, ruined tapestry…We were actually very lucky that night.

All a long time ago.