Post 30 East Molesey: Sunshine, stitching and swans

This is where I got to last night - the leaves at the top of the spray of Dog Roses.

This morning the sun shone again. This is my second day of no socks!

I put my jeans in to be laundered, ready for the trip home. I am wearing leggings and my long black top. I will be inconvenienced if the jeans don't come back tomorrow. I wore a large hole in the seams of my other jeans and threw them away.


My goal today was to finish the leaves on the Dog Rose spray, but I also took a walk down the High Street to check out the two antique shops. The first one had loads of shells.
Here's an idea for using them. I'm not sure if this is a bowling ball or a bookend. There were two of them.





I hasten to say I did not buy anything. Not only would it not fit in my luggage, but the antlers would probably not get past customs.


The Buddha chicken shrine wasn't a bad idea I thought.

There is an interesting butcher, with an odd collection of antlers and stuffed birds in the window.




He will also make bespoke sausages.

The interest continued in the second antique shop. This is the one where I bought some doilies last time.  It had a particularly ugly candelabra, a standing stone candle-holder and


some old signage.

I still didn't buy anything.

There was still a collection of embroidered tablecloths and lace doilies.




Back at the Mitre I settled myself on the Terrace to stitch. It was warm in the sun. Two young women were locating boxes of new umbrellas in the outdoor storage cupboard, unpacking and assembling them. Spring, it seems, has arrived








even though
the trees are bare.





The Palace chimneys have cloud instead of smoke.

Before dinner I had finished the Dog Rose leaves. They were relatively difficult. The design was originally larger than the one we worked, and I found the smaller leaves tricky to work in three layers. I got there, however.

I try to have dinner at 6pm - just after the sun has gone down. The light is lovely. The bridge reflection is clear, symmetrical and shimmery. Tonight the swans came up close to the building to fish.





They stayed around until it got dark, then went back to their little beach.


I found it hard to stop taking photos.


Back in my room I found a way to improve the light from the bed lamp for stitching. Not very elegant, but it works.














I have started working on the Dog Roses on the strength of it.


Tomorrow is my last day in England. I will need to do a major repacking - and hopefully finish those Dog Roses. I won't finish the Herdwick project before I get home but I have made good progress.

Post 29 Sunny day at the Mitre

At last - a sunny day. The river responded cautiously at breakfast, but when I went for a walk around 10 am it was bright and clear.













The flowers were out - and so were people. Families headed for the Palace, cyclists in groups and pairs, people walking dogs - and lots of traffic.

The river sparkled and the Mitre almost looked smart.















The swans  practised their flight on the runway of the river.






There were canoeists, fours, eights and twos - although I did not manage to photograph them.












There was no activity on the moored canal boat with its assortment of attached craft - but it was not yet lunchtime.

There were other craft coming and going.

I visited Gardinarium, the shop one door away from the Mitre. It always has something of interest. I was wearing a top I had bought there two years ago - and sure enough, found a couple more tops to my liking. They are of a light, cheesecloth-like fabric and will pack to almost nothing. Yes, they are the same, but different colours.  I also found a pair of 3.5 x magnifying spectacles that will go over my glasses for embroidery.

Andrew and Jean Chitty came for lunch at the Mitre, and regretfully, I forgot to have someone take our photo. Andrew is my second cousin once removed. His grandmother Alice Higgs and my great-grandmother Emily Grace Higgs were sisters. We had plenty to catch up on. Like many in our family, Andrew worked for years in the aviation industry. They are great tennis followers and travel long distances to tournaments - including the Australian Open. It was a lovely three hours.


I also managed to get some work done on the dog rose leaves of my Herdwick embroidery -

By sunset I felt a little chilly outside, but there was great reluctance by staff to closing the restaurant doors, which were left wide open to let in the evening air. I'd have closed them - but I don't begrudge the enthusiasm that kept them open.

The sunny day has lifted spirits and that's worth hanging on to.

Post 27 To Hampton Court

Up reasonably early this morning to say goodbye to Mark who had an early golf match. I had been a bit concerned about being picked up by the car I had booked to take me to London. There is no vehicle access to Pene and Mark's house. However, I received a phone number for the driver by 7am. Pene was able to ring him and tell him where to meet us and we walked down the hill, with Pene making sure we got my bags down OK.

I was sad to say goodbye - but we have had such a nice time it only feels like au revoir.

My driver chose the A303 rather than the M roads. The scenery was not very varied, but there was scenery. It was either wooded areas or rolling plains.

I learned a bit about my driver - born in Romania, lived in South Africa and the Philippines, came to England because one of his children developed a health condition that was exacerbated by the heat and humidity of the Philippines. Doctors recommended a cool climate by the sea and a friend suggested his home town in England. Their son had totally recovered, speaks 5 languages and is doing really well at school. They visit the Philippines regularly and he intends to move back there when his children are established post-school. It is much easier to make ends meet in the Philippines, but he is sure his son would have died had they stayed.

This is the world in which we now live - but our policies do not seem to have caught up with that.

He gave me little snippets of information about the journey - but respected my space and privacy.

One of the reasons he chooses this route is because it passes close to Stonehenge. As he predicted, I could tell when we were getting close because the traffic banked up and slowed. No one can pass Stonehenge without being drawn to look at it.

It appears near the horizon from quite a distance

It then seems to emerge from the landscape.

and there it is. I haven't seen it since 1984 but it is still moving.





Somehow the ring of tourists only adds to the impact

along, of course, with the sheep.




After that, the journey was uneventful.





The receptionist at the Mitre asked if I was here for the needlework - thought she recognised me from previous visits.

My room is comfortable and warm. There is space to sit and stitch (light permitting) and there will also be space to completely empty and repack my suitcase ready for the home journey.


The view isn't spectacular - but I can see the river, which is what counts.


I managed a little cluster of buds on my Herdwick piece during the late afternoon.

There was a function in the downstairs   bar/dining area, so dinner was in the upstairs restaurant, where the Christmas lights have been left up. Apparently they look very pretty from the bridge.

I was a little late to watch the water life but I'm sure there will be plenty in the morning.





My RSN class is tomorrow - so I shalln't have a late night.