Another week gone by . . .

Crumbs ~ how swiftly Time flies!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were good : 

a trip to Hertford with Jago, lunch with Stella, Jago, Rpie and Npie

helping get ready for Scouts' Jumble Sale (NOT my fave job!)

clearing up after the Jumble Sale (marginally better)

quick walk around Cassiobury Park

visit to St Andrews Church, Nascot, for Heritage Open Days

loads ~ I mean really LOADS! ~ of work on the computer 

and then it was Monday again . . .

so the plumber came and finished off the work on the shower and the bath

I went to Three Rivers Museum and helped Pa set up a display on a very old (18th century) Bible which has been lent to us for a while.  The display also showcases the diary of John White who was part of the family who owned the Bible.  I forgot to take a photo of the display but I will do so next time ~ although that's probably not for a week or two.  

In the meantime, however, here is a photo of the museum itself which is in Rickmansworth High Street.  It is also called Basing House and was at one time the home of William Penn of Pennsylvania fame and has a number of items associated with him.  Our other 'famous' former resident was George Eliot who actually lived in our school ~ or at least part of it.  When I was there that part was the convent and the school was to the side.  With expansion, however, the convent has been absorbed into the school and is now the admin area.   

This is the former convent ~ with St Joan standing there on her plinth!  

Women's group in the evening.  At So's house where we had pancakes.  Yay!  So is French and the 2018 Summer Supper was held at her house.  It happened that that Saturday was also Bastille Day so we all brought as near French cuisine as we could rustle up and dressed in stripey t-shirts and berets.  Unbeknownst to us a video had been made of us all sitting round the table so we had quite a chuckle at that! 

Tuesday was Poetry Group and we looked at Rupert Brooke's poems.  I love that we have to do a little research each time.  Although he is known as a war poet and I knew he died during the war I hadn't realised that he died as early as April 1915 and consequently never knew the dreadful trench warfare that Owen and Sassoon, for example, had to endure later on. Which is why his poems are of a much more optimistic and patriotic nature.  I had chosen 'One Day' and 'Pine-Trees and the Sky: Evening' to read.

Then in the evening to the Scouts' Book Browse.  Where ~ of all things ~ I picked up Marcel Pagnol's 'My Father's Glory'.   This was one of our French 'A' level texts and I had forgotten all about it.  Thankfully this book is a translation ~ I've forgotten French as well! 

Wednesday ~ Book Club here at Ticklepenny

We had been reading 'Brick Lane' by Monica Ali (haven't yet posted in the 'reading section' ~ ummm!).  We had all enjoyed it and it lead to a very enjoyable discussion.  We felt that the characters were well drawn and believable (mostly) and the plot engaging.  We talked about how difficult it must be to come to a foreign land with no knowledge of the language, no friends and missing homeland and family.   Brick Lane is in the East End of London so we talked about the fact that it had been home to so many immigrants over the years (including one of  our member's family) and how the clothing industry settled in that area.  We laughed a lot too ~ which is always good!

Today:  Stella popped round with Npie (all the others at school or doing assignments) and asked if I would like to go for a walk.  So we did.  Into Watford to Specsavers to get Rpie's glasses fixed and then back again.  Because I am always in too much haste I never seem to make the time to walk in ~ just get in the car and go ~ but it's really a lovely walk and most of it through parkland and by the river.   It took not much more than an hour so there was time for coffee (for Stella and me) and playtime for Npie before they nipped off to get Rpie  from Nursery school.  

This afternoon: finishing minutes and 'seeing to' other school stuff.  

The nights are certainly drawing in now~ only eight o'clock and already dark.

Back soon

Po xx