tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88980142024-03-23T18:07:51.908+00:00Not "Where Next" but "Where Now"?rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.comBlogger495125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-13115607453126123792020-12-28T12:15:00.004+00:002020-12-28T12:16:12.650+00:00New entries<p><br />Following on from the art at home series, I thought I'd share three new pieces we recently added to our hall gallery.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA42XdcIQwT7PXonuGe_9gKeg2iUo0kyOOUGIDJk28zOplauLlkzB2NOKsfNIYXzKnXFr4ejn_9pqSSYJMyT-FonIId2OfZyf_3UemwPx6bUK8e7UGE9SClLQmnS_KaejeEErxw/s2048/IMG-4116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1578" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA42XdcIQwT7PXonuGe_9gKeg2iUo0kyOOUGIDJk28zOplauLlkzB2NOKsfNIYXzKnXFr4ejn_9pqSSYJMyT-FonIId2OfZyf_3UemwPx6bUK8e7UGE9SClLQmnS_KaejeEErxw/s320/IMG-4116.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>First up is a postcard. We don't really do advent calendars in this house, and especially not big commercial ones, but when I heard that Playmobil had produced a Back To The Future calendar this year, I knew I had to get it for Dan. The BTTF trilogy are his favourite films and we've had fun through December seeing what was behind each window and building up the Twin Pines town scene with Marty, Doc, Biff and all sorts of accessories. The postcard here came with the advent calendar. It's a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_printing">lenticular print</a> of a Playmobil reconstruction of the <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/3w6zDyDXE6rcDkQU6">family photo Marty</a> carries with him during the film. As Marty meddles with the future, his siblings fade from the photo. With this postcard, viewing it at different angles makes his siblings disappear!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWcoGNL0P9GrtA4iMvuT0MkvD62JVTgyLxOayHboDNTUJGTrKmpXB3yPrVnwq8iLOwJk3BySyGM4Q4SfDSSgDvoWZuRcc8LxYCAvOPRahN9M1ZVPwpkik5DfvTURW8-LWULUx2w/s1889/IMG-4115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1889" data-original-width="1809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWcoGNL0P9GrtA4iMvuT0MkvD62JVTgyLxOayHboDNTUJGTrKmpXB3yPrVnwq8iLOwJk3BySyGM4Q4SfDSSgDvoWZuRcc8LxYCAvOPRahN9M1ZVPwpkik5DfvTURW8-LWULUx2w/s320/IMG-4115.jpg" /></a></p><p><b>Frauen Am Weinen 9 (red)</b></p><p>This is a business card which we've framed and added to the wall. A good friend of ours recently moved away to live in another country. Just before she went, the artist <a href="https://frauenamweinen.de/collections/frauen-am-weinen">Judith Clara's</a> adverts came up in my social media feed and this particular image reminded me of the friend (although I must add I've never seen her in this position!) I bought a print for her as a leaving gift and the business card came with it.<br /><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0FhPFfwwjKnGLAp399qQpHvRwbRbYcyUGlkIcMR7o_6NWMxBeYamtcRQLkzfU_CniurNhVbXA_4yD7f_zQJUN1socMfe6V2BztJvcKmRGf1KlfNjQOybM81z78gnHMwrDLJsBQ/s2003/IMG-4114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2003" data-original-width="1970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0FhPFfwwjKnGLAp399qQpHvRwbRbYcyUGlkIcMR7o_6NWMxBeYamtcRQLkzfU_CniurNhVbXA_4yD7f_zQJUN1socMfe6V2BztJvcKmRGf1KlfNjQOybM81z78gnHMwrDLJsBQ/s320/IMG-4114.jpg" /></a></p><p>This third piece was a Christmas gift from one of our lodgers. One of the house rituals we've enjoyed through lockdown has been Quarantinis - a (sometimes) daily cocktail which marks the end of the working from home day, and the start of the evening. We've <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17899980463559133/">captured almost all of them in photographs</a> too, much to the annoyance of some of our friends! The lino print above is from one evening when we'd made a round of Vieux Mot cocktails and lined them up on the garden wall ready for drinking. We've really appreciated our garden and patio during lockdown because it gets the best of the evening sun, and provides great space for relaxing, eating and catching up with the neighbours. This print is a lovely reminder of this season.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-9161318640068952002020-07-24T18:43:00.001+01:002020-07-24T18:43:49.064+01:00A gallery of our art, part 5: upstairsThe final instalment! I've really enjoyed creating these posts for <a href="https://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html?showComment=1595596578267#c4926337954141930392" target="_blank">Kerenza's gallery.</a> All the art in our house has a story behind it and it's been lots of fun remembering them all as I've added them to the list. This is the last group - the art we have upstairs. It's fair to say that there's plenty more wall space upstairs that's just waiting for some art to fill it... Here's what we've got so far:<div><br /></div><div><b><i>HPN</i></b></div><div><i>Postcards, <a href="https://chris-henley.co.uk/Graphic" target="_blank">Chris Henley,</a> 2019</i></div><div><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The smaller postcard version of the Happenin' poster I mentioned in my <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-gallery-of-our-art-part-4-dining-room.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ArRmckXxxVEwJV0hECSelCStQ_10tck7kYXlsugnA6FnWjvbCxDIf3CTA3oKpz80S4ZfvmYavgQdfprdB1qBnvmqkj0v1xXiR4HCI3o30oWNgx06XEitdLikljbVeS4VxmEivA/s2582/IMG_2429.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2582" data-original-width="1218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ArRmckXxxVEwJV0hECSelCStQ_10tck7kYXlsugnA6FnWjvbCxDIf3CTA3oKpz80S4ZfvmYavgQdfprdB1qBnvmqkj0v1xXiR4HCI3o30oWNgx06XEitdLikljbVeS4VxmEivA/s320/IMG_2429.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Three Musicians</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Fused glass, Emma Owen, 2017</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><b>Chocolate Box</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Acrylic on canvas, Emma Owen, 2004ish</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I mentioned that my sister in law works in glass and this is an example of that. A copy of <a href="https://www.pablopicasso.org/three-musicians.jsp" target="_blank">Picasso's Three Musicians</a> recreated in fused glass. She <a href="https://www.em-art.co.uk/apps/webstore/" target="_blank">takes commissions</a> for glass art, coasters, tiles, bowls and more. Below that is another pixel square painting, this time of a box of chocolates. We love the colours in this one - it complemented our bedroom when we first bought it and now sits perfectly alongside our bold red wall in the hall at the top of the stairs.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVXD98SuQCjQKhzg_z5YTP0gwVjoY7OXFDKf9vaCTKlJdwruX7Lwqgi9lDNGer0ji2wNqFFPJdvwP-eMMkZS1JYoJ_ojVlvHCiz3-j5Llu_cCatWVmMlC63opZxGOlJGLZm38uA/s2048/IMG_2430.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVXD98SuQCjQKhzg_z5YTP0gwVjoY7OXFDKf9vaCTKlJdwruX7Lwqgi9lDNGer0ji2wNqFFPJdvwP-eMMkZS1JYoJ_ojVlvHCiz3-j5Llu_cCatWVmMlC63opZxGOlJGLZm38uA/s320/IMG_2430.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseTlG67xFH1fEx2DdEcal4sWR0_AfNkBOlJpPB-gRK5BilK2Qqn2akWfHS-C1T_nxjvliHHzz-UmLhdvvjbCaE4pF4LoG4rRQuAA5zmtLTQyTTBXYGoQL-LXzB65jkrs_6Bs2MA/s2048/IMG_2431.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1959" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseTlG67xFH1fEx2DdEcal4sWR0_AfNkBOlJpPB-gRK5BilK2Qqn2akWfHS-C1T_nxjvliHHzz-UmLhdvvjbCaE4pF4LoG4rRQuAA5zmtLTQyTTBXYGoQL-LXzB65jkrs_6Bs2MA/s320/IMG_2431.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Psalm 8v1</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Acrylic on canvas, Rachel Warwick, 2003</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodx7SlBRgFSunoyX7mUlAn8DrW6sBe2iBcfB8DeO6gR3Eaq9SMRSZuhQ3YqMgdu8jpMTGJiL4rnvcZRJaRvhdfP65-ZUoWeaHRFVGLhnvCOEQtwXAbohRxnndi_19G_l_ENIdyQ/s2048/IMG_2432.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodx7SlBRgFSunoyX7mUlAn8DrW6sBe2iBcfB8DeO6gR3Eaq9SMRSZuhQ3YqMgdu8jpMTGJiL4rnvcZRJaRvhdfP65-ZUoWeaHRFVGLhnvCOEQtwXAbohRxnndi_19G_l_ENIdyQ/s320/IMG_2432.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few years ago I had an idea to paint a series based on Psalm 8. This was the first of those paintings, depicting verse 1, "Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" If you trace the straight lines you should see the word YHWH (Yahweh) within the green and blue of land and sky. It's really very badly executed and if I had half a chance (or the inclination) I'd paint the whole thing again, only better. I never completed the series, but the second painting hangs in our friend's studio in Coleraine and is, in my opinion, a far better painting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>The Bear Club</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Graphic novel print, <a href="https://twitter.com/inkstreet89" target="_blank">Karl Brown</a>, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Story by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drneilfox/?hl=en" target="_blank">Neil Fox</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the reasons we love living in Luton is it's innate creativity. There are so many brilliant artists here, in all fields. Last year Luton published a graphic novel featuring stories from a range of local writers, illustrated by just as many local artists. It's really wonderful. This story is about our beloved Bear Club, written by Filmstock co-conspirator Neil Fox, and drawn by Karl Brown. See a behind the scenes photo <a href="https://twitter.com/drneilfox/status/1278982515131326466" target="_blank">here</a>. How could we not add this to our collection?</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_H_yO_64Ybl_rnWXO0zv4yIHWwrMYnLDpz4A0XQ2j53yGyf_vCSSVsLzUmAsLitaY_3Wqj8jrTtrZ2nGd9lIQnoqAmj7FmP8MbtTXy9-M3A_fLUU2diFICAVv2ZLux6IJRBpSg/s2048/IMG_2434.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_H_yO_64Ybl_rnWXO0zv4yIHWwrMYnLDpz4A0XQ2j53yGyf_vCSSVsLzUmAsLitaY_3Wqj8jrTtrZ2nGd9lIQnoqAmj7FmP8MbtTXy9-M3A_fLUU2diFICAVv2ZLux6IJRBpSg/s320/IMG_2434.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Durban Cathedral Scenes</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Watercolour on paper, Peter Croxon, 2014</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And finally... these are two scenes from downtown Durban; another souvenir from our travels. They were painted by Peter Croxon, who, with his wife Belinda, hosted Dan and I and another of our team members for a few weeks in their home. While we were there, Peter was researching his family tree and I realised that my grandmother's maiden name was Croxon. It was a lovely surprise to find her and my great aunt on the family tree he was constructing. What a random co-incidence to end up staying with a distant cousin on our trip? Peter retired from his job as an architect a few years ago and now spends his time painting and selling the paintings. We used a little of the money we inherited when Grandma died to buy two paintings of a place we remember so fondly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zyK73hFNFFz7j8bqNWn-BKEnEJYJcE4BKpeugorwJ7GO4PiMohxizsYdPeYDOZoCm3IB3o7kQkU9wFLNAV61a1UJqNQH4xxESCJ-No3EJKDSEXh9uIRrH0qCE9TO1HCVi9D2g/s2048/IMG_2435.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1839" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zyK73hFNFFz7j8bqNWn-BKEnEJYJcE4BKpeugorwJ7GO4PiMohxizsYdPeYDOZoCm3IB3o7kQkU9wFLNAV61a1UJqNQH4xxESCJ-No3EJKDSEXh9uIRrH0qCE9TO1HCVi9D2g/s320/IMG_2435.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKmqftmK6psdcqMpWBZxLwnxHenQYakoZF-ZSX9IaQEJCGMtqXLeUngfsWpU_MUWRj8mq-sjBZ7Pl3m7EYuXGdGwc9MifNfCV-CN6Gtdq3dRixo77I5APLMzFDLXyO-933ExsBQ/s2048/IMG_2436.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1798" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKmqftmK6psdcqMpWBZxLwnxHenQYakoZF-ZSX9IaQEJCGMtqXLeUngfsWpU_MUWRj8mq-sjBZ7Pl3m7EYuXGdGwc9MifNfCV-CN6Gtdq3dRixo77I5APLMzFDLXyO-933ExsBQ/s320/IMG_2436.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>_____</div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Posted as part of <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html" style="color: #cc6666; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerenza's Bloggers' Art Gallery</a>. Please do visit hers, and other galleries too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s640/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #ff3243; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s320/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div></div></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: start;" /></div></div><div><br /><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-32067744225298189502020-07-24T18:16:00.002+01:002020-07-24T18:18:30.655+01:00A gallery of our art, part 4: the dining roomThe penultimate stage in my gallery for <a href="https://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html?showComment=1595596578267#c4926337954141930392" target="_blank">Kerenza's series.</a> This time I'll show you the art in the dining room which also doubles as a music room. In fact, at the moment, probably more music than dining. Anyway... to the art...<div><br /></div><div><b><i>Mappa Mundi</i></b></div><div><i>Gold paint on paper, Ewan David Eason, 2018</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Dan gave me this for my 40th birthday. Ewan David Eason created a series of map prints like this one although the originals were made from gold leaf! The maps are a response to Charles Booth's Descriptive Maps of Local Poverty from the late 1800s in which areas were colour coded according to lower, middle and upper class. Easons decision to paint every area in gold presents an egalitarian society. Of course, Luton wasn't included in his original list of locations so Dan commissioned this one specifically. I love it. See other cities (and actual gold leaf art) on <a href="http://www.ewandavideason.com/mappa-mundi" target="_blank">Ewan's website</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHTEIHTXNavKladv2UUC3tnYTCpVy8A8xGtB7wnTzS-Hc9xLYDp3jsuI7UfvxGzFKWefbNAuE_ELU_GSdtBVoY-0GgYCbcry9imHnaUfBuOMdukmicw-zhm4BYJQlbft1ZG7vUQ/s1654/IMG_2411.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHTEIHTXNavKladv2UUC3tnYTCpVy8A8xGtB7wnTzS-Hc9xLYDp3jsuI7UfvxGzFKWefbNAuE_ELU_GSdtBVoY-0GgYCbcry9imHnaUfBuOMdukmicw-zhm4BYJQlbft1ZG7vUQ/s320/IMG_2411.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Helvetica, Bodoni and Cooper Black</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Silver print on coloured card, Andy Brown, 2002</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy71dkX4x0UU899csyRPd134Vkg0tCt1y8w5vQ3OUDBwtu3hr1uqJ7tDkuOI8x_B_iDTvGFdOghgR_suyIRhFlmwsEraSRYkotrsv8AtQW3QQ0BT1bqsIuMN9Gf0xfzAIjLsPKg/s2048/IMG_2412.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy71dkX4x0UU899csyRPd134Vkg0tCt1y8w5vQ3OUDBwtu3hr1uqJ7tDkuOI8x_B_iDTvGFdOghgR_suyIRhFlmwsEraSRYkotrsv8AtQW3QQ0BT1bqsIuMN9Gf0xfzAIjLsPKg/s320/IMG_2412.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These works of design genius are from our friend Andy Brown. Each of these is a set of 8 A5 cards which come together to form the full image. The image itself is the numbers 0-9 all overlaid in outline in three different fonts - Cooper Black on the left, Helvetica in the middle and Bodoni on the right. I could stand in front of them for hours tracing the outline of each number in my mind. Helvetica is certainly easier than Cooper! You can't really see the detail in this photo so it's definitely worth checking them out on <a href="https://www.printhandbook.com/collections/posters" target="_blank">his website.</a> Andy gave us the Helvetica print for our tenth anniversary and we bought the other two to complete the set. It's taken us about seven years to get around to framing them though - so glad we did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>The Happenin'</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Print on paper, Chris Henley, 2019</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFdh63PTDanRLMGT0YzvhLwLMOHtjuhORqXwBC-0qysJEyd1utIoDJGQkpim7PZ7A-ZuFsQZwTVrOdnQo2Gvmv4X_CPhB5AOvc36YQWqmiU2aRG7oJ49qIOZdXGV8fHlwbiTgmQ/s2048/IMG_2413.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFdh63PTDanRLMGT0YzvhLwLMOHtjuhORqXwBC-0qysJEyd1utIoDJGQkpim7PZ7A-ZuFsQZwTVrOdnQo2Gvmv4X_CPhB5AOvc36YQWqmiU2aRG7oJ49qIOZdXGV8fHlwbiTgmQ/s320/IMG_2413.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When <a href="https://www.the-bear.club/" target="_blank">the Bear Club</a> turned five years old, we held a one-day jazz festival to celebrate. A gathering of some of the world's best jazz musicians and composers, all bringing new pieces to play together and workshop throughout the day. It was a fantastic celebration of jazz, of music, of creativity and of the Bear Club. This commemorative poster was designed by <a href="https://chris-henley.co.uk/">Chris Henley</a> - a brilliantly creative designer who I really enjoy working with. (If there's a product, or a website for a project I've been involved with, you can be fairly confident he designed it!)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Maps from a house survey</i></b></div><div><i>Bog standard print, 2019</i></div><div><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I'm pretty sure this is another one that some people would struggle to call art. They're probably right. These nine maps were all in the survey we had done when we bought this house. Each one has our home right at the centre and shows different elements of our surrounding area - parks, education, contamination, planning permissions and plenty more. We took them to our framer, <a href="http://www.mandhservices.co.uk/home.htm" target="_blank">Mike</a>, who had the brilliant idea of creating circular apertures in the mount rather than squares and we love it (so we don't care if it isn't art!)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7krXp4e3pnneWz30duUZGe56HJYB4LOdx1omfHFj1DScZuHikmZd_BtipMNmtr9bLsrsH1yzI8VJ9BP_q0E3Acigy9oIjl2iKQsnlNShZtlmgaWzmFiKGLUyJj_SGAWQPtcHAA/s2048/IMG_2417.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1959" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ7krXp4e3pnneWz30duUZGe56HJYB4LOdx1omfHFj1DScZuHikmZd_BtipMNmtr9bLsrsH1yzI8VJ9BP_q0E3Acigy9oIjl2iKQsnlNShZtlmgaWzmFiKGLUyJj_SGAWQPtcHAA/s320/IMG_2417.HEIC" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Grove's and a Pocket Trumpet</i></b></div><div><i>Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1938 edition</i></div><div><i>Pocket trumpet from local junk shop, £20</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Not art, you say? I'm not listening any more. I inherited the Grove's from <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2005/01/someone-id-like-you-to-meet.html" target="_blank">my Grandad</a> and they now live on a floating shelf above the piano while this pocket trumpet hangs just above. You can probably make out the shadow of a trombone on the wall too?</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsuUWX2hd-vhUC1MIOMGLfqkCWxsjUnAu_CDabq70u3OhnhmB3bJg8kZwXFwJw3veOcHdfNH1FLCKLDzjGjqeUavsJZ1o5jn7xj61l1t-M7Oi4HgPetYC_dDxmnBR7nFNV7PDKQ/s2048/IMG_2418.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsuUWX2hd-vhUC1MIOMGLfqkCWxsjUnAu_CDabq70u3OhnhmB3bJg8kZwXFwJw3veOcHdfNH1FLCKLDzjGjqeUavsJZ1o5jn7xj61l1t-M7Oi4HgPetYC_dDxmnBR7nFNV7PDKQ/s320/IMG_2418.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Carpet</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Sample from our old house, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you're a long-term reader of my blog, you might remember that when we bought our first house at the other end of the road, it had this hideous stripy carpet in every room. Every. Single. Room. It was overwhelming - <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2015/08/stripes-and-chandeliers.html">see my earlier post</a> if you don't believe me. Over time we grew to "love" it so when we moved out last October we kept a sample and have just recently had it framed as a memento of the first home we ever owned. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgrnBN5VFC_as422S919rXdzeGFHOBv0RFYwTynULn0iucSx0hi94jTnmCQ_adthWsf32XbCQe9iMI2vHA23hczymxuxK4hmZMVf04bxDZdzJ8f6sxpTrpq4l9v-BvIyvmsvkCA/s2048/IMG_2419.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1971" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgrnBN5VFC_as422S919rXdzeGFHOBv0RFYwTynULn0iucSx0hi94jTnmCQ_adthWsf32XbCQe9iMI2vHA23hczymxuxK4hmZMVf04bxDZdzJ8f6sxpTrpq4l9v-BvIyvmsvkCA/s320/IMG_2419.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div>_____</div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Posted as part of <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html" style="color: #cc6666; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerenza's Bloggers' Art Gallery</a>. Please do visit hers, and other galleries too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s640/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #ff3243; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s320/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div></div></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-84391330469089529322020-07-24T17:51:00.001+01:002020-07-24T17:51:13.610+01:00A gallery of our art, part 3: more hall, kitchen and bathroomHere's the next instalment for <a href="https://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html?showComment=1595596578267#c4926337954141930392" target="_blank">Kerenza's art gallery.</a><div><br /></div><div>There was so much on one wall in our hall that it filled an entire post so I'm going to start this one with the rest of the pictures you'll find in our hallway, and then also our kitchen and bathroom.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklFql-9ycAIott4UjRb2KyHebkARSSZHd4PslNUN0spWlMlz2EHXJWCSpUZJvTh1K5L1NFzcX6xx6dB75VtxCDWUDA8S48Hw_Yt2oEM_2J7VlNR0XyVHrrBoYuVje_tdabQLIZg/s2816/IMG_2385.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="2816" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklFql-9ycAIott4UjRb2KyHebkARSSZHd4PslNUN0spWlMlz2EHXJWCSpUZJvTh1K5L1NFzcX6xx6dB75VtxCDWUDA8S48Hw_Yt2oEM_2J7VlNR0XyVHrrBoYuVje_tdabQLIZg/s320/IMG_2385.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>You Are Enough</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Wood cut from old church pew, Micah Purnell, 2018</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div>Two Micah Purnells in one photo here! The first, a wood cut from old church pew, was a gift I bought for Dan a few years ago. Designed by Micah and cut from old church pews by members at Chapel-In-The-Fields; a charity supporting those with mental health vulnerabilities. <a href="https://micahpurnell.com/shop/oac-wood-block-5b69k-pe7km-cwt7p" target="_blank">You can still buy these on Micah's website</a> but the latest batch are cut from old dining tables. We have this right by the front door - it's a great reminder as you come in and out of the house. You are enough.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>The Finger</i></b></div><div><i>Printed beer mat, Micah Purnell</i></div><div><i>Deep wooden frame with red inner walls, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1280679765316404">Mike Spring</a></i></div><div><br /></div><div>You probably can't see it in this photo but the words on the fingers read "Bless those who curse you" from Luke 6:28. Ours is another beer mat, but it's also <a href="https://micahpurnell.com/shop/the-finger-screen-print" target="_blank">available as a print</a>. I love how clever this little graphic is. I'd seen it several times before I realised what the picture is. Dan took it to Mike for framing for my birthday one year. I wonder if we hold some sort of record for having the most framed beer mats in one house?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Barford's Ribbon Dying Factory</i></b></div><div><i>Print of lino print, Stephen Whiting, 2018</i></div><div><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Stephen is a local artist who combines a love of local history, a love of local now, a sharp wit, an eye for the unusual and a magpie-like knack of collecting and makes the most wonderful art. I first encountered it when I attended The Luton Tapestry at Uni Beds with a friend and loved it. You can see some of that <a href="https://therealjhackson.wixsite.com/s-whiting-arts/2d-work" target="_blank">here </a>if you're interested. Recently, he compiled a series of photography essays about different aspects of Luton, presenting collections of his photography in old record boxes, with printed material about the images and a related screen print. When I left the Bear Club staff team (the first time round) Justin bought me one of these sets as a gift. The set I have details a visit Stephen made to Barford's Ribbon Dying Factory in North St, High Town. It's just off the road we live on, lived on and where you'll find St Matthew's Church. The factory was part of Luton's busy hat making industry and continues to operate to this day, even though many areas of the machinery and processes used date back several decades. It's fascinating to see. This is the screen print from that set, of the factory from the street.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Wednesday Night Dinner</b></i></div><div><i>Ink sketch in a Christmas Card, <a href="https://www.konnideppe.co.uk/blog/" target="_blank">Konni Deppe</a>, 2018</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Wednesday Night Dinner has been a regular event in our house for a few years now. Three or four maybe? It's exactly what you'd expect - dinner on a Wednesday night. We just invite various members of our local community and they often invite others too. With guests ranging from 19-72 years old, you can expect to find anything from 10 to 25 people in our house on a Wednesday evening and we love it. A couple of years ago Konni (another previously featured artist on this blog!) drew this sketch of WND inside a Christmas card and we loved it so much, we framed it!</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse4cAANUm8Fk710-zrqXKW7I-SJXLxe6nsu1zoUhaMmKb0TWRgPcFPkrXVmwypFqx9x1OIdB2fbIyV7v0NR4SwLOPCbqU1swqJ_XgY27371xvEsVoN0Uf52RQi5kud-EuquckGA/s2048/IMG_2386.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhse4cAANUm8Fk710-zrqXKW7I-SJXLxe6nsu1zoUhaMmKb0TWRgPcFPkrXVmwypFqx9x1OIdB2fbIyV7v0NR4SwLOPCbqU1swqJ_XgY27371xvEsVoN0Uf52RQi5kud-EuquckGA/s320/IMG_2386.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>St James Clerkenwell Spire</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Print, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GetDrawnIn">Evelyn Rowland</a>, 2016</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://alondoninheritance.com/london-churches/st-james-clerkenwell/">St James Clerkenwell</a> is another place of great significance for me. It was the church I went to as a student, Dan and I were married there and I've worked as Church Manager more than once! Quite by chance I spotted that Evelyn Rowland had drawn a series of sketches of church spires across London. At the time she was selling them as a large print of all the spires so I requested this one as a separate piece. </div><div><br /></div><b><i>Hexagonal Study</i></b></div><div><i>Paint print, <a href="https://www.rosalindwhite.com/" target="_blank">Rosalind White</a>, 2017</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Ros is an old colleague and friend and as our art collection started to grow into a gallery of our friends' work, we knew we wanted to include something of hers. This piece is actually a study she was doing ahead of a larger piece but we loved the colours and shapes. More from Ros in a later post...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3n-f4H7Ii6p5cGDq59aOmuy4tthN8yMx_Z5mwjjoLvMG9gLZ3qc3UBI4cHPnuCT8FP3klzDuuwJfbFECKp5mVXL57DqVvm9ceFm37zyZCxqUcVEIeN-nQrFdu7fbqC5-DIxOV6w/s2048/IMG_2387.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3n-f4H7Ii6p5cGDq59aOmuy4tthN8yMx_Z5mwjjoLvMG9gLZ3qc3UBI4cHPnuCT8FP3klzDuuwJfbFECKp5mVXL57DqVvm9ceFm37zyZCxqUcVEIeN-nQrFdu7fbqC5-DIxOV6w/s320/IMG_2387.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><b><i>Share With Me</i></b></div><div><i>Prints, Mica and Myla Hendricks, 2014</i></div><div><i>Framed (and reframed when it fell off the wall and broke!) by Mike Spring</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Apologies for the wonky photo - this one is above our kitchen door and it's too high to get a good angle! I was sure I'd blogged about this art before but I can't find it. <br /><br />These are in that rare category of "art from artists we don't know!" but I discovered this project online a few years back and was captivated. Mica Hendricks is an artist who specialises in fine detailed portraits. <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/busymockingbird">Her work really is incredible. </a> She wrote a wonderful blog post about her daughter Myla wanting to join in with the drawing and how she kept giving her her own paper and pencils. Myla wanted more, but Mica was afraid that letting her 4-year-old get involved might ruin the drawings. Eventually she did and the work the two of them produced together is just wonderful. Beautifully detailed faces, with childishly innocent animal bodies. For me, these pictures are a tiny glimpse into the ways that God allows us, as clumsy, well intentioned children, to get involved with his perfect, fine-art creation. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZElLAY4EoZLWe7D7JeAlbnWdLfWX5TjBqSjt_iDp5jCrXxit9RigDVR0NDh9U14mCgLBC2IeVp3pDluUFvEUBgpjR_ERMsyY_BybfeFNnCAp4ilnrY7ai0UO4X1O79HjH_VPPQ/s2048/IMG_2420.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZElLAY4EoZLWe7D7JeAlbnWdLfWX5TjBqSjt_iDp5jCrXxit9RigDVR0NDh9U14mCgLBC2IeVp3pDluUFvEUBgpjR_ERMsyY_BybfeFNnCAp4ilnrY7ai0UO4X1O79HjH_VPPQ/s320/IMG_2420.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Zoophabet</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Lino print on paper, <a href="http://www.simonsmithillustrator.co.uk/simon_smith_illustrator/Art.html" target="_blank">Si Smith</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed and mounted (including snails) by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These are the Zoophabet prints I mentioned in an earlier post. The comedic brilliance of Si Smith presents 26 animals choosing the less obvious creatures to represent each letter of the alphabet. This frame is HUGE - it's over 1m wide! I recommend clicking on the photo for a closer look. </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKjbVPQTwl78eL7L6_Gp-S7OFN5XM_gPVenAjPq2jtYaCwfPlwOYKjVherEUDHSet6Caib_uMleiZk7HwNt0HFLt21GB7BpKPeS8ssMEI7n7va4zmLUTvGUNTgtHvc4W-zpx9uA/s2048/IMG_2422.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKjbVPQTwl78eL7L6_Gp-S7OFN5XM_gPVenAjPq2jtYaCwfPlwOYKjVherEUDHSet6Caib_uMleiZk7HwNt0HFLt21GB7BpKPeS8ssMEI7n7va4zmLUTvGUNTgtHvc4W-zpx9uA/s320/IMG_2422.HEIC" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYehbtu1gqUN_JC2MAJcObif3pMi9wDSEsI9Dzo0WwHlf5sUiCYuSVpd1VLBjaqWZuZWEkqsFBUlvmNTuMZImhjRwFliZjqRfRvgO_HWDr767wGt9QDknE9nTpDRkSBKsBUUb4w/s2048/IMG_2421.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYehbtu1gqUN_JC2MAJcObif3pMi9wDSEsI9Dzo0WwHlf5sUiCYuSVpd1VLBjaqWZuZWEkqsFBUlvmNTuMZImhjRwFliZjqRfRvgO_HWDr767wGt9QDknE9nTpDRkSBKsBUUb4w/s320/IMG_2421.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Trevor</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Wood carving, South Africa, 2008</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Trevor the Warthog - a souvenir of our <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2008/08/durban-report-part-1.html" target="_blank">Durban </a>adventures in 2008, named after David and Sue Trevor. I spotted Trevor at a roadside stall in Hluhluwe and regretted not buying him at the time. David and Sue kindly picked him up when they visited later and brought him back to London. For a while he was known as Trevor the Mouldy Warthog since travelling in a carrier bag didn't suit him particularly well and he grew mould all down his back. We left him in the sun to dry out and he now sports a long crack all down his spine. As you'll see from the second photograph, Trevor has developed a taste for tequila during lochdown.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUh_Yai0Y3UEMz5sZFjjhfT7f1qGJu8fwpGy1ttvoyJji-4WqaeXrIfVsXFPzW8PNgiprIIxNeec9W-rmA4tRJRkLj0TdkbEoEzHkiNpxYM_IMBUkC9wehfkOxcUZJa2ovTYZzg/s2048/IMG_2423.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUh_Yai0Y3UEMz5sZFjjhfT7f1qGJu8fwpGy1ttvoyJji-4WqaeXrIfVsXFPzW8PNgiprIIxNeec9W-rmA4tRJRkLj0TdkbEoEzHkiNpxYM_IMBUkC9wehfkOxcUZJa2ovTYZzg/s320/IMG_2423.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Party Invitations</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Self-modification of an original design by Green & Blacks</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dan and I believe in celebrating wedding anniversaries. For our tenth we had a picnic in the park followed by a fun evening at the local golf club. We (re)designed these invites to send out to our friends (and printed too many so turned them into bunting on the night too!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZFYPnl_bwT55QDqk2vsGug_V2GMc83Fps44lQhyGBYe9SOEhHXqlBCDKbEbpnUxygqvMU0s5-pjyvv9Uf1zE45divw9oIUfSuGXZz3FK0CvU2dGON-NvNSaUiBj1hrFynEzT0A/s2048/IMG_2426.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZFYPnl_bwT55QDqk2vsGug_V2GMc83Fps44lQhyGBYe9SOEhHXqlBCDKbEbpnUxygqvMU0s5-pjyvv9Uf1zE45divw9oIUfSuGXZz3FK0CvU2dGON-NvNSaUiBj1hrFynEzT0A/s320/IMG_2426.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Green squares</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Acrylic on canvas, <a href="https://www.em-art.co.uk/" target="_blank">Emma Owen</a>, 2001ish</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Emma is my sister in law and this is one of the pieces from her art degree final show, based on the pixellation of photographs. These days she works more in glass and fabric than paint, but we like the simple colour that these bring to a room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LJOTI2kDESyZRNOwYLhEREqXtEWA1Gevs3ue5NKvwEt6UPTAeNyg_pFGfsYpR4vbyLGY3WwP31jxWFLOaNUasSfE2iTMqDCz-cud-Qx3rMKRk0lbco94y5lE3DCjD-BQnxOfxQ/s2048/IMG_2427.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1722" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0LJOTI2kDESyZRNOwYLhEREqXtEWA1Gevs3ue5NKvwEt6UPTAeNyg_pFGfsYpR4vbyLGY3WwP31jxWFLOaNUasSfE2iTMqDCz-cud-Qx3rMKRk0lbco94y5lE3DCjD-BQnxOfxQ/s320/IMG_2427.HEIC" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNxisRzMaqiBIkx8KFavCbphIu4X1cp9jmtSHgAXbgubd1QPgyT4Ce2XsHKJh5wC1m7IShXzY-JVbT3ITt2p5sv9IO0FyqjpEpikuRGv4zk9XpR-c5bbeI6a8w9TT8uqn3o9D9A/s2048/IMG_2428.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNxisRzMaqiBIkx8KFavCbphIu4X1cp9jmtSHgAXbgubd1QPgyT4Ce2XsHKJh5wC1m7IShXzY-JVbT3ITt2p5sv9IO0FyqjpEpikuRGv4zk9XpR-c5bbeI6a8w9TT8uqn3o9D9A/s320/IMG_2428.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Bead Art</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Glass beads and wire, Durban, 2008/9</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Two more souvenirs from our travels here. Everywhere you go in Durban, people are selling art, sculptures and jewellery made from wire and thousands of tiny glass beads. Both of these brighten our downstairs toilet. The dancing couple made us laugh at the time because Dan was renowned for always wearing orange trousers and playing the bass. </div><div><br /></div><div>_____</div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Posted as part of <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html" style="color: #cc6666; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerenza's Bloggers' Art Gallery</a>. Please do visit hers, and other galleries too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s640/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #ff3243; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s320/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-73135396832089322742020-07-24T16:50:00.002+01:002020-07-24T16:50:49.930+01:00A gallery of our art, part 2: the hallContinuing our art tour as part of Kerenza's bloggers' gallery, here's all the art we have in the hall. This is one of the smallest rooms in our house and yet the one in which you'll find the most art. I love having so many small pieces all on the wall together. it makes for a really interesting space and each individual frame adds something to those around it. Here's a picture of the whole wall, followed by explanations of what you see there. The red wall is a bit of lockdown decorating we've done, and a gamble given I bought the paint online without doing any testers. I love it!<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8_cq_PeNf4OTVIpGziaNXU5QJMXH-E2N6vvTqj-D2kM_G-dVp7RW_HsRgD8sl_rRoJDCRGaoTvlKNAjqbi39jdXQvKDATXe9AqPIblCXx5ZGQ2Kb-91bm4hOCnQpiFPf3zBpDg/s2048/IMG_2388.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1745" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8_cq_PeNf4OTVIpGziaNXU5QJMXH-E2N6vvTqj-D2kM_G-dVp7RW_HsRgD8sl_rRoJDCRGaoTvlKNAjqbi39jdXQvKDATXe9AqPIblCXx5ZGQ2Kb-91bm4hOCnQpiFPf3zBpDg/s320/IMG_2388.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Bear</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Lino print on paper, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ellen.on.film/" target="_blank">Ellen Williams</a>, 2020</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed and mounted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Print-and-Frame-It-110180090643895" target="_blank">Mike Spring</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bears are pretty significant to our community, thanks to <a href="http://the-bear.club">The Bear Club</a> - a jazz club that has been our favourite hangout since 2014. Ellen is one of our friends, neighbours and bar-colleagues as well as being a super-talented artist so when she produced these fantastic bear lino prints we knew we had to add one to our wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK32uFDSLD4IQGrZ2zREs1NmifaaVUMfbxqVvfTXiLQ2RZxfI8RNgjEsBfeNoQni5FesQeQw_hUbCvZNa5inlV-6SE0DPzIymc2HX94HUFYTj7qNu-rVu3eyW0sX1mLpMy88edQ/s2048/IMG_2389.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1837" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK32uFDSLD4IQGrZ2zREs1NmifaaVUMfbxqVvfTXiLQ2RZxfI8RNgjEsBfeNoQni5FesQeQw_hUbCvZNa5inlV-6SE0DPzIymc2HX94HUFYTj7qNu-rVu3eyW0sX1mLpMy88edQ/s320/IMG_2389.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Calling Card</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Business card and dust, Canon T Russ, probably 1970s</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLW8YiEcjrhm3axR5WLz2dMsOKkzPcyLRIoMtgZA81MsDVEZ0zuGncsK8hUEpEShXrebX9-zoxCFQTk6gplChWPg6pEnpowxg9RDxALuimKu_gXNRcmXBwapHrtv22xKwwbVuWg/s2048/IMG_2390.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLW8YiEcjrhm3axR5WLz2dMsOKkzPcyLRIoMtgZA81MsDVEZ0zuGncsK8hUEpEShXrebX9-zoxCFQTk6gplChWPg6pEnpowxg9RDxALuimKu_gXNRcmXBwapHrtv22xKwwbVuWg/s320/IMG_2390.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Literally a "wild card" inclusion which most people would say probably isn't art. We found this business card under the floorboards in our old house while decorating. It says:<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>"Father Russ called and is sorry to have missed you.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>[contact details]"</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div>On the back is a handwritten name and address, for a lady who lived on the other side of Luton. If you've read my blog before you'll know I'm fascinated by local history and this was an absolute gift to find. The church and handwritten address are nowhere near where we live - how did this card come to be under our floorboards? I still can't answer that one, but sharing a photo of the card in a local history group on Facebook revealed that <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10200142/Canon-Timothy-Russ.html?fbclid=IwAR3xccLsGOhrnbm6bVqz1Qe3sybD6G2wL9VnSm_-PuZ7Q5T80CC_bMlpjbI" target="_blank">Fr Russ </a>was incumbent at St Martin de Porres in the late 1970s, and went on to become a Canon and Chaplain to Tony Blair. The group also managed to track down the grandaughter of the lady named on the back! The internet is a wonderful thing.<div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Dusk</i></b></div><div><i>Print of watercolour on postcard, <a href="https://www.katealizadeh.net/" target="_blank">Kate Alizadeh,</a> 2015<br /></i><div><br /></div><div>This is another piece of art by a friend-of-a-friend. I've never met Kate, although I'm pretty sure we've been at at least one wedding in common. A few years back she started a postcard subscription project where those who joined received a set of watercolour postcards four times a year. We're always keen to support initiatives by artists so we signed up. The cards we received were beautiful and most of them have been sent to various friends and family members but we kept and framed this one because it looks <b>exactly </b>like the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglj4N5qZ0QTc7E6CIzFTQUUGfZo2tOpjQyv5EnTSFXdEgEIWS4LMl3tgA93J1s8XcJ7fM2-m2DzFnoe0L5zgApQYs7KA3tXVAKVvkxlEMSS9GYzdFgIlD0Zqo9l4s7s9DRHMdXvQ/s1600/hr+outside.png" target="_blank">first house we bought </a>which is at the other end of the road we still live in now - a Victorian terrace, with school over the road and railings! </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xbNbcJIVksGr78rS88e8h9GhHlpDwgqhTHa2dxwNJooQ6dKw8aL6lburUtBOjnTJ8KophHoKNhfzhI8jMR-31Droq_W_gkDr1o_L9QVjGUq6fElFj2v63LevPA-fPqFDhBGnyQ/s2048/IMG_2392.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xbNbcJIVksGr78rS88e8h9GhHlpDwgqhTHa2dxwNJooQ6dKw8aL6lburUtBOjnTJ8KophHoKNhfzhI8jMR-31Droq_W_gkDr1o_L9QVjGUq6fElFj2v63LevPA-fPqFDhBGnyQ/s320/IMG_2392.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Oaks are a symbol of hospitality</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Photograph, <a href="https://www.jesuit.org.uk/profile/stephen-hoyland" target="_blank">Stephen Hoyland, </a>2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a framed photograph that we were given as a housewarming card by our favourite Jesuit and man-most-like-Jesus-that-we've-ever-met, Stephen Hoyland. In it he wrote some lovely encouraging words about an oak tree being symbolic of hospitality and how he knew that was something we valued highly and that he was praying our new house would continue to be a place where others found welcome, home, hospitality and healing. Amen to that! I believe the tree featured is in Lancashire somewhere.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjVBYRDjulNFc6UOVLKesd9kLvnCLQv_eOKpxoZOvUbnMclOQ1dtecM1-4cUtPt80p9XolLp1jr3voigtyizfM8-5JpKnYcL6BEEuAok4zzARtLSBHgZY-O-_BjGDLLhsg3Gh5w/s2048/IMG_2393.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjVBYRDjulNFc6UOVLKesd9kLvnCLQv_eOKpxoZOvUbnMclOQ1dtecM1-4cUtPt80p9XolLp1jr3voigtyizfM8-5JpKnYcL6BEEuAok4zzARtLSBHgZY-O-_BjGDLLhsg3Gh5w/s320/IMG_2393.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Smart Love</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Photograph, Dan Warwick, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dan loves taking photos and I'd highly recommend following <a href="https://www.instagram.com/danslownotes/" target="_blank">his Instagram feed</a> if you like quirky perspectives, unusual architecture, reflections in puddles and that sort of thing. (If that's a sort of thing?) Just over a year ago when I changed job, we realised we needed a second car for us both to be able to continue to work so we bought this tiny, yellow convertible Smart car. We'd hired one a few years previously and had so much fun in it that we had wanted to get one ever since. It's not particularly practical but for a childless couple's second car, it's brilliant. We're so glad we bought it - it's given us so much joy (and mechanic bills!) When Dan parked it in West Hampstead last Autumn he was surprised to return to find it had made a friend!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pDDffO4oJixKbQ2ueymGhCSARJcnxRK3zP9MOJjI4RyciiJX4t3Z4B4kJz3zw9LsGMtCaN-WdKqFNbEJxDDGyIBaU9rGHIuVFzP33ydLK7eJdYUSz_puzTrutSqU3DBDQc-ezg/s2048/IMG_2394.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pDDffO4oJixKbQ2ueymGhCSARJcnxRK3zP9MOJjI4RyciiJX4t3Z4B4kJz3zw9LsGMtCaN-WdKqFNbEJxDDGyIBaU9rGHIuVFzP33ydLK7eJdYUSz_puzTrutSqU3DBDQc-ezg/s320/IMG_2394.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Wilderness</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Film postcard, Justin Doherty, 2017</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l-DYNoV_oZz6iiwOU-Z0R2Ro4jZCbjS6TvZA6ZFj6hEKeyt92zj7tJic7SnGphSpbeDvRv_a29o-kxLOoHmcVAxO1Gy88xfAbkvCRkZ3XgfE2mc4_HNk4IvQxxtyNhKxBaVX9w/s2048/IMG_2395.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l-DYNoV_oZz6iiwOU-Z0R2Ro4jZCbjS6TvZA6ZFj6hEKeyt92zj7tJic7SnGphSpbeDvRv_a29o-kxLOoHmcVAxO1Gy88xfAbkvCRkZ3XgfE2mc4_HNk4IvQxxtyNhKxBaVX9w/s320/IMG_2395.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">'Wilderness' is a feature film created by a good friend of ours. It's a wonderful feeling to sit and watch such a high quality film and know that your friends were involved in writing, directing, producing, filming, editing, performing in and promoting it. We loved it, as did the film festivals and judges who gave it several awards. Film website <a href="https://www.baracoapictures.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><b><i>Music and trees</i></b></div><div><i>Print on sheet music, Dan and Rach, 2012</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A fairly simple piece that Dan and I made by printing one of his photos onto a page from a Haydn string quartet. The photograph of trees in a foggy park lends itself to this really beautifully.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8CKno6GxXxZniZxqYiLcwYC9xrTX4YtRSy8f1UUp1c1bJBa7zuxvorYY065kY4hfTY3W92X5bBIJKFHQxjE3QQdty1bxio80OLQeC7xjH0GIeJoq72vz4Ynr5xYY0MxapWIEdQ/s2048/IMG_2396.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1794" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8CKno6GxXxZniZxqYiLcwYC9xrTX4YtRSy8f1UUp1c1bJBa7zuxvorYY065kY4hfTY3W92X5bBIJKFHQxjE3QQdty1bxio80OLQeC7xjH0GIeJoq72vz4Ynr5xYY0MxapWIEdQ/s320/IMG_2396.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>The pigeon</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Screen print, Si Smith, bought 2018</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Lilac frame, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1280679765316404" target="_blank">Mike Spring</a>, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.simonsmithillustrator.co.uk/simon_smith_illustrator/Home.html" target="_blank">Si Smith</a> is another artist who features multiple times in our art collection. I first worked with him at dare2engage on another project which you'll see next on this list but we've kept in touch since and when he offered his fabulous Zoophabet prints for sale on Facebook I jumped at the chance. You'll see the Zoophabet in another post, but here's another favourite of ours. When Si sent the prints I'd bought, he threw in a few extra bits and pieces he found around his studio and we fell in love with this tiny pigeon as soon as we saw it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Framing is really important to us too. Some of our art is in basic frames from high street shops but most of it, these days, is framed by our friend and frame-genius, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1280679765316404" target="_blank">Mike Spring at Print and Frame It</a>. Mike is absolutely brilliant at knowing how to get the best out of a picture by mounting and framing it with the right colours and materials. We love going to his studio, laying out our new art acquisitions and seeing them come to life as he picks mounts, wood types, colours etc. For us, the frame has become just as important as the art itself.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFSnRtmDiM7k98DOPdJyOj4XjRObmVBlzZOQyVxKlZC4rpcd4YubTQ0jtkEAIi85a6WSrMD7qaAhzH4IFP3JuVXAvrtOcefIlTPGQeV5Nfm_uFLMd2MtTEeXqFOm6MlX4zEJmGg/s2048/IMG_2397.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1943" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuFSnRtmDiM7k98DOPdJyOj4XjRObmVBlzZOQyVxKlZC4rpcd4YubTQ0jtkEAIi85a6WSrMD7qaAhzH4IFP3JuVXAvrtOcefIlTPGQeV5Nfm_uFLMd2MtTEeXqFOm6MlX4zEJmGg/s320/IMG_2397.HEIC" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Rage, Despair and Hope</i></b></div><div><i>Digital art prints, <a href="http://www.simonsmithillustrator.co.uk/simon_smith_illustrator/Home.html" target="_blank">Si Smith</a>, 2012</i></div><div><i>Frame and mount, Mike Spring<br /></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU02_uEdWMFavzKM62qwAtTPsBt0PG22f9BMpAZAaLw6DWNsAfQOkizpWb8eMTkTnM0T0Z4ephmGNH6ymUfnBTXF04my4B_-dkK3BZuTL2ku7nA9xg7v-jIwCvX8A4svq7BE4nVw/s2048/IMG_2398.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU02_uEdWMFavzKM62qwAtTPsBt0PG22f9BMpAZAaLw6DWNsAfQOkizpWb8eMTkTnM0T0Z4ephmGNH6ymUfnBTXF04my4B_-dkK3BZuTL2ku7nA9xg7v-jIwCvX8A4svq7BE4nVw/s320/IMG_2398.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the dare2engage project I mentioned previously, and my first opportunity to work with the fabulous Si Smith. The reflections make these images quite hard to see here, so I'd recommend taking a <a href="https://www.youthscape.co.uk/store/product/rage-despair-hope" target="_blank">look at the resource on Youthscape's site</a>. These are three out of 22 images which tell the story of the biblical book of Job. It's an intense and complicated story that many people find hard to understand and it's often ignored but it's a deep, rich treasure of emotions and hardship and how God relates to us through it all. Most of the 22 are triptych, telling the Job story through image and metaphor but these three represent the times in the story when God speaks and Si chose to represent that by breaking away from the three-pane approach and using the space as a single image. Here you see the solar system, the leviathan and Job with his friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Turvey Abbey</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Print of watercolour, Brother Herbert, 1985</i></div><div><br /></div>When I left Youthscape in 2019, my colleagues gave me this as a leaving present. It's a watercolour of the bell tower and guest house at <a href="http://www.turveymonks.org.uk/" target="_blank">Turvey Abbey</a>, painted by nonagenarian monk, Brother Herbert. Turvey Abbey is a combined Benedictine monastery and nunnery just outside Bedford and, until recently when the team grew too large for the accommodation, a regular retreat venue for us at Youthscape. I have so many special memories of that place. Brother Herbert is one of only two surviving monks at Turvey and has been there since 1985. His memoirs are well worth a read, and include growing up half-Jewish in Nazi Germany, his experience in PoW camps, studying at Cambridge, being influenced by Buddhism and plenty more. This <a href="https://dimmid.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7BCBD9097C-88C9-481A-A5AA-F9D7E32CBE58%7D" target="_blank">snippet here</a> is a good taster.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoXOAwj7hIPcYe4ZVt5Rvfff0HsnVI5nujuhGlVLM6iiNfl3-lmXkr27dPn9sBObPiQ0fOoGZQSIF0ExmpS-yl2Cakg8FpdTwYxjS4Y6SPaTMZJV2Gx7II0uk_DgXkWqoGh4fFg/s2048/IMG_2399.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZoXOAwj7hIPcYe4ZVt5Rvfff0HsnVI5nujuhGlVLM6iiNfl3-lmXkr27dPn9sBObPiQ0fOoGZQSIF0ExmpS-yl2Cakg8FpdTwYxjS4Y6SPaTMZJV2Gx7II0uk_DgXkWqoGh4fFg/s320/IMG_2399.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>He Did Not Pray</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Screen Print, <a href="https://micahpurnell.com/shop/he-did-not-pray-screen-print" target="_blank">Micah Purnell</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1280679765316404">Mike Spring</a></i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQxYy18eFUTn9DJ3UBu1FBY7Stj2xGAj4oRcrmNR8CIOg_r_y_6GAfS4d8Z_s213CV2lneMCk0l-tyzDd2AvHa7x9FdqjSwvxlBD-OBtgzawhFF2ocTOi1Lo1zSaKUfB0_SzJrg/s2048/IMG_2400.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFQxYy18eFUTn9DJ3UBu1FBY7Stj2xGAj4oRcrmNR8CIOg_r_y_6GAfS4d8Z_s213CV2lneMCk0l-tyzDd2AvHa7x9FdqjSwvxlBD-OBtgzawhFF2ocTOi1Lo1zSaKUfB0_SzJrg/s320/IMG_2400.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I promised you more Micah, and here it is! This was a gift to us from Kerry and Caleb Storkey for our 10th wedding anniversary in 2002. Micah is a friend of theirs and this was our first piece of his work that we owned, having admired plenty of others in the Storkey house when we lived in Winchmore Hill with them. Micah doesn't reference where the text is from, but it's wonderfully simultaneously challenging and encouraging (<a href="https://micahpurnell.com/shop/he-did-not-pray-screen-print" target="_blank">as well as being easier to read on his website!</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><i><b>Ice Melt</b></i></div><div><i>Ink and ice, Abi Spendlove, 2020</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A miniature ice melt painting created in the same way Abi made our large painting that hangs in the <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-gallery-of-our-art-part-1-lounge.html">lounge</a>. Abi lives next door and made us this beautiful piece as a thank you for a celebratory meal we were involved in preparing for her and Colin during lockdown.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o8nV_sfuqvSBjl5dp1-UeO98THN3ijKtlCmgm2gg7RQN4T17h4JL44NOJjONnRO1GgiR43ufHm_ym3FPPBKQe3YN083fv0IW7a8dTTGqNhFh4YKC0NRqDDvPjG4LqB1WpCvKwA/s2048/IMG_2401.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o8nV_sfuqvSBjl5dp1-UeO98THN3ijKtlCmgm2gg7RQN4T17h4JL44NOJjONnRO1GgiR43ufHm_ym3FPPBKQe3YN083fv0IW7a8dTTGqNhFh4YKC0NRqDDvPjG4LqB1WpCvKwA/s320/IMG_2401.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Birthday Card</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Watercolour on card, Alina Pullinger, 2015</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know sometimes you receive a birthday card that you just can't throw away? This is one of those times. <a href="http://www.alinapullinger.com/" target="_blank">Alina </a>is a good friend of ours. She painted this portrait of Dan and I in our old house. The squares around the door represent a guest wall we had just inside the door, where visitors were encouraged to decorate a square on the textured wallpaper that came with the house.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LeQWD5ArFaWAlO6qAC-VOxNoHzEAQRyAsrqskIP4muhtkRlD_0fX4R4xlcaq9rHbhNNdLLraxxKgqRRIIMQ5JiPCD7H7KvQmINZJs8jbuv3wahyphenhyphenltu05pL-uYnOxA-S3M6fNcw/s2048/IMG_2402.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1590" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LeQWD5ArFaWAlO6qAC-VOxNoHzEAQRyAsrqskIP4muhtkRlD_0fX4R4xlcaq9rHbhNNdLLraxxKgqRRIIMQ5JiPCD7H7KvQmINZJs8jbuv3wahyphenhyphenltu05pL-uYnOxA-S3M6fNcw/s320/IMG_2402.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>St Matthew's, High Town</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Lino print on card, Konni Deppe, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Frame and mount, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1280679765316404" target="_blank">Mike Spring</a></i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AUziZgmL_lPccbnbotC1ohz2v7DduL0yqadKCFs3bUnFuiCAZ5cSyLkzMXjQ0lQMQmCjpc-ivImYAxUyD6Xf52LLPLwVeeygyz2riQVnu4TX9RdscLnA1ySrjH1svd2f7ETYTA/s2048/IMG_2403.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1995" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AUziZgmL_lPccbnbotC1ohz2v7DduL0yqadKCFs3bUnFuiCAZ5cSyLkzMXjQ0lQMQmCjpc-ivImYAxUyD6Xf52LLPLwVeeygyz2riQVnu4TX9RdscLnA1ySrjH1svd2f7ETYTA/s320/IMG_2403.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Another card we fell in love with. <a href="https://www.konnideppe.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jazz singer, Konni Deppe,</a> is a regular at our house community dinners. She's brilliantly creative and her lino print of <a href="https://photos.francisfrith.com/frith/luton-st-matthew-s-church-1897_39718.jpg" target="_blank">St Matthew's</a>, the church down the road, captures the building so well. It's another really significant place for me personally, as well as being an important part of our cultural and architectural heritage here in Luton.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Filmstock Postcard</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>White print on black card, Justin Doherty/Chris Henley, 2019</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Until last year, Filmstock was a Luton cultural phenomenon that started after I'd left for university, ran for 9 years and stopped before I returned. A world-class international film festival, run largely by volunteers, hosted in Luton. Legendary - you only have to hear a couple of stories to realise you missed out by not being there. <br /><br />And then it came back. The team that made 'Wilderness' (see above) are also the team that bring Filmstock to life, as well as half of them also being responsible for the Bear Club jazz venue (see also above) I worked for the weekend in the catering team and had an absolute blast providing meals for the artists and delegates as well as managing to catch one or two films along the way. They weren't exaggerating when they talked about how good it was. For a few months, we had a gigantic poster on the wall in our upstairs hallway but took it down when we repainted and replaced its presence in our house with this postcard as a reminder of good times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAUbDvNw4zH6mXm0W_9LeyPvbCTMle3hYq5HsAbQBpKhfUGUSPEVI-o7kGIrNqiOV0GSX1KvtT0c9_4sCE3fKB7u9Hhbq8fwC3QxluegbRhrmGLrrGZCyLq28-Ns2eP5_EsG_Yw/s2048/IMG_2404.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAUbDvNw4zH6mXm0W_9LeyPvbCTMle3hYq5HsAbQBpKhfUGUSPEVI-o7kGIrNqiOV0GSX1KvtT0c9_4sCE3fKB7u9Hhbq8fwC3QxluegbRhrmGLrrGZCyLq28-Ns2eP5_EsG_Yw/s320/IMG_2404.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>119 Graham Road</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Watercolour on paper, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_victoria_beech_/" target="_blank">Victoria Beech</a>, 2019</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesKBWAj3XKIAYEERZekdZ05D7OVCg6gzc3GufY2SXDfX_BjQpE2CTh3Tf6d6EuptRdYVPsmp83obfC0cbl_58M-C5_NHpL1sNw01TrKhw6VWT8-noc1RWYBRRoR89BOMPRMySog/s2048/IMG_2405.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesKBWAj3XKIAYEERZekdZ05D7OVCg6gzc3GufY2SXDfX_BjQpE2CTh3Tf6d6EuptRdYVPsmp83obfC0cbl_58M-C5_NHpL1sNw01TrKhw6VWT8-noc1RWYBRRoR89BOMPRMySog/s320/IMG_2405.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">119 Graham Road is a tall Victorian terrace in Hackney. Insignificant, for most, but special to us because it's where Dan and I met. Having moved in on 1st September 2001, we got married on 31st August 2002 so you could say it was the site of our whirlwind romance! This sketch by Dan's sister was a gift from Dan for our anniversary last year. It's become all the more special since we moved house last year and are now living in a house with 119 on the door again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Basics</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Postcard, Jack Monroe</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuONISx2qcs1kvGRMxSlWGnN0hp3QoY1BA80Mf-OCYb2AsQk0rKzILfAeccmbgCyh6JuCJl6pc67BiDgbEnECKJJ-prJZeEWGYcyk_ZZOI2VSm8w5V9m8tHvwlXyQjAdThw2w5-Q/s2048/IMG_2406.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuONISx2qcs1kvGRMxSlWGnN0hp3QoY1BA80Mf-OCYb2AsQk0rKzILfAeccmbgCyh6JuCJl6pc67BiDgbEnECKJJ-prJZeEWGYcyk_ZZOI2VSm8w5V9m8tHvwlXyQjAdThw2w5-Q/s320/IMG_2406.HEIC" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://cookingonabootstrap.com/" target="_blank">Jack Monroe</a> became a public figure in 2012, around the same time as <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2012/10/lunch.html" target="_blank">MakeLunch</a> was entering its second summer and establishing itself as a charity. In fact, we appeared in the <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-world-tonight.html" target="_blank">same Radio 4 programme </a>that year I think. I love her low-budget, zero-waste approach to good food and several of her recipes are firm favourites in our house. This postcard is a print of one of her sketches. I really like the grounded, everyday-ness of it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Which Instrument Should I Play?</i></b></div><div><i>Marketing leaflet, Sinfini Music</i></div><div><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>A few years back, Dan and I were queuing for a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall when someone came down the queue handing out Oyster card wallets with this leaflet in them. I love flowcharts so this one helping people work out which instrument to play was perfect for us. It's funny, and we really enjoy seeing guests stop by the door to follow their own path through this and see where their musical destiny lies. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also featured here: an old railway Third Class sign. Dan has had this as long as I've known him and it generally just hangs out in whatever house we're living in. We finally got it up on the wall!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJYEMOkd6CnnDSkp1JaoUzt8H0luU5KTUpHOyMwglHIZpFrsp7rbmCu0oaVwoN0NW3CNgjfVz1snkrgyd3BKSOyY_SDcgdxTUaVQ47prlLzBobNGvAo1mhPjgEDfSy9LmSPuNVQ/s2048/IMG_2407.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJYEMOkd6CnnDSkp1JaoUzt8H0luU5KTUpHOyMwglHIZpFrsp7rbmCu0oaVwoN0NW3CNgjfVz1snkrgyd3BKSOyY_SDcgdxTUaVQ47prlLzBobNGvAo1mhPjgEDfSy9LmSPuNVQ/s320/IMG_2407.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Havelock Road Map</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Ink on paper, from our house original deeds, 1904</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Framed by Mike Spring</i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiWwRxj11HJ0v2i3UXgbHvkVl0whUsj-lllsEQgcJ428ZBxGaGkyRIBLwCtLq5c4nAq_hvSjw3_28GPREMI3RTC9NP9iOLug1wO5VTsEjVstBj-Df899wJYhEpnvABDkYM5BuzQ/s2048/IMG_2408.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiWwRxj11HJ0v2i3UXgbHvkVl0whUsj-lllsEQgcJ428ZBxGaGkyRIBLwCtLq5c4nAq_hvSjw3_28GPREMI3RTC9NP9iOLug1wO5VTsEjVstBj-Df899wJYhEpnvABDkYM5BuzQ/s320/IMG_2408.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When we bought this house in October 2019 I was delighted to find the previous owners had left us a huge file of historical papers, including deeds, contracts and more. The oldest document is an 8-page A2 hand written deed, in beautiful (but almost illegible!) script. Pinned to it with a dressmaker pin was this map. Our house is in the pink section towards the top left (with 7 other houses - it's not <i>that</i> big!) and I'm fascinated by the rest. Note the trees on the lower left hand side which suggest the houses that now stretch all down that side of the road hadn't been built yet. And the red houses on the bottom right where the 1970s-built primary school now stands. The land on the other side of the road to our house isn't called Pepper Hill any more either.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Warwicks Fish Restaurant</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Photo from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Were-You-Being-Served-Remembering/dp/1903747198" target="_blank">Were You Being Served?</a> book.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've blogged about <a href="https://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/search?q=Warwick+fish" target="_blank">this photo</a> before.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFmLryIsrxLP8ZYR4DqEZX1mgJZMCZKq22ZYHV1vi_UlM5y3pMbDtmtkcXU6y5XG0NZmvERofJqBPBLd_hLoIOYU5Dx-VdC5hoL1s-kz8bl1J1TDx3a3CdrxpXLVqYqXztO-q1w/s2048/IMG_2409.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFmLryIsrxLP8ZYR4DqEZX1mgJZMCZKq22ZYHV1vi_UlM5y3pMbDtmtkcXU6y5XG0NZmvERofJqBPBLd_hLoIOYU5Dx-VdC5hoL1s-kz8bl1J1TDx3a3CdrxpXLVqYqXztO-q1w/s320/IMG_2409.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><b><i>Energy</i></b></div><div><i>Ceramic clay with green glaze, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mattrawworksinclay/" target="_blank">Matt Raw</a>, 2017</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>While I was working at Youthscape, we fundraiser for, bought and renovated an Edwardian steam mill in the centre of Luton. Another opportunity to explore Luton's rich history for me (don't ever ask me about this in the pub - I will bore you for hours!) including project managing a group of young people learning about the <a href="https://www.youthscape.co.uk/about/bute-mills-history">building's heritage</a> and presenting it in a leaflet, <a href="https://youtu.be/GoRaP0vgcsM" target="_blank">video </a>and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRamhDohNBbxc4VTN6ogDA29nZoPuxNjlCQhZw0/">art installation</a>. The art came in the form of a series of 25 ceramic tiles made by Matt Raw, using words taken from the timeline that the teenagers created to tell the story of the mill from building to present day. The tiles are still there, dotted around the building, if you fancy a trail. This was one of the sample tiles that Matt created prior to the final run, which he gave me as a gift when the project was done. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTfuykF9MZQR2uAzcYvUEMheJ6P4K_8kRHMqrDcn9DNelZ04NOFAjHKPG87u-QIe5b1OmmlHkr6upqd8YEVqU99iso8wq0Cxhw9b7MoNkEhAB5J-fVXXC251lJgZCBh_rh2-9yA/s2897/IMG_2410.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="2897" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjTfuykF9MZQR2uAzcYvUEMheJ6P4K_8kRHMqrDcn9DNelZ04NOFAjHKPG87u-QIe5b1OmmlHkr6upqd8YEVqU99iso8wq0Cxhw9b7MoNkEhAB5J-fVXXC251lJgZCBh_rh2-9yA/s320/IMG_2410.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">_____</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Posted as part of <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html" style="color: #cc6666; text-decoration-line: none;">Kerenza's Bloggers' Art Gallery</a>. Please do visit hers, and other galleries too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s640/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="clear: left; color: #ff3243; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s320/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="border: none; position: relative;" /></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-51670081543311829502020-07-24T14:06:00.005+01:002020-07-24T16:51:01.625+01:00A gallery of our art, part 1: the loungeAfter nearly 5 years, I'm posting again to join in Kerenza's art trail. I really enjoyed browsing through her art and reading the stories behind it all. She's got so many beautiful pieces - you should definitely go and look at them. So I was inspired to blow the dust off this old thing and share ours to.<div><br />Ironically, when I logged in again, I found a draft post for her art trail that I'd started writing in 2018 and never finished! <br /><br />I'm going to do this in stages because we've got too much art to share in one post. <br /><br /><b>The Lounge</b><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Dear Progress</i></b></div><div><i>Printed beer mats, Micah Purnell, 2002</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Deep black wood frame with yellow internal walls, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Print-Frame-it-408940159135657/" target="_blank">Mike Spring</a><br /></i><br />It's a set of seven beer mats of <a href="https://micahpurnell.com/">Micah Purnell's</a> <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/micah-purnell-launches-street-art-7461403" target="_blank">"Dear Progress" billboard series</a>. Seven statements that challenge today's society addictions to technology, consumerism and being busy. The statements are:<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>What lie will I wear today?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Reality is a cocktail of fantasy</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>I need (want)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Put down your phone and talk to me</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>We breathe shallower now</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>My eyes are pixeled</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Shackled by my own consumption</i></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Micah is a friend of a friend, who I've since met and worked with a few times and I really like his stuff. There's more to come of his in this room and in others...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRV_vFd85g5bPmg4mQArfkw1xT2XzP6VTyiO0Xttju87dmzPTrdBkwZDwojyrdcZUQESKaIPsXeK1j3dhvU5eu7KKWiWDbB9KMHTH9gGL3mjCA5RbekDSXEvoI8fUdlJbHjmumw/s2048/IMG_2375.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtRV_vFd85g5bPmg4mQArfkw1xT2XzP6VTyiO0Xttju87dmzPTrdBkwZDwojyrdcZUQESKaIPsXeK1j3dhvU5eu7KKWiWDbB9KMHTH9gGL3mjCA5RbekDSXEvoI8fUdlJbHjmumw/s320/IMG_2375.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Tributary</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Ice and ink, Abi Spendlove, 2017</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOumZXAaziwdlIlrCM2OTND3SEelEXulSPoNxMr2PtCSwdNLbj7X9vOsXI4raytuXddnHkIGcYU6K30WfkufDVWvEJ8vXWZCtHnIERa2svYzYfIJ73dyOHfeZY_-FtgjXPIdp7g/s1729/IMG_2376.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1729" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOumZXAaziwdlIlrCM2OTND3SEelEXulSPoNxMr2PtCSwdNLbj7X9vOsXI4raytuXddnHkIGcYU6K30WfkufDVWvEJ8vXWZCtHnIERa2svYzYfIJ73dyOHfeZY_-FtgjXPIdp7g/s320/IMG_2376.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I bought this for Dan's 40th birthday from an exhibition in <a href="https://asyouchange.co.uk/projects/the-storefront/">Luton's Storefront gallery</a>. I'd been to the exhibition and really liked these ice melt prints. Abi's exhibition was all about the River Lea which starts in north Luton and flows through the town. She took water from the river, added ink and froze it in balloons before letting the ice sculptures melt onto the page. I bought this before Dan had seen it and had a minor heart-stopping moment when I later took him to the exhibition and he stood in front of these and said "I don't really like those" - all rectified when I explained the concept! We went out with Dan's brother the night before his birthday and while we were out, a friend let themselves into our house and hung this on the wall so it was there when we got back! It now hangs on the chimney breast in the lounge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><i>Book Page Prints</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Ink on vintage dictionary pages, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/wallenvyart?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_ftb_alt&section_id=6227997" target="_blank">Louise Verity</a>, 2010-11</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />Dan's parents gave me the top image for my birthday in 2010, and we ordered the second to complete the pair not long after. The words are a quote from <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54933/ode-" target="_blank">Ode, by Arthur O'Shaughnessy</a>. Most people recognise it from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A" target="_blank">Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as quoted by Willy Wonka</a> during the tour but for me it's a nostalgic reminder of a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H9LqQIRun4" target="_blank">favourite Eden Burning song</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Wandering by lone sea-breakers and sitting by desolate streams;</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>World-losers and world-forsakers, on whom the pale moon gleams:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Yet we are the movers and shakers of the world for ever, it seems.</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/wallenvyart?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_ftb_alt&section_id=6227997"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/wallenvyart?utm_source=transaction&utm_medium=trans_email&utm_campaign=purchase_ftb_alt&section_id=6227997"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VAgMezj-PTEVesvYV-R66lupGz4iQ1zgXylNrnJuu0UpSkk-BWL7lM2ZM3DbDnlsUM_2beHM4EU=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="216" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VAgMezj-PTEVesvYV-R66lupGz4iQ1zgXylNrnJuu0UpSkk-BWL7lM2ZM3DbDnlsUM_2beHM4EU=s320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><i><b>LUTON<br /></b>Print on paper, Jonas Allen, 2020</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is our most recent art acquisition, a gift to us from Karin on her birthday! It's a painting of Luton's most famous landmarks by one of her friends, <a href="https://jonasallen.bigcartel.com/product/luton-print" target="_blank">Jonas Allen</a>. The detail on this is incredible. We haven't decided where to hang this once it's framed but it'll definitely find a home. Luton is a recurring theme in our art collection, as you'll see...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/o7divIrIbImhhSq413jP9AcJJ9XPb05nJVIXKzjk8tce6G7N1NK2XJh-69CMe59Mf0g3_OdONV0=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/o7divIrIbImhhSq413jP9AcJJ9XPb05nJVIXKzjk8tce6G7N1NK2XJh-69CMe59Mf0g3_OdONV0=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><b>Selected prints</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Print on paper, Micah Purnell, bought 2014<br /></i><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well I did say there'd be more Micah! I love his bold, challenging typographic style. These are a selection of five of his works, not intended as a collection. From left to right they are:<br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>"I couldn't see the wood for the trees so I lit a match" collaboration with poet, Pete Rollins</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Marriage quote by The Great Kamryn, full text <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJxRUJKjFQO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">here</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Truth</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>"If you don't design the future, someone else will." Edward de Bono</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>"Love keeps no record of wrongs, but you didn't know so your list went on." song lyric</i></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/QQ20g5s63CPpHDIh0hptSsQGwNoY2qUNVEkKp_FF7evBUrzTn1fJQszAsbwVb-vuwCD73VWcWpM=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/QQ20g5s63CPpHDIh0hptSsQGwNoY2qUNVEkKp_FF7evBUrzTn1fJQszAsbwVb-vuwCD73VWcWpM=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />I think I'll pause there for now. More rooms still to come, with more pieces from some of these artists, and plenty more to go with them. <br /><br />_____<br /><br />Posted as part of <a href="http://kerenzaallin-garner.blogspot.com/2020/07/bloggers-art-gallery-welcome-to-my.html">Kerenza's Bloggers' Art Gallery</a>. Please do visit hers, and other galleries too.<br /><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s640/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9jbBH7gsNILu0mwa-iiTNi6E945rj5bdHhmkTkyC8w2rKh8RDtZikrOF2mYr6n59JjTnk87uUv7DT6mqPNWqBab3-WOJ9xflK39GmtZWtZVVZfduaAo1nOa9HVGlFW4pQFDR/s320/Blogger+art+gallery+header.jpg" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-43667365873784070802015-10-08T00:06:00.001+01:002015-10-08T00:06:15.916+01:00restoring orderI got my kitchen back!<div><br></div><div>Who knew decorating the bathroom (check out our new door!) would take over the entire house?!</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkhPME3MwRz3EM5K2jP-CYIBvWjoQs7sf69rz7hKZkNPa0AdMFwHk-wtlLzYtKVtcNwwmBkyoW0u2qP6Ux7ddtgW9mqDyarqpevChTRqcEDfotGDjcvUdABMmRDxfHE0tt_GuHg/s640/blogger-image--1788571082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkhPME3MwRz3EM5K2jP-CYIBvWjoQs7sf69rz7hKZkNPa0AdMFwHk-wtlLzYtKVtcNwwmBkyoW0u2qP6Ux7ddtgW9mqDyarqpevChTRqcEDfotGDjcvUdABMmRDxfHE0tt_GuHg/s640/blogger-image--1788571082.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-50163492624862358542015-08-28T21:17:00.000+01:002015-08-28T21:17:00.178+01:00carpenters and electricians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Kevin the carpenter came and replaced the doorframe. Turned out our old one, pictured here, was smaller than the gap which had been filled with screwed up paper and bits and pieces. At the moment our bathroom has no door!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo601UfaDcABct2VTe8kIXOcddOWLhIZ6Fh_FNafgGsejSHWqwmhhmDOYgPcaEkAJmWp4wearmmDxu3oTEN4duQIWox9S05URrsFsb-vQgNuoCjDs4EtONVH5_Pn8GSh4QPvoMVw/s1600/IMG_2052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo601UfaDcABct2VTe8kIXOcddOWLhIZ6Fh_FNafgGsejSHWqwmhhmDOYgPcaEkAJmWp4wearmmDxu3oTEN4duQIWox9S05URrsFsb-vQgNuoCjDs4EtONVH5_Pn8GSh4QPvoMVw/s320/IMG_2052.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Nick the electrician came and he and Dan planned what needed wiring in. We've done a lot of the cable-laying ourselves which included taking up the carpet in the lounge to get it under all the floorboards. Who knew the bathroom would take over the entire house?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LQDT2B6JjIsP_KM4RUbUfzOH9T6yrR-lAdINQ0Iht0e0ISRXY9M5ob2y_ELaxzHFexyNXNxqySnPrwbm5P969Seji4tSl1cwVDzGvtcdf1vHk1I878Ua7kJt0ab8iBUK8v_x8Q/s1600/IMG_2053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LQDT2B6JjIsP_KM4RUbUfzOH9T6yrR-lAdINQ0Iht0e0ISRXY9M5ob2y_ELaxzHFexyNXNxqySnPrwbm5P969Seji4tSl1cwVDzGvtcdf1vHk1I878Ua7kJt0ab8iBUK8v_x8Q/s320/IMG_2053.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We've also had to drill through a few walls to fit cables. Sadly our 30+ year old drill met it's end as this cartoon by Dan shows...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1PnajY4O5Wzs7GKUkR1nsXSY5e4gID3ePOMsR7AKV3ydSXkBxDrSaTHyNhH_D3FM5pcXuxCQnebP9-OUaDliABhH0fuTtt4gNwxCwlDMM7_uKC2AvtLlUT9J7eN7v4ptvZfzVA/s1600/dead-drill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1PnajY4O5Wzs7GKUkR1nsXSY5e4gID3ePOMsR7AKV3ydSXkBxDrSaTHyNhH_D3FM5pcXuxCQnebP9-OUaDliABhH0fuTtt4gNwxCwlDMM7_uKC2AvtLlUT9J7eN7v4ptvZfzVA/s320/dead-drill.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So. Now we have a bathroom with no tiles, no ceiling, no bath, no sink, no door and a bunch of cables which aren't connected to anything.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-54454645641319363532015-08-27T21:03:00.000+01:002015-08-27T21:03:00.541+01:00getting it all off<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With demolition fully underway, Mark and Dee came round armed with hammers, chisels and crowbars to help rid the bathroom of it's peachy tiles and pine ceiling.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc62gGdXygCVFMVUfuP1yQQWnlOrcrLefs9fypO6xMQ2pdM1dTlkfH0E6PqED4vlBJB46ZdJ5n-nBZNQhEPGnTwM91SZkKCZcU3VndOItQaOmdY-oUhzXC7H1iR4IqIJdUiEgpA/s1600/IMG_1844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc62gGdXygCVFMVUfuP1yQQWnlOrcrLefs9fypO6xMQ2pdM1dTlkfH0E6PqED4vlBJB46ZdJ5n-nBZNQhEPGnTwM91SZkKCZcU3VndOItQaOmdY-oUhzXC7H1iR4IqIJdUiEgpA/s320/IMG_1844.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc3bxeboEDrQhvL7g-6kTTjfKzYOAqvBD_boWqaD4oCv87cUdNcamX5d7lJM2qjlR9mdGsptqm9qCA_-Nd7W4lRovG_9B4l3xqD_1E7JjGjM0O49rRK8qNzNICibwxDUec12E6g/s1600/IMG_1845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWc3bxeboEDrQhvL7g-6kTTjfKzYOAqvBD_boWqaD4oCv87cUdNcamX5d7lJM2qjlR9mdGsptqm9qCA_-Nd7W4lRovG_9B4l3xqD_1E7JjGjM0O49rRK8qNzNICibwxDUec12E6g/s320/IMG_1845.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjKQtUALQoKemOIa8U9b5PC53y6OHiMRSomMhpxeZMyEK4hTVCxmI9O62djYm61dc4hQsxWnt34F7EbsjXmFed1EO7pzFO75Kh-rpRSZkePiS1B6vJnECEteod0UHbp4M1lladg/s1600/IMG_1846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjKQtUALQoKemOIa8U9b5PC53y6OHiMRSomMhpxeZMyEK4hTVCxmI9O62djYm61dc4hQsxWnt34F7EbsjXmFed1EO7pzFO75Kh-rpRSZkePiS1B6vJnECEteod0UHbp4M1lladg/s320/IMG_1846.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With the bathroom bare but usable, the next thing on the to-do list was to remove all the plaster to expose the damp breeze blocks so that they could dry out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's harder than it looks!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDR-_KJCNeLd9u2lV7wDS2mZnic3q3UXhHtu3S9QqZ3YoP56cCNPG2ILsK_6ZfX0s1Q_04jr14ZkcHdJJm2kN4HyGeNZ8xpiE3CSl_w7pYyl_j7KFKWAIoYDVFd0HMjH0D4RpDsQ/s1600/IMG_2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDR-_KJCNeLd9u2lV7wDS2mZnic3q3UXhHtu3S9QqZ3YoP56cCNPG2ILsK_6ZfX0s1Q_04jr14ZkcHdJJm2kN4HyGeNZ8xpiE3CSl_w7pYyl_j7KFKWAIoYDVFd0HMjH0D4RpDsQ/s320/IMG_2047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbFkFLTUY1lYuk4CdCjs7fiRu-g4dvHCb2PuIodpYQxJswDWJS5Ego7pHPcgfqX3yUJj45aZNMQ33S-qaoaFXzNNNmM01XHNBQAvqhD-e0uEMmVQFGlq5gUDEIN2J4oO12U5eLw/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbFkFLTUY1lYuk4CdCjs7fiRu-g4dvHCb2PuIodpYQxJswDWJS5Ego7pHPcgfqX3yUJj45aZNMQ33S-qaoaFXzNNNmM01XHNBQAvqhD-e0uEMmVQFGlq5gUDEIN2J4oO12U5eLw/s320/IMG_2050.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTgtu4HxnSQy7iAbLbA4mCqLDFKf9rRKEgZSYeivu8lGglem4F0_iQR3IwcvsMWhshhq9fTmEN6OTTS4-d2DeqprhLpUppovTHTPZK4wpwO3t2njDrNcQlI2MeGbzXYYqdaQ5Qg/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTgtu4HxnSQy7iAbLbA4mCqLDFKf9rRKEgZSYeivu8lGglem4F0_iQR3IwcvsMWhshhq9fTmEN6OTTS4-d2DeqprhLpUppovTHTPZK4wpwO3t2njDrNcQlI2MeGbzXYYqdaQ5Qg/s320/IMG_2051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Many hours of chipping away at the bathroom walls have taught me that if I'm ever in prison, I can't rely on my chiselling abilities to tunnel out. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-57809074045785076432015-08-26T20:49:00.001+01:002015-08-26T20:52:33.966+01:00getting stuck in<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This summer we've started our first big house project. Operation bathroom.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7POCm76adw92FE4mBGpRQ0uMLGsmhQJP4JU5GkyrSXqcPHfcTsYrArf9VgFf_clNs-ky-KrRnDW0cz10hsKCK_rS01iL10nrozazsupZCHdkwCXXsvUJRFhE5OVU6oe5lIl03w/s1600/hr+bathroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7POCm76adw92FE4mBGpRQ0uMLGsmhQJP4JU5GkyrSXqcPHfcTsYrArf9VgFf_clNs-ky-KrRnDW0cz10hsKCK_rS01iL10nrozazsupZCHdkwCXXsvUJRFhE5OVU6oe5lIl03w/s320/hr+bathroom.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Here it is in all it's estate agent photographic glory. It's a shame they didn't photograph the ceiling. It was a "delightful" pine-panelled sauna-style offering. They did well with the lighting here. The suite is a tasteful peach colour.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It wasn't ever really our plan to do the bathroom first, largely because we don't really have a plan. Unless you can call a cloud of random ideas of what we'd like to do with this place a plan? No?<br />
<br />
But the tiles started to come away from the wall.<br />
The lino was showing signs of mould.<br />
The pipes revealed that they'd been fitted with an uphill journey out of the bathroom, so the bath and sink both struggled to drain. You can sort of see that in the photo above if you look at the lower pipe to the right of the bath.<br />
<br />
It wasn't our decision any more. The bathroom had spoken.<br />
<br />
We're pretty clueless about house renovations so obviously we decided the best way forward would be to do the job ourselves. How hard can it be?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNlwkzakSSE_XJFpiEpYUpC-Yf84qWU1uiBWYZQrQW78u4s9Pjvj-QzFQSWvP2yR6hbYEc_jxivGc7Z6PgXIRAjIH3YcT3LpvaQmgvKBhk45Qym_APa-X8O0OwuuNigrb8Shysw/s1600/IMG_1840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNlwkzakSSE_XJFpiEpYUpC-Yf84qWU1uiBWYZQrQW78u4s9Pjvj-QzFQSWvP2yR6hbYEc_jxivGc7Z6PgXIRAjIH3YcT3LpvaQmgvKBhk45Qym_APa-X8O0OwuuNigrb8Shysw/s320/IMG_1840.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Dan started to take the tiles off the wall. It's wet under there. Really wet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Progress was pretty quick at the start. Turns out demolition is fairly speedy and quite fun.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTksjnG19Cf1GNeQ-hbBKwx81sWtOnzuO1K5x121pj5FsiAs-wxiWPpw4rEsuHiZ6eKn-K6uZwNV2luAXPBQdP1i5D5UQR7ZbcR1ZcRgykA337Vmu38Bnv5s2UtvztwoQTxyqXg/s1600/IMG_1837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTksjnG19Cf1GNeQ-hbBKwx81sWtOnzuO1K5x121pj5FsiAs-wxiWPpw4rEsuHiZ6eKn-K6uZwNV2luAXPBQdP1i5D5UQR7ZbcR1ZcRgykA337Vmu38Bnv5s2UtvztwoQTxyqXg/s320/IMG_1837.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCDA7SxNNGJy6l6P3sOQ6t1mm3vVofUIQfHdsqCahG4OQn22P_OgXV6bUZLPJrReJAerpXNbz2L9kO50-QPNc93WKnuCRKK8cpXmxWODpHqlrNfvTHyPvdqUKS2R-nIiI9gwDiA/s1600/IMG_1839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCDA7SxNNGJy6l6P3sOQ6t1mm3vVofUIQfHdsqCahG4OQn22P_OgXV6bUZLPJrReJAerpXNbz2L9kO50-QPNc93WKnuCRKK8cpXmxWODpHqlrNfvTHyPvdqUKS2R-nIiI9gwDiA/s320/IMG_1839.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-74252037762328374882015-08-24T14:00:00.000+01:002015-08-24T14:00:08.951+01:00fishy business<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In <a href="http://www.bricklayersarmsluton.co.uk/">our local pub</a>, there's a photograph framed by the bar. It shows a local fish shop which was next door to the pub on High Town Road for around 65 years until sometime during the 1950s.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbR-iyBAfWXpiwqkbVHY1Qg55G6x9MlmAGKRIDvA1_4aKD_D1oYEhPQ5srcC2UacbMCnAa90fr764YGHnwWpXht4hnGbbNkYTAvBiQTatZHlx-O4Pon-rUj3fraUItRFjcoE5Qw/s1600/Warwicks+fish+shop+-+high+town.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbR-iyBAfWXpiwqkbVHY1Qg55G6x9MlmAGKRIDvA1_4aKD_D1oYEhPQ5srcC2UacbMCnAa90fr764YGHnwWpXht4hnGbbNkYTAvBiQTatZHlx-O4Pon-rUj3fraUItRFjcoE5Qw/s200/Warwicks+fish+shop+-+high+town.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">from Were You Also Being Served? <br />
by R Norman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been searching for the image ever since.<br />
<br />
Because in it's later life, this fish shop was Warwick's Fish Restaurant.<br />
<br />
I had no idea that the family I married into had local roots. We don't know if there's any connection but it turns out that the owner of Warwick's Fish Restaurant was a Mr Frederick George Warwick and Frederick is definitely a Warwick family name.<br />
<br />
This particular Fred lived in Luton and bought the fish restaurant on High Town Road in 1920. He had three fish shops in Luton, on High Town Road, Park St and Chapel St, as well as some in Watford, Harpenden, Fleetville, Dunstable and St Albans where he served as mayor in 1933.<br />
<br />
There's three pages about the Warwicks and their fish business in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Were-You-Also-Being-Served/dp/1903747562/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440088718&sr=1-1">Were You Also Being Served?</a> </i>- the second of two great local history books by <a href="http://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/local/how-love-at-first-sight-turned-into-a-diamond-relationship-1-6571388">Bob Norman</a>. My dad found them when looking for information about the owners of our house.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-797928123146700262015-08-21T14:00:00.000+01:002015-08-23T01:18:08.741+01:00hidden gems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Just before we moved in to the house, we spent a chilly Sunday here waiting for a fridge freezer to be delivered. New neighbours Amy & Steven popped round and we explored the house together.<br />
<br />
We discovered that this house had more to offer than we first realised. If you lean on the radiators, special gifts fall out below!<br />
<br />
Upstairs in the bedroom was a local newspaper from the 1990s.<br />
<br />
Downstairs, the radiator near the front door hid a small magnetic character toy and two pink magic wands which made a noise. Sadly, while the noise still worked, the magic seemed to have worn off so they found their way to the bin soon enough.<br />
<br />
Since then, other radiators have delivered these cars:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-wcBvZKLNM6wGiq34EARp4TB1_xyI4V5yH1Bz2PL2MiXjDAXA-T7IHH3AMS_eTr5Aly-aK2y689npqaVbp-h3HJXALZnu3mz1yiOxQLnrEqsM8EKeoR6OLMASDDnTvGHf6cZsg/s1600/radiator+green+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-wcBvZKLNM6wGiq34EARp4TB1_xyI4V5yH1Bz2PL2MiXjDAXA-T7IHH3AMS_eTr5Aly-aK2y689npqaVbp-h3HJXALZnu3mz1yiOxQLnrEqsM8EKeoR6OLMASDDnTvGHf6cZsg/s320/radiator+green+car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaimm8sxrBYfjy54cA_Tww9bnW21wuneQEs0ALYxOwLdnNbWV5oL-xPwmiOSfv9yzTwPSK9w-7OfWIWkvFn0x133o26XWTFPjur3oQTxCLh49Szj8rXwyfP9gxjiZbKq4eJb036A/s1600/radiator+red+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaimm8sxrBYfjy54cA_Tww9bnW21wuneQEs0ALYxOwLdnNbWV5oL-xPwmiOSfv9yzTwPSK9w-7OfWIWkvFn0x133o26XWTFPjur3oQTxCLh49Szj8rXwyfP9gxjiZbKq4eJb036A/s320/radiator+red+car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our recent adventures beneath the floorboards also revealed several cans and cigarette packets as well as these delights:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsc4lX_5EuUMPVhTf68nspxb2SPXEdso3z_TakjKZjJSOCzfhNw4-kQapJjA7nfkgPD4o1YGLpheqRDa5MzpgqtL3-AKO9YMzTXX5Yh6FUt4T4DXSqjEKGSEu7oIz9C6SoNO5sg/s1600/floorboard+books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUsc4lX_5EuUMPVhTf68nspxb2SPXEdso3z_TakjKZjJSOCzfhNw4-kQapJjA7nfkgPD4o1YGLpheqRDa5MzpgqtL3-AKO9YMzTXX5Yh6FUt4T4DXSqjEKGSEu7oIz9C6SoNO5sg/s320/floorboard+books.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Who knows what else lies in store?</div><br />
<blockquote>This blog is part of Five Minute Friday - a group of bloggers who write about a given subject for five minutes without, stopping, overthinking, editing or backtracking. There's rules:<br />
<br />
* Check what the prompt is on <a href="http://www.lisajobaker.com/">www.lisajobaker.com</a><br />
* Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.<br />
* Link to Lisa's website and invite friends to join in.<br />
* Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }<br />
* Using the linky tool at the bottom of Lisa's Five Minute Friday post enter your link.<br />
* Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.<br />
Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!<a href="http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/" title="Five Minute Friday"><img align="right" alt="Five Minute Friday" src="http://lisajobaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/5minutefriday.jpg" style="border: none;" title="Five Minute Friday" /></a></blockquote></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-22448155188936183122015-08-20T14:36:00.001+01:002015-08-20T18:42:31.463+01:00a bit of history<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I discovered our house is part of one of <a href="https://www.luton.gov.uk/environment/planning/conservation,%20design%20and%20trees/pages/conservation%20and%20urban%20design%20planning%20-%20conservation%20areas.aspx">Luton's conservation areas</a>, being one of the town's earliest suburbs. That means there's historical interest in the area and we'll need to apply for permission for external work on the house if we want to do any.<br />
<br />
We don't have much information but the <a href="http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Luton/InterestingbuildingsinLuton/5-21HavelockRoadLuton.aspx">Bedfordshire community archives</a> do list our house and a bit of it's story.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Luton/LutonImages/5%20to%2021%20Havelock%20Road%20June%202011_349x232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3999996185303px; text-align: left;">The north side of Havelock Road between High Town Road and Wenlock Street was demolished during the redevelopment of HighTown in the mid 20th century. The buildings on the south side remain and give a good idea of the way the area must have looked during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly numbers 11 to 21 with their distinctive arched windows.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The archive also lists, where known, the owner and occupier of the houses. The earliest known occupier of our house is George Newton Barton in 1890. The records don't include his occupation but his neighbours were James Wooding, a grocer, and Thomas & Emma Palmer who lived at 7 & 9 and are both listed as straw hat manufacturers - Luton's biggest trade.<br />
<br />
In 1925 the property is listed as being owned by Joseph John Coleman, who owned 11-19. Ours was occupied by Elizabeth Fenn who stayed until at least 1950. We don't know anything about these two but it's likely Joseph Coleman was in the hat trade and Ms Fenn was one of his workers. The records in 1960 show that a Mrs M Lucas occupied it until 1972 and M Mallen was here until 1975 when the property was recorded as vacant.<br />
<br />
I love finding these little glimpses of what life was like round here before our time. It'd be nice to know more of the story, but for now we'll just have to make it up to fill the gaps!</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-10886700352595029232015-03-14T11:22:00.000+00:002015-08-20T12:19:18.589+01:00skateboarding with my rangemaster<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When we moved in, the house was ready to live in - we were specifically looking for a house that was liveable so we could do the work as we could afford it. But there was one thing that didn't work. The cooker. <a href="http://rachwarwick.blogspot.com/2014/12/baby-its-cold-inside.html">Well, the gas supply to the kitchen actually.</a><br />
<br />
For three months, we became experts at cooking with a slow cooker, a George Forman grill and a halogen oven. We fed 8 people on more than one occasion armed with these gadgets.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andy2boyz/3245229646/in/photolist-4buN7J-5WLHXu-5WGrWv-5WGnyk-5WLzC3-5WLDHh-iH98pX-87Nn8u-8o99WQ-6JSg2x-b2xDWr-x7wuB-7Xks4j-7XhdbH" nbsp="" title="LightbulbCookery 011"><img alt="LightbulbCookery 011" nbsp="" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3483/3245229646_f25eab5895_b.jpg" width="300" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<br />
After a bit of ebay hunting, we found ourselves a bargain. A Rangemaster with 4 gas hobs and a wok burner on top of an electric grill and two fan assisted ovens. Not new, but refurbished.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xdWchyYwEUHM7oNstp9b06X2i7qZFALjgE63qLnR0pYgIUrJqD2dwJdQl1jDi8WwoWk09YeYXBKfMPqlVEAFwiEuzh0dbkv98P0Qj3d2WYOdbsYtWLcDvm7fq0jIOoeYutbtoA/s1600/kitchen+new+cooker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xdWchyYwEUHM7oNstp9b06X2i7qZFALjgE63qLnR0pYgIUrJqD2dwJdQl1jDi8WwoWk09YeYXBKfMPqlVEAFwiEuzh0dbkv98P0Qj3d2WYOdbsYtWLcDvm7fq0jIOoeYutbtoA/s320/kitchen+new+cooker.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was delivered one Saturday lunchtime, all wrapped in shrinkwrap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18bznGU-ZJvt4DQBi0lTeoDatXnOuBpSvxEs823C0WsHEy4bR8A_43b-XYtgm0tTVYR4-agljU-_nm7EYrMJxBcCkldXjnr9K5f2nhCayk6gty4v930WbK2_VgdPbz0xnLTVSfA/s1600/kitchen+empty+space.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18bznGU-ZJvt4DQBi0lTeoDatXnOuBpSvxEs823C0WsHEy4bR8A_43b-XYtgm0tTVYR4-agljU-_nm7EYrMJxBcCkldXjnr9K5f2nhCayk6gty4v930WbK2_VgdPbz0xnLTVSfA/s320/kitchen+empty+space.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So I decided to refit the kitchen all by myself while Dan was at work. Step 1: remove cupboard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV4mQq_0sgj-x1phqINICQLzIyF91KkP6Al5mGYKmiqR4IzQ-Z-EtGmlH7FibhQJ0AGW27jZC0Sctr1J3N2aTkGFrIAiwZFcjmfitst2Wr4VSlPD1RoHSx9ZqHxOci-n0ymRWcA/s1600/kitchen+things+behind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV4mQq_0sgj-x1phqINICQLzIyF91KkP6Al5mGYKmiqR4IzQ-Z-EtGmlH7FibhQJ0AGW27jZC0Sctr1J3N2aTkGFrIAiwZFcjmfitst2Wr4VSlPD1RoHSx9ZqHxOci-n0ymRWcA/s320/kitchen+things+behind.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 2: Remove all the random items lurking behind the cupboard. (This scene is particularly disturbing for anyone who's seen Dexter series 1)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1O0LHb_XEZIzZVv1WUJPhBapf0YSel925p5vPPTKadda2Cvkp2ftxvtBJ5NAw_6AME42bwah5mMxG6GW8Bl0VQ5nV6wpLXRxzYvt3RCCfbCwKo_8tjnKrhyAKVpxvR34pdEVAQ/s1600/kitchen+old+cooker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1O0LHb_XEZIzZVv1WUJPhBapf0YSel925p5vPPTKadda2Cvkp2ftxvtBJ5NAw_6AME42bwah5mMxG6GW8Bl0VQ5nV6wpLXRxzYvt3RCCfbCwKo_8tjnKrhyAKVpxvR34pdEVAQ/s320/kitchen+old+cooker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhtzXUf6TjmfB5d-E_7l4OmAmawFe4gGWONTLvhyphenhyphen4BYJUezORrGekS9AntnpWf0zVGf7lt8KxcCDsmNOetEejM10-ObWvhvkPK8hd8LIJiNxRh3r8mC2sr5GUNnmz8H6vPXMOfw/s1600/kitchen+wall+gone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhtzXUf6TjmfB5d-E_7l4OmAmawFe4gGWONTLvhyphenhyphen4BYJUezORrGekS9AntnpWf0zVGf7lt8KxcCDsmNOetEejM10-ObWvhvkPK8hd8LIJiNxRh3r8mC2sr5GUNnmz8H6vPXMOfw/s320/kitchen+wall+gone.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 3: Take down wall cupboard. This was harder than I'd hoped as there was a secret screw that took me ages to find.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdm-eUQP69ya8ZhXgBkIBOAn4OsOAcQmWN3nVxe4cR5F2Hbu_M8i-lo-uvoqjcO-mXqZXrF2p-_5POIkgyJrjHl3iV0ySn0R4DCo8GxEBy8iiImaHZqdmadGsUHbVqB0dJG8YiQ/s1600/kitchen+old+and+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjdm-eUQP69ya8ZhXgBkIBOAn4OsOAcQmWN3nVxe4cR5F2Hbu_M8i-lo-uvoqjcO-mXqZXrF2p-_5POIkgyJrjHl3iV0ySn0R4DCo8GxEBy8iiImaHZqdmadGsUHbVqB0dJG8YiQ/s320/kitchen+old+and+new.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step 4: Manouevre oven into place. This involved finding Dan's old skateboard in the loft, putting it in the kitchen which is a step lower than the lounge, and then shuffling the oven off the step and onto the skateboard. We then wheeled together down the length of the kitchen until I discovered we were facing the wrong way and had to perform a three-point-turn with oven on skateboard to get it into place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dan wired in the electric bits when he got home from work.<br />
The plumber came the next day to reconnect the gas to the kitchen with a new, non-leaky pipe.<br />
Just in time to serve up roast lamb for Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
The old oven made it's way to the street just outside our house where the magic High Town scrap fairies took it away around 7am the following day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-77232290983675063602015-03-14T00:11:00.002+00:002015-03-14T00:11:40.932+00:00they gave me the world<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently, <a href="http://www.threadsuk.com/">Threads</a> hosted a week of posts specifically curated for International Women's Day by Dr Clare Rush. One of them, entitled <a href="http://www.threadsuk.com/they-gave-me-a-box/">They Gave Me A Box</a>, has been widely shared across social media. It's a poem describing the way the author experienced church and growing up in it as a young woman.<br />
<br />
It just hasn't happened that way for me. If I was to rewrite this poem to tell my story it'd be called "They gave me the world"<br />
<br />
For me, church has been a place where I learnt who I am, while being surrounded by amazing people with a great wealth of experience and wisdom between them. As I've grown up there have been plenty of wonderful people praying for me.<br />
<br />
As a child in the baptist church where I grew up, women in leadership roles was just as common as men and I'm grateful for the role models. I've seen and heard countless fantastic (and terrible!) speakers, both male and female. It's always felt normal for me to see women in those positions as well as men.<br />
<br />
I've been given opportunities to develop my skills, practice leadership, participate in all sorts of things alongside those more experienced than me, and through this I've been involved in all sorts of things in my home town, in the UK and around the world too. I've been encouraged, discipled and nurtured by men and women alike.<br />
<br />
I've never felt like there were things I couldn't do because of being a woman. I realise what an incredible privilege this is. I know it happens. I know the blog below rings true for many women in the church, and actually many men too. But I also know from personal experience that this isn't an exclusive truth. My story isn't unique.<br />
<br />
Because of the church I've been to places I'd never otherwise have been.<br />
Because of the church I've had opportunities I wouldn't have been offered anywhere else.<br />
Because of the church I've had experiences I wouldn't have had access to.<br />
And these things have made me the person I am today.<br />
<br />
They gave me the world...<br />
... and I'm thankful.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-28728572550903604592014-12-15T11:59:00.000+00:002015-08-20T12:03:48.781+01:00baby it's cold inside<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We picked up the keys to our house, all eager to get in and start to make it our own.<br />
<br />
December was cold.<br />
Really cold.<br />
<br />
The house had been empty for a while so the gas had been shut off.<br />
Turned out the pay as you go meters for gas and electricity both had large debts on them.<br />
<br />
Quick calls to the suppliers and the accounts were reset and a gas engineer on his way.<br />
Mum bought a cheap kettle and we scrubbed everything in the bathroom and kitchen in a dual attempt to get warm and get the house clean.<br />
I headed to the <a href="http://www.dandi.me.uk/Scandi/index.htm">Scandinavian Cafe</a> for cups of tea.<br />
<br />
Bad news though.<br />
The engineer couldn't reconnect our gas because the system had a significant leak.<br />
<br />
Back to the flat - our rental had a week overlap from completion date to give us time to get packed and out.<br />
And to call every plumber in Luton.<br />
Mostly they were busy.<br />
<br />
Tony came on the day we moved.<br />
(With proper removal people because we're grown ups now and a third floor flat involves a LOT of stairs)<br />
But he couldn't reconnect it that day either.<br />
<br />
We moved all our stuff in but spent our first night as homeowners at Mum & Dad's.<br />
<br />
Pipes were bought.<br />
The carpet was pulled up.<br />
Floorboards moved.<br />
The heating was reconnected but the gas supply to the kitchen was shut off.<br />
<br />
For now...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-33174976397580013372014-12-12T11:25:00.000+00:002015-08-20T11:24:40.145+01:00stripes and chandeliers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O19-ksYHuJZCN-kLBFhWlQM-uuLTaSXPVVw7u4vi7TeNAH0yGsOiXvdTQ6l1_d02VMVf4WW2aqllJAxQ56xJOd17red_43JtDDa9quhiA55oJEc9eph9rp-cyFv3WBLAAPzBgA/s1600/hr+lounge+front.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
Having had our offer accepted in August, it took until December to get everything sorted and in place for the house to be officially ours. Here it is, with photos borrowed from the estate agent listing.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglj4N5qZ0QTc7E6CIzFTQUUGfZo2tOpjQyv5EnTSFXdEgEIWS4LMl3tgA93J1s8XcJ7fM2-m2DzFnoe0L5zgApQYs7KA3tXVAKVvkxlEMSS9GYzdFgIlD0Zqo9l4s7s9DRHMdXvQ/s1600/hr+outside.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglj4N5qZ0QTc7E6CIzFTQUUGfZo2tOpjQyv5EnTSFXdEgEIWS4LMl3tgA93J1s8XcJ7fM2-m2DzFnoe0L5zgApQYs7KA3tXVAKVvkxlEMSS9GYzdFgIlD0Zqo9l4s7s9DRHMdXvQ/s320/hr+outside.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">The outside. Ours is the one behind the blue car (which isn't ours) with the black arches over the windows and door. Just out of shot, to the right, is a fish and chip shop and to the left is a pub. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfgfsY9tlMBbIVDR4RKG00xdR6CHe9VrJChKQxWKSZXVhx_NWWXpTwV9mbqu6zEhGjlAA90drq2Zv2XL3orfkENnEH6s8oxAAdJJytznUKw_Q4vg_hIA1co6uRozlRgN8b3rD1A/s1600/hr+lounge.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzfgfsY9tlMBbIVDR4RKG00xdR6CHe9VrJChKQxWKSZXVhx_NWWXpTwV9mbqu6zEhGjlAA90drq2Zv2XL3orfkENnEH6s8oxAAdJJytznUKw_Q4vg_hIA1co6uRozlRgN8b3rD1A/s320/hr+lounge.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lounge, looking from the front door to the kitchen. Check out the carpet...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB-B-y4083_53TovoGjQei5MIgjpjI-Ht1L_jIYWvPWiz6KJ-EJNX0VaQlTGWYO6RCxoZsMXQDZeYHCyG3TPLRhS45wNiFdqv574q4zSrMwCplqBSDtkCfs552LGOMsGW02btng/s320/hr+lounge+mid.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and again but with a clearer view of the arches and painted brick fireplace</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O19-ksYHuJZCN-kLBFhWlQM-uuLTaSXPVVw7u4vi7TeNAH0yGsOiXvdTQ6l1_d02VMVf4WW2aqllJAxQ56xJOd17red_43JtDDa9quhiA55oJEc9eph9rp-cyFv3WBLAAPzBgA/s1600/hr+lounge+front.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O19-ksYHuJZCN-kLBFhWlQM-uuLTaSXPVVw7u4vi7TeNAH0yGsOiXvdTQ6l1_d02VMVf4WW2aqllJAxQ56xJOd17red_43JtDDa9quhiA55oJEc9eph9rp-cyFv3WBLAAPzBgA/s320/hr+lounge+front.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lounge from the other end. Can you see the purple glass chandeliers?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB-B-y4083_53TovoGjQei5MIgjpjI-Ht1L_jIYWvPWiz6KJ-EJNX0VaQlTGWYO6RCxoZsMXQDZeYHCyG3TPLRhS45wNiFdqv574q4zSrMwCplqBSDtkCfs552LGOMsGW02btng/s1600/hr+lounge+mid.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2llE0QnRB6SJh3XtFKK0ZH_NX5VZGQsKRfIhvBgd8xnUI8p094E1bjlvw-CfhahwWESEgWOY5s3Eq10kEoTvPbn50V7jIBEh-gdhrZl8QntbDutamTr8KuMSXsxvw3oJjgcn6A/s1600/hr+kitchen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2llE0QnRB6SJh3XtFKK0ZH_NX5VZGQsKRfIhvBgd8xnUI8p094E1bjlvw-CfhahwWESEgWOY5s3Eq10kEoTvPbn50V7jIBEh-gdhrZl8QntbDutamTr8KuMSXsxvw3oJjgcn6A/s320/hr+kitchen.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen. It's long and narrow and covered in tiles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPeFP8LVpt4rByVN5Pf8gCrLI7iu01tD_SukjviMJcGB65C1__8oq-qsXCYk7fmZNwIudvZ7JKWRr3V4h1CGDQOeYdSYKaX1SQnb60KW2Hntatdi7GxaDjl02qZqRiZ9KfJJ9Fw/s1600/hr+bathroom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPeFP8LVpt4rByVN5Pf8gCrLI7iu01tD_SukjviMJcGB65C1__8oq-qsXCYk7fmZNwIudvZ7JKWRr3V4h1CGDQOeYdSYKaX1SQnb60KW2Hntatdi7GxaDjl02qZqRiZ9KfJJ9Fw/s320/hr+bathroom.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little bathroom at the end of the kitchen. Yes, a downstairs bathroom. Just like we wanted.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M7QfkE2_GEfwstgTy4WXjzjedG33mTd5zwRq9pVvXPcyYNUXDZ4_4BqN6RIovzOsBHEjeErCus-evxO9SM_RQzcDLBhlHDGTD3ErQLMVtJVbxe2tB9QNAcwOEGcckX14vnvK0A/s1600/hr+bedroom+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3M7QfkE2_GEfwstgTy4WXjzjedG33mTd5zwRq9pVvXPcyYNUXDZ4_4BqN6RIovzOsBHEjeErCus-evxO9SM_RQzcDLBhlHDGTD3ErQLMVtJVbxe2tB9QNAcwOEGcckX14vnvK0A/s320/hr+bedroom+1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom 1. This is the front of the house so it's wider than downstairs because it goes over the alleyway. Just peeping in at the top of the picture you can see another chandelier. Green this time. Mmmmmm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6pCuB-g5MmRcX-lHnJ0WkG-ruzXc6vYEh_c0p1RUAuYksPwZlYYkBvPK4juuX4mPpkVdeZeDG9TrIjFJIBHFiDGga8J0wVpps6wGJqHpfSwVtZ5LyR4y7cDYKVrM3Cxyp7hn5g/s1600/hr+bedroom+1a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6pCuB-g5MmRcX-lHnJ0WkG-ruzXc6vYEh_c0p1RUAuYksPwZlYYkBvPK4juuX4mPpkVdeZeDG9TrIjFJIBHFiDGga8J0wVpps6wGJqHpfSwVtZ5LyR4y7cDYKVrM3Cxyp7hn5g/s320/hr+bedroom+1a.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other side of bedroom 1, with it's fitted wardrobes placed resolutely in front of the alcove cupboard. Smart work. Recognise the carpet?<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02bs3MttY01zGrsGoZV2RG8Rnm3NJa2GOmz5dBFOtxEFlAtOREDH1eJfP9Q7IXiyOO8z026Y8GewgSpXnVimKten7p-m7KNPZEZk6vj-Sd6-UyIrexT6XlV6n6rgA7hXkwwq1cA/s1600/hr+bedroom+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02bs3MttY01zGrsGoZV2RG8Rnm3NJa2GOmz5dBFOtxEFlAtOREDH1eJfP9Q7IXiyOO8z026Y8GewgSpXnVimKten7p-m7KNPZEZk6vj-Sd6-UyIrexT6XlV6n6rgA7hXkwwq1cA/s320/hr+bedroom+2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom 2, with it's lovely little fireplace. More carpet. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheav99R5Bybuh8EV2lwFwbaN5jEsntG4ctldSa_ShB_kMXi9a1nAI_xHtboox8Gpiev9NXszasVaOtaK0QFdqJEkLzOy2qZDEmp1wtf7BE5HsLX9HbLX5Ua3Cj_j_YJqKVTDwO4Q/s1600/hr+bedroom+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheav99R5Bybuh8EV2lwFwbaN5jEsntG4ctldSa_ShB_kMXi9a1nAI_xHtboox8Gpiev9NXszasVaOtaK0QFdqJEkLzOy2qZDEmp1wtf7BE5HsLX9HbLX5Ua3Cj_j_YJqKVTDwO4Q/s320/hr+bedroom+3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom 3, long and narrow like the kitchen below, with more carpet and more of those curtains. Who thought that was a good idea? Stripy carpet, stripy curtains in a different colour and a garish glass chandelier in every room.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-11905440296275972622014-08-16T11:10:00.000+01:002015-08-20T11:25:14.870+01:00so we bought it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Inspired by Jess at <a href="http://teaspoonhouse.com/">The Teaspoon House</a>, I've decided to revive this old blog to document our house adventures. To start with, a few posts to update the back story.<br />
<br />
We moved to Luton in August 2013. London was lovely but so expensive and we knew that while we could afford to live there, saving would be a challenge and even if we did save for a deposit we'd never be able to afford to buy a house there. Time to move on and Luton seemed to be the place. Hightown, more specifically. We rented for a while until my job looked like it was going to change and we asked my parents to lend us some money for a deposit. As it happens, my parents are incredibly generous and gave us the deposit leaving us ready to go house hunting.<br />
<br />
Rightmove became my homepage. Many agencies later, we'd seen houses on most of the streets of Hightown. By then I had a list of things I wanted in a house.<br />
<br />
- it had to have a front garden. I didn't want to come off the street straight to the front door.<br />
- it had to have a hallway. Similarly I didn't want to step through the front door straight into the lounge.<br />
- an upstairs bathroom. Why would you want to traipse all the way through the entire house to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.<br />
- two separate rooms downstairs rather than a through-room<br />
<br />
We also wanted three bedrooms because we've got too many musical instruments to stash them in a corner now, and we like to be hospitable. With our budget, we had a few options and we met plenty of estate agents who attempted to widen our area and sell us something outside Hightown. No.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I popped into an agent near my office one afternoon and he gave me a bunch of papers for various houses. Filtering out those which weren't in Hightown, we were left with three or four, including one which was above our price range and went against all my criteria for a house. Apart from location. I booked a viewing, much to Dan's annoyance - why bother looking if we can't afford it and it doesn't meet our requirements?<br />
<br />
It was a funny little house. Ex-rental and in surprisingly good condition having been done up for sale. "Done up" is stretching it a little - a new carpet that fell off the back of a lorry and as much gloss paint as they could slosh around the place. But it had that feeling. You know? That "this is my house" feeling.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCcQSqKSZf-V7UMrmakUCdArm4BPBsW6Z1v-9zCYqAY_7BRiNiIZdMwP6FRxCYjb6yyzUcBEX3tz-yILmmPFYiQlYuvED6G2JXOlUR_tdNPlrZ4F26MYpxewfzLMdajkn-cQtiA/s640/blogger-image-940095208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCcQSqKSZf-V7UMrmakUCdArm4BPBsW6Z1v-9zCYqAY_7BRiNiIZdMwP6FRxCYjb6yyzUcBEX3tz-yILmmPFYiQlYuvED6G2JXOlUR_tdNPlrZ4F26MYpxewfzLMdajkn-cQtiA/s640/blogger-image-940095208.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
So we bought it.</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-31272838064648896662014-01-30T13:02:00.001+00:002014-01-30T13:03:58.877+00:00great customer service<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The train company, First Capital Connect, are using twitter for the bulk of their customer relations work. Reading through their timeline is eye-opening, with tweet after tweet of gracious apology and information in response to grumpy customers.<br />
<br />
It might be screen-based, but their customer service is personal and has a great sense of humour. The Bedford-Brighton line was delayed this morning which meant that my Luton-St Albans journey took a little longer than it should have done. The cafe were playing the Indiana Jones theme which really lifted the mood of the situation. So I tweeted. And this happened:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuR9kC1oiNPrHFk4aE3nHRTZAfIRo4LQZQGy2ZnRNzxboVgJFWsuLhpJT2_EKeSak_5AeQD2bxCTB_KRZ9Teh3jSZoad1TYyfDOfB2qZqOsK0z-H3uVydaiT-NRWwvvb9Lyl2PA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-30+at+12.51.18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuR9kC1oiNPrHFk4aE3nHRTZAfIRo4LQZQGy2ZnRNzxboVgJFWsuLhpJT2_EKeSak_5AeQD2bxCTB_KRZ9Teh3jSZoad1TYyfDOfB2qZqOsK0z-H3uVydaiT-NRWwvvb9Lyl2PA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-01-30+at+12.51.18.png" height="365" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well done Jay and the team at <a href="https://twitter.com/firstcc">@FirstCC</a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-75472817221109093892014-01-29T22:16:00.000+00:002014-01-29T22:16:02.161+00:00five minute friday: visit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
fem minutters fredag: besøk*</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Visit.<br />
<br />
I've just spent 90 minutes on the phone to a friend.<br />
<br />
For many people that's not so remarkable. In fact, for teenage girls that's probably a short call. But it's unusual for me - I prefer email or text or even FB chat for catching up with people. I gave up on voice calls ages ago. Never a conscious decision, they just slipped away. These days if my phone rings, it's probably my mum.<br />
<br />
But today was about catching up with a friend who moved away last year. We used to live a few minutes apart. Today a quick "visit" would take over 10 hours travel there and back. I miss our regular times of chatting, laughing, sharing and praying. The travel was easy and the company was too.<br />
<br />
A phone call will never be the same as an evening on the sofa but actually, after the conversation, I really do feel like she visited. I'm grateful for my friend and I'm inspired by all she's up to.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
This blog is part of Five Minute Friday - a group of bloggers who write about a given subject for five minutes without, stopping, overthinking, editing or backtracking. There's rules:<br />
<br />
* Check what the prompt is on <a href="http://www.lisajobaker.com/">www.lisajobaker.com</a><br />
* Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.<br />
* Link to Lisa's website and invite friends to join in.<br />
* Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }<br />
* Using the linky tool at the bottom of Lisa's Five Minute Friday post enter your link.<br />
* Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.<br />
Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you! </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/" title="Five Minute Friday"><img align="right" alt="Five Minute Friday" src="http://lisajobaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/5minutefriday.jpg" style="border: none;" title="Five Minute Friday" /></a></blockquote>
<br />
* Last time I did FMF I had just had an influx of Latvian visitors to the blog. This week I have had 85 visitors from Norway. So the title is in Norwegian. Velkommen. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-79296430347640290402014-01-01T16:21:00.000+00:002014-01-02T12:28:21.454+00:00what made 2013 special<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For a few years I've enjoyed reading <a href="http://www.lizclutterbuck.com/2012/12/2012-firsts/">Liz's list of firsts. I don't think she did 2013 but from 2010-2012 she wrote lists of things she'd never done and aimed to try as many as possible each year</a>. Seemed like a great way of making the coming year interesting and being challenged to move beyond the familiar.<br />
<br />
I've never written such a list - perhaps I should? Or at least maybe I should blog my own "firsts" as I achieve them this year?<br />
<br />
But had I written my own, there's one event from 2013 that would definitely have been on it, and remains a definite highlight of last year for me, and for Dan too.<br />
<br />
We're both musicians and enjoy playing with orchestras in all sorts of contexts, including the Greenbelt Festival Orchestra. The Festival Orchestra is an occasional orchestra who gather at the festival for annual performances. It's rarely the same orchestra twice, although there are familiar faces. Through this group I've played Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, a brand new piece composed specifically for us (although I forget its name or the name of the composer, oops!) and even Taverner's Seven Last Words From The Cross in the presence of Taverner himself. And almost all of those in driving rain on a stage in a field. Sounds crazy but I love it.<br />
<br />
When we decided to go to Greenbelt in 2013, I contacted Harry who oversees the rabble, to see what this year's concert would be. Harry was really quite apologetic that this year's programme was not classical - he needn't have apologised as the alternative really was far more exciting for us.<br />
<br />
So at the end of August 2013, we joined the Greenbelt Festival Orchestra on stage with Duke Special and his band to play at the close of the festival on Monday evening. There are several videos of the event on youtube and facebook. Mostly quite blurry but you can usually make out Dan playing trombone in the back row, wearing a hat. I'm sitting just in front of him playing bassoon but I'm hiding behind the strings!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nDexmeKCzgE" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
We've been Duke Special fans since we saw him by accident at a small gig at the Kashmir Klub in London in 2003. Dan was playing there with Meeker, and one of the 4 other bands was a guy with dreadlocks, a piano and a double bassist. We loved the rich harmonies and style of his songs but couldn't remember who he was. Later that year, a friend dragged us into stage 2 at Greenbelt (when it was tiny and dark and mostly held unknown acts) to see someone he knew in his new band. Duke Special. We were hooked and have enjoyed seeing him perform in all sorts of places since - numerous Greenbelt venues, small pubs in Brixton, the Glee Club in Birmingham, supporting Divine Comedy at Warwick Arts Centre, the Bush Hall in London, and with an orchestra in Camden's RoundHouse.<br />
<br />
It really was a privilege to be able to play with him, Chip Bailey, Ben Castle and the rest of the band - some songs we knew well and some new repertoire too. Loads of fun rehearsing and such an amazing atmosphere playing to a full GB crowd, coming together at the end of the festival to enjoy one last performance.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5kGnNp-0iMorB5MdWSOZbX9yGlLgNJiLa3gmdSAIy-62PMwQctqLAqTYoyN9y0fANWSi7SOucLEdGFg5_rfHbGkv53-0FAt3Y1HNpVhbuEKrEwAOFwP0HG-DoONcaxUJl0gmbA/s1600/photo+(3).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5kGnNp-0iMorB5MdWSOZbX9yGlLgNJiLa3gmdSAIy-62PMwQctqLAqTYoyN9y0fANWSi7SOucLEdGFg5_rfHbGkv53-0FAt3Y1HNpVhbuEKrEwAOFwP0HG-DoONcaxUJl0gmbA/s320/photo+(3).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-50794052032971279672013-11-11T13:10:00.001+00:002013-11-11T14:58:51.492+00:00christmas shopping<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With only 45 days to go before Christmas, here are a few ideas for your Christmas shopping.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6RUtEDp0jAnrUTQGHr602OLcLoRBn4ri4ycFYBd4uF8VQ1fnmjYipZIrhUJEyQ1O-s4fCtWtZo4XdyBctJLWdTnl4JnlxNrScC4dPTCiTUUz1npWLdyH0Vccfw3COoqVjICKdQ/s1600/gingerbread+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6RUtEDp0jAnrUTQGHr602OLcLoRBn4ri4ycFYBd4uF8VQ1fnmjYipZIrhUJEyQ1O-s4fCtWtZo4XdyBctJLWdTnl4JnlxNrScC4dPTCiTUUz1npWLdyH0Vccfw3COoqVjICKdQ/s400/gingerbread+tree.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Gingerbread trees</b><br />
Why not give your friends or relatives a Christmassy treat? I'll be making and selling these gingerbread star Christmas trees over the next few weeks.<br />
<br />
<br />
Prices are £10 for a large tree (17 biscuits) and £8 for a small tree (11 biscuits) and all the money will go to Youthscape's <a href="http://www.youthscape.co.uk/">Bute Mills campaign</a>.<br />
<br />
The trees are made from stacked gingerbread stars, all home made and held together with icing. They can be decorated with chocolate stars, edible glitter, hundreds and thousands or chocolate beans - your choice. Dairy-free versions available. I haven't tried making gluten free but I'm willing to give it a go if you want one. The trees come on a plate and wrapped in cellophane, ideal to give as a gift.<br />
<br />
Delivery/collection free in/near Luton.<br />
Please ask if you want one delivered elsewhere. I'm sure we can work something out.<br />
<br />
Oh, and if you want one but you disagree with my prices, make me an offer. It's all for a good cause!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qvUKCWzJceHGs7aj8-si0il2fXCYGCShjf5ShQFYsHcViCVZG4dH6oqrK8Vp-NU3s6pI4aKlqWCytj7FazOsUAxv8XRdsVXCcKeIHQk5qk52CLaJHaUyo0THnwKKXgOuStJzIQ/s1600/em+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qvUKCWzJceHGs7aj8-si0il2fXCYGCShjf5ShQFYsHcViCVZG4dH6oqrK8Vp-NU3s6pI4aKlqWCytj7FazOsUAxv8XRdsVXCcKeIHQk5qk52CLaJHaUyo0THnwKKXgOuStJzIQ/s400/em+art.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<b>Glass Art / Jewellery / Decorations</b><br />
My sister in law makes amazing glass art pieces, jewellery, decorations, plates, coasters and clocks, as well as brilliant paintings, all of which make beautiful gifts. The kiln is on and ready to create so get your orders in now at <a href="http://www.em-art.co.uk/">www.em-art.co.uk</a>.<br />
<br />
Em-Art donates 20% of all their profits to <a href="http://www.krasifaid.org.uk/">Krasif Aid, who work in Bulgaria</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL3qCuF7woKAyFSm5aI1vuQaYfMldTVKmMS8y_K6O9ATYwQeBJGypDEHEBiRo_lP2KnFB57_UTR5WQB3ULksKNfL7jliXE-guH0PNAeZnqpdO67rLZYFpSMa0WCgWn4b2civZug/s1600/Marminas.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkL3qCuF7woKAyFSm5aI1vuQaYfMldTVKmMS8y_K6O9ATYwQeBJGypDEHEBiRo_lP2KnFB57_UTR5WQB3ULksKNfL7jliXE-guH0PNAeZnqpdO67rLZYFpSMa0WCgWn4b2civZug/s320/Marminas.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>Toasty Warm Slippers </b><br />
If biscuits and glassware don't tick all your festive shopping list items, slippers are always a great failsafe Christmas gift. Marmiñas is a new company producing 100% sheepskin slippers in sunny Buenos Aires. Keeping feet warm is a fab thing, but the Marmiñas crew decided they wanted to do more, so all their slipper products have a linked charity. If you buy their <a href="http://www.marminas.com/collections/our-slippers/products/marminas-against-food-poverty">Slippers Against Food Poverty</a>, they'll donate to <a href="http://www.makelunch.org.uk/">MakeLunch</a> the equivalent of 5 meals for a hungry child for every pair sold.<br />
<br />
<br />
Oh and...<br />
It's worth pointing out that nobody asked me to write this blog, and I won't benefit at all from it. But if you do the shopping, the charities will, and that's what it's all about.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-33729197347913957342013-08-14T18:24:00.000+01:002013-08-14T18:29:48.494+01:00the world tonight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What initially appeared to be a quiet August has turned out to be a high-speed rollercoaster of crazy excitingness, with huge things happening at work (both <a href="http://www.dare2engage.org/">old jobs</a> and <a href="http://www.jc-church.org/">new</a>), with <a href="http://www.makelunch.org.uk/">Lunch</a>, our home and our music making. It's probably several blog-posts worth of material so I'll update you in chunks. First... Lunch<br />
<br />
Lunch is in its third summer now, with <a href="http://www.makelunch.org.uk/where">21 Lunch Kitchens across the country </a>serving meals to children in their communities who'll be missing the provision of Free School Meals over the summer break. Exciting stuff. Over the past few months, the media have been talking more and more about child poverty and related issues across the UK, including the holiday hunger gap.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQT-hqOQ6hXzQiLUU1wkyzWIzqK5VwzWZI1FaM-DEEx6ROWnvKZ4WpB8BuZb7s6EU721eBTnoleelo5gcwYYUDjO-n7tbjDAqVTOWl4xcOCcW1UIz2tX80uQiP1I_LsUbW9EOxTA/s1600/bbcr4twt.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQT-hqOQ6hXzQiLUU1wkyzWIzqK5VwzWZI1FaM-DEEx6ROWnvKZ4WpB8BuZb7s6EU721eBTnoleelo5gcwYYUDjO-n7tbjDAqVTOWl4xcOCcW1UIz2tX80uQiP1I_LsUbW9EOxTA/s200/bbcr4twt.jpeg" width="200" /></a>So at the end of July, Beth McLeod from BBC Radio 4, The World Tonight, visited one of the Lunch Kitchens to see what's going on. The piece is fantastic, highlighting the situation and what we're doing<br />
to help.<br />
<br />
Raising awareness is a really important part of what we do - the more people that are thinking about this, the more people there are who might help. It was broadcast on The World Tonight yesterday evening and you can hear it again <a href="https://audioboo.fm/boos/1546246-what-do-kids-on-free-school-meals-do-during-the-holidays">here</a>.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-57020816511851921012013-08-03T16:18:00.001+01:002013-08-03T17:44:54.003+01:00five minute friday: story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img align="right" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5YHlOhd0dHdapcHCmLtl7ReluBiOHgwPGV7zse2zCoCHWH8_Dga_kDKZGcutcatLWGjfBukR7Ho30_MPSbV0MHlHQ5MupvJiymCnlbdbDqF2-ilr1iGXVt0nxkSQEzWWelL1rfA/s320/photo.JPG" /><b>Tie ir mani zābaki*</b><br />
<br />
These are my wellies. Pretty ordinary, green wellington boots. I've had them since I was 14 - that's 20 years! I don't think I have any other pairs of shoes, or indeed clothing that I've had for that long and am still wearing. (Well, OK there's the Eden Burning Brink tour t-shirt but it's too holey to wear now) Last time I wore them was at Greenbelt 2012, when the mud reached as high up my legs as the wellies did. My wellies and I waded through fields to meet friends, to hear great music and other acts, to evensong and compline, to communion, to food vans or to the contrib lounge for free coffee, to rehearsals and to the art gallery and room where I was working. Whatever I saw at GB2012, my wellies saw too. We share the same story.<br />
<br />
Over 20 years, those boots and I have been to many places together. Camping all over the UK, youth events, festivals, celebrations, gardening and car washing. We've been there. They got wet and muddy. I didn't. Grateful for that!<br />
<br />
You'll notice the tops are folded down. Last year I finally admitted that my calves are now wider than the top of my boots. I guess my legs were skinnier when I was 14? The only comfortable way to wear them was to fold down the tops, only allowing them back up to wade through the deepest mud.<br />
<br />
So, sadly, this year is the end of the story of me and the green wellies. Today, for the first time in two decades, I have ordered new boots, hoping that these too will serve me at least 20 years of muddy stories.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82VX7Y8s_OkJWZViTMaYWBiggqKc20bEdxNEYLC7pwIgfbe2QKKMJ7XmxOwHSITHuMATqrNpp2e8wRtxKB3V4bo22GyH6dx58TjG-7qTlsNV2dfp_ac2whbrvQwneRnMnCOpXqQ/s1600/539979_10151795678260652_735983300_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi82VX7Y8s_OkJWZViTMaYWBiggqKc20bEdxNEYLC7pwIgfbe2QKKMJ7XmxOwHSITHuMATqrNpp2e8wRtxKB3V4bo22GyH6dx58TjG-7qTlsNV2dfp_ac2whbrvQwneRnMnCOpXqQ/s1600/539979_10151795678260652_735983300_n.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote>
This blog is part of Five Minute Friday - a group of bloggers who write about a given subject for five minutes without, stopping, overthinking, editing or backtracking. There's rules:<br />
<br />
* Check what the prompt is on <a href="http://www.lisajobaker.com/">www.lisajobaker.com</a><br />
* Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.<br />
* Link to Lisa's website and invite friends to join in.<br />
* Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }<br />
* Using the linky tool at the bottom of Lisa's Five Minute Friday post enter your link.<br />
* Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.<br />
Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!<a href="http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/" title="Five Minute Friday"><img align="right" alt="Five Minute Friday" src="http://lisajobaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/5minutefriday.jpg" style="border: none;" title="Five Minute Friday" /></a></blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<br />
* Last week I had 48 blog visitors from Latvia so I thought I'd welcome them by translating the first line of today's blog into Latvian. Sveikt.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8898014.post-29341893286393681932013-07-13T13:19:00.000+01:002013-11-11T13:20:47.839+00:00a holistic solution<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2013/jul/12/child-poverty-church-holistic-solution?CMP=twt_gu">The church offers a holistic solution to child poverty This dire situation has to be addressed through the social dimension, not through top-down, impersonal tinkering. by John Millbank, 12th July, Guardian<br />
</a></b><br />
<br />
I agree with the basic sentiment of this article - the title at least. But much within it is problematic for me.<br />
<br />
<b>The assumption that the church is ideal, flawless and lives out it's ideals</b><br />
The statement in the first few paragraphs claims that Christians hold all people equal in the community. The Christian belief is that all are equal, and therefore all matter. But the reality in the church today? The way the church has treated various groups of people (gender, poverty, sexuality, age...) in recent history does not back up that ideal. We want to believe that all are equal. We're still learning what that actually means.<br />
<br />
Sadly, this assumption in articles such as this one are easy bait for those who hold church in less favourable light (for an example, spend a few moments reading the comments on any CiF article that dares to mention organised religion...) We really can't be walking into the middle of any arena and declaring "Church is great. We've got everything right and we're the answer to all your problems" It just annoys people, particularly those who've been hurt by church experiences in the past, and why should anybody want to hear what else the Church has to say after that?<br />
<br />
I do agree that churches should be offering solutions to child poverty. And many other things. So yes, holistic. But that's because they should be well-placed community centres, places of open welcome to all, places of resource where each person can share skills, knowledge, time and resources with others, places of safety, refuge, growth, development, change and freedom.<br />
<br />
And I also believe that the alleviation of poverty is something that Jesus calls us to do. To love, to serve, to feed, to clothe, to listen, to heal, to set free... <br />
<br />
And then later in the article come these gems:<br />
"It's a matter of Christian care for all children, along with their often unfortunate parents, not plucking a few out of poverty."<br />
"We can't deal with the children without dealing with the parents."<br />
Now I agree that any child-focussed approach to poverty will be insufficient. A family-wide approach is necessary for longer lasting change, both in individual families and across society. But "deal with" and "unfortunate parents"?? <b>DEAL WITH???</b> That's what you do with a wasps nest that takes residence in your loft space. And as for "unfortunate parents," perhaps just "parents" might've been enough? If the intention was to convey that the parents are struggling in their situation too, then there's a wide vocabulary more appropriate. <br />
<br />
This is the same superior attitude which led the government to believe that tackling "problem families" was a good idea. Did they not think that labelling anyone a "problem" might not be a helpful first step towards change?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
var zg_nsids = '71359721@N00';
</script>
<script src="http://www.flickr.com/fun/zeitgeist/badge.js.gne" type="text/javascript"></script></div>rachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03020509228096369238noreply@blogger.com2