MUSINGS FROM THE BOWER 35

Another week has passed and still it is too cold to sit in the bower, though I’m pleased to report that at last green buds are just beginning to show on the honeysuckle and clematis. Meanwhile, a robin seems to have made himself at home there; the bower is sheltered from the wind, rain or snow, there is a thorny pyracantha just behind where he can retreat from any danger, and, most importantly of all, he has a perfect view of the feeders, so can be first down when the mealworms are put out.

I hope you had an enjoyable Easter with plenty of hot cross buns and chocolate eggs. The sun shone beautifully here on Easter Sunday – as it should on this most important day in the Christian calendar – and if only the bitter wind had dropped, it would have been perfect.  On Good Friday we decorated the Easter tree, a family tradition – just a few twigs, some wooden novelties, a few fluffy chicks and some mini eggs. We also hard boiled some eggs, put them into special chick and bunny decorated cellophane wrappers, and then immersed them for a few seconds in boiling water which caused the cellophane to shrink-wrap the eggs. Instant egg decoration!  

We exchanged proper, chocolate, eggs on Easter Sunday, but I couldn’t help thinking how sad it is that nowadays all that the manufacturers are interested in is blazoning their name over the boxes. In the 1980s, when my children were small, their eggs came in pretty boxes decorated with nursery characters or animals, and although the makers’ name was on the box it didn’t dominate it. Today, you might just as well give a bar of chocolate, because there is no difference in the design. When I was small, I had chocolate eggs decorated with sugar paste flowers, and my mother told me that during the 1920s and 30s, when she was a child, eggs were sometimes draped with strings of beads.

We invested in a breadmaker a few weeks ago, a lazy thing to buy, I suppose, but I’m afraid I just don’t have time for all that kneading and proving and kneading again. Anyway, the results have been excellent, and we have tried various kinds of bread. At least we know what is going into it, and there is a wonderful baking smell in the mornings; that very special smell of hot bread. It’s so easy, just weigh out the ingredients, tip them into the tin and leave the breadmaker to do the hard work.  The trouble is, of course, that warm bread is very tempting. Still, it could be worse. At least it doesn’t make cream cakes or doughnuts!

On Saturday we went to a concert at a nearby theatre which starred The Manfreds – a 1960s’ group at one time known as Manfred Mann.  Amazingly, the singer, Paul Jones, is now 70 (I tend to forget that performers I watched in my youth have grown older, too!) – but his voice is still strong and with that same distinctive sound that I remember so well. The vitality of the group was astonishing. Mike Hugg’s keyboard playing was brilliant as was the guitar wizardry of Tom McGuinness, and it made for a wonderfully nostalgic evening. Paul’s harmonica skills are legendary, too. I’ve always had a soft spot for the harmonica – my father and uncle were keen players, and most days I heard the sound of the ‘mouth organ’. They tended to play popular songs of the era, or maybe a bit of jazz, and always included ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ somewhere in the repertoire, accompanied by much foot tapping. Any family get-togethers included a singsong to the harmonica, and Dad always had one handy in his pocket. Sadly, I could never master the instrument; a quick burst of Jingle Bells is my limit!

Finally, last week I was very pleased to receive a copy of my latest book. It’s always a thrill for any writer to hold that first, fresh off the press copy, and as they turn the pages the months of hard work are forgotten. This one is called ‘Famous Character Dolls’ and explores dolls made to represent film stars, royalty, cartoon characters, advertising dolls, national dolls, pop singers and all kinds of other dolls which are not just run of the mill types. It’s published by Pen and Sword.

Newsflash! I’ve just heard that the weather might get a little warmer, and the cold winds should drop, around April 11^th. Fingers crossed. My bower awaits!