A Jolly Good Morning Lovely Readers!

I hope that I find you well?

I managed to pick up a heavy cold on the aeroplane back from Frankfurt, so was laid low this week. Sadly I then passed it to the Good Doctor, so Teddy the Puppy and I are both in the Dog Hse! 

The GD works with many elderly and vulnerable patients so couldn't visit them - not only did I make the Doc poorly, but interrupted the rounds, 
which made me feel doubly guilty!

Consequently, we did not have a very romantic Valentine's Day - it was mostly a question of "please pass the tissues"!

Teddy The Puppy decided to go on hunger strike this week too, and ended up at the vet which was scary. We think that he ate something that upset his tummy, but now he is very picky about his dinner and will only eat food from one particular supplier - Southcliffe Pet Foods. We don't know why... but
(sings) whatever Teddy wants...... Teddy gets!

He has also taking to eating stones(!), but I have nipped this in the bud by spraying apple-pip solution over every stone that I can find, and the bitterness is working. Sometimes I forget that we are the brighter animal! We visit 'The Wag Club' (!) in Arundel, for his first hair/nail trim next week - I shall take pictures!

Last night we attended the Amberley Society's Annual General Meeting  and enjoyed a talk by an 82 year old resident, who was born over the village grocer's shop (run by his father) in 1940. He remembers bombs falling, the old 'ale houses' - long since closed - and a time when the motor car was a rarity in Amberley. We used to have nine Ale Houses in a village of 650 people - they were obviously very thirsty -  a slaughterhouse( pleased that's gone!), blacksmith, saddler, bakery, sweet shop, grocers and two shoe shops( people who worked the land went through shoes at quite a rate he told us!).

I love 'living history' - it is so interesting to listen to people who have been there - plus one can ask questions! As Mike spoke of his experiences, it sounded like a bucolic idyll, but suspect that time has conjured a rosy-glow and country life was very hard indeed almost a century ago!
 

At the store the parcels have been arriving from across the globe
yielding unprecedented beauty!

Our Syrian glass-blowers have survived the civil war, covid, and as I mentioned last week, are located south of Damascus so also escaped the earthquakes! We have worked with the same ten families now for five years and are pleased to report that all are doing very well (under the circumstances.).

These master craftsmen have truly surpassed themselves with the current collection and we now have bright orange and pink lamps, teal and mulberry, as well as the popular turquoise, green and amber.

These beauties are mouth-blown and made from European glass that has been thrown away. We send them our rubbish and they send us works of art! The lamps can be used on the table or hung as central pendants( there is a supporting hook for this so they are very easy to install).

I adore them - they are aesthetically stunning and provide a strong, stylish, focal point in any room. The fact that they also help to support artists and their families, who have been staring adversity in the face for over a decade, is also a good feeling and one that we enjoy sharing.

 

We have had a fresh delivery from Bohemia( Czech Republic)
of the most beautiful glass.

I hope that you don't think me 'showy' with these pieces! I prefer to think of them as 'celebratory',  a gorgeous, glorious splash of colour to really make an interior 'pop'!

Our stunning, 2Litre, Hobnail Jugs are now available in neon pink( this is divine!) or a melange of magenta, pale blue and coffee  - these shades are dripping down the sides and look extremely stylish!

If you desire something a little more demure, then I give you a choice of an olive green jug, replete with lilac handle OR, vice versa, a lilac jug with olive handle! As you will have guessed, I couldn't decide which I liked better, so thought it best to own them both! They would look fantastic displayed
together as mirror images of each other !

We also have a glorious vase, called the 'Squeezed Vase', as it has literally been squeezed by hand during the blowing process and is, consequently, completely unique in shape. The glassmakers have over-laid some mandarin-coloured glass throughout the body, which looks like tiny flames! Team with orange or white gerbera and this will look sensational !

 

From the same family, our 'confetti ' tumblers were a huge hit last summer. Again, this uses a glass 'overlay' technique to apply the different colours so that it seems that spots of colour are floating across the surface. We have two choices - Rose & Yellow or Aqua & Lemon. These are a good size, so can be used for water and lemonade or perhaps a G&T.

The Good Doctor purchased a bottle of gin recently, that is flavoured with cranberry and clementine. I have been eyeing it suspiciously, however we popped the cork and it is absolutely delicious! Perfect for these tumblers - a little glass of sunshine (well a big glass actually!).
 

In the hobnail family I have also invested in some tiny bowls.

These beauties are charming and extremely useful. They can be used to serve food - this is lead-free crystal so food-safe - from tapas to very glamorous salt/pepper pinch pots. They make a nice receptacle for rings/earrings in the bedroom, or simply enjoyed as objet d'art - the choices are endless.... and yours.

We have plain colours of Lime and Blue or a Pink/Apricot
'confetti' finish that is yummy!

This week, Roullier White had a new delivery of the Mr White's 'Give A Fig ' Collection and I was able to make a donation to 'The Homeless Project Scotland'. Based in Glasgow, this is a relatively young charity, with tons of energy!

Not only do they provide 2500 hot meals per week to homeless projects in Scotland( with food kindly donated by Aldi/Asda/Tesco/Morrisons and M&S), but also a 24 hr telephone helpline, a soup kitchen serving on the streets of Glasgow 3 times per week, 'cash for kids', which helps with food parcels and mobile telephones ( very important for the safety of young people).

A fantastic, dynamic organisation, we are very proud to have donated profits from the 'Give A Fig' collection in Lawrence's name. I am moving our donations around the country as promised! If you have run-out of any 'Give A Fig' products, they are all back in stock, smelling as gorgeous as ever and doing some good in the world!

Do you have anything nice planned for this w/e? We are recuperating after almost a week of illness which rather knocked the stuffing out of us! It's a case of relaxing, eating well and taking a nice, gentle walk with TTP if the weather is fine - we are thinking to North and South Stoke, a lovely trot across the South Downs.

Because Havanese dogs do not have a developed hunting instinct, Teddy is great to walk with as he trots happily beside us without running away at the whiff of a rabbit! That said, if he is playing with another dog, we might as well not exist!

Right - I am off to cook us a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs
(Teddy's favourite!) and mushrooms and then plan our ramble. 

I wish you a lovely, relaxing w/e. Only one more in February to go and we have made it  - March heralds Spring! What a relief!

Very best wishes from Michael & Teddy the Puppy x