We’ve been back up in Northumberland again this week – lots of tasks completed, lots still to do. I reckon Penelope should have been a professional painter – if anything stands still for too long around here it gets a lick of stain or paint. So far, I have successfully evaded her attentions.
We/she have/has been working mainly on The Den getting it ready to go back on the holiday-let market. It’s a cosy, little bolt hole, very “rustic” and basic but actually very comfortable. It has a small kitchen area with hotplate, microwave and fridge, a bathroom with toilet and shower and a brand new double sofa bed. Having initiated the bed on Wednesday night I can confirm that it is very comfortable – perhaps a bit on the hard side so we may end up purchasing another, fluffier mattress topper. Still, it’s all looking very nice indeed.
A few “before and after” photos to show the transformation Penelope has wrought. Not finished yet but nearly.
This week our “guests” in Breezes Cottage are friends and neighbours of ours from Moreton Pinkney. They heard we had recently purchased these holiday cottages and were so keen to visit Northumberland that they booked almost immediately. (Unfortunately, we weren’t able to give them owners’ discount as our allocation had already been used up by the previous owner). In anticipation of their arrival we wanted to get them some good sourdough bread to welcome them to the cottage along with the usual complement of tea, coffee and a couple of bottles of the locally brewed ale. We diligently Googled “sourdough bread” and came up with a number of possibilities in Alnwick. Sadly, three of the four bakeries are now permanently closed and the one remaining no longer produces any sourdough. “It’s only the visitors who like it,” the woman at the bakery told us. Clearly, the artisan bread/sourdough movement has yet to reach the great Northeast – they seem to prefer the soft, fluffy, sliced white bread off the supermarket shelves.
A couple of recommendations/suggestions for you. Penny and I have recently been reading Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. Since I think everyone of my siblings recommended it to us in the first place, I guess this is for the two other readers of the Picayune. I gather it was originally a self-published novel which has gone on to become a massive bestseller. It’s a heartwarming story focusing on simple goodness and kindness which I really enjoyed.
Secondly, we’ve just finished watching the Netflix production of East of Eden which, again, I thoroughly enjoyed. Penny felt Florence Pugh was not an especially convincingly evil person and I think that’s been a common criticism. But, I thought the production was excellent – I only wish it had gone on twice as long.
To be fair, I am a great fan of Steinbeck – I think I’ve read just about everything he wrote – I went through a phase in high school where I made my through all his novels. Some were good, some were so-so and East of Eden was, I thought, a magnificent novel. Thankfully, I read it so long ago that each new episode of the series was “brand new” to me. Getting older is a marvel, isn’t it.
Back in May I shared an article concerning the mayor of the town in which I grew up. Eileen Wang stepped down as Mayor of Arcadia after a plea agreement showed she had admitted to working on behalf of the Chinese government.
This week I ran across another troubling reference to the good town of Arcadia.
A couple with 21 children — 19 of whom were born through surrogates — ran a “house of horrors” at a sprawling Arcadia mansion, prosecutors said Tuesday, alleging that the pair employed a group of nannies who were encouraged to administer beatings and other punishments.
Prosecutors said that the incidents were captured on camera — and that the parents could be seen laughing at times as their children were forcefully disciplined.
Guojun Xuan, 66, and his wife, 39-year-old Silvia Zhang, were charged Tuesday with multiple counts of conspiracy to commit child abuse and witness intimidation
I guess we can safely conclude that Arcadia is no longer the town it used to be. On the other hand, perhaps all this stuff went on anyway and we just didn’t hear about it.
I meant to share the colours of our young Liquidambar tree in the back garden last week. Lovely.
We’re leaving Northumberland this afternoon to spend a couple of days with some dear friends and former neighbours who now live in the Lake District. Back to beautiful downtown Moreton Pinkney on Tuesday afternoon. We’ll be “home” for about ten days or so before we sprint up north again.
Penelope and Annabelle are off this coming Saturday to a matinee performance of Cabaret in London. I might tag along and visit one or more of the lovely galleries whilst they enjoy the show. In particular, the Royal Academy has a special exhibition on at the moment – Painting the French Riviera which I would love to see. Might go there or, one of my other favourites, the National Portrait Gallery. I’ll let you know.
And finally, today is Annabelle’s 15th birthday (and the excuse for the theatre trip to London). Happy, happy, happy birthday to a smart, gorgeous and talented young woman. She is an absolute gem!
This week, Thursday, also brings the anniversary of the day my father died. He’s been gone eleven years now and I still think of him every day. I could sure do with some of his wisdom, advice and support in these somewhat challenging times.
And finally, finally, an absolutely stunningly gorgeous morning on Friday at Longhoughton Beach.
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And, be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get. And, hold your loved ones close.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg