Flutterby Patch

Friday fish

I wonder how many of you eat fish on Fridays? It was a traditional thing to do when I was a child, both at home and at school. My mother used to say people ate fish on Fridays because the fishing boats brought their catches into ports on Thursdays and so it was at its freshest. They probably did this because fish was a Friday dish. In fact the custom dates back centuries and is based on Christian beliefs. (These are explained on the internet so I won't go into detail).

I have always enjoyed fish, so when my son and daughter came along I encouraged them to eat it but sadly with little success. No amount of pleading, bribing or indeed threatening made any difference. Neither did tempting them with small pieces of fish in breadcrumbs generously covered with their favourite tomato ketchup and generous servings of golden chips. Watching them trying to swallow tiny morsels between groans and large gulps of orange juice was painful. Was it, I wondered, because they could visualise the slippery creatures in the water? It wasn't as if they had seen fish being caught or indeed caught their own fish like this happy pair.

After much trying I reluctantly resorted to giving the children chicken whilst my husband and I ate our Friday fish. Admittedly, from time to time I would try again to tempt them but always failed.

We always ate our meals as a family around the table (still do) but when the children's favourite TV programme, 'Thunderbirds', was shown at 6 pm on Fridays our mealtime arrangements had to change. Eating before the programme would have been too early and eating after it too late for the children. So reluctantly I said they could have their evening meal on a tray whilst watching the programme, on one condition....they cleaned their plates. And this they did, every week without fail. I soon realised that they were so engrossed with the story that they didn't really know what they were eating, and so I hatched my plan. The following week I waited for the Thunderbirds programme to start and once the children were totally absorbed in it I passed them their meal on a tray. And so it was that they both ate a full portion of fish (thinking it was chicken) every week and were never any the wiser until I admitted my deception to the them years later. Now, as adults, I'm happy to say they both enjoy fish and eat it regularly.

So all I can say is, "Thank you Thunderbirds and 'International Rescue' for saving my children from what might have been a life without fish".

Ameliaranne and knitted elephants

Aren't these illustrations just wonderful? They can be found in the book 'Ameliaranne at the Circus'. The first Ameliaranne story was published way back in 1920 in the days when families like hers were very often large and very often poor. Over the years the stories were penned by a variety of authors but the wonderful illustrations were always produced by Susan B Pearce. (This book was written by Margaret Gilmour)

 
 
1). In this story Ameliaranne finds a runaway elephant with a sore trunk and takes the injured animal home.
2). At the sight of a wild animal at the door her poor overworked mother cries "Mercy me, it's an ephelunt! We shall all be trampled to death!" and with that she snatches up an armful of children and rushes indoors for safety.
3). Mother has to sit down and fan herself but after gaining her composure she suggests the elephant's trunk could be bandaged with a dish-cloth.
4). With a bandaged trunk the gentle elephant allows the children to ride on its back. It is, of course, an animal that has escaped from a travelling circus and for their kindness Ameliaranne and her family receive free tickets for the next performance. Wonderful!

This little elephant pattern is easy to knit. Each one is just 12 stitches wide and can be knitted as a repeat pattern or as an individual motif. 

 

You could make each elephant a different colour if you wish or, if you're not a knitter, then why not try using the graph for cross stitch. I'll be posting another pattern in a few days. Have fun!

Figurines and firesides

I love figurines of all ages, shapes and sizes and have several around the house.  Here are just a few of the prettiest.

  "What are those sweet little Victorian maids doing perched on a mossy rock? I hear you ask. Well...I have a confession. I acquired them from an elderly gentleman when I was 8 years old. In those far off days, Victorian bisque figurines of this type were not greatly valued and so I was allowed to play with them. I immediately set about making the girls a 'romantic leafy bower' in the garden in which too frolic. The trouble was, I was the only person who knew of their frolicking and as a consequence the poor souls were left outside in all weathers for well over a year. Can you believe that?  Amazingly, as you can see, they came to no harm. Since then they have travelled through life with me and are now a precious possession. Today, for the first time, I took them back into the garden and I do believe their little faces lit up with joy and excitement as they recalled their past adventures. Rest assured however, their garden visit was short lived and they are now safely back on the sitting room shelf with my other treasures.

These two little china children date from the early 1960s. They were a birthday gift when I was a child and I have always loved them. They are designed as bookends but are not very stable so I have always used them for just the few small books that you can see here. The little girl's carrot has an end missing and I think her rabbit looks like the greedy culprit wouldn't you say?

Mr and Mrs Apple, made by Royal Doulton, are characters from Jill Barklem's Brambly Hedge stories and date from the 1980s. I would love to live in the wonderful world of Brambly Hedge. Just look at that lovely little room with beamed ceiling reflecting the glow of a roaring log fire. Snow is falling outside the window and, here I quote from the 'Winter Story'... 'Mrs Apple had spent the afternoon baking pies, cakes and puddings for the cold days to come. She drew two armchairs up to the fire and brought their supper in on a tray'... Doesn't that sound just the cosiest place to live?

If you are not familiar with the Winter Story, do read it. In the bitter chill of midwinter the mice plan a magnificent ball in their Ice Hall, and what a ball it turns out to be. The accompanying illustrations are just wonderful.

Finally, dating from the 1980s, this sweet little girl with her dolly was a gift to my daughter from her grandma but I am currently looking after it. All girls (young and old) love dolls so I was thrilled to find some real beauties on Jenny's blog at Little Jenny Wren. She creates such cute little characters, hers are definitely some of my favourites. Recently Jenny was kind enough to mention my Flutterby Patch blog for which, many thanks Jenny.