These two young men we met as youngsters at the  Lotus Children's Centre in Ulaanbaatar in 2007, on the left Uganaa and right Gantuluk.  Picture from Alice, found on Facebook.

Gantuluk, the dancer,

Uganaa the joker.  From a  home for UB street children to serving in the Mongolian police force. Amazing

Work in Progress - Embroidery

 Soon be stitching the Pelican.

Lunch at Romeos by the Sea.

 Autumn has finally arrived, so indoor seating for us.

There are supposed to be fossils hidden in these pebbles. Damned if I can find them.

A Short Stay.

Staying in the guest room whilst Christopher redecorates the whole apartment.

A six day job with every surface repainted.  And an excellent job he is doing.  Much, much better than I could have done!

Back to the Drawing Board

Well, since the recent renewal of the flat's firedoor, the Queen Anne cannot move with us to Penarth. Bummer. But there is a plan.  Build a new one with no outside walls or roof.  Interior walls will hold the whole structure together. The room spaces will be a copy of the QA's to display the furniture and fittings. Where there is a will there is a way.

11 Bridgeman Court, our Next Move

We finally have the key. The view towards the pier from our front window.

Part of the communal garden from my future playroom window.

A stoll along the Esplanade before turning in.

 Sun rise.

Packing

First, the dollhouses. Of course, these take priority over the house we live in.

The Queen Anne house is not going to Penarth.  It will not fit through the front door. But Jane's furniture is. 

Temporary storage area.  Very conventient.

Another "house" is about to be built to house the Q A's furniture. Watch this space.

Mandy

Mandy

1968 - Elmina, Cape Coast, Ghana

Jenny and I became good friends with Peter and Mandy during the 9 months we spent together working  as teachers in Cape Coast.

1978 - Gwaun cae Gurwen, Wales

In 1973 we all moved down to GCG and by 1978 we had bought two adjacent  properties on the edge of the GCG Common, each with 9 acres of land. Both properties needed extensive work on them, all good fun.

1980 - Athens, Greece

Taking a break.

1983 - West Coast, Singapore

Jenny, I and our two girls move to the far east. 

1983 - Desaru, Malaysia

Taking a break from city life.

1983 - Bellevue Hotel, Penang Hill, Penang, Malaysia

And in Malaysia.

1983 - Bayview Beach Hotel, Penang Malaysia

1990 - Harz Mountains, Germany

On returning to the UK, our two families spent  holidays  a couple of times together including  three weeks in Florida in 1988

2001 - Hooke Court, Dorset, England

RIP old friend.

Fallen Flower

The result of this weeks storms. But great to have the dahlia inside to brighten the day.  

Gek the Card Maker.

Needle worked,

embroidered work.

Marquetry - Somerset 01

 

Taking Gek's Somerset Patchwork paterns to create a marquetry equivalent. 

Compare and Contrast - Bird for Bird

 

Six more to go.

Crimson Rosella

Completed, 

Pelican on the way.

Reconnected

 Back lit,

better at night.

BBQ at Bridgeman Court

 Martin and co.,

preparing nosh for the girls. Felt very welcome there.

Somerset Patchwork, with Veneers.

Starting with a patern, 

asking Gek, my colourist,  to choise the colours  from my collection of coloured veneers,

use the double bevel cutting technique to creat the work,

starting from the centre.

More Ozzie Birds

Another one completed,

so on with the next.

Hudson Valley Chair

 Completed with woven seat.

On the Way Home

David and Mat doing the heavy lifting.  Bye bye old friend.

To Barry Island

But first, a visit to Gek's new exhibition at the Llandough Hospital Plaza Gallery.

Then on to the Beach,

for lunch at Marcus's Cafe.

A fun day for families.