Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday morning.
This is a day in two parts.
We have enjoyed the first part and the second is to come this evening. I am not sure what time we will get back home.
We went down to Ford on a bright sunny morning - and not as breezy as I thought it might be.
We didn't buy a lot of items - but those we did buy were interesting and should sell well.
I am pleased to have some more Homemaker china - 1950s black and white - which always has a following. I also like the wooden shield shape for a rings game, complete with 6 rings. It looks to date from the 1930s and could sell well for Christmas.
Bill bought some more trench art - decorative items made from WWI shell cases etc.
A little more about Bill's purchases later.
We also bought bread, cucumbers and eggs.
I decided we needed to avoid routine (and Littlehampton) and followed up something that my friend Marion told me of yesterday for a place to visit.
Marion had good news this week - her breast cancer has not spread to lymph glands.
So she says she is lucky!
I always said that too - lucky to be alive and to have received such good treatment.
We both wear bags and try to feel lucky about that too.
I think it is a sensible approach to find things to feel lucky about, even when you are hit with cancer. I do recall that there were many days though when I didn't feel so lucky!
This morning as I was cleaning my teeth I began to feel lucky. For some reason I had images of many people I have known who have died of cancer flitting through my brain.
They were not lucky.
"How dare I feel depressed?" I wondered. Particularly when one of the things that is causing me to feel so down is, in fact, of benefit to the community.
But if chemicals in the brain get unbalanced, depression can be hard to control.
Anyway - back to our jaunt.
We drove towards home and stopped at a cafe called The Orchard.
There is indeed an orchard which the owners have recently developed with many old varieties of fruit, including quinces, medlars and unusual apples and pears.
We walked through the orchard and down to the station - a disused station.
We found ourselves on the platform of West Grinstead Station and we had a stroll.
We learned that the disused railway is part of the Downs Link walk - from North to South Downs, from Guildford to Shoreham.
I now have plans that we will do this 37 mile walk. It is neatly divided into manageable stages
and the website gives transport possibilities to get oneself back to where the car is parked - and of course the bus costs us nothing.
So, another project for the winter and spring.
Then we had a very good breakfast and almost unlimited tea and coffee.
Today was the first time I had dared to eat black pudding - and it was tasty enough.
I always feared it, after having a cookery book which fell open at the recipe for black pudding which began "Take a quart of pig's blood". I didn't like to think about it, let alone eat it!
We have busily written up today's purchases.
And now we must make sure we are ready for an evening out. We have been invited to a barbecue at Bill's cousin's - Sue and Chris.
I really want to quiz them about family history. And will do so a little, though they have invited some other friends too.
I expect we will have to arrange for them to come to our house for a meal in order to get all the details.
And now for a few pictures of the disused railway.
In the distance is the bridge which carries the A272.
We have enjoyed the first part and the second is to come this evening. I am not sure what time we will get back home.
We went down to Ford on a bright sunny morning - and not as breezy as I thought it might be.
We didn't buy a lot of items - but those we did buy were interesting and should sell well.
I am pleased to have some more Homemaker china - 1950s black and white - which always has a following. I also like the wooden shield shape for a rings game, complete with 6 rings. It looks to date from the 1930s and could sell well for Christmas.
Bill bought some more trench art - decorative items made from WWI shell cases etc.
A little more about Bill's purchases later.
We also bought bread, cucumbers and eggs.
I decided we needed to avoid routine (and Littlehampton) and followed up something that my friend Marion told me of yesterday for a place to visit.
Marion had good news this week - her breast cancer has not spread to lymph glands.
So she says she is lucky!
I always said that too - lucky to be alive and to have received such good treatment.
We both wear bags and try to feel lucky about that too.
I think it is a sensible approach to find things to feel lucky about, even when you are hit with cancer. I do recall that there were many days though when I didn't feel so lucky!
This morning as I was cleaning my teeth I began to feel lucky. For some reason I had images of many people I have known who have died of cancer flitting through my brain.
They were not lucky.
"How dare I feel depressed?" I wondered. Particularly when one of the things that is causing me to feel so down is, in fact, of benefit to the community.
But if chemicals in the brain get unbalanced, depression can be hard to control.
Anyway - back to our jaunt.
We drove towards home and stopped at a cafe called The Orchard.
There is indeed an orchard which the owners have recently developed with many old varieties of fruit, including quinces, medlars and unusual apples and pears.
We walked through the orchard and down to the station - a disused station.
We found ourselves on the platform of West Grinstead Station and we had a stroll.
We learned that the disused railway is part of the Downs Link walk - from North to South Downs, from Guildford to Shoreham.
I now have plans that we will do this 37 mile walk. It is neatly divided into manageable stages
and the website gives transport possibilities to get oneself back to where the car is parked - and of course the bus costs us nothing.
So, another project for the winter and spring.
Then we had a very good breakfast and almost unlimited tea and coffee.
Today was the first time I had dared to eat black pudding - and it was tasty enough.
I always feared it, after having a cookery book which fell open at the recipe for black pudding which began "Take a quart of pig's blood". I didn't like to think about it, let alone eat it!
We have busily written up today's purchases.
And now we must make sure we are ready for an evening out. We have been invited to a barbecue at Bill's cousin's - Sue and Chris.
I really want to quiz them about family history. And will do so a little, though they have invited some other friends too.
I expect we will have to arrange for them to come to our house for a meal in order to get all the details.
And now for a few pictures of the disused railway.
In the distance is the bridge which carries the A272.
The lever still operates the signal.
As we finished our teas and coffees, Bill began to play with some of his purchases. 
An old carriage at the end of the sidings. This carriage is open at some times and has information within.
As we finished our teas and coffees, Bill began to play with some of his purchases.
There are better pictures below.
They are just lovely, aren't they?
