Grandma P's Ramblings Through Life

Today has felt good, but tiring for me.
And I seem to have spent time absorbed in the affairs of the lives - and deaths of people I have never known. I'll explain that in a moment.

It was raining at 6 o'clock - surely it would clear up?
We set off for Ford with very frequent heavy showers beating into the car.
It will clear up?
South of The Downs it did seem much brighter and the roads were dry. There were patches of blue sky.
But the weather had kept very many people away from the car boot sale. Last week we were selling in the warm sunshine and the site was full. Today it must have been a quarter of the size.
But I was happy with the things I found.


The large vase is from the Murano glass works in venice.
It is almost 2 feet tall and very, very heavy.
The red vase is of a lesser quality, but looks good
alongside the Murano.










Of course there were all sorts of other things stowed in my trolley. One absorbed me for much of the afternoon - and I hope to give it away.

On the way into Littlehampton we stopped at a wonderful farm shop. There was a superb quality butchers department and all sorts of things for sale.
We bought some things and I know I shall return.

In Littlehampton we settled at our usual table in The Balaton and watched the world go by.
This morning the world seemed full of police cars and policemen.
They were clealy hunting for something.
We sat and ate, weaving crime stories about what might have happened.
Tales of intrigue and murder, or maybe tales of drug smuggling.
We walked by the river and out to see the sea, where more police and coastguards were about - and the police helicopter.
We assumed we'd never actually know what was going on.
But sadly, we read the latest Littlehampton news on-line, when we got in and realised that the search had been for a vulnerable 75 year old woman.
She had left home at 9 o'clock this morning - so was deemed at risk almost from the start. It was only half past ten as we sat watching the goings on.
They found her in the water at about half past one.
Maybe it was terrible accident or maybe it was what she wanted.

Later, I began to write up my purchases.
I was intrigued by a minor piece of framed ephemera.
It was a religious themed certificate, marking the baptism, confirmation and first Holy Communion of a Francis Rochford Bonsey - born in 1883.
I realised that the computer gave me the tools to find a little more about him.
I knew he had been baptised in Northaw, Hertfordshire.
I now know who his parents were and most of his brothers and sisters.
His father had been vicar of Northaw. He must have been transferred a while later to Lancaster, for Francis was confirmed there.
It was Francis's father who had written the certificate.
When the father died, the family returned to Northaw.
I continued to play around with this family and found they cropped up on a genealogy web site as being one branch of the family being studied.
From the web site, I found that Francis and his wife and children had moved to Suffolk, where he died in 1971.
When the compiler of the site put information on in 2004, there was certainly at least one of his children still living - and she may well have offspring too. There are many living Bonseys.
I feel that the item I bought this morning (for only £2) should be with an interested member of the Bonsey family.
I have written to the web site creator, in Australia, to see what they would like me to do.

As a result of spending time with the Bonseys, I failed to get all my real work done. But it was fun.

Tomorrow will be fairly much a home day.
A TV engineer will be calling.
For some time our TV, not very old, has displayed 2 red vertical lines for an hour or so after being switched on.
Yesterday Bill was sorting through some papers and recalled that when the TV was bought he had been weak and succumbed to the pressure of the salesman to take out extra insurance.
Good grief! We never do that!
Well, we did when we bought a brand new car - and benefited very well when the thing was written off.
And so we thought we might as well benefit once again and get the TV fixed....or replaced. That would be good!

I have to go out for a short while tomorrow - got to get my little bottles to the doctor's before 10 o'clock.

Now for a couple of pictures that Bill took in our garden.

Little varmint! He steals the food for the birds and we all know he is a pest. But squirrels are such a pleasure to watch, with their cleverness and wicked ways!