After picking her up from work at 4pm and then dropping Helena back home I headed across two valleys to visit John and Liz. I wanted to drop off the Calathea plant which I've been nurturing since repotting its parent last spring. I've had it for more than twenty years and knowing that Liz loves her house plants I thought she'd like this one and that it would thrive in one of the windows where she keeps her many orchids.

Helena and I had visited Liz when she had an exhibition of her art at Westonbirt Arboretum in the autumn. I took a variety of pictures of the exhibits which I said she could use for her website or for other publicity. We chatted with John in their kitchen whilst having tea and a delicious homemade mince pie, and I was transferring the image files via a memory stick.

Suddenly there was a tap at the the door which quickly opened and in came a woman whom I didn't know. John and Liz welcomed Susie H. who then immediately said to Liz that she must close her eyes, which she did.  From behind her back Susie then produced this wonderful glass artwork to Liz's great surprise, and from then on she was 'speechless' as she soon admitted.

I had my camera out and quickly took a couple of snaps as Susie, on the left, held the beautifully coloured glass up to a kitchen light. She had made this for Liz as a thank you present in return for a stitched textile piece that Liz had specially made for Susie to commemorate the loss of her beloved dog. It had been a while since she had given it to Susie so this present came somewhat out of the blue.

Liz had asked for some glass art which she could place in her garden and view from her workshop cabin in the garden, but she didn't expect to receive such a wonderful piece , through which light would provide constantly changing colours. Susie has mounted the glass on a perspex backing which has two metal stays fixed to it so that it can be inserted into the ground. It looks wonderful, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it in situ as much as Liz will be. They kindly said that I could blip them and the art, for which many thanks. It was a proper Blip moment.