WE'RE BACK...

...at Gorse Hill Baptist Church Community Fridge - the first one of 2023.  There was a steady flow of people at the Community Fridge today, the first Monday back after the Christmas break and indeed, the first one of 2023.  It was lovely to see all the “old faces” and some new ones too, and to catch up with them after the break.

For once, I didn’t really have any grotty jobs to do, in fact, I was pleased that Carol offered to sort the carrots because some of them looked rather worse for wear.  I wonder if some of them got frosted in the very cold weather just before Christmas, which was why they were black, but by the time that she and Darren had sorted them, they looked good and there was lots for Ruth to take for her compost heap.  I must ask her one day how big this is, because she does take rather a lot of the vegetables that are definitely past their prime so her heap must be enormous!

We had lots of extra bread today, including French sticks and sourdough bread and many people seemed to prefer this to the sliced Hovis - and of course, if it is warmed up slowly, then it tastes good and can “pad out a meal”, which is always a good thing when money is tight.

I chatted to several “old” friends and was even invited along to a “Knit and Natter” group after I expressed an interest in re-learning how to crochet - something I haven’t done for several years now.  The two ladies I spoke to said I would be very welcome and also said that if I needed any help, then there would be someone who could show me how to crochet a blanket so that I could use up all my oddments of wool.

In between chatting, I helped in the kitchen doing various jobs and then went back out to sit with a friend, Lin, to have a chat, so we were able to catch up on what was happening in our families.  Whilst chatting to her, another lady asked if she could join us and of course, we said we were happy for her to come and sit on our table.  It then transpired that she and Lin knew one another from about 30 years ago - obviously they haven’t changed that much!  D got out some embroidery and I was intrigued as there didn’t seem to be any pattern to the piece she was embroidering.  

I said that I had done some embroidery when I was quite young, but my fingers were now a little arthritic and therefore, holding a needle wasn’t as easy as it used to be.  D told me that she had learned to embroider and to do it in this particular way when the lockdowns started because she wanted to do something creative, but didn’t want anything too structured.  She called this “improvised embroidery” and the one thing she said that struck a chord with me was that “there is nothing wrong about any stitch you do”.  She said that if something didn’t go quite right, you just made that part of the overall pattern and carried on.  She showed me how to do bullion stitch, French knots, daisy chains and stab stitch, which she just carried on doing whilst we were chatting.  The material was beautiful and she said she had got a 10 metre piece of Irish linen cloth for a very reasonable price at a scrap store and she was delighted with it.  D. also showed me how to put a knot in a long piece of thread - something I very often struggle to do because of my arthritic fingers, but she made it look so easy, so I must practice this so that I can do it without thinking too much!

We chatted for sometime and after telling her about my fingerless gloves and letting her try a pair on, she said they would be great for when she plays her guitar and violin - so obviously a very gifted lady - I wonder if I could learn to play one or other?  

As you can see, not only do we provide a service for members of the community, but they can also teach us a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing D again next week, complete with a pattern for the gloves and I’m also going to knit her a pair, as I have just finished a pair ready to send to a Blip friend.

All in all a great morning - and now I’d better get on with the knitting - as I now have several pairs of gloves to knit in the next few days.

‘Take your needle, my child, 
     and work at your pattern; 
          it will come out a rose by and by. 
Life is like that - 
     one stitch at a time taken patiently
          and the pattern will come out 
               all right like the embroidery.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.