Did you know I’d taken up potting fairly seriously? I’m about to embark on buying a wheel. I sold $20 worth of bits at a recent country fair, so I’m getting all inspired to make my fortune!
I had a good time at bridge. I was playing with X (who was our President at the time we were building our rooms, and I was secretary-treasurer). She is much better than me, but I managed to stay awake, and not make too many mistakes in the calling, hopefully. Anyway she congratulated me (with a little too much surprise in her voice to be entirely complimentary) on playing one or two hands brilliantly, so that was all right.
I rashly and regrettably put my name down to do a mask making course, so this Saturday and Sunday was taken up with the first half of that. What a messy do it is – I didn’t enjoy having Vaseline all over my face, then have bits of plaster they use on arm setting etc. stuck all over my face, 4 pieces thick, and the subsequent steps. We continue next weekend and paint and model on our mask taking one of the moods of his characters in the play. [Otherwise described as] For our mask making we put masses of glycerine all over our faces then stuck 2”x2” patches of gauze all over our faces, then the glue and more gauze and let it dry. Mine was far too wet and had to be dried with a hair dryer before it could be lifted off. One of the men has written a play for about 5 or 6 people and all the masks they use through life, and is hoping we will produce ones he can use, on a stick I suppose, to follow it through. I hope it all comes to something – it’s booked to be shown at several different places later in the year.
I’ve joined X’s adult drama group – we went this week – only about 8 of us and great fun. He reduced us all to one level by making us hop round holding one foot and pushing imaginary things about, then gave us speeches, poems etc. to read on a stage complete with mike and recorder – rather good agony as everyone was asked to criticise afterwards. He most amicably chopped us all down to size and I wish I’d ‘had a go’ half a century back!
I am sending this in an envelope so as to enclose three of the pictures which I managed to take at X’s. I managed to make these last week before we went away, by putting one of the camp tables up in my shower, and propping the enlarger on top of the loo – not very comfortable but my darkroom has really worked its way to the top of my list of jobs now, apart of course from the spring work in the garden which is just beginning, and preparation for three meetings of various sorts and a two day conference all of which are due to take place in the next fortnight!
I don’t think I told you I’d knitted a long cardigan for myself on my machine. Apart from the fact it took some 2 weeks with several undoings, not one and a half hours the women in the advertisements say so gaily, and it doesn’t match a think I’ve got, I suppose it’s a success!
My table in the sitting room is covered with all the papers re my father’s forebears, then my ironing is at the ready and the latest Gibbons stamp catalogue has come from the library and so I’m catching up on sticking in the ones I’ve got but didn’t before know the date of issue – and then… my playroom is covered with bits of polystyrene and models galore – rejoice with me – I’ve got the commission!
We got home 6.15 – ate and got to bridge at 7.15. Even X joined me in a whiskey – we must do it again – first I put him into 6 no trumps which shook him – and he made it – he then put me into 7 diamonds which as he’d given our opponents a quite wrong meaning to my initial call – shook me even more. However everything opened and shut and I made it, and we made another small slam we hadn’t called!!
Filed words 