Lovely things to tell you today.
Firstly, did you read the post about buying a tenor horn on e-bay a few days ago? It never occurred to either of us that there was any realistic hope that it would come before I go back to the UK this week but yesterday morning there was a delivery, and it came.
Big parcel!!
Friend had been out most of the morning have her hair cut and I had been working at the far end of the house. The phone rang several times and I got to it once and took a message, but the other times it went dead just as I got to it. Well, when she arrived home it rang again and she picked it up in time: it was the delivery company’s driver ringing to establish that there was someone in and he dropped it off. Great excitement but then a visitor turned up so we had to wait until she had had some refreshment and chat before we could open it up. Took some opening I must say, it was very well wrapped indeed.
And then, the grand opening of the case.
It is thirty four years old and looks as if it has just left the factory. It is in wonderful condition and is a super instrument. It is a Sovereign, made when Boosey &Hawkes had just taken over Besson, so the creme de la creme. Already the tone sounds lovely and you can tell that when it is ‘blown in’ and my friend gets used to it the tone will be glorious. It used to be owned by a Welshman who played in a band which played in the Albert Hall: he was extremely proud of that. He died a while back and it has just been sold by a relative of his.
Secondly, the hens managed a break out today. They are kept in their run at the moment because the veggie garden needs protecting: however, they are not pleased about this and broke through the wire this morning. Since we were having a day at home we let them stay out, under supervision, and of course they absolutely loved it. Everywhere you looked there were scratching hens, delirious with excitement, and a cockerel running hither and yon trying to look after 17 hens at once, all in different places. Now, there is a flower bed made by friend’s husband which would look fine in a suburban or town garden but is not really her thing or mine, and certainly not for a country garden. In the middle is what my mother used to unkindly call a lollipop tree, surrounded by bedding plants. Actually, very pretty marigolds, but the effect is naff in the extreme here. And two hens decided that this is where they wished to have their dust baths today: we were so pleased!! Don’t they make the flower bed look nicer? It is just what was needed. 
Friend and I walked around with silly grins on our faces. But I suppose we’ll have to do some rescue work before husband returns and wreaks vengeance on the chickens.
Lastly, the young horse Jazzy has converted to Islam so we are making veils for her face.
Friend has cut up an old nightdress and I am particularly taken with the lace detail:
Actually, all joking aside, the problem is quite serious. The poor horse has a white blaze which runs down the front of her face and she has been really sunburned on her nose: she has nasty dried bloody scabs all over it and even when hanging her head out of the stable she has it in the sun, so now she has ointment on it and it is protected indoors and out with this veil. They do not last long though: very soon they get inadvertently nibbled while eating and drinking so that the attrition rate is high.
She doesn’t seem the slightest bit bothered about her new, coy look. A few fluttering eyelashes and the elderly gelding will be wild with excitement.
So, a series of happy and quaint happenings from the Irish homestead for you today.
stopping by woods 