This will be a strange post with links and no photographs. I have accumulated a collection of links and titbits of news and thought I would share a few of them with you.
Well over a year ago I wrote a post that included, among many other things, some news about my niece, Natalie. Natalie works for a firm of specialist silk weavers in Sudbury, Suffolk and she does some extremely interesting work and has a few very important clients indeed. My brother shared a link on Facebook yesterday and I thought you might be interested in some more details of Natalie’s work.
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In January this year Richard and I took a walk and I posted about it. In the post I mentioned a book called ‘The Easternmost House’ written by Juliet Blaxland. The book tells of the trials and tribulations of living in a house on the edge of a cliff; among many other things.
Here is a further installment.
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My sister, Francesca is the Operations Manager for the Kent Ambulance Service and works very hard caring for her team of skilled paramedics and for the patients in their charge. At present, testing for Covid-19 Corona Virus is an added pressure on an already over-stretched and under-paid profession. Here is a short film about one of the call-outs her team had to deal with recently where a man went into cardiac arrest and was given 21 shocks and then clot-busting medication.
There you are! A couple of good news items with a bad one sandwiched in the middle.
A Suffolk Lane 
I guess we have to take the good with the bad, Clare. Your top photo is gorgeous! It definitely brightened my day. Enjoy your Sunday. ❤
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Thank you very much, Jill. The photo is an old one of Blackthorn blossom. The Blackthorn is beginning to blossom here but doesn’t look as good as the photo yet. Have a blessed and peaceful Sunday. ❤
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Good to hear from your, Clare! The weaving is such beautiful work, and I am glad your sister’s crew was able to save that man. The cliff erosion near the sea is indeed frightening.
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Thank you very much, Lavinia. The erosion is speeding up and the multiple storms we have had recently have made things much worse, unfortunately.
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Super interesting links, Clare! Thank you for sharing them.
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My pleasure, Donna and thank you!
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That top photo is lovely. And what fascinating work your niece has! More peaceful than working for the Ambulance service, that’s for sure. But aren’t we lucky to have teams like them when things go badly?
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Thank you very much, Margaret. We are extremely lucky to have such dedicated people who work so hard to keep us alive.
The photo is an old one of Blackthorn blossom. The Blackthorn is coming into flower but isn’t as good as the photo yet.
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Thanks for all those interesting links.
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Thank you very much, Susan.
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A marvellous little almanac of a post to read over Sunday morning breakfast – so much better than the newspapers, thank you! X
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My pleasure and thank you very much, Liz xx
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This could be better than a Sunday sermon. It’s good to have some good news from the UK or at least see the skills of dedicated folk. The house is a bit of the story of our time or our age, living on the edge and wishing for a few more years. Your sister and her team do a fantastic but very stressful job with such dedication. Your daughter’s work is so interesting and a reminder that there are jobs for creative and skilled people.
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Thank you very much, Georgina. The news is so full of sadness, destruction, illness and stupidity that I thought it would be good to share two good new items!
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Yes, me too. It seems we blunder on.
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We are on a regular ambulance route between Lymington and Christchurch so that good news story resonates; less good news of the cliff top house does also because our cliffs are rapidly eroding.
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Thank you, Derrick. These storms every few days have made the situation much worse.
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Grand.
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Thank you, John.
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It certainly sounds as if your niece will do well in life!
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Thank you, Allen; we all hope so!
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You have distinguished relatives on all sides! I was sorry to read about the demolition.
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Thank you, Tom, they will be so pleased to know that! We were all very sorry about the demolition, too as it came so much earlier than we had hoped.
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Life is like that, isn’t it? The woven fabric is fantastic. Jaw-dropping really. That Natalie is a wonder, that’s what she is. You have such a creative family. The demolition of the house on the edge is a sad story. I wonder where she will live next and if she will write about it. Finally, kudos to paramedics who work so hard and are not paid nearly enough. Meanwhile, fat cats at the top are paid way more than they should be getting. End of rant. 😉
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I’ll join you in a rant chorus! 🙂 Thank you very much for your lovely comment, Laurie. Juliet has moved into a house just a short way from the demolished one. It’s life expectancy isn’t long either. I couldn’t bear to do that. I love my homes and wouldn’t want to think of them being reduced to rubble in a few years. I also hate moving house – so traumatic and exhausting – why doesn’t she move a few more miles inland, I wonder. I’ll have to ask her mother – she’ll know 😀
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Clare, what a great selection of articles and it’s as if reading a magazine through this post! I’ve been to several of the halls and houses that are featured by the Humphries Weaveries and might even have walked past your niece! Beautiful work! Wow! I am impressed with your sister’s job and it must be very stressful .. particularly so now. I hope she will be okay with the added work … listening to the video above is heartwarming … well done to all! A great selection for us!
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Thank you so much, Annika! We visited Fellbrigg Hall last September but had no idea that Natalie had been working there. Our family communications are not as good as they ought to be!
Now that my sister is one of the managers she doesn’t get to do the hands-on caring of patients as often as she would like though she often has to makeup the numbers by doing lots of night-shifts, which aren’t as pleasant!
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I followed the link to Natalie’s work. AMAZING!!!!
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I am so pleased you are impressed ❤
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Wow, what fascinating work your niece does, Clare. Those fabrics are exquisite, and I marvel at how they can recreate it with modern technology. There really are many interesting jobs in this world that I don’t even know exist.
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Thank you very much, Jolandi. I was totally ignorant of the technology involved in weaving these days until Natalie started work at Humphries! She had specialised in weaving in her Art degree but it was the old-fashioned standing/sitting in front of an actual loom and weaving and designing fabrics and patterns. I had thought she would continue like that as an artist, but no!
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I am excited to learn more of Natalie’s work – thanks!
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My pleasure, Lisa and thank you! I am so proud of her ❤
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Your niece will fly, Clare, bless those in clifftop homes and our seriously overstretched NHS. Hugest hugs to you all with much ❤ ❤ ❤ flowing from over here. Your top photo is gorgeous. Xxxxxxx ❤
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Jane! Huge hugs for you and so much ❤ ❤ ❤ xxxxxxx
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It’s strange how talentless celebs can be rich but there isn’t enough money to pay a good wage for those who help to reserve life, we live in a strange world. Respect to your sister and all those working in the health service.
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Thank you very much, Ste J. The ambulance service is now doing all the Covid-19 testing as well as their normal duties. I hope you and your family are keeping well.
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We are getting there, it’s very much one day at a time but there is something pleasing in that.
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I agree, Clare. Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
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Thank you, Kevin. We are fine so far as I hope you continue to be 🙂
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Wow – a lot of extraordinary things in this post. Silk weaver? How unique and wonderful! Not many can call that their occupation. Paramedics/caregivers/nurses and doctors are in the forefront of this crisis we’re in the middle of now. Thank goodness for the bravery and kindness and expertise of people like your sister and her team.
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Thank you so much for your kind comment, Pam. My sister is working extraordinarily hard at present and we are all worried about her. Her youngest son has just lost his job which is half bad news and half good news. He gets no money but at least he is safe at home!
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As with many of your posts, I will have to come back to read again/further. That story about the house on the cliff is remarkable. I cannot believe how much land was eroded in less than three years. It’s shocking.
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Thank you, Cynthia. It is quite frightening to see the amount of erosion on this coast during the past few years. Each time we visit these places changes have taken place.
Plants, trees, paths – all disappear over the edge of the cliff.
I really ought to write shorter posts with just one subject and post more often. But time for me is at a premium and when I do manage to have an hour or two to spare I bung everything in at once, not knowing when I’ll get another opportunity!
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Not to worry. I love revisiting your posts. I often do.
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‘Smile’
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Great post to take mind off current events, found the video very thought provoking. Take care & stay safe Clare 🙂
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Thank you, Becka! I hope you are well and keeping safe xx
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It seems that the world is currently about the good and the bad and trying to keep one’s balance. Thanks especially for the good news stories about your daughter and sister. You left me with a smile.
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Thank you so much for your kind comment and for visiting my blog! I hope you are well and keeping safe.
Clare
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I really like your beautiful blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A great discovery and a very interesting blog. I will come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. See you soon.
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Thank you very much, Angelilie.
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