I’ve been meaning to tell you about the walking stick and it obviously needs a picture, but it’s the wrong end of the day, I’ll take it tomorrow in the daylight and add it then.

I think I mentioned that we had new hardwood windows put in to replace the 1950s metal-framed windows that my in-laws inexplicably thought would be a good replacement for oak.  Over the decades, as some of you may know from experience, these windows warped and let in draughts and couldn’t be opened because then they were almost impossible to close again.  So we applied for planning permission (this is a listed building so everything structural needs planning permission) to put in new ones and that was granted.  In fact, we also asked to put in slightly bigger ones so as to let in more light and that was allowed too.

The house is made of wattles – sticks – and daub, then brick faced.  The builder, on removing the old windows and cutting away the extra few inches of wall, found that many of the wattles were quite worm-eaten – they’d been there for over 400 years, after all.  But one that he drew out was intact, strong and looked as good as the day it was first used.

It so happened that my sister-in-law’s husband had recently taken up a new hobby, that of carving walking sticks.  So we gave him the stick and, in due course, it was returned, with the top shaped and the bark removed so that it was smooth, and the length of the stick polished and varnished.

I love that stick and I use it regularly.  You’ll see why when I show you the photo.