T shirt with rose embroidery (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)

I know, I know, the boys get creepy crawlies and the girls get flowers (and just the occasional creepy crawly.) And yet, and yet … I draw no conclusions but just state that all 3 of my new born baby daughters smelt sweet and talcum powdery while my new born son smelt quite clearly of salt and vinegar crisps (and I do love a good dousing of salt and various vinegars on chips, crisps or salad)! While my granddaughter is quite happy to have an insect on her T shirt, my grandson has yet to request a flower. I shall say no more.

Detail: T shirt with rose embroidery (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)

In preparation for my upcoming jury service, on Tuesday morning at 7.30 I hauled my husband out of bed extra early for a dry run to Gloucester. It was raining heavily and not at all pleasant but I was relieved that there seemed to be several buses I could catch that would get me to the court for 9 o’clock. We chose the fastest and most direct route. So far so good. We knew from the court’s website that the Crown Court was a a small stone building (looking much like a prison) at the back of the pillared shire hall on Westgate Street, one of the main streets through the city and not a million miles away from the cathedral. Spurning the most obvious route, little innocents that we were, we decided to weave through the back streets and trust the black and gold fingerpost signs which had a certain air of authority about them – the three different courts  (Crown, County and Magistrates) perfectly clearly indicated by arms pointing firmly in different directions.  Doggedly following the signs, not once but twice we were directed past the building that looked like the one we wanted and on in the direction of Gloucester docks. At that point we gave up on the signs and went back to the building we thought it was in the first place, stopping a passer-by just to check. A bemused smile played at the corners of his mouth (probably because we were standing in front of a board confirming what we were asking him) but he agreed it was the right place and we let him go on his way – which was straight into the court! Just my luck if he’s a judge  presiding in a case I’m involved with next week.

Detail:T shirt with rose embroidery (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)

… except that by the time Friday came I had consulted the latest documents sent to me and found that when they asked me to defer jury service for two weeks, they had also changed the court I was to attend! Now I am to go to Cirencester Crown Court. No time for a dry run, but the good news is that the court is just a stone’s throw from the bus stop. The journey is also much more interesting, through the countryside of south Gloucestershire rather than through suburbs.

T shirt with rose embroidery (hand embroidered by Mary Addison)

David’s daughter, son-in-law and two grown sons, none of who we’d seen since 2019, came for the weekend and there was much feasting and fun. A meal at the Ivy followed by a board game reminded us of past enjoyment doing exactly the same thing, only now both boys had legs that stretched half way across our tiny living room.  Both the boys now have neatly tended beards which made their grandfather, who also has a neat beard, feel really rather young which is one the nicest things you can do for your grandfather.