I came across this amazing hardware on a wooden gate in Hampstead while walking home from the hospital yesterday. It's great, isn't it? It looks Venetian or Spanish or maybe Middle Eastern. The gate at my rented village house in Morocco years ago used to have similarly elaborate hardware, though more rustic than this.
I was at the hospital for a routine blood test. The hallway to the phlebotomy department is lined with art prints, I assume donated to the hospital. Many are black-and-white etchings from what I can tell, given my limited knowledge of art and its methods.
I like this one. It really captures a feline stretch! I believe it says "Charlie 5 mths" by artist Nancy Sharp.
The blood test was uneventful (so far, though of course I don't have any results yet) and I also got my flu shot yesterday afternoon. I haven't heard anything about a Covid booster, but Dave has been offered one. Maybe the NHS is only doing them for people who are perceived to be more vulnerable, as Dave is with his Crohn's Disease.
Our librarian meeting yesterday went well and gave us plenty to talk about in future gatherings. Otherwise, it was a pretty slow day for me. (There were parent-teacher conferences so most of the kids weren't at school.) I can't really continue weeding until we sort out more of our questions about that process, so I basically just stayed at my desk and read.
We've had a fair amount of rain here, but nothing like what's been happening elsewhere in the UK with Storm Babet. Oh, and Olga's stomach seems better. It was definitely upset yesterday, as I learned when I came home from work. I'll spare you the details!
I had a blood test last week, the girl wasn't very proficient with the needle and I have a bruise the size of Tasmania!
ReplyDeletePoor Olga, but at least she is better now.
I love that gate hardware. Very elaborate and distinctive. And, love that drawing of Charlie.
ReplyDeleteNancy Sharp had a long affair with Louis MacNeice (remember him on my blog whose name keeps coming up!). Small world. She was an accomplished artist and did not get the recognition she deserved. I am assuming here that it is the same Nancy Sharp but it does look like a rather good drawing of a cat.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that Olga is better.
ReplyDeleteYou are too young for the covid jab this year...it is only over 64s and vulnerable people I think.
I love that gate hardware. I wonder what its history is. Like you, we had a fair amount of rain from our Storm Aline, but were spared the worst. Glad Olga is doing better and grateful for the lack of details.
ReplyDeleteOh yes - we have had a lot of rain up here in South Yorkshire. Please donate generously to my flood relief fund. Search for "After The Deluge" at JustGiving c/o Yorkshire Pudding (Treasurer).
ReplyDeleteThe flooding in the UK is terrible. I am on to YP's flood relief charity and I am about to make a donation.
ReplyDeleteThe gate handle is very nice. Ye who enter here must be on serious business.
I love the cat stretching artwork.
The storm seems to have spared you, from what I hear a serious one. I hope your bloodwork results are undramatic.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sparing us the details and drat my good imagination!
ReplyDeleteVery cool door hardware!
I want locks like that on all of my doors!
ReplyDeleteTo me, that cat reminds me of Maurice when she stretches on her back, as if to invite you to scratch her soft little belly which would be a huge mistake as what she really wants is to take your hand off of your wrist with her lethal claws and teeth.
I do like the print of the cat. Marc and I got our covid boosters several weeks ago. back when things were made by craftsmen things rather than being mass produced things were more arty I think. a big loss for us.
ReplyDeleteI love that gate hardware, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is a near perfect feline stretch.
Not much into old hardware, however, I am into cats -- so, I do like the pencil ✏️ rendition of Charlie!!
ReplyDeleteI got the flu, Covid and RSV vaccines all on September 9th ... never had any problem with any of them!
In my early years of home ownership, I used to look for old hardware like that at estate auctions and something like that would most likely have gone well out of my price range back then. But the ones I bought, I would keep in a drawer until a use came along. That sort of stuff doesn't come up for auction much anymore and if one like that did, I would fully expect it to sell for a few hundred dollars easily.
ReplyDeleteYou're good at keeping your eyes open and see things along the way that others would miss.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like it belongs on the door of some secret society (maybe of cat lovers, although I don't think they're actually very secretive). I got my flu and COVID booster on the same day with no ill effects except for two sore arms.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for getting your flu shot! I got mine along with my Covid booster (in the same arm!) at the end of September.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Olga is feeling better, even if it took leaving you a "present" to make it happen. Poor girlie.
Glad Olga is better and that you didn't get hit with Babet. Sounds nasty.
ReplyDeleteIf Dave goes in for a booster, make them confirm it's the monovalent XBB shot, and not the previous bivalent. That hardware on the door looks positively medieval.
ReplyDeleteI love that hardware in your first picture. It appears that the handle moves in and out. Sorry for Olga and hope she's feeling better today.
ReplyDeleteThat is a cracking handle.. definitely stands there and does the job!
ReplyDeleteOur local hospital has local art walls..good for patients staff and the artists too. Love that cat.
We are up.on the Isle of Lewis, plenty of wind..60mph...and rain for the last two days with widely varying intensity.
I thin the red warning for the northeast runs until midnight..but the water will be working its way down to the sea for a while yet.
Our ferry is Tuesday afternoon.. hopefully between weather systems
I'm glad Olga is much improved. And I love that cat print. I've seen that expression a thousand times or more. I hope the storm doesn't hit you.
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of the door handle. Very handsome.
The door hardware makes a great statement. Whoever lives inside must have great taste in decor. Love the cat drawing and the artist captures Charlie beautifully. I am glad to hear Olga is back to herself and feeling good.
ReplyDeleteRiver: Oh, that's the worst! Mine got it on the first try, fortunately.
ReplyDeleteSharon: I wonder if they bought it while traveling somewhere.
Rachel: No kidding! I wonder if it's the same Nancy Sharp? That's amazing. Louis MacNeice appears yet again!
Frances: Ah, well, that makes sense. I'm fine with skipping it if that's the recommendation.
Mitchell: I hadn't heard about Storm Aline! That one didn't make our news cycle.
YP: Opportunity is knocking, I guess!
Andrew: Yes, it's slightly intimidating hardware, isn't it?
Boud: Yes, it's been terrible up north. Scotland got something like 26 inches of rain!
Debby: Yeah, sorry for even alluding to it.
Ms Moon: I know that feline gesture well. I had a cat who would do the same thing. Touching the belly was a guarantee of bloodshed.
Ellen: I agree! The era of mass production has many downsides.
Bob: It really captures the motion, doesn't it?
Marcia: I didn't know there's an RSV vaccine too. I think that's what I had last Christmas.
Ed: I think there must be a story behind it. I bet it came from someone's travels abroad.
Red: Because I'm always looking for blog fodder!
Bug: Ha! Although compared to some animals, it IS easy to conceal a hoard of cats because they can all stay indoors.
Kelly: I think she ate a bone or something on one of our walks. These things happen.
Margaret: Yeah, Babet has been terrible for some areas.
Allison: Doesn't it? It's like something from the Spanish Inquisition.
Catalyst: Olga seems better. She ate well last night. But she spent almost the whole day on the couch, poor thing.
GZ: Maybe all these are local artists? It's entirely possible. Stay safe up there on the Isle of Lewis!
Jeanie: The bulk of the storm is to the north of us, as is often the case.
Susan: Yeah, I wonder what the rest of the house looks like? Should I knock and find out? :)
Oh, I love that drawing of the cat!
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