This is Fred Barnard, a noted Victorian illustrator for Charles Dickens.  He is a relation on my mother’s side.

Frederick was an excellent professional artist.  For fun, he liked to paint his family and their beloved dog, Conis, whose resemblance to BeAnne is positively scary and very accurate.  I think he has captured the resentful terrier sulk beautifully.  I know that face well.

Fred had a son, Geoff, who was also a brilliant artist too.

Mum has some of Geoff’s work hanging in the house.

I was hunting about the house for family things to look at and found this portfolio.

Sadly, it did not contain Fred Barnard’s original etchings for Charles Dickens’ novels (they would be worth a few bob) but it did have some of his letters and sketches.

Fred also worked for the Illustrated London News and Punch.

His letters, often illustrated, were wonderful to read, if difficult – sometimes writing twice in different directions on the same piece of paper!

Mum and I spent a happy morning looking through the portfolio.  Philip Boyd is my great great grand-father, I think.

Geoff, Fred’s beloved son, died of a congenital heart defect when he was in his early 20’s and so Fred left his wife to live in a  bedsit in Wimbledon.  He took up laudanum to dull the pain and the misery of his loss.  One night his pipe caught the bedclothes alight and Fred was burnt to death.  He was 50 years old.

A tragic tale.

A little somebody is apparently missing me (and I miss her desperately too).  She would hate it here and there would be terrible competition with Mum’s dog, Teddy.  BeAnne likes Her Maj status and does not give up her crown willingly, ever.

Today, I asked Daisy to send me some photos as I am still away south and it is nice to see what the chaps are doing.

I think she used her phone over at Leradale to take these.

I see that somebody *** cough, Storm cough ***) has destroyed OH’s makeshift barrier.  It seems to be lying in its component parts now.

Delia is still enjoying her daily bucket.

The others still do not dare try to get it.

I don’t think Vitamin is very impressed with this blatent favouritism.

I do miss my little boys and as I walk around the garden of my childhood, I imagine how I could’ve filled it with ponies.

Everyone looks well and I know they are in fine form having Daisy to look after them.

Poor Mum has inevitably caught my horrid cold so she is resting as much as possible trying to recuperate.  It is a quiet life here.

I hope you are enjoying (and remembering) the Advent Calendar.

Apologies for my absence yesterday.  I did manage, thanks to my Blog Manager, Nick, to get the Advent Calendar up and working.  Please pop over every so often to see if I have added a picture!  While I am south it is a bit erratic as I have other things to think about – ok, I forgot!

Yesterday Mum, Teddy and I went bright and early over to Basingstoke, possibly twinned with Hell, for Mum’s cataract surgery.

There had been a blip the day before about driving Mum’s car – it is automatic and yes, I have driven it frequently on other visits but on Thursday, I sat in the driving seat and my mind went blank.  I forgot how to sort out the pedals.  With kangaroo petrol and Mum saying “ooh” a lot, we bounced our way to do our messages and I will admit to being very scared about driving Mum to hospital the next day.

That night, while I lay in bed I decided to deconstruct my driving and work out where I was going wrong.  Ta dah!  You use one foot, not two on the pedals.  This was a relief to me and, the next day, when I drove Mum to hospital, it all came back and I was fine.  Phew!

Mum was admitted and Teddy and I waited in the car.  Luckily I had their wifi password and armed with an episode of Game of Thrones, some Star Trek films plus very nice sandwiches, Teddy and I waited patiently for Mum who appeared many hours later, at 17:00.  

Luckily, still remembering how to drive, I fired up the satnav and prepared to do battle with Basingstoke Centralle to get home with gritted teeth.

One thing I am sincerely glad of – I learned to drive originally in London. Folk on a Friday evening going home for the weekend pull no punches.  Shetland driving is another world.

We are peacefully home now (at Mum’s) and all recuperating today.

I flew into Heathrow Airport yesterday evening after my ears nearly burst.  I don’t think I have ever known such excruciating earache as the plane landed.  I could’ve cried.

This morning my mother and I were up early to walk Teddy, Mum’s little dog, on the surrounding golf course before the golfers all appeared.  It can be a bit of a race against time as it does get busy.  I think it is only on Christmas Day when there is no one around.

It was very beautiful, if cold.

Autumn is most definitely here.  The colours of the trees are beautiful – something we don’t have in Shetland.

I like seeing the garden in the different seasons.

Autumn is my favourite month wherever I am.   We have a busy day tomorrow taking Mum to hospital for her surgery so I cannot guarantee a blog tomorrow.

I am south again tomorrow to look after my mother – cataract surgery.

So, my daughters and I moved the horses/ponies (Icelandic horses plus Albie and Newt) around the house into another field with a bit more grass.  It is that time of year when the horses spend a week or two in each field taking anything that is there before they are moved on.

We let the sheeple back into their field (they were very happy) and I went over to Leradale to feed Delia and to kiss noseys.

Everyone was on good form.

They know the routine now.

I just chuck the bucket over the wall and Delia marches in, head down and woe betide anyone who thinks they should go in and “help”.  There is no discussion.  They know what would happen.  Delia would tell them in no uncertain terms.

And then we all wait while Delia munches.

I get to enjoy the wild and whacky hairdo’s!

I also go around each little pony and tell them how much they are loved.

And how proud I am of my little Minions.

There are some, I know, who would prefer a carrot but we had run out and I hate being associated with just food.

So a busy week ahead.  I have put up the Advent Calendar but not filled it in – you will have to wait until the 1st December like everyone else in the whole world.

I am pretty sure there won’t be a blog tomorrow. I wont reach my destination until 19:00 at the earliest and it would be rude to just arrive, barge past family and plonk myself down at the computer to whinge about airports and travelling.