My parents loved to collect.  This was their passion.  In the kitchen, there are shelves of blue and white pearlware plates, platters and jugs that all have been collected over the last 40 years.

I think we could be described this kitchen as “shabby chic”.  Mum has always cooked amazing culinary creations.  At the moment, she is having a vegetarian diet, because that is what I eat.  She is coping well.

The mirror in the hall was bought for 10/6 (ten shillings and sixpence in “old money”) and in a million pieces from Swallowfield Park, Berkshire.  Mum, being Mum, restored it, put it back together again and painted it.  Now 55 years later, the mirror is apparently gently crumbling again, probably back to its original price of 10/6!

This little horse is calle “Pferd”- German for horse.  Made of calfskin and bought in a terrible state, this Victorian horse on wheels was lovingly restored by Mum.  She also made the tack as well as giving him a new mane and tail.

Yes, Mum collects rocking horses too.

Phar-lap is a modern rocking horse designed by Mum and Alec Kinane of Legends Rocking Horses.

Alec and Mum spent many hours sketching out Phar-lap on newspaper on the drawing room floor!

Pharlap is a handsome carved Arab horse on bow rockers.  Mum’s version has a side saddle with removable pommel depending on what side you ride (orginally rocking horses were used to teach children to ride – I did not know this).

This is the celing of my bedroom – we call it Gormenghast.

For obvious reasons.

The weather outside is lovely but the house is always cool.  The walls are 2 foot thick.

Meanwhile at home, Wussums has a new job.  Apparently, he is a stable cat.  Who knew?

Mum (that would be me on the phone to home): “So, Daisy how are you?  How is everyone doing?”

Daisy (my elder daughter, holding the fort with my OH while I am away south): “We’re all fine”.

Me:  “Are the foals meeting up and allowed to play properly, yet?”

Daisy: “Yes, they are playing nicely together now.”

Me:  “Define nicely”

Daisy:  “Well, more sort of annoying each other and then running back to their Mums!”

Me:  “Oh, ok, well at least they are talking now.  Perhaps proper playing will come later.”

Daisy:  “Hopefully.”

Me:  “And Lambie?  How are the Boyzenberries (my pet Shetland sheep) doing?”

Daisy:  “Since you said Lambie was fat, Lambie is on a biscuit ration of one biscuit a day and his hard feed has been stopped. In revenge, he has taken to head-butting the van trying to get the chicken food which is thrown underneath the chassis!”

Daisy:  “Oh yes, and Loki went a-visiting our neighbours.  We had a phone call asking us to collect him!”

This is a pretty normal and regular state of affairs.  Loki loves our neighbours very much (obviously reciprocated) and it is no great trial walking up our track to retrieve our dog!   It used to be Jack (part Patterdale, part honey badger) and the baton has been passed on to Loki now.  Luckily, our neighbours love Loki.

So, that’s what is going on at home.

Apart from being an incredible needlewoman and tapestry designer, my mother is also a well-known sculptor of dogs.

Mum trained at St Martin’s School of Art (now known as Central Saint Martins at University of the Arts, London) in the late 1950’s.

She studied under Elizabeth Frink, Anthony Caro, Eduardo Paolozzi and Edward Middleditch.

It was the celebrated artist, Mr Middleditch, who asked Mum “can you knit?”.

When Mum brightly replied “yes” she was then told “why don’t you go home and do it!”

I, for one, am very glad Mum didn’t trot home and look for her knitting needles, (though she has knitted many lovely creations for me and my children).

If it is any consolation, Mr Middleditch spent most of his tutoring life asleep drunk on a trestle table in one of the studios.

After remarrying, Mum needed to earn a living and decided to take up sculpture again.

Over the years, Mum has worked hard creating individual hand-made porcelain dogs.

Mum has many collectors of her work all over the world.

She can make every breed of dog and mongrels from photographs of beloved dogs.

Also, Mum has been, with her models, a regular exhibitor to Crufts and international dog shows.

Because Mum loves dogs, she knows how to capture them in porcelain….

(and the occasional lion and unicorn, if requested).

(No, I can’t do this – not even slightly – please don’t ask me to)

Dreki and Lilja are now allowed to be with each other but not really getting along.

That is because they are siblings (albeit half).

No one wants to play Fuzzy Felt or Lego nicely together.

There is no “lovely sharing” as we used to say in our house.

And I have to say that I am very disappointed.

Daisy took these photos today.

For me, while living so far away at the moment, it is lovely to see my little foalios together.

They are typical brother and sister, I think.

The main argument is about Daisy and who should own her.

Lilja is determined it will be her because she spied her first!

BeAnne is busy entertaining herself and I am pleased and relieved to see she is not pining for me.  A happy BeAnne means I don’t worry when I am away for her.  We both have separation anxiety from each other.

Lambie is on top form, though looking a tad porky, and has adopted the position of professional beggar.  He waiting for Daisy to take pity and shower him with his Rich Tea biscuits (the box is in the porch, just over there, if you don’t mind!)

So that is life at home.  Everyone is getting along fine without me.

Still miss them all, though.

In 1967 my mother started her gros-point tapestry – 5′ high x 10′ long.

She created completely from scratch an incredible medieval hunting scene.

The tapestry was made from two pieces of canvas joined down the middle and Mum was always sewing at it every evening.

The crewel wool (3 strand) and canvas came from Heinz Edgar Kiewe in Oxford.

The clothes were copied from tapestries from the 14th century and, amongst the composition, are various family momentos and portraits of real trees, such as the great oak in the park, silver birch, oak, copper beech trees.  They have been all part of our lives.

The lovers under the oak tree are family.

All the wild flowers are real species of English wild flowers, copied from life.  I remember Mum drawing the blank canvas with black Indian ink designs while it was work-in-progress.

The white stag is the emblem of St Hubert, the Christian saint who is the patron saint of hunters (as well as mathaticians, opticians, and metalworkers – I am finding out just as much as you are, here).

The Arum lily plant signfies the death of our beloved King Charles Cavalier spaniel, Bollinger.  He was wonderfully wicked and used to wander round the garden with a live hen in his mouth if he could!

I have always loved the hunting hounds.

The white hound is a lady’s hound – an Italian greyhound, who has not learned to jump up!

A trompe-l’œil frame surrounds the tapestry like a proper gilt picture frame arranged with the correct perspective so that it looks 3 dimensional (ish, added my Mother!)

Mum finished the tapestry in 1978.  It was stretched by the Royal School of Needlework, which reminds me of this old Punch cartoon.