The simple pleasures of my life are just that, very simple. Good company, a comfy head to sit upon, tasty yumyum and the odd bit of funny fun. Let me explain myself.. are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
It all began about seven years ago, she was in the North End Road and there was this wooden framed armchair, just sitting there all alone on a corner, she asked the two nearest stall holders if they knew anything about it and they both said it had been there when they set up that morning.
It was a very pretty shape with elegant legs and casters, the poor dear had obviously seen much better, grander and happier times, so she telehoned Dean and asked him if he was free.
Dean replied that he was, she asked him to pick her up, they loaded the chair into the back of his car and took it home.
For years it sat in a corner of her sitting room, then she rejigged that room and moved it into our bedroom. It badly needed restoring, the horsehair had practically gone, the strapping under the springs had gone, an ugly fabric had been covered in canvas which, oh, horror of horrors, had been nailed on the frame with upholstery tacks!
But it got relegated to being the 'ironing' chair. I know, very naughty. But she made sure that the back, which has very pretty carving, was always covered up, we hate to think of the damage that Beaky could have done on this, gulp.
About three weeks ago, she was sorting out 'stuff' she looked at the chair and thought to herself "I cannot afford to ask Barry Ansell, a dear friend and a wonderful furniture upholsterer, to restore you and you need to go off to a good home".
She telephoned a dear friend Leigh and explained that the chair need work doing on it but that it was an antique and the frame and original casters were in good condition. Happily Leigh was delighted to be offered a proper chair free!
Initially it was thought the chair would go down to Brighton to their eldest daughter Katie but they changed their minds when it came back from their upholsterer!
She had suggested an 'Old Gold' Damask for the cover, the colour would complement the inlay on the wooden frame and the fabric would suit the age of the chair.
Leigh asked her to supper and she asked if I could come too, so last night we went to Kew.
First off.. let's see that chair! Oh, how beautiful!
There it was in all its' glory. A three hundred year old French 'King' chair, beautifully restored and covered in exactly what she had envisaged.
Then the four of us had supper.. yum.. pasta! I love a good pasta and tucked in to her plate after having eaten my starter of Water Melon seeds.
Meanwhile, there was not a sight of either Phoebe or Otto, the two resident cats, whom, if you are up to date with my Blog, you'll have remembered from other posts.
Supper finished, we adjourned to the sitting room. It would be a lie if we said she was not a tad sad about her chair.. sniff.. but she knows it has gone to an excellent home and to people who love and appreciate beautiful design.
The three grown-ups chatted and I did a couple of prancy-dances upon her head, it always amuses people and you know guests should always 'sing for their supper', don't you?
Ossie went off and returned with Otto, "oh no", you could see that poor cat thinking to itself "there's that bird sitting on that woman's head again", then Phoebe was brought down, probably from the airing cupboard. When she saw me, she could not believe her eyes, for she slithered off Leigh's lap and stood staring at me from the doorway.
I don't exactly know what she was thinking, I am, after all, a parrot but as she looked to me to be thinking slightly 'naughty' thoughts and I thought that a little display of avian 'superiority' might not go amiss.
With no warning to cats or humans, I flew a quick and tight circuit of the room with a screechy squawk thrown in for good measure.
Neither of those cats will ever think any naughty thoughts about me again, that's for sure.
"But Your Honour, I never touched them, all I did was fly around the room", oh, who laughed the most? Leigh, Ossie, my mum (or me).
I flew back to her raised hand and perched on her shoulder, maybe it is a nice place to sit after all as she gave me a kiss, a smile and a BIG wink.
None of us will ever forget that scattering of cats!
GeeGee Parrot.
July 11th, 2014.
PostScript: Chairs of this type were always made in pairs, a 'King' chair has arms because men wore breeches, a 'Queen' chair had no sides to it in order to allow the full skirt of a lady's dress to fall to the side and not be crushed.
It all began about seven years ago, she was in the North End Road and there was this wooden framed armchair, just sitting there all alone on a corner, she asked the two nearest stall holders if they knew anything about it and they both said it had been there when they set up that morning.
It was a very pretty shape with elegant legs and casters, the poor dear had obviously seen much better, grander and happier times, so she telehoned Dean and asked him if he was free.
Dean replied that he was, she asked him to pick her up, they loaded the chair into the back of his car and took it home.
For years it sat in a corner of her sitting room, then she rejigged that room and moved it into our bedroom. It badly needed restoring, the horsehair had practically gone, the strapping under the springs had gone, an ugly fabric had been covered in canvas which, oh, horror of horrors, had been nailed on the frame with upholstery tacks!
But it got relegated to being the 'ironing' chair. I know, very naughty. But she made sure that the back, which has very pretty carving, was always covered up, we hate to think of the damage that Beaky could have done on this, gulp.
About three weeks ago, she was sorting out 'stuff' she looked at the chair and thought to herself "I cannot afford to ask Barry Ansell, a dear friend and a wonderful furniture upholsterer, to restore you and you need to go off to a good home".
She telephoned a dear friend Leigh and explained that the chair need work doing on it but that it was an antique and the frame and original casters were in good condition. Happily Leigh was delighted to be offered a proper chair free!
Initially it was thought the chair would go down to Brighton to their eldest daughter Katie but they changed their minds when it came back from their upholsterer!
She had suggested an 'Old Gold' Damask for the cover, the colour would complement the inlay on the wooden frame and the fabric would suit the age of the chair.
Leigh asked her to supper and she asked if I could come too, so last night we went to Kew.
First off.. let's see that chair! Oh, how beautiful!
There it was in all its' glory. A three hundred year old French 'King' chair, beautifully restored and covered in exactly what she had envisaged.
Then the four of us had supper.. yum.. pasta! I love a good pasta and tucked in to her plate after having eaten my starter of Water Melon seeds.
Meanwhile, there was not a sight of either Phoebe or Otto, the two resident cats, whom, if you are up to date with my Blog, you'll have remembered from other posts.
Supper finished, we adjourned to the sitting room. It would be a lie if we said she was not a tad sad about her chair.. sniff.. but she knows it has gone to an excellent home and to people who love and appreciate beautiful design.
The three grown-ups chatted and I did a couple of prancy-dances upon her head, it always amuses people and you know guests should always 'sing for their supper', don't you?
Ossie went off and returned with Otto, "oh no", you could see that poor cat thinking to itself "there's that bird sitting on that woman's head again", then Phoebe was brought down, probably from the airing cupboard. When she saw me, she could not believe her eyes, for she slithered off Leigh's lap and stood staring at me from the doorway.
I don't exactly know what she was thinking, I am, after all, a parrot but as she looked to me to be thinking slightly 'naughty' thoughts and I thought that a little display of avian 'superiority' might not go amiss.
With no warning to cats or humans, I flew a quick and tight circuit of the room with a screechy squawk thrown in for good measure.
Neither of those cats will ever think any naughty thoughts about me again, that's for sure.
"But Your Honour, I never touched them, all I did was fly around the room", oh, who laughed the most? Leigh, Ossie, my mum (or me).
I flew back to her raised hand and perched on her shoulder, maybe it is a nice place to sit after all as she gave me a kiss, a smile and a BIG wink.
None of us will ever forget that scattering of cats!
GeeGee Parrot.
July 11th, 2014.
PostScript: Chairs of this type were always made in pairs, a 'King' chair has arms because men wore breeches, a 'Queen' chair had no sides to it in order to allow the full skirt of a lady's dress to fall to the side and not be crushed.
This is a lovely post! Yes, chairs do indeed have a history and some kind of soul. (Ah yes, I know, I know, heretical!). But, sometimes, the way to go is to pass something of value onto some others who know exactly what to do. Good for GeeGee for scattering those CATS!...though Joanna and Ole JJ do love those beasties, too!
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