Applecress

Omar is beginning to slow down now that the cooler weather is here. It won't be long before she digs herself a hibernation hole. However, she's still eating a little and enjoyed her apple and watercress breakfast today.

The sun was out and the rays were quite strong at times. We had a fun-packed schedule starting with a couple of Open House properties nearby:

The Clock House - a private house that's absolutely amazing inside. They bought the place as a wreck - it had been squatted in - and tore out walls, added a large staircase down the middle connecting the bottom two floors, and a smaller staircase to the left of the house that leads up the third floor with the bedrooms. The bottom floor is open-plan to the garden and is a wonderful living space. It's so quiet, too, and really near the main street of West Norwood.

The Clockworks - a fascinating new museum of accurate electronic timekeeping that contains master clocks from 1840 to 1970. If I knew anything about the subject, there were many top experts there who would have been fascinating to talk with. As it was, I was content to look around this collection brought together by the owner of The Clock House (see above). It used to be in one room of his house, but the collection outgrew that and so he built the museum. There's a staffed workshop there where clocks can be worked on and a library of timekeeping to encourage those studying the subject to visit the building and its artefacts. It's an amazing, interesting and unusual addition to my local area.

Afterwards, we popped into Cenci next door so I could check out some 1940s dresses for a party I'm going to soon. I tried on some amazing vintage outfits, two of which are possible contenders. I just need to think about which one I will wear the most, so I'm sleeping on it. It seems that I'm exactly the right shape for the 1940s and it was so lovely to wear not one but two outfits that fit perfectly. Clearly, I need to go back in time. I find shopping in Top Shop, etc. quite tricky and I hardly ever find modern clothes that fit well. Plus, the quality of fabric feels so much better in the older garments.

We had just enough time for a bite to eat before heading to the South Bank to meet up with Fred's aunt and cousins for a long-overdue catch-up. We sat in the sun and chatted for hours.