Bits and Pieces

It was a lovely bright (cold) sunny day today, but I couldn't leave the house as I was expecting a delivery of wine. When we married, C was a white wine only drinker, and it took a long time to get him to be open to red, let alone come to prefer it. Then last summer at my aunt's he had a lovely Italian white. So lovely - to him - that he would happily have bought a whole crate of 12 bottles. I just ordered 7, and made up the dozen with other wines. As we opened the last bottle and he still likes it just as much, it was time to order some more.
Anyway, aside from waiting for the delivery, it was good to catch up with in-depth housework, as the last few weeks have been so busy that usually one thing has got neglected each week for the last month.
I did have to go to the post, and having spotted the ice still remaining from yesterday, nipped out with the camera when I got back from posting all my stuff. It was amazing out in the back garden hearing all the ice falling from the trees - sounding like heavy rain, but with almost nothing to see.

 

The lace cap is an afterthought for last week's Fabric challenge on SCS, and even the previous one for Delicate.
I'd have to pull out the family tree to work out the connections  of who made it, but the little envelope it was enclosed in reads as follows...
Well help, I appear to have mislaid the envelope, which is similar to the one in the photo. I hope it didn't blow out the window this morning. Going to have go on a hunt for it, I guess... The one in the envelope is just plain fabric with a tiny lace inset in the crown. Anyway, this lacy one was made in Lincolnshire in the early 1800s by some distant family connection.

The catkins are on a tree at the end of the road - I've been noticing them the last few days coming home from work.