A Particularly Strong Clue

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE. REPEAT IF REQUIRED.

Helen and Bill dropped in just before lunch bringing a pair of splendid engraved cut glass goblets for our wedding present. We enjoyed conversation over coffee. Elizabeth came for lunch. I left the gathering briefly to engage in a Screen View session with James Peacock, of Peacock Computers, who managed to solve the problem I had experienced in changing my profile picture to one that Becky had produced at Rachel and Gareth’s recent wedding.

My post ‘Cottenham Park’ contains the story of the teenage accident to my left eye that was to necessitate a cataract operation about 25 years ago. At the time of the operation I was warned that future deterioration would be likely to require later laser treatment. Believing that time to have arrived I kept an appointment at Boots Opticians in New Milton this afternoon. My diagnosis was confirmed and a referral is to be made for surgery. Interestingly, the optometrist was able to see those old stitches in the affected eye. This was a history lesson for him, because sutures are no longer used. He had never seen them before.

Jackie and Elizabeth came along with me, waited in Costa’s for me to finish, then helped me select some new specs. Before returning to her own home, my sister presented us with a commissioned terra cotta sculpture for another nuptial gift. She has herself begun pottery classes and commissioned this piece from her tutor.

Aaron sculpture 1Aaron sculpture 4Aaron sculpture 2

Taking his references from photographs on this blog, John Cook, the sculptor, had produced this superbly detailed portrait. Here is a link to John’s site: http://picbear.com/morpheus_ceramics

Aaron sculpture 3

Should any of my regular readers be at a loss as to the subject’s identity, this image contains a particularly strong clue.

This evening we dined on Thai fish cakes, served on a bed of sautéed onions and peppers with savoury rice.

I drank Castelmaure Corbieres 2015 and Jackie drank Hoegaarden – in our new goblets. As Helen had hoped, the J glass took a whole bottle of the recipient’s favoured Belgian beer.

 

62 comments

  1. Magnificent portrait of Aaron! I knew it was him before the profile ciggie shot came into view 🙂 You look most dapper and handsome in your new profile pic too Derrick and those goblets are most impressive! Cheers!!

    Reply

  2. That’s a wonderful terra cotta sculpture. I had also guessed Aaron.
    Sorry to hear about your eye. I hope the surgery takes care of the problem without too much trouble. I imagine it’s all laser surgery now.

    Reply

    1. Thanks a lot, Merril. It will be laser on the eye, but it is apparently marginally necessary, so we will see what the surgeon says. Just fished your comment out of Spam

      Reply

  6. The Aaron statue is perfect, an excellent likeness. I like to interpret the look on his face as saying, “My work is never done!”. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks a lot, Oglach. He normally finishes what he does so fast that he has to ask what else he can do for us. Jackie has been known to say ‘For goodness sake, sit down and have a fag and a cup of tea’. 🙂

      Reply

  10. I recognized Aaron immediately! And your glasses are lovely, too. In my absence from reading for the past few months, I appear to have missed your nuptials. Congratulations to you both.

    Reply

  13. I just read the account of your eye accident. It hurts even thinking about it. I was playing softball long ago with mixed men and women teams. Women generally got stuck in the position of pitchers or catchers, and one of the women who was pitching took a line drive right in the eye from a powerful batter. She almost died.

    Reply

  14. What an excellent scupture. The detail of the face, and the expression, is excellent.
    What a story about your eye. Such trauma. Sending early best wishes for a successful surgery.

    Reply

  15. Mr Aaron has been immortalised in terracotta. Not that I needed particularly strong cues to unravel the identity, I was amused by the pencil tucked under his ear. I am sorry to learn about your childhood trauma. You have narrated it with a twinge of humour which has underscored your helplessness in the circumstances. It is such a small thing being able to see perfectly, much like breathing, but even the tiniest absence of vision or air is an unbearable load. I am happy modern technology would sort out your problem.

    Reply

  24. Haha, I wonder what Aaron will think of his sculpture. You must let us know. Is the laser surgery on the NHS or is that something done privately? I looked into it a while back, and could come up with the dosh if necessary, but it is a lot. Also I’ve had injuries to both eyes which leaves me a glaucoma candidate, so a bit nervous to tinker. But gee, I’d love to get rid of my glasses – as opposed to your goblets. 😀Good luck with yours!

    Reply

      1. I really must dust off my paperwork that entitles me to UK ancestry. Then, armed with my shopping list of medical procedures, I will take up residence for a few years 🙂 Still, our expenses are nothing as compared with my girlfriend who lives in the US. She has two 1/4 million debts from her husband’s heart transplant surgery. She’ll never pay them off in her lifetime.

        Reply

          1. I know ! Even allowing for exaggeration it’s still an insurmountable debt. And this is a guy who had insurance as a high school teacher and former military man. She pays it off at around a hundred or two a month. The second operation was cheaper as the technique improved, but the tragedy is he did not survive it.

  25. The glasses are a very practical present, bought by someone who clearly knows you well!

    The statue is excellent, and thoughtful too, though less practical for holding beer. 🙂

    Reply
  26. Pingback: The End Of British Summer Time | derrickjknight

Leave a Reply