There is virtually nothing to say, except that I am
still on my feet. (That’s news, these days.) I got up to the Aga shop and was
horrified by how much a new one will cost, and by the fact that they don’t heat
water any more. Constant, super-hot water in the kitchen is a luxury I should
miss.
Tomorrow Helen and I have an appt in John Lewis with
the young man who measured my kitchen on Monday and will have planned
something.
I got the new New Yorker today, and in addition one
addressed to a neighbour across the square (unknown to me). I know that another neighbour, a friend, subscribes – she got mine, a couple of weeks ago. What an internationally-aware
lot we are, in Drummond Place!
I was interested to read Peter Schjeldahl’s
article about the recently-sold “Leonardo”. I will have to add that to my
most-expensive-picture file. He says something about “never quite loving any
Leonardo”. That’s how my husband felt. Raphael was his man. I love the Madonna
of the Rocks in the NG in Trafalgar Square but that is as much for personal
reasons as for Leonardo’s. Ann and Sylvia and I used it as a meeting point whenever
we separated in London in the summer of 1953.
As for knitting, I have done two more scallops on the edging
for the second side of the great-grandchild’s shawl: that was all that seemed
safe, in that session. It’s so very easy that the mind wanders. I retreated to
the Soutache, and that went well. I hope to do a couple more scallops before giving
up and going to bed. There is a bit of recent television that should suffice as background.
For British readers: I wonder whether the Chancellor will have wrong-footed Miss Sturgeon yesterday. Income tax down -- but not in Scotland! Houses cheaper for first-time buyers -- but not in Scotland! (Because those tax powers have been devolved to her.) We shall see.
There are other makes of stove which function similarly (to an Aga) and do heat water. Rayburn and Stanley to name but two. You will surely find more if you search on the internet.
ReplyDeleteHelen (anon)
It is now possible to get an extra tap on your sink that delivers boiling water. You can ask at JLewis how much that would cost (cheaper than an Aga I expect!
ReplyDeleteI get the New Yorker, though I live in Maryland. My father used to subscribe when I was a youngish teenager. I would search for the Charles Addams cartoons and completely enjoy each and every one of them!
ReplyDeleteYou should get the Aga that will best serve you. It will only add to the value of your house and your enjoyment of the new kitchen. I would want my mother to spend every penny she had to have an enjoyable life. I think your kids would be the same.
ReplyDeleteA younger relative recently upgraded a farmhouse kitchen and the shiny black Aga cost £12,500. I was shocked because you could buy a car for that - it was about the size of a small car too.
ReplyDeleteGet a Rayburn instead? They do everything an Aga will do, as well as heating water and running the central heating system. The only thing they don't have is the same snob appeal. I inherited one of the first generation gas fired Rayburns when I moved in here and loved it. It only got removed when an essential, non replaceable (because it was so old) part failed and it became dangerous.
ReplyDeleteWell I just spent too much time looking up Aga and Rayburn, both made by the same company it seems. There is very little like that here in the US, I think. A stove that has hot water? Interesting.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I spent a good 20 minutes watching a video on an Aga. What a fascinating appliance! Love the idea of a cast iron stove and the way you could stack the ovens with food. Was rather alarmed at the fact you have to keep them going all the time to some extent. I am assuming they are not a warm weather appliance. Very interesting.
ReplyDelete