Pull up a chair, let’s catch up…
1) Tea, 'thunder and lightening' and a spur of the moment pay it forward.
2) A lucky find in a coin jar and a great little app.
3) Framed or Unframed? You Tell Me…
4) Why Do Brummies Say “Mom” Instead of “Mum”?
5) A one off St Ives print offer
o O o
Tea, 'thunder and lightening' and a spur of the moment 'pay it forward'
A little while ago, in a cafe, a lovely old lady arrived with her little dog. She ordered a pot of tea and simple bread and butter. She asked the waitress if they serve 'thunder and lightening.'
She went on to explain, 'thunder and lightening' is the combination of clotted cream and golden syrup (usually drizzled over splits or scones).
The name is thought to be a playful nod to the colours: the dark golden syrup representing thunder, and the white clotted cream as lightning. In Cornwall, it’s a much-loved tradition, often served in tearooms as a twist on a classic cream tea. Simple, but incredibly satisfying.
We got chatting and she told me she comes to the café to escape her lonely house, away from the bore of daytime TV and to connect with other people. It's far better, she explained, than sitting at home alone.
When I went to pay my bill, I felt compelled to cover hers as well. It wasn’t planned, just one of those quiet nudges of kindness you sometimes get. I bid her farewell and went on my way, smiling at the thought she might find it a nice surprise.
I only hope she wasn’t too puzzled when she went to the counter to pay! At least now she can pop back again another day for a pot of tea and maybe toast with thunder and lightning to share more conversation with strangers at the next table.
o O o
A small tip that could be worth a lot...
Before you throw out that old jar of coins…
But just before tipping them away, I remembered hearing about an app called 'Coinin'. It offers a free 3-day trial, so I thought, “Why not?” and decided to give it a quick go.
I was very glad I did!
After scanning my coins using the app, I was delighted (and more than a little surprised) to discover that two of them may actually be worth a few hundred pounds each. Not bad for something I was about to throw out!
The Coinin app works by letting you photograph your coins and then checking them against its database of rare and valuable coins. You can use it completely free for three days, plenty of time to check that tin or jar you’ve been ignoring.
It just goes to show, sometimes the small things we overlook can hold more value than we think.
o O o
Framed or Unframed? You Tell Me…
In the past, I’ve sometimes framed a piece before offering it for sale. A beautiful frame can really elevate a painting, giving it that “ready to hang” feel the moment it arrives in your home. But here’s the catch, a quality frame for a 16" x 20" canvas oil painting can easily cost £250 or more.
Sometimes, buyers love the frame I’ve chosen. Other times, they might prefer to choose something themselves, perhaps to match their existing décor, or because they have a different style in mind.
So, I’d really love to know: if you were adding a painting to your collection, would you prefer it to arrive already framed and ready to hang, or would you rather choose your own frame after buying?
Your input will help me make sure that when you fall in love with a piece, it arrives exactly the way you want it.
o O o
The fascinating reason why Brummies Say “Mom” Instead of “Mum”...
It turns out, Birmingham’s familiar “Mom” isn’t a nod to the U.S., it’s deeply rooted in local speech.
If you grew up in Birmingham, U.K., you’ll know that we don’t call our mothers 'Mum', we call them 'Mom'. It’s as much a part of the Brummie identity as the accent itself.
A recent exploration of regional pronunciation; the famous Great Vowel Shift between the 1400s and 1700s, reveals that while much of the rest of England adapted to changing vowel sounds, the West Midlands (including Birmingham) retained older pronunciations. That’s why “Mom” is actually closer to a historical pronunciation than the more modern “Mum”.
So next time someone jokes that Birmingham folks are just copying Americans, you can tell them it's actually about preserving an older way of saying a word in a way that’s uniquely Brummie.
It’s so ingrained that most Brummies don’t even think about it until, that is, they try to buy a Mother’s Day card, birthday card or any other card with the word 'Mom'.
And here’s where the problem begins…
Walk into most card shops and you’ll find hundreds of beautiful designs for Mum. But Mom? You might find one lonely little card hiding at the back, looking like it’s been waiting there since 1987.
For those of us with a Mom, it can feel a little unfair as if our spelling isn’t as worthy of celebration. But fear not! In due course, I’ll be offering a range of cards that proudly say Mom on the front so Brummies everywhere can give their mothers the love they deserve, without having to cross out the “u”.
Whether you say Mom, Mum, Mam, or anything else entirely, one thing’s certain: our mothers deserve to be celebrated in a way that feels personal right down to the spelling.
A special find from the cupboard
Every so often, a little treasure turns up where you least expect it. This week, while sorting out the studio, I came across an A2 size print of St Ives.
It’s unframed, carefully rolled, and ready to find a new home. The view captures that unmistakable Cornish charm, the light, the colour, the feeling of standing right there on the harbour.
And because I have it here, ready, I’m offering it at a special price. Email me here if you can imagine it hanging on your wall...
Here's how it could look...
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