I went to a funeral today. My dearly loved but departed Mother In Law's brother in law died just before Christmas, and we promised Father In Law Joe that we would go and represent him as well as for ourselves.
Tom was an artist, a member of the Royal Accadamy, and a teacher there for some years. He and his partner Jim had been together for 50 years! Goodness me! Fabulous pair! Always so giving of their time and of themselves, to family and friends. Tom will be sadly missed. My big regret is that we have only one of his pictures.
The 'do' after the ceremony was held in a nice old local pub. It's close to the crematorium, and used to doing this sort of thing. They do it nicely and discretely: no fuss, just pleasant surroundings, decent food, and quiet, efficient service.
The building is quite old: parts date back to the 1600's. Old wood mixes well with new, inglenook fireplaces with modern central heating, wookey nooks and crannies with decent plumbing! The decor is of the well used books, friendly wooden chairs and tables, occasional interesting bits of china and old horse brasses here and there type... And an old sewing machine!
One of Tom's great nieces (aged about five) instantly spotted it, made a beeline for it, and cranked the handle! A child after my own heart! A bit sticky, but it went round... I took a closer look. Well, this IS me! It's an old Frister & Rossman: looks a bit like a Singer 27... Bullet shuttle and long bobbin, front and back sliding plates over the shuttle access... There was some rust on the slide plates, and a little on the foot, but naught to worry anyone. The slide plates slid off easily. The handle turned and the bobbin winder seemed to connect well and turn, but I couldn't get it to engage to make the needle bar go up and down. There was a bobbin in the shuttle, and it had thread on it. Not a spot of rust on the bobbin case or shuttle mechanism - and yes, I DID look underneath! :D Lots of dirt and a lot of fossilized grunge! I have a feeling that an afternoon with an oil can, a tooth pick and tweezers, a squirt or two of the right sort of professional grade WD10 and a clean rag, and a wee bitty of tinkering and I could get it going again! It appears to have lost it's needle clamp, which may or may not be a problem.
I left my card, with a note on the back that I'd love to get it going again for them. No, I did NOT offer to buy the machine. No I DIDN'T walk off with it (though the temptation was strong!). It has very pretty decals in excellent condition.
I made a few people (Jim included) giggle with my antics. Tom would also have enjoyed. I so nearly got collected by another old sewing machine to add to the inventory!