Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Sounds good Maz. I arranged family and friend get togethers here for both my 50th and 60th birthday celebrations which were both enjoyable but hard work and I can't face doing anything like that again! My brother and sister in law have suggested coming up to stay for a couple of days now restrictions are easing and we might get some walking done. I would like to go up Pendle Hill, haven't done that for a while!

Our family get together to celebrate 3 x70 and 1x60 was called off, it was May23 rd. i just arranged and got my refund this week

[Stanley]

I simply ignore any thoughts of birthday celebrations, if the kids want to treat me that's OK and I enjoy the attention but otherwise, just get on with it.
I have spent the money on the castings and now have the luxury of worrying about the expense. As for what I can do to while away the time until it arrives.....



Recently a friend gave me this saying he didn't know what it was but it looked right up my street. Spooky, it's a beam engine cylinder! So I can have fun working on this until the castings arrive and will have a spare cylinder casting.

[Sue]

Morning
Late today, I forgot to charge my ipad. What a horrendous day yesterday. If it was sunny the wind was wild but most of the afternoon it rained, smashing whats left of the flowers in the garden. More of the same all week this week, and cold! I am back into the clothes I wear in March. So due to the weather forecast today will be as yesterday, sewing my patchwork. The garden desperately needs dead heading, but it isn’t going to get done. I see there were lovely pictures of sun and blue skies on the news!

So on the depressing note of the weather that will be our day, Bob in the workshop me sat somewhere hand sewing.

Bob says there is a window of opportunity for a walk between 6 and 8

Have a good day everyone.

[Marilyn]

We found a window in the weather for our walk...a chilly wind but dry all the way. We also had to pop out to the hardware store for a connector for one of our vertical drapes ( hubby snapped the cord the other night, closing the drapes. I couldn’t say anything without starting World War 3, but he was a bit rough with it. All fixed now, and best left unsaid.) I usually open and close all the blinds and drapes.

[Stanley]

What a stressful life you do lead Maz!
I have had a good morning, see Shed Matters for the full SP but here's where I finished up, cylinder part machined and ready for boring tomorrow. Two and a half hours of honest endeavour and don't forget it counts as light exercise. (Remind Bob about that Sue, it will make him feel better!)

[Sue]

Our family get together to celebrate 3 x70 and 1x60 was called off, it was May23 rd. i just arranged and got my refund this week

We are a family spread through out the country, and for the last few years we have only got together for funerals, and a very occasional wedding. We just thought it would be nice to meet up in happier circumstances. It was my sisters idea to celebrate our birthdays, which are 10 years apart. After organising the event we found there were two more big birthdays in the party of 26, all water under the bridge now as we had to cancel.

[Marilyn]

We haven’t been to a wedding in over 20 years. No-one is getting married any more it seems. Of our 4 combined children only one ever got married and the other three are all over 40 now. Times they are a-changing.

I don’t expect anyone will be doing “Christmas in July” this year either.

[Stanley]

I shall be pressing on with Susan's engine. Quite fired up about it.

[Sue]

We haven’t been to a wedding in over 20 years. No-one is getting married any more it seems. Of our 4 combined children only one ever got married and the other three are all over 40 now. Times they are a-changing.

I don’t expect anyone will be doing “Christmas in July” this year either.

Morning all

Ah, yes Maz the family weddings we went to were all weddings of an older cousin ( a second marriage) our daughter ( a second and very happy marriage ) and an older nephew, in all cases they had lived together for years. THey were all over 40, well Claire was 40 the next day! In the latter case the marriage lasted 18 months!

Well yesterday turned out better than expected. When I started my pilates class it was squally showers, and strong wind. The wind persisted but the sun came out. Initially it was cool but I managed to tidy the garden and plants quite a bit. Bob managed a repair on the roof edge cladding that blew off in the gales the night before. I also tidied the book shelves in our spare bedroom which was bulging and overflowing with pur hobby related books of sewing, art, local and social history, genealogy, Toby jug collecting, model engineering and various engineering related catalogue and history books . I only threw one book away, but managed to get them all back on the shelves in a logical and tidy manner.

By the afternoon the weather was very promising indeed, so we went about three mikes in the car so we could do a different local walk. Initially the wind was nearly blowing us of our feet , but as we got into the lee of the hill above Whitworth we were very sheltered and got positively warm. In all we did about 7 miles in about two and a half hours. We noticed that the moors were flooded, water gushing everywhere, but Watergrove reservoir at Wardle was very empty still.

Today is again due to rain. The buttons have arrived for my jeans so I can finish them off, otherwise no plans. I may tidy out another couple of cupboards, its more of an empty, dust and put back job, rather than a clear out. So far I have no takers for the fabric I put on gumtree, left over from my sewing room clear out last week. I shall lower the price in a couple of days.

Have a good day everyone.

[PanBiker]

Clearing out of the way when Sally's hairdresser comes to sort her out. I can stay and watch but I will have to sit there with my mask on. I will make myself a brew and clear off upstairs to play with my radio station.

[Tripps]

I shall be pressing on with Susan's engine. Quite fired up about it.

What's the object in the background HERE

[Stanley]

Well spotted David! It's the winding engine I made a while back. She has three engines, the beam engine will make the house look like an industrial museum. She loves the fact that in my 85th year I am still making what to her seem incredibly complicated complicated mechanisms in the shed. To me they are all demonstrations of my incompetence! I can see every fault.



Yesterday was boring...
Today will be a bit more of the same.....

[Sue]

Morning

Well yesterday went according to plan, rain all day! The day started with a phone call to the dentist about my tooth, which has become quite tender when I catch it. I was phoned back mid afternoon for a telephone consultation, and an hour later with an appointment to see someone next Tuesday. My tooth will be Xrayed and then a decision made about the treatment. I was impressed with the efficiency and that is some progress.

I had several loads of washing , which all had to be dried indoors with the drier. As it is the conservatory it warmed the room up nicely, so made it quite pleasant to sot and do my patchwork. Having experimented with several different ways of doing the edgings, I opted for a simple edging on my overlocker. I particularly didn’t like the effect of a bias binding edge on the coasters as it detracted from the flower design of the patchwork. The mats are coming along well. I am doing a a 4 place setting and I will have enough hexagons to do a centre table runner too. As well as my patchwork I finished my jeans. I am reasonably happy, but feel they are a hint tight round the rear, and a little short in the waist. Alterations have been done to the pattern. Bob took the photo, and as I had been sewing I was not wearing glasses. I got a shock, with my longer hairI looked just like my Mum before she was ill with cancer. As well as my sewing I managed to clean out a cupboard with our glasses in, and wiped out three others. A very productive wet day.

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Today will be drier, no plans yet. Perhaps a walk, perhaps some weeding. If my lilac fabric arrives I shall wash that and cut out my next pair of jeans with the new pattern modifications

Have a good day everyone.

[Stanley]

Sue. Never mind the hair and turning into your mother, that's par for the course! The jeans are brilliant and as for that bum.... I think many 25 years old women would kill for it. All right, totally non PC but it's true Love. As my Jewish friends would say 'Nice tush'.



Two hours of honest endeavour and we have a very respectable (and accurate) cylinder. I am a happy bunny and ready for bed and second sleep.

[Sue]

All compliments gratefully received Stanley makes a 70 year old woman feel very good! its all down to walking, pilates, yoga and lots of wine!

[Stanley]

Whatever it is it's working Sue. That is not your typical 70 year old figure! (And the jeans are a good fit as well, I like the double button on the waistband. All you need now is a set of rainbow braces....
I shall be in the shed as usual as well as the normal walks etc. Just had word this morning the new castings are with the carrier. Has Bob seen my expanded comments on running over on Shed Matters?

[Sue]

Morning

What a wild morning. The wind woke me about 6.00 am and I could hear the rain on and off during the night, I eventually closed the bedroom window as it was so cold. I did mention Shed Matters to Bob but he did little online reading yesterday.

We decided to go out for a walk straight after breakfast as we wanted to walk into Rochdale by the long more scenic route along the old railway line footpath. The object of the exercise was to see the new shopping area and the floral displays in the centre. In the last couple of years Rochdale has won awards for these displays. They were as good as ever but needing some sun. By the time we got back we had walked 5 miles, mainly sauntering. In the afternoon Bob wanted to prune a couple of shrubs whilst it was dry enough to do so, then in the afternoon we had unexpected visit from our friend Kath. She was passing and thought she would call. It was too cold to sit outside so we sat in the conservatory with the door open for a couple of hours. Later when she went, and we went inside we noticed the central heating had come on automatically, thats two days in a row. July is turning out to be as cold and wet as June. I did the alterations to my jeans pattern and waited patiently for my fabric to arrive, which it did not, again!

This morning is pilates with yoga at 6.30 pm. Nothing planned for the day. We had been expecting to visit our friends Wendy and Keith if the weather had been better. I think I will continue with some random cleaning and tidying. I need to do the annual dusting of some of my Toby Jugs, particularly those on top of the book case in my sewing room. I think our cleaner Joanne, did the others whilst we were stranded in France. There are a couple of drawers to tidy too but the incentive is not great. No doubt I will continue with my patchwork , as I normally do in a spare hour or two of relaxation.

I see there are to be financial incentives to going out for meals early in the week from August. We shall see. We are in no rush.

Have a good day everyone.

[Stanley]

Morning Sue. I am, as usual, having a breather after 2 hours light exercise in the shed. Again as usual, Jack and I will go for a walk, I shall make breakfast and post on shed matters and then, the best part of the day, back to bed for my second sleep with a clear conscience, I have done good works since I got up.....

[Marilyn]

Have been knee deep in Ancestry again. I had to stop myself at a certain point, luckily the ink ran out on my printer and I was forced to go and buy more. I am not installing that ink until tomorrow, or I will be at Ancestry until midnight!
We did our walk, in sunshine, and it was not as damply cold as it has been the past 3 days. ( scarf but no gloves)
Washing dried on the line, though a couple of hand towels and 4 pairs of socks need a night over the airer.
I did a bucket and a half of weeding. No repercussions...yet.
4C this morning.

[Stanley]

Be careful with the weeding Maz, don't do too much.
I shall be in the shed, I can finish the cylinder in one go because the castings have arrived and I have all the parts now.

[Sue]

Morning

There is a strange yellow light in the sky, I think its called the sun. Not exactly tropical weather at 11 degrees going up to 14 but its better than it has been. There is still a possibility of showers all day, but minimal. I feel better already.

My fabric didn’t arrive yesterday , just a message online to say sorry and if it doesn’t arrive by the 13 th I can have my money back. Oh for an opportunity to go in a fabric shop, but even if there was one close by I wouldn't have the courage to go in yet. So I cleaned the shelf with the Toby jugs on and spent the day doing my latest art project, and my creative writing task. Between them they filled all of the afternoon.

This morning is dance exercise for 45 minutes so I shall shower afterwards as I get so hot and sweaty. Then I am undecided. I really ought to weed and dead head the front garden which is looking rather shaggy and untidy after the rain. Perhaps a walk this afternoon.

So the beauty salons and gyms can reopen. I see the numbers of cases are now getting very low but I would have thought it was wise to wait another week to see if the previous reopenings had any effect. My pilates teacher is asking people what they want to do, I have opted for online classes for a little longer, which she is prepared to do. Under the new rules she will probably only get about 6-8 in the studio rather than 14, but online she can have up to 30 at anyone time. She is thinking of streaming the classes as they run in the studio.As for beauty salons I have got quite good with my pedicures but you can’t beat having someone else do it, very relaxing. I doubt however Vicky will want to do it in her own home so I may go and see her at the salon where she works instead. There is no rush to make a decision on that one. Again its the waiting game to see what the repercussions are overall.

Things are moving, not too fast I hope. Travel to France is now easy with ferries apparently well organised. We have a visit planned for August, and hope to be able to go there ( and back!) safely.

Have a good day everyone.

[plaques]

This morning is dance exercise for 45 minutes so I shall shower afterwards as I get so hot and sweaty.

Sue have you tried this type of dancing. Wears my eyeballs out just watching.

Dance to Elvis

[Stanley]

Good Grief man! That's like encouraging Sue to play chicken on the M62! Would you do it?
I am having my sit down after 2 hours light exercise in the shed. Sun is shining (or it was! It's gone in now) and it could be an enjoyable walk. Shed has gone well except for a blip when I did a measurement and realised it wasn't right just by rack of the eye. It took me five minutes to realise that it was a error in simple division. I am getting old, everything has to be checked at least three times.
Walk, breakfast and post shed matters.....

[Sue]

Hmm that didn't last long, grey sky and raining

[Sue]

This morning is dance exercise for 45 minutes so I shall shower afterwards as I get so hot and sweaty.

Sue have you tried this type of dancing. Wears my eyeballs out just watching.

Dance to Elvis

Its a bit like that ! Well only a bit, slow ot down a notch. My teacher is like that. The rest of us fall about laughing or tripping over our feet. The main exercise today is balance ie to try to remain standing for the three minute duration of any piece of music. Good way to end the week .