Today I shall be Mainly...

[Big Kev]

Roast beef dinner, roast chicken dinner and two pints of Lancashire Blonde. Lovely food, good beer, interesting decor, loved it.

[Wendyf]

Good! We have been a couple of times before going to the Muni and found the food excellent for the price.

[Big Kev]

It's not a bad walk either, went via Colne centre on the way and then home through Alkincoats Park over to Red Lane.

[Big Kev]

Good! We have been a couple of times before going to the Muni and found the food excellent for the price.

It was very reasonable, two roast dinners and two beers for £24.

[Stanley]

I had a pint bottle of a 4% beer in Clitheroe a couple of weeks ago and it was too much! Me legs went wobbly.
I shall be in the shed, I have started another engine and at the moment I'm making a crankshaft out of a lump of scrap.
Looks like a nice day so bookie watch is on the cards....

[Sue]

Morning

Its a beautiful morning. The sun is coming up through a low lying September mist . I have pilates and yoga this morning and our friend Kath is coming over later for a cuppa and to cut Bobs hair. This afternoon we should have a pleasant 5 mile round trip walk to the pharmacist to pick up our prescriptions.

Yesterday was a round of odd jobs. After finishing the washing and ironing I cleared more dead and dying plants and picked the rest of our cooking apples. I was proud of our roast chicken dinner which included my home grown sweet corn, a roast veg mix of home grown squash, carrots and parsnips ( the latter being rather small) and chard. The stuffing was with my own sage and i followed it with an apple and raspberry crumble also our own fruit. Most enjoyable and not bad for garden produce grown amongst the flower beds and in pots, though I say it myself . The rest of my sweet corn is not quite ripe so I will pick it when we are back from France. I must however put stakes in now the plants around them have been cut down . My tomatoes are still ripening on a tray in the conservatory so I will have to cook them before we go to France. We are rather partial to roast pepper and tomato soup.

Interspersed with cooking I was texting my brother in Cardiff persuading him to come and visit our brother Dave. My cousin Trish who we went with us on Saturday is going to take my sister Jane to see him. Dave and Jane were very close and seeing him as he is will be a big shock so Trish offered to take her. On a positive note I texted Dave too and tried to give him a rallying chat. It seemed to work as he then chatted back for some time with a much more positive attitude. Well I have done my bit and got all the family involved so at least Dave will be able to access more support than just me!

Its now misted over completely but the sun is trying to push through, have a good day.

[Stanley]

I like the home grown produce.... You can't beat it. We have a clear sky but no direct sun as yet because it is so low.
I've been in the shed for two hours, I'll be back with a pic....

[Stanley]

Two hours and some careful turning and here's where we are.



We have a crank pin.

[PanBiker]

Expecting the plumbers to tip up and start our bathroom rework. They have a planning meeting for the weeks jobs on Monday mornings and our start is first on after that.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed working towards completing the crankshaft. I have a fancy to make the crankshaft for the fire engine pump while I am in eccentric turning frame of mind..... We'll see.
The rest of the day will be as usual. Bookie watch should be on but a bit chilly if the forecast is right..... We'll see.

[chinatyke]

The Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on Sept 21 this year, is a traditional festival symbolizing family reunions. Yesterday, my wife took the express train (not the high speed train) to her home town, Liuzhou, a 4 hours 48 mins journey. The high speed train takes 2 hours 27 mins but costs 123 rmb vs 53 rmb on the Shanghai Express. Always the frugal one, her saying is "We've got more time than money" - I think it was Willie Nelson who said this in a song. She enjoys the slower journey and chatting to other passengers, and she always takes food to eat on the way, usually a mountain of it! Like having a picnic. Yesterday she said that when the train stopped at Nanning most passengers got off and her coach was empty all the way to Liuzhou. This train usually consists of 19 coaches + the engine, but 3 coaches are reserved for the crew, the journey from Kunming to Shanghai taking 39 hours. This particular train would be the last one to reach Shanghai in time for tonight's celebrations.

Legend of the Festival:
A long time ago, nine suns scorched the Earth and burnt farmers' crops. Hou Yi, an archer, was sent by the villagers to shoot them out of the sky. He shot down eight of the nine suns. After he did this to protect the village, Hou Yi was rewarded the Elixir of Life by the gods. Hou Yi met Chang'e and quickly fell in love with her. He went to the gods and asked them for an Elixir of Immortality so that he could be forever together with Chang'e. The couple planned on drinking the elixir on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month while the moon was full (when the Mid - Autumn Festival is held today). A jealous man, Feng Meng, overheard their plan and tried to steal the elixir for himself. When Chang'e found out that Feng Meng had tried to steal the elixir, she drunk the bottle herself, and was sent to the moon as an immortal deity, thus becoming the goddess of the moon. After realizing that Chang' e was gone, Hou Yi would offer food every year on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, to honour his wife.

Some legends say that her only companion on the moon is a jade rabbit. In fact, where westerners may see a man’s face in the moon, Chinese see a rabbit on the face of the moon instead!

The legend has been kept alive to this day through the traditions of the Mid Autumn Festival.

A series of Chinese lunar spacecraft were nicknamed Chang'e in reference to the goddess.

Edited: Duplicated paragraph removed!

[Stanley]

I like legends, but why repeat the paragraph? Emphasis?

[chinatyke]

I like legends, but why repeat the paragraph? Emphasis?

Oops!
Now edited and duplicate paragraph removed!
Thanks.

[Stanley]

[Cathy]

Thanks China, I enjoyed that.
It’s good to hear of other countries legends and their celebrations. I’ll have a look for the rabbit tonight, we see a face on ours.

[Sue]

Morning

What a beautiful warm sunny day yesterday. The mist had gone by 9.00 a.m and the day got better and better. Our friend Kath was late arriving to cut Bobs hair as she could hear a cat, that visits her regularly, was crying in a distressed manner. She eventually found it locked in her shed where it had been for two days. By the time she had rescued it and fed it , it was 11.45 am , so hair cut was late, cuppa and a chat was late and lunch was late so we opted for the shorter walk to the pharmacist and back in the afternoon leaving us with a pleasant sit in the garden for an hour before I needed to get ready for art. After art I had long zoom chat with my friends Jean and Sue so it was after 9.00 p.m before I ate my evening meal. I had had a slice of toast and my favourite apricot jam before I went out and lunch had been late.

This morning is another misty still start but cloudier than yesterday . We have to walk to the bank and back this morning and if is sunny I think we may have an alfresco coffee in Rochdale before walking back. I have no plans for the afternoon, but have pilates and yoga at teat time.

If the moon is bright this evening...a large harvest moon I believe, I too shall look for that rabbit. Nice story China. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

That cat was lucky! I'm glad she heard it and rescued it.
I've been in the shed for two hours doing useful things. I shall go away and post on Shed Matters and pop a pic on here later.....

Later..... Here's where I was at closing time after two hours in the shed. Well on the way a crankshaft.



I've done a rough clean up as well. No need to have big piles of swarf on the bed....

[Stanley]

Crankshaft making will get me in the shed for two hours. We are promised a dry day so bookie watch is on but could be a bit chilly!

[Sue]

Morning

There is a very thick blanket of mist this morning and not a breath of wind. This is going to take some shifting. Yesterday was another beautiful day . We did our walk to the bank and had a coffee outside at Wetherspoons. It was only £1 per mug with a free refill which we did not have. Very nice coffee it was too. In the afternoon I did some tidying of the front garden. The soil is like dust and the weeds came up very easily indeed. I also had a sort of my fabric stash and decided it is time to have another mass sale of my scraps on gum tree, there being little useable fabric left. Otherwise an eventless afternoon.

This morning is the hairdressers. The afternoon is unplanned

Have a good day all.,

[Stanley]

You sound as though you have been enjoying yourself, good! I daren't sell any scrap because like this morning, I find a use for it. It's a bit dull here at the moment but I'll give it time.
I have been in the shed for more than two hours doing useful things. I shall come back shortly and post a pic.

[Sue]

I forgot to say I went in the opticians whilst I was in Rochdale and explained once again about the problem with my glasses. I spoke to Karen who has fitted my glasses for years. I had not seen her on any of my last visits. They are too big she said. They are being replaced with another pair free of charge. The lens can be ground down to fit the new frames . Meanwhile I will wear my old ones as its possible they may not be done in time for us going to France. I walked home without them . A strange experience

[Wendyf]

A brisk breeze up here Sue. We had our first History Society meeting last night which seemed very strange and a bit scary. I was reluctant to go especially as the talk didn't look particularly interesting but, as is often the case, the speaker was excellent and entertaining. It was Chris Helme, who I had never heard before but we got a good turnout of folk who came just to hear him. The subject was 'Other people's rubbish' and concerned all the many items that he, as a well known local historian, had been given over the years that others were throwing out. Good stuff.

[plaques]

I forgot to say I went in the opticians whilst I was in Rochdale and explained once again about the problem with my glasses.

I found that a strategically placed wart on my nose did the trick. Never had any problems with glasses slipping off.

[Stanley]

This morning I finished the crankshaft for the 10H engine and started on making a more difficult shaft for the Shand Mason fire pump kit Keith gave me. I thought it would be a good idea to do it while I was in crankshaft mode.....

[Sue]

I forgot to say I went in the opticians whilst I was in Rochdale and explained once again about the problem with my glasses.

I found that a strategically placed wart on my nose did the trick. Never had any problems with glasses slipping off.

. Unfortunately I think they would still have slipped as the bridge was too wide and the arms. The latter I had pointed out to 3 different people. Various tightening strategies had not worked. I even kept taking in previous glasses to show a good fit . Not one of them noticed the new ones were an overall bigger frame. Karen did straight away. The new frames are not as nice but are an excellent fit but I am waiting for them coming in a different colour as the ones I tried on were red .

I understand your reservations Wendy. I have done 4 art classes now in the last three weeks and I am only just beginning to feel comfortable in a room with others.