Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning

Another lovely day yesterday reaching 29.5 but feeling considerably cooler. We had a lovely walk along the coastal path and a circuit back into Craster where we bought a mug of tea and a hot kipper sandwich for lunch.

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I am afraid there are no photos, there was an incredible heat haze and the phone on my camera would not cope. Its not the Craster of my childhood, a wild lonely small fishing harbour. It is now flooded with tourism, carparks and overflow car parks, cafes, tourist information office and hundreds of people. My Dad would be horrified. Like me, my Dad preferred wild , lonely scenery .

In the afternoon we tried to get to Wooler but every road led to one that was closed. We followed a diversion route that took us miles and 40 minutes so we abandoned our plan and instead followed a sign to Ford, old mill and railway. We did know what to expect but found Ford was a medieval village, now tourist complex of course! The next village down had a corn mill, small railway and an information centre. It was very interesting though we skipped the tour of the old corn mill. Instead we had an ice-cream sat in the sun and a trip on the railway to Ford and back.

The village was near the site of the battle of so Flodden so we are going there today. There is a 3 mile walk with noticeboards about the area. Today is the anniversary of the battle and every year they do a guided walk round. However this year it is on Sunday the 19 th. Today is warm but cloudy, showers are forecast most of the day but no downpours or thunderstorms. Then I think we may visit Berwick.....all yet to be decided.

Have a good day

[Stanley]

I'm glad you got your Craster Kipper Sue! I like that corner of the country, I used to deliver calves at Eyemouth and then go across to Kelso and forward to the Drummore peninsula and yes, by the time I got home at night I had done over 500 miles. Those were the days. I have been in the shed for 2 hours and will return with a pic.

[Stanley]

Lots of fiddly work and we slowly move towards an engine but with a lot of small problems to do with lousy castings and my advancing age! Never mind I'm getting there!

[Stanley]

Things have changed, daughter Susan and her husband have gone down with sickness and vomiting so our trip to Colne is off. I suspect that they caught it off Kahara at the Clarion. I didn't actually touch him and may have escaped! So an hour in the shed and then early doors shop at the Co-op followed by second sleep and my usual bookie watch.
I hope they get better soon, a miserable little complaint.

[Sue]

Morning

It was a damp morning yesterday and seemed very appropriate for our walk round Flodden Field. On September 9th 1513 it had been raining for weeks and was a gale on the day. We had a damp walk round the trail which was well signposted . At the carpark afterwards we met a local Flodden historian who was able to give us lots of extra information, which was very interesting.. The altitude profile on our walk map shows the classic hill and valley of mediaeval battle sites. The dip at the time was marshy and boggy and the Scots were hindered with their huge pikes in the awful prevailing conditions. About 15000 were killed at the sight including King James IV. Photos to follow when I have downloaded them off my phone

In the afternoon the rain became very heavy and visibility on the roads almost zero with mist, but no thunderstorms. It was a rather typical north sea fret. We managed a good walk round Berwick sheltering in a cafe at the peak of the rain

This morning is misty, we have still to plan our day but may pay another visit to Cragside where we can combine an inside walk round with outside walking if the weather permits.

Have a good day , stay warm and dry.

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[Sue]

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view of the battle site from the position of the English looking towards the Scots . The fatal valley cannot be seen from either side and at the time was obscured by scrubland

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the memorial

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the walk across the position of the Scottish forces on the opposite hill to the memorial

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Bob entering the tourist information office

[Sue]

The mist has cleared, we have blue skies at the moment

[Stanley]

I love the use of the red telephone box! Glad you had a nice day at Flodden Field.
Our streets this morning are definitely water-washed. Funny thing is I never clocked the rain yesterday.
No shed this morning as I was already on track for no shed and then shopping before going to Colne with Susan. That was cancelled this morning at 04:30 when S mailed me to tell me that both she and Mick were laid low with sickness and vomiting. (I think the most likely source will be Kahara at Clarion house on Sunday, I never touched him, children that age are infection bombs!)
I decided to give my knees a rest and so I'm having an early breakfast after doing the shopping. I shall shortly be going for second sleep.
(I know my hours are eccentric but they suit me, my communications with Australia and my life long habits of early rising. I could argue on the basis of my age that the schedule is working well!)

[Sue]

Hope you don’t go down with it Stanley they are distressing bugs. Yes the telephone box cost them £1 from the GPO and it claims to be the smallest tourist information office in the world. It had leaflets in it about the walk and a quiz about the trail for children to do.

[Stanley]

I had no contact with Kahara or anyone else. I was thinking this morning that perhaps the bleach routine on my sink has some value after all! During the process my hands get bleached once a day....

[Stanley]

Another thing that crossed my mind was what the doctor said at Hanover when they identified Botulism amongst the bugs that had nearly killed me. He told me that I would have a superb set of antibodies that would protect me for the rest of my life. I wonder if they have been active?
Kev dragged me into the shed yesterday to repair the lad's microphone stand after I had declined shed duties in the morning. (I think THIS might open a couple of videos) Today I think it will be a normal day and bookie watch later....

[Sue]

Another thing that crossed my mind was what the doctor said at Hanover when they identified Botulism amongst the bugs that had nearly killed me. He told me that I would have a superb set of antibodies that would protect me for the rest of my life. I wonder if they have been active?
Kev dragged me into the shed yesterday to repair the lad's microphone stand after I had declined shed duties in the morning. (I think THIS might open a couple of videos) Today I think it will be a normal day and bookie watch later....

Morning

Bleach has no long term value, as with any disinfectant. Once the disinfectant has got washed away , it no longer works. In fact most disinfectants only work for a short duration and indeed or deactivated by any level of dirt. Bleach is one of them. It certainly won’t keep you protected from any bugs exposed to after only a short period of bleaching your hands, hence the present day guidance on regular hand washing and hand disinfection. As for the antibodies they will be specific to botulism. Give it another day before you can be sure you did not catch anything from any of the family, and even this depends on where exactly they became infected .

We have just had a power cut but luckily in this all electric cottage it has come back on , now I can have my cup of tea.

Yesterday turned out to be a really nice day, warm, with sunny periods but no rain, though it has rained over night . We went to Cragside straight after breakfast ...ah my tea has arrived.....and started by doing a morning walk in the parkland which included tea and a scone at one of the refreshment areas. . We then went round the house before having lunch. Ironically for where we were, lunch was limited as they had had a power cut. Eventually the cafe and shop had to close but Bob had managed a giant sausage roll and I had a slice of quiche and cole slaw. We then continued our sight seeing in the gardens and the old waterwheel and power house. These were some distance apart so we ended up walking another 3 miles plus doing just that. We got back to the cottage at 4.30 pm and had a cup of tea and a G&T sat in the lovely garden.

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The map was the sight seeing only, we had a laugh at the turns and contortions, especially when we were in the house. The main walk map won’t download! The total of the two walks was 7.25 miles.our feet ached from walking on uneven stony paths

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Today we are off to Kelso for another long walk by the river and a picnic lunch. This book of walks that we have has proved a good buy. Its part of a series having bought one for the Norfolk area and one for Wales. I think we will get the Lancashire one too. Walks range from 4 miles to about 12 and the pages are colour coded according to length .

Well my tea is going cold, have a good day all.

[Stanley]

We had a short power outage as well Sue just after 15:00. You still sound as though you're having a good time.
I've had my two hours in the shed, I'll be back shortly with a pic.....



I'm ready to put the lid on the cylinder and attack the eccentric and valve gear.....

[plaques]

Spare a thought for those gardeners who have to maintain those topiary trees. You would need a cherry picker machine to tackle those. I have three yew trees that I have gradually reduced in height over the years so that I can trim them standing on the ground.

[Sue]

Spare a thought for those gardeners who have to maintain those topiary trees. You would need a cherry picker machine to tackle those. I have three yew trees that I have gradually reduced in height over the years so that I can trim them standing on the ground.

Oh I do . Bob pruned our yew to a nice oblong lollipop shape . We spend a lot of time discussing where it needs straightening up, bits of here, bits off there etc, then it goes and grows again just as we het it right

[Big Kev]

We went to Cragside a few years ago, fascinating place. I'd seen a TV program about it and the hydro-electric set up so went when we had a few days based in Morpeth.

[Sue]

We went to Cragside a few years ago, fascinating place. I'd seen a TV program about it and the hydro-electric set up so went when we had a few days based in Morpeth.

Yes it is, we have been twice now and I think I appreciated it more this time. The weather was better, it was raining last time, so we were able to walk in the park and gardens and walk. Down to the power house and water wheel

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[Tripps]

I worked about ten miles away from there for three years, ( early 1970's ) and drove through Rothbury regularly on my way home, but never visited it at all. In fact I don't think I even knew it existed. That's a shameful thing to admit isn't it?

[Big Kev]

Yes it is, we have been twice now and I think I appreciated it more this time. The weather was better, it was raining last time, so we were able to walk in the park and gardens and walk. Down to the power house and water wheel

The power house was unbelievable, all those exposed switches, H&S would have a field day if it was still operational. It was mainly dry most of the time we were walking around the grounds until we got to the powerhouse when it poured hard, there was a small bus service that took us back to the house which was handy.
Were the tree carvings still in the grounds?

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[Stanley]

I know about Cragside but have never been.
I shall be in the shed engine building this morning and at dinnertime Susan and Mick are calling in and taking me to Bancroft. I haven't been for a while.

[Sue]

Yes it is, we have been twice now and I think I appreciated it more this time. The weather was better, it was raining last time, so we were able to walk in the park and gardens and walk. Down to the power house and water wheel

The power house was unbelievable, all those exposed switches, H&S would have a field day if it was still operational. It was mainly dry most of the time we were walking around the grounds until we got to the powerhouse when it poured hard, there was a small bus service that took us back to the house which was handy.
Were the tree carvings still in the grounds?
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Morning

Unfortunately the power house was shut which we did not know till we had done the long downhill walk, but yes the carvings were still there. In the formal gardens one of the greenhouses has had to close as bits have started to fall off. It is being assessed at the moment for the possibility of repair work.

Yesterday we walked from Kelso to Roxburgh along the old railway track now a footpath, then back along the riverside. The latter part was a 3 mile stretch of rough undulating paths which were much more tiring than the previous 4 miles. We had a good view of the river life including banks of ducks positioned to catch food in the fast flowing water. We saw 3 grey herons but sadly no kingfishers even though they were listed on the observation boards. Back at Kelso it was tea and scones. The cafe was shutting as we left and we were given one of the scones left over from the day. We had it for supper.

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This walk made a total of 35 miles we have walked in 5 days. Today will only be a morning stroll as we are meeting our friends Jean and Bob from Stalybridge for a pub lunch . We haven’t seen the since our Christmas get together 2019 . In one of our zoom chats we discovered we were are up here at the same time so decided to meet up. They arrived yesterday. Back at the cottage later we shall pack and tidy ready to leave by 9.30 am to travel home. I did manage to contact my school friend and we are meeting her tomorrow for lunch. What a good week and much drier than expected.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue, you are as regular as clockwork!
I have very happy memories of that part of the country, particularly Kelso. I used to deliver calves regularly to Jim Baird at Lurdenlaw, his farm is so big it's on the maps as a village. I would have breakfast with Mrs Baird while John Baird the son unloaded the wagon for me. Jim had great horses and a flock of Jacob Sheep and I could tell stories about him all day.
I have just come in after almost two hours in the shed. More later and a pic.
I'm so glad you have had a good time, we all need some relaxation these days. Mine today will be being taken to Bancroft steaming by Susan and Mick (Who have recovered from their sickness etc. They think it's a bug Mick has picked up in his caring duties.).

Later at 07:50.



Only one pic today, the engine now has a flywheel and a lid on the back of the cylinder. The crankshaft turns smoothly and by tomorrow morning the shaft lock will have set and the flywheel will be a permanent fixture. I am ready now to make the eccentric and that will be tomorrow's task.
That's the good news but there is bad news as well. As you know I have struggled with this build because of the pot hard castings, the miracle is I have managed to work with it and get to this stage. But I have to tell you it will never be a runner because it has no piston. The reason for that is that although it's a good fit the bore is not aligned with the rest of the engine due to the fact the cold shops in the metal have diverted the bore. There was only one cure, a new cylinder, but I have no confidence that will be any better. The engine is intended to be a toy for a young lad called Fred and I don't think he will worry about the piston!
(To tell you the truth, I'll be glad to see the back of this kit....)

[Wendyf]

When we lived in Scotland we made a regular trip to the Border Union Show at Kelso, always a good day out.

[Sue]

When we lived in Scotland we made a regular trip to the Border Union Show at Kelso, always a good day out.

We walked past that Wendy, when we came up from the riverside. We liked Kelso, but were tired after our walk to have a good look round

[Stanley]

Kelso is an interesting place with a good history.
I have no social engagements today so two hours in the shed, second sleep and bookie watch. What an exciting life I lead!