Today I shall be Mainly...

[Marilyn]

I have a chest of drawers (tallboy) that I am getting the itch to jazz up a bit. I need to replace the knobs too. I use it as a filing cabinet in my study area so it will be a job to sort through the contents ( mostly ancestry stuff).
I think I will sand it back and try a paint effect and I am picturing it in a burgundy colour with brushed steel knobs.

We have Main Street markets on today. It is a bit gloomy weather wise, but we might wander down for a walk. Last time it was on, the place was packed, with little social distancing. We got out of there pretty quick, as we didn’t feel safe. Perhaps it will be quieter today due to the rain and wind. (Masks in pocket just in case).

[Stanley]

I shall be getting over the clocks changing and doing a couple of hours in the shed. Then Portuguese Grand Prix this evening.

[Sue]

Morning

Well it was certainly a wet day yesterday, our little waterfall ponds leading down to the main pond all overflowed and the main pond is full to a maximum. Not bad for a pond with a major leak. I busied myself renovating the pine table in the conservatory, and having sanded and stained it, it just needs a coat of matt varnish. In the morning we cleaned and I washed the floors as well as wiping down the windowsills and doors outside. What a waste of time that was. Whilst doing my renovating I was finishing Emmas family tree on my genealogy program and printed off the 25 pages of her direct paternal and maternal line back to the mid 1700s. I have still not managed to solve the problem of the merged trees when printing out a report. The program tells me my sister married her first husband 5 times! I seem unable to get rid of the duplicate data thus a written report is 542 pages long. Work in progress shall we say.

Today Claire is bringing over the leaf blower we lent them to try out. We shall probably meet in the Dell with our car ie in an open public space to keep within the restrictions. It will be a short purposeful meet up and as it is supposed to be drier today we may then go for a walk but will have to stick to tarmac paths. The waterfalls in the Dell should be worth seeing . No other plans apart from yoga at 10.30 am if it remains dry I may cut back the raspberry canes and the runner beans.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I take it you mean Healey Dell Sue. The last time I was there was when my mate Peter Tatham was refurbishing the viaduct.





This was in 1984.
I have had over an hour in the shed and am now going for a walk before breakfast and posting in shed matters.

[Stanley]

What I was after this morning was a steam chest lid. Here we are, ready for finishing and drilling.
A nice hour and a quarter.
As an extra, all the clocks adjusted to the right time.

[Sue]

Yes thats the one Stanley , Healey Dell, tge viaduct is not 10 minutes walk from us. However we will take the car down today as we don’t to have to carry a leaf blower all the way home.

[Marilyn]

A quiet day, with quite a bit of washing. Goodness knows where it all comes from...
It is a nice day so it should all dry on the line. We will do our usual walk later when hubby clears his emails.

[Stanley]

I managed a dry afternoon walk and made the change to the Crombie tweed overcoat with a fleece lined shirt underneath. Warm as toast, that's the Dickie coat put away for the winter!
More quiet work on Margaret's beam engine.

[Sue]

Morning

What a nice autumn day yesterday. I seemed to be very busy, and with the extra hour it seemed like the day went on and on. Before breakfast I put a coat of matt varnish on the pine table. It said it took 2-8 hours to dry, but after 8 hours it was still tacky and disappointingly shiny. I will see what it is like this morning, but may have to change to a satin finish for the second coat. After yoga we had an early lunch so we could meet Claire at 1.00 in the Dell. It was absolutely heaving with people, cars parked all up and through Dell Road. I think people have discovered it during the pandemic, it always used to be such a nice quiet place for a walk even on a Sunday, and now we appear to be on the tourist route. We popped the leaf blower in the car, had a short walk to the waterfalls which were stunning and left. Bob and I then went over to Springfield park to the model railway track where there is ongoing maintenance going on. Bob was taking two boxes of masks over so the work could continue whilst ensuring that people could work safely. They have renovated the station, replaced a couple of fences , fitted out the storage unit and are power washing the track. In the Spring Bob and I will replant some of the garden with surplus perennials from ours .

We only went there and back. At home I did the ironing before joining Bob for some garden tidying of our own . The cherry tree is now devoid of leaves, so they were picked up and I cleared the raspberry canes and runner beans. The brown bin is now full so the last remaining bit of cutting back will have to wait until the bin is emptied and it stops raining, which is not now till the 6 th November . I did a couple of hours trying to suss out my family tree program. In despair I have sent for a book that may help. I need to get this sorted if I am to do paid research for others which is my aim. Emma’s tree is my guinea pig

Today is pilates at 10.00am. Then varnishing the table, followed by my Christmas sewing. I sorted and ironed my fabric yesterday. I have some parcels to wrap that need to be posted sometime this week. We will post them all together so we only need to go in the post office once. Numbers are getting uncomfortably high round here. Hopefully there will be some alleviation in the next two weeks but I doubt it. Being on tight restrictions from mid July made no difference what so ever, but I will try and remain positive. We know of a few that have been affected this last week

Have a good day everyone

[Sue]

3E8C822F-E772-4CFC-B4B0-0C31DC6062EF.jpeg

FEFC8592-A4B4-4553-B6E2-A8B209033F3E.jpeg

I took these on my phone. I couldn’t get near for the best view, too many people and children in the way. Claire wouldn’t even walk down to look . It was also very slippery on the leaves so Erin and I were trying not to slip and to avoid coming too close to anyone

[Marilyn]

We don’t “do” Christmas gifts and don’t want to receive any ourselves. So that makes Christmas pretty darn easy!
( hubby’s grandkids get money, which is all they want anyway. Buying any kind of physical gift never works because they are so darn picky and change their minds...”did you keep the receipt?” , even though you pay through the nose for the exact brand they want and bought the exact thing/size/ whatever that they wanted). We are so over trying to please ratty teenagers!

[Sue]

We don’t “do” Christmas gifts and don’t want to receive any ourselves. So that makes Christmas pretty darn easy!
( hubby’s grandkids get money, which is all they want anyway. Buying any kind of physical gift never works because they are so darn picky and change their minds...”did you keep the receipt?” , even though you pay through the nose for the exact brand they want and bought the exact thing/size/ whatever that they wanted). We are so over trying to please ratty teenagers!

Just Little Christmas coasters with my applique embroidery attachment, just something to do really. Patterns are free, the fabric I already have .

[Sue]

I know of no one in my family who is ever picky and horrid about gifts. We keep to our immediate family and a few very close friends who have always given birthday and Christmas gifts to our grand children. I love giving gifts, and often do so spontaneously. I love wrapping them. I love choosing them to match the person, I do not expect gifts, its all about giving. My little coaster designs have all been chosen to match the person . This year when hardly any of us have seen each other and will probably not do so for many many more months, I think it is more important than previously. Its not about what it costs, its about caring .

[Sue]

I think our pond is full

855598C5-2DFE-489D-B940-B8298592A3D9.jpeg

[Marilyn]

Wow. Lovely photo.
Forgive my Christmas Spirit. I simply don’t have one any more. Sad I know, and possibly it is because I have no grand children.
I seem to have always been the one who cooked for days, dished up, then washed up/dried up/cleaned up/ washed the linen and towels.
I am hoping that Christmas raises the spirits of those in high Covid areas...something to look forward to. ( but it is just another day for us). We have no desire to be invaded by guests who want to sit and be waited on.

[Stanley]

Xmas without a house full of kids is no fun..... Sorry!



Doesn't look much but making the bottom lid/Base for the cylinder.

[Marilyn]

Not just that Stanley...nowadays you have folk who are Gluten Free, don’t eat dairy or eggs and can only drink Almond Milk, and are allergic to this and that. It becomes more than the cook can cope with!
I am sick of tying myself in knots trying to please others.
Have your own Christmas I say, and we can catch up for a glass of water later. ( surely folk still drink WATER?)

[Marilyn]

( and how would most have these people who have such specific dietary needs/fads have survived the war?!)

[PanBiker]

80 years ago folk didn't have the same allergies. Many of which are self inflicted by modern lifestyle and diet.

[Marilyn]

And many of the problems are simply fads, fuelled by magazines...
We had one family member who did the total detox thing over a number of months...couldn’t eat much more than a lettuce leaf at one point. Absolutely ridiculous!

[PanBiker]

Kids don't get to eat enough muck.

[Tizer]

..nowadays you have folk who are Gluten Free, don’t eat dairy or eggs and can only drink Almond Milk, and are allergic to this and that. It becomes more than the cook can cope with!

Yes, and you even get ones who don't want their garlic! Only joking, Maz, you know what I'm like about avoiding food ingredients!

[PanBiker]

Garlic is good for you

[Sue]

My children and grandchildren have hearty normal appetites, if they don’t like what they are given which is rare, they are allowed to leave it but get no substitute unless I know there is a real problem . There is always plenty of food they do like even if they leave something. B can’t stand parsnips but Eve loves them. Eve dislikes mushrooms, so does her Mum . These are not fads, they never eat them and never have. We all have our like and dislikes . I detest porridge, it makes me heave so I never eat it or even look at it. However fads and picky is different .

Gluten allergy is genetic but so called models and stars have persuaded people its bad for you etc. Dairy problems are usually genetic too, but again people have been persuaded otherwise by the media. Its a shame they don’t persuade people to eat less sugar and salt, indeed JUST to eat less. I love cooking Christmas dinner but have not done so since the year before my Dad died, ie 2010. We keep being invited elsewhere I have also never minded clearing up after it, as often it is a peaceful occupation, though I have to say Bob always helps as did any guests we had. In 1987 Idid dinner for 19 and we also had a 3 week old baby with us . After that marathon, we bought a dishwasher .

The sun has come out. Its not forecast

[Sue]

Thanks for the comment about the photo,Maz, taken on my ipad pressed to the window in the conservatory, it was torrential out there this morning