Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning

Its dry here at the moment. I believe the forecast is OK. I have u3a art this morning followed by lunch at the Shepherds Rest with friends. Bob is put at the model engineers this evening and i have a zoom meeting with my university friends Jean and Sue

Have a good dayb

[Stanley]

Today was about an hour's careful milling of the steam valve. Not finished yet but we are closer to a valve.
Then we had a diversion....





The cord broke and the clothes rack fell about my ears.... A good half hour re-threading the new cord. Hopefully that will be OK for a year or two.....

[Cathy]

Can I see some LongJohns?...

[Stanley]

No Cathy, but some very comfortable M&S white boxer shorts.......

[Sue]

Oh that has happened to us. We had one in the cottage in Wales and have one in the laundry room in France. Particularly useful there as ai do a last wash when we leave and hang it all up to dry ready for our return. The rails had a habit of falling out of the frame. Bob has put nails in now to hold them in

[Stanley]

The tough polypropylene cord seems to last about three years..... This replacement might last me out!
I shall have two hours in the shed and then almost certainly a walk and bookie watch as the forecast is quite pleasant. We shall see.....

[Sue]

Morning

Ihave never had the cord break admittedly , Stanley.

This morning is Bacup market but we only want a few things to see us through the weekend. When we come back we shall get our heads in gear, pack and sort out our paperwork ready for our trip to France starting on Monday. I want to water and feed all my plants in the conservatory then they should last the two weeks. The geraniums are beginning to grow again , my chili and pepper plants never died back . After all those tasks it will be a sewing day. The lining fabric has arrived for my jacket so I can continue with my cutting out . This evening is u3a wine appreciation.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Muthomi and Jess left for Europe yesterday. Kahara and Lilly are starting travel early!



I have had a nice couple of hours on my valve and rod. More quiet progress and no errors.
On the kitchen front my chicken is cooking with an onion up its bum......

[Wendyf]

It's such a pleasant morning that I am tempted to go for a walk while Col is out shopping. This afternoon's task will be shifting 50 × 20kg bags of smokeless fuel which arrived on a pallet yesterday. I can't say I'm looking forward to that but it's the way Col likes to do things! For the last 20 years we have only burnt logs on our multifuel stove but this year we have discovered how efficiently it runs with t'other stuff, keeping the house cosy and warm all night and saving oil. I hate the dirt, the smell and the ash but if it keeps the old boy warm and happy then I can cope!

[Big Kev]

Arriving in Southampton after lunch, a bit late due to an unscheduled stop in Lisbon to drop off a medical emergency. It's a bit cooler here than it was in Cadiz a couple of days ago...

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[plaques]

It's such a pleasant morning that I am tempted to go for a walk while Col is out shopping. This afternoon's task will be shifting 50 × 20kg bags of smokeless fuel which arrived on a pallet yesterday. I can't say I'm looking forward to that but it's the way Col likes to do things! For the last 20 years we have only burnt logs on our multifuel stove but this year we have discovered how efficiently it runs with t'other stuff, keeping the house cosy and warm all night and saving oil. I hate the dirt, the smell and the ash but if it keeps the old boy warm and happy then I can cope!

Remember to carry one in each hand to maintain a proper balance and avoid straining your back with leaning to one side

[Wendyf]

It's such a pleasant morning that I am tempted to go for a walk while Col is out shopping. This afternoon's task will be shifting 50 × 20kg bags of smokeless fuel which arrived on a pallet yesterday. I can't say I'm looking forward to that but it's the way Col likes to do things! For the last 20 years we have only burnt logs on our multifuel stove but this year we have discovered how efficiently it runs with t'other stuff, keeping the house cosy and warm all night and saving oil. I hate the dirt, the smell and the ash but if it keeps the old boy warm and happy then I can cope!

Remember to carry one in each hand to maintain a proper balance and avoid straining your back with leaning to one side

Two on my head!

[Stanley]

I was thinking about you and the bags of fuel Wendy. Did you shift them?
Today I shall be aiming for the shed and after second sleep will almost certainly get a walk and a bookie watch in as the forecast isn't bad.

[Wendyf]

No! Change of plan as Col wanted a walk and he doesn't have the energy to do both. Coal shifting today instead.

[Stanley]

No need to do it all in one day! The way you eat an elephant is in small chunks.....



This was the little job this morning. Make the clevis for the valve rod. Like many of these 'little jobs', much more to them than meets the eye.

[Sue]

Morning

We didn’t walk yesterday. We bought only a few things from the market and topped up my car with petrol so it will have a full tank when we come back from France. We spent the rest of the morning sorting out stuff for France. There isn’t much for this visit now we are not allowed to take seeds and plants, meat and dairy produce, but bits of things have accumulated in the 5 months since our last trip . We never took much but it did require time for sorting and packing. We collected our paperwork together most of which is now Brexit related rather than covid such as proof of ownership of the house. No tests are needed in either direction. In france there are still requirements for masks and a vaccine pass for restaurants etc until March 14th. I spent the afternoon finishing off Tairas yoga trousers and delivered them at tea time, then tidied the sewing room up, and watered and fed all my over wintering plants in the conservatory and greenhouse as they are showing signs of growth

No walk today either. It is Erins birthday party this afternoon, though her birthday is not till Tiesday. 8 , I can’t believe it! . Its a play centre in the centre of Preston I think but grandparents are invited . I can’t see me on a bouncy castle . It will however be very nice to see Adams parents, a lovely chatty couple. No doubt it will be late afternoon when we get back . This morning I shall change our bedding and hang the sheet , pillowslips and duvet cover on the line and hope it all dries outside by the time we are back , like yesterdays washing. I did the ironing yesterday so pillow slips can wait till we get back.

This evening I have a whats app with Eve . She is low in morale at the moment, exams coming up at school and she still has fatigue from Covid. No art with Briony as she was spending the day yesterday and the night at a friends house.

Have a good day all, it promises to be nice. It snowed heavily 8 years ago and froze. It was dreadful driving to Blackburn to visit Claire at the maternity unit two days later .

[Sue]

Arriving in Southampton after lunch, a bit late due to an unscheduled stop in Lisbon to drop off a medical emergency. It's a bit cooler here than it was in Cadiz a couple of days ago...
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Hope you had a good trip. Good luck with the coal shifting Wendy. We use smokeless fuel in our wood burner but buy it one bag at a time from the local garage when we ho to Bacup market

[Stanley]

You do right to remind us Sue what it was like a year ago. This has been a very kind winter!

[Stanley]

Into the shed for a coup[le of hours, haven't decided what to do yet....
Then second sleep and a walk and bookie watch look to be on as we are promised a bright day like yesterday. Could be a cold wind.....

[Wendyf]

Another change of plan yesterday. In the storms the other week a length of guttering was ripped from the back of the house and Col decided it was a good day to replace it. This is the first time he has been up and down ladders so he was well pleased with himself at the end of the day but a little tired! He had help, not just from me! (She didn't climb the ladder, there's an easy way up over the barn roof.)

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[Sue]

Morning

What a lovely activity party Erin had . It was so nice to see 10 well behaved polite 7/8 year olds. The party started with a game of 10 pin bowls in two teams , supervised by various adults including me. They were good, even a couple of strikes. Then it was off to do a spot of laser shooting, followed by food in a private hire room. The food had bern previously ordered. It was very different from Erins last party where considerable food was left. Here large pizzas, burger and chips and milk shakes were devoured. Erin went off cake when she had covid, so for a birthday cake they all had donuts, again a real hit. The room had a karaoke system which Grandma Val organised with singalongs of children's favourites. The kids loved it. After nearly 2.5 hours they went home clutching Easter eggs as party bags. A definite success. Not a single tear in sight!

This morning we shall potter off after breakfast and rush hour. We usually get to Portsmouth late afternoon and do a spot of shopping in the outlet centre. I hope to find some new jeans at the M&S. The ferry does not leave till 8 but we board sometime between 6.30 and 7.30 pm and arrive in St Malo at 7.30 am. We should be at the house by about 10.15am although we usually call at the supermarket on the way in to buy food for lunch and tea. We can never remember what we have in the freezer!

I think a pleasant day is forecast so have a good day all

[Sue]

Another change of plan yesterday. In the storms the other week a length of guttering was ripped from the back of the house and Col decided it was a good day to replace it. This is the first time he has been up and down ladders so he was well pleased with himself at the end of the day but a little tired! He had help, not just from me! (She didn't climb the ladder, there's an easy way up over the barn roof.)


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Thats hood. We had guttering and eaves boards down which Bob also replaced this week. I love the cat sat there above the ladder. Probably thinking ‘why do you need that ‘

[Wendyf]

Hope you have a pleasant journey Sue and an enjoyable stay in France. No point suggesting that you have a restful holiday!

[Big Kev]

Safe journey Sue. Enjoy your break.

[Stanley]

"No point suggesting that you have a restful holiday"
I had to smile at that, bit like telling Col not to go up that ladder.... (Tell him I say he thinks he is going to live forever....)



Fiddly work on my crosshead guides after I had a diversion and fettled a fly cutter. I know exactly where I am starting tomorrow....