Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning

Another good day in the garden, its nearly all done now for the time being. Bob put up the new trellis for the honeysuckle down by the greenhouse and I emptied the last of my pots of beetroot and cleared a few more over large perennials. I had a delivery from Suttons of their winter bedding plants and these have now been planted in the front garden.

Today I shall pickle some of the beetroot, the rest we will eat during the week. I also intend making green tomato chutney with the last of my tomatoes that are now refusing to ripen. They have done well it being three weeks today since I picked them all and brought them home. We have eaten masses and given loads away.

We have a cool couple of days in store plus rain overnight followed by a wet couple of weeks. I think gardening is definitely over and more indoor activities will be needed. Where is that jigsaw. Have a good day

[Stanley]

Big change in the weather Sue, I think you're right...... more indoor activities are in order.
However, I am now certain I am having a bit of a reaction, most likely to the flu jab. I have a slight head cold and a sore throat, both waning under attack from Paracetamol and TCP gargles! However, I shall be sensible and wait until I am clear before I go back in the shed. No rush, nobody is standing over me cracking a whip!

[Sue]

Morning

It took me all afternoon to make my green tomato chutney. I used a recipe from Bob’s Mums’s old cookery book, nice and simple, no mounds of additional spices but it ended up using all the vinegar I had bought and loads of onions and apples as it was an old recipe. There was so much I needed two pans , one being my pressure cooker , to be able to boil it down. Eventually it was in one pan but needed continuous stirring or it stuck on the bottom. By the time it was bottled and I had cleaned up it was 5.00 pm and Bob was back from the park. The beetroot will have to wait till I buy more vinegar this afternoon. We had a brew then I started making a roast pork dinner. I never got the ironing done and by 9.30 I was in bed , my restless leg syndrome was agony. I have just woken!

Today I have pilates this morning, and we need to go to the bank this afternoon. After pilates I shall drive over to my friend Wendy’s to deliver her birthday present that I forgot to give her when we went out for lunch last Friday. I think my other friend Wendy is still in hospital after her shoulder operation. I must check . Otherwise, I think it is a take it easy day.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I've had a walk and a sit but that' s cold wind. Nice to be back in the house!

[Stanley]

My flu jab reaction is calming down. I might consider a foray into the shed this morning....
Nothing in the forecast to preclude a walk and a sit later as long as I wrap up well as the weather forecast tells us that Autumn has indeed arrived!

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday went as planned, with a lovely 4 mile walk to the bank and back in the afternoon. It was sunny but a chill breeze at times. This morning I shall finally get the ironing done. This afternoon we are off to Oldham to pick up the part for Bobs car that we ordered last week and then to SCREW FIX to collect a small fan heater, that we can use in the lounge when it gets chilly and delay putting the heating on. The lounge remains cool at this time of year as it normally only gets late evening sun and there isn’t much. We have been sitting in the conservatory till after 5.00 pm as it remains warm all day but soon it will be too dark. Its pilates and yoga this evening.

Have a good day

[Stanley]

Morning Sue. My front room has that problem.... It's great when the world is suffering 40C summer weather but at this time of the year you need a skull cap and a cardigan!
In case you're wondering what happened to the shed... I set off to go in there but changed my mind and went back to bed instead. I slept for another three hours! I don't think this is Covid lassitude, more likely to be old age!

[Stanley]

I am aiming for the shed. I'll let you know later what happened....
Looks like another good day for a walk and a sit as long as you are wrapped up warm because we still have that NW wind....

[Sue]

Morning

It didn’t rain as much as expected yesterday, the shower was barely that, s few drops on the window. I think today will be the same.

This morning we are off to Burnley market to the Patisserie Channel and see our friends Jon and Maryse. We shall buy one of their lovely quiches or tarts for lunch and return the jigsaw, now completed. Whilst in Burnley I think I will browse the shops for a couple of new jumpers for winter. I had a look in Rochdale but had no money with me . In Rochdale we now have a good range of clothes shops, so if I find nothing in Burnley I can always go back, i feel in another week or so I shall be putting all my summer clothes away

This afternoon I shall pickle my beetroot now that i have bought some more vinegar, have a good day all

[Stanley]

"i feel in another week or so I shall be putting all my summer clothes away.
I think you could be right there Sue! I marvelled yesterday at the number of shorts and crop tops that were on the street while I was in cold weather gear..... (But that could be a product of age.....)
You'll have a dry day today I think, so the world is your oyster!



Feeling better this morning and so shed work is on again. The job this morning was to make the bobbins that are spacers for the elements of the two yokes for the valve rods and the feed pump plunger. They need final sizing tomorrow but essentially are ready for fitting.

[Big Kev]

Whilst in Burnley I think I will browse the shops for a couple of new jumpers for winter.

Paulette found some bargains in Bon Marche when we were in Southport at the weekend. They had some long, cowl neck, acrylic jumpers in 3 different colours for less than half price. She bought 1 of each

[Sue]

Whilst in Burnley I think I will browse the shops for a couple of new jumpers for winter.

Paulette found some bargains in Bon Marche when we were in Southport at the weekend. They had some long, cowl neck, acrylic jumpers in 3 different colours for less than half price. She bought 1 of each

I used to buy a lot from Bon Marche but the one in Rochdale has closed. Yesterday I bought a new duvet for France in Dunelm. Our winter one there is too thick , originally bought for our cottage on Anglesey. Anyway they had a basket full of sale items. I bought the last kingsize that should have been £18 normal price, 50% off making it £9. When I got to the till it was £4.50 p which was cheaper than the reel of cotton I actually went in to buy. I am off there again this afternoon looking for new bedding for France and some bath sheets for here....but only buying if very cheap

[Big Kev]

Closest one for Paulette is Keighley now the Skipton branch closed.
Do like a bargain.

[Stanley]

A duvet for less than the price of a couple of reels of cotton sounds like a bargain to me!
I shall be in the shed quietly working on my Scotch yokes. Nothing in the forecast to preclude the late morning walk and a sit.
I can predict now I think that there will be no walk and sit tomorrow. Word is that we have a big Atlantic low coming in......

[Stanley]

Everything is in the right place and it turns over showing the action of the Scotch Yokes. (I wish I could have seen that before I started!)
Some finishing touches to be made but we are getting very close to being able to set this on one side and start on something else!

[Sue]

Morning

Its looking cool out there this morning. I shall wrap up warm for art this morning. The church hall was a bit cool last week as they try and economise on fuel. This evening we are out with Wendy, Keith, Barbara and Bill at our local pub for a meal. Wendy and Keith can’t make tomorrow as they are flying to Geneva to stay with their daughter for 10 days. I shall sew this afternoon as I am making a pair of trousers.

I went to Duneim, found a duvet cover and towels, but sadly no more repeats of the bargain I had the day before. The bargain shelves were looking very empty indeed. Anyway I managed to wash and dry the bedding in the afternoon and can now put it with our stash of stuff for our next visit to France. I made my pickled beetroot, only two jars full but we shall enjoy those sometime.

Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

I'm looking at a bit of light shed activity titivating the Shand-Mason steam pump. Early doors shopping at the Co-op and then, if the forecast is accurate a day indoors as we are promised rain and I am more for nourishment than punishment!

[Sue]

Morning

U3a art this morning. This afternoon I shall finish making my trousers, I just have hand sewing and the button hole to do. Thats about it. If it is dry, which I doubt I may continue with my cutting back in the garden now the brown bin is empty again. Have a good day

[Stanley]

This morning was just titivating and tightening nuts. Two plugs made for the holes in the top steam cylinder covers. I can't find anything in the drawings for them so I just made plugs. The end result does what I intended it to, it shows the mechanism at work and particularly how the Scotch Yokes work. I shall make a stand for it now so it is stable.
I'm not sorry to see the back of this complicated little beast..... Especially as I was starting where someone had given up.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed mulling over my pump and how best to mount it.
There was no walk yesterday and according to the forecast there won't be one this morning either but we shall see,
I think I may have to spend time today helping a descendant of James Nutter to understand her roots......
Later..... it's almost 06:00 and I have just sat down after doing the last of my chores. The chicken is in the oven and my pans are washed up. I have washed a towel that was used for soaking water up yesterday and now I shall have a sit and a pot of tea before going in the shed.....

[Stanley]

I have decided that this is how I shall mount the pump, sitting in a cradle like the one used on the actual fire engines.

[Sue]

Morning

It certainly rained yesterday. It started when I was at art in the morning and was still raining when we went to bed. The wind was also strong and it looks like some of my potted geraniums are broken .After lunch I finished my hand sewing, dyed a couple of faded black jeans back to a rich black colour and spent some time sorting out my shoes. The summer ones are now back in hiding whilst boots and boring winter shoes have made their reappearance. In another weak I will put my summer clothes in a suitcase in the loft and sort out my thicker warmer ones.

Today its Bacup market then at lunchtime we are meeting my cousin Trish and my sister , Jane, at the cemetery before having a meal at the Ram in Holme in Cliviger, to raise a glass to my brother. I can’t believe its a year since Dave died, and the problems for his executors, the two Bobs , are still ongoing. I hope the rain holds off as its a long walk to the other side of the cemetery from the main road.
Have a good day all

[Sue]

I have decided that this is how I shall mount the pump, sitting in a cradle like the one used on the actual fire engines.

I like that. Bob mounted my renovated toy sewing machine on a wooden plinth. It looks good. I bough a job lot of another three toy ones from ebay last week. They cost me £15 only. Something to do on cold wet days

[Stanley]

Thanks Sue. I wasn't sure about that plinth until I sat the pump on it and it immediately made sense. Now I have to make a framework for it to sit in as it doesn't have a flat bottom......
I have just finished washing up after cooking my chicken and dealing with it. I was going to go for a walk but have decided that I need an easy day..... I know, but the prospect of doing nothing gets more and more attractive.....

[Stanley]

I shall address the mounting on the plinth. The design committee has been working on it overnight!
Nothing in the forecast to stop a walk and a sit at midday. (Yesterday I went back to bed instead but felt guilty about it!)