Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I think you might get away with it Sue, it looks as though we are going to slip into broken milder weather. I hope so....



Only one image again. I have finish turned one side of the shaft. I shall reverse it and do the other side tomorrow.
Quietly forward.....

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed working on my crankshaft. After breakfast and second sleep I have some small domestic matters to attend to and might even consider a walk today. I shall take a view later in the day.

[Stanley]

Only one pic needed. I turned the other end of the shaft down to finished dimensions. I shall finish it off, polish it and clean the lathe tomorrow. This was a good hour in the shed....

[Sue]

Morning

Well we got to Harrogate, where the worst of the snow appeared to be apart from here. We stayed till early afternoon and were back home by 2.45 pm, Bob having done his duty. I think he felt he let them down on Friday . Back home there were lots of little jobs to do and I quite forgot it was also u3a wine appreciation in the evening. I have just put the tumble drier on with the small load I washed overnight. I hate to leave washing when we are going away.

So no rush this morning, we are due in Coventry by lunchtime and staying till about 7.00pm. , then we are driving to Oxford to stay overnight. Tomorrow ww are spending the day in Winchester then the ferry tomorrow night. We shall be away for two weeks. Lots to do over there. Freshen the house up after being closed up for 4 wet months , a bit of decorating and hopefully a chance to get in the fresh air and tidy the garden a little. I may plant some potatoes .I Know it is early but we have to time these things with our visits. There is an outside chance we may get stuck over there as there are continuous random strikes in protest over amongst other things the raising of pension age ….62 to 64. . We are taking extra medication with us just in case.

The snow has practically all gone here, despite a dull day yesterday. It was very sunny in Harrogate but grey and dreary here. A few short sleet showers are forecast over the next few days. In France it will be 14-15degrees with rain in the evenings. The church Easter Fair was postponed for a week as access up Gandy Lane to the Church hall was impassable by foot or car.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I hope you have a nice trouble free trip Sue. Tuesday and Wednesday could be a bit chilly but apart from that there is a definite feel of the weather softening. For instance a heavy fall of snow like the one we have just had retreating so fast.
I might have wintered once again! It's a miracle and I am very grateful for it....

[Gloria]

Today we are busy doing very little. We are in Sopers Hole, a very pretty but small village in West Indies, lots of fancy yachts and houses. It was devastated by hurricane in 2017 so everything is quite new.

[Stanley]

Soper's Hole.... couldn't resist a look up on Tinternetwebthingy....
"We are happy to announce that Pusser’s Landing Soper’s Hole, West End is NEWLY RENOVATED and is now OPEN!! After checking in at the CUSTOMS HOUSE, and anchored your rig (or yacht) in the calm bay that used to shield the pirate, Capt. Morgan, from the authorities . . . The first stop will be Pusser’s WEST END for a famous Pusser’s exclusive wood distilled rum and coke, or the famous Pusser’s® Painkiller™ cocktail. Then a curiosity wander into the company store to see what’s new! AND as usual . . . It’s all new…and only available there or on the Web. Designed in-house, so it can only be found at Pusser’s. You’ll probably walk out with a wardrobe that wakes up your closet, and is a constant reminder of the best in life!"
Sounds like life on a different scale than here Gloria. Enjoy it while you can!
As for my day..... I shall be in the shed for an hour before breakfast tidying up and putting the finishing touches to my crankshaft. Then a lazy day enjoying the mild weather. I shan't be having a walk if the forecast is correct, it gives wind and rain all day!
(I hope Gloria has a better day..... )

[Stanley]

This morning was housekeeping. I put the finishing touches to the shaft and polished it. Then I cleaned up all the swarf and chips from the shaft turning including the floor. I've put the other half completed shaft away with the engine parts and if I ever make another Number 9 engine I can get it out and have a flying start. The last job was to knock the 7/16" button out of the throat of the shaft and put it on the kitchen table where it becomes an ornament until needed.

[Sue]

Morning

Good day yesterday. We arrived at 11.40 after a reasonable journey. After lunch Briony and I went for a long walk in the local woods, pleasant but rather muddy in places. It poured with rain on our drive down to Oxford but this morning is dry and very windy, which unfortunately is also the forecast for the crossing this evening. We are booked in for breakfast at 8.00 and will then drive down to the Park and Ride at Winchester where we will spend our day. Genealogically that is the ancestral area of the Hayters and we have previously spent some time in the Records Office doing research but its many a long year since we visited this ancient city. Hope it stays dry so we can appreciate it.

Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

Glad you had a good trip down Sue. Hard luck about the crossing, it looks as though it could be stormy. I shall be thinking about you. (Not that that will help much.....)

[Sue]

We are being diverted from St Malo to Roscoff due to the strikes atSt Malo. Same times but probably rougher AND a three amd a half hour drive to the house instead of one and a quarter. We shall just sit back and enjoy the countryside

[Stanley]

I woke thinking about you being tossed about on the sea Sue..... Hope it wasn't too bad.
I shall be in the clean shed and after putting a clean table cloth on I might get into new engine building with a bit fo flywheel turning.....
Not sure about later, the forecast gives snow and ice around noon and forward into the evening. I can always stay inside in the warm! I have nothing pressing me to go out.

[Stanley]

This morning I tidied the bench, oiled the surface plate and put a clean tablecloth out. Then I started turning the flywheel. A nice bit of mucky cast iron turning. I shall finish the initial turning tomorrow.

[Sue]

Morning

Sunny here and warm . What a dreadful crossing, the worst ever . We were rolling and banging against the waves and Bob was sick all night I rolled own 4 flights of stairs to the cafe at 6.30 for fruit juice and croissants. We have just eaten them as we waited over an hour to disembark and go through customs. It will be early afternoon when we get to the house.

Have a good day

[Stanley]

Poor Bob! I've never been seasick but they tell me it's bad...... I hope you have a decent journey apart from that.
I shall be in the shed doing useful things to castings. I see from the forecast that later today we go into a spell of very wet and windy weather so I shall go out later this morning, post my letter and do a bit of light veggie shopping in the Town Square. At least today will be dry!

[Sue]

Poor Bob! I've never been seasick but they tell me it's bad...... I hope you have a decent journey apart from that.
I shall be in the shed doing useful things to castings. I see from the forecast that later today we go into a spell of very wet and windy weather so I shall go out later this morning, post my letter and do a bit of light veggie shopping in the Town Square. At least today will be dry!

Morning

Bob is ok today, he ate little during the day yesterday and I made a very light tea. The first time we realised he suffered from sea sickness was when we went to Guernsey when I was expecting Julia. Although I had morning sickness I was fine but Bob was really sick. The ferries were much smaller then and we felt every slight swell. This trip we were on the top deck, not a good place to be in rough seas. We both feel better after 9 + hours sleep last night

Today is looking promising. We need to asses how much food we have in the freezer and do a shop but other than that we have not decided what we shall do today. I swept up the leaves yesterday afternoon and there is a bit of weeding to do but otherwise the garden is not too bad. We could really do with getting on with the decorating. .

I have woken with hay fever. Its the time of year for me. Its tree pollen that gets me. My head feels thick and my chest tight. I may be better decorating than gardening.

Have a Good day all

[Stanley]

Glad you are there and recovering Sue. Then after all that hay fever! It's a bugger, there's always sommat.
I have been in the shed for an hour and got the flywheel to a point where it can be painted. Now for breakfast.....

[Sue]

Hmmmm, just thought it may be a cold. Briony had a cold on Sunday. Luckily we have remedies for both here.

[Stanley]

As long as they aren't Covonia or Night Nurse! Have you seen that these and some other over the counter remedies have been withdrawn because they are dangerous?
I shall be in the shed as usual for an hour. Normally I would be doing light veggie shopping in the Town Square but I did it yesterday because of the wet forecast for today. I like exercise but not getting wet! It could be a big reading day today.....

[Sue]

As long as they aren't Covonia or Night Nurse! Have you seen that these and some other over the counter remedies have been withdrawn because they are dangerous?
I shall be in the shed as usual for an hour. Normally I would be doing light veggie shopping in the Town Square but I did it yesterday because of the wet forecast for today. I like exercise but not getting wet! It could be a big reading day today.....

Morning

Yes it is a cold, yes I had read the news and no the remedies we have here are not the taboo ones. The fresh air will help. After doing the washing from our travels and the shopping we set too on the fallen branch of the Mimosa tree….storm damage some weeks ago. In fact it is not a branch but the tee split into two at its base. After about 6 hours work we were getting somewhere, Bob using the chain saw and me cutting up the branches and sorting into piles of logs, twigs and waste. We discovered last night that the twigs ans waste are superb for starting the fire in our log burner. A lot of the tree was embedded in the hedge and took some moving. Today will be more of the same as we need to move it so we can cut the lawn. I tidied up the shape of the rest of the tree which feels pretty secure and apart from the hole at the bottom you would never know it had happened.

Have a good day all

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[Stanley]

Looks as though you made a tidy job Sue and yes, you're right. Someone like me who didn't know the garden well wouldn't know anything had happened.



Most of this morning was spent on fettling castings. Lots of grinding and filing. Then I set up the base casting on the VM ready for milling it and the bed casting tomorrow. A good hour and a quarter with no mistakes......

[Stanley]

I'll be in the shed for an hour working on the castings and then at 07:00 out to the Cathedral of Choice for early doors weekly shop. With a bit of luck I shall be cooking veggies at dinnertime. (That's if the Co-op have what I want...... This is by no means a certainty these days!)

[Sue]

Morning

It was a lovely Spring day yesterday with sun and temperatures up to 17 degrees, back to normal today, dull and cloudy. We did however get the tree cleared and the lawns cut as well as a little pruning on the ornamental cherry tree. This morning I shall tidy up my climbing roses which seem to have carried on growing vigorously since their autumn prune in October. We are also expecting some visitors later in the morning. Its a couple who used to do some hedge trimming for us pre COVID . They are now retiring and are returning our key . They won’t stay long. After lunch I think a trip to the DIY. Store is on the cards or a bit of decorating.

Have a good day all

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[Stanley]

It looks as though you have got a good start on the maintenance jobs Sue. Wonderful what a bit of sun and decent weather can do. I wish you another good day today.
I've had a good start to the day..... I have had an hour in the shed working on my castings and then done the early doors shopping and put it away. Ready for breakfast now and the bed casting is ready for milling the face of the target end. The base is done top and bottom. Nice. good progress and no mistakes...... Just one pic....

[Stanley]

Well, I wasn't intending to but I have been for a walk into Town Square for one or two bits of shopping I needed. (Would you believe £16?) Now for a short sit and then veggie cooking.....