Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Oh Stanley it was hot and very dry and dusty. It was not foggy like our last trip but the general appearance was shabby. Indeed we both felt that the part of the States we saw was much shabbier than previously. We absolutely loved Canada.,

[Stanley]

Yes Sue, I've been watching the drought and wildfires. There is a huge water shortage problem in the whole of California and I suppose that hasn't helped.
I have a nice little problem in the shed that will be claiming my attention before the Grand Prix! Bit like my daughter Susan puzzling over one of her knitting patterns.... I know she enjoys that as well!

[Wendyf]

Back on log work today.....I love using the splitter, it's wonderful!

[Wendyf]

Just a few photos of today's work!

The wood pile is going down....should last us another few years though!



Outdoor log store 1 was full by lunch time:



And log store 2 was starting to fill up:



The wonderful hydraulic splitter which makes life so easy!



And while I was taking photos, one of the newly re-pointed gable end which looks so much better than it did covered in cracked cement render. The stone is in better condition than we thought.

[Stanley]

Busy bee! Nothing like a good pile of logs stored dry and ready for use. That wall looks good, nothing improves a stone wall more than a good pointing when it's ready for it. Nice job......
I shall be in the shed and looking forward to a visit from the Pan and Book Fairy.....

[Sue]

Oh our log splitter is a horizontal one. They are brilliant.

[Stanley]

Col's log splitter is called Wendy.....
My log splitting kit was a big old felling axe and a set of splitting wedges for the really tough ones where the grain crossed. Good exercise but hard work!
Today I shall be getting straight in the shed and then taking a cut across the bottom of the small CI sauce pan Wendy gave me to correct the flaw in the level of the base....

[Marilyn]

The pics are lovely, Wendy.

But I am very happy to just turn the gas fire on when needed....

[Stanley]

But think how good the exercise is Maz. That's why Wendy is built like a brick outhouse but slim with it.

[Wendyf]

Steady!!

[Marilyn]

gosh you sail close to the wind, Stanley Graham!

[Wendyf]

I'm feeling a bit faint, and will spend the day reclining delicately on my couch with smelling salts..........

[PanBiker]

I'll be on a reclining couch too Wendy and then get treated to tea and biscuits courtesy of NHSBT, hopefully I won't need the smelling salts.

[Stanley]

She knows it was a compliment! (I like sailing close to the wind.... Makes life interesting!)
Building a slow stew in the new CI pot..... And solving the warped pan bottom problem.

[Marilyn]

We have been waiting for two new recliners to arrive ( from China) and we finally picked them up today. Some self assembly required ( had to put the arms on and the whole thing on their bases). Febby has had quite a workout!
I can't believe how well packed they were. I've had to sort all the packaging into piles to take to the recycling centre tomorrow and there is a lot there...though I will keep the yards and yards of bubble wrap because there is always someone needing some. Quite a bit of Chinese Dust among all the cleverly packaged layers, which found its way to the kitchen benches where I was folding the plastic bags, stacking bits of foam and rolling up the bubble wrap.
I feel slightly grubby now.
Hubby has assembled the first one and seems to have left me to do the other.
( he was a bit miffed when I helpfully pointed out he was putting the arms on wrong. Had he not studied the diagram?)

I can report there was no blood shed though....

[Stanley]

I have had my share of self-build incidents with furniture. Tell David it was all due to unclear instructions! Glad there was no need for the band aids.....
Just finished the site at 07:00. I am going to have a happy twenty minutes building the mutton stew. The stove is cleaned and fired and set at a slow burn. Ten hours on at teatime I should be able to have my first taste. If not it will be ham butties!

[Wendyf]

She knows it was a compliment! (I like sailing close to the wind.... Makes life interesting!)

[Cathy]

The affectionate banter between Stanley and Wendy reminded me of a conversation I overheard on my bus-trip this morning.
Sitting behind was an elderly man talking to who I thought was his mate.
The conversation went like this -
Mate- You need a man-bag.
Man- No I don't, my old bag has a handbag.

If you think that was bad enough, when I got up to get off the bus I looked at the man and saw that he was sat next to his Wife!!

[plaques]

Bumped into Wendy today at the Colne library. My description would have been "petite". I'm afraid Stanley if you want to go to heaven you will have to grovel a lot deeper than you have done.

[Wendyf]

What a gent!

[Stanley]

It's too late to be changing chat-up styles at this stage in the game P. She knows I love her to bits....
I am reminded of a man who, when I was making my first moves into academe said "Do you want to be known as a rough diamond Stanley?" he was right of course, there are too many of them about. I think I rounded the edges off a bit but at heart I am still an old wagon driver......

[Wendyf]

Setting up the History Society stall for the Earby "Fun Day" at the community centre then off to the Ilkley Literature Festival with a couple of friends to hear a talk on Bog Bodies by Miranda Aldhouse-Green. (Don't know who she is but she has written a book about it!)

[Marilyn]

Oooooo...wonder if that is about bodies of bog, or, bodies(!) IN the bog(!)
Oh my gosh...how interesting.
Wait for me! Just grabbing handbag and coat...

[Wendyf]

See you there Maz!

Bog Bodies Uncovered

[Marilyn]

How very interesting.

Our last bit of fencing went up today...only a narrow strip between the side fence and the house. So hopefully we can keep other people's cats out now!
Slight blood loss incurred by Febby, but he refused aid.
Now he has packed up his tools, he has lost his glasses, so the hunt is on.