OneGuyFromBarlick

I really enjoy watching Portrait Artist of the Year but I recorded it last night to watch the new Repair Shop, will catch up this evening. So pleased that Sky Arts is now free to view.

It was good, Wendy, some interesting sitters , and some good portraits

At the moment my aim is simply some more holes drilled and tapped in the right place!

Morning

Late again, darker mornings encourage longer sleeps , I do like my 8 hours. It was quite a nice day yesterday so we did manage a walk. Not too long, just a 3 mile circuit down to the post office and back home along Woodland road through Turners. I did some washing, and that nearly dried outside. I tend to wash frequent small loads in the winter as it is easier to deal with if I can’t dry things outside. I did a little sewing and spent some time cleaning the bottom of the iron I use for sewing, it was in a bad way. I also spent rather a long time chatting online to a relative in the States. She was filling her day relaxing as she was having a medical procedure later in the day and she had been told not to rest beforehand .

Today is dance exercise, then I shall shower. Joanne will be coming later so we intend taking a sandwich up to Owd Betts for lunch and then possibly doing a walk up there, so that we are not in the house with her. Other than that I have no plans, but I do have a few ideas of things I want to do, but I shall just see how I feel after the walk.

Have a good day , think positive, keep busy, stay cheerful .

These six screws fitted are the sum of two hours this morning. I got them dead right first time..... That's a nice morning, I hope the rest of you have the same.
(No jamming up in the sewing machine today Sue!)

Stanley wrote: ↑13 Nov 2020, 08:43

These six screws fitted are the sum of two hours this morning. I got them dead right first time..... That's a nice morning, I hope the rest of you have the same.
(No jamming up in the sewing machine today Sue!)

It did it again yesterday Stanley, i have one more coaster to make and then I think a service might be called for after lockdown. The machine has been well used since March and it was lass serviced 18 months ago . I do get my use out of it though. I may upgrade. I usually buy reconditioned 1 year old from my usual supplier, Keith. That way I can get a super duper machine for half price or less. It depends what the upgrade will do, and wether the embroidery bit will be easier or the same . My sewing teacher has a Janome machine, mine is a Brother. I love Janome smooth and quiet, but Keith only sells Brother. I shall have a serious think

Get the best one Sue. Perhaps your Keith needs educating!



Today I shall be addressing the fitting of the valve/steam chest. Then a pedicure by Susan and then second sleep. That'll make a nice start! (Turkish Grand Prix qualifying as well this evening....)

Morning

Keith is very very good indeed, Stanley. My machine just needs a service and in fact was a very expensive top of the range machine that I bought 5 years ago for a song. I did some research last night and find that in my price range all I would get is a newer model of the same but with a colour display on the monitor rather than black and white and perhaps a few extra stitches that I would probably never use as I do very little, if any, quilting. So I will stick with what I have. I have known Keith and his wife Angela since they had a little shop in Rochdale selling Brother knitting machines about 40 tears ago. He retrained as a service engineer and she did lessons. They moved to Oswaldtwistle Mills and started selling sewing machines as well . They are most obliging, and an honest hard working couple. When I bought my current machine, the after sales help was brilliant including a couple of free 1 hour tuitions. The positives far out weigh the negatives of the machine being a Brother rather than a Janome.

Today is a grey damp day and I think will continue so. Yesterday was chilly but dry and sunny and certainly warranted a walk in the afternoon. We were out a couple of hours up on Scout Moor. We investigated a couple of paths we had not been on before but they just disappeared into the vegetation. From high up on the hill you could make out the. paths, but not how to get to them. We saw one couple who seemed to be coming from where we wanted to be. When we met we hd a socially distanced chat and map sharing. They said the path was difficult to find and pointed us in the right direction, but we were unsure and decided to head back up the hill towards the windmills, where there are many routes back down. The paths were all very wet indeed and sometimes it was difficult to avoid the muddy puddles , as my right foot can confirm , as it sank deep into the mud and bog. That was the main reason we did not want to continue downwards on the route we were on. The views by the windmills were stunning and definitely skies of contrast. Sunny over Rochdale, black skies over Rossendale

Once home, my washing had dried, and there was just time for a brew before it was too chilly to sit in the conservatory. I then completed my 5 th Archaeology assessment , and that was my day. Today is Bacup market, some more washing and then the ironing. I may then tackle this months art project which is simply AUTUMN. I may paint from one of the photos I took yesterday , A WALK IN AUTUMN . The U3A art group is trying Zoom later this month. This will be a new venture.

Must get up and off to Bacup. Have a good day, think positive, keep busy, stay cheerful

I noticed yesterday Sue that the Marshall's Flags that are being used in the Square and elsewhere are from their Scout Moor Quarry.
I've just been out in the shed. Must have a walk, post and get ready for Susan who is coming to do my feet.

Had a Face-time call from son tonight just after evening meal. How wonderful these face to face calls are. It is like they are sat in front of you chatting....marvellous. I could see he was well. He was laid out on the couch as usual as he was not working today.

I am half way to fitting the studs for the valve chest.

Marilyn wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 08:04 Had a Face-time call from son tonight just after evening meal. How wonderful these face to face calls are. It is like they are sat in front of you chatting....marvellous. I could see he was well. He was laid out on the couch as usual as he was not working today.

I agree, I whats app video Eve and Briony every weekend for a good long chat. We share a virtual kiss by hugging the phone ,I think they must plant a kiss on the screen, .Its a pretty good substitute for the real thing , whilst the real thing is just not possible

A few of my photos from yesterday, just taken on my phone

I had a double treat. As Susan did my feet we face-timed with Margaret in Perth. Talked to her, Mick and Katie as Susan tortured me (my feet are incredibly sensitive!). Mind you, it's worth it. My feet are singing as I write this.
Unusually, they are having a lot of rain in Perth.

Lovely Stanley, I look forward to my proper pedicure when this is all over.
So I have just finished my last coaster, 25 in all , thats about 45 hours of work. Now to clean my machine. These are all padded so there is a lot of fluff and scraps of thread around. All the mats are reversible unless they have words on them .

Gosh!...Hard to pick a favourite!

Marilyn wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 20:19 Gosh!...Hard to pick a favourite!

I think I like the snowman. The wine glass was the most difficult. Each is covered with clear vinyl so it looks like a glass, my own modification. They took 2 hours each as at each stage you have to trim bits off and change the bobbin colour. It takes 40 minutes to do the final fancy edging and if you stop watching I swear the machine knows and goes wrong

Sue wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 14:27 Lovely Stanley, I look forward to my proper pedicure when this is all over.

37389E5E-83DE-456C-9428-094FF945205F.jpeg

So I have just finished my last coaster, 25 in all , thats about 45 hours of work. Now to clean my machine. These are all padded so there is a lot of fluff and scraps of thread around. All the mats are reversible unless they have words on them .

They look really good, a skill that's way above my pay grade.

Susan is good Sue, but of course so she should be, it's part of her profession! Mind you she takes me to the brink, my feet are sooooooo sensitive!! Margaret's are as well, so she enjoyed seeing me squirm in the rocking chair!
I shall be making quiet progress with the beam engine cylinder. I made a small mistake yesterday but I can cope with that.

Morning

It was very cold and wet in Bacup, yesterday morning, in fact the whole town was sitting in the cloud. Thus the market was nearly empty, including us there were three other people. We bought our fresh produce but I also bought three trays of plants for £5, winter pansies and primulas. As we drove home the sky cleared a bit so later I was able to put the primulas in the front garden and the pansies in a tub in the back where we can see them from the conservatory. I finished the weeks washing and ironing, I am not sure how two people can generate so much in a week. In the afternoon I finished my coasters, and then cleaned my machine. There was fluff from the wadding in the coasters and bits of fine thread everywhere.

Today I will change and wash the bedding, then I think it will be an art day, tackling the theme Autumn. A sheet pf paper painted grey may represent it well. I doubt we will be walking as I think the forecast is rain. Its yoga at 10.30 am, then a nice soak in the bath, followed by a pedicure and manucure.

Thats it,thats my day, enjoy yours and don’t forget, think positive , keep busy and stay cheerful. We are 11 days in to lockdown and the numbers are falling, although round here they have a long way to go

Quietly away I've been collecting leaves and cutting back the plants that are dying and making the place look untidy. Now I reached the point where the compost bins, actually man-size purpose built storage units, are full. The option now is to empty a couple and spread the compost soil out round the garden. That's nearly 2 ton of soil. Its raining. Bugger it.

That's the spirit Ken! Not fit weather to be doing manual labour. How is SWAMBO on getting a man in to do the toil?
I never got in the shed, I've spent the morning washing and cooking..... I do not feel guilty!

Big Kev wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 20:39

Sue wrote: ↑14 Nov 2020, 14:27 Lovely Stanley, I look forward to my proper pedicure when this is all over.

37389E5E-83DE-456C-9428-094FF945205F.jpeg

So I have just finished my last coaster, 25 in all , thats about 45 hours of work. Now to clean my machine. These are all padded so there is a lot of fluff and scraps of thread around. All the mats are reversible unless they have words on them .

They look really good, a skill that's way above my pay grade.

Thanks Kev, I am sure there are lots of things you do that I couldn’t even try

Since we’ve had this COVID problem, I have been getting back into my family tree more and more. The wonderful thing about doing this when you get older is you forget what you’ve already discovered, get quite excited about a find, only to double check and find it’s already been booked down.
Today I knocked down a bit of a wall, not 100% about it as yet, but I do know I’ve never seen the other side of this one before.

It can get addictive Gloria.... Be careful!
Susan was going to bring Kahara over for a trot on the Green but I told her not to, all he'll see is a hood and a face mask. I am not deprived and neither is he, better to wait until we are a bit nearer normal I think.
I missed the shed yesterday because of cooking. That won't happen today, the cooking I shall be doing is long and slow and looks after itself!