Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday was a mixed day weatherwise. Bob wanted to finish the loft ladder and it is all now in place, only the hatch needs painting. I went up the ladder and all seemed calm and smell free up there. We have had no visitor for a couple of nights so to discourage them we tossed a few mothballs around. I decided to continus with the decorating upgrade and painted a couple of door frames and one door, more to be done today. We took time out to visit the pharmacist to get some strong antihistamine cream as my insect bites are pretty horrendous.

The forecast is better again today. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Watch those bites Sue, In my experience they can become infected so easily..... I'm glad the lodgers are quiet or even absent!



This morning the task was to drill, tap and fit the studs and CS screws in the cylinder and fit the lid. Quiet careful work and I have achieved that. Tomorrow I shall transfer the stud positions to the target end of the bed making sure the valve face is perpendicular to the base. But now the goal is breakfast!

[Stanley]

Shed at 06:00 to do useful things. Nothing else on the agenda and unless it suddenly changes I shall be staying in the house and keeping warm!

[Sue]

Morning

Yes the bites are bad Stanley, not infected but very itchy indeed. I think some of them are on top of a skin rash allergy to some of the tree sap from the branches I was cutting. I am getting little relief from the cream despite it having hydrocortisone in it so I doubled my hay fever medication too for a couple of days but cannot safely do it again today. Paracetomol helps but we are running out and its not easy to get here. I am just hoping that today, day 3-4 they will start to calm done.

We were going out for the day today but have decided to leave it a day while the drowsiness wears off from increasing the antihistamines, also the front door lock has seriously broken again so Bob needs to work miracles on it. I shall carry on with my decoration upgrading and whatever takes my fancy.

The forecast is good, I shall cover my arms if I potter in the garden. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I hope your arms calm down Sue. Long sleeves will be the order of the day in future I suspect!
Best of luck to Bob with the lock.



This morning's task was to fit the cylinder to the target face and ensure the valve face is perpendicular to the base. Once that was accomplished I sought out a piece of bronze big enough to make a piston. I never fit cast iron pistons these days because I am conscious that they can rust and seize in the bore if the engine is run on compressed air and moisture left in the cylinder. Much less chance of any problem if the piston is bronze. Now for breakfast!

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed from 06:00 working on my engine. Nothing pressing on the agenda after that so a quiet day keeping warm!

[Sue]

Morning

The bites on my arms are beginning to fade though are still very itchy at times. The cream I bought at the pharmacist is nearly all gone it will be a battle to see which disappears first, bites or cream.

Bob phoned our builder friend Paul first thing about the door issue so he offered to go the local builders merchant to see if he could buy the right locking system. He and Joanne spontaneously popped round about 6.30 with piece in hand. Bob will try and fit it tomorrow as today is definitely a day out after a very busy day decorating and gardening yesterday. I managed to plant some potatoes but being too late to buy any I bought a bag of bio potatoes which were on offer at the supermarket because they were sprouting. The soil in the veggie plot was rock hard so I had to water it first before I could dig it (arms covered by the way) . In the house I tackled painting the bathroom door frame and one side of the door. I finished painting the second side of the master bedroom door and Bob has finished painting the loft ladder hatch . The house smells strongly of white gloss paint, definitely a day to go out.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

That sounds like a better day Sue. Glad the bites are improving, they can be a bit of a bugger if they persist, they go septic too easily!



This morning I made the piston and drilled for fitting the piston rod. I threaded that hole 2BA and then moved on to make the rod. I cut it to length, reduced one end and threaded that 2BA. I fitted it to the piston and started the process of fitting the rod and piston in the cylinder. I finished my hour in the shed at that point and now it's time for breakfast!

[Sue]

Ah change of plan, rain for the next two days starting early this afternoon. It’s coming in from the west and hitting all the places we planned on going, so today will be decorating in the small toilet upstairs while Bob changes the door lock with fingers crossed. This will be the last of my decorating after I have done the doors, and we are feeling rather pleased with ourselves. We couldn’t even contemplate putting it on the market till these decorating tasks are done. Not that we are rushing in to it but taking advantage of the time at the moment. That leaves three bedroom doors and door frames to do some other time.

Next job junk sorting out. Yesterday we noticed our tip has reopened after its extensive renovations over the last year. Now its card entry only. It seems that they are trying to make it more difficult to recycle. We also have a charity recycling centre Emaüs , we don’t have any charity shops. I hope to take a load on Saturday but that may be postponed if we go out

[Big Kev]

... washing the car. I know it might rain later but I can't see out the windows when the sun shines on them

[Stanley]

It's never ending Sue! Yes, we are having a wet windy spell here as well. Not Flaming June. Kev's car windows will soon be dirty again!
I shall be roasting my chicken today so it will go into the oven before I go in the shed at 06:00. After I have dealt with it later after second sleep I shall go to Town Square (in the rain!) for veggie shopping. It's that time of the week again.

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday was very cool and windy but the rain didn’t start till 4.00, stopping about midnight. Today is still cool with most of the rain around lunchtime. We have a few jobs to do, such as putting a painted door back on, painting two others and generally tidying up after completing the decorating in the bathroom and toilet yesterday. I emulsioned the walls in the toilet using a brush rather than a roller. It was very satisfying and easier in such a confined space. It used less paint and was easier to clean up afterwards. I am impressed with the finish. I wouldn’t like to do a large room though. This afternoon we are going to see Roland, we won’t stay long as at 93 he gets tired very easily.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I know about getting tired quickly Sue. I'm impressed by the fact that Roland is still functioning. Are you going to have a day off today?



First thing this morning I Threaded the front end of the piston rod 2BA for the crosshead connection. Then I refined and adjusted the piston and the fit in the piston rod gland until it was a perfect fit in the bore and properly aligned with the crosshead guide.
Then I stripped the cylinder out of the bed and measured and marked it for the 4BA studs that will attach the back lid. My start tomorrow will be to tap these holes. Right now I want my breakfast.

[Stanley]

Later.... I have dealt with my chicken and washed the roasting tin. It is soaking now to get rid of the black staining. I shall leave it in soak and go to bed for second sleep. Veggie shopping when I resurface!

[Stanley]

I am back up. My roasting tin is clean and dry and I am ready to go veggie shopping as soon as I have had a hot drink.

[Sue]

No need to rest, its a rest just being here, our rests with a brew, beer or meal are long sat in the garden hopefully, taking in the tranquility and watching the birds

[Stanley]

I have been into the Square for the rest of my veggies. No Chinese carrots this week, pity, last week's tasted like home grown. I've had a salad butty for lunch with a boiled egg on the side....

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed doing useful things to my castings. At the moment I am refining and fitting the back cylinder lid. I thought I might be cooking veggies later but that is now postponed until tomorrow.......

[Stanley]

This morning I threaded the holes already drilled in the cylinder casting. Than I fitted the studs to check my work. Once that was done I moved over to refining the lid casting and fitting it to the cylinder. Much of the turning done using friction hold only and that meant that it took half an hour overtime to get to the stage I was aiming for, ready for marking and drilling for the studs. Now for breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

Had trouble getting in this morning but it may have been the connection we are only using mobile data, having got rid of the phone and wifi during covid when we weren’t here. Anyway here now.

It did rain yesterday on and off and it was cold but apart from painting doors I did a bit of gardening. It looks like our day out is not going to happen as we are forecast rain every day but today until we come home. Today is cool and windy so I have changed our bedding as being the last chance I have before our return.

We went to see Roland yesterday. He is bedridden and in a bad way. About two weeks ago he fell whilst using his zimmer frame on wheels. He has broken his hip and damaged his knee. He was in hospital for ten days but is back at the home, but he must now stay in bed for 3 months. I just have a feeling he won’t get through this. He looked like a skeleton. He was however ´énormément’ delighted to see us. We went over with Nicole and another friend Michel who was helping Nicole who has also fallen and damaged her knee They helped to keep the conversation flowing. It was sad to see him as we remember him as a sprightly 75 year old when we bought the place, he was 94 last March.

This morning is a trip to the charity warehouse Emaüs to get rid of clothes, jigsaws and some knick knacks, then the two of us are pruning back the wisteria which is taking over. We shall also try and book Sunday lunch at our favourite crêperie

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Sorry to hear of Roland's problems. Old age is a bugger! Your weather doesn't look much better than ours, its cold and wet potentially. Even the wedding in Bath is looking threatened.
I'm late this morning, got carried away in the shed. Off to bed now for second sleep.
Have a good day and no falling over!

[Stanley]

I have been to the Post Office to collect some money owing to me and on the way back called in at the Co-op to get some full cream milk for my coffee. The heavy rain stopped as I was walking back from the C-op.....

[Stanley]

Today I shall be in the shed as usual, then breakfast and second sleep followed by a morning of cooking veggies.

[Sue]

Morning

Yesterday we had no rain forecast so thought I would change the bedding and even washed the quilted throw bedspread. No rain! It rained on and off quite heavily all day till about 5.00 pm and again during the night, despite even the radar map showing no rain. It was a very cold breeze too. The washing was eventually brought in and draped over every surface that was not near drying paint. We did manage to get the wisteria cut, taking several hours to clear the cuttings and walk them to the bottom of the orchard. According to my watch I did a total of 3.5 miles walking there and back. We reckon it is about 250 yards the round trip. Hopefully the wisteria will have regrown nicely for our next trip in July till September.

IMG_1686.jpeg

it was like this but leaves not flowers. It was reduced to this

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This morning the bathroom door will be dry enough to rehang, and the toilet door can be flipped over and paint the other side. Then its off to lunch and an afternoon stroll . Its due to be dry and warmer today, then its three days of rain before the next batch of warm days at the end of the week. We will be back home

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Sounds like good progress despite the weather Sue. We are entering possibly warmer weather here4, should be nicely established by the time you get back. At the moment it's still heating season here!



Using the paper gasket I marked the lid for the 4BA clearance holes and drilled it. Then I fitted it to the cylinder and out witness marks on the periphery of the lid and on the cylinder casting to show the correct orientation. Next, again using the paper gasket, I marked the lid for the clearance holes for the 4BA studs that will fasten it down. Once those holes were marked I drilled them and then used the lid with a transfer punch as a template for marking the cylinder for drilling the holes for the studs tapping size, No. 32 drill. I am ready now to tap for those studs but that's for tomorrow. I have done a good 45 minutes this morning, made nice progress and have earned my breakfast!