Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Morning

What a lovely day yesterday even when the clouds appeared after lunch. We had a pleasant couple of hours with Claire before we had lunch and went to the hairdressers. We were on the road to Coventry by 3 sporting our rather short 7 week haircuts. I have never seen Bob with his hair so short, not sure I like it but at least it will be cool. Despite the rush hour traffic we arrived just after 6 and after three very busy days I slept from just leaving Rochdale till our first stop just outside Sheffield. We stayed with the family until we had eaten and seen both grand daughters. It was a swimming night so Eve got back as we arrived and Briony about 8.30. We were in our room at the Premier Inn in time to see most of the Sewing Bee semi final on BBC 1

After breakfast we are driving to the Brick Museum at Southampton, not sure what it will be like but we try to use the day of the ferry for a bit of sight seeing at places we have never been before . It promises to be another warm day. The ferry is at 8.15 but queuing and loading starts about 6. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

I've had a busy day, had a walk and a half hour on traffic duty. Got the last of my veggies from Town Square, bought two stainless steel Prestige copper bottom pans at the Hospice Shop for six quid to replace an old aluminium one I threw out yesterday. and ended up getting a salad butty from Amanda's and a dad nap!

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed at 06:00 and at some time today I shall roast my chicken....apart form that a walk and traffic duty should be on the cards because we have another summer's day forecast!
Later at 05:20..... The chicken is in the oven with its companion peppers and onions!

[Stanley]

Back in the shed this morning..... I spent the morning measuring and cutting and setting up the stock Stuart have given me for making the connecting rod. In case you wonder why it takes me so long, I find I easily make mistakes these days and I have to check everything time and time again. Slow but it seems to work! I am ready now for cutting the rod and that will be the task tomorrow. The next job this morning is breakfast!
PS. My chicken is in the oven roasting.....

[Sue]

Morning

Arrived at the house at 10.30 following a quick supermarket visit for a few essentials. It was 20 degrees when we got off the ferry at 7.30 pm. The garden is very wild, I think the daily rain prevented Yves cutting the lawn. We will soon have kt sorted and it never grows much after July. The hydrangeas look fabulous .

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[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed as usual but before that I will cut up my belly pork and put it in the slow cooker with spices to argue with itself on low all day. Then this morning I shall be cooking veggies when Mick and Susan call in to see me. I suspect that will be most of my morning dealt with!

[Sue]

Morning

It didn’t take long to get things a bit tidier. Bob cut the lawn and I did some weeding and deadheading. I filled a bucket with courgettes but only half are fit to eat. My tomato plants are vigorous but as yet no tomatoes.

Today is food shopping after I have assessed the state of the freezer, which I also want to de frost. Other wise we have no plans at the moment.

Have a good day all. Today is warm with showers

[Stanley]

That's a good report. If you are anything like us today will be a more comfortable day for doing jobs.



I made an error of judgement this morning, I decided to put some taper in the connecting rod and this meant turning it down from full stock thickness by hand using the top slide set at one degree. I got fed up with winding that bloody handle but once I had started I had to keep going. All I will say is that I am very close and will make it pretty tomorrow. This morning though I'm stopping and having my breakfast!

[Stanley]

I have just finished cooking my veggies. Always nice when I get to this point!

[Stanley]

Nothing presses in on me today, so apart from an hour in the shed the world is my oyster. The forecast says it is going to be much fresher feeling today but dry so it looks as though a walk and a sit on traffic duty is on the cards. Otherwise, just looking after myself.

[Stanley]

After yesterday's dispiriting experience I carried on making a tapered rod by hand but using a better cutter. All went well and I polished the rod and presented it to the bearing. It is ready for finishing and attaching. Then I moved on to clean and oil Mrs Harrison and make a new everyday HSS cutter. I tested it for centre by turning a face as usual, by far the best way of finding out if you have it right! Now for breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

Sunday and woke late, still catching up on our sleep. We (I) were disturbed during the night by animal noises and a gunshot, very close. Seconds later we heard a visitor in our roof but it didn’t seem to stay. Bob can’t remember anything. It was 1.30a.m. The lady across the road had her son visiting yesterday , he was cutting back vegetation near the house. We wondered if she has had a visit from the stone marten and the son had come to get rid of it and perhaps we heard her little dog attacking it. I suppose we will never know.

After a big shop yesterday Bob mended the tractor so he can cut the field and I tidied the veggie plot tying in my tomatoes and banking up the potatoes. I am not holding out much hope for either. The rain was nothing during the day but we had a short sharp shower about 7, just after we got back from having a beer with Laetitia and Yves. There is no more rain forecast for 10 days, though like the UK the forecasts in Brittany are inclined to change.

Today I will clean the master bedroom and make up the bed for Barbara and Bill. They arrive on Wednesday for a week, so whatever tidying outside I want to do I shall do before then. Today is forecast warm and cloudy. It may be warmer here but I gather the grey clouds of home are still the order of the day.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue! I hope it wasn't the return of the stone Marten! We are looking brighter here than was forecast.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed as usual doing useful things to my connecting rod.... The forecast says light rain all day but we shall see, dry up to now! I may fry my sweet potato chips later this morning but apart from that, a quiet day I think.

[Sue]

Morning Sue! I hope it wasn't the return of the stone Marten! We are looking brighter here than was forecast.

Morning

All quiet last night. Bob did use the new loft ladder to have a look and there was evidence that the stone marten had visited very recently . We think it ran into our loft to escape whatever commotion happened outside but soon left again because of the light we have on up there .

Today wea are having the boiler serviced, the man is coming anytime after 8 so I had better go and have my shower. Today will be a bit of gardening , I did some yesterday but it was incredibly warm. I was tidying the hedge between us and the neighbour and had quite a chat to our new neighbours, a young male couplé , who seem very pleasant indeed. On the big PLUS side at least one of them speaks a little English .

Must go , have a good day all

[Stanley]

That was nice about the neighbour Sue. I hope it works out well between you. Glad the Stone Marten seems to have only been visiting and I hope the boiler doesn't give any surprises.


This morning was first fitting the rod to the crank bearing then cutting the foot back to the bearing thickness and after that drilling the hole for the hinge pin in the small end. Some very peculiar measurements meant I had to use my head. I shall fit the rod tomorrow and find out if I got it right..... Now for breakfast.

[Stanley]

I shall start the day with an hour in the shed as usual and after second sleep I shall have a walk and a sit and that will include a visit to the pharmacy to pick up my meds as they seem to have got their act together with the Surgery..... I have a text message saying they are ready. This is a very welcome improvement!

[Sue]

Morning

What a day yesterday. It was warm about 23 to 24 degrees but grey all day. There was a constant dampness in the air, rather like we get in Rochdale when we sit in the clouds, but here we are too low down to sit in clouds. I had washed towels and covers from the garden furniture in the barn. After 8 hours outside they were nearly as wet as when I put them out.

In the morning I washed the garden furniture and put it out after Bob had recut the lawn as the first cut two days ago was rather shaggy. Before I did it the lady over the road shouted over and invited us for a coffee, but Bob could not go as the heating engineer had just arrived. We get on really well with her but after 20 years we still do not know her name. She keeps to herself and I don’t think anyone else in the hamlet has even been in her house let alone had a coffee. She spoke continuous rapid french for 30 minutes most of which I did not understand but I got the gist of several stories she told me. I asked her to slow down explaining I do not hear the words when she talks quickly, she misunderstood and thought I was deaf. After half an hour I made an excuse and came back home thoroughly exhausted. The engineer was just leaving with the bad news that the boiler was still faulty and he would have to order a spare part.

In the afternoon Bob finished trimming the part of the hedge I could not reach yesterday, I weeded a small flower border, which though easy in terms of what aw needed it was hard work in the humidity. It only took 30 minutes then I settled to an hour of zoom french conversation, which at this slower speed was easy to understand. Its the Haslingden class which goes online in the school holidays as the teacher has a young family. Bob went shopping, well he went to get a French Sim card for our spare phone so we have a french mobile number during the summer. I finished the day with zoom yoga and then we both donned jumpers for the evening. Despite the warmth the house was cool as there had been no sun again.

This morning is grey and warm, it was 18 overnight. We have been promised cloud with some sun during the day. All this grey all the time is like Rochdale but 10 degrees warmer . Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

Sorry to hear about the boiler not being straightforward, I hope the engineer is right and gets it back in good health. That visit to the neighbour sounds exhausting! I wonder how she would get on if you spoke nothing but English.....
You sound to be settling in and 18C at night sounds warm! Have a good day and I hope all you attempt succeeds!


This morning I started by fitting the con rod and crank bearing and testing the stroke of the piston. It is fine. The crank bearing is snug, which is how it should be of course. I oiled it and using my drill I drove the crankshaft to run the bearing in and ease it slightly. It is an easy but close fit now. Just right as it will not get any tighter over rime. It is a very good fit. Then I fitted the back lid with gasket and tightened that down. I have taken the nuts off the piston rod gland and am ready for installing the packing but as it was nearing knocking off time I thought I'd done enough and have come away for my breakfast.

[Mags]

Today I am mainly washing bedding which will not dry outside today as it is very cold and damp - well cold for us 12 degrees, waiting for a gas engineer to come and service our gas heater and working.

[Stanley]

That is cold for you! Most unusual.
I shall be in the shed at 06:00 Packing piston rod and valve glands. Once that is done I am into valve train installation and need to start thinking about getting another set of castings..... My early morning masochism is expensive! (But well worth it, it's what keeps me going.....)
The only thing I can see for the rest of the day is a walk and a sit at the end of Albert Road..... That and three hot meals will pass the day away.

[Stanley]

You might well think this is exactly the same as yesterday but if you look carefully there is a small difference, the Piston rod and valve rod glands have been packed to prevent leakage. This was a fiddle and it took me an hour. Not made any easier by the fact i had 4BA nuts on the valve rod studs when they should have been 5BA. Don't laugh until you have tried it..... Main thing is I realised and the gland is tight now. Now for breakfast.

[Sue]

Morning

The engineer spent most of the day with us yesterday and left about 3, all fixed and as we are now on a contract we only had to pay for the parts. We were very impressed with the engineer both his work and the clarity of his french. He spoke very clearly or my year of duolingo french has paid off!

This morning is food shopping, this afternoon Barbara and Bill arrive. The forecast is good, 25 degrees, sun and cloud all day, no rain. At the moment we have a morning mist more typical of mid August!

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Morning Sue, I'm glad you had a good outcome with the boiler and particularly by your experience with the language. That must be gratifying for you after the effort you have put in.
I think Bob will understand what a fiddle this morning was.....

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed at 06:00 starting work on the valve train.....
Than second sleep and after that I can't see anything getting in the way of a nice quiet day looking after myself....