OneGuyFromBarlick

I shall be in the shed for an hour working on my castings. After second sleep I shall very likely pop to the Co-op for a couple of items I forgot yesterday. It doesn't bug me, forgetting, because it just means I get a bit of exercise which is good for me!

This morning I moved over to a sharp 5/8" cutter and worked on the beds for the shaft bearings, spot facing the pads for the holding down bolts and making sure the horns were the correct dimensions and matching. There is a bit more to do in the morning but I needed to alter the holding down arrangements. So I cleaned up and did that. Now I want my breakfast.

Morning

Well we had our visit from the estate agent, Julie, who confirmed that the people who were going to visit wanted a detached and in the end didn’t visit anything. We discussed the number of people reviewing our property online, its about 4 a day equal french and English. We renewed our contract with the agents for a year and decided not to reduce the price for the time being. Julie reckoned there would be no more viewings until the Spring anyway and also confirmed that the market is not moving, mainly due to the dire political and financial situation here. Banks won’t give mortgages on properties that need a lot of work unless there is a guarantee that the work will be done by a professional. New legislation on energy ratings means many for sale properties need work done. Many old stone properties cannot meet the standards, so they are having to reassess the criteria or old properties will become derelict and/or people will be unable to move out of them. So the market is grid locked. Luckily ours meets the energy standards . So its a case of waiting knowing that everyone is in the same boat.

This morning Bob is mending some rails on his railway, this afternoon we are going to the fabric shops in Rennes. I am mainly shopping for Lucy so she can make her first skirt but I always like to browse.

The forecast is mainly dry and up to 19 degrees. Have a good day all

Morning Sue. I was thinking along those lines re. selling the house yesterday but decided the last thing you need is a nonagenarian shoving their oar in. And you have answered a question I had about the railway, I was wondering if Bob had dismantled it....
I have been to the Co-op in the rain for butter and oranges to go with my pork belly.
It is very Novemberish out there...

Annotating the crosses for the service personnel that we cant find this year. Quite a few, more headstones laid down, many face down which is a crime in my book and end for anyone looking for the same information or a relative.

One thing I should mention is that we found the Shires brothers this year Herbert and Wilfred, lost more times than any of the others on my list. I know why I missed them in previous years, we were looking in the wrong area convinced that it was the right section! We need a better reference method and may try What Three Words that would locate to 3 square meters. We have resolved to try this and re record all the locations if it works OK. I did notice that my Strava app lost satellite lock in the church yard though this year probably due to tree cover. Trialling it in summer when there is full leaf cover will give a definitive on that.

Stanley wrote: ↑05 Nov 2025, 09:33 Morning Sue. I was thinking along those lines re. selling the house yesterday but decided the last thing you need is a nonagenarian shoving their oar in. And you have answered a question I had about the railway, I was wondering if Bob had dismantled it....
I have been to the Co-op in the rain for butter and oranges to go with my pork belly.
It is very Novemberish out there...

No the house is advertised with railway and engine extra if wanted. We will dismantle it if we are asked to

That's a good selling point! Good luck with it.
I shall be in the shed putting the finishing touches to the bed casting and getting set up to fettle the box bed. Later I shall go to Well for my meds, they mailed me yesterday.

This morning I finished the refinements of the bed. I sharpened the normal cutter and Mounted the box bed ready for cleaning up tomorrow. Just under an hour and good work. Now for breakfast.

Morning

Where do the days go, pottering with this and that. Yesterday was no exception. I dead headed some roses in the morning and cut back a woody herb that I had forgotten to do. Bob continued mending his rail which I think is now done. Over the week we have done a 1000 piece jigsaw which we finished last night, and in the afternoon we went to the fabric places in Renne. I managed to get the fabric and colour that Lucy wanted plus the elastic and thread needed for the skirt. She has ordered the pattern online so we should be all set to start next Thursday.

We have decided to buy a new gate . The existing one is wooden and 20 years old and despite regular maintenance it no longer shuts properly and has become distorted in shape. It certainly does not have ‘ kerb appeal’ if anyone comes to look at the place. So today we are off to Vannes with the trailer to the big DIY place where they have some very nice traditional french style aluminium gates. I doubt we will get it fitted this stay but the gates may not be there at the same reasonable price in March. We are running out of days for the few things we have left to do . This afternoon I shall start to cover my potted plants to protect them over the winter.

The forecast today is dry at 17 degrees with perhaps an odd shower at noon . The temperatures start to drop from tomorrow with more rain. We can’t complain , we have had a good two werks weather, 5 degrees above average apparently. Have a good day all

"Where do the days go?"
I think that every time you go over there Sue. You've no sooner got the secateurs out than you're washing the bedding ready for return to Rochdale!
We have a mild dry morning so I am ready to go to Well for my meds as soon as they are open.... Then I think cook some buttered swede....
Have a good day.

I've had a good day. Got the next month's meds at well.Cooked my buttered swede.

I shall be in the shed first thing working on my castings..... I could very well be doing some extender cooking later, savoury Cabbage and onion springs to mind..... I do like extension cooking, cheapest meals I ever make and good nutrition.

Today's job was to finish setting the box bed up on the mill and face the top and bottom sides. Tomorrow I shall face the holding down lugs. A quiet and accurate step forward. Now for breakfast.

Morning

Well we bought our gates and are really pleased with them. They are in our garden store ready for putting on next visit. In the afternoon I cut back my geraniums and begonias in the pots and double covered them with plastic bags and straw. They usually survive the winter like that. They have given us a lovely splash of summer colour this last 10 days and it felt wrong cutting them back but it was best to do it whilst it is dry. Bob replaced the repaired piece of train track

Today we have rain forecast all day. I shall wash all the towels and dry them on the airer inside, tomorrow will be bedding ready for our departure on Sunday. I shall hoover upstairs this afternoon and do downstairs tomorrow. It doesn’t need the same deep clean as last visit as we have only used a couple of rooms and there has only been the two of us. Plus we don’t expect any viewings over the winter.

Today we are also going out to lunch, trying a Greek restaurant in La Gacilly that we have never been to before. There will then be a quick visi to the Supermarket to buy stuff to bring back home eg coffee, wine and a couple of things Julia would like. Have a good day all.

\for once we have a better forecast than you Sue. The weather is very settled and I think this could mean a very smooth crossing....
I hope you enjoy the restaurant.

Stanley wrote: ↑07 Nov 2025, 07:54 \for once we have a better forecast than you Sue. The weather is very settled and I think this could mean a very smooth crossing....
I hope you enjoy the restaurant.

Rain mid morning till 6 but dry after thst. Monday very wet indeed. Thats the day of the crossing. We shall go to St Malo on Sunday afternoon and stay in a hotel overnight. Tomorrow is due to be nice . Temperatures still at 15 plus

I shall have an hour in the shed with me castings. I'd like to say I shall have a walk later and perhaps deep fry my sweet potato chips.
I could very well be putting my belly pork, onions and orange in to cook as well.....

This morning I did the final fettling of the beds using the VM. I am ready for the finishing touches and perhaps even mounting on the temporary plinth. However, that's for tomorrow. Today I want my breakfast...

Morning

Well it certainly rained yesterday. It started as we we were eating our meal in the restaurant and continued until 5.30, when the sky cleated to a pink hue then it went dark. We got soaked going back to the car . This morning is 8 degrees and foggy but this afternoon is forecast 16 and full sun, which is good because I may get the bedding dried outside. Yesterday I had to dry the towels over the airer and used my IKEA drying pod for all the small stuff so I could get it dried and ironed.

So today is bedding change, and cleaning through downstairs apart from the kitchen which I will do tomorrow morning. Sometime during the day I want to go to a local craft fair, advertised as a fabric fair but I think it will just be a crafts. We shall pack later, and this evening we are meeting Laetitia and family at the Chineses Buffet restaurant in Redon. We were meeting at lunchtime but it is Laetias Mum’s 82 nd birthday and they are having lunch with her . That will be a nice ending to our two weeks. Back in March. Have a good day all.

I can't believe it's two weeks Sue....
I have just finished cutting my pork belly up and putting it in the slow cooker with Onions, oranges and spices. I've decided I need milk so I shall get my walk but just at the moment we have drizzle...

Stanley wrote: ↑08 Nov 2025, 08:45 I can't believe it's two weeks Sue....
I have just finished cutting my pork belly up and putting it in the slow cooker with Onions, oranges and spices. I've decided I need milk so I shall get my walk but just at the moment we have drizzle...

We left home on the Sunday morning , arrived here Tuesday morning

Decorating the bedroom. Ceiling and 3 walls painted last week then work interrupted things, yesterday was wallpaper on the 4th wall. Today was removing the old carpet and laying laminate flooring. Got a few little bits to do to completely finish the job, quadrant around the edges, trim a bit off the bottom of the door and rehang it and a wipe down of all the surfaces to clear the sawdust