Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

Having a quiet day after yesterday's excitements and looking forward to a visit this afternoon from Grand daughter Jess and her bloke, Mo. I've bought him a couple of books to reinforce the lathe infection!

[hartley353]

Female rabbit returns to the vet this morning after wednesdays operation, to be checked over. Yesterdays sunshine didn't last long after I began to fish, the day was a vintage day 70 plus year old split cane rod, with an Allcocks Delmatic reel fitted, lots of small rudd and roach came to the net before the rod took on a decent bend with a 3lb perch no monsters banked but a good day if a bit cold.

[PanBiker]

Attending the launch of The "Friends of the Clarion" at Clarion House of course. This is a group that has been established to undertake the general maintenance of the building and grounds. Cakes have been baked and there will of course be lashings of tea, the fire will be roaring in the grate and Jack our historian will be giving a suitable talk on the ILP and history of the Clarion. I will post in Clarion thread later with a report.

[PanBiker]

Second training ride for the Coast to Coast. We did just short of 12 miles last week on the first assessment ride. Don't know what Mick has planned for us this week. Evening sessions will be added when it get a bit lighter at night. We need to get to a sustainable level of 60 miles on consecutive days to do the run.

Conveniently, that will be followed by Sunday lunch at Rolls Royce. Sally won lunch for two in the raffle at the quiz night we attended at Skipton Rugby Club in aid of Bosom Friends the other week.

Nice day for a bike ride if you keep moving and it should set us up nicely for our dinner. Right side of our porridge and nearly ready to get togged up.

[hartley353]

Keeping an eye on the weather, fishing tackle in the car waiting for the off. The weather is brightening at the moment, because I intend to rove the mere in search of Pike, sheltering under a brolly is not the option, and I hate freezing rain. Could that be the green light sun just peeped through.

[Stanley]

Calling in to get my tweed Crombie back from the dry cleaners and leaving the trousers of my Harris Tweed suit to have the trousers let out a bit. They're OK now but being tailor made have a good seam in them, they will be even more comfortable. I wear them with braces of course and not only that, not clip-ons but proper loops for trouser buttons. A very old-fashioned suit but lovely cloth......

[Stanley]

The Crombie is back in the wardrobe and nothing demands attention today so I shall be keeping warm, looking after my mate Jack and reading about the circumstances that led to the tragedy of Cambodia.

[Sue]

Adam went back to work last night so I spent the night at Claire's, baby dangling until 2.00 in the morning.

[Stanley]

Wear the old ones out first Sue!

[Sue]

It looks like I will be sleeping there all week.

[hartley353]

Up early to watch the F1 qualifying, then a nice English breakfast. Followed by a quiet day supervising rabbit exercise, and keeping the dogs company. Later I expect the postman to deliver a pocket watch crystal, meaning another one completed and only three to go. Mary is attending an exhibition in Manchester today, so no house work to disturb me.

[Stanley]

Bit of selected house cleaning and the usual tasks. All the washing is done, the stove fired for the day and I've used the last bag of coal so a chance for a good sweep up in the corner of the yard before I get the next delivery. That will be the last this year but worth doing I think because the price will almost certainly go up this summer. Otherwise, reading my mate Diarmid's book.

[hartley353]

Nearly two hours of watching it rain in Malaya, and now some cars appear on the track. Thank god this is an armchair sport, not often I can read the paper and watch action TV at the same time.

[Sue]

Own bed tonight after a long week

[Stanley]

And they sold you short by stealing an hour off you! I shall be getting used to it being dark till 7AM.

[hartley353]

Watching F1, whilst Mary slumbers away unaware she has lost an hour.

[hartley353]

Waiting for the postie to deliver 28-105mm f2.8 lens I found on ebay, then seeing what it will or wont do. Doesn't look like the sun will play out today, so good for a low light lens.

[hartley353]

Again waiting on the postman, first of the weekends pocket watch purchases should be due to arrive. Yesterdays lens was far better than expected, all original packaging and paper work, and looking as if it had never been used. Trial images looked promising,but maybe a little soft wide open.

[Sue]

Packing for trip to France, first one in 6 months

[Marilyn]

Six months?
HeeHee...those garden beds are going to be quite a challenge then...better pack the truss!

[Wendyf]

Have you managed to get your veggie seedlings started off ready for this trip Sue?
I'm waiting anxiously for our new (flat pack) kitchen units to be delivered this morning. They were ordered back in January when Col hoped to have made a start on the rest of the work that needs doing. We have found a place to store it all out in the barn till his health situation improves.
Once that has arrived I'll check if I'm needed in Leeds today, I seem to have been driving backwards & forwards constantly for the last few days. Mum is home from hospital and is reported to be sleeping for the first time in over a week.

[Sue]

Just planted the seeds at home Wendy, hoping they will have germinated by the time we get back. Yup Maz we are dreading what the garden will look like!

[hartley353]

Politely declining another offer of work. Rolls Royce Submarines sent me an email asking if I was interested in a vacancy, now 34 years since I served a short time contract with their marine diesel division. Thats a long time to keep me on file. Most weeks I will receive three offers of work, usualy when I have been recommended by past colleagues. For the last month the offers have been daily, maybe the economy is moving. What is apparent is that the wages aren't most of these vacancies are only offering £25.00-£30.00 an hour. Not enough to tempt me from the waterside.

[Sue]

Well we have arrived, house ok apart from dust and a few spiders. Garden rather overgrown but I have seen worse. The asparagus is shooting and the leeks that I banked up with straw are huge and delicious. I see a lot of gardening looming. The weather today was sunny and gloriously warm. It seemed strange visiting our friend Audrey with no Mike there. Remember he died suddenly before Christmas. Although 80 and in a foreign country, alone she is coping remarkably well. One of her French neighbours has adopted her as his sister and is being wonderful. His wife takes her shopping and she gets asked round for meals regularly.

[Stanley]

You've reminded me of something I found out when Janet married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony Sue. The equivalent of her Matron of Honour was a woman who had no family, by acting for Janet she became part of her family and was no longer alone. I thought it was a lovely idea.