Today I shall be Mainly...

[PanBiker]

Thinking about getting my bike out for a once over. It needs it's tyres pumping and maybe a light oiling. Tentatively thinking of a steady 10 miler to test how my shoulder will cope.

[Stanley]

Don't upset your shoulder using the cycle pump!

[Wendyf]

In Colne library this morning, hoping someone comes in needing help with their family history.
Sue's talk last night was excellent and we had a good turnout.

[Sue]

Thank you Wendy and fancy you knowing my cousin through the library

[PanBiker]

Don't upset your shoulder using the cycle pump!

Foot pump Stanley, easier to get the 45psi in with that. It didn't happen anyway, sidetracked to a Skipton run for one or two jobs, best laid plans and all that.

[PanBiker]

Today I have mainly been washing things. Our car was long overdue so I reinstalled the outside hose for the yard and set to and gave it a good once over with bucket, sponge and hose.

As I had the gear out I thought it a good idea to do what I intended yesterday for my bike. I got the tyres up to pressure then brought it round the back and gave it a good clean and wipe down. I noticed the back brake cable had lost its ferule that keeps the cable tidy on the end after its clamped in the brake puller. I have some end to end crimp connectors, blue as it turns out which is the same colour as my bike. The cable end was starting to fray so I re twisted it before inserting into the termination and crimping up. My bike is good to go now whenever the mood takes me.

My shoulder held up throughout all the cleaning ops today and I made a point of using that arm so I am quite pleased, it was good exercise for it.

[Stanley]

I'm better if I am active Ian.... good for you!
I shall have to get my funeral clobber out today and have an inspection. Billy Parson's funeral tomorrow. I think there will be a full congregation..... Susan is giving me a lift down to Gill at 12:15 tomorrow.....

[PanBiker]

You have already realised this Stanley but just for the record:

Karen wrote in the obit thread

"Billy Parsons Funeral. Grandads funeral will be held at Bracewell Church on Friday 18th March at 1pm."

[Stanley]

And thank God you pointed it out! Senior moment......
I shall get my shopping done and a bit of shed but then early dinner and a scrub up. I have a beautiful charcoal grey heavy flannel Crombie overcoat.... Just the job for today....

[Sue]

Taking a ferry across the channel today.

[Stanley]

Having an easy day after being thrown out of my routine yesterday. I shall be in the shed but not rushing. Looking forward to seeing how C4 treat F1 coverage.....

[Wendyf]

Cleaning and tidying ready for visitors and hoping to watch F1 qualifying. Trying not to despair about my son's ability to sabotage my attempts to manage his finances for him. The modern world is not a good place for someone with no judgement or control over money!!

[Marilyn]

Can he manage responsibility of his bills, Wendy?
Is it a budgeting failure or poor self control?

[Wendyf]

Maz, he has no self control, no concept of actions having consequences, no head for figures....all those and more!! We agreed a few years ago that I would control his main bank account and transfer a portion of his weekly wage into another account with just a cash card for food, fuel etc. This has worked reasonably well for a while, but he has recently started using his mobile phone to download Youtube videos during his breaks at work and because Orange have his debit card details he can just top up without thinking...spending half his weekly wage in a month just on that. Though I keep tight hold of the debit card he occasionally takes it for one purpose then uses it for another...he now has an Amazon account and also has just signed up for something I don't even want to know about.....luckily the fraud dept at Santander sent a message about it and the payments have been stopped.
Family conference last night...new sim card in his phone linked to Cols credit card so it can only be topped up with cash, debit card stopped etc etc.
It's not loads of money...learnt our lesson a few years ago. We got him a little house in Colne when they were still cheap, did it up and put it in his name...big mistake!! He could get credit, guarantee "mates" loans and had even been offered a mortgage to pay off his debts by the time we learnt what was happening. We quickly got the house back in our names.

[Marilyn]

What a lot of stress for you both. I feel for you.
It must be exhausting trying to stay one step ahead.

[Wendyf]

He has recently been given a diagnosis of Adult ADD, and it's as if he has been given licence to increase the behaviours that fit that diagnosis....understandable I suppose. He's a good lad, has always been in work of one sort or another and has never been in any sort of trouble, just useless at managing modern life! It's a complicated world for the brightest folk though isn't it?

[Marilyn]

Such a worry if you (eventually) want to leave him the Family Silver!
Mind you, we have concerns too in that direction...best to spend the kid's inheritance I think...

[Stanley]

The more I learn about other's lives, the more I realise how lucky I am, my kids have never given me any cause for concern. I am so sorry to hear about these problems but have no experience beyond watching my friends struggling to cope. If it's a lottery, I got the winning ticket....
I decided to go to bed and watch F1 on catch up. Fat lot of chance, C4's idea of catch up is to offer you what happened last Monday! Then I read THIS Guardian report and it would seem that I didn't miss much. I'll watch the coverage of the race today live.....
Apart from that I'll be trying to ignore the fact that my back flared up yesterday, possibly due to getting cold at Billy's funeral. It's time it went away!!!!! Backs can be miserable things.....

[Sue]

So difficult Wendy. I remember you telling me about him years ago when Wendy Margaret was discussing the problems of her grandchild.hope you get the present crisis sorted.
Today we are gardening in France, not a lot of tidying to do as I did a lot last November and nothing much has grown. Bob took delivery of his mini tractor and mower yesterday and is probably desperate to have a go.

Our elderly French neighbour greeted us as we arrived yesterday and announced he was cooking lunch for us. It was a 4 course French style lunch with aperative and wine. He did an excellent job and so kind of him. His wife is in hospital again this time with a broken wrist. She is a very fragile old lady with severe osteoporosis. I am not sure if she will come home again, but Roland is very capable and gets on with life, but he misses us when we are not here.

[Wendyf]

Outside in the sun! Hen houses to clean out first though.
Maz, we made wills a few years ago setting up a simple trust with my brother & a solicitor as trustees just in case we haven't spent everything before we pop our clogs!

[Stanley]

I often pull the kids' legs by telling them I am spending the burial fund.
Quietly away nursing my back.... Boring isn't it!
Wendy, watch out for the Red Mite!

[Wendyf]

I found a few red mites this time Stanley, so the perches came outside to be scraped and covered in mite powder, I've put piles of mite powder at the ends of the perches and in the nest boxes. I don't think I'll ever get rid of them after that nasty infestation a few years ago but I keep on top of the little beggars....I check the perches every day through the summer.
Back out in the garden this morning....well wrapped up though, there is a bitter wind. This afternoon we are meeting up with John Clayton to wander round the Hare Hill area.

[Wendyf]

We had a fascinating but cold afternoon wandering around on Hare Hill with John, seeing Romans, Brigantees and Bronze Age kings. Ian came too. When I got back down to Earby my hands were so cold I couldn't turn my ignition key!

[Sue]

Slowly sorting the garden out over here. Not much has grown since November but the soil is rock hard and needs aerating. I had to pull up grass which had grown completely over the chard and leeks which have been over wintering. I think it was grass seed that had blown on to the veggie patch. I have planted potatoes peas and carrot and parsnip seeds and I have constructed a scarecrow out of two canes , an old t shirt and a number of old CDs .

We brought a number of seedlings over with us, and will plant some of them before we go back home. The rest will return to England for a bit more nurturing.

I have tidied the flower beds and Bob has cut the lawn and tried his new tractor with mower on the grass in the orchard.

It's been very sunny and quite warm except first thing when there has been a very cold wind

[Stanley]

That doesn't surprise me Wendy, that wind is cold! Glad you had a good day.
How did Bob like his new mower sue? Pity it doesn't pull grass up!
I shall be being miserable all day when I'm not on my feet and active.... Back is boring.....