My friend is training her own service dog and has got rather stuck during the pandemic. So we are having a Zoom session together. I will train Tatze the things her dog has to learn - which should be fun!
Tatze is a well behaved dog but, apart from scent work and mantrailing, she hasn’t bee trained to any degree.
I think she’ll enjoy it. Mr Boogs is taking the pup out so that he doesn’t join in and confuse her. 🐾🙂
Interesting discussion about libraries. I did at one time consider training to be a librarian (back in the day when they were quiet places full of books and tables to sit and work or read at) and am now very glad I didn't as once computers were introduced into them a lot of the job seemed to be about controlling teenagers who were there to muck about online.
I mentioned upthread that I'd been packing up Nenlet2's Christmas parcel; this has now been collected and is on its way to him. Better late than never. >rolleyes< I was then going to head out for a walk but it's pouring with rain here so I am not much inclined to do that at present.
What is mantrailing, @Boogie ? I have visions of you sending Mr Boogs off on his bike somewhere and then sending Tatze after him.
I didn't join in the "Clap for Capt Tom" thing going on yesterday. I would prefer that the current crisis had been handled better from the start. Fewer people of all ages might not have died.
I might clap if Johnson and his cabal resign though and we get some proper grown ups in charge. I'm not holding my breath...
In other news, yesterday's funeral/burial took place in the dry (although the churchyard squelches when you walk on it) and there were only a few spits of rain at the essential time...just enough for me to put my hood up before they had stopped again.
My boots are covered in claggy clay and the hems of my trousers are likewise and are now in the washing pile. I have no idea how the funeral director managed to end the ceremony with only a few little marks on his otherwise mirror-polished shoes. It must be one of their Dark Arts...
It is dry today and the sun is doing its best to shine. I might go for a walk later, once the post has been, just in case there is something which is Too Big to fit through the letterbox.
Interesting all your thoughts on libraries. I always liked the libraries I ran to have a bit of a buzz about them, and to be somewhere the pupils could feel safe. Mind you I don't think school libraries really played to my strengths, I'd have probably been better in a research library somewhere.
Contra @Barnabas_Aus, I utterly despise the trend for noise in libraries. How can you possibly hear yourself think with other people's unexpected noise impinging on your consciousness. Other modern trends that I hate for the same reason include replacing offices with cubicle spaces or open-plan "co-working environments".
Playing board games or building lego are perfectly reasonable things to do in a school, but there's no reason to do them in the library. It's not like schools are short of rooms with flat surfaces in them.
Our public library has spaces for people to work, hold small meetings, for small groups to study, and so on. Again, those are all sensible things for the library to provide. But we've got these things called walls, which mean that people who want to make noise can be in the vicinity of people who want to be quiet, and neither group needs to be unhappy.
I sometimes think my brainlessness is without limit. When I bought my new coat (for which I was quite thankful today, as there was sleety rain at both ends of my commute), it came with a voucher for £5 off groceries if you spent £40, so I armed myself with a couple of carrier bags and hit the aisles.
It's quite difficult to buy as much as £40-worth of food when (a) there's only one of you; and (b) you have to bear in mind that you'll have to carry it home. I thought a bottle of WINE would help push up the overall bill, which it did, but the offer doesn't apply to alcohol. I also thought I'd replenish my stock of saffron - which would have added a good bit to my total bill but weighed next to nothing - and they didn't bloody have any.
I ended up not spending the required £40, but just buying a load of more expensive stuff than usual, and having two heavy bags to cart home.
My older son’s school library burnt down on his second day at high school, he was in the hall next door so had to evacuate past the smoke. It was being renovated and there was an accident with a blow torch (the workman was an ex-pupil and very upset). It was also the village library so they lost some of the village archives. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-19509914
Day 4 in the cold household and the new boiler is fitted and attached to the water supply. Today’s task is to have the flue fitted and possibly gas connected. Current estimate is heating on tomorrow.
I have now accepted it will be impossible to work this week so have done my emails already and am off out for a walk.
Just in time, if the forecast is to be believed.
Not expecting any snow of any significance here on the southern edge, but had plenty of experience of cold and snowy weather coming from the east in our 40 years on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border.
I do miss the frosty winters, and the (first few days of) snow.
Yes, Sunday has a prediction of snow and zero degrees. We’ve been very lucky it has been milder this week.
Lovely walk this morning, clear blue skies and warm sun. Now overcast.
I've been sitting on deck, drinking BEER, in barmy balmy 10C sunshine, but sn*w is forecast for late Saturday (after the obligatory day of wind and rain), and then from Sunday through to Wednesday...
Fortunately, the Coalman delivered today...
...and there are tins of SOUP in the galley cubbud!
It's cold, damp and verging on dreich in Linlithgow today; I'm messing about on here while the laundry's drying, after which I might have an Expotition to Sainz Breeze. There were a few things I didn't get yesterday, because they (a) weren't available (saffron), (b) would have made the load too heavy (orange juice) or (c) weren't thought about (yeast - I really need to make some bread).
As it was nearly lunch time by the time I was up and organised (I'm a terrible slob when I'm not at work), I went sort of continental for lunch, with breadsticks, hummus, olives and tomatoes, washed down with a small glass of WINE, because why not - I'm on holiday.
My parents wouldn't give me a toboggan for my birthday because " it wouldn't snow after it." Hah.
You can laugh. When I were a lad I rescued a wooden sledge from a skip (back when that sort of thing was considered normal, not that normal ever guided my behaviour) and it didn't snow worth anything for years.
Put it on the bonfire one Autumn and the following January saw 9" lasting for days.
And I thought it was only Mr Nen who came back with things after a visit to the skip. At least once he came back with more than he went with. >rolleyes<
I had a pleasant walk up to the shops in our local town this morning - plenty of clumps of snowdrops to admire and the weather was positively balmy. I think that's all going to change in the next few days though.
I've got three Zooms in a row this afternoon, starting shortly, and will definitely be in need of a glass of wine later.
Enjoy your days off @piglet. Holidays are one of the joys of working.
We had a similar lunch of flatbread, salad and humous today. Tonight I'm doing pasta with spinach. Now it's not January we can also have WINE!
Lovely walk in the Forest this morning; there were even times when we could hear the birdsong as it was much quieter. We're expecting snow this weekend too.
Alas, we have just spoken to him and he hasn’t finished the flue (wants a mini crane to get on roof) so no heating today - he was just testing the system.
My dining table arrived about half an hour ago, but I don't think I can start assembling it until I get rid of the old one - there just isn't enough room, and I'll probably need help getting it through the doors of the flat. Judging by the size of the box, the new one looks as if it'll be just the right size though - I'm rather looking forward to getting it put together!
Edit - sorry, HA - that was a cross-post. For "excellent", read "bugger".
Can they remove it without dismantling the chimney?
Our dining room fireplace still has the pipes running up one side (boxed in so it looks like it's all one structure) from the original back boiler, you can see them as they haven't been cut off below floor level in the children's room yet: the friend who was going to do some work where we had removed the fitted wardrobes is unfortunately too ill now to do it.
Our house is a not very old, it is a 1950s ex-council house and the old heating system is contained within the lounge chimney; it has a gas fire in front of it which looks 1980s. There are only 3 small pipes on the wall next to the chimney which go into the floor. Mr H reckons it should be straightforward to remove the system. I can’t stand the gas fire and we have never used it so we’re pleased it is going. Mr H will board the chimney up afterwards but we may get a wood burner in the future.
You may want to think again about a wood burner: all the current advice is that they are very bad thing to have inside - link to Independent story. which starts:
Wood-burning stoves should be sold with a health warning because of the potentially lethal pollution particles they emit into homes, scientists have concluded.
The burners can triple the number of damaging particles in a room, and should not be used around children or the elderly people, researchers say.
The pollution they cause is understood to be linked to lung cancer, bronchitis and other respiratory infections, strokes, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
It’s been a busy sort of day - I’ve been having pain above my eyebrow and headaches, so I rung our surgery. The doctor rang back and booked me an appointment at 2.15. I had a podiatrist due to come to the house this afternoon - he rang at 10, asking if he could come then - we were just going out, to stand outside the church during an old friend’s funeral - Harry was a church warden for many years and a delightful gentleman - so he said he’d ring later. We didn’t get home till lunchtime, then the podiatrist rang to ask if he could come at 1.
So, after the podiatrist, off to the doctors where I saw a “physician associate “ who reckons I have sinus problems.
All in all, it feels like we’ve been on the go all day, it’s nice to relax now.
There's a fair chance I asked this years ago and have forgotten, but where was that? Being snouty as I grew up in that sort of area. Feel free to answer by PM if you feel you are outing yourself!
About 20 miles S of Cambridge - Stansted Mountfitchet. I have a recollection of mentioning missing a certain garden centre that you patronise, probably last spring.
You might have asked the location then, and I might have answered, or possibly not.
Also being snouty, I followed your link to the fire, a few posts back.
Our youngest had a girlfriend in Sawston, and as his taxi service we used to drive up there when his social life required it. That was a long time ago - back in the 20th century!
Back in the 20th century can't be that long ago ... oh, wait a minute ...
I'm getting old.
Piglet's Pancetta Pasta for supper, with (too much) freshly baked bread. I didn't brave Sainsbury's after all; by the time I'd collected the washing from the laundry, it was p*ssing with rain, and I couldn't face it.
Also being snouty, I followed your link to the fire, a few posts back.
Our youngest had a girlfriend in Sawston, and as his taxi service we used to drive up there when his social life required it. That was a long time ago - back in the 20th century!
I’m in Trumpington, south of Cambridge, but our village didn’t have a high school and it was easier for our sons to get a bus to Sawston 5 miles away than get to the catchment school in Cambridge (and it was a better school).
I've been given a lovely cantilever sewing box from a skip (dumpster?) round the corner. He did ask. It needed the legs screwed in and the block one set was to be screwed to glued on, but it hadn't been used. There was something else from that skip, but I can't recall what.
Eerie yellowish skies today in Continental WesShire - the meteorological people say it is an influx of looooads of Sahara sand blown up into the atmosphere and drifting over!
This happens every now and then, even though Continental WesShire is a few hundreds of
kilometres from the Mediterranean, but today is really spectacular! Might come in handy on icy roads, like natural gritting. But there's been quite a spike in temperatures in the past few days, and much of the snow seems gone for now.
It's cold and grey, with a chilling breeze in West Lothian. I'm just back from an Expotition to Sainsbury's; mercifully no queue to get in when I arrived (although there was a very long one when I was leaving).
I should have known that that sort of luck wouldn't last. According to the timetable at the bus stop there should have been a bus about five minutes after I got there, but in fact one didn't turn up until about half an hour later*, by which time I was chilled to the marrow.
I'm remedying my heat deficiency with a nice cup of coffee and a delicious Luxury Glenfiddich mince pie which arrived today from a very kindly Shipmate - you know who you are!
* at least three having gone past in the other direction while I waited - where were they going???
There's a huge lamb-shank bubbling gently in the slow-cooker, so that's supper sorted for today and tomorrow.
We have heating and hot water! And the engineers finally went about an hour ago so we have the freedom of the house again. We are currently trying to get the rooms up to temperature again after 5 cold days.
I still have a massive grin and I am fully anticipating grouchy churchwardens telling me to wipe the smirk off my face at church tomorrow. Even though I will be wearing a face-covering...
@Piglet great news about your table - will it be assembled in time for the lamb shank supper? Or is space still needed for it?
I've been staring at an auubergine for 2 weeks wondering what to do with it, and finally I've made cheesy aubergine balls, using vegan cheese, served with a crunchy salad. Not too bad, really.
@Piglet great news about your table - will it be assembled in time for the lamb shank supper? Or is space still needed for it?
Not quite - it's still in the box. I have, however, had an offer for the old set from someone on a social group called Nextdoor (I put a post up offering them free to anyone who would pick them up), and she's arranging for a Man With A Van to collect them - hopefully before I go back to work.
My brother and s-i-l are coming out on Tuesday - I'd made arrangements with them before I got the offer on Nextdoor - so if I haven't got it put together by then I might have help. They'll also dispose of the box - not easy when you haven't got transport of your own.
I've been staring at an auubergine for 2 weeks wondering what to do with it ...
Also being snouty, I followed your link to the fire, a few posts back.
Our youngest had a girlfriend in Sawston, and as his taxi service we used to drive up there when his social life required it. That was a long time ago - back in the 20th century!
I'm fairly certain that wasn't my link, though I know wherev Sawston is well enough.
I grew up near Cornish Hall End, which in turn is near Finchingfield - I can't say as I know Stansted Mountfitchet well, but I certainly know it.
@Piglet, We are on Nextdoor too - it's a great way of redistributing everyone's crap!
Comments
My friend is training her own service dog and has got rather stuck during the pandemic. So we are having a Zoom session together. I will train Tatze the things her dog has to learn - which should be fun!
Tatze is a well behaved dog but, apart from scent work and mantrailing, she hasn’t bee trained to any degree.
I think she’ll enjoy it. Mr Boogs is taking the pup out so that he doesn’t join in and confuse her. 🐾🙂
I mentioned upthread that I'd been packing up Nenlet2's Christmas parcel; this has now been collected and is on its way to him. Better late than never. >rolleyes< I was then going to head out for a walk but it's pouring with rain here so I am not much inclined to do that at present.
What is mantrailing, @Boogie ? I have visions of you sending Mr Boogs off on his bike somewhere and then sending Tatze after him.
I might clap if Johnson and his cabal resign though and we get some proper grown ups in charge. I'm not holding my breath...
In other news, yesterday's funeral/burial took place in the dry (although the churchyard squelches when you walk on it) and there were only a few spits of rain at the essential time...just enough for me to put my hood up before they had stopped again.
My boots are covered in claggy clay and the hems of my trousers are likewise and are now in the washing pile. I have no idea how the funeral director managed to end the ceremony with only a few little marks on his otherwise mirror-polished shoes. It must be one of their Dark Arts...
It is dry today and the sun is doing its best to shine. I might go for a walk later, once the post has been, just in case there is something which is Too Big to fit through the letterbox.
Contra @Barnabas_Aus, I utterly despise the trend for noise in libraries. How can you possibly hear yourself think with other people's unexpected noise impinging on your consciousness. Other modern trends that I hate for the same reason include replacing offices with cubicle spaces or open-plan "co-working environments".
Playing board games or building lego are perfectly reasonable things to do in a school, but there's no reason to do them in the library. It's not like schools are short of rooms with flat surfaces in them.
Our public library has spaces for people to work, hold small meetings, for small groups to study, and so on. Again, those are all sensible things for the library to provide. But we've got these things called walls, which mean that people who want to make noise can be in the vicinity of people who want to be quiet, and neither group needs to be unhappy.
It's quite difficult to buy as much as £40-worth of food when (a) there's only one of you; and (b) you have to bear in mind that you'll have to carry it home. I thought a bottle of WINE would help push up the overall bill, which it did, but the offer doesn't apply to alcohol. I also thought I'd replenish my stock of saffron - which would have added a good bit to my total bill but weighed next to nothing - and they didn't bloody have any.
I ended up not spending the required £40, but just buying a load of more expensive stuff than usual, and having two heavy bags to cart home.
Day 4 in the cold household and the new boiler is fitted and attached to the water supply. Today’s task is to have the flue fitted and possibly gas connected. Current estimate is heating on tomorrow.
I have now accepted it will be impossible to work this week so have done my emails already and am off out for a walk.
I've just had a text message saying the dining table will be delivered this evening - exciting times!
I'm on leave now until next Wednesday, so currently lounging about in bed and contemplating getting up.
Not expecting any snow of any significance here on the southern edge, but had plenty of experience of cold and snowy weather coming from the east in our 40 years on the Essex/Cambridgeshire border.
I do miss the frosty winters, and the (first few days of) snow.
Lovely walk this morning, clear blue skies and warm sun. Now overcast.
Happy new table, piglet!
Fortunately, the Coalman delivered today...
...and there are tins of SOUP in the galley cubbud!
As it was nearly lunch time by the time I was up and organised (I'm a terrible slob when I'm not at work), I went sort of continental for lunch, with breadsticks, hummus, olives and tomatoes, washed down with a small glass of WINE, because why not - I'm on holiday.
You can laugh. When I were a lad I rescued a wooden sledge from a skip (back when that sort of thing was considered normal, not that normal ever guided my behaviour) and it didn't snow worth anything for years.
Put it on the bonfire one Autumn and the following January saw 9" lasting for days.
I had a pleasant walk up to the shops in our local town this morning - plenty of clumps of snowdrops to admire and the weather was positively balmy. I think that's all going to change in the next few days though.
I've got three Zooms in a row this afternoon, starting shortly, and will definitely be in need of a glass of wine later.
We had a similar lunch of flatbread, salad and humous today. Tonight I'm doing pasta with spinach. Now it's not January we can also have WINE!
My dining table arrived about half an hour ago, but I don't think I can start assembling it until I get rid of the old one - there just isn't enough room, and I'll probably need help getting it through the doors of the flat. Judging by the size of the box, the new one looks as if it'll be just the right size though - I'm rather looking forward to getting it put together!
Edit - sorry, HA - that was a cross-post. For "excellent", read "bugger".
Our dining room fireplace still has the pipes running up one side (boxed in so it looks like it's all one structure) from the original back boiler, you can see them as they haven't been cut off below floor level in the children's room yet: the friend who was going to do some work where we had removed the fitted wardrobes is unfortunately too ill now to do it.
So, after the podiatrist, off to the doctors where I saw a “physician associate “ who reckons I have sinus problems.
All in all, it feels like we’ve been on the go all day, it’s nice to relax now.
There's a fair chance I asked this years ago and have forgotten, but where was that? Being snouty as I grew up in that sort of area. Feel free to answer by PM if you feel you are outing yourself!
You might have asked the location then, and I might have answered, or possibly not.
Our youngest had a girlfriend in Sawston, and as his taxi service we used to drive up there when his social life required it. That was a long time ago - back in the 20th century!
I'm getting old.
Piglet's Pancetta Pasta for supper, with (too much) freshly baked bread. I didn't brave Sainsbury's after all; by the time I'd collected the washing from the laundry, it was p*ssing with rain, and I couldn't face it.
I'll go tomorrow - weather permitting.
This happens every now and then, even though Continental WesShire is a few hundreds of
kilometres from the Mediterranean, but today is really spectacular! Might come in handy on icy roads, like natural gritting.
I should have known that that sort of luck wouldn't last. According to the timetable at the bus stop there should have been a bus about five minutes after I got there, but in fact one didn't turn up until about half an hour later*, by which time I was chilled to the marrow.
I'm remedying my heat deficiency with a nice cup of coffee and a delicious Luxury Glenfiddich mince pie which arrived today from a very kindly Shipmate - you know who you are!
* at least three having gone past in the other direction while I waited - where were they going???
There's a huge lamb-shank bubbling gently in the slow-cooker, so that's supper sorted for today and tomorrow.
We had an enjoyable family games Zoom and for tea we are having a take-away (Sri Lankan).
🙂
I still have a massive grin and I am fully anticipating grouchy churchwardens telling me to wipe the smirk off my face at church tomorrow. Even though I will be wearing a face-covering...
I've been staring at an auubergine for 2 weeks wondering what to do with it, and finally I've made cheesy aubergine balls, using vegan cheese, served with a crunchy salad. Not too bad, really.
My brother and s-i-l are coming out on Tuesday - I'd made arrangements with them before I got the offer on Nextdoor - so if I haven't got it put together by then I might have help. They'll also dispose of the box - not easy when you haven't got transport of your own. Haven't you got a dustbin?
🙂🏴🙂
🎉
Followed by eggy bread with bacon and lentil topping
(Well done indeed Scotland)
I'm fairly certain that wasn't my link, though I know wherev Sawston is well enough.
I grew up near Cornish Hall End, which in turn is near Finchingfield - I can't say as I know Stansted Mountfitchet well, but I certainly know it.
@Piglet, We are on Nextdoor too - it's a great way of redistributing everyone's crap!