I was greasing the clapper bearings of our church bells yesterday,
There's a sentence I've never read before.
I also don a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a fleece top rather than a dressing gown in the mornings, at least then I look semi-dressed if I need to put something in the bins or someone (such as the Sainsbury's delivery person) comes to the door. Because I feel semi-dressed I've been known to stay like that, if I'm not going out and am Getting On With Things, until well into the afternoon .
I've been to my aerobics class and coffee with friends, now home, had lunch and bracing myself for another afternoon of sorting. Jacket potatoes and bolognese sauce for tea. Out to a meeting this evening.
I was greasing the clapper bearings of our church bells yesterday,
There's a sentence I've never read before.
<snip>
Neither have I. It is clearly in some sort of sinister Code, and I think we should be told...
As regards attire, I'm afraid I've got to the stage where tracksuit trousers and a baggy pullover are my standard all-day wear. I gave up style for comfort some years ago.
A dull and cloudy day in Arkland the Grey, but still mild. Not much chance of Sun-Shine, it seems, but there is at least BEER.
Captain Pyjamas is 8 today. I have no idea how this happened.
My aunt gave him some money, so this afternoon we went to the Toy Shop to spend it. He is now the proud owner of a Playmobil bin lorry with which he seems appropriately enchuffed.
At my parents' house it is the tradition that you choose your dinner on your birthday. The menu tonight is consequently SAUSAGES and CHIPS.
I was too late getting the sausages out of the freezer so it was an omelette, bacon and fried left-over potatoes today.
I went to see my sister in her Home this morning. I normally arrive about 10.50 and leave when it is her lunchtime. Today roadworks, every traffic light ( 23?) on red and stuck behind learner drivers, I was late, arriving at 11.15. She had her hat and coat on and apparently they were going out for a pub lunch. Nobody had told me when I arranged to visit. They go in taxis, and we were sitting around waiting for the second one; the next thing I knew the group had gone, leaving my sister behind, presumably because I was there. No discussion. She said nothing but was obviously disappointed to miss out. She was given lunch in the Home, but my gentle protests to staff at the way things had turned out went unanswered. They were not the ones responsible, after all.
Church choir practice tonight, but I need to set off early, taking a back route, as there has been a crash causing delays.
HM passport office has emailed me in three emails to tell me that
My passport application has been approved
My passport is being sent to my Australian address
My supporting documents are being sent separately.
I hope that some day I will be able to use my UK passport for happy visit.
For me, the process went particularly smoothly as I had sufficient supporting documents.
There was one glitch I will give them feedback on.
Happy birthday, Captain PJs - how can he possibly be eight? 🎂
The last time I got a passport, IIRC the whole process took less than a fortnight - I was well impressed.
David would have enjoyed the campanological banter; he was a keen bellringer in his youth, but ironically none of the cathedrals where he worked had that sort of bells. St Magnus has three, with two ropes and a foot pedal that are all operated by one person sitting in a big (but not comfy) chair, and Fredericton has a carillion, but none of the sort you can do Plain Bob Minor or Grandsire Triples on.
Intermittent rain here today, but not really trying very hard. Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta for supper.
Happy Birthday Captain Pyjamas, that is getting quite big.
I spent all day in a meeting discussing various aspects of our town. It included a visit to a few sites that highlighted some problems. I now have some people to email about these. I won't be doing it tonight as I need my brain to be working properly and at the moment all I can think of is falling into bed.
Most stupid thing I did today was locking my husband in the back garden when I went out. I knew he was there mowing the lawn, my brain just went into automatic going out mode. The poor man had to climb over the back gate and retrieve the spare key from the key safe.
If it does, then you, too, are party to the evil Cabal which uses this code...
Confess! or I will cause the Comfy Chair to be deployed.
Too late; I'm curled up in it with a book
I do also follow that code... @BroJames how many bells?
Eight:
1 5–0–14 1749.0 A
2 5–1–22 1647.0 G♯
3 5–3–26 1468.0 F♯
4 6–0–4 1313.0 E
5 7–0–26 1168.0 D
6 7–1–2 1100.0 C♯
7 8–2–14 982.0 B
8 11–2–14 873.0 A
All originally cast by John Warner & Sons in 1872. Overhauled by Taylors of Loughborough in 1997. Greasing the clapper bearings reminds me of games of ‘Pirstes’ in the school gym - but rather slower!
Yep. Over 50 years (yikes - nearer 60 than 50 I've just realised) on and off.
You are not alone! @Celtic Knotweed and I actually met through ringing, @Spike is a (lapsed?) ringer, plus obviously @BroJames. I suspect there's still one or two more.
A wet, wet day here. I walked too and from my Pilates class in what could be described as heavy drizzle with intermittent light rain. It is now raining fairly heavily, but I don't need to go anywhere for the rest of the day. On the way back I met up with my friend who is comparing the book reading event I'm doing next weekend to work out the plan for it and what I'm going to read. Nothing is planned for the rest of the day though I do need to send the emails I didn't send last night and get on with some knitting.
All I know about bell-ringing comes from Dorothy L. Sayer's The Nine Tailors, and I gather that isn't exactly accurate.
I've not seen the film, nor the more recent updated version. Blythe only died in early 2023, a couple of months after his 100th birthday. He was writing his weekly "Word from Wormingford" in the "Church Times" until May 2017 - shades of Alastair Cooke and his "Letters from America".
I've not seen the film, nor the more recent updated version. Blythe only died in early 2023, a couple of months after his 100th birthday. He was writing his weekly "Word from Wormingford" in the "Church Times" until May 2017 - shades of Alastair Cooke and his "Letters from America".
I had wanted to see it's depiction of the countryside "then", and I found it much more emotional than I expected - the "now" of the film was very much the East Anglia of my childhood.
All I know about bell-ringing comes from Dorothy L. Sayer's The Nine Tailors, and I gather that isn't exactly accurate.
Same for me; I didn't know it wasn't accurate. Mr Nen has just taken up ringing again, not having done it since he was a lad.
We've had something of a cr@p day; lots of sorting this morning, Mr Nen had a friend round to help him continue to sort the garage and I've been sorting the cupboard in what was Nenlet2's room, which has been a bit of a mixture of stuff but enough sentimental things to give me heart pangs. Mr Nen's car has broken down and is not fixable. We do have my little pop-around but it's not nearly as useful when it comes to longer distances and trips to the tip. Nenlet2 and his husband are coming for the weekend and were due here at 7pm, now delayed until at least 8.30. And we were meant to be exchanging contracts on our house sale and purchase this afternoon and it didn't happen because of hold-ups further up the chain... further up the chain were hassling us for exchange earlier in the week... :rolleyes:
On the upside, I had a nice couple of hours this afternoon over coffee with a couple of girlfriends.
Arrived home from work this evening to find a long-awaited letter from HMRC. After a bout of stress-induced poor health forced me to quit my job and take a sabbatical, it meant I'd only worked part of the last tax year, but I'd been taxed at full rate during the time I'd worked.
Just got the letter confirming my rebate. Very relieved and glad.
I had a hearing test this morning. It seems my struggles to concentrate on a conversation in a crowded room are more likely to be brain than ears (my conclusion, not theirs) - I have a little loss at the high end, but not enough to need aids.
In other news I also ran into someone working for a company that arranges apprenticeships in construction. This could be very interesting indeed.
There's a good section in Ronald Blythe's "Akenfield" - written nearly 60 years ago now!
Although names have been changed, I knew one of the people he mentions, now sadly deceased.
I met Ronnie Blythe a couple of times at Wormingford; David was the organist there in his teens, and we used to sing with the choir when we were in Essex on holiday. Ronnie and D's mum worked together in the Colchester library many moons ago.
Quite a nice day here; there were even a few snatches of sunshine.
Yep. Over 50 years (yikes - nearer 60 than 50 I've just realised) on and off.
You are not alone! @Celtic Knotweed and I actually met through ringing, @Spike is a (lapsed?) ringer, plus obviously @BroJames. I suspect there's still one or two more.
I can ring a bell, but my other responsibilities mean it’s rarely possible. I can ring call changes, but methods are beyond me.
Sorry it has been a stressful day @Nenya with far too many things going wrong. I hate the last few bits before house moving. We thought we were moving here in March, but it actually took until May and didn't properly match up so we were in a hotel for a few days.
I hope yours gets resolved more quickly
Rainy day here but I went for my morning walk and discovered we have a fish stall a few hundred yards from the house. I knew that there were some food stalls on a Saturday morning that had appeared a few months ago (presumably an evolution of the Chinese van that visited the square). But I had a nose this morning and there was a fish stall as well as veg. Mr Heavenly was very excited about this and has just visited and came back with what we think is a large sea bass. He also got some daikon, which he is pleased with as he was discussing obtaining some for pickling last week. I think we might get eels next time it visits.
I have fed the birds and tidied the bathroom and now need to sort the laundry. Lunch will be stir fried leftover Chinese takeaway.
A lazy day today. A morning spent catching up on emails and then a walk into town after lunch to get some bits and pieces. The walk seems to have coincided with the best of today's weather, it looks like it is about to rain yet again having rained pretty solidly yesterday and this morning.
After a miserably gloomy day yesterday (which I slept through mostly ), Arkland the Blessed is enjoying some bursts of Sun-Shine this aftenoon.
I'm hoping that the Sky will be clear enough this evening to see the six Planets all lined up. This may indicate that The End Times are upon us, what with the good news of the Greens' success in Manchester being somewhat tempered by this weekend's war, courtesy of Trump the Peacemaker...
It's lovely and sunny here, but cold. I'm having a bits and pieces sort of day.
Dog walk, breakfast, packing small hand made wooden objects for postage for our cottage industry, buying baby foxgloves for the garden, making 'save the date' cards for our 70th birthday - we are both 70 within the same two weeks. The party isn't until 2027 but it's in July, so the hall and the band had to be booked early and we want people - especially family - to save the date.
Lunch was cheese and a mixed bean salad. Now I'm going to brave the cold and do some gardening. Then I've got a video draw to do for an online raffle I've been organising for our local hedgehog sanctuary, where I volunteer.
Tea is going to be the potato pie. And WINE o'clock is 6:00 p.m. on a Friday - hurrah!
Our evening viewing is sorted - The Detectorists, which we managed to miss the first time round - but we're really enjoying it now.
Because the church was being used for a book fair this morning, we couldn't have choir practice, which meant I could have a gloriously long lie for once.
I then ambled over to the butcher's and got a LAMB SHANK, and thence to the talon salon to get my nails done.
After a very late brunch I laundered the bedlinen, and did some hooverage while it was tumbling.
By the time I'd thought about it, it was too late to do the lamb in the slow-cooker, so that'll happen tomorrow. If I get it going in the early afternoon it'll be ready for after Evensong.
As brunch was very late, I might just graze on biscuits and CHEESE for supper (with a glass of WINE, obviously).
Not feeling very well today. Managed to totter round to local shop for paper etc. Fell into a deep nap after lunch. Felt sick and tired by dinner time - possibly the effect of the antibiotics? Better after a brandy cocktail, but no real appetite.
This has been a good day. Went for a swim first thing - first time for a fortnight due to being ill, quite hard going but worth it. A nice sunny day, so got washing out on the line. We went off to a Very Good Restaurant for my belated birthday lunch, quite a long way to go but it was a nice drive. Then we went to the good butcher in the nearby town to get some nice lamb for tomorrow (all right, I know St David was a vegetarian). This evening we had a "Welsh Entertainment" at church put on by members of our drama group, some items better than others, some (a Welsh song sung by two young boys) which were genuinely moving.
Comments
There's a sentence I've never read before.
I also don a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a fleece top rather than a dressing gown in the mornings, at least then I look semi-dressed if I need to put something in the bins or someone (such as the Sainsbury's delivery person) comes to the door. Because I feel semi-dressed I've been known to stay like that, if I'm not going out and am Getting On With Things, until well into the afternoon
I've been to my aerobics class and coffee with friends, now home, had lunch and bracing myself for another afternoon of sorting. Jacket potatoes and bolognese sauce for tea. Out to a meeting this evening.
Neither have I. It is clearly in some sort of sinister Code, and I think we should be told...
As regards attire, I'm afraid I've got to the stage where tracksuit trousers and a baggy pullover are my standard all-day wear. I gave up style for comfort some years ago.
A dull and cloudy day in Arkland the Grey, but still mild. Not much chance of Sun-Shine, it seems, but there is at least BEER.
Also SOSSIDGES, CHIPS n'BEANS.
Makes perfect sense to me. :-P
Confess! or I will cause the Comfy Chair to be deployed.
I've just devoured mine, being in need of Comfort Food. There are Chicken Spring Rolls for later - one of the Co-Op's new Chinese range.
The Rack, Cardinal! The Rack!!
My aunt gave him some money, so this afternoon we went to the Toy Shop to spend it. He is now the proud owner of a Playmobil bin lorry with which he seems appropriately enchuffed.
At my parents' house it is the tradition that you choose your dinner on your birthday. The menu tonight is consequently SAUSAGES and CHIPS.
I went to see my sister in her Home this morning. I normally arrive about 10.50 and leave when it is her lunchtime. Today roadworks, every traffic light ( 23?) on red and stuck behind learner drivers, I was late, arriving at 11.15. She had her hat and coat on and apparently they were going out for a pub lunch. Nobody had told me when I arranged to visit. They go in taxis, and we were sitting around waiting for the second one; the next thing I knew the group had gone, leaving my sister behind, presumably because I was there. No discussion. She said nothing but was obviously disappointed to miss out. She was given lunch in the Home, but my gentle protests to staff at the way things had turned out went unanswered. They were not the ones responsible, after all.
Church choir practice tonight, but I need to set off early, taking a back route, as there has been a crash causing delays.
In possession of TMI, I fear...
Too late; I'm curled up in it with a book
I do also follow that code... @BroJames how many bells?
Is Outrage!
Ooooh, are you another Tugger of the Dongs?
My passport application has been approved
My passport is being sent to my Australian address
My supporting documents are being sent separately.
I hope that some day I will be able to use my UK passport for happy visit.
For me, the process went particularly smoothly as I had sufficient supporting documents.
There was one glitch I will give them feedback on.
The last time I got a passport, IIRC the whole process took less than a fortnight - I was well impressed.
David would have enjoyed the campanological banter; he was a keen bellringer in his youth, but ironically none of the cathedrals where he worked had that sort of bells. St Magnus has three, with two ropes and a foot pedal that are all operated by one person sitting in a big (but not comfy) chair, and Fredericton has a carillion, but none of the sort you can do Plain Bob Minor or Grandsire Triples on.
Intermittent rain here today, but not really trying very hard. Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta for supper.
I spent all day in a meeting discussing various aspects of our town. It included a visit to a few sites that highlighted some problems. I now have some people to email about these. I won't be doing it tonight as I need my brain to be working properly and at the moment all I can think of is falling into bed.
Most stupid thing I did today was locking my husband in the back garden when I went out. I knew he was there mowing the lawn, my brain just went into automatic going out mode. The poor man had to climb over the back gate and retrieve the spare key from the key safe.
Eight:
1 5–0–14 1749.0 A
2 5–1–22 1647.0 G♯
3 5–3–26 1468.0 F♯
4 6–0–4 1313.0 E
5 7–0–26 1168.0 D
6 7–1–2 1100.0 C♯
7 8–2–14 982.0 B
8 11–2–14 873.0 A
All originally cast by John Warner & Sons in 1872. Overhauled by Taylors of Loughborough in 1997. Greasing the clapper bearings reminds me of games of ‘Pirstes’ in the school gym - but rather slower!
Yep. Over 50 years (yikes - nearer 60 than 50 I've just realised) on and off.
You are not alone! @Celtic Knotweed and I actually met through ringing, @Spike is a (lapsed?) ringer, plus obviously @BroJames. I suspect there's still one or two more.
All I know about bell-ringing comes from Dorothy L. Sayer's The Nine Tailors, and I gather that isn't exactly accurate.
Although names have been changed, I knew one of the people he mentions, now sadly deceased.
Garrow Shand (Tom? In the film) was one of the farmers my Mum used to deal with when she worked for a grain company.
Same for me; I didn't know it wasn't accurate. Mr Nen has just taken up ringing again, not having done it since he was a lad.
We've had something of a cr@p day; lots of sorting this morning, Mr Nen had a friend round to help him continue to sort the garage and I've been sorting the cupboard in what was Nenlet2's room, which has been a bit of a mixture of stuff but enough sentimental things to give me heart pangs. Mr Nen's car has broken down and is not fixable. We do have my little pop-around but it's not nearly as useful when it comes to longer distances and trips to the tip. Nenlet2 and his husband are coming for the weekend and were due here at 7pm, now delayed until at least 8.30. And we were meant to be exchanging contracts on our house sale and purchase this afternoon and it didn't happen because of hold-ups further up the chain... further up the chain were hassling us for exchange earlier in the week... :rolleyes:
On the upside, I had a nice couple of hours this afternoon over coffee with a couple of girlfriends.
Just got the letter confirming my rebate. Very relieved and glad.
In other news I also ran into someone working for a company that arranges apprenticeships in construction. This could be very interesting indeed.
I met Ronnie Blythe a couple of times at Wormingford; David was the organist there in his teens, and we used to sing with the choir when we were in Essex on holiday. Ronnie and D's mum worked together in the Colchester library many moons ago.
Quite a nice day here; there were even a few snatches of sunshine.
F&C for supper, because Friday.
I hope yours gets resolved more quickly
Rainy day here but I went for my morning walk and discovered we have a fish stall a few hundred yards from the house. I knew that there were some food stalls on a Saturday morning that had appeared a few months ago (presumably an evolution of the Chinese van that visited the square). But I had a nose this morning and there was a fish stall as well as veg. Mr Heavenly was very excited about this and has just visited and came back with what we think is a large sea bass. He also got some daikon, which he is pleased with as he was discussing obtaining some for pickling last week. I think we might get eels next time it visits.
I have fed the birds and tidied the bathroom and now need to sort the laundry. Lunch will be stir fried leftover Chinese takeaway.
I'm hoping that the Sky will be clear enough this evening to see the six Planets all lined up. This may indicate that The End Times are upon us, what with the good news of the Greens' success in Manchester being somewhat tempered by this weekend's war, courtesy of Trump the Peacemaker...
FISH PIE for lunch, because eat-by date.
Dog walk, breakfast, packing small hand made wooden objects for postage for our cottage industry, buying baby foxgloves for the garden, making 'save the date' cards for our 70th birthday - we are both 70 within the same two weeks. The party isn't until 2027 but it's in July, so the hall and the band had to be booked early and we want people - especially family - to save the date.
Lunch was cheese and a mixed bean salad. Now I'm going to brave the cold and do some gardening. Then I've got a video draw to do for an online raffle I've been organising for our local hedgehog sanctuary, where I volunteer.
Tea is going to be the potato pie. And WINE o'clock is 6:00 p.m. on a Friday - hurrah!
Our evening viewing is sorted - The Detectorists, which we managed to miss the first time round - but we're really enjoying it now.
I then ambled over to the butcher's and got a LAMB SHANK, and thence to the talon salon to get my nails done.
After a very late brunch I laundered the bedlinen, and did some hooverage while it was tumbling.
By the time I'd thought about it, it was too late to do the lamb in the slow-cooker, so that'll happen tomorrow. If I get it going in the early afternoon it'll be ready for after Evensong.
As brunch was very late, I might just graze on biscuits and CHEESE for supper (with a glass of WINE, obviously).
Otoh, site of surgery doesn't hurt.
This has been a good day. Went for a swim first thing - first time for a fortnight due to being ill, quite hard going but worth it. A nice sunny day, so got washing out on the line. We went off to a Very Good Restaurant for my belated birthday lunch, quite a long way to go but it was a nice drive. Then we went to the good butcher in the nearby town to get some nice lamb for tomorrow (all right, I know St David was a vegetarian). This evening we had a "Welsh Entertainment" at church put on by members of our drama group, some items better than others, some (a Welsh song sung by two young boys) which were genuinely moving.