We are unimpressed to find that the scaffolders have drilled a hole in the wall of the house to brace the scaffolding, without even mentioning it
In our last house the gas fitters drilled a large hole in the wall to comply with changed venting regulations, this was then covered by a grille. We weren't very keen but had no choice!
I believe that the holes one sees in castle walls were left for (presumably wooden) scaffolding: https://tinyurl.com/4hdks5c2
Overcast here, too.
I looked at the forecast for this area at 7am and the weather map showed closely packed blue blobs all along the coast from Portsmouth to Hastings, so it should have been happening already. It wasn't.
Our greatest chance of rain was 66% at 9am It was dry at 9, but I have just looked outside, and there has been some rain. The path shows evidence of it, but it is possible to see dry ground between the wet spots, so that barely counts. Currently no precipitation, and the sky has brightened.
There is still some chance, from 40% & 50% for the rest of the morning, but dry by 2pm & all afternoon.
However, in spite of the disappointing weather, my day has just cheered up - The hospital has just phoned with a date for my second cataract op (15 months after the first eye was done!). Yipee!
There was rain here overnight, as evidenced by puddles on the ground and on the flat roof, but I saw and heard nothing. It made my outside doormat wet and now my carpet fitters are traipsing in and out……two rooms being done simultaneously- bathroom laminate and study carpet. My work starts once they have left. So I am faffing around on my ipad meanwhile.
Sometimes I see a typo before I hit post but decide it's more fun to leave it in.
Over the next couple of days it will be dry in the day and rainy at night which seems a very civilised way of doing things. I'm wondering if I should make the appropriate sacrifice to the weather gods to keep this going for a while. Anne McCaffery wrote a series of books where a planet was discovered whose previous farmer inhabitants had arranged it like that.
The hospital has just phoned with a date for my second cataract op (15 months after the first eye was done!). Yipee!
They are slow compared with our local Eye Hospital. I had my first cataract treated on February 2nd. I was subsequently offered an appointment for the second one in May, but that seemed too soon after open heart surgery in April, so was deferred to July. On the scheduled day I was still suffering the after effects of a cold and coughing badly. Coughing and eye surgery do not go well together, so the second cataract operation was re-scheduled for last week. All looking good so far, with no apparent problems.
(Glad to hear you're OK @Nenya, despite the hassles...)
Tuesday again (they occur so often, it seems), so Pilates. A tough session, with the Torturer occasionally apologising for the gross pain inflicted, but It Will Do Me Good. On release from the Chamber, I hied me to friend Mr D's place, where he presented me with a home-made CRUMBLE (Rhubarb, I think), and a Jar of his delicious Plum & Onion CHUTNEY. This necessitated a call at the village Co-Op for more CHEESE, out of which I had run.
Lunch was a sort of BEEF n'MASH thingy - one of Tess Coe's ready meals for Sad Old Singletons - very tasty, and only 6 minutes in the popty-ping.
I now intend to work on my favourite leisure activity, which is a sophisticated form of Snoozage and Restage - IOW, Doing Nothing At All™. I'm getting quite good at this.
I’m delighted with my new carpet and slowly starting to get things back in my study but will have to wait until Friday for help from my son, unless grandson pops in earlier.
Most frustrating is that I can’t find the connecting lead for the printer. I wanted to print the agenda for tonight’s choral society committee meeting on Teams. I will have to use my phone or ipad as my laptop isn’t connecting online, so I am already juggling two devices. An agenda printed out would help. There are too many other online documents to refer to already. I wish we were meeting in person really.
Finally made it to the garden. Mowed grass hay. Cleared a particularly arrant patch of alkanet/buttercup/bindweed lurking under the cotoneaster. Drop in the ocean, of course.
Mr F still very no weel, but managed to taxi to Health Centre for bloods which will hopefully lead to some treatment from the Western.
Meanwhile, my hair is progressing from gooseberry to dandelion.
@Puzzler I could suggest that you should have put the lead in a safe place, but these things burrow away when work is being done. You have my sympathy and I hope you find it soon.
I am a bit stressed/ fed up/ rude word
We have another viewing of our house tomorrow- good
We are currently dog-sitting Beaky daughter number two's dog whilst they are away- not so good
Said dog has a back injury and is not allowed to walk very far and we need to vacate the house with her in tow whilst the viewing takes place- very not so good
Said dog doesn't like the hoover- I rest my case!
Very sorry that Mr F is still very poorly, @Firenze . Well done for doing some gardening. I am still only managing the daily watering but have a corner that I want to clear tomorrow, so as to utilise the green bin (collected on Thursday).
It came out in a chance conversation between Mr Nen and the solar panel installation man today that the new panels will be going on the roof tomorrow rather than Thursday, the date we were given and which is in both our diaries. Fortunately we can make this work but we had kept Thursday free so it is Not Particularly Convenient. A saying which includes the words "piss-up" and "brewery" springs to mind.
I had a nice morning, however, heading out to a local plant nursery with Neighbour-Two-Doors-Down for a mooch about there, culminating in coffee, cake and chat - three of my favourite things.
We are out this evening so it's a No Cooking Night For Nen. Another of my favourite things. I can feel a song coming on...
Today we went on an adventurous expotition to Carnac. Adventurous because we only had 3 minutes to change from the train to the bus. Ironically this went fine, but on the way home when we were meant to have a quarter of an hour the bus was late and we missed the connection.
We went to see the megaliths, for which purpose we took the little train (one of those ones that drives on the road and is full of tourists). If you go to see them on foot it's about a 10km hike, which I would happily do were I on my own, but which we thought would be rather too long for Captain P's little legs.
We bought Captain P a Breton raincoat - one of the sort that are usually yellow, but this is a rather fetching white one with a boat pattern. We live in hope that one day it might rain enough for him to wear it.
Back in December 2024, on the Much Ado about Nothing thread, I related the tale of a back garden fence panel down between me and my then new neighbours, with the probability of two more coming down in the same storm. I suggested it might take a while for this to be sorted. I was not wrong.
We had had one conversation on the subject in the summer of 2024 (they're arrived in autumn 2023) as the fence panels were getting interesting. I was happily working away in my garden when I was asked me quite beligerently who I was, and what was I doing in my garden. I smiled, pointed out I'd lived there well before they had moved in, it was nice to meet them, and were they aware they were responsible for the fence? I gave them some cable ties which helped hold one of the panels to hold on until that December, when the storm bought it down. As predicted, the other two very dodgy panels have come down (7 in total) in later storms, and nothing done.
We also had an interesting discussion in that summer of 2024 about when I was going to sort out their front garden when I'd had to explain that that border was theirs, not mine. There is no fence between our front gardens. Mine is grassed over, and regularly cut, they have a paved driveway with a border which hasn't been touched since they moved in and is now well out of control. I'd kept the border tidy-ish (litter picked and pulled out obvious weeds) when the house was empty before it was sold, (it took a lot longer than we all thought it might) which I'd agreed with the daughter of my much missed elderly neighbour. But, once it was sold, I reverted to attending only to my own garden.
Today, a somewhat sheepish voice asked over the back fence, how did he go about getting new fence panels, where did they come from, and how did he measure up.... now I wonder just how long it's going to take to get them. I gave the requested help, but also pointed out I've been very patient and when is this going to be sorted?!? I have done nothing this summer in my back garden, partly because of the fence situation and my own overgrown border of lilies and roses have been serving as deterants to the several small children who live there. Plus a garden bench pulled across the half-panel space. Also we are into our second year of no garden waste.
But after the spate of local wild fires in the West Midlands, it occurred to me that my hay was potentially a bit of a fire hazard...
I remember doing a tour of churches in Brittany when I was young to look at the Breton crosses. I remember also a lot of St Anne teaching the child Mary to read.
I am indeed back to work, and have the feeling that a gremlin has got into my keyboard and rearranged the letters - I seemed to be making so many mistakes!
It's been a mostly grey but not unpleasant day: I braved Tessie's at lunchtime, as the fridge and larder were looking decidedly Mother Hubbard.
Having replenished this and that, supper was fishcakes and veggies.
I hope your neighbours actually get the fence sorted before 2027 @japes.
As I thought my diary for the next few weeks is filling up nicely after my meeting this morning. Much as though I've enjoyed having not much on the last fortnight, I'm looking forward to things getting busy again.
Everything outside looked wet this morning. Have no idea what can have happened overnight to cause that.
I hope juggling the dog and the hoover - so to speak - goes well and there's a positive outcome from the house viewing today @MrsBeaky . Such a stressful time.
Yesterday evening we went to a contemplative prayer evening at Half-An-Hour's-Drive-Away Town which we've been to a couple of times before. There was a couple there I knew years ago, way back when I was starting to process my faith shift; I used to see them at the retreat centre I had to keep escaping to for a few days. It was lovely to reconnect with them and sitting quietly alongside them again - these people I'd started my journey of contemplative prayer with years ago - felt like a wheel had come full circle.
Here at Casa Nen, the installation engineer has arrived and we await the electrician and the solar panels, both of which are needed for the installation of said panels. As it was supposed to be happening tomorrow I'm hoping that the change of date has been communicated to All Those Who Needed To Know. Given that it was not communicated to us except in a chance comment yesterday I am not feeling particularly confident.
I'm off to a funeral in the beautiful minster to the west of here for one of the great and the good of the area. He was a leading expert on the poet Byron and lived in Byron's childhood home. I once spent a fascinating morning there discussing how we can promote the poet in our local area. Byron's first poems were published in our town so there is a strong connection.
It is also our son's birthday and by the time I get home from the funeral he should have arrived to spend a few days with us, which I'm very much looking forward to.
Byron attended Aberdeen Grammar School, @Sarasa, and there's a statue of him in front of the school. I'm not convinced he's a great role model for the pupils of the school!!
I put my raincoat on and took the dog for a walk around the reservoir, it was lovely!
That sounds wonderful! I'm sure the arrival of rain must be a relief to the hedgehog rescue too, it's so distressing knowing how the drought and wildfires will have harmed wildlife - especially wildlife like hedgehogs which are already in serious trouble.
Grass recovers from drought relatively quickly, so hopefully with some more rain (intermittent showers are predicted for the next few days here) the grass around here will turn green again soon. Obviously much more rain is needed to end the drought, but I'm glad just from a personal perspective that the sad dry yellow grass will come to an end. It made me feel so sad for local kids that playgrounds and playing fields were so dry and scorched.
Thanks for the good wishes- it was quite a morning.....
Woke to much needed rain but taking the dog out was going to be a major operation due to wet weather protocol with her spinal injury.
Just about got the house looking presentable.
Then wonderfully, the sun came out however husband Beaky and I then had an unfortunate miscommunication which resulted in us snipping at each other as we left the house with the dog only to walk slap bang into the prospective buyer and the agent.
Hey ho!
Comments
I intend to move out to my brother's in the Northern Lands! I can't stand Big Jobs and also moved out when our house was reconfigured 2 years ago. 🙂
Fixed coding - Nenya, All Saints Host
I believe that the holes one sees in castle walls were left for (presumably wooden) scaffolding: https://tinyurl.com/4hdks5c2
I looked at the forecast for this area at 7am and the weather map showed closely packed blue blobs all along the coast from Portsmouth to Hastings, so it should have been happening already. It wasn't.
Our greatest chance of rain was 66% at 9am It was dry at 9, but I have just looked outside, and there has been some rain. The path shows evidence of it, but it is possible to see dry ground between the wet spots, so that barely counts. Currently no precipitation, and the sky has brightened.
There is still some chance, from 40% & 50% for the rest of the morning, but dry by 2pm & all afternoon.
However, in spite of the disappointing weather, my day has just cheered up - The hospital has just phoned with a date for my second cataract op (15 months after the first eye was done!). Yipee!
Oops - house!
I use speech to text and it quite often doesn't understand my accent. 🙂
Over the next couple of days it will be dry in the day and rainy at night which seems a very civilised way of doing things. I'm wondering if I should make the appropriate sacrifice to the weather gods to keep this going for a while. Anne McCaffery wrote a series of books where a planet was discovered whose previous farmer inhabitants had arranged it like that.
What's so difficult about that, God? 🤷🏻
They are slow compared with our local Eye Hospital. I had my first cataract treated on February 2nd. I was subsequently offered an appointment for the second one in May, but that seemed too soon after open heart surgery in April, so was deferred to July. On the scheduled day I was still suffering the after effects of a cold and coughing badly. Coughing and eye surgery do not go well together, so the second cataract operation was re-scheduled for last week. All looking good so far, with no apparent problems.
Tuesday again (they occur so often, it seems), so Pilates. A tough session, with the Torturer occasionally apologising for the gross pain inflicted, but It Will Do Me Good. On release from the Chamber, I hied me to friend Mr D's place, where he presented me with a home-made CRUMBLE (Rhubarb, I think), and a Jar of his delicious Plum & Onion CHUTNEY. This necessitated a call at the village Co-Op for more CHEESE, out of which I had run.
Lunch was a sort of BEEF n'MASH thingy - one of Tess Coe's ready meals for Sad Old Singletons - very tasty, and only 6 minutes in the popty-ping.
I now intend to work on my favourite leisure activity, which is a sophisticated form of Snoozage and Restage - IOW, Doing Nothing At All™. I'm getting quite good at this.
Most frustrating is that I can’t find the connecting lead for the printer. I wanted to print the agenda for tonight’s choral society committee meeting on Teams. I will have to use my phone or ipad as my laptop isn’t connecting online, so I am already juggling two devices. An agenda printed out would help. There are too many other online documents to refer to already. I wish we were meeting in person really.
Mr F still very no weel, but managed to taxi to Health Centre for bloods which will hopefully lead to some treatment from the Western.
Meanwhile, my hair is progressing from gooseberry to dandelion.
We have another viewing of our house tomorrow- good
We are currently dog-sitting Beaky daughter number two's dog whilst they are away- not so good
Said dog has a back injury and is not allowed to walk very far and we need to vacate the house with her in tow whilst the viewing takes place- very not so good
Said dog doesn't like the hoover- I rest my case!
Very sorry that Mr F is still very poorly, @Firenze . Well done for doing some gardening. I am still only managing the daily watering but have a corner that I want to clear tomorrow, so as to utilise the green bin (collected on Thursday).
It came out in a chance conversation between Mr Nen and the solar panel installation man today that the new panels will be going on the roof tomorrow rather than Thursday, the date we were given and which is in both our diaries. Fortunately we can make this work but we had kept Thursday free so it is Not Particularly Convenient. A saying which includes the words "piss-up" and "brewery" springs to mind.
I had a nice morning, however, heading out to a local plant nursery with Neighbour-Two-Doors-Down for a mooch about there, culminating in coffee, cake and chat - three of my favourite things.
We are out this evening so it's a No Cooking Night For Nen. Another of my favourite things. I can feel a song coming on...
We went to see the megaliths, for which purpose we took the little train (one of those ones that drives on the road and is full of tourists). If you go to see them on foot it's about a 10km hike, which I would happily do were I on my own, but which we thought would be rather too long for Captain P's little legs.
We bought Captain P a Breton raincoat - one of the sort that are usually yellow, but this is a rather fetching white one with a boat pattern. We live in hope that one day it might rain enough for him to wear it.
We had had one conversation on the subject in the summer of 2024 (they're arrived in autumn 2023) as the fence panels were getting interesting. I was happily working away in my garden when I was asked me quite beligerently who I was, and what was I doing in my garden. I smiled, pointed out I'd lived there well before they had moved in, it was nice to meet them, and were they aware they were responsible for the fence? I gave them some cable ties which helped hold one of the panels to hold on until that December, when the storm bought it down. As predicted, the other two very dodgy panels have come down (7 in total) in later storms, and nothing done.
We also had an interesting discussion in that summer of 2024 about when I was going to sort out their front garden when I'd had to explain that that border was theirs, not mine. There is no fence between our front gardens. Mine is grassed over, and regularly cut, they have a paved driveway with a border which hasn't been touched since they moved in and is now well out of control. I'd kept the border tidy-ish (litter picked and pulled out obvious weeds) when the house was empty before it was sold, (it took a lot longer than we all thought it might) which I'd agreed with the daughter of my much missed elderly neighbour. But, once it was sold, I reverted to attending only to my own garden.
Today, a somewhat sheepish voice asked over the back fence, how did he go about getting new fence panels, where did they come from, and how did he measure up.... now I wonder just how long it's going to take to get them. I gave the requested help, but also pointed out I've been very patient and when is this going to be sorted?!? I have done nothing this summer in my back garden, partly because of the fence situation and my own overgrown border of lilies and roses have been serving as deterants to the several small children who live there. Plus a garden bench pulled across the half-panel space. Also we are into our second year of no garden waste.
But after the spate of local wild fires in the West Midlands, it occurred to me that my hay was potentially a bit of a fire hazard...
It's been a mostly grey but not unpleasant day: I braved Tessie's at lunchtime, as the fridge and larder were looking decidedly Mother Hubbard.
Having replenished this and that, supper was fishcakes and veggies.
As I thought my diary for the next few weeks is filling up nicely after my meeting this morning. Much as though I've enjoyed having not much on the last fortnight, I'm looking forward to things getting busy again.
Real, wetting rain, can't remember the last time!
Same here - it's very exciting! It's been over 2 months without it here. Also the sound of rain falling into a river is such a nice sound.
I hope juggling the dog and the hoover - so to speak - goes well and there's a positive outcome from the house viewing today @MrsBeaky . Such a stressful time.
Yesterday evening we went to a contemplative prayer evening at Half-An-Hour's-Drive-Away Town which we've been to a couple of times before. There was a couple there I knew years ago, way back when I was starting to process my faith shift; I used to see them at the retreat centre I had to keep escaping to for a few days. It was lovely to reconnect with them and sitting quietly alongside them again - these people I'd started my journey of contemplative prayer with years ago - felt like a wheel had come full circle.
Here at Casa Nen, the installation engineer has arrived and we await the electrician and the solar panels, both of which are needed for the installation of said panels. As it was supposed to be happening tomorrow I'm hoping that the change of date has been communicated to All Those Who Needed To Know. Given that it was not communicated to us except in a chance comment yesterday I am not feeling particularly confident.
It is also our son's birthday and by the time I get home from the funeral he should have arrived to spend a few days with us, which I'm very much looking forward to.
That sounds wonderful! I'm sure the arrival of rain must be a relief to the hedgehog rescue too, it's so distressing knowing how the drought and wildfires will have harmed wildlife - especially wildlife like hedgehogs which are already in serious trouble.
Grass recovers from drought relatively quickly, so hopefully with some more rain (intermittent showers are predicted for the next few days here) the grass around here will turn green again soon. Obviously much more rain is needed to end the drought, but I'm glad just from a personal perspective that the sad dry yellow grass will come to an end. It made me feel so sad for local kids that playgrounds and playing fields were so dry and scorched.
Hope Mr F feels better soon @Firenze .
Woke to much needed rain but taking the dog out was going to be a major operation due to wet weather protocol with her spinal injury.
Just about got the house looking presentable.
Then wonderfully, the sun came out however husband Beaky and I then had an unfortunate miscommunication which resulted in us snipping at each other as we left the house with the dog only to walk slap bang into the prospective buyer and the agent.
Hey ho!