Blasdale Home Website

Amazing, several days without rain. The weekend was fabulous. The BBQ was used twice. BBQ English leg of lamb on Saturday, and then little, spatchcocked poussins on Sunday. Even now several days later the sun is still about.

At home the birds are nesting, we have four little ducklings on the field pond. Rosemary has yet to see them. Of course there could be a few less with the number of crows, magpies, rooks etc marching around the field. Then we have a great tit nesting. They ignored all the detached homes we put up for them last year. Instead they are nesting in the cavity wall of the utility room, just by the entrance door. Rosemary is very concerned that I don’t go around slamming the door as I come and go.

Preparations are under way for the annual tug of war against Wotton Underwood. I don’t expect we will be seeing Tony and Cherie Blair participating in the event. I wouldn’t think they would have moved in by then. Maybe we will see them next year?

Today was fabulous. Dry, and the temperature rose to 21C. The hottest day of the year. What was more remarkable the day was a Saturday. Alas the forecast for Sunday is rain, can’t be having too much of a good thing can we?

 There was quite a drying breeze, so out with the lawn mower and I performed the first cut of the year. Also did a little bit of strimming, cutting down the butterfly habitat, otherwise know as stinging nettles. Took a look at the graveyard, will have to put the brush cutter on. Seems some 60 little saplings have grown up over winter, and they are already too tough for a nylon cord strimmer.

The six sheep in the field were unhappy with me. I built a lovely big fire from all the small bits of wood from the willow trees I cut down earlier in the year. The sheep migrated to the furthest corner of the field where they have stayed all afternoon.

Now the evening has started, it’s a well earned Gin and Tonic after the day’s hard labours. While drinking my G&T and with the aid of Google I reckon I have the solution to my mobile phone problem. I have a Nokia 6151, it’s a 3G handset. Alas it always tries to locate a 3G transmitter in preference to stronger 2G transmitters. It often can at home connect to a 3G transmitter, but the signal is so weak, I can’t make sensible phone calls. When it connects to a 2G transmitter there is no problem with the phone call. So I had this ridiculous problem that phone calls upstairs never worked when it connects to 3G, but down tairs they work when it cannot find the weak 3G signal, so has to use the strong 2G signal. Friday was a trial, I would receive a call when I was working at home. I would answer, the call would break up and disconnect. Downstairs I would go, place the phone on the floor to hasten the switch over to 2G, once in 2G mode I would pick the phone up and make the call hoping it would not go back to 3G.

There was not option to force the phone to use 2G in the settings. You can force 3G, or select a setting where it will use with 3G or 2G. It always though prefers to use 3G.

The solution I read on a search of Google and implemented was to turn off automatic connection to the the service provider, and to use manual connection. With manual connection you can then select the 2G service, ignoring the 3G service. I wonder if I will get problems when I go to other areas of the country. Only time will tell. What worries me slightly is my phone is from 3, and don’t they have some roaming agreements with other services providers where they have not got their own transmitters. Maybe I will end up selecting the 2G service at home, and then re-enable automatic selection when I leave home.

It took several days to recover from the food poisoning, even on Friday and Saturday I declined going to the pub to have anything to drink. Really only recovered for Sunday when we met Richard and Celia for lunch at Banbury, where we ate Sunday lunch of roasted cow.

My poor car broke down on Saturday, the battery decided not to work. We had visited Ladymead Joinery to advise on their hardware and network. I also took a few pictures of the new machinery in operation. Came to leave and the battery was dead, nothing. No lights had been left on. Had a jump start from Tony and bought a new battery from Halfords.

Rosemary has reported that my weeding of the pond has caused disruption in Moorhen World. The weeding from the pond is still on the bank, (allowing the pond life which was removed to wander back into the water at their leisure). Alas they are too near the bank, and the increase in height compounded by the slippery mud has made it difficult for the moorhen to get out of the pond. Rosemary was attracted to this plight by considerable squawking and splashing as the moorhen tried to surmount the bank side. Why it didn’t try an easier route is anyone’s guess.

Did a bit of weeding of the pond on Sunday. Removed the floating island of waterlily and various other plants including a bramble. Trimmed back the shallow water plants which were creating their own rafts.

Had to do some wading to achieve this. Remembered to remove my mobile phone from my jeans before I started, but alas left my credit cards and notes in my pocket. Ah well, they dried out and the cards, of course, still work.

Replanted a bit of the waterlily back into the depths, so hopefully it will live and show as some nice flowers this year.

Now looking forward to the storm predicted to break during the night.

We have a Pepys themed walked with the Berkshire branch of the Cambridge Society in London for Saturday 29th March.  I’ve always wanted to see “The Mousetrap”, so after much dithering (& gasping at ticket prices) we decide yes & I try to book tickets for the evening performance on Saturday. 

The website I use has several points during the booking process when it warns you it will time out if you do not complete the “form” within so many minutes. I struggle through and am not timed out.  Finally, the stupid website announces it needs my Verification details, ie not the PIN nor the three digits on the back of the card, but some other stupid number.  I’ve never set one up with the bank, but Steve, unbeknown to me, has.  Website times out, so Steve says out of the way and he’ll do it on his card.  Much hissing and panicking as Steve logs into the site but it still demands he types in all his details.  He gets the tickets.  Curiously they are not the ones it offered me.  Never get the same twice running, he says.  I look more closely.  Why did you book for Friday 28th, I ask?  Much screaming ensues.  What to do?  Go up two days running?  Sell them on ebay? 

Inspiration strikes me and I ask if Steve has any points from his hotel stays left over?  Result - we’re going up Friday morning & will stay overnight on Friday and we’re even getting lifts to and from the station.

Another Saturday morning with the chain saw cutting up logs, with Rosemary stacking them in the shed.  Think the blade has gone blunt again, so gave up for lunch time.  Next week will have to get the blade sharpened again.

Decided to cut down 4 willow trees.  Despite all having been cut down before, they had now grown to a rather large size.  Out with the chain saw, started first time and away we went cutting.  Alas after several minutes not much impression.  Blunt saw.

Sent Rosemary off to Longmoor’s to have it sharpened.  She came back suitably chastened after being told that it had not been serviced, the oil was not lubricating the chain and the chain was too tight.  Soon was cutting again, like the proverbial hot knife through butter.

Managed to cut down all the trees and started logging some of them.

Working from home to day, the weather is absolutely crap.  The Blasdale field is flooded, the poor sheep are wearing (Wellington) boots today.

I have been in the office the last few days.  Now working on some development projects concerned with Single Signon.  Very odd not being out on customer sites, and alas not chargeable, so no bonus from this work.  Hopefully will get up to speed on the project, and then will work from home to complete the work.

Went to the local pub last night to have one of their cheap meals. First had a drink with George and Annie who were surpised to see us on a week day.   Afterwards Rosemary and I dined in the resturant.

I am pleased to say that the meal was actually very good, and not outrageously expensive.  We went for the mid week value meal, and had three courses.  The amount of food was just right, and each dish was well presented.  The French waiter, Cyril, was very helpful with the wine selection and offered excellent alternatives to our original selections.

For starters Rosemary selected Ceasar Salad, while I had Salmon Terrine.  The Terrine was lovely, and was served with a sauce and topped with a salady/pickle made of strips of cucumber.

Both of us ate the Sea Bream on couscous.  We both were very happy with this.

For the finals, chocolate for me and creme brule for Rosemary.  My chocolate pudding was delish.  A dark chocolate on a white chocolate moose. 

Spent Saturday morning shopping, generally unsuccessfully, and the afternoon gardening.  There is so much work to be done there this autumn.  Definitely going to be a chain saw massacre  on some the trees.  They all seem to have grown suddenly, and the ones near the house will need a little trimming back.  Then the graveyard has some dead elms which should come down.  Looks like the wood store will be full for the winter.

R wants to replace the Pampas grass with some butterfly friendly plant.  G must have overheard what I said about setting it on fire and roasting the hedgehogs living in it, because he sent R an article on hedgehog friendly gardening.

Sunday went to M&D for lunch and tea.  Had a leg of lamb this time, roasted and not BBQed.  Very good indeed.  Also picked up our 25th wedding anniversary present. A lovely Ann Blockley painting and a silver topped jar with a bee in the decoration.  As we left it started pouring with rain, expected a bad journey home, but luckily it all cleared up on the M40.

Selina and Graham attended our BBQ this weekend.  Unlike John and Carol, we were able to call on the weather Gods and arranged a sunny day.  They excelled themselves and provided us with several days of warmth.

Our BBQ was lamb shoulder.  Now where have I had that recently!  Mum in law, Winnie, was present having stayed most of the week.  She was taken back to her home complete with Freeview Box, which I set up.  Drive down was bad with all the traffic going to Bournemouth.  Drive back was good, except for the 45 minute hold-up while someone was air-lifted from the road after an accident, but it wasn’t us, so we should feel thankful.

Back at home I strimmed down the thistles on the field. Hopefully last time this year.

Today Saturday must have been the warmest this year.  The sun shone all day.  The spirit (not allowed mercury any more) in the thermometer rose to a startling 25 Celsius.  BBQ time, so a British lamb shoulder onto the Webber in time for Selina and Graham who were coming around for tea.  Even Gran managed to stay up until after 22.00.

 On Friday I had a quick drink over at the local pub to meet up with George to check if I needed to do anything for Monday’s tug of war.  The pub has been busy putting up a conservatory, building a patio and fencing off all the unsightly areas.  The car park has now been covered with fine shingle.  I had a go at Jake about their out-of-date website.

Good news on Friday.  The bank in Scotland wants me back for a couple of weeks work.  So will be catching the flight from Luton early on Tuesday.

Met over at John and Carol’s for a BBQ.  Not very good BBQ weather.  Poured with rain, John tending the lamb shoulders standing under an umberella.

At the BBQ were Ann and Chris, Peter and Janet, Robin and Tessa and Stuart and Pamela. 

As John said after the BBQ.

 Congratulations Gang,… and thank you for coming and brightening what would otherwise have been an otherwise dreary Saturday afternoon/evening   It was great to see you all even if we did end up inside.  Not really a surprise given this year’s track record.

Today the gate on the footpath between us and our neighbours was installed.  The neighbours over the weekend also dug a large pond in their garden.

The local pub is part way through installing a conservatory, and building a sitting out area around the back.  They’ve also started landscaping at the front - some good hanging baskets to attract the punters, perhaps.