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 I had a go at Jake about their out-of-date website.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.
The weekend, the sun shone at home. OK rained Saturday night, but Sunday was lovely. Was able to catch up on the grass mowing. Looking at the way the willows have grown this Summer there should be plenty of fuel for the Winter.
Did manage to get some of the galleries updated onto the web.
Weekend Away in Cardiff
Cambridge Visit to the Docklands
Weekend away in Paris
There is still our Cornish and French holiday along with some photographs of family from the sad occasion of the funeral of Jean Blasdale. They should be available in the next few weeks.
Friday was yet another tedious day. Easyjet was 2 hours late departing. But then so were most airlines. Bad weather down South was to blame. Rumors also circulated that the roads out of Luton were all closed due to flooding. Luckily these were all clear before I arrived down there. Managed to crawl home by 10.00pm.
On Saturday we paid a visit to John and Carol for an excellent supper and a good old binge drink, staying the night. Menu was French, including the wines. None of that foreign stuff from around the world.
Sunday was a slow start recovering, then back home to that grass. The sun out, and no rain, so little excuse, the grass had to be tackled. Must be 6 weeks since it was last cut. Then a quick tour around the field with the strimmer cutting down any remaining thistles. Miles, bless the man, had topped the field while we were away. Probably necessary to allow the sheep some access to the remaining grass.
Needless to say the field pond was brim full, very unusual for the time of year.
It’s my fourth week in Edinburgh. Eaten at the usual places, the Mai Thai, Petit Paris etc. The weather has been awful, cold and wet. The longest day has now gone by. The flights home have always been delayed, such that last week I was not home until gone 10.00pm.
At least I have a couple of weeks off next week.
[Editor’s notes: Too long in Scotland must have caused Steve to spell “fourth” as “forth” (as in bridge)]
Friday night saw The Square Pants team (Selina’s idea of a name; R&S had no clue why that name, while Graham objected, but was overruled) try their luck at the Quaintwood Players Murder Mystery Night. Held in Grendon Underwood’s village hall, we were entertained with a half hour play about, coincidentally, an amateur dramatic group.
Beforehand we had sat down at tables & chairs and realized this was serious; a list of suspects and whodunnit solution piece of paper lay waiting for us to ponder & complete. During the break, another clue was given to us as we ate of fish & chips and we discussed the intricacies of the plot and alternatively dismissed and accused every suspect. The cast came amongst us and answered questions. The finale was for the cast to sit on the stage while each table asked them clever questions. Should we ask red herring type ones? Smart-arse Selina pointed out we could do that only if we had a theory, which plunged us into temporary gloom. But suddenly we realized who it was! It was blindingly obvious! Why had we not noticed before? We looked around triumphantly.
We sat there smugly as the murderer(s) revealed themselves…..but, wait, hang on, the cast had got it wrong and had the wrong person(s) and the wrong motives!
The ususal tug of war against our next village neighbours never took place. Sunday the area was prepared. Nettles were strimmed down, a foot bridge was built over the border-marking brook, and a dam built of corregated iron was placed against the road bridge. All this was done in the cold, wet rain. Hopefully the day of the event would be better.
Monday moring, George rang, wondering whether we should cancel the event. It was still raining, and had been all night. So we decided it should be cancelled. Drove down to the border to dismantle the bridge and dam. On arrival was a little worried our dam building might have been rather too effective, the water was flooding the surrounding fields and was higher than the bridge arch. Luckily this was not the case; the whole of the river on the other side of bridge was also above the fields. There was nothing we could do to retrieve the dam on the bridge until the water died down.
It rained the rest of the day.
Sunday was very wet. It appeared to rain all day, cold grey sky which never broke all day. First we met a walking group over the underpass under the Pont d’Alma where Diana had been killed 10 years previously. There were flowers and tributes to her placed on the Flame of Liberty monument (sited there in 1987). The tour we were joining was a visit to the sewers of Paris. Here we were taken down underground to see a main sewer flowing to a point where it is taken under the Seine to the Northern bank. Interesting aspects where that rain water and waste water are all passed down the same sewers. The Parisians also run their fresh water pipes through the sewers, telecommunications and also a very old pre-telephone pneumatic communication system. This allowed you to send paper messages across the city very much like the old department stores. This system is no longer used. The pipe under the Seine is cleaned by passing large wooden spheres through the sewer The sphere is a little smaller than the sewer, and causes the water flow fast and flush the grit and sludge out.
After the sewers it was lunch and then up the Eiffel Tower. I walked up to the 2nd floor, (700 steps), while Rosemary took the lift (and of course got there after me). I then took the lift all the way to the top. You were not allowed to walk to the top. The lift journey was a little scary, I was right against the door facing out of the tower. The door was glass. It made one feel a little insecure. On top the feeling of height rather disappeared. Views were not great because of the rain.
Back down again we walked to the Hotel des Invalides, we were waylaid on the way by a cup of tea. 5.5 euros for a tea bag and some hot water; world shortage of milk. At the Hotel des Invalides took some pictures in the rain.
Supper was in an restaurant, again not value for money and not that good.
This weekend my new tripod went out for its first outing. It went around seven churches in the area where I live. These seven churches all belong to the Swan Group of churches. This was the 30th anniversary of the swan group, and they were celebrating this landmark with a flower festival.
Rosemary’s bookclub had been asked to place an arrangement in our local church of Grendon Underwood. This was partly how we got to know about the event.
I decided to take some pictures on the Saturday, this grew into a project to take pictures of every flower arrangement in the flower festival. This was quite time consuming in the end (had to go on Sunday to finish), but it got me used to my tripod, altering the height quickly, levelling it and eventually taking the picture. Light levels were low, and I used no flash, so was taking long exposures of up to 15 seconds.
The weather was awful, but the tea and cakes were very welcome.
A little post production with photo-shop, and then every arrangement was placed on the website at http://www.blasdale.com/pictures/2007/SwanGroup/index.html
Rosemary arranged to go on a little trip with the Bedfordshire & Luton Geology group to walk and hear about the Fullers Earth Industry at Aspley Heath near Woburn Sands. Set out with plenty of time, but alas never found Aspley Heath until far too late. The navigation was a total mess. I shall have to buy a Tom Tom.
Instead we stopped at a good farmer’s market in Woburn and bought some good bread and then popped into see John and Carol, and have a bite of our bread with them (plus their cheese etc) for lunch. Then back home.
Being Mothering Sunday, we were delighted to have Selina and Graham over for supper and Rosemary very pleased to receive flowers, vase, chocolates and wine for combined Mothers Day & birthday gifts. What more could a girl (?) want?
The cold spell has arrived, a quick reversal from the warm and fairly dry weather we have been having for the last few weeks. Forecast is lots of snow, but so far none.
Had a delightful evening with Tessa and Robin. They had invited over a few ex Walker people, Rosemary and I included. Peter and Janet, John and Carol, Ann and Chris. We had a delightful meal, Rosemary really liked their house and was impressed that Tessa and Robin could easily seat 10, and have enough matching crockery and cutlery. Their downstairs loo was particularly brilliant with all things electrical on display - Robin is an electrician.
Rosemary’s nephew’s better-half Kirsty has just launched a new business Be Styled Interiors for interior design, home staging & de-cluttering in West Sussex & Surrey. Should be very exciting her and we had a look at the new website for them. I reckon we know quite a few homes which could benefit from the de-cluttering!
Local birds are behaving very oddly. Over the past few weeks and for the first time in the 20 years we’ve lived here, the local blue tits are repeatedly tapping at windows and leaping up & down at them, too. Is it the same single bird? Not sure, not many distinguishing characteristics, but I don’t think we’ve had more than one window attacked at the same time. Meanwhile, we spotted a buzzard in the field. The farmer whose sheep are very kindly eating there said there were buzzards nesting in the wood near him, well blow me if a buzzard hasn’t come here and sat on the fence into the “coppice” part of the field. However, he doesn’t appear to be that bright cos he was sitting very near a collared dove and there were bunnies running around beneath him. Surely he shouldn’t have been that friendly with meals?