What are you all up to
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A group of eight of us, all connected with amateur theatre, set up some years ago to make scenery sets. for the am-dram groups in our area. This was not a money making concern, just something to keep us occupied since retiring. However, since March we have not been able to do anything and haven't seen each other since that day, literally downing tools and leaving a set for "Annie" about 90% complete. It's still unknown when and if the show can go on and we are all getting a bit frustrated. So tomorrow five of us are getting together. It's not to build scenery but to help repair the garage belonging to the local mountain rescue team. We're hoping for a dry day as the work is outside, socially distanced, replacing all the rainwater guttering and downpipes. If we can't give our time to the am-dram groups we can at least use our various skills to help another worthy organisation who, due to Covid, have had a busy summer. It will be nice to see some of our team again. In truth, we are a bit like Compo and Clegg etc in Last of the Summer Wine !
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We seem to be heading in a not good direction with the virus in this borough as just had an email to advise we have had 122 tested positive in last seven days a 58.6% increase
if it is the same over the county and reports suggest it is "gaining ground" we could be heading into the next tier
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Damp and dark today, grey skies but not that cold.
Food shopping first thing, then top up my car as fuel gauge said almost empty. Told OH I'm sure I did that before we went away
sure enough went to put fuel in, tank full 
obviously fuel gauge not working. Drove car to MH dealer, to pick that up, fuel gauge now showing 3/4 full. Back home, gauge now showing full looks like a sticking gauge. Will have to go back to dealer to get fixed.Off to hairdresser shortly for a trim, then I'll do OH's later.
Washing machine and tumbler on the go as no point in trying to hang washing outside its just to damp and no wind.
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It was pouring this morning at Berwick so we got soaked packing up. Arrived at North Berwick after an easy 1 hour tow up from Berwick rained all the way up luckily the rain stopped just as we pulled in to the gate of the site so were able to get set up without getting soaked again. Site is busy we managed to get one of the last hard standing pitches. Not sure what the forecast is like for the weekend.
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Hair now shorn
and yes hairs get inside the mask.The car is now booked into the dealers next week, not to worried about running out of fuel as I have reset the trip so with know how many miles I can do if plays up. Its only my little car so just used for shopping trips into town etc.
OH just had a notification that the Canaries are coming off the quarantine list
busy looking for flights now and just might pop over for a couple of weeks to Lanzarote.0 -
Our last day here in Coniston and one of those days where you realise where all that water for the rivers, waterfalls and lakes comes from!
When I took Ralph out this morning a coach full of tourists (well I say full, it was a big coach but there only appeared to be a dozen or so getting off) was pulling into the village car park - a horrible day to be visiting. We sat in catching up on some reading this morning and watching the steam gondola plying its trade up and down the lake - I think it's advanced bookings only at the moment so I'm not sure how they are doing financially.
It did at least brighten up enough this afternoon for a stroll down to the lakeside and through the village, stopping off in the "new" cemetery to pay respects to one of my big boyhood heroes, Donald Campbell. He was laid to rest in the cemetery some 30+ years after the tragedy of the final Bluebird run. Earlier pictures don't show the teddy bear, Mr Whappit, who accompanied him on all his record attempts. I've been trying to discover if the one in a glass case there now is the original (unlikely, given its value) or a later tribute.
We have to be out by 10 tomorrow morning for the journey home, so a lot of packing and cleaning to be done. It's probably one of the best cottages we've ever stayed in and in a fantastic position looking down to the lake. We're already planning another visit next October!
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OH just had a notification that the Canaries are coming off the quarantine list smile busy looking for flights now and just might pop over for a couple of weeks to Lanzarote
Well we tried it but the price tripled in the time it took to complete the booking
not playing those silly games. So we will go away in the van again.0 -
It was dry(ish) until 11 this morning so got suck into tidying the garden, pulling up the dead slimy leaves from the Hostas, cutting back the lemon mint and getting stuck into whilst clearing some invasive bramble from numpty next door.
Had to drop off some stuff in town before heading off into Chester to the dentist for some hygiene work. Very depressing news all round from there with several people losing their parents recently, and the dentist's daughter seriously ill. Made one realise how fortunate we have been to date. Mind you I always wake up feeling grateful but hearing of other woes reinforces it.
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I really want to transfer them onto my Kindle, but don't believe it is possible. I've not brought my laptop with us or I'd download them onto that and them post off there. I had resized a few, and Deleted User the originals, but the phone told me that it didn't have enough memory to let me post them on CT.
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Can you email from your phone to your Fire, Nellie? Alternatively, I’m happy to post for you if you want to email to me. New email address in my profile.
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Thanks for the offer, TW. I can do that I'm sure, but was looking for an easier alternative. It's going to a lot of trouble just to post a few photos on here. On t'other forum it's so much easier!!!
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Glad you made it ok, Francis. We are due there on Monday, so might just bump into you there, if you've not left for home. Hope that there's a pitch available when we arrive.
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No worries 👍🏻
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We were down on the Dorset coast today, I had booked lunch at a garden centre just outside Bridport, the weather was so nice and warm we could eat outside in the sunshine without our coats. I bought a few seed packets and a toy for the dog! Quite a few vans around, Bingham Grange looked busy when we drove past. No doubt it will all be very busy for half term so we'll give the area a swerve for a couple of weeks.
OH is looking at Goodwood on the TV, he's raced there in the past. Covid would have been an ideal time to get an old car together and rebuild it but he's more interested in his ebay lawn mower which seems to have been a good purchase!
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A bit of a mixed day today, after completing the cleaning of the caravan, we took it back to storage this morning. Not sure if we will get away again this year, places to go seem to be getting less every week. Will have to wait and see.
Enjoyed tea and a chat with one of our neighbours who lives on her own and has been finding the lockdown hard.
Had a chat with youngest son, apparently the school in Manchester where his girlfriend works has had lots of children test positive for covid and now a member of staff she shares an office with has symptoms and is awaiting a test result. She may have to isolate for half term, luckily our son is still working from home.
Work for a few hours this afternoon.
Weather dry and sunny so last of holiday washing dry, just the huge pile of ironing to tackle, tomorrow.
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Not sure if we will get away again this year, places to go seem to be getting less every week.
Helen, if you look on the CL Bookings page on FB you will see that there isn't a steady stream of cancellations, due mainly to members being lockdown to their own area, so you should be able to find somewhere that would suit.
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Although we've had rain early on and then again tonight the remainder of the day was reasonably dry. Went to Crathes Castle where we had a pleasant walk through part of the estate before lunch. Then we went round the castle and gardens. There were quite a few families about but very few in the castle itself, where a one way system was in operation. It's been a lot of years since we last visited. Another short walk with Flyte and then it was off to Tesco and Morrisons, both of which were very quiet, to stock up and refuel before we move on further south tomorrow.
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It's been an exhausting day, hopefully tomorrow can only be better!
The renovation of the spare bedroom and bathroom at DD's house is becoming a money pit, as I feared. Yesterday, continuing with the preparations for the new ceiling and replastering all round, the builders found that a lot of the existing plaster is unsound and in danger of falling down, plus some has been applied over wallpaper or gloss paint.
Also, there are multiple layers of tiles in some areas, the top layer literally just fell off the wall when the shower enclosure was removed, some older ones cannot be removed without painstakingly hacking them off, and as this room was the originally the kitchen, there is plaster over tiles.Originally they thought they could dot and dab plasterboard in place on a couple of the walls, but now they have discovered how bad the condition of the plaster is, they will have to batten all 4 walls of the bedroom and 2 walls of the bathroom, fixing into the original brickwork, and then screw plasterboard to that.
So the rooms will shrink by 25mm for each wall involved, and the final bill will increase to cover the extra materials and labour. Fortunately the bedroom is large so losing 50 mm each way does not matter, but it will be more of a problem in the bathroom.
While we were digesting this news, I got a call from DD's tenant to report a "flood" in the bathroom, apparently a worsening of a previously reported problem. He sent photos, which looked pretty dire, so I arranged to take another look this morning.
Found part of wall and ceiling wet, and floor starting to rot. Problem with a leak in what we assumed was a communal drain pipe was reported to the factors (building managers) back in February, and, having heard no more about it, DD had assumed it was sorted back then. No idea why it has taken 8 months for the tenant to complain again!
DD rang factors and was told they had sent someone out to investigate and had been waiting for her to give permission for them to open up the pipe duct as that would destroy the tiling. Difficult for her to do as she had not been asked!
So, now, due to the length of time elapsed, and the fact the duct is within her flat, they were refusing to do anything before she paid someone to open the duct and prove the pipe was nothing to do with her bathroom.
So, that was my afternoon taken care of! Second trip down there, dropped off by OH, luckily it is only a couple of miles, this time equipped with tools, ladder, dust sheets and rubble sacks.
Duct was soon opened up to reveal mainly empty space and very wet plasterboard, water coming from somewhere above, and in the lower half some sort of soil pipe, capped with what looks like an automatic air vent. So obviously the water causing the problem is nothing to do with DD's plumbing.
Factor now back on the case, once the source is found and fixed, the repairs to the bathroom will presumably be dealt with via an insurance claim.
Hopefully that is the last of the bad news for this week!
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Visit to vet this morning with poorly dog...bank balance feeling a bit poorly now, dog ok! 🐕
TG interesting to hear about cost of flights, they appear to be cheap to some places where quarantine is applied so I presume most are wanting to go without the quarantine restriction and there's money to be made!?
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Dreadful night's sleep so a bit tardy this morning in getting going but it didn't really matter as it was chucking it down until after elevenses. Had to take the coffee maker back to Argos that we bought the other day. Nothing wrong with it but too fiddly for MiL's arthritic hands. I like Argos for that very reason, no quibbles.
Town was heaving, I suppose as lockdown looms at 6pm tonight. In and out in 10 minutes though.
Things do seem to be getting worse out there so take care everyone.
I wonder if TG needs a bag carrier if she gets to the Canaries?
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No bag carrier needed WN, we are not going
Decided that as flight prices had tripled in the time it took us to get to the end of the booking page (they have added on so many things you have to select or de-select it takes ages) and I'm not joking it started out as £100 return and ended up just over £300
coupled with the fact that the flights would be very busy, now no quarantine is required we decided against it. I was happy to go with quarantine as I knew it was quiet in the resort. TG interesting to hear about cost of flights, they appear to be cheap to some places where quarantine is applied so I presume most are wanting to go without the quarantine restriction and there's money to be made!?
I guess with the poor season the airlines have had who can blame them but as we are due to go in March this was an extra so no big issue.
Got up to a very dark and miserable morning then come lunchtime the sun came out and we've had a lovely afternoon.
OH has washed the very dirty caravan while I've been doing some soup making, sorting out the freezers again and steam cleaning the carpets in the living room, dining room and hall.
I think tomorrow will be buying new tops for some of the trellis panels, we have around 4 that needs to be replaced and some of the post tops could do with it as well but OH makes those. Fence paint also needed along with some paint for the front bedroom. When we get round to it will be another thing, as it was going to be our 2 weeks of quarantine jobs. As we are not going now, we may go away in the MH somewhere in Scotland.
Could do with a good wind to shift the leaves from the silver birch trees in the garden then I can tidy them up, bought a new leaf rake to do the job, as the old one was in serious need of a set of dentures
Have a good weekend folks whatever you are doing.
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Sorry we'll miss you Francis, another time perhaps. Shame about not getting your flight, TG, but perhaps with the fights being full it was a blessing in disguise. I wonder how many on board would stick to wearing a mask for the full journey? Kjell, you certainly have an awful lot of work on your hands. Hope that all the problems get sorted out at no too great an expense. WN did you manage to find a suitable replacement coffee maker, or is that a job in progress? Hope you manage a better sleep tonight.
We managed to get packed up in the dry but drove into rain at Stonehaven. Fortunately we drove out of it again as we passed Errol and it was,fine and sunny when we set up at Powmill. There have been further showers through the day but all walks so far have been in the dry. The treat of the day was to see a Red Squirrel run across the road in front of Flyte and I on our short walk prior to leaving Banchory.
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The new vacuum cleaner came today and I have just put it together. Considerably lighter than our current SEBO and the others we looked at. Just enough charge to give it a bit of a try but tomorrow (cleaning day) it will get a proper work out. Battery on charge at the moment! The cleaning head is quite a bit narrower than curent cleaner which could be an advantage in one of the bathrooms, we shall see.
David
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Yes and No Nell. We ordered a more user friendly one from Argos but it's delivery only so have to wait a few more days for it. Have to use our one cup drip filter from the caravan until then. Can't do without my coffee.
We have a workman from the window company coming tomorrow morning to fix a very small problem on the door they installed a few years ago. He rang the other day and will be here some time around 9 am. We may well be having a shower about then but MiL told us not to worry as "I'll have my dressing gown on and promise to put me teeth in.."
So that's put our mind at ease.Flu jab due in the morning. Mrs WN has decided she might try for one if they have any spare but will have to ring up first.
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My goodness you do live dangerously, don't you!
Going for the jab, is that your excuse for a run out in the car during lockdown, or just a snub to the 1st Minister?
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