What are you all up to
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What a shock that Aviva didnt want to insure your new car WN! Will they ever give you a reason? What a stressful time for you but I am glad it all worked out in the end.
Bakers, you deserved that cup of tea and snooze. Just enjoy yourself for a while although gardening might have to wait until the weather bucks its ideas up.
We treated ourselves to a trip to Easton Walled Gardens today. We were a bit late this year but although the snowdrops were slightly past their best they were still beautiful. It wasnt as cold as we feared because there was no wind. We thought we had better have a day out before we retreat indoors next week because it will be VERY cold again!
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Day three of bathroom refit. Thus far old bathroom striped out, all new plumbing in place and plastering mainly complete including the ceiling which I have the job of painting once the plaster is dry enough. Fortunately now have the weekend off so no need to get up at silly o'clock in the morning! Electrician should come on Monday to do their work and fingers crossed that it will all be completed by the end of next week. Tomorrow we have to collect the motorhome from its annual service and MOT.
David
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We have been to Stirling today.
Several weeks back we booked in our 53 year old Husqvarna sewing machine for service as it was just not behaving.....chewing up the thread etc etc. The nearest specialist is in Stirling, 35 miles away, they used to operate a collection service from a local to us fabric shop, which we used last time, but the shop is no more, so there was no option but to take the machine to them.
DD and family went to Stirling Castle a few weeks back, so they offered to drop it off for us. Shop rang us on Wednesday to say the machine was ready, so we went there today.
Just hope it is sorted for a few years as it was £79 for the service, plus 90p to park to collect! I have never been in Stirling town centre before, OH has, lots of roadworks and not easy to park, but once we found somewhere nearby, it did not take long to fetch the machine. It is very heavy, so I was glad I did not have to carry it too far!
We then went to DD's house to continue the project she started me on on Thursday........fitting little brackets to some "niches" in her hallway to take some perspex shelves. Previous house owner had these weird niches made ......one tall skinny one each side and 3 wide dumpy ones in the middle. Just plasterboard, so difficult to dust, and the tall ones were no use for anything.
Eventually she would like to remove them back to the original wall, and instead fit custom made units with glass doors in the space, but that is a big job, so fitting little shelves in the tall skinny ones is a holding solution.
I now have all the little brackets fitted, so just need to make shelves that fit.....not easy as nothing they have had built is straight!
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Nice photos Millie. We like Easton Garden.
No, Aviva didn't give a specific reason, just a generic one. There were plenty of other "normal" insurers who were prepared to quote on the comparison site. At least Aviva have been quick with returning the premium less a small charge for the days they were on cover for.
Hope one and all have a nice, safe weekend.
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It is the getting up and being presentable when you have workmen in. I am looking forward to choosing my waking and rising time starting tomorrow after 9 weeks. In actual fact it probably won't be much different but my choice!
It'll all be lovely when it's done.
Hope all goes well with collection of your motorhome and the bill is tge least it can be.
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Glad you got your insurance sorted out so you could collect the new car, WN,, but it does seem strange that Aviva didn't want your business.
Like the photos, millie, and p!eased that you managed a day out before the weather changes. We have not made it to Easton Garden yet, but hope to get there some time in the not too distant future.
Hope you manage to find a way of reducing your water costs which must be drain on your finances, Goldie.😁 Love the photo of the dowser at work.
Definitely a time to take it easy for a short while, B2, you surely deserve a rest after all the hard physical and mental work you have put in recently.
We had an easy drive over to a CL we use on a fairly regular basis. Fine dry day and not too cold either, fingers crossed that we don't get any snow before we move on for early next week.
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Gosh ours have generally arrived around 0730. The window guys, can't leave a gaping hole when it's clocking off time😉, we're still here at 1700 most days.
It hard trying to settle doing normal things when workmen around 🤣. Mind you I'll be saving on tea coffee and sugar. Hard landscapers were constantly high on sugar hits!
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Is this another short break nellie or the start of a much longer trip?
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Oh no, B2, ours were totally self contained, but did ask if Ok to use our toilet.
One of them drove from Maidens, south of Ayr each day, while the boss only came from the south side of Glasgow. The guy from south of Ayr must have left home around 6am every day, he reckoned that was best for avoiding heavy traffic. He was always here first, then ate his breakfast in his car.
They usually left by 4pm to avoid the rush hour, so to south of Ayr would be something like 90 minutes......a long day for him.
The worst thing we found was the cold in the house as doors to outside had to be open a lot. We hid in the lounge and tried to at least keep that warm, heating elsewhere was turned off.
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Just another short one, 10 days this time, on 3 sites, then a short while at home before another shortish trip so that we get home before the hoards descend on the sites for Easter. Hopefully we will then be able to get away for a couple of months or so.
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Has anyone any idea where JVB has gone, as I have not seen a post from him recently. Have I missed something? Has he been dispatched to the "naughty corner"? I do hope that nothing serious has happened to him or his OH.
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Kj
I have some left over from the kitchen, it's a special paint for new plaster which might be what you refer to? I think it soaks into the plaster rather than forming a surface?
David
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Nellie
It seems he was last active on the forum in early January but nothing since. Having been such an active contributor it does seem out of character. Like you I hope he and his OH are OK.
David
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We are due to have a short break but the forecast for our departure is heavy snow. It's a rally in an interesting spot that neither of us have visited before, I'm expecting it to be cancelled, if not I think we will have to cancel which I hate doing but can't risk being stuck somewhere...eg the M5...
Hope those who have been busy at home are enjoying a rest this weekend. OH went out in the cold yesterday and did some of the remaining stock fencing on his own, it's hard work and he needed a rest. Still more to go but now the weather is against us, the ground is very tough going with one of those "bonger" things which we've borrowed. Never have asked what it's really called.
Best wishes to JVB and anyone else who might be looking in but not posting.
Interesting to hear about water on Goldie's farm makes our collection of water butts seem quite meagre but it all helps.
I had a successful furniture moving session yesterday, a bit more today and then the loved but dreaded books need a sort out. Can't work outside just now so can do a few things inside.
Have a good weekend all.
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brue the name is a fence post rammer but do like your name and yes they are hard work when the ground is hard have used one when doing gardening with social services gardening group and OH has used one as well many years ago, over here with such stoney ground the local farmers use a powered auger fitted to the back of the tractor much easier.
A dry sunny but a sharp frost overnight and no snow forecast here but looks like we are going to have some very heavy rain next week and for a few days after so hopefully we will not have to have early water restrictions. Washing done just in case of the wet weather. Have got some small Iris Recticulars out and some daffs in bud but none out yet too cold, bird feeders topped up. Well look like the field across the road from us which had all the trees removed and a heavy bit of kit came twice to plough over the ground as full of stone and all looked very smooth but a noisy bit of kit and yesterday two men with tape measures have installed a lot of canes in lines so suspect it will be planted with more trees just hope they will protect them from the local deer, we were worried at first that it had been cleared for building plots and now prefer to see trees or bushes go in.
Enjoy your breaks away folks and hope folk so get well.
We have got a holiday in May about 60 miles from home in the north of the Lot near Gramat and Rocamadour and friends of ours from UK will be near Beynac for 2 weeks so will be able to visit them or for them to visit us, an area we went a number of years ago so quite a few places to revisit and new ones as well and hopefully not to hot although the site has got a lovely pool on, possibly will do a very local site in June which we have been to before but with new owners this time and do not anything for July/August just too hot and places are packed as I find these days after Covid lockdown not good with crowds anymore.
Enjoy your weekend folks.
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A quiet day for me, a long planned trip to visit our Son. OH, Son and Grandsons have gone into London for a Comicon show. They are all film buffs but at least they haven’t dressed up! DIL has gone to visit her Mum as it’s her birthday, so it’s me and the dog. I was thinking of going into town for a browse but I can’t be bothered, (getting old?) probably crowded and it’s cold.
Granddaughter has gone back to Uni, hopefully the rest will have helped. We normally take her back but due to us already having these arrangements and having to travel here we drove her to the station. The station staff are very helpful, organising a ramp etc and helped her with her luggage. I have just emailed GWR to say how helpful the staff are at that particular station and asking them to pass on our thanks. I think good service is worth a thank you.
our Son is in the building trade - internal commercial buildings. He has just completely refitted his bathroom, it took him 3 days and it looks really lovely. I commented that I loved his floor to ceiling tiled walls, saying that such large tiles must have been heavy and hard to fit. ‘Look closer Mum’ I still couldn’t see it until he pointed it out. Not tiles at all but large sheets cut to size and fitted over the old tiles. He said it’s so much quicker than tiling. I would never ever have known. Although he did it himself he still had a moan about how all the diy material has increased in price, but he said it’s the same at work for the price of commercial refitting.
My treat is tomorrow, when he has promised to take me to Costco. I love a wander round their food aisles, must just try not to buy too much. I’ve tidied their kitchen and vacuumed, now I must decide how to spend the rest of my leisure day, book, tv? Must make the most of it it doesn’t happen often.
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I have not seen special paint for new plaster, sounds like a "ready to use" mist coat (as it apparently called, don't ask me why) which is made by adding a % of water to ordinary emulsion.
As you say, the paint needs to sink into the new plaster to make a good bond.
I did that first, then used a "kitchen and bathroom" paint, which can stand the steam etc and is less likely to go mouldy. I only had the ceilings to paint.
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brue, I also heard the forecast is for snow, hope they are wrong as we have booked to take our caravan to our dealer on Monday for service on Tuesday, a 30+ mile trip.
They then keep it till Friday as we are otherwise engaged on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
We need to go back for it first thing on Friday as DD has asked us to look after the boys on Friday afternoon as she has somewhere to go.
Today has been very sunny here, very pleasant in the sun, but it is now dull and starting to get very cold. Been in the garage starting to make a birthday present for DIL, so fingers are frozen now.
Think we will need the heating on a little earlier today!
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Son came for visit this morning, brought the grand-dog. Played with his new power washer, gave the new slabs a once over, they came up well helped with another couple of jobs. Nice to catch up with him and hear about his new job, 3 weeks in now.
Grandson slept in so son and DIL thought they'd enjoy the time with their breakfast. Apparently not to be, grand-dog had vomited and pooed so they had to clean the kitchen and bath the dog 😱🤔. At least they didn't have 'help' and could share the task. Suspected sugarbeet eating!
Had an hour in the garden removing perennial cornflowers that dominate a front bed, hard to remove as amid bulbs and runs everywhere. Filled 2 buckets full, made little impression but very therapeutic. Caught up with a couple of neighbours. Then potted on the morning glory and the 4 sweet peas that had germinated very quickly and could no longer be ignored. OH watered the front where we planted up. Not too cold, but that's because there was no wind.
Needed to get those jobs done as we're having grandson from mid/late morning whilst mummy and daddy go out go a 'do'. It'll be the first time for prolonged alone stay 🤞🤞. I've dusted off the cozy coupe, tractor and the new to him, tricycle so hopefully we can burn off energy.... let's hope it stays dry - so much easier!
DEBSC I'd love details of the tiling boards your son used. It won't happen for a bit 😉 but we need to redo the bathroom at some stage. Enjoy your day of leisure, but I'm not sure tidying and vac-ing someone else's kitchen counts as such!
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Well they all got back earlier than expected, worn out. They bought little, except OH! Who bought 2 Star Wars spacecrafts!! Cheap, apparently.
Bakers, 8 years ago when we had our extension built and our big refit we had storm boards fitted in the bathroom and en-suite, they were placed over the existing tiles to save removing them all, plumbers idea and saved us a lot. They still look like new and I rarely have to clean them, they are plain though. Sons look great as tiles and he will never have to worry about grouting. He bought them online from The Panel Co. they delivered. Total cost for them for the whole bathroom, and it’s a large room was £650.
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B2 I used a product call Alto on the walls in our bathroom. Pro’s a few minutes to measure, half an hour for bends and half an hour to bond to the wall, very easy to clean. Con’s you need someone with a former to form the bends. Great job and saved hours of tiling
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Bakers, when we worked a popular site in west Cornwall, the toilet block was tired but not due a refurb for who knows when. We sourced some really goods panels that did floor to ceiling, I think they were called "rockwall"? from www.hygienicplastic.co.uk. All sorts of colours available and really easy to work with. Pretty cheap in the scheme of things as well. Hope this helps with your research.
JK
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All this talk of work being done has fired me out, or perhaps it is due to the walks today.😁 it has been cloudy but dry and no wind so we did a circular walk of about 4.5 mls from Clapham up over to Austwick and back along the lower path then after a coffee in the van I had another wander out. Have started planning the post Easter trip, but still only got as far as the first 3 site which I might try and book tomorrow.
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Er, er, Goldie was the dowser the same bloke who Jack & Jill used perchance
??Just a an aside :-- D I Y Dowsing ~~ Get two pieces of steel wire 20 inches long ( preferably without the Barbed nasty bits ! ) bend them at 90 degrees about 5 inches from one end. Hold them LOOSELY one in each hand at about chest height, about 5" apart and slowly walk around your cars and then see what happens
I won't tell you until you have told me 
Brian
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Collected the motorhome from White Arches today as it was in for its Hab and Cab service, chassis service MOT and a new battery was installed. Relieved of a great deal of money! Just as well the Cab service is only required every two years!
After lunch had to nip out to B&Q for a few electrical fittings. In all the time we have lived in this house, 44 years nearly, we have never had a light in the airing cupboard so as part of the bathroom refit (next door) I asked for a light to be fitted so hence the trip to B&Q. Watching the replastered ceiling to check on dryness, probably about 50% dry at the moment so painting tomorrow might be a bit ambitious?
David
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