Chilly.

We've had a chilly bright day. I put some things in the washing machine but the lack of wind meant that it wasn't as good a drying day as yesterday. Going out to load up my car with things for the charity shop and dump tomorrow I noticed that my extremely tidy neighbour had a rack of washing drying in the sun in her front garden. Some of the front gardens have benches in them and the other day I noticed a whole family outside, mum doing something with the car, son sat on a dining chair and dad doing something else. I like the idea that people are using their front gardens as living space, it makes for a friendlier environment. 

The electrician came again this morning to finish off the work including changing the down lighters in the bathroom. I'd asked him to change them because the fittings looked yellowed and cracked. It was a good thing he did change them because they were in a poor state electrically with one of them having something partially melted. Everything has now been tested and it's all safe with an up to date certificate. He also took down the fancy dining room light which all of us had hit our heads on and put in an ordinary pendant fitting. I'm quite happy with simple round paper lantern lightshades for overhead lights. 

While the electrician was here I carried on working in the garden and have pulled up and bagged all the brambles and bindweed I can reach. There is a void space between the back wall of the garden and I'm tempted to blast it with some strong weed killer. That bit of ground is below the level of the vegetable garden of the architect built house above that extends across about 8 houses in our street so it shouldn't affect the hedge they have planted. I'll have to think about that.
Now that the electrical work has been done I was able to carry on sorting out our studies. Peter's rowing machine, currently folded up, is out of my study and temporarily on the upstairs landing and I was able to bring all the storage boxes and bags into my study. 

Both cats have been exploring around the green out front. First thing this morning Speedy was peering out of the open front door when he got scared by somebody walking past the house. Later he took himself out and completely disappeared. After about half an hour I heard a scratching at the front door and there he was waiting to come in. Patch eventually got the courage to go out later in the afternoon. When I went out to bring him in I couldn't see him only another black cat with a smaller face. Its tail was all bushy and sure enough I heard a growling from the other side of a bush and there was Patch also with his tail big and bushy. I think he was quite relieved when I scooped him up and took him back indoors.

I was treated to a lovely sunset this evening. Each time I looked up the colours had changed. I had to clean my window as the marks from its last clean kept confusing my camera.

Having sorted out the headphone plug I had a lovely long practice session on the piano yesterday evening while Peter was out at a gig club meeting. I kept finding small black bits (larger than specks) on the piano keys and after first thinking they must have come from the dustsheet that had been over the piano while the electrician worked I realised they were coming from my headphones. They are the sort like ear defenders and the plastic over the big earpieces is so old that it is disintegrating and falling like black soot. Another pair have been ordered and should be here in a few days. I've also bought a proper, second hand piano stool from eBay as last night my foot went to sleep after all that time sitting on a wooden stool. It has a padded leather seat and the height can be adjusted.