Windy.

No blog yesterday due to technical problems. I'd pressed the 'update and shut down' option before I went off to choir. Three hours later I returned home to find that my PC wouldn't turn on. Not being an IT expert instead I began the duffers version of fixing an IT problem. Step One - ask somebody else to fix it, Peter wasn't too pleased about being woken up to hear my problem so I waited until the morning. Next came the ever so useful Step Two - switch off the plug, wait and switch it back on but no joy or lights in the PC box thingy. Then came Step Three - jiggle any connections at the back of the box and hey presto the PC turned on. The back of the box is inaccessible to the cats so it must have been gravity messing up the connection.

Now for yesterday's news - In the morning I chipped away the cement blobs under the loose paving slabs on the steps. While Peter went off to get me some ready mix mortar I took myself out for a walk down to Manning's Pit.

After shimmying my way round the chained gate I found myself in a sloping meadow along with a herd of Jersey cross heifers. The path led down to a right of way gate and then to a bridge across the stream. 

While watching the flowing water my eye was caught by a flash of brilliant blue, a dragonfly that goes by the name of Beautiful Demoiselle.  

Emerging from the trees bordering the stream I found myself in another meadow. This time the flowering grasses were shoulder high. Looking northwards I could see the gap between the hills that used to be my way home.

I retraced my steps, back across the stream and into the heifers' meadow. My path led between the heifers some of whom were brave to put their noses on my outstretched hand.

Clambering through a tied back barbed wire fence I found myself back by the stream. I could see how this had been an ideal playground for generations of youngsters and continues to be so. There were a few spots where the water was 2 1/2 to 3 ft. deep but for most of the stream it was less than a foot.

I walked all the way along the stream to a ford where I crossed over and walked part way back along the grassy banks of the stream. It was so peaceful there. 

When I got home I found that Peter had gone out again leaving me a bag of cement by the front door. This I duly attempted to mix and use to fix all the slabs I taken up. I know I'm not an experienced cement mixer but I couldn't understand why the cement seemed to be almost setting before I could use it. It was only when I looked at the bag that I saw it wasn't mortar but something called Postcrete. This is for setting in posts and all you have to do is fill the post hole with one third water, hold the post in place and pour in the cement to the top of the water at which point it sets in 5-10 mins. (Peter says he got this because it would be stronger and it was a lot cheaper!) So as I attempted to mix it with water in a bucket it was setting almost before I could get through the house to the steps. I got the job done in the end but with much muttering.

We had some rain in the night and strong winds have been blowing all day. Today's job was to squeeze into the 14 inch gap between the conservatory and the garden wall, remove all the weeds and debris and then paint the grim looking concrete blocks. Keeping the spiders in mind I covered up before venturing into that space. I have to admit that it does look a lot better now.