Romas' Birthday.

Happy Birthday to Romas. He lives so far away that we don't see him often but today he phoned and we had a long 3-way conversation on speaker phone with occasional interruptions by their French Bulldog and Trick or Treaters. Below are the Bailey's chocolate truffles I made the other day which arrived in Stoke safely. I think we gave him an even better present when we told him that we have finally changed our minds about Brexit. Originally the fact that the UK has little to no influence in the European Parliament led us to thinking that the UK would be better off out of the EU. but seeing that the British Parliament is in the hands of politicians who are either ineffectual or plain liars who are only interested in promoting their privilege and personal wealth we've decided we're better off being under the overall rule of the EU.

It's been another grey day, warmer with light but steady rain through the afternoon. I had a dental check-up and got the all clear from the dentist which cost £62! Not so long ago it was £40 for an NHS dental check-up. I'm going back in a couple of weeks to have the bottom edge of one of my upper front teeth strengthened. The other one was done some time ago and I want to preserve my front teeth as best as I can. 

From the dentist I called in at Lidl's and Tesco's. In Lidl's I bought an anti-snoring pillow for Peter, it's supposed to keep your head correctly aligned but as I can already hear snores coming through the wall it obviously doesn't work. Never mind, Peter needed a new pillow anyway. I had to laugh the other day when I saw an anti-snoring device advertised on FB. It wasn't the usual gadget to shove into the nostrils but was a small box that sat on the snorer's forehead and administered an electric shock every time a snore occurred. Somehow I don't think Peter would agree to that.

I had a couple of good responses to my sewing machine pedal problem. One lady thinks she has a spare and is going to look for me and Vytas responded to my query about connecting a new pedal to the old wires. That should work and all I need is a small connector box. Funnily enough I've already got one on the other part of the wire where it got frayed. If the lady doesn't find her cable a new pedal is considerably cheaper than the specific replacement.

Wintry.

Today has felt very wintry; grey, cold and often wet. I settled in to an afternoon of sewing but sadly things did not go to plan.

After more checking, pinning and tacking I was ready to begin sewing. I brought down the sewing machine, did a test piece because the tension can be a problem with this machine and away I went. Working slowly, sometimes having to push the  whole cover through to the other side of the machine I carefully began stitching the darts. Got one side done, began the other and then ……. the machine which is operated by a foot pedal began to sew by itself. Luckily I had just finished a seam and was easing the fabric away from the foot but it was a bit of a shock. The only way to stop the machine was to switch it off. Having safely removed the chair cover I tried again with some scrap material but the machine zoomed off on its own again. 

I couldn't get the tiny screws undone with a glasses screwdriver but Peter gave me a more substantial screwdriver which did the trick. I had hoped to see some obvious like loose wires but the problem appears to be with the white unit which did feel hot. Looking on eBay a new replacement would be £40 and a second hand one £25 which is still a lot. A request on FB has yielded the name of a sewing machine repair place. I did wonder if I could just wire in a replacement pedal to the old machine plug. Peter's not sure as he reckons there's a transformer invovled.

So that was the end of my sewing for the moment unless I opt for hand sewing.

Grey.

A chilly grey day. We had a visit this morning from some roofing friends of Peter's to look at the leak in the loft. After inspecting the loft, with shouted directions from me standing on the loft ladder they went up on the roof. There they spotted a split in the lead flashing that covers the join between our house and the neighbours. I jokingly suggested to Peter that I offer them my tube of sealant but that is exactly what they did, with specific lead roofing sealant. They also climbed over to the other side of the roof and removed some of the faulty cement holding on a few of the roof tiles. We've been trying to get first one then another handyman/builder to go up and redo them for well over a year. It's only a 10 minute job to do but you have to take roof ladders in through our neighbour's house and access the roof from there and obviously they couldn't be bothered. Unfortunately she wasn't in this morning but the roofers have promised to come and complete the job when she's in.

The delivery man came yesterday evening with the rest of the loose covers, in one parcel so only one fee unfortunately. After much cogitating I've worked out a plan to make the single cover fit the armchair snuggly I hope, on the frame. The fabric is stretchy to a degree but the shape is a basic boxy design unlike our armchair and sofa. My first move was to stitch elastic to the bottom corners to hook around the wooden feet which works well. Luckily although the furniture looks chunky it's relatively light and easy to flip over.

While the seat and back cushions are removable the arm pads are not. My idea is to form darts to fit the sides better then use elastic to gather the fabric under the arm pads. My initial pinning was quite free form as the sides get bigger towards the back and the cover is already elasticated at the bottom. I can see why serious sewers have those pin cushions on wrist straps. I just poked the pins through the arm fabric of the top I was wearing and yes I did get stabbed a few times. To finish off today I tacked everything down with bright red thread. I like hand sewing but there are so many lines of top stitching to do I'll have to get the sewing machine out. But before I do that I'll reposition the dart above the tape and make the spacing more even. Only when I've sewn the darts and added channels for the elastic will I attempt the most scary part, cutting the fabric so that it covers the insides of the arms and adding some extra material on the seat which will be hidden when the seat cushion is in place.

Grey.

No sun or rain today, just a light grey sky with the barest hint of shading.

After working on the conservatory yesterday I realised that it was time to give the white frames a thorough clean. I cleaned all of the inside and most of the outside but I have to say my heart was not in the job. Apart from the conservatory being of shoddy construction (before we moved here) I have lost hope that any prospective buyers will be coming and I'm fully aware that tenants have little incentive to look after the place. Still at least it is clean for the time being.

I call this Speedy's Lucky Cat pose.  I hope it doesn't mean he's got a problem with his leg. We're very nearly at a point where his cone can come off. The vet said the hair might not grow back but the skin looks healed. To be on the safe side I'll wait a few more days and then monitor the state of his feet. 

Yesterday I was concerned to see Speedy drinking an unusually large amount of water. Was it a sign of failing kidneys? Not an uncommon problem in older cats. But then I found out that Peter had used some chilli pickle in his dinner and the seeds from the spoon had been caught in the sink drainer and emptied into the scraps tub. Speedy is an inveterate raider of the scraps tub and must have been caught out by the chilli seeds. When we used the closed food caddy I found that he looked on it as a challenge and would knock it onto the floor. I do catch him up on the counter which he knows he shouldn't be on but at least he doesn't make so much mess and I bleach down the counters every morning after he's spent the night in the kitchen. 

Sunny.

British Summer Time finished last night giving workers an extra hour in bed in the mornings and moving sunset an hour earlier. I've been working my way around the house clocks and will adjust my watch the next time I wear it. And the car's dashboard clock will now be correct. 

It's been a beautiful bright and sunny day. Perfect for tackling the leaky conservatory. Climbing and balancing I have sealed every outside join that I could reach and a few places inside as well. I found one suspect gap but I'm just getting so fed up with the conservatory that if it continues to leak I'll be working out how to dismantle it. 

As part of my work preparations I dug out on old work fleece as it is getting chilly outside. When I put it on I found it covered in cat hairs, Squeaky's to be exact. The static made them stand out dramatically but the Sellotape method failed to remove them because they were embedded into the fleece fibres. The only way to deal with them was to pick them off one by one. Which I did.

Colder.

We woke this morning to the sound of rain, followed by more rain and yet more rain. It eased off later in the afternoon and I was able to hang out a sheet in the wind. That blew out some of the moisture after which it was a matter of ironing the sheet dry. The wind is blowing the clouds briskly from the north bringing very cold air. 

I've been waiting for the delivery of some sofa covers I ordered which were due yesterday but so far they've not arrived. I ordered two covers for the sofa and an extra one for the armchair (having bought one first to check the quality). Once they arrive I have plans to alter them to fit the cushions and the frames separately for a better fit. I did make three separate purchases only afterwards thinking that I could have put them all on one transaction. The postage is free, or at least included so it's no difference to me but today I thought that hopefully that whoever works for the courier company will be paid for three items instead of one. Most couriers are 'self employed' ie no sick pay or other benefits and get paid a tiny amount eg 40-78p per item from one big national company.

One thing I did this morning was to wash the marble tiles in the hall and kitchen. Being naturally mottled you can get away with just hoovering but eventually they do need going over with soapy water. Later I finally got around to putting some sealant down one side of the shower. The actual application takes only minutes but getting ready takes a ridiculous effort. That's because I have yet to find a method of stopping the nozzle from becoming clogged up in between jobs. I've tried putting an extra long nail into the tip and then removing it with pliers as well as putting cling film over the nozzle but each time it takes several tries and sticky fingers to clear the nozzle. I think the tubes are really designed for single use but I hate to waste stuff. And that has been my not terribly exciting day.

Grey.

It's been very warm today, grey skies and either damp or raining. As I needed to drive to the Post Office at Sticklepath I planned an afternoon's shopping. Not the best plan as it's Friday, raining and half-term all of which increase the numbers of people shopping and yes it was rather crowded. I was disappointed to find they no longer had sun loungers at BJ's. They had the ones I wanted last time I was there but now it's all Christmas stuff. I even went back in to ask a second member of staff about them in case they had them tucked away in their warehouse but no such luck. Our blue sun loungers are still functional but have rust of the metal parts from being kept in the outbuildings at Dingles so I've promised them to be auctioned on the recycle site to make some money for the RNLI. I'd planned to have new ones to take to Borth but now I'll have to find them somewhere else.

On the way home I made one last stop at the Co-Op in Pottington. Truly a last stop as they close tomorrow. It was sad to see most of the shelves empty. Not everything was reduced but I found cheese, olives, hummus and pate. Combined with my other shopping our fridge and freezer are full to bursting. At B&Q the checkout lad informed me that my new bank card was contactless which did not please me. I phoned up to find out why they've sent me contactless when I'd previously specified non-contactless only to be told that my new card is not contactless. The checkout lad must have just been making assumptions.  I prefer to have the added security of a pin number and my lifestyle is such that I don't make frequent small payments (transport/drinks etc). Not to mention getting the card cloned by somebody standing near you though I know you can get shielded covers. It may sound overly cautious but there are so many cases of fraud on the reputable consumer programmes I prefer to take precautions. 

No pretty sunset to look forward tonight as the sky is completely grey.

Showers.

We had a mix of sunshine and showers today. 

In the morning  I attempted to temper chocolate and all I can say is that it's probably not practical when working with small amounts of chocolate. It would have been nice to see shiny chocolate but I'm sure the recipient of today's attempts will still be appreciative. 

Later in the day I walked over to a friend's house to give some technical support as she took the glass out of her oven door for the first time. Not really technical support but a case of two heads are better than one when looking at instructions. It turned out to be quite simple but we did get to point where we had to decide if we carried on pulling on a plastic fitting (we did) or if something would snap.  

Back home I had to climb into the loft to clear the way to the leak site so the our friend Wayne could assess the problem. He came round and he and Peter are discussing the next step in the pub. 

I've just finished sewing a small gift while admiring the dramatic cloudscape.

Coffee With Friends.

Sunny again and not too cold. Looking out of the window this morning I could see a low mist hanging over the trees and possibly a frost on neighbouring roofs. I walked into town in the morning dressed in a manner to suit a variety of seasons. Sunglasses against the glare, flip-flops because they are my most comfortable footwear, fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm and a fleece and bodywarmer to keep out the chill. By the time I walked home up the hill I was more than a bit too warm. 

I'd gone into town to meet up with friends for coffee at a new place called Lemon Next to the Pie Shop, don't know why it's called that. Sometimes there are only 3 of us but today we numbered 7 and a young daughter. We pushed a couple of tables together and spent a wonderful morning exchanging our news. We go back nearly 20 years so have many shared memories but best of all we celebrated the all clear given to one of us for a second round of cancer. I think they say that cancer is going to hit one in two of us but thankfully treatments and total recovery have improved dramatically. On a more cheerful note we shared photos and news of children both family members and ex-pupils who are now grown up and making their way in the world. 

I did a little shopping in town including two light blue polka dot hand towels for the new kitchen. As home I got on with another home-made gift that involved a lot of chocolate. Tomorrow I'm going to try tempering some chocolate. The sparrow and robin were back in the bush again, they don't seem to mind mine or Speedy's presence on the other side of the glass. They may become more wary when the leaves fall off the buddleia.

I still keep the upstairs windows open and late in the afternoon I found this large, nearly 2cms. long red-legged shield bug on the inside of my study window. It then was carefully put on the outside of the window. 

One drawback of living down in the valley at Dingles was the limited views of sunrise and sunset. Here I've had so much pleasure from watching the sunset skies though I've been a little spoiled by watching the sun set over the sea at Borth. I wish I could truly capture the colours. Tonight began with a haze of pink as the sun sank down behind a cloudbank and then the horizon turned deep red with streaks of glowing gold.

Sunny.

Good news, the postman/lady or should I say post person? as here I don't see who brings the letters, brought a letter from the hospital with an appointment to see the cardiologist on the 4th of November. At 23 weeks that's quite a bit over the 18 week guideline but at least it's less than 12 months. 

Yet another bright day. I ventured into the back garden to take some photos and could hear the buzzing of bees visiting the last fuchsia flowers and the flowering ivy. 

Over in the cement trough (originally part of a fountain) I was surprised to see it full of water even though I had only recently emptied it. The trough is about 8 inches deep and I emptied out 20 litres of smelly water. The pots contain varieties of crocosmia and as I've seen montbretia growing in a stream I'm hoping the crocosmia are also water tolerant.

I hadn't used the hoover since washing the carpets as I'd left the hose hanging up and then on a radiator to dry. I gave it a blast with my hair drier as well. There was still a hint of damp dust smell (I've a nose like a bloodhound) so I gave the air filter a good spray with one of my body sprays (I couldn't find the lemon essential oil which would have been better). Got the hoovering done and then began one of my 'made with love' projects. Can't say what but it involved felt and a sewing needle.

I enjoy watching the birds on the feeder as I pedal on the exercise bike. Today there was a robin and a single female house sparrow. Robins are known to be aggressive but this one gave way to the sparrow who took prime position at the fat balls leaving the robin to pick at the seed feeder which is not as popular.

Sunny.

We had heavy rain in the night but none during the day. In the morning after waxing and putting the table back together again I thought I'd get on with a small job that had been on my to-do list for a few days, running some sealant down the side of the shower. I got the white sealant into the gun thing, removed the clogged up sealant from the nozzle and prepared to start. I squeezed the trigger and saw the sealant moving up the translucent nozzle, squeezed a few more times to get the sealant up to the tip of the nozzle and then …. nothing. I checked the nozzle, poked a crochet hook down it to make sure there were no blockages but after several more tries and a sore hand I gave up. It was only then that I investigated the gun and saw that the spring mechanism wasn't working properly. No wonder I'd had so much trouble with it. That gun is going and I'll buy a new one, luckily they're not expensive. Instead I finished sorting all my cards and putting them into 'books' during which I re-read every one. 

I finally saw the latest photos from Borth. Sadly as Peter's getting used to his new phone  something went awry with the photos of the opening between the sitting room and the dinning room so I've yet to get a proper view of it. Above is the kitchen/dinning area. We'll have to put up with a semi dismantled kitchen for the time being but the leaking roof is one of the flat roofs that is going to be replaced.

This is the large main bedroom. When the windows are replaced regulations mean that we have to have at least one opening big enough to climb through in case of fire and the current configuration would not be allowed. It's good to have these photos as a guide for where to place the fixings for the curtain rails as it is best to have the screws going into wood. The whole place will be super insulated to keep heating costs down. Starting from the outside first there is a layer of bricks rendered on the outside. Then the air gap, another layer of bricks, new render, insulation (the silver stuff) and finally insulated plasterboard. That should keep us nice and toasty with the new double glazed windows and heavy curtains. 

My study/guestroom has a second window overlooking the neighbour's front garden which will be extended downwards to match the other window on the street side.

Peter took this stormy photo from the guesthouse. It almost makes me wish I'd gone with him but then it did rain for most of the time he was there.

Sunny.

Another bright and sunny day though I have only ventured as far as the front garden to put things in the recycling bins. I'm still waiting to see the latest Borth photos and I'm beginning to suspect that Peter doesn't know how to copy them from his phone. (The last lot were in emails from the builder.)

Today I gave the wooden dinning table a thorough wipe with bleach and water as mould has begun to appear on the legs. I wouldn't have thought our dinning room was damp but its proximity to the conservatory which gets a lot of condensation must be the cause. There are also some signs of damp on the big wooden cupboard with possibly more inside that'll need a good bleaching before we move. The table is still serviceable though the veneer on the top is damaged. I think a wipe clean tablecloth is practical and the new polka dot one will be put on in Borth. I like the simple table design of the two extra leaves which pull out from underneath with no mechanism to go wrong. At the moment the top pieces are by radiators to make sure they are completely dry before I assemble the table again. I'm looking forward to sitting at that table in front of the picture window overlooking the sea.

My other less strenuous task was to begin making 'books' of cards from the family. I saw the idea of hole-punching the cards and tying then together with ribbon on FB and thought it was much nicer than putting them into poly pockets in folders. Peter was most surprised to see that I've kept every card sent by the family (in the two black folders) but I could never bring myself to throw them out. To me each card represents the care and love with which they were chosen and the handmade cards are even more special. Maybe I feel it even more because the boys have gone their own ways and we see them so rarely. I had the perfect ribbons to tie the cards, those irritating loops that are sewn into tops which I always cut off and save in my sewing box. They come in pairs and are the right length to hold about five year's worth of cards.

Sunny.

It's been  cold dry day with the first downpour happening after dark. I've stuck to my usual routine plus taking apart the top of the cooker to give it all a thorough clean. It's only when you look closely at the black supports that you notice the built up grease. A job for a Brillo pad, sharp knife and lots of elbow grease. I also sorted out one of the wall fittings for the sitting room curtain which had come adrift. When pedalling in the sitting room I get to watch the birds at the bird feeder. Today there were 3 house sparrows and every now and again there'd be a spat between the 2 males. Later on a robin was at the feeder but I haven't seen the blackbirds for a while.

Peter arrived home safely but tired so I haven't seen the latest progress photos from Borth. The couple running the guesthouse he stayed at were a mine of local information (she's a local councillor) and like everyone else we've talked to said that it's a major problem keeping all the tradespeople on the job. There's so much to do in Borth that they'll disappear off for a while doing other jobs but you can't just employ another person as they all know each other and won't take over a job without the original tradesman's say so. This is the problem we're having with the plumbers and all the other work has got to a point where the first fix plumbing needs doing. Peter has details of 2 other recommended plumbers but he'll have to keep on trying to get hold of the original chaps. The other problem is that it doesn't seem like we can go ahead with separating off the garage as the roof timbers from the back of the house continue over the garage and are supported by the garage walls. We'll put that on hold for the moment and come back to it when this place is sold.

As I don't have any other photos here are the before and after photos of Peter's study carpet. Not a perfect job but a lot better than it was.

Wet.

Rain, rain and yet more rain for most of the day. At times it got so dark I nearly had to put the lights on while in between the sun was almost blinding. While my latest sealing of the conservatory roof has held up somewhere there is water getting in again on the other side. Time to buy more sealant and go overboard applying it to every single join. And that wasn't all. Last night as I lay in bed I heard what sounded like a slow but steady drip overhead. First I listened to make sure it wasn't coming from outside or from the neighbours' houses but it did seem to be coming from above. So there I was at quarter past eleven crawling around in the loft. I found the leak in the furthest depths of the loft right above the bed. Luckily it had mainly come down over the spare flooring wood. Only one of the cardboard boxes is affected and as it has the 'fragile' tape on it I'm assuming that it contains glass or ceramic items. I moved things around and with much contortioning slid two empty plastic storage boxes underneath to catch the drips. The inside of the roof is covered with insulation so I couldn't see exactly where the water is getting in but I'll leave that to whoever we get to fix the problem. 

After yesterday's exertions I took things more quietly today. Both the folders for Red Roofs and here were gone through and all the bills and certificates sorted into polypockets. Then I amused myself by beginning to unpick the company logo from a polo shirt that Peter had from his last job. He kept it because it also has his name embroidered on it.

Here is Speedy showing evidence of one of my home alone treats, a chocolate cheesecake. I'd given him the container to lick out and somehow he'd flipped it over and stuck his head into it. His tail was flicking crossly as I laughed and took some photos.

Home Alone.

We were promised showers today and that's what we got. It was dry to start, I had my umbrella in my bag but the first drops of rain fell as I was letting myself back in after walking back from town. I had washing ready to be hung out which I did in a dry spell when the wind blew the washing to an ironable state. The rain got heavier in the afternoon and included the loud bangs of a thunderstorm followed by some hail in the downpour. I'm pleased to report that not a drop of rain has appeared in the conservatory so my latest efforts on the roof have been successful.

Peter is now in Borth while I'm still back in Pilton. Apparently Red Roofs is very much a building site so we made the right choice for Peter to stay in a guest house. I grabbed a lift into town with Peter which saved me time and a walk. They had my prescription and although I hadn't planned on getting much I ended up with a full bag of everything from weed killer to a spare set of keys for the letting agent. I'd had a quick look in the armed forces charity shop and came out with a selection of curtain rings and some pole ends. Because I plan to hang heavy curtains behind the room curtains (for insulation) I think that old fashioned poles are the best option. I know I've got different sizes but there are over 10 windows needing curtain poles so they'll all come in useful and they are quite expensive to buy new.

With Peter away it struck me that it would be an ideal opportunity to wash the carpet in his room. I also washed the carpet in my study but didn't bother with the one in our bedroom as it's a black and grey mix and won't look any different. Setting up the Vax for washing is simple and the only nuisance is drying the inside of the hose afterwards as wet dust does not smell good. I've been keeping an eye out for a spare hose without any luck. As we're not having carpets in Red Roofs it's not worth ordering a spare. Seeing how much dirt comes out of carpets even those that have been regularly hoovered is another reason I don't want to have carpets. I took my time washing the carpet with plenty of breaks as I've noticed that the motor of the Vax gets hot quickly and I didn't want to burn it right out. In between I watched TV. We've got the 'Boxed Sets' option on a month's trial so I eagerly went through the boxed sets available. Disappointedly I found little to tempt me just series 4 of Alaskan Bush People and series 1 of The Handmaid's Tale. I recently listened to the Radio 4 reading of The Testament but hadn't seen the TV series. And that was it.

Sunny.

The sun has been shining today through a cold wind. We gave in last night and turned on the central heating. The house was beginning to feel chilly in the evenings and it was nice to have that boost of warmth. However before going to sleep I got up and turned off the heating. It only puts out enough heat overnight to keep the ambient temperature up but I find the constant hum of the boiler in its cupboard next to our bedroom very annoying. 

While Peter walked in to town to collect the prescriptions and surprise, surprise they messed up again and hadn't done mine, I drove to a nearby garden centre. I took the slightly longer route through the back road so that I could enjoy being back in the countryside.

At the garden centre I found one plant with silver leaves that I was after but the only pots of the large black aeonium (tree house leek) I've been looking for had large and expensive specimens in them. Apart from the cost my concern was that one mishap during moving would snap the long stalk. The daft thing is that when I was looking at the plants for sale on St Michael's Mount I chose the smaller variety thinking that it would be easier to find the big variety in garden centres.

Christmas is very much in evidence at the garden centre. While my plans for future Christmas's are to be more minimalist I think that this year it will be a more extreme version of minimalist as we find our feet in Borth and begin the unpacking process.

PS. I had some trouble with my PC earlier today so if I suddenly disappear it will be due to technical problems.

A Little Rain.

It's been mainly sunny with the occasional shower. Naturally I walked to town with bare arms and flip-flops and then got caught in a brief shower. I wasn't too worried as I'd planned to buy a folding umbrella which I did from one of the charity shops who had some in their 'new' range. I called in at the bank to make a first payment to the builder who is doing the roofs, hooray another job underway. I then bought some felt for my Christmas making, fluffy men's slippers, a dish drainer and more superglue to repair the cat pulls in the stair carpet. What I did forget was to pick up our prescriptions as I hadn't written that down on my list. Peter says he'll collect them tomorrow. I got caught by the rain again on the last leg of my journey home so once I'd unpacked my shopping I changed into boots and leggings topped by a raincoat to head out again this time to the animal ambulance place. Cue hot sunshine. They were very grateful for the towels at the North Devon Animal Ambulance and accepted an old duvet as well and some left over animal medicines. A quick return visit to The Co-Op resulted in a basket full of reduced items which with yesterday's voucher cost me £8 for £38 worth of shopping. The only full price item was a red pepper for 60p. Our freezer is now full of scampi and fish portions and a few treats as well.

While I was out somebody came and collected a bag of all my old seed packets. Germination will be reduced but I know she intends to use them to make bee bombs with children. Not quite the native flowers usually recommended but worth a try.

 

Speedy found himself a new toy this afternoon. I'd used a couple of screwdrivers to replace the batteries  in the exercise bike and he batted one off the table and then chased it in and out of the room until it ended up under the sofa. (All the rest of my photos turned out blurry.)