The Rain Returns.

We had another viewing booked for 2.00 today. The later time was good in that we didn't have to rush around but could do the extra clearing away at a more relaxed pace. Our only concern was that the rain was due to return mid afternoon but in the end it held off until after the viewing. 

Today's viewers were a family who came looking with a view to setting up a multi-generational household. The small boy was entranced by the cats and the stream which luckily was less than 2" deep but we didn't get a feeling of great enthusiasm from the adults. Maybe they were just good at hiding their feelings. One couple yesterday were making all sorts of plans for accommodating 2 sets of parents and were generally much more excited. I'm not surprised and approve of the trend for families who can afford it to set up multi-generational homes with an annex for the older generation. I would love to eventually be living close to our family but I can't see us moving back to a city or urban environment. 

Once the rain set in it turned quite cool, the sort of day to curl up with a good book and maybe some biscuits. We are both feeling somewhat tired possibly due to all that excitement yesterday.

Gale Force Winds.

Yesterday's heavy rain eased off by the evening only to be followed by gale force winds. I looked through the bedroom window late last night to see branches and trees lashing back and forth in the strong winds. It's been windy all day and now the wind seems to be gaining in strength once more. 

There has been so much toing and froing here that  it has felt like Piccadilly Circus. With only slight groans we were up early to prepare the place for the morning's viewings. I took Peter's car up the hill to leave the yard clear for all our visitors. I had a pleasant walk back down and felt quite refreshed by the wind and sun. The estate agent arrived on time only to be followed by the oil tanker coming to top up the tank (he had been asked to come after 11.00). This driver hadn't backed down the drive so I got him to turn around in the yard first before the viewers arrived. Next we got a phone call to say they would be a bit late because despite clear instructions they had used their satnav and ended up at Rookabear Lane. That gave enough time for the oil man to fill the tank and go. Then there were more phone calls because the next lot of people had done the same thing and followed their satnav. Eventually both viewings were done and Peter and I walked up the drive to collect our cars. We were quite amused to see 3 ewes and 3 lambs had strayed into one of the ponies' fields and then were making their way down to the stables. The nearest sheep to us at the moment are the ones beyond Ashelford Corner.  

Before bringing our cars down we carried on walking to Bowden Corner. It was hard work walking into the wind but fun being blown along on our way back 

Earlier Peter had noticed that a split branch in one of the trees on the far side of the stream was lying on the cable that brings electricity to the house.  

He rang the electricity company and within a couple of hours 3 men came down in a van. They had a handy saw attached to poles, a bit like drain rods, and they eventually got the branch down. I suggested they also took down the dead branch above and they did that one too. They cut up the branches with a chainsaw and threw them into the undergrowth on the far side of the stream.  No more worries about losing our power supply.

After a busy and exciting morning I had a peaceful afternoon baking some chocolate cookies and doing a bit of cleaning. 

Wet.

It is cold, windy and very wet today, typical for a British summer. The morning had started off dry and I thought we had escaped the bad weather but all too soon in came the rain. 

While Peter went off to get the filter and UV thingy for our water system I drove up to the top of the drive with the recycling before leaving my car by the field gate as we have a viewing first thing tomorrow. Actually it's not 1 but 2 viewings, one after the other.  

Apart from listening to the rain I've been tidying up and doing some extra cleaning. I know it's daft but I like the bathrooms to be sparkling clean if I know somebody is coming to look at the place. There are a few boxes of re-packed ceramics and glass lurking in corners while I wait to hear from my youngsters if they would like anything. If not I want to get them to the charity shops before I start taking stuff out to keep. Already 2 small bowls have made it to the 'keep' pile.

The older goslings look like mini-geese now.

Wet Morning.

Once more we woke to hear the sad news that there had be another terrorist attack this time in London with 7 people killed and 49 injured. We can only hope with the General election next Thursday that no more people lose their lives in such a senseless way.

First thing this morning looking out of one window the sky was blue while the other showed grey cloud. Rain quickly set in with the sun returning late in the afternoon.

I thought I might as well go back to my loft clearing and it's a good thing I did. I had thought there were possibly 2 boxes left to deal with but after I had done those 2 I discovered 4 more behind the many pictures that are up there. I was able to reach into one box and above is most of the collection of things I brought down while below are the few things I plan to keep. The serving spoons will look good when they're polished (I've run out of polish). I worked out a good system of loading up a strong hessian shopping bag with things to get them out of the loft and down the ladder but crawling around up there really does take it out of my knees.

I did end up getting some things done in the garden. I started by cutting back the honeysuckle which was winding its way around some roses. That lead to a bit of here and there weeding as I noticed weeds appearing amongst the flowers. 

Peter tells me that we could be in for some serious rain tonight so I reinforced the dam so it goes right across the road and took up the grills that cover the gutter that runs across the top of the drive. Better safe than sorry. 

Although Peter has been doing the mowing, for which I am truly thankful the patch of grass by the apple trees has been left out and the grass had grown too tall for mowing. Not wanting to haul the strimmer around I did my best with the long handled shears. Having done that I ended up getting the mower out to make it all look tidy once more.

A Few Sunny Spells.

It's been a day of brief showers and the occasional sunny spell. A good day for scrambling around in the loft. Between us we got 3 more boxes down though as they were heavy I had to unload into a shopping bag which I then handed down to Peter. Not surprisingly he still remembers the effort it took to get the boxes up there. I can't imagine why I thought we needed to keep large and heavy Pyrex casseroles. I'm only bringing down a few boxes at a time as I like to sort everything and get it boxed up for the charity shop or even the recycling area at the dump.

The first box had some interesting items some of which my youngsters might like, if not it's down to the charity shop for this lot.

These were the only things I decided to keep, a good medium sized saucepan, some large storage jars and a pine utensil box. After all that sorting there was time to write up Spring 2017 into my journal, might as well start as I mean to go on. 

A giant dragonfly ( length 3.5") waiting for the chill of the morning to wear off. 

 A young female chaffinch seen through the stair window. I love the baby fluff on its head.

Mostly Wet.

Light rain was falling steadily as I set off for the last of my early morning gym sessions at the hospital. It makes such a difference to be able to use the roundabout and not queue for ages at the turn off for the hospital.

After the back class I drove over to the doctors' to pick up a letter and then on to park at Lidl's so I could walk into town. I took the box of glasses and goblets to the charity shop as none of my youngsters had wanted any of them. The box had been packed and moved twice already and I'd no intention of putting it back in storage again.

As I left town it was dry but once I turned onto the country roads and went up the hill past Hartland View I found myself in the clouds.

I took these photos from the spot where I usually photograph the view towards Exmoor or the sheep in the field. 

One of my town jobs was to pick up a book Peter had ordered at the bookshop and to use a book token of my own. I did get the girl to check if they could get hold of My Life on Lundy by Mr. Gade but it is out of print. Instead I asked her to order the latest hardback copy of Tales from a Perilous Realm illustrated by Alan Lee. I'd borrowed it from the library but thought it would be nice to have my own copy. I was pleased to hear they had a copy on the shelf and I still have £3 lift on my voucher. No doubt you will have noticed that the book I brought home isn't Tales from a Perilous Realm but Beren and Luthien. I was fine with the 'mistake' as I already have several if not all of the stories in the Tales... and although Beren and Luthien is included in The Silmarillion which I have it is good to have it as a separate book.

Back home it felt like an afternoon to curl up on the sofa with a boxed set (GOT?) and plenty of snacks. That wouldn't have helped my diet so instead I précised my blog notes for this spring now that it is officially summer. Squeaky came down from her spot at the top of the stairs where she can watch the birds and get a stroke from whoever goes past and sat purring on my lap while I wrote.

Dry.

It didn't seem as if the weather could make up its mind this morning. I hung up the washing and put things out to air then when a black cloud loomed overhead I hedged my bets and brought half the washing in to dry over the rayburn. It then proceeded to get sunnier and warmer. 

As Peter planned to do the mowing later on I decided to cut the lawn edges with the long handled shears. They weren't too sharp so I channelled my inner sheildmaiden as I sat outside going over the blades with a whetstone before sniping away.

Every day new flowers bloom in the garden.

Later on in the afternoon I sat at the table outside  sewing one of my patent coat carrying straps. With our unreliable weather it's usually wise to take a waterproof coat when out walking. One thing I really dislike is getting hot when I walk and I'm not keen on wearing a backpack or tying my coat around my waist. So I devised a lightweight strap which can secure a rolled up coat and be slung across my back. I also have extra long straps on my camera and binoculars so that I end up looking like an old fashioned peddler. Yesterday's walk reminded me that I hadn't made one for Peter despite saying I would last year. A quick search through all my saved straps yielded the materials needed and now Peter has his own strap. I also added some modifications, extra pieces of the soft sections of the Velcro so that the strap can be used with less bulky items of clothing.

My pink coat securely rolled up.