Cleaning Mode.

We've had a gloomy grey day with a constant fine mist/drizzle.

I had planned to spend the day sewing but changed to cleaning when we had a phone call from the estate agent. They were checking when we were available for a viewing and will contact us with the details soon ………. hopefully. Or maybe they were just trying to give us the impression that things might be happening. Whatever the case I thought that some extra cleaning was in order. After removing the shower's waste trap and giving it a good clean I then moved on to the conservatory. So that Speedy has access to his litter tray we leave the door to the dinning room open overnight. This causes a lot of condensation in the conservatory which has led to mildew. Not a good look for selling. But there's not a lot that can't be tackled with a bucket of hot soapy water with added bleach. As long as I've got rubber gloves on I don't mind mucky jobs and it's quite satisfying to wipe away the mold leaving crisp white frames. There was the added irritation of the protective film which should have been removed before the sealing strips were put in place. Shoddy work to say the least. The frayed edges of the plastic film catch the damp and make nice black lines down the frames. I discovered that using a thin knife and my cloth I could prise most of the plastic film out and get a clean result but it did take time. Having moved things around to get to the windows and inaccessible corners I still need to wash the floor which hopefully won't take long.

I had time for a short break with a large cup of Earl Grey before ironing dry the washing and beginning my evening exercises. I'm gradually adding back the exercises I thought might be aggravating an inter-costal muscle that had been giving me trouble. The temptation is to add them all at once but then I won't be able to identify the culprit.

Warmer.

A change in the jet stream has brought much milder winds blowing from the south. At noon I set off for a doctor's appointment in torrential rain but I was driving so that didn't matter as much. The appointment was to review my cardio results. Nothing serious to worry about and for the moment a bigger dose of the beta blocker. Having got to the stage in life where there are multiple bits going wrong I arrive at the doctor's with a list of my current observations. I like recording data anyway and I think it helps to be more accurate rather than using vague qualitive statements. 

On my way home I called in at B&M clutching my piece of fabric and found throws for the sofa and armchair. I could almost get away with not covering the sofa cushions but I will do the job properly. Looking at the photo of the armchair the cushions look a different grey to the frame cover. They were made from two original covers but I've had a check  and I can't see a difference when I look at the armchair. Perhaps it's just the way the light hits the fabric.

A quick visit to Laura Ashley didn't reveal any great bargains but I struck lucky in Tesco's. Only small items but the rolls of paper were down to 50p and the gift bags and labels even less. I also treated myself to a pair of black fluffy pj/lounging bottoms which were in sale. I tried them on and didn't notice the security tag so when the tag question came up on the screen I pressed 'No'. Walking out of the shop didn't set off any alarms so now I'll have to take them back to get the tag taken off. 

Back home it was time to move the wheelie bin for the rubbish collection tomorrow. I had to smile when I saw that our bin is about a third full while most of the others are overflowing with extra bags stuffed in the top or next to the bins. We must be doing something right.

Grey.

It's been a grey day with rain at times.

I honestly thought that today all I needed to do on the frame cover was a bit of pinning and a couple of seams leaving me with a clear afternoon to carry on with knitting the second mitten. How wrong I was. Numerous seams had to be pinned, checked and adjusted. Every time I thought I was done I'd see another fold or bulge that needed sorting. I even had to unpick and redo some of the earlier seams. I was relieved when by the end of the day the frame cover was finally done. Next will be the cover for the long back cushion which is all one piece. Every time I go into town I take a small bit of the grey material hoping to find a fluffy throw that will tone in. Grey is a very popular interior design colour but there are so many shades, some bluer and some towards pink or silver. There wasn't a choice of grey in the sofa covers and this grey tends towards browner shades which is not so easy to match. 

While one end of the sitting room is tidy and peaceful the desk in the corner  is cluttered with all the stuff I thought I might need for the sofa covers as well as knitting stuff; wool, needles and a pattern while hanging from the drawer handle is a bag of felt. I should really have a good tidy up.

This afternoon I made some apple pancakes, partly to celebrate getting the frame cover done but also as an end to the Christmas indulgences food-wise. Back to the diet from tomorrow.

Some Sun.

The morning was bright and sunny and it looked as if we were going to have a fine day. Sadly there was much more in the way of blustery showers than bright spells. No point in trying to hang any washing out. 

I thought I'd finish the sofa frame cover today but there are still a few adjustments to make. All my sewing today was done with the cover still in situ which I'm sure is not the proper way. Hopefully the seams aren't too wobbly. Nothing else out of the ordinary today.

Last night I stayed awake to check out the Quadrantid meteors. The view from the front of the house was quite obscured by clouds so I tried looking out of Peter's study. For all my effort I saw just one meteor but it was a good one.

Sunny.

A bright and sunny day today with a chill wind. I woke early this morning and had to get up to do my exercises. I say 'had to' because unfortunately as often happens the twinging nerves in my leg could only be eased by stretching and general movement. Once the exercises were done I went downstairs, made myself a cup of tea and fed Speedy whom I then confined in the conservatory where his litter tray is. Unfortunately when Peter woke later and went down to make himself a cuppa he let Speedy back into the kitchen without noticing I had already put out the breakfast things on a tray. Cue very loud crash as a bone china bowl fell, cat assisted, onto the marble floor and exploded into smithereens. Not only were there shards across the kitchen floor but they had reached the far corners of the dinning room. After an initial clean up with a brush and pan I had to hoover every inch of both floors with the nozzle attachment. Not the best start to the day.

Since the £500 cost of sending this painting by Bryan Pierce to Sotheby's in London seemed ridiculous Peter got in touch with Bonham's (the other main fine art/antiques auctioneers). They have an office in Exeter and offered to send somebody to look at the painting and take it for their London sale. A nice chap came this morning and was very happy with the painting. I was able to provide him with suitable provenance ie my mother's gallery and friendship with Bryan and his parents. As I'm not that keen on this painting I'm quite happy for it to be sold. Unfortunately this is the only valuable painting I inherited from my mother apart from the earlier Bryan Pierce painting which we sold for much less in the Penzance auction. That's better than no paintings of any value.

My afternoon was spent sewing the sofa cover. I had hoped to complete the frame cover today but I still have to pin and sew two places where there is a great excess of fabric. Once that's done I'll need to cut away the spare fabric. When I realised I wasn't going to finish today I left the inside out cover on the frame and just put the cushions back on top for the evening. That way I'll be ready to pin and sew straight away tomorrow.

While sewing I saw that the seed bird feeder needed topping up so on a break out I went with my bag of seeds. Once again the rain had got in, some seeds had sprouted and the rest mushed into a nasty mess. It took a palette knife and knitting needle to clean it all out. To help drain any water in the feeder I used a hammer and long screwdriver to make some holes in the bottom of the rusty metal. The blackbirds were back again feeding on the ground while the sparrows and a robin ate from the feeders.

Grey.

Another grey day but unlike yesterday's romantic haze it was simply boringly overcast. There was some breeze so I washed the second blanket but I'm not sure how much drier it got out on the line as the air felt damp. It's now draped over one of the radiators.

We were out of milk (crumpets for breakfast instead of porridge), so Peter went out to get some groceries while I stayed home and sewed. From my seat in the sitting room I have a good view of the birds visiting the feeders. For the last couple of days a pair of blackbirds have been feeding off the seeds and scraps of fat balls that have fallen below the feeders. Above is the female who seems to have spotted me watching her through the window.

This morning Peter was in the kitchen making tea and listening to a programme about rats. Speedy was happily munching some meat Peter had thrown him when he heard the sound of rats from the radio. He immediately dropped the food! and went into full hunting alert. Our confined cat is still an inveterate hunter. I found the programme on my pc in the afternoon and got exactly the same reaction. I often watch FB clips of kittens and he never reacts to their lovely squeaks.

First shoots from the ice plants.

Grey.

Wishing everybody good health, loving family and good friendships in the New Year.

There were New Year's fireworks after all last night. The Barnstaple display was set off from the rugby club so I had an excellent view leaning out of my study window. I was also able to see some of the Bideford fireworks and some from other displays too.

This morning we woke to a mist which along with some light rain remained all through the day. Even if I had remembered to look for the satellites at 4.11 pm I wouldn't have been able to see them.

This afternoon I returned to the sofa cover alterations. I got the fabric strips for the elastic holding the fabric over the second arm cushion tacked into place. It may not sound like much but it involves a lot of bending and in my case huffing and puffing and a few choice words when I knocked over the box of pins and scattered them across the floor. Just removing the cushions and fitting the cover is also quite hard work. But little by little the job will get done.