Sunny.

The continuing sunny weather has tricked this osteospermum into flowering.

We were up and out fairly early this morning to collect the camper from the garage. As we set off we discussed the route we would take out to the farm and then came to the conclusion that both options had some potentially hazardous steep hills that could well be icy. So back home we went to arrange collection tomorrow which is due to be wet ie not icy. I then drove off clutching two shopping lists (his and hers) to the supermarkets. I pottered around quite happily, got Peter the last box of red wine on the shelf and the only one of these teapots. I'd been thinking about getting one for a while, when we were first married we never used teabags but our own mixture of loose tea, Assam and Earl Grey and on our recent visit to Vytas he also used loose tea in a metal teapot of similar design. Not only will we save money but we won't be using the chemicals and resources that go into making the bags.

In the afternoon a plumber came round to sort out the kitchen tap which had been leaking from the column. He hadn't brought along the exact same tap but this one is more reliable. I will admit that there is less splashing of the water over the counter, due to the poor placing of the tap by the last people, but in my mind it's ugly and harder to use especially one handed. However we're not staying so it doesn't matter. 

We've got a viewing on Saturday but as the lady has only just put her house on the market we won't take it that seriously.

While the delay in moving is frustrating it does give me time to source ideas and work out my designs. The other day I found what I hope is the solution to our window/privacy problem. My study, our bedroom and the sitting room all have large windows which are about 3ft. from the pavement. Too close to have clear windows with people looking in. Also I like or almost need, to be able to see out. The old fashioned solution of net curtains is definitely not my thing. The modern solution of one way mirror film would do the job but I don't think I'd be sure people couldn't see in as the windows would be clear from the inside. I had come to the conclusion that venetian blinds would have to do. Not the wide vertical ones, too much like an office but narrow metal ones which is what had been up before. Nice new white ones of course. Then I was watching a tv drama and in the background was a cross between a roller blind and nets. These are designed to be opaque from the outside and sort of fuzzy from the inside. I've sent off for a sample for a better idea of how it works but hopefully they'll be the answer.

Sunny.

The weathervane on Mortehoe church.

We had another frosty morning followed by a crisp sunny day. I took this photo of the frosty deck just before I hung up the washing at midday. I was very careful when walking over the slippery wood and paving, it would be silly to fall and break something. The light breeze helped the washing to almost dry before I brought it back in for ironing.

The only notable event in my day was when I looked out of the window and saw an elderly neighbour trying to prise up one of the services manholes set into the pavement by his garden. I took our mini pry-bar out to see if that would do the job. It turned out that he wanted to check his water meter but was busy trying to lift the phone line cover instead of the small cover marked WATER. Once he'd got that open I left him to read the meter. The lady from the next house was also out offering advice and mentioned that her phone line had been down since yesterday. A bit later on a BT workman was lifting up the phone line cover and hopefully fixing what ever the problem was.

Sunny.

We had a very heavy frost this morning and even now in the late afternoon I can see areas of frost on people's roofs which haven't been reached by the sun.

It was too nice a day to be stuck indoors so we headed out to Morte Point for a walk in the sun. At least once we'd gone around the point. The north side had been left in the shade and was fairly chilly. 

That ruled out our usual stopping place so along with a few other walkers we sat in the sun on the rocks right at the point. They're not the most comfortable rocks to sit on except in a few places but we have two children's foam garden kneelers. They are lightweight and good for keeping out the damp or bumpy rocks when we stop for coffee.

Some very large rollers were coming in across the point but in the wrong direction for anyone down on the beach.

There were some very muddy spots on the main path along the top of the hill so we varied our usual route to bypass the worst of them on our way back.

On our way to Mortehoe along the back road we came across a flooded section of road. While we might have got through it as demonstrated by a car driving through it towards us we knew that there would be a deeper flood further along that road. Peter turned the car round to be safe. The other driver must have thought we were real wimps. Instead we took the main road down to Braunton and then up to Mullacot. On the return journey we drove through Muddiford. It's a deep and steep valley and the fields on the right, north facing side were still covered in heavy frost. I don't miss the fun of trying to drive out of Dingles with black ice on the steep bit that never saw the sun in winter.

Sunny.

After a clear starry night the day began with a crisp frost and continued sunny and cold. By late afternoon all was gloomy at the back of the house which was in shade but the front felt lovely and warm, at least on the inside.

With no major projects on the go I pottered around, sorting out paperwork, unpicking another letter from Peter's polo top and knitting a bit more of my mitten. For supper I  made a big pot of cabbage soup which also contains onions, tomatoes and chopped up smoked sausage for extra taste. Served with crumbled ('cos it's been in the freezer) strong cheddar cheese it's a real winter warmer. Good if you've been working outside or as in my case just emptying out the water from the stone trough. One other job today was to back up my photos as it hasn't been done for a long time. I plugged in my external hard drive and …….. nothing. I did the usual checks ie jiggling both ends and trying a different USB port but not a thing. However when Peter gave me a new USB lead to try it sprang into life. Whole months' worth of photos simply flew across. I'm now wondering if the old lead, which did look a bit rusty at one end, had been slowing the process down.

The sunset tonight was very pretty. If you imagine the colours of the photos below greatly intensified ie glowing orange and deep pink they will give an idea of this evening's sky.

Hail Storms.

It's been a day of sunny spells and heavy wintry showers. Peter went out to meet up with a friend in the afternoon and got caught by hail and rain on his walk home. 

I've had another quiet day at home, a few finishing alterations to one of the cushion covers before tidying everything away and extra kitchen cleaning. We have a neat slide out wicker basket in one of the kitchen cupboards which is good for keeping vegetables in. The only downside is that with the heating on for the winter even the minimal amount in the kitchen is enough to speed up the aging of the vegetables. Our fridge, even on the lowest setting is a bit too cold for salad vegetables so I've begun keeping a box of vegetables out in the conservatory which is pretty cold. 

While tidying up my sitting room desk I came across Peter's old work polo top with my started unpicking of the company logo whilst leaving his name. It's a silly thing to be doing in that he doesn't need to keep it as he has more than enough clothes but it was a project that appealed to my thrifty nature. So I sat there with a stitch ripper, needle and tweezers and have removed the first of the four unnecessary letters. Machine embroidery is very hard to unpick! 

Wet.

After a welcome night's sleep I woke to a grey world. Grey mist blotting out most of the view was a good enough reason not to leap out of bed. It was back to our leisurely routine of tea and then porridge before beginning the day's tasks. The mist turned to drizzle and then proper rain with a hint of blue in the sky.

The biscuit box was empty so I planned to do some baking. The chocolate & peanut butter cookies had to become just peanut butter because the only chocolate in the house is too good to use in baking. However they still tasted fine and there was even a choice of crunchy (baked on the top shelf) and chewy (baked on the middle shelf). I also tried a recipe for apple cinnamon muffins from cookingonabootstrap a blog/book of economical recipes by Jack Monroe that she first devised when she had very little money. I had to halve the amounts as I only had one egg left after baking the cookies which also need one egg. They were very tasty with both the apple and cinnamon flavours coming through well. That's a recipe I'll use again.

At the same time as baking I began a Spring clean of some of the kitchen cupboards namely the one that has oils and sauces. I kept my eye open for anything that was far too old to keep but as I must have had a good clear out when we moved I only found two items to chuck out. Not only did the labels say use within 4/6 weeks of opening they were several years out of date! Not that I would ever have used them myself. I wage a war on grease in the kitchen and I found that my strategy of standing the sauces and oils in plastic ice-cream tubs had kept the shelves fairly clean and only needing a quick wipe over.

Once my work in the kitchen was done I began tidying away all the materials etc that accumulated in the sitting room during the great sofa cover alterations. First I had a break watching my favourite show The great Pottery Throwdown. which has returned for this year's contest. It's a return to my childhood world of studios and clay and so interesting to see the pottery made in the show. This week's challenge was to throw miniature porcelain items less than 6 cms high. This was first demonstrated by the potter Geoffrey Swindell who made these tiny masterpieces.

 Absolutely gorgeous.

Mostly Sunny.

I'm back to my usual non-grumpy mood today. First there was the knowledge that I wouldn't have to go through another night of being woken every hour by a buzzing in my ear and the relentless squeezing of the blood pressure monitor. Too intrusive for much sleep. The morning was grey and gloomy with light rain falling as I walked to the car. Within minutes the rain had increased to a point where I needed to have the wipers on at double speed and I could see hail as well. I felt sorry for the many parents walking their children to school who were caught in the rain. My appointment was even earlier, by a whole 10 minutes but I gave myself more time so that when I found cars queueing in the surgery car park it wasn't stressful to turn around and park nearby. Breathing a sigh of relief as the monitor was taken off I queried why I hadn't been asked to make any notes on what I was doing. The nurse said they'd never asked patients to do that in the 10 years he'd been there. I guess that because he got the results up on the screen straight away (38 readings in my case) any anomalies could have been discussed there and then. It turned out that my readings were all perfectly normal which is good.

I didn't make any stops on the way home and by that time the traffic wasn't too heavy. The rain stopped before I got out of the car and after that the day was bright and windy. Perfect for washing so I got a load in the machine and then out on the line. Later when I saw some approaching showers  and rescued the washing it was nearly dry. From then on it was back to the sewing of the final cushion cover and IT'S ALL DONE. A very long job but now I have something I'm happy with though of course I put the throw back over the sofa.