Cold.

Wild and grey this morning with plenty of rain. There might have been some snow on the tops of the hills but the low clouds obscured the view. I love watching the stormy weather but I appreciate the fact that it's from a lovely warm home. Then it was all change in the afternoon as the sky cleared to give some welcome sun.

Today the DIY went more smoothly, probably because we worked on separate tasks. I sanded the wax off one pole, gave it two coats of paint and same for the front door curtain pole and finally waxed both poles and hung the curtains back up. That still gave me time to play the piano and do some Duolingo Welsh practice. 

Once the morning's rain had stopped I went to the shop for some milk. And of course for a walk along the beach. The wind was bitterly cold and I was glad that I could pull my neck warmer up over my face and that I had my wind glasses (almost clear wraparounds) on.

The electrician came today to talk to Peter about putting lights and sockets in the garage and a couple of outdoor lights at the back. Not sure when that's going to happen.

 

Wet.

The day began grey and wet with choppy seas. Gradually the waves began to build and by the afternoon the skies had cleared making for a pinkish end to the day.

It feels ridiculous that  it has taken most of the day to put up three brackets to hold up one curtain pole but this is how the job went - Step one, take everything off the windowsill and the stool and table squeezed in beside the bed. Step two, take down the curtains. Step three, work out which of our assortment of brackets will match the size of the two existing brackets. Step four, have a major row over the kind of fitting to work with the selected bracket. And so it went on. One drill hole hit something, maybe a concrete lintel which none of our drills would touch while other holes hit space and/or wood. Eventually after a wait for the filler around one fitting to dry, the brackets were all up and secure. That is good because I'm planning to make a second set of wool blanket curtains to go behind the unlined curtains for a little extra insulation. Our bedroom is already very warm as Peter made sure we had two big radiators put in but with rising heating costs it is good to go for maximum insulation. Then before anything could be put back it all needed wiping down. The newly painted curtain pole was waxed, cut to size and a finial screwed on. I'm not putting one on the other end yet as I didn't have enough white curtain rings and had to use some brown ones for the time being. Even in its not quite finished state the white curtain pole looks so much better. As well as all that I did some sweeping in the garage as every time one of us went to get some tools from the newly organised shelves we would track dust including coal dust, back into the house. 

During a break waiting for the filler to dry I pedalled on the exercise bike and watched a couple of surfers catching waves some of which were 6ft high. There are days when I'm happy to watch the waves from inside our nice warm home.

 

Zoo Day.

It wasn't quite so windy today and didn't feel as cold either. However there were frequent brief showers throughout the day.

Being zoo day and bin day I was rushing around in the morning and didn't spot the snow up on the mountains. It wasn't until I saw a photo on the local FB page that I went out and saw the remnants of the snow up on the hill tops.

I took my camera with me to the zoo but didn't take any photos because everything seemed so brown and gloomy plus it began to rain again. It rained a few times while I pulled up more bramble roots but I just put my hood over my hat and carried on. My big yellow workman's coat is perfect for this type of weather being both wind and waterproof. Also it's easy to sponge off the mud so I can grub away to my heart's content. Peter said that when I come home from the zoo I look like I've been in a bar brawl, windswept, muddy, scratched and happy. It looks like I've just got a few more brambles to remove from bit beyond the barrier by the wolf-dogs and then I can move on to something else. While I worked the wolf-dogs came over to see what I was doing and to sniff my hand. I hope they are beginning to recognise my scent by now. 

Back home I painted one of the window poles white and was able to get a second coat on later in the afternoon. Yesterday I was so pleased with remembering about using a wax candle on the replacement wooden pole and yes the rings simply glide along but then I had another idea. Why not use the finials that came with the extra long pole we had to buy for the window in the dinning area? We have four because the original pole was faulty and we were given a replacement. Another good idea but they are white so the wax will have to be sanded off before I paint yesterday's pole white.

Then I was able to have a rest and enjoy some barfi that came in a sumptuous Christmas hamper from Vytas and Sally. I used to drop hints to Vytas when he was studying in Leicester which has many interesting food shops and restaurants catering to the large Indian population. I didn't take a photo at the time but the picture (from the web) below shows similar Indian sweetmeats. Luckily they can be frozen so I was able to put them away to enjoy at leisure otherwise I would have exploded. There were also jalebi and savoury snacks. Today I tried the cashew nuts which as well as being salted were heavily peppered too. They were delicious and just right for me as I'm not keen on very spicy foods but use a lot of black pepper when I'm cooking.

I got excited when the postman rang the doorbell and gave me two packages but I'm still waiting for one parcel before I can string up the plant tubs in the window. What did arrive was a replacement upload cable for my camera. I've had a problem with the upload cable as the connection wouldn't hold so I had to hold it at an angle and hope that the connection didn't fail which it often did much to my annoyance. I bought a cheap replacement but it didn't fit so it went back and I got a refund, Nikon didn't have them in stock but I had high hopes for today's more expensive cable. But no that was loose too. When Peter looked at my camera he spotted straight away that the port in the camera is split which is why it doesn't hold. Looking on line this seems to be a general problem and you've guessed it, one that is too expensive to repair. However Peter suggested some ways of propping up the cable to keep the connection without having to hold the lead which should make things easier. (I know that you can take the photos off the card but doing that on a daily basis will soon damage the card.)

It's due to be even colder tonight so I'll try and remember to look for snow in the morning.

 

Windy.

Cold.

Looking at the garden bushes waving in the wind this morning I was tempted to get some washing out on the line. That same washing got brought in twice when I spotted raindrops on the windows and hung back out again when the rain blew over hardly wetting the ground. By nightfall the wind had increased and right now it sounds as if a fierce storm is blowing.

I rushed out this morning to get to the Post Office before it closed at mid-day and didn't take my camera with me as I could see sheets of rain sweeping across the bay. I was caught by one shower just before I got to the shop but it was over by the time I was back out so I went for a quick march along the beach. The wind was bitterly cold as I strode along the wet sand but once I turned for the return it gave me a helping push back along the beach. I had to smile at a group who were there with a number of well wrapped up small children digging in the sand with their buckets and spades. The children that is, not the adults. 

Back home Peter and I got on with more DIY. It has become obvious that the 2.5m width of our bedroom windows is too much for the current old window poles and even with new poles, from the builders' merchants and not a curtain pole seller, it would be advisable to have a central bracket to support each pole. So today's task was to add a central bracket. We also needed to move the existing brackets to a better position as we hadn't got them quite right when we first put them up. So far this sounded like a relatively simple job. The problem came when working out which fittings to use on the insulated plasterboard. Unlike drilling through plaster into brick or blockwork and putting in a rawlplug into which a screw can be screwed the insulated board has plaster backed by a thick (maybe 4cms) layer of foam behind which is a space. We have two kinds of fittings especially for this system but neither seemed to do the job securely.  After much disagreement debate we ended up using one of the metal sort that has a special gun to open it plus one normal screw and plug all secured with extra filler for each bracket. I made sure to rub the wooden pole with a candle to help the rings slide along more easily and after touching up the paintwork (don't ask) and wiping both window sill and the venetian blind the curtains are back up. Oh and I forgot to mention that we used three different drills including the one that is so heavy I can't use it. It doesn't do Peter's knee any good going up steps so I try and do anything that involves going up and down the steps.

Having given up running in and out with the washing I hung some above the radiator in the back room and ironed the rest dry which took up what was left of the afternoon. 

 

Colder.

We had a sunny morning though by the time I thought to take some photos the clouds were starting to roll in. Once darkness fell it began to rain heavily and generally it's getting a lot colder.

Having suggested strongly that Peter refrained from any DIY in the week before Christmas to reduce the chances of him getting an arthritis flare up when we were off to spend Christmas with Vytas and Sally I was only too keen on us getting back to 'doing stuff' around the place. In the end it was only the shortest of tasks screwing in the two end fittings that hold the pole across the inside of the sitting room window. (Peter had earlier done some sorting out in the garage.) At least the pole is up ready for me to hang plants and anything else from. Now that Christmas is over my plan should be to start a thorough Spring clean but this year it's still a matter of 'doing stuff' in the house. With the work on the window I took the opportunity to wash everything that sits on the window sill and then carried on with my bucket and cloth wiping everything in sight.

Straight after breakfast I took a letter down to the Post Office as it was too big to put in the post box across the road. I was not impressed when the ladies in the shop told me that the Post Office was closed because today is a Bank Holiday. My mood did not improve when they told me that even though what I was holding was a 'large letter' it needed a printed label not the stamp I had already put on it. Ho hum. I couldn't really go for a walk on the beach because I hadn't brought a bag with me to put the letter in while I took photos (too big for a pocket) so I contented myself with going down the slipway and along the short stretch of beach to the steps back up to the cliff. Part of my grumpiness was due to the fact that for some reason I thought it was Tuesday but then again Peter also thought it was Tuesday. That's what happens when you're retired and have just had a week of changed routine and relaxation. I carried on thinking it was Tuesday and cleared all the waste bins ready for bin day (Wednesday) and it wasn't until the afternoon that I checked the calendar on my pc and found out that I had got a day ahead of myself. 

On a brighter note when I turned on the tv I found that my favourite of all skills programmes, The Great Pottery Throwdown is back and Call The Midwife which I thought was only a Christmas special is back for a new series too.

 

Mainly Sunny.

Still mild today and we had sunshine until late in the afternoon when the dark clouds shifted from behind us to overhead bringing sporadic rain. Earlier there was a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms coming up from the south but they seem to have missed us and are currently over the east of England.

My ribs were telling me I needed to rest so I've done very little today. After our usual Sunday breakfast and two episodes of The Archers I began planning a file that will eventually contain all the information needed to run this place. Things like builders' phone numbers, oil deliveries, home insurance and insurance and MOT for the car and camper. Peter deals with most all of those but I'm thinking of a time when either or both of us find it hard to concentrate or remember renewal times and of course much as none of us like to think about it there will come a time when one of us will be left on our own. What a cheery subject. I just think having all the updated information in one folder may come in useful at such a time. 

Another thing done today was to set the correct time and date on the trail cam. That was relatively easy to do though I couldn't see any way to change the order to day/month/year or even the other way round. A feature I do like is that it shows the temperature at the time of each photo. For the time being I'm taking photos rather than videos so that I don't have to keep charging up the batteries. And what has the camera revealed? you ask. So far mainly birds; a robin, Mr & Mrs Blackbird and sparrows all enjoying a bath though last night showed Speedy wandering around the garden followed by Little Ginger. After my autumn mowing of the meadow there isn't much cover for other creatures but you never know.

 

Mild.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

We stayed up until midnight last night to see the New Year in and sure enough we got to enjoy at least six fireworks displays. Most were along the coast but there were also fireworks going off from behind the house, maybe from the holiday park which had us looking back and forth. I was so engrossed in watching the fireworks that they were almost over before I remembered I had set up the camera for fireworks. Hence I only captured some smaller fireworks being set off from the beach and the pictures were still a bit wobbly even though I rested the camera on the terrace railing.

It has been very mild again today. Somebody recorded 14.5C /58F in the village just after midnight. We even had sunshine for the whole afternoon.

Good waves had the surfers out in force and there was an informal group swim at midday. The beach itself has been relatively crowded and there has been a constant stream of walkers along the coast path aka the road at the bottom of the garden.

At home it was time to put Christmas to bed. I used to keep the decorations up until twelfth night when the boys were younger but now I like a fresh start for the New Year. That said I'm a sucker for sparkly and pretty things and I love seeing twinkly lights  around the place. But I also like the calm of white walls and minimal décor. (At least that's the intention.) The little driftwood tree symbolises a lifetime of longing to be back beside the sea and nearly all the decorations on it were given to me by the youngsters so I think of them each time I look at the tree. But now everything is now packed away until next Christmas. The Christmas cards each of which was a link to family or friends have now been sorted. Some have been kept as they are, other fronts may be used to be made into new cards and the rest saved for shopping lists and the written on sides put in the recycling. Down in the front garden the big driftwood tree has been dismantled and stored in the garage. I was particularly pleased with my adaption of a wire coat hanger to store the shell decorations. The rope tassels were firmly tied to the sticks which have been put in a tall waste bin with the central metal pole.  

I also gave the window pole two coats of paint so now it's ready to be put up in the sitting room window. And of course there was a certain amount of sitting, nibbling and watching the view and the tv.