Grey.

It's been a misty, grey day. Mild at first but getting colder through the day. Unlike yesterday I managed to get several of my 'list' jobs done. The first was to do something about the green appearing on the older, lower decking. It's not enough to warrant getting out the pressure washer so I started by sloshing on the contents of an old packet of fungal killer mixed up with water. I know that the green is algae but I thought it was worth a try as algae and fungi are quite closely related. I also sloshed the mix on some of the small slabs down by the conservatory. Should that not do the trick I'll have a go with bleach. What I'm hoping is that it will all magically disappear and I won't need to get out the scrubbing brush. 

The next task to tackle was a fine crack across the door alcove in our bedroom ceiling. It's most likely due to the flooring and loft ladder being put in not to mention stuff being put up there for storage so we're not concerned about it. I thought I'd do it properly and scrape off any loose paint/plaster flakes before filling the hairline crack. Unfortunately the tool I picked was made of soft metal and left grey marks. Nothing like drawing attention to a fault! The next challenge was to get the decorators' caulk flowing from the tube. I had pushed a nail down the nozzle before replacing the cap but it had still dried up at the top. Even with the squeezy gun thing it was very hard to get the caulk to come out evenly and I ended up forcing a blob out and then applying it with a finger which was more time consuming. While I was standing on a chair to do this job I noticed there was also a hairline crack along the top of one wall. So that got filled too. Next I'll have to clean off the grey marks and maybe go over that section of the ceiling with white paint.

My final task was to work on my latest project. I'd wondered if I should embroider the design but in the end decided to cut the pieces out of felt. It took three attempts to work out how to do it. I need to do a second one which should be a lot easier now I know the best method.

Mild.

It has been quite mild today. I regretted not putting a wash in the machine when the grey morning brightened up. For a while it almost felt like summer with the temperature up to 18C/64F but then it all went grey again.  I spent some time working on my project designs and rejecting most because they were too complicated.

Somehow Speedy got out again. I suspect he shot out of the front door when Peter went out. The first I knew was Fluffy Cat yowling again in the back garden and sure enough there they both were starting another fight. Luckily Speedy came back in when I called. The scrape on his leg is nearly healed and doesn't look like it sustained any damage today. Still a few more days before the bucket comes off.  I've had to wipe Speedy's face which is getting grubby after licking Patch's left over tinned cat food. Speedy gets dry food which is cheaper and more convenient.

It was too gloomy outside by the time I thought to take any photos so I just took pictures of some of the plants on the kitchen window sill.

Good Results.

Peter was delighted with the clarity of vision he now gets with his new lens and although his eye feels a bit gritty and sore he can't wait until the other eye gets done. He did have a small problem with his reading glasses which was fixed by taking out one of the lenses. We tried to do it at home but even the tiny screwdriver in our glasses repair kit wasn't small enough. Instead I took them to the opticians who took out the lens without charge. 

I went into town to pick up our prescriptions from Boots and now understand why Peter doesn't like doing that job. The first time I went up to the dispensary there were 6 people waiting in the queue and only one person serving so I went off and came back later. At my second attempt I was the only person in the queue though it took a long time to sort out the couple at the counter. When I got up to the counter it was to find that they hadn't made up our prescriptions (ordered a month in advance!) and could I come back in 15 mins? Also they didn't have 3 of my items in stock. One of the missing items was Naproxen 500mg (pain relief) which they don't expect until the end of the month. Peter's Naproxen 250mg was in stock but they couldn't give me double the amount of 250mg instead. I had to go home and phone my doctor's surgery requesting a new prescription for 250 mg tablets which I would be able to collect tomorrow afternoon or the next day. Luckily I can 'borrow' some of Peter's tablets but what if that wasn't possible?

I fared better in my craft needs. One of the charity shops has a haberdashery section where you find all kinds of buttons etc. They had the 4 colours of embroidery silks that I needed and not only did I save some money but I was supporting the local hospice. The grey felt I needed I got from the local haberdashery shop which is filled with highly tempting fabrics and trimmings. I just want to buy them without having any project in mind. I've always like textiles and loved seeing the textile section in the Royal School of Art degree exhibition that my mother would take me to.

It's been another bright and breezy day, more washing out on the line and dried enough to iron this afternoon. We had choir this evening after a 4 week mid-term break so I spent some time learning the words to Crossing the Bar and Time after Time (which Peter dislikes). It has been quite mild today so I wore shorts to choir. We sing in a big function room at the rugby club but with 40+ of us it always warms up. Tonight they even opened up the outside doors but I still felt comfortable and didn't need to put my fleece on until we left. When we got home I began to panic when I couldn't find the house keys at the bottom of the bag I carry my song folder and drink in. The keys must have slipped out of my bag either at the club or in the car. I was all set to start the search when the mystery was solved. I'd locked up and left the keys in the door! A good thing we live in a safe area and I certainly won't be doing that again.

Eye Surgery.

A very early start today, at least for Peter. He left the house at 7.00 to walk up to the hospital for his cataract operation. (I had offered to drive him but he preferred to walk.) By 9.45 I got a call from the hospital to go and collect him. He reports that it was not an unpleasant procedure which is a good thing as he will be having the other eye done, probably after Christmas. He had a long chat with the surgeon, not the same one as before, and is now reassured that his astigmatism which is only in one eye will have little affect on his overall vision. The eye done today is the one with astigmatism and not opting for the toric lens means we don't have to pay out £2,500 as the regular surgery is covered by the NHS. Peter has spent the day with a clear plastic shield taped over his eye making him look like one of the Borg but from tomorrow morning he'll only need to wear it at night for two weeks.

The weather today has been bright and breezy, perfect for getting the washing dry. 

Getting up earlier meant that I got through my usual routine and still had plenty of time for doing other things. After I brought Peter home I drove down to the Co-Op to get some porridge oats which we were low on. Peter had gone shopping yesterday to stock up but had left his list at home and forgot about the oats. We have porridge every morning so the oats were needed. Even early in the day there were a number of reductions. I got some scotch eggs for Peter. He's really cut back on processed meats but does like a scotch egg once in a while. I resisted the chocolate cheesecake and instead got some fancy low fat/low sugar yoghurts instead. 

Sometimes the curtain in my study flaps in the wind so today I concocted tie-backs for both curtains. I fixed two stick on hooks straight on the wall and cut a piece of soft cord in two and stitched loops at the ends. It looks a little twee with the curtains held back but there is a noticeable difference in the amount of light and view. 

Peter bought me a pomegranate yesterday so I thought I'd look on-line to see if there was a better way to get the seeds out with making a terrible mess and ending up with the bitter pith. And there was, well I expect everyone knows but it was new to me. I had to cut the skin around the middle, pull the two halves apart and then holding half of the pomegranate in one hand bash the outside repeatedly with a wooden spoon. Fun to do and out came all the seeds.

Pilates again tonight. We did a whole set of exercises that left me with burning thighs, must be doing me good. I will admit to giving up on some of the exercises or just doing part of them but cheered up when we did anything that involves bending forwards as I'm pretty flexible in that direction.  

Mixed Weather.

We've had all sorts of weather today, bright and cold in the morning, grey and warm in the afternoon and now cold and wet. I went outside for a while in the afternoon to sweep up all the fallen acer leaves on the decking. I also went up in the loft to get some wool in the colours I need for my project but I might still buy some more sewing silks as it's fine work and the wool is quite bulky. Checking my notebook I can see there are a couple more boxes of fabric up there but they're tucked away behind other boxes so it may well be easier just to buy another felt square.

I'm glad I planted so many violas as they're looking bright and cheerful even in the rain.

Sunshine.

We had a sunny morning which included a few heavy showers. Out in the front garden some of the bulbs I planted last year are making an appearance. I don't really want to use slug pellets but it would be a shame if they all got eaten as happened last year.

With all the recent heavy rain I was concerned that the trays under the leaky spots in the  garage might be full. Luckily when I went down to check they hadn't overflowed onto the concrete. I emptied out a bucket and a half of water. The bucket is now also under the worst spot so I don't need to worry so much. If only our dreckly builder  would hurry up and finish the job across the way and do our garage roof. Peter has been trying to find someone else to do it but nobody is keen. In between baking some more peanut and chocolate cookies for Peter I worked on the designs for my next project. The cookies were slightly different again this time. I was working on autopilot and put in two eggs instead of the usual one. The recipe calls for one egg and one egg yolk which is just plain silly so I usually use one egg especially as adding the peanut butter makes the mixture quite soft. Today I added extra flour and though the cookies rose more they taste fine. I'm watching what I eat at the moment ie. cutting out sugary treats but I had one of the cookies to see how they tasted and Peter thought they were very tasty. The cookies last longer when I'm watching what I eat. 

 Sunset.

Goodbye Creaky Door.

After a night and morning of heavy rain it brightened up sufficiently for me to walk into town.

A new shop made up of a number of smaller traders selling all sorts of old/antique stuff.  

I visited the library, brought some supplies for my next project and a cat's collar to keep Speedy's bucket on rather than a length of bandage tied round his neck. There were two collars with bells in the pack so naturally he's wearing the pink one and I've taken to calling him Tinkerbell. 

When I got home I found that our friend the builder (not the drekly handyman), had been and changed the one of the hinges on the kitchen door as the original hinge had developed a spooky creak each time the door was opened or closed. Chatting to Peter in the kitchen he spotted that one of the doors of the wall units was hanging crookedly. Being a bit OCD nothing would do but that he emptied out the plates, muttered darkly at the very poor installation and not only fixed the door but screwed the unit to the wall securely.
I got the energy supplier sorted out, not going for the very cheapest quote but taking account of the ratings by Which magazine as well. 

This evening's sunset blotted out by storm clouds.