Not the day I expected

 We had a list of things to do whilst the girls were here.  Tam replace the broken toilet seat yesterday.  This afternoon we took down the "wrong" curtain pole in the guest bedroom I got neighbour Dave to put up for me.  I then unpicked my modifications to the curtains so they can be rehung on the correct pole, next time Tam is over.  We checked out the guttering on the stables and it appears to not really have much of an incline along the building to the downpipe on the far end.  In fact, the lowest part could almost be said to be where there is a leak. We couldn't find the bigger step ladder which is the right height to clean it out - I think the gardener had used it to cut down branches for me, but I don't know where he left it - hopefully NOT in the middle of the rhododendrons . . . 

Rosie amusing herself - and getting wet!

The washing machine leaked all over the carpet, so that needed a tidy up and the dehumidifier going in there, and it looks like it may need a new seal although it seems firm enough all the way round.  I will have to find someone local to come out and check it.

Tam then went up to the attic to check out whether I should chuck all the old suitcases (answer yes).  However, she came down to report there was a leak under the chimney stack.  There had been a slight damp area last year, but now it was much worse (after all this rain too).  I phoned my friend Pam who had a sudden roof leak and had been very impressed by the roofing company she got in touch with, who came out straight away (half her roof condemned).  Anyway, she asked the boss if he could come and tell me about the chimney problem.  He's given me a quote to remove the chimney (as to be honest that is the problem and no point in having it repointed - for not far off the cost of removing it.)  I have no working fireplace now and the lower part of the chimney above the fireplace in the kitchen is a cupboard with wiring going upstairs through it! Pricewise, it was on a par with what Tam paid for having her chimney stack removed.  I hadn't bargained on a sudden repair needing doing - and this came just after Gabby and I had booked our few days away in Copenhagen in April. . .  Sod's law.

Oh, and no money coming in from the Lufftwaft photo album as that didn't sell - not too surprised as no photos or details of the breast badges with it, and the only illustrations a very mundane one - not one of the exciting photographs in it . . .  So now I will have to pay for that to be sent back to me and try another auction.

Just to round things off, it looks like Alfie has kidney problems - it has been noticable that he was drinking more when we had snow on the ground and all the drinking water frozen outside.  So, next week I shall take him down to the vet's.  He's 15 now.

I have an empty house again and am tired after doing a lot today.  Tam and I were very late going to bed, and then I couldn't drop off - still awake 1.30 ish.  Then I set the alarm for 7.30 as Gabby was bringing her car up to be MoT'd - but that didn't happen as they couldn't make the bonnet catch open and phoned her.  She said it took two people leaning on it and then it was ok, but they must have just abandoned the idea (and didn't fix the problem as she asked), so it was all for nothing and by 3 p.m. they still hadn't done the MoT so she went and collected it.  A funny old day.

 

Family time

 Tam and Rosie arrived yesterday lunchtime.  I was just baking a Lemon Drizzle cake.  Gabby is arriving first thing this morning  as her car is booked in for MoT at the local garage.  Rosie is what our family would call "all about".  She is speaking in short sentences "There you go, grandma".  She had me LOL last night as I had cooked a really tasty beef casserole for our tea, and she was sat next to me, saying no to mummy's chips and wanting broccoli instead which was declared "tasty"!  She'd already eaten, so this was a top up.  We poured a glass of wine, and I noticed Rosie reaching out for my glass (she likes wine! so we have to make sure she can't reach it.  Anyway, I noticed her little hand heading for the wine and said, "Rosie!" and she said, "There you go grandma" as if she hadn't dreamed of drinking any and was going to give it to me all along . . .  (P.S.  we don't ply her with wine - she grabs a glass if we aren't looking and sips!)

When I came back from my walk, Pippi has been sat on the fence, hoping a vole would move in the grass in the paddock.

We had a sharp air frost on Tuesday night as this is the windscreen of the car . . .  Jack Frost is so decorative with his designs.

The central heating boiler was serviced yesterday and a small part changed, and I was told it was working 98% efficiently.  I am still waiting for my heating oil delivery but hopefully it should be today or tomorrow as I ordered it last week and was told it would be here "next week".  

Storm Chandra certainly made itself unwelcome this week - the 3rd named storm this month, and bringing dreadful flooding in the West Country.  Of course there are videos on line showing idiots driving - expensive - cars into floodwater at speed, thinking that will get them through, but of course that makes it worse as the engine gets flooded even quicker.  The water meadows at Dorchester are under water with a danger to life warning, and Bridport badly flooded too, whilst Ottery St Mary in Devon has its worst ever flooding.  That's the trouble with such heavy rain saturating the ground, and the run off from hills into the rivers - it just can't get away fast enough.  

I sat down with one of my Library Books last night, having just watched all three episodes of Lucy Worsley's excellent documentaries about Conan Doyle.  The book - Mycroft and Sherlock - the Empty Birdcage - is one where you read the first page and are disappointed, dip into the middle and read a few more lines to get the measure of it, and discard.  Not the style of writing I found easy.

Jobs for the day - empty stable guttering and check it as it is leaking; try to determine where a washing machine leak is coming from as carpet is soaking in there; change curtain pole in guest bedroom; book Copenhagen holiday (half done now, flights booked, just sorting out hotels in two sites as going to see Tollund Man too.)  So, getting there.

Right, family calls.  Granny is in charge of Rosie who is stood on my stool at the sink, with a ladle and some water in the washing up bowl.  This keeps her occupied for hours!

It annoyed me too much

 So I unpicked it and restitched with another bit of green net.

This was the right way up in my photos.  Cant seem to change it,  Anyway, this bottom picture is yesterday's scruffy base and is now much better.

It was a housework sort of day today, and a do a bit more Elderberry Bunny knitting sort of afternoon.  I am on the head now, having finished the body and legs yesterday.  Progress.  

I hope no-one had been directly affected by Storm Chantra but the flooding in the West Country looks dreadful.  I could hear the rain pelting the French Windows yesterday, but didn't realize it was seeping through until I pulled the curtains and saw a couple of small puddles on the tiles at the edge of the window, and splash marks on my Ashford spinning wheel.  It's double glazed, so surely should be waterproof?  Some ingress definitely from the windows as the spinning wheel splashed.   I will have to get busy with some polish when I've rubbed it down.  I've moved it away from the window now.  My box of Christmas decorations, which hides behind the big curtains, had taken in water too so that is moved to the Library now.  No damage inside though.  I will have to get the French Windows checked out - the sill on them needs replacing for starters as where I "mended" it this summer, the paint has come off already from damp.

Ta dah!

 

Here is the other Rowandean kit finished.  I amazed myself with the "fluffy" flowers - still Rosebay Willowherb (Fireweed) , but in flower rather than the French Knot buds.  You cut pieces of chiffon about 1 cm square, then folded them in 4 (fiddly!) and then attached them with invisible stitching.  It worked pretty well.

It looks better from a distance at the bottom.

I wasn't so happy about the ripped net at the bottom as it overstretched and then I had to stitch it totally into place.  The long pink stitches were as per the instructions.  Not so pleased with those and I may alter them...

Today was a shopping day, and I managed to find two suitable frames for the Rowandean kits.  More snow is forecast so I got another box of cat sachets, to have another one spare.  

No walk today as it was not very pleasant out - low cloud, cold and another named storm getting up (Chandra). This will be bringing lots of rain, mostly below us though and the poor West Country will get hit again. Tomorrow's walk may be in wellies . . .

Now, off to find another UFO - it may be knitting as Elderberry Bunny has been abandoned for a year and Tam has asked for her to be finished before Rosie hits her teens!  Confirmation - yes. Elderberry Bunny it is.  I ripped it back to the Big Error I made last year (why it got abandoned, truth to tell), and have knitted right to the neck, where it has the yarn threaded through the stitches and gathered.  I am pleased I made good progress with it, as I watched Digging for Britain.

I am downstairs I am too HOT in bed, and can't sleep.  Typical.

A sad start to my day

 Yesterday morning I heard that Keith's brother had died.  He had gotten very weak, and finally succumbed to Sepsis.  He would have been 88 this year.  That suddenly brought back losing Keith of course, so it was a sad start to the morning.  Gabby and I will try and get across to the funeral, but it's in Essex - HATE the M25 bit of the journey.

Anyway, I was glad that Tam and I were meeting up for our Bundle Dyeing afternoon in Aberystwyth.  There were half a dozen of us, and we had a lovely time.  Some garden flowers gave amazing colours - Scabious Black Knight (purple), and Cosmos sulphureous (orange).  

In the picture, dyestuffs - Rosemary, Ivy, Cleavers (Goosegrass), Brown Onion skins, Rose petals.  These gave shades of yellow, the the petals, a pink.  There were red Onion skins too and they gave a more tawny browny yellow.

We used wool skeins and strips of old sheeting, pre-mordanted with Alum, to lay out and decorate with dye plants.  The bright yellow on the piece at the back is Daffodil petal pieces.

Tam rolling up the bundle, which was then tied with string or wool and then rolled up like a snail-shell, and steamed for half an hour.

Other dyestuffs on offer were Hibiscus flowers (gave a red), Buddleia leaves, Eucalyptus leaves, and Yarrow. 

This looked so pretty even before it was rolled up. My table-neighbour's 2nd piece.

 

My first attempt produced muted colours.  I used Ivy, Cleavers, Yarrow, Brown Onion skins, and a little Hibiscus.  Seen when not through a camera lens, it has a little more colour.

For my 2nd attempt I went for colour:

Sorry, bottom one a bit out of focus.  The bright orange is the Cosmos sulphureous, and the blues and purples from the Scabious.  The yellows are from the Daffodil petals, and Onion skins.  All sorts went on that.

Guess who went shopping this morning?!

In the evenings I am now working on the Rowandean Rosebay Willowherb kit.

The dark leaves are nettles (worked in dark blue wool).  Now I am on the French knots for the Willowherb flowers.  Such pretty pinks in this. 

Hoping you have had a good weekend, and praying that friends in America are surviving the awful winter storm cutting a swathe through the country, and those of you in Australia aren't in the areas affected by bushfires - well, hoping anyone who is can get out safely.

Fantasy Wheelbarrows

 I had written a little list of stuff I wanted to do/grow etc in the garden this year.  Amongst the seeds, Cosmos suddenly came to me when I trotted to the bathroom around 3 a.m.  (I slept well by the way - 11 1/2 hours!  Not right through, elderly bladders don't allow for that, but I woke feeling more with it again.) The list also included pricing up a new two-wheel wheelbarrow.  I looked on line - anything from around £60 upwards.  I then went into the realms of Fantasy Wheelbarrows . . .  Scrolling down, there was a tidy looking one but at £498 that was never going to happen.  I decided to see just how dear wheelbarrows could get.  £681 for a tipping wheelbarrow (don't they all?!)  . . .  then if you want battery-powered, we are talking £899.   Then I found the wheelbarrow of my dreams, totally automated and all-terrain as it had caterpillar tracks - oh that would be perfect on my rough triangles of land!  Only £1,614.98!!!  

Anyway, Pam came to the rescue to take me to the garage to pick up the car.  I mentioned going to the Garden Centre and she said, oh let's go together, so we did.  Mind you, the prices soon quelled our excitement.  They didn't have much choice of seeds in - only Mr Fothergill's, some Expensive Johnson seeds £3.99 - £5.49! and Franchi's.  I bought a pack of Cosmos - Seashells mixed, and a pack of Pak Choi.  Then some Garlic - French hardneck Garlic, Edenrose.  I will dig a bed for this - it didn't do well in a long tub last year.  I wanted a deep pink Hellebore, but wasn't going to part with £21.99.  I knew it would be dear there, but that is ridiculous.  I will hope that they have some at the Crossgates nursery when it opens again next month.  The shopping list includes Rose Feed, young Lupins (lots), a deep pink Hellebore, Pot Marigold seeds, a lawn edging tool (shears), and lots of raspberries, as I am about to dig up the grass edge to the path up the bank to the polytunnel, put down membrane and lots of muck heap beneath it, and put raspberries all the way up. I will mulch it well on top of the membrane.  I would like a Jostaberry too.  I had one bush at Ynyswen, but the blackbirds always beat me to it!  I now need to ask friend Chris if I can lessen her muckheap for her - with two horses it soon mounts up.  A couple more wriggly tin raised beds are also on the list.  Oh, and the wheelbarrow.

The car is back (just as well I didn't go mad at the Garden Centre!) and it is quite a novelty to have water jets that spray to the top of the windscreen.  I don't think it has ever done that in all the years we've had it!

Pam walked her dog Foxy before we went to the Garden Centre, and so as it was dry then, I went out with my trusty secateurs and pruned back The Lark Ascending, dead Hollyhock and Echinacea stems, and started on one of the yellow roses I inherited when we bought the house.  They were scared little things when in planters, but now in the ground grow nearly as tall as me and flower from end May to nearly Christmas.

Have a good Friday. 

A Change of Plans

 Well, last night was a write-off in the sleeping stakes.  I have had a flare up of my Diverticulitis in the wake of having had the steroids/antibiotics combo.  I had had niggles since the weekend, but put it down to having had some wine with Tam.  Then last night I was in enough discomfort to keep me awake a couple of hours, until I came downstairs for Panadol.  I crawled back into bed, and Dr Pippi, bless her, knew exactly the spot to settle down on and snuggled into my back, purring, and I was soon asleep.  Cat therapy does work . . .  I am feeling very tired now though, and will go through once I've finished my cup of Earl Grey and have a nap.

I thought to check with the Endoscopy dept. at the Hospital, as I had a feeling that a flare-up might prevent the procedure, and I was right, so it has been put back 6 weeks, to early March.  Sword of Damocles moved a bit further away then . . .  Eating very carefully now - soup for lunch, and it will be some of the chicken casserole with rice for tea tonight.  

I managed to get the car down to the garage this morning, getting Pam to pick me up and bring me home, and then we had a natter which cheered me up.  Always nice to have someone to talk to and catch up on news and gossip!!

Last night I finished the Pippi picture, and am pleased with it. Just need to add another grey stitch to cover the drawn design on the back front leg. (Being a perfectionist). I need to look for a little frame for it now.

So I have started on this one, which won't take long to sew up.

I was in the mood for a chocolate apple cake, so have one cooking in the oven right now.

Still blowy and rainy here.  I have been watching Rewilding Jude on You Tube and he has been busy with his garden, and my fingers are fairly twitching to get out and about in mine.  D also mentioned getting a new Hellebore and so next month I will go to the little garden centre near Crossgates, and get one.  They are a fraction of the price of the Old Railway Line Garden Centre, where they sell around £19.99!  I want to get lots of Lupins too and have big drifts of them to remind me of NZ.