Can I sit down now?

 

Today I have:

Done one load of washing (heavy linen duvet cover).

Washed my hair.

Researched about a dozen items, which takes longer than you would think. Lens helps a lot though.

Been in my secret cupboard to look for some pieces of studio pottery - it meant moving heavy boxes about, great fun!

Found all the other items I wanted to take to the Fair and loaded them.  Lots of different trips and careful planning/packing.  Keith was so good at that, bless him.

Taken compost out and litter tray contents (it's so wet and muddy in the orchard).

Polished a gallon copper Victorian harvest jug.

Polished a copper belly warmer (used on stagecoaches, back in the day).

Made a lovely crusty half and half loaf.

Made a Chocolate Apple Cake to thank my neighbour for bagging up some well-rotted muck heap for me.

Made a Spicy Dorset Apple Cake (and eaten a piece!)

Done three lots of washing up and drying up.

Walked 4,000 steps around the house doing all this.

I am absolutely shattered now, but still have to make a chicken curry for my own "ready meal" on Saturday and Sunday, when I come home late from the Fair.  Tomorrow will test my upper body strength . . .

Getting organized

 I have a to-do list.  At the top was get my hair cut - did that today - I was surprised how long it had got but she did a fairly radical trim - jaw length.  Hope it's not silly short by the time I roll it under.  It's better than it was though.  I was on the look out for pots of Primulas to dress my stand but there were only bulbs in the green in town, nothing flowering, so I shall stop at the Garden Centre on the way to Carmarthen on Friday when I go to set up.  I dealt with the Probate today too and sent the Will off to the Probate office, Special Delivery.  I posted books to friends in Dorset this morning, and wrote a letter so I am on top of that.  

Snowdrops at the cottage which used to be the Vicar's in early Victorian days.

I have had a lovely long walk, a nice chat with my horsey friend and given her horses cuddles, and then we walked and chatted for 1/4 mile or so together until she was going up into the woods (and then her horse didn't want to leave me!) I walked for an hour and have clocked up lots of steps today (over 12,500) including going up and down stairs about 20 times.  

 I have been doing research into the current value of things bought at auction about 2018.  This is an Ashanti gold weight - this would have been the heaviest weight from a set which gradually increased from tiny to this.  It shows King Kofi Karikari being carried under the State Parasol (which ended up with Queen Victoria).  He was deposed in 1874 after the battle of Amoaful at Kumasi in Ghana and his palace ransacked and looted.  A solid gold mask was taken, a solid gold stool and Royal jewellers Garrards in London became the prime handler of plundered cultural goods.  The gold mask was sold to the Wallace family and is part of the Wallace collection.  This all reminded me why I enjoy finding and researching things like this - though unless I put them on the internet (need to really), they take a long time to attract a buyer in Fairs in rural Wales.

Here is another gold weight, this time a rare bronze horse head.  I cannot find the like of it on t'Internet.  I have found some lovely bronze "fairy" lights and put fresh batteries in them, all the better to light up these pieces and the manillas I have.  I only have two tables this time so will have to try and strike a balance between pocket money purchases and temptations!

It is now 7.40 p.m. and I have just given up on identifying filigree bracelets and desirable Sheffield blade makers (penknives).  Time to settle down and knit.

Sunshine on my walk.  Not everywhere but lovely to see the landscape light up.  Lovely to hear birdsong again too.  They sound so happy.

Life improves with keeping

 Today has been a positive day.  I have gotten my head around the Probate.  I do not have a 28 page written document to fill out as I did it on line, so Tam got that wrong.  She thought there was a 2nd more in-depth document.  Yeesh.  My proof of posting was for something else - which did get delivered.  It still got me too wound up to sleep well last night though, and I woke at 4 a.m. and was downstairs until 7 (but then slept on till 9.30).

My friend Pam got in touch about going to Leominster today, but first it had to be retimed, and then cancelled due to life getting in the way.  We'll go another day.  Lots of antique shops there so it's good to go for a day out.  Keith and I often went there for our wedding anniversary, as not many places to go in January - though we did go to Lacock Abbey once.  That was a lovely day out.

I made a big pan of pizza topping/pasta topping/soup base this morning, and the bread maker is currently making me some pizza dough. 

 

I went up in the attic today (having warned Pam and Tam I was going to and saying I would let them know when I was down safely again).  I got a whole lot of boxes down and out into the middle stable (I think it used to be the old feed room).  They will go on the compost.  One suitable big sturdy box is in the house to be used to transport my green and yellow big Austrian Arts & Crafts amphora vase this weekend.  I found Danny's never-used Hornby railway set, so that is going this weekend too.  It may help the exchequer.  

I moved all the breakable stuff away from the far end of the attic room too, and have noted stuff to pass on/sell/dump.  I also ironed the two big sheets I had washed, ready for the Fair tables.  I just have two this time.  I will try and remember to get some little pots of flowers to dress the tables and stock.  

So, a positive day.  I have now knitted the front of E. Bunny's dress.  Colours are pretty, and quite woodland.  Think I may have messed up at the top as didn't know quite how it was meant to look with some slightly odd instructions - yarn forward and then slip last two stitches purlwise. . . what?  How?  You will have to be patient and wait until she is finished as she's a pile of bits right now!

I also had a lovely chat with Keith's 90+ cousin down in Cornwall.  She is sounding her age now and was difficult to understand at times but we pretty well understood one another.  She said she spoke to Rod before Christmas (first time in years) so I am glad that she got to say goodbye, in a way.

This won't do.  I had best go and grate some cheese for the pizza.

  

What a sh*t morning

 I open my emails first thing.  Today I had one from the Probate office, informing me that Keith's case would be made dormant as certain documents were missing.  This put me into panic mode - I am not good with anything to do with legal documents  and then I jumped to conclusions over a proof of postage on what I assumed were the documents in question (and which had no delivery confirmation on the tracking). Anyway, I spent the entire morning trying to sort it out (with Tam offering advice).  Tam has helped me and we will deal with it tomorrow.

I bought myself a cheer-me-up treat for lunch - one of the mouth-watering patisserie tarts that I drool over when I look in the Bakery window (or go in the shop for a nice loaf of bread now and again).  Today I thought, I blardy deserve one.  It had huge raspberries, a strawberry sliced and manderin oranges under a lovely gel glaze.   It was worth every penny of what I paid for it.

I have chased up my heating oil, reeled from the bill for servicing the central heating boiler (incl. one replacement part), and remembered to get fresh filters for the UV water system and some money for the float for the weekend.  The way things are going, that is likely to be a total drain on my resources, and not a way of mending them a bit.

I had one thing to look forward to, which was a trip to the wool shop in Llandod, to choose some yarn for Elderberry Bunny's dress.  I chose a pretty multi-colour one and have knitted the first 15 or so rows, which included learning a new-to-me stitch - one row only of that.  

I probably won't sleep well tonight though, as I am still all-wound-up from this morning - when I was fighting off a panic attack.  This is when I hate being on my own most.  I haven't got Keith here to tell me not to be so blardy silly or offer sound advice.  He always dealt with anything legal because he had the brain for it and I don't.  Yes, I know in the long run that's not a good idea because the surviving spouse gets stuck when the good-with-it person dies.  The same applies to anything to do with wiring, chopping down trees, anything mechanical and even an extra person to steady a ladder.  Finances too - his money was my money was his money, so to speak.  I paid certain things, he paid others.  If I was short (he had two pensions), he would let me have money to level things up.  Needless to say, I only have 1/3 of the money coming in that I used to so balancing the books is blardy difficult.  

I am having one last go-away holiday (to Copenhagen) and after that it will be a few days away in this country.

And hey, things could be worse.  I haven't driven my car full pelt into 3 feet of floodwater and then wonder how I came to kill the engine (plenty of online footage of idiots doing just that) and I have just read about a young man in France who had to have an operation and was found to have a live WWI shell removed from his backside.  They had to evacuate the whole hospital and call in the Bomb Squad to deal with it!  Blardy hell - I bet they had words with him when he came round from the op!

I don't want a brick on a stick . . .

I am planning an afternoon on the sofa with Elderberry Bunny parts on my knitting needles.  I am not the world's best knitter, and very slow, but I am determined to finish EB soonest.  Last night I finished an ear, and the pinky ear lining.  Didn't take long but lots of increasing and decreasing involved.  I have just started on the first arm.  When I was tidying up last week in the corner of my craft room which has woven baskets of UFI's, I first found the beginnings of the lovely dark green bobble hat I got the pattern and yarn for a couple of Wonderwools ago.  I must finish that - in time for NEXT winter!

Well, big chunks of outgoings seem to be on the books as my elderly Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner is not that efficient any more - certainly not sucking up the carpet from the floor as it did when I bought it.  I have replaced (again) the rotating brush head, and all the filters have been checked and cleaned.  I will have to soldier on with it for the moment as I don't want to cough up £650 (hell's teefs!!!) for a brick on a stick which is what the modern vacuums seem to be.  I don't want a Henry or similar, as I don't care for cylinder vacuums.   Plus, I know this Dyson inside out and how to sort out blockages, change filters etc.  Better the devil you know!  Any recommendations?  P.S.  Not willing to fork out mega bucks either.  UPDATE:  My craft lamp has just snuffed it.  Where the wiring goes into the flexible arm . . .  I am now looking at anything run by electricity with deep suspicion . . .

The water colour class in Aberystwyth this afternoon has been cancelled.  I am not feeling 100% although I slept much better last night - just not long enough as I set my alarm as I was Going Out! So, I am quite relieved not to be going.  The drive back in the dark last Saturday was horrid, up over the mountains climbing much of the time so the angle of approaching headlights (some those horrid super-bright ones) was blinding me. 

I have spent a bit of this unexpected spare time sorting out the email I needed to send to Project Montessori after something purchased from them (for Rosie, and her main present from me) turned out non-compliant with regulations, NOT being marked with the CE or UKCA stamps to show it complied.  Yet the advertisement DID state that it was compliant.  Plus it was about 1/4 of the size of the one in the advertisement and really titchy.  This is all going through the Bank as I bought it with my credit card.  I am now looking for a Wendy House which could be her Christmas and Birthday present. 

My intention to pay more of a chunk into my savings monthly has been thwarted by all the annual December/January outgoings - as the car MoT and replacement bits, car insurance, house insurance, cost of stand at Antiques Fair, and heating boiler service have hit REALLY hard, as well into four figures all at once!  Not dates that I can move around either.  Breaking the insurances up into monthly payments only costs more in the long run.  Yeesh - it goes like that sometimes.  I am hoping firstly that I can get to the Antiques Fair (snow is forecast!) and also that it proves better than last year, when I barely covered my costs.  

I think I need to dive into some archaeology and free my brain up a bit - raining steadily (again) so no walk at the minute.  Hope to get out later.

My friend Rosie in NZ got in touch to say just as well we went on the Black Cat catarmaran when we did, as it recently grounded and people had to be rescued!  There were photos of private boats coming up to help rescue the passengers.

Have a good weekend.

 

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!