What have you been doing today?

[Mottie]

Cooked a roast dinner today. Badly! I normally cook a lovely roast but today it practically all went wrong. Beef was over cooked, Yorkshire’s didn’t rise, cauliflower cheese was burnt on top, liquid on the bottom and the roast spuds were stuck to the dish. I've lost my roast mojo and I hope it returns soon.

 

[Bodd]

Don’t laugh. 25 more coats of paint and it might level out. Anyway, it’ll be hidden behind a bench. Version 2.0 might be better - that was my prototype.

She wanted rustic and by God she got it!

View attachment 231139

Very good. I'm impressed

 

[Bodd]

¹2³4⁵6⁷8⁹

 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

¹2³4⁵6⁷8⁹

You're just a number, Bodd, and obviously devoid of character.

 

[Mottie]

Walked up to our local department store, took the dog and she showed some interest in a Barbour dog toy but she has too many already.

Then a walk in the park - look at the size of the tree that had been felled.

Finally a quick look to check progress on the windmill restoration. Coming along fine and I see they’ve made a feature out of one of the old mill stones.

 

[Mottie]

Had to go to B&Q today to pick up a bit of square downpipe. Didn’t have it in any of my local ones so had to get it from the Beckton branch which is practically up London where my workshop is. I was well pleased - I saw one of my old students working in there! He left me a couple of years ago. Okay, it’s not the motor trade (he qualified but he was never really cut out for that) but I was so happy to see someone who had the upbringing he had, in work, earning a living for himself and happy. He was even more amazed to see me and he told me he was talking to another employee who had also done motor vehicle training only that morning and was telling him about me and my training centre. It’s nice to know that I’m still remembered by some of the students and I am pleased that I may have played some small part in his life. It's really, really made my day.

 

[conny]

Preparing the ground for my shed base. The plastic shed was originally on the empty square section you can see to the left of the gravel pathway.

The groove in the sand is a rough guide of where the exisitng electrics to my original shed run so I know where to pull them back through the conduit.

 

[Ian H]

I found out my old neighbours daughter died a week after giving birth She must have been around 30 and had a wicked sense of humour

 

[Mottie]

That is really sad news.

 

[Ian H]

That is really sad news.

It is, they are a really really nice family. Mother, daughter and 2 sons, all lovely

 

[conny]

Sorry to hear this Ian. There are no words to ease the pain when someone dies but when it happens in tragic circumstances to one of your children it must be doubly hard to try and understand why?
May she Rest in Peace.

 

[transam]

Went to a boiler break down this morning

tenant is 32 just come out of hospital from cancer treatment
Neighbour said it is terminal ?

on his own ? He should have some one helping him imo

 

[Mottie]

I didn’t think they were allowed to let someone out of hospital without a care package in place? Maybe they discharged themself?

 

[Mottie]

I’ve been over the allotment this morning, digging trenches and filling with rotted compost and then planting a dozen asparagus crowns. Should have done that three seasons ago when I first got the plot as it takes two or three years before the first harvest. Gotta do the same with some horseradish.

 

[conny]

I broke my compost heap down because it was in the way of my new shed. 6" below the top was lovely black humus which has now been transferred into some tough black bin bags. That will be getting used some time later this year or possibly next spring for the hanging baskets. The heap, when it was in use, was approximately 5' x 3' and over 3' full before taking the top level off. 5 1/2 years of grass cuttings, veg peelings etc and was teeming with big fat worms. Thankfully the slow worm we found in it last year has gone elsewhere so I haven't destroyed his home. (Have you ever tried digging in a heap whilst keeping an eye out for wildlife? Very slow work, especially when you have a female David Bellamy watching how careful you are! )