I was in the garden yesterday when, quite unexpectedly, I heard the bells of our local church being pulled off*. I rushed inside, shouted to the Knotweed, and we stood in the front drive listening for a few minutes (though it turned out the sound was actually better at the bottom of the garden). It's been a long, long time since we've heard (or rung) the bells, and it sounded *normal*. Sadly, normal looks as far away as ever.
AG
*Don't you dare snigger. It's the correct technical term.
That really does sound like a disaster waiting to happen, Puzzler. I hope your daughter doesn't have to face any unintented consequences!
We had a lovely afternoon yesterday with Archie and his dad - we went for a walk beside Cramond beach, and passed the time of day with lots of other people's dogs. It was busy, but not crowded - you didn't feel as if you were having to do a little fandango every few steps to avoid getting too close to anyone.
It's been a long, long time since we've heard (or rung) the bells, and it sounded *normal*. Sadly, normal looks as far away as ever.
AG
Alas, you're right. I saw on the BBC news website this morning that bells may once again be rung, though it was noted that not every church with bells would be 'pulling them off'.
The wind was in the right direction this morning for me to have heard the Cathedral bells, but I didn't notice anything, so maybe they're not able to ring at present.
Tout est bien qui finit bien.
All’s well that ends well.
I don’t know what happened at the pub last night but nobody extra came back to the cottage. No cooking had been done in the cottage, so just a normal clean was needed after they had left today. Phew!
Tout est bien qui finit bien.
All’s well that ends well.
I don’t know what happened at the pub last night but nobody extra came back to the cottage. No cooking had been done in the cottage, so just a normal clean was needed after they had left today. Phew!
I'm waiting with trepidation to hear what the new Scottish guidelines/rules are going to be. Now that I've met Rosie (who's very tiny and utterly gorgeous), I don't want to not be able to see her again.
I don't know what she thought about the Pooh and Piglet*, but her parents were very taken. I hadn't noticed when I ordered it that it plays Brahms' Lullaby (among other soothing little tunes), but when her dad turned it on and set it in her cot she looked very contented.
We went for a walk through Queensferry to the Railbridge Bistro with Rosie and Harvey the cockerpoo, who appears to have had a personality transplant since acquiring a little sister. He used to be really yappy, with a very piercing, high-pitched bark, but he's very proprietorial - and very gentle - with Rosie.
* I think The Pooh and Piglet would be a rather good name for a pub ...
Our Indian summer seems to be holding on for another day: the sun's shining and it's 16°, which is perfect ambling weather. I've already had a bit of exercise today (hooverage and cleaning the downstairs loo), but I think I'll take a wee stroll round the block in a little while.
Unless anything more exciting is suggested*, I'm going to make either prawn linguine or risotto for supper - they're just such easy things to do.
* Sometimes, when I plan on coming over all Domestic Goddess-ish, S. will say that one or other of the family has suggested coming round for a carry-out or that we should patronise one of the local establishments that are still doing Eat Out to Help Out, and of course, it would be rude not to ...
I have managed to get rid of some stuff to Oxfam: some Landsend trousers I can't close round the middle and a blouse I can't close round what it needs to close round. I did find it was always a size smaller than usual, though. And Landsend sizing can be peculiar. Also two things with holes for recycling, and a set of eight mini jelly moulds I had for feeding the invalid. I have two sets as the first one turned out to have a missing lid and John Lewis sent me a whole new set, but I have a work round for the remaining set.
Our Indian summer seems to be holding on for another day: the sun's shining and it's 16°, which is perfect ambling weather. I've already had a bit of exercise today (hooverage and cleaning the downstairs loo), but I think I'll take a wee stroll round the block in a little while.
It was 23 degrees here, I did some Vigorous Lawn Raking and also Watering of Flower Pots in the late afternoon. Shopping amblage in the morning but I cheated and came home by bus (well, I was already wearing a mask for the shop, seemed silly to waste it!)
That sounds energetic! Mr Nen and I went out for coffee - our preferred watering hole has large fold-back doors which in this weather are open to their fullest extent onto the (pedestrianised) street and we got a table right next to them, so almost like sitting outside. We also had Cake - I was dithering about that until Mr Nen pointed out that we are not sure how many more times we'll be able to go out for coffee if new restrictions are imposed, or feel comfortable doing so if we're told to limit our contacts more than we already are. So we pushed the boat out and had special coffees and a cake each - normally I limit myself to one forkful of his.
I then took amblage in the sunshine and we had a lovely phone catch up with Nenlet2 who's been away for the weekend.
To cap it all, there are the leftovers of a bottle of red wine to consume with our evening meal, so things are generally fairly upbeat in the Nen household at this precise moment.
I quite fancy going out for coffee and cake, I haven’t visited an ‘establishment’ since our holiday in July.
Did my usual 2 mile walk this morning and another mile after lunch. I spent the morning getting some prep done for students starting over the next few weeks, and my own study this afternoon til about 7pm. Lentil dahl, basmati rice and tomato and onion salad for tea.
I might take tomorrow off and go for a wander to the garden centre in the morning.
Lentil dahl sounds nice - would you mind posting your recipe upstairs?
My prawn pasta came out nicely - garlic, half a yellow pepper, half a dozen prawns, a few cherry tomatoes and a splat of crème fraîche. S. had roasted some cauliflower and fennel with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and as she had more than she wanted, I had some too, and it was lovely - a really nice mix of sweet and sharp flavours.
It's a grey day here, but still supposed to go up to 16° in the afternoon. As it's now Officially Autumn, I suppose I'll have to start contemplating the re-application of socks, but Not Quite Yet.
Now to investigate lunch, which (as I haven't had breakfast yet - it's been a slow day) will involve something on TOAST.
TOAST and Marmite here for breakfast, followed by errands (dropping off prescription at GP, collecting post, then shopping) with a great deal of lower back pain and leg ache - left over from yesterday.
Off to Pilates, and a quick word with the Torturer as to whether to proceed with the session. It's entirely up you (says she), but we can do some lovely stretchy things to relieve the pain etc. etc. OK (says I, bravely), let's go for it.
An hour later - NO LOWER BACK PAIN! - after lots of clicking noises from bits of me that I haven't heard click before...though my legs are still a bit achy.
Lunch was PIE and CHIPS from the chippy in the village - under new management, and their chips are much better than before!
A quiet and relaxed afternoon is now called for, I think.
Kitchen finished! Apart, of course, from cleaning all surfaces - and then cleaning again on discovery of even more grit and dust. Ditto carpets. This afternoon has been restocking the cupboards, weeding out the Best Befores spanning much of the last decade. Outright winner is the jar of Bovril which appears to date to the previous millennium.
I feel quite tired at all this talk of Up Washing, and Hooverage, and......(but I have ordered a new long-handled dustpan and brush with which to sweep all the accumulated cat hairs and dust from the wooden floors...hopefully it will prevent the vac from getting clogged up when I finally wield it in earnest). So there's that.
I feel quite tired at all this talk of Up Washing, and Hooverage, and......(but I have ordered a new long-handled dustpan and brush with which to sweep all the accumulated cat hairs and dust from the wooden floors...hopefully it will prevent the vac from getting clogged up when I finally wield it in earnest). So there's that.
I m havering about another new vacuum. I have a small not very powerful cordless one on the bedroom floor, a more powerful cordless one on the kitchen and living room floor, that needs me to pick hairs out of it every time I use it (the manufacturers have now introduced a model which can deal with that, just after I bought mine*) and a powered cordless sweeper on the ground floor. I'm trying to convince myself that I do not need another one with suction, and that I am wanting to buy as a symptom of being unnaturally hyper. Just off to use sweeper and convince myself that it is up to the job.
*Which no doubt explains why it was on offer.
It is the Bedfordshire Ring of Fire. Or the elephants at Whipsnade performing a circle dance.
Quite worrying though. We had a more severe one here about three years ago and it was quite frightening, there were two aftershocks but we weren't aware of them.
I have a cousin in Leighton Buzzard. The first earthquake apparently caused his filing cabinet to open all by itself ! As the gas man was in the house mending the boiler at the time my cousin thought he had caused a gas explosion.
We have weather here in Cambridge; wet stuff falling from the sky. Most unusual.
I will be off for a wet amble shortly then it’s a day of tidying my filing system and preparing record keeping for the new influx of students. I’m hoping to have some groups allocated in the next day or so so I can begin to contact them early and set up the forums with info and activities. I think I might have a team meeting this evening for one of my modules.
We’ve had a big increase in students at the uni this year (I was offered extra group contracts on all 4 of my modules), presumably a mixture of people having time on their hands at home, the newly unemployed or those looking for career changes, and people who have decided if they are going to have to do uni online they may as well go to a uni that specialises in it. My faculty also benefits from the increase in interest in working in health and social care, presumably due to the publicity the NHS has got this year and the job security available. I would guess some hospitality workers would be looking in this area for work.
A leaky sky here, too - the Waters which are above the Firmament are percolating down through the Firmament, and landing on the Fundament (or something)...
A good day for staying in, catching up with emails and phone calls, doing some printing for Church, drinking BEER, and suchlike useful things.
Although it's cooler today (11° max), it's dry, so laundry has been done and is now on the washing-line. As there doesn't seem to be any rain in the forecast until late this evening, some amblage will occur later, once I've checked the job-hunting sites to see if there's anything interesting (there probably isn't).
I made a potato-and-lentil casserole thingy last night, flavoured with smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic, rosemary and thyme and, rather interestingly, cider vinegar, mustard and honey. I added a yellow pepper, some frozen peas, a stick of celery and a couple of mushrooms, and it was really nice - definitely a keeper. And there's enough left over for tonight.
That sounds delicious, Piglet.
A productive work time and a second walk fitted in. We had pasties and salad for lunch and I’m not sure what I want to cook this evening. There’s a fajita kit in the cupboard so I might make some bean and pepper concoction to go with it.
With the kitchen done and More Cupboard we went to Costco for a bulk shop. Priority item - bog roll. As for so many others, for there was none BUT! a delivery was due at one o'clock. We formed a more or less orderly queue. I have never seen a towering pallet load disappear so quickly.
I also now have enough tinned tomatoes, salmon, baked beans and pot noodle to see out multiple apocalypses.
Things are slowly moving on the house moving front. We're just OKed the particulars with the estate agents and have booked a few days in an apartment where we want to move to so we can have a look round at suitable places. Let's hope covid doesn't kybosh our plans
I'm still at the waiting-for-things-to-happen stage, but S. was asking me tonight what my plans are and why I wouldn't want to move in on the 23rd (not that she's trying to get rid of me ...)
I think I'll e-mail my solicitor in the morning and see what's happening, and maybe make arrangements to see the place again, possibly armed with a tape-measure, before I get the keys.
Good idea. It is so much better if you can get certain things done before moving in, as long as your sister is tolerant for a bit longer.
We had our current home for a few weeks before we moved in and got several things dealt with, until we ran out of time and money. This period also included the death of my mother-in-law, to compound matters.
Six years later, although a lot has been achieved, we still haven’t redecorated or recarpeted the bedroom and living room, and now there is so much stuff and nowhere to move it to that it seems an insuperable problem.
The NHS track and trace app is out for England - labelled as NHS Covid-19 app in Apple and Google play stores. (I believe there is a separate version for Scotland.)
"The handsets must have Android 6.0 (released in 2015) or iOS 13.5 (released in May 2020) and Bluetooth 4.0 or higher. That excludes the iPhone 6 and older versions of Apple's handsets." Source BBC.
Comments
No wonder we're seeing a second wave of covid.
I'm stopping here!
AG
*Don't you dare snigger. It's the correct technical term.
We had a lovely afternoon yesterday with Archie and his dad - we went for a walk beside Cramond beach, and passed the time of day with lots of other people's dogs. It was busy, but not crowded - you didn't feel as if you were having to do a little fandango every few steps to avoid getting too close to anyone.
Once I've had a spot of lunch, off to meet Rosie!
Alas, you're right. I saw on the BBC news website this morning that bells may once again be rung, though it was noted that not every church with bells would be 'pulling them off'.
The wind was in the right direction this morning for me to have heard the Cathedral bells, but I didn't notice anything, so maybe they're not able to ring at present.
All’s well that ends well.
I don’t know what happened at the pub last night but nobody extra came back to the cottage. No cooking had been done in the cottage, so just a normal clean was needed after they had left today. Phew!
So pleased to hear this!
It seems to have taken just one infected bloke to close down Bolton...
I don't know what she thought about the Pooh and Piglet*, but her parents were very taken. I hadn't noticed when I ordered it that it plays Brahms' Lullaby (among other soothing little tunes), but when her dad turned it on and set it in her cot she looked very contented.
We went for a walk through Queensferry to the Railbridge Bistro with Rosie and Harvey the cockerpoo, who appears to have had a personality transplant since acquiring a little sister. He used to be really yappy, with a very piercing, high-pitched bark, but he's very proprietorial - and very gentle - with Rosie.
* I think The Pooh and Piglet would be a rather good name for a pub ...
Unless anything more exciting is suggested*, I'm going to make either prawn linguine or risotto for supper - they're just such easy things to do.
* Sometimes, when I plan on coming over all Domestic Goddess-ish, S. will say that one or other of the family has suggested coming round for a carry-out or that we should patronise one of the local establishments that are still doing Eat Out to Help Out, and of course, it would be rude not to ...
I then took amblage in the sunshine and we had a lovely phone catch up with Nenlet2 who's been away for the weekend.
To cap it all, there are the leftovers of a bottle of red wine to consume with our evening meal, so things are generally fairly upbeat in the Nen household at this precise moment.
Did my usual 2 mile walk this morning and another mile after lunch. I spent the morning getting some prep done for students starting over the next few weeks, and my own study this afternoon til about 7pm. Lentil dahl, basmati rice and tomato and onion salad for tea.
I might take tomorrow off and go for a wander to the garden centre in the morning.
My prawn pasta came out nicely - garlic, half a yellow pepper, half a dozen prawns, a few cherry tomatoes and a splat of crème fraîche. S. had roasted some cauliflower and fennel with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and as she had more than she wanted, I had some too, and it was lovely - a really nice mix of sweet and sharp flavours.
It's a grey day here, but still supposed to go up to 16° in the afternoon. As it's now Officially Autumn, I suppose I'll have to start contemplating the re-application of socks, but Not Quite Yet.
Now to investigate lunch, which (as I haven't had breakfast yet - it's been a slow day) will involve something on TOAST.
Off to Pilates, and a quick word with the Torturer as to whether to proceed with the session. It's entirely up you (says she), but we can do some lovely stretchy things to relieve the pain etc. etc. OK (says I, bravely), let's go for it.
An hour later - NO LOWER BACK PAIN! - after lots of clicking noises from bits of me that I haven't heard click before...though my legs are still a bit achy.
Lunch was PIE and CHIPS from the chippy in the village - under new management, and their chips are much better than before!
A quiet and relaxed afternoon is now called for, I think.
O, all right - I'll do the Upwash Ing...
Dinner tonight will be very basic.
Puppy training walk ✔️
Laundry ✔️
Plant spring bulbs ✔️
Make SIL’s birthday card ✔️
Clean fish pond filter ✔️
Groom dogs ✔️
Make bread ✔️
Quite a productive day. 🙂
I swiffer the dog hairs.
🐾💕🐾
*Which no doubt explains why it was on offer.
These follow on from two earlier quakes a while back.
https://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-54248281
Have any local Shipmates felt these shocks? Is Middle England about to sink into an abyss?
Quite worrying though. We had a more severe one here about three years ago and it was quite frightening, there were two aftershocks but we weren't aware of them.
I blame Trump. Or Cummings...
You know very well that hit his hin Ampshire where Urricanes Ardly Hevver Appen...
(Halthough Hi believe they do Appen Hoccasionally, these days).
I will be off for a wet amble shortly then it’s a day of tidying my filing system and preparing record keeping for the new influx of students. I’m hoping to have some groups allocated in the next day or so so I can begin to contact them early and set up the forums with info and activities. I think I might have a team meeting this evening for one of my modules.
We’ve had a big increase in students at the uni this year (I was offered extra group contracts on all 4 of my modules), presumably a mixture of people having time on their hands at home, the newly unemployed or those looking for career changes, and people who have decided if they are going to have to do uni online they may as well go to a uni that specialises in it. My faculty also benefits from the increase in interest in working in health and social care, presumably due to the publicity the NHS has got this year and the job security available. I would guess some hospitality workers would be looking in this area for work.
A good day for staying in, catching up with emails and phone calls, doing some printing for Church, drinking BEER, and suchlike useful things.
I made a potato-and-lentil casserole thingy last night, flavoured with smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic, rosemary and thyme and, rather interestingly, cider vinegar, mustard and honey. I added a yellow pepper, some frozen peas, a stick of celery and a couple of mushrooms, and it was really nice - definitely a keeper. And there's enough left over for tonight.
A productive work time and a second walk fitted in. We had pasties and salad for lunch and I’m not sure what I want to cook this evening. There’s a fajita kit in the cupboard so I might make some bean and pepper concoction to go with it.
I also now have enough tinned tomatoes, salmon, baked beans and pot noodle to see out multiple apocalypses.
AG
(Pun intended)
I think I'll e-mail my solicitor in the morning and see what's happening, and maybe make arrangements to see the place again, possibly armed with a tape-measure, before I get the keys.
We had our current home for a few weeks before we moved in and got several things dealt with, until we ran out of time and money. This period also included the death of my mother-in-law, to compound matters.
Six years later, although a lot has been achieved, we still haven’t redecorated or recarpeted the bedroom and living room, and now there is so much stuff and nowhere to move it to that it seems an insuperable problem.
"The handsets must have Android 6.0 (released in 2015) or iOS 13.5 (released in May 2020) and Bluetooth 4.0 or higher. That excludes the iPhone 6 and older versions of Apple's handsets." Source BBC.
It doesn't work on tablets or windows phones.
There are direct links to download from the NHS site: https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/nhs-covid-19