Carrying on..

 Yet more sorting...binning the worn out clothes that we had bought replacements for..but ended up at the bottom of the wardrobe "just in case"...I have a heap of washing, things to be decided on when clean.

Some items will go to Pirate's children..some to friends. Some fit and suit me.

Work uniforms can go to the air museum in Dumfries...he had planned that already..but I will take photos and email them to family...his nephew as well. They are so alike...and Pirate was his father figure..

I am doing it in hour long sessions... otherwise you kill any enthusiasm!

Lunchtime was partly frustrating.

I had advertised a coffee table on local fb marketplace..and found a taker..for free...first his car wasn't working properly... yesterday we were both going to be in Ayr..so he nominated which supermarket car park.

I arrived a quarter hour early...parked where my car could be seen from the road and also easily as you drive in.....

And I waited for 50 minutes..... standing by the car in the sunshine..quite pleasant.    

Apparently he arrived ten minutes after I did...but didn't get out of his car to find me...and expected me to be online to get a message saying "I've arrived"....and left the car park five minutes after I did....

Perhaps we should have exchanged phone numbers....but never mind, someone else  will want it!

The positive part of the outing is that I managed to buy a concrete paving slab to make a clay wedging and kneading bench...went round the whole yard looking for the right sort..and eventually found one right by the car!!

They don't make smooth surfaced slabs any more, unless they are vitrified porcelain..which is not atall absorbent...Health and safety, is the reason we concluded.  The one I found is smooth on the back...all the others were rough on both sides!!

One small step ahead for my workshop..now to make a sturdy frame....

Workshop sorting

 Out to the workshop...mug of coffee, flapjack, radio....

Then bubble wrap to tape onto the wood kick wheel seat....

First job get the rust and other crud off the wheel head...which took quite a while! Then sort some tools.

Not a bad start!

Lunch break...and workshop sorting..

A clear corner..I will get some metal shelves for there, as they face onto the site at the back for the small wood burning stove...

Glazes and materials, kiln props and stacks of clay...only those on the left are soft enough to use...but that is five rather flat 12.5 kg bags, plenty for now.

The problem....just look around....

Plus a stack of HTI kiln bricks.....and several tool boxes of assorted tools collected since 1973.....

When the kiln is up and running, kiln shelves and props and spare bricks should be in the kiln shed....

Small steps....

Slow progress

 Monday's walk was a little too far...but it was an achievement.

Now the plan is a little every day. A change in meds that was supposed to be an improvement, wasn't...two steps forwards, one back....but now that has been got over, we are back to plan A, keeping gently active, resting enough and a little bit more every day...and be very, very patient!!

The garden is waiting for a bit more warmth, but the rain is welcome. 

There are hardly any beans on the running and climbing beans...not too many tomatoes set...and few female squash flowers..but...the cucumbers are going crazy!!

Here is our garden from above..

The greenhouse is under the bottom left hand corner of the photograph.

I have been researching the details of a batch of the handlebars and stems from our late friend's collection ready to sell. This is what takes time..but that is a dozen more items to list.  The real incentive is clearing all this, so that I can start using my workshop for claywork...and my share of the profits will pay for materials to get the kiln and workshop stove going..as well as hopefully our fares on our next visit to friends far away!

A nice expensive parcel has just been packed ready for posting...relief that something worth a lot has been sold..and for the asking price too! And making it worth carrying on.

Moving forward

 Luckily this morning our neighbour came over for a cuppa and a chat...just as we had hoped for an early start...and after a while the landline phone went for Pirate...

It was confirmation of bowel cancer...but like the poster he saw on the back of the toilet door in the hospital, 9 out of 10 cases are successfully treated....and he is now positive in his attitude. So on Friday we meet the team who will be treating him, after their conference meeting on Wednesday.

What a way to celebrate a wedding anniversary!!...it will be five years married....and eleven years together.

After a later start than planned we headed off on the A 70, on a misty damp and cold day...this was the view at the highest point on the way to Edinburgh! But in the end we had far nicer weather than if we had stayed at home!!

We met our friend's son with son's son and stepfather....and loaded up the car with most of the equipment that needs to be sold....if possible! It could bring us in a fair bit of cash, but naturally we will have to work for it!!

Then across the new river crossing to Rosyth and along upriver to have a late lunch ...or early supper with another friend who hopefully will help us out a new roof on my workshop..he has helped us in the past with our buildings.

A drive through to Glasgow with beautiful skies and clouds with so much depth....quick shopping in Waitrose, catching things I wanted anyway at marked down prices...and home as it went dark.

A good day.   Not the diagnosis we wanted, but one we had expected...and now move on positively.

Preserving for Winter

 Freezing and drying started, loose rasberries to be packed in a box when frozen. 

Two medium bags of runner beans are in the freezer as well, as with the change of weather fewer are growing. I am leaving the rest to ripen and hope to have enough to grow next year as well as eat as beans, not the whole pod.

Today it has been Washing Machine weather....showers, wind, sun.....so more work indoors, plus collecting some old tongue and groove panelling from a neighbour. This will go over the insulation in my workshop and make shelving and cleaning easier!!

The garden is looking decidedly battered by the wind and rain and I don't know if we will have many sweetcorn cobs worth eating.  It was supposed to be a shorter variety, , but looks as if it wants to outdo the sunflowers!!

Pirate has started setting up the turbo trainers in the back bedroom...this winter we don't want to get overweight and unfit!! Preserving our health!!

Paint!

 After a busy day...a bike ride to post a letter (morning collections in our village are ridiculously early!!)  and see friends who run a second hand shop.

They are now in an old mill, a historical four storey building in Mauchline..and the business us going from strength to strength!!

I bought an old tenon saw, a couple of knitting patterns and a mini vice. Pirate found an unused jigsaw puzzle of The Broons!!

We dodged all the showers and as they cleared away I got all the holiday washing done!

Then as Pirate had his well earned siesta I started work on the workshop sides, taping up before painting.

This is supposed to be one coat paint, but I think it needs two. No point skimping and tough expensive it is supposed to last ten years!

Himself joined in and helped, peeling off the tape before the paint dried.

Now that is better, looking more of a piece instead of a mixture of odd bits...which it is!!

And Pirate insisted I go the other side of the camera for a change!!

One more step

 

Paddy our "foreman" neighbour, supervising our Triathlete Joiner.

Fitting the secondhand window that we were given about four years ago!

My Space

Beginning to evict all the Other Stuff that has found its way in to here..now the big job is to sort the sheds and to have the relevant things together in their respective sheds, not all mixed up in all the sheds.....pipe dream?!

Pirate is happier today.  A good review from his oncology specialist nurse yesterday helped greatly. The new roof is on and the doors fitted . His bloodshot eye is only because he did a mega sneeze... optician checked and all ok.

Now he is worrying about politics....when the next Conservative leader , and hence prime minister will be elected by about 160,000 party members (about10,000 in Scotland) which is 0.3% of the UK population..thats if they all vote...not that we can do anything about that, but he has to worry about something that he can do nothing about!!

Still getting there slowly

 On Monday, Pirate had a medical investigation..they found nothing out of place, which is good. However with that on top of a busy weekend he is still tired!!

We are progressing slowly but steadily with the workshop verandah.

One quote for the roofing materials is just under £400. The VAT is nearly £80..I think he overquoted and can reduce the cost by £100..but at the moment that is still too much. So we will look at cheaper alternatives and in the meantime use recycled sheets of heavy plastic that form part of milk bottle packaging!

Tomorrow we have a day off and out planned. No stress..apart from buying petrol!!

Meanwhile..

My twin grandsons had their birthdays today. They live six hours away and are isolating due to covid. Ten days so far and their father is still positive.

It isn't easy living so far from family.  The nearest are  nearly four hour's drive away. 

However it is our choice to live in Scotland. We know we are better off by far living here.

Constructive

 

The workshop construction progresses..slabs down and mortared, wood cut to size and painted..now drying.

The bean sticks are up and runner beans planted..now it really looks like a garden!!

The garlic and shallots are growing well, better than the onions.

I have sown seeds, carrots, radish and beetroot.

Our neighbour opposite is back home but on end of life care...stage four cancer but at least pain free with no meds. 

He asked for me to make a bread pudding. These days I won't use the oven for one or two items...so I baked a batch!! I used a couple of wartime recipes. Quite apt for the times we are in, with 9% and rising inflation and supply problems......

Frosty Morning and progress

 We are having a couple of days of high pressure...sunny days and cold nights!

There has been a little progress on the workshop front, but nothing much to see yet!

It still looks a muddy patch in front of the workshop , but the old pallets have been cleared away and one new one put in their place to give a dry place to stand for now.

Slabs and oggin/windust to go under sand and under the slabs should arrive on Tuesday...

The cost has more than doubled in the past year,   and if you look back to 2016 it has quadrupled since then.... Time to get on with it..and be thankful that we have most of the wood we need!!

Now to get on with selling bike bits and stuff to pay for the roof!!

This and that

 We enjoyed a day on the bike...but the week was a bit of this and a bit of that after that!!

I am aiming now not to leave things half done....not easy!!

But the washing mountain has been done...for now!! And some decent weather speeded the drying, thankfully.

Blood orange marmalade was made today after prepping yesterday and this morning...

I love the smell of ironing!!

My daughter has pointed me in the direction of Grampus, to organise  the family tree research...I think having a day to do that would make sense, to really concentrate.

The study is a lot tidied, so working there for researching or drawing and printing should be easier!

And for light entertainment?..I have bought a skein of Ronaldsay wool....I do need some new  fingerless gloves/ mitts......that will be good for sitting of an evening, or at the velodrome when himself has a session on the track!!

The best news of all? We have started sorting the workshop ready to construct a closed verandah and fit a window.  

Indoors for a change

Batch baking and pickling.
Then a little light relief, planning out the workshops verandah and checking over the polytunnel seedlings.
This is the view from the latter

Back on the wheel

First steps...now to get the rest of Pirate's stuff out of the workshop and get organised!!

Jobs well done

 The roof mending is finished, thankfully. I really need metal sheeting on it...but that will wait until we can get somebody else to do it!!

 Today's excitement.....a fire engine... stopping at nextdoor but one....
It seems that a gull had investigated the cables on the solar panels..had a shocking experience....flapped to the ridge..and died!!
Electricity 1 Bird 0

The fireman wouldn't touch it as it was dead. If I remember rightly the bird rescue charity won't touch gulls without leather gauntlets as Salmonella is endemic in the population!!

I repotted a small tree in a tub today..it was being strangled by some geraniums...I tried to draw a sprig....not easy!

Roofing!

I spent most of today holding a ladder...very boring, but it meant that Pirate was safe up the ladder! And the workshop roof edging is mostly finished.

The wooden straps were rotting after four years...and we liberated the plastic replacements from heading to landfill 😎
The front is done apart from a little trimming, the back corners are done.
The jackdaws will have a job getting through this stuff.

 Today's visitor

Slow progress...but steady...you never know when the last frost will be !!