Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

It was perfect conditions Stanley. We managed to get on the first boat. It was a three hour trip including an hour on one of the islands. The birds were nesting, the seals were basking, tbe sea was calm, the sun was shining , the sky blue . Wonderful. The sea mist came in as we got back so the trip to Holy Island was cool and misty, however it was still a good nostalgic trip. Today rain is forecast, so its a bit of shopping followed by a trip to Cragside House a NT property.

[Stanley]

I'm so glad Sue. What a good decision!

[Julie in Norfolk]

I too am back to old haunts today, Steve and I are going to his auntie's funeral. She made it to 100 years 5 months.

[Marilyn]

Three Cheers to Auntie, who reached a good age, Julie.
( what were her lifestyle secrets, I wonder)

Kitchen man called in today to discuss our options. He is the second person I have encountered this week who speaks in a booming voice, and I wonder if the entire world has industrial deafness. He really hurt my ears!
So he has gone off to draw up his quote...whilst we count pennies and decide our budget.
This one is at opposite ends to the expensive showroom we went to last week and my thoughts are that we need to go mid-range between the two extremes...but let's see what the quote says. It is like when we did the bathroom -everything seems a bit overwhelming at first but suddenly becomes clear when you get your head around it and consider all options. ( once you reach that Nirvana, you can't get ripped off!)

[Stanley]

Where are the old haunts Julie?
Maz, some of my grandchildren have very penetrating voices.....
As for the shed..... I'm not sure. I have an idea in my head to make an ornamental cannon on a naval carriage. The reason for that is that I have all the materials to hand so it would be cheap! At the moment I am just a bit stretched courtesy of British Gas! Then again I might improve one of my old engines...... Problem there is the one I fancy working on is too heavy for me to lift safely. A bit of thought needed......

[Marilyn]

Some folk just live in high noise/high energy households, Stanley. We don't. You don't. That's why we notice it so much.
When my son and his girlfriend stayed over Easter, they had lunch at a pub one day with friends. They came back shouting at us! The music at the pub must have been booming. They were still shouting at us hours later when they went to bed, but were thankfully down to normal volume by morning.

[Stanley]

I think you have hit the nail on the head there Maz. Jack and I are never happier than when I am sat reading and he's in the other chair relaxing. This house, with its dead end back street and garden front (no traffic, no road!), is remarkably quiet for these modern times. The loudest noise is the hum of the fridge and the ticking of the clock. When they were whooping and cheering at the wedding it actually hurt my ears!

[Sue]

Yes I like quiet too. After the last ten years of teaching and sharing a staffroom with over 20 people who were always on tbe phone or talking to students at the door or the phone going continuously I enjoy peace and quiet.

Today is a trip to Beamish Open Air Museum. My first boyfriend came from Beamish.....about 18 months before I met Bob. Yesterday we had mainly indoor activities due to the constant drizzly rain. We visited a large garden centre with shopping outlet and bought a few things we needed. This was really a time filler to get to 11.00 am when we visited Cragside. The home of Lord Armstrong...the first man in the world to run his home on electricity from HEP. His house was full of novel electric gadgets. Excellent visit. The gardens and woodland were magnificent but due to the persistant rain we took the drive option round the 6 mile loop of the estate. Another visit in fine weather is a must, especially when the rhododendrons are out, the surrounding moorland must be a picture of flowering heather in the autumn.

Home later today after a lovely if occassionally rather damp 4 days. I could happily stay for another 4 to complete our nostalgia trip with coastal walks at Craster and Dunstanborogh castle, a trip to Bamburgh and oh so many other places. Sadly, another time but we have found a lovely self contained BnB to do tbat. We are really delighted with this little cottage.

[Wendyf]

Sounds good Sue, I love that area too. Whereabouts are you staying? Cragside has always been on our list of places to visit but we haven't made it yet.

[Sue]

We stayed at an Air BnB in Longframlington. I heartily recommend it

[Stanley]

I'll be plotting what to make next. I think I know what it is, I need to do some research......

[Sue]

Art, lunch, writing, yoga. You may have guessed, we are back

[Stanley]

Here's the next project. The carriage will be different but I'm going to make a Carronade, a type of 19th century cannon. This morning Kev is coming round to do the heavy lift for me and put the big compound on the bench so I'll give that a clean up and refurb first.



He's having three Weetabix this morning, it's a big lump!

[Stanley]

Kev came and carried the compound in for me. He said it was nothing...... I've started on my carronade but this morning I'll be giving this engine a good clean and overhaul. It will get run as well!
Chinese Grand Prix qualifying at 1PM......

[Sue]

Off to Liverpool today. Bob has a model engineering lecture this afternoon, so I am meeting my sister for lunch then doing a bit of shop browsing

[Stanley]

Well done Bob!

[Stanley]

Putting some shape in my carronade, I've made a template and need to sort out a round nosed cutter....

[Stanley]

Time in the shed on my carronade and at 11AM Margaret and family are visiting, I think they go back to Oz shortly......
But before I do anything else we need to sew some buttons on!

[Sue]

But before I do anything else we need to sew some buttons on!

I may be a sewer but if there is one thing I hate its sewing buttons on!

Today I shall be finishing a dress...a buttonless dress .

Pedicure this morning, no French this afternoon. Its once a fortnight and we think it was last week when we were in Northumberland. Art this evening.

I shall be talking kindly to my seeds and young veggie plants but it looks like they will not be big enough to go to France with us next week, thus I will have to find some way of nurturing them whilst we are away. Normally the neighbour pops round and waters them in the greenhouse. Unfortunately said greenhouse has been demolished with the shed and because of the bad weather and snow tbere has been a delay on laying the concrete base and small wall for the new ones. At the moment the plants are in tbe conservatory but its too warm in there to leave them unattended, I leave the door open most of the day to keep it cool, as I would the greenhouse. It looks like the only option is the front porch which is north facing and rather cool. This will mean less watering is needed, but I need to ensure the post does not land on them!

[Stanley]

Sue, I agree! Isn't it funny how you can go for months without a problem and then the button Bad Fairy visits you!
Slowly peeling metal off my stock, there's a carronade in there somewhere!

[Sue]

I once had a double breasted coat, and one button came off on the non functional side...if you see what I mean. Anyway I hate sewing buttons on so much that I cut all the non functional buttons off instead of sewing one back on. I was left with a rather different assymetric fastening coat which I rather liked!

Today is yoga, then helping at the hospice shop followed by pilates. This evening my friend Kath pops round for a drink after her exercise class ( I used to go but gave it up for the more beneficial pikates class). I think I need to call at the chemist too as I seem to have a rather red eye. I hope it isn’t conjunctivitis.

[Stanley]

If I remember rightly Sue, the top non-functioning button on a man's DB suit had a button on the back as well to straighten the hang of the collar. Overcoats were the same.
I shall be in the shed carronade making and thinking about Margaret and Mick flying back to Perth. I'm always relieved when I hear they are home....

[Sue]

Its the same on other coats too Stanley. I have just made one myself with a button at the top on the inside to help the underlapping part hang straight.

Today is walking, then walkers Easter lunch. This afternoon a sewing lesson and this evening pilates.

I have potted on all of my seedlings but they are certainly not ready for a trip to France. I will have to take them in late June, which is a bit late but needs must. I will try planting peas and beans and small turnips direct in the soil this visit. Our trip to Vancouver and Alaska in May is altering our normal visiting routine and hence planting routine.

[Marilyn]

What is a Carronade?

And the other burning question - when does Sue find time for housework?

[Stanley]

The seedlings will catch up Sue, they'll grow like weeds. Nature has a way of compensating.
Maz, she has a cleaning robot called Bob.....
A carronade is a type of cannon made at the Carron Iron Works in Scotland. It used a smaller charge of powder for a big cannon ball, an 8" ball weighed 68lbs, and was used at very short range where it was very effective, It was lighter than the same size in a normal cannon, shorter and faster to load and fire. The nickname for them was 'smashers' because the big ball was so destructive to wooden ships.