Today I shall be Mainly...

[PanBiker]

Going to give blood at Turf Moor in Burnley.

[Big Kev]

Going to give blood at Turf Moor in Burnley.

Good stuff
I'm off to Barrowford later for some physio.

[Stanley]

In the shed for an hour making gland nuts for my fire pump. I am quietly making sense out of this complicated little beastie but it ain't easy!
I'm meeting Margaret and Mick in the Square later this morning. They are very busy sorting Mick's mother's affairs out . It's not easy living 10,000 miles away from elderly relatives....
(Must ask Mags how I am doing on that score!)

[Sue]

Morning


Busy day yesterday morning but all done by lunch time. We were just finishing lunch when Barbara and Bill arrived. They had been ‘thunderstormed’ on their sight seeing trip so came straight here. Wendy and Keiths flight was delayed by 90 minutes so Bob did not get back till 8.15 pm. We too had been ‘thunderstormed ‘ out of sitting in the garden around 6.00 ish, so by the time Bob etc arrived home the table was set and food ready to serve. It was a late to bed evening, in fact we left three of them chatting doing the jigsaw ; we always have one on the go .

So far there are no plans for the day. Rather than try and organise a group breakfast I told everyone to get up when they wanted and breakfast DIY style. Bob and I need to slip to the supermarket for a few bits and pieces that we had intended for tonights pizza evening but have now been eaten . I think the forecast is warm, dry and cloudy.

Have a good day all

[Stanley]

At least the rain is making it safer for you Sue. I hope they have had them in the Gironde to help with the fires.
I have had an hour in the shed.... here's what I have been up to.







I had a look in a treasure chest upstairs and found a stick of 1/2" brass. just right so it makes my job easier. I decided I wanted to check the lids I was making glands for so I stripped the pump down and measured them. Good job I did. The drawings specify ME thread 3/8" X 32tpi but whoever did this originally mustn't have had one, only a very worn 3/8" X 26tpi die so I re-cut the threads with a better die and found the drill and tap for 3/8" X 26tpi. As you can see I am set up now for gland nut manufacture tomorrow.
PS. Note that I am using Johnny's Taylor chuck, a rare beast these days as the firm is long gone but a very good and popular chuck in their day.

[Stanley]

An hour in the shed with my gland nuts and then early doors shopping at the Cathedral of Choice. After that I shall take a view and do whatever seems sensible, as long as it doesn't cost anything! (I'm fresh from reading Ken's piece on energy charges!)

[Sue]

Morning

It ended up a beautiful day, and we didn’t move much from the garden, leading into pizza making in the pizza oven at about 7.00 pm.Today its a cloudy morning but rain this afternoon and evening.

Emma flies to London from Rennes this evening so we are all off out to lunch. Then she will at least have had a chance at one good meal today otherwise there are no plans and we shall take it as it comes. Have a good day all

[Stanley]

Sounds nice and relaxing Sue. Enjoy it.
I have done the weekly shop and out it away. I did an hour in the shed before I went out.



I cracked on for an hour making gland nuts, I got three done and the fourth almost finished....

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed but before I do I want to get my chicken in the oven. Then later this morning I shall be cooking veggies. The morning walk and sit on the benches may be affected by heavy rain, we shall see later.

[Sue]

Morning

Its market day today so up and out early. Barbara and Wendy are catering Sunday to Wednesday so they need to do some shopping, so after the market it is the supermarket. I need washing luquid and my 48 pack of toilet rolls bought last August has reached the end. You can imagine the consumption rate with 8 people The rest of the day, being Jane’s last day will be her choice of activities. I think she is happy to remain here. If the weather improves it may be nice to take a local walk up to the stepping stones across the river. They should be nicely exposed, and possibly even passable so we can do a circuit walk. However after the torrential rain over the last few days the river may be flowing again. One more day of rain forecast, Monday, and then with a bit of sun the grass may start to green up again. I have already seen new blades of grass where we seeded in June.

Anyway I must drink my tea and get up. Have a good day all.

[Stanley]

Sue, re. toilet rolls. I can see your problem. Due to the way my mother raised me I have to get another pack of toilet rolls as I am down to my last 30......







I started the morning by finishing the last gland nut and then I looked at fitting the countersunk screws that fasten the delivery plates on the pump casting. I have managed to find some in my stocks but not enough so I shall have to buy some. Not as easy as it looks because they are all different lengths and each has to be adjusted in length to get a fit. Remember this is working with 6BA screws which takes me to my limit with my eyes..... I almost managed to do an hour and a half but not quite. A morning for exercising patience...... But we have progress and no mistakes.

[Stanley]

I shall be in the shed for as long as I can stand the work. I might not be on countersunk screws this morning. (I have ordered 6BA csk screws from my supplier). At some point today Margaret and Mick will visit as they fly out of Manchester tomorrow. It won't be easy for Mags because she will be wondering if it's the last time she sees me. I shall try to cheer her up!
(There's always something isn't there.....)

[Sue]

Morning

It was another beautiful day yesterday with a lot of chilling in the garden. The grass is beginning to grow, even those grass seeds planted last June which we had given up on. I did a bumper wash for everybody and it all dried beautifully. Today is a late breakfast then Bob and I will take Jane to Nantes for 1.40 pm for her plane back to Manchester. From there she will drive home to Waterloo, Liverpool. Whilst Bob and I are doing the 3+hour round trip we shall leave the others to do whatever they wish.

It looks like Mondays forecast rain now going to be today. Its a cool 14 degrees at the moment with showers forecast at lunchtime. Then its a dry week till Friday, when Julia and Ed arrive with Eve and Briony for a week. Before we know it, it will be time for us to come back home too.

Have a good day all .

[Stanley]

It sounds like a nice day Sue. I lose my visitors tomorrow, they fly back to Perth. So a bittersweet day.







I can't go any further with installing the csk screws until the new supply arrives this week. So I went on to marking drilling and tapping for the bottom lids of the pump. I finished with all the holes drilled and I shall complete tapping them tomorrow. A quiet and productive hour.

[Tripps]

with a lot of chilling in the garden.

When did chilling take over from relaxing - which I think I prefer.
******************************************

PS "It won't be easy for Mags because she will be wondering if it's the last time she sees me. I shall try to cheer her up! (There's always something isn't there.....)"

That upset me a bit this mornng when I read it. Happens easily these days. Can't think of a better venue though. I'd say it beats Carnforth Railway Station, any day of the week.

[Stanley]

We talked about it David and she said that in a funny way death could be in our favour because Mick's mother is a long way down the track and she reckons they will be back for her funeral before I check out. A good lass!
Today I shall be aiming for the shed but also tracking her flight out of Manchester. Rain forecast so I don't know about a walk yet.....

[Sue]

Morning

What a horrid day yesterday, another day of wall to wall rain and cold too for here. It struggled to make 18, it was dark and dismal. We took Jane to Nantes on time and just dropped her off but her departure was over two hours late, sat alone in an airport for over 4 hours is no fun. She arrived back in Liverpool at 9.30 pm UK time, exhausted. Back at the house the others had gone out to look at the big photo exhibition. Bill is particularly taken as it is his hobby. However I gather he went off to look by himself whilst the others sheltered in a cafe under the brollies. I set too and stripped Janes bed and remade it for Julia and Ed, cleaned the bathroom and washed the bedding and towels which had to be dried inside.

Today is a cloudy start but much warmer, back to 26 degrees. This morning will be a bit of tidying, ironing, and shopping, we have run out of eggs, potatoes and bread again .We are off to the mediaeval town of Rochefort on Terre for the afternoon then hopefully the weather will be good enough for a BBQ tea and eat outside. I see its going to be another damp week overall though, even if it is warm. The long hot sunny days are over, in fact the kids go back to school here next Monday, and Laetitia is back at work today after her three week holiday when the factory closed. Its a bit like our old wakes weeks holidays round here, with most factories/works closing for the month of August .

As for using the word CHILLING, I think it implies a much greater degree of relaxing....than just relaxing

Have a good day all

[Sue]

....."It won't be easy for Mags because she will be wondering if it's the last time she sees me. I shall try to cheer her up! (There's always something isn't there.....)"

That upset me a bit this mornng when I read it......

It upset me too

[Stanley]

Morning Sue. Never mind, the rain is needed. We are forecast to have significant rain here today and it will be welcome. It's cooler as well, it won't be long before the CH kicks in early in the morning and then we can really start to worry.....
I've had over an hour in the shed.



Just one image covers this morning. I finished the tapping of the holes for the bottom lids on the pump. Then i found 6BA set screws and cut them down to the size I needed. I had to skim the periphery of the second lid to get it to fit. This is where I reached the pain threshold in my shoulder! I have all the set screws installed except for the last three. I shall move forward tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Shed for an hour then second sleep and after that welcome Margaret and Mick home to Perth later this morning. Walk and bookie watch should be on because the worst they threaten us with today is cloud!

[Sue]

Morning

Early start today. Its our visitors’ last day today so we are going out for the day. We are off to La Roche Bernard, a mediaeval town on a lovely river estuary. We intend lunch out and a trip on the river. Its a good 90 minutes away, hence the early start. The forecast is good, warm, dry, cloud and sun, much the same as yesterday. The weather held yesterday for a lovely afternoon trip to Rochefort En Terre.

Its been a very quick two weeks with our various guests, and although not the best of weather its still been a success. Tomorrow they leave, Barbara and Bill to the ferry and Wendy and Keith to Nantes airport. Then its clean, wash and all change ready for Julia and family on Friday and our last ten days.

Have a good day all

[Sue]

PS, we have grass seedlings, sown in May, springing up everywhere so I seeded the part of our new path that I have finished covering in soil and compost.The lawn is greening up even if the trees are all turning brown and losing their leaves

[Stanley]

There are reports of early Autumn syndrome due to the hot weather and drought here in the UK.
Only ten days left! The time has flown, bit like Margaret's visit.







I started this morning by finishing fitting the 6BA bolts to the bottom lids on the pump. Then I looked at doing the same for the top lids. This meant I had to have the pump pistons and rods in place. That was when I hit a problem. The original machinist had made a bit of a horlicks of the rods and the pistons, many measurements were wrong. So I got the drawings out and soon realised that in order to get them to fit I would have to re-make them. I have already taken the decision not to make this into a working unit but to assemble it so that it can look complete and be capable of finishing to running standard if any future owner wants to. So I am fitting the lids with only the rods in place, no pistons. Next job was to polish the rods and find the 6BA bolts for the lids.
I finished at the point where these need fitting..... It's not perfect but it's progress!

[PanBiker]

There are reports of early Autumn syndrome due to the hot weather and drought here in the UK.
Only ten days left!

Oh no. you have been sucked in by the bean counters! Autumn doesn't start for another month yet, 23rd September.

We lost something when we scrapped the seasons for just weather on the site.

Car has gone into the garage today for some MOT advisories.

[Stanley]

Ian, you are wrong. Nothing to do with 'bean-counters' but due to the fact that trees are reacting to the heat and drought by going into Autumn shut down early this year and many Autumn fruits are already being picked.
I shall be in the shed chasing the Shand Mason steam pump. Not sure about walk or bookie watch, we'll have to see if the forecast is right about the rain....according to them we have heavy rain but it's still dry out there....