Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

I'm washing duvet covers at the moment. I have given myself a bit of a puzzle in the shed and am thinking about it.
Later at 07:50. The duvet covers are washed and drying on the bannister rail upstairs and I have accomplished the major task of installing the clean ones. I hate that job!! Cooking is under way, now I am thinking about going in the shed......

[Stanley]

Making the big decision..... do I cut the curved base off and convert to a usable cylinder or do I just clean it up and put it on the shelf as an example of Newton's work? Not decided yet....

[Sue]

Back from a not too bad week in the Lakes, good walking weather. Came home mid afternoon and got on with unpacking and washing. Two loads of T shirts walking gear and socks went well but on the third load i could not open the washer door. The mechanism had broken. Unfortunately it was the load with all my undies in...AGH.... luckily I have more whilst I wait for the engineer.

Today is a rare french class, but I will not be going as I will be making Briony a dress ‘that twirls right out’ . I have a few things to make before our visit next weekend.

[plaques]

You may be lucky Sue, Some washers won't allow you to open the door if the water level is not below a certain value. You could try draining the filter and seeing if it will release the solenoid. (the washer must be switched on when you try this bit).

[chinatyke]

Making the big decision..... do I cut the curved base off and convert to a usable cylinder or do I just clean it up and put it on the shelf as an example of Newton's work? Not decided yet....

There seems to have been such a lot of thought gone into making that curved base that it would be a shame not to retain it, and I thought you had found a suitable tube on which to mount it?

[Sue]

You may be lucky Sue, Some washers won't allow you to open the door if the water level is not below a certain value. You could try draining the filter and seeing if it will release the solenoid. (the washer must be switched on when you try this bit).

The cycle was finished. I even did a rinse cycle afterwards to check whether it was the cycle rather than the door. Bob has looked at it and the door mechanism is broken. I thoght it was strange when I couldn’t add something part way through wash cycle. It has a facility to do that but the door wouldn’t open then either. I just thought it was too far into the cycle.the engineer visit is imminent

[PanBiker]

Today I have mainly, finished my last ever exam invigilator sessions. 1 Hour GCSE Business and Communication exam this morning followed by the first 5 hours (of the 10 hours allowed) for a Year 10 GCSE Art group. Work done here in Y10 counts towards their final Year 11 project next year.

That's me done for this year and I will not be repeating next year. I get my pension later this year and the Academy trust will have a new regime next year as they have let the current Exams Officer go. Don't fancy having to learn a whole new set of operating practice. As the dolphins say in Hitch Hikers, "So long and thanks for the fish".

[Stanley]

China, you got the answer yesterday when I chopped it off. If I had left it the only way I could have completed it and made it a runner would have been to build a boiler. I am to old to start into that field!



Sue, hope you got a resolution to the washer. If you remember I went through a phase like that with my old washer and it wastes so much time!
Ian, that sounds like a sensible decision. Modern administrative processes are so hedged in by regulations that they are a pain in the bum. That's why Robert and I agreed that even if we we got the chance and the funding we wouldn't consider a new project like Masson Mill or Ellenroad.
I shall be vandalising Newton's work in the shed.....

[Sue]

Washer mended, well a temporary new door handle whilst the proper one is ordered. We were also advised we needed a new door seal and bearings, we could only agree. Well need to get our moneys worth from the insurance! As we are off to France for a week we have had to book the future visit for our return.

Back to yoga and pilates today, it will be hard after a month, and although we did lots of walking over that time ot is different muscles. I feel the odd ache coming on.

Otherwise my time will be taken up with sewing. I have had requests from the Coventry family. A dress for Briony , a top for Eve and two for Julia...busy busy.

Oh yes, and hospice shop this afternoon nearly forgot

[Marilyn]

Hope you don't have to wait close to 7 weeks for your washer to be fixed, Sue.
A long time to go without knickers!
A long time when dealing with towels and sheets washed by hand too...even in warm weather.
Our problem was that the only repairer in our country area went on holiday. We were covered by warranty but that was refused. All I remember was the frustration and feeling I had been transported back a century to hand washing everything...
( ah...just read your post and see you are sorted...good)

[Stanley]

Glad you have a temporary fix Sue! Mind you, if I had a pile like that the knickers would have got priority!



I shall be quietly moving forward with Newton's cylinder, making it up as I go along. What could possibly go wrong?

[Sue]

Glad you have a temporary fix Sue! Mind you, if I had a pile like that the knickers would have got priority!

Ah i washed the things that i wanted to dry on the line first, it gives them longer. Undies can always dry quickly in my purpose constructed airing cupboard ( designed by me and fitted out by Bob) i have a drier but rarely use it in the summer except maybe to soften up a few things . I have enough knickers to start a shop so I am told ( and shoes and tops!) so they were not top priority or should I say bottom priority

Today I have a sewing lesson , its two months since the last one, such a long time ago. We shall plod on with the fitting of a not too successful top and then embark on the pattern for next autumns challenge, an all purpose but stylish denim jacket based on one I have seen online.

Pilates this evening, not too many aches from yesterdays exertions

[Stanley]

I see the sense in your plan Sue. I shall stop interfering with your knicker management!



I plugged the steam passages in the base of Newton's cylinder with two brass slugs and soldered them in. Slowly forward with the new plan!

[Sue]

Art this morning, U3 A monthly meeting this afternoon and yoga this evening. I may have time for a little sewing. I am not going to craft tomorrow, I need to battle on making the tops for grand children and daughter. Too many grandma promises and not enough time.

We are off to France for a week on Sunday, calling at Julias on the way down to deliver said tops, but also to see Eve swim in her first personal gala. She has swum for the team a couple of times but on Sunday its for herself. She could not compete until she was 9 so she is excited.

The Temperature forecast in France is 31 degrees which is not what I want as I have veggie plants to put in and it may be too hot for them to survive afterwards as I won’t be there to water them. They will have to survive two weeks before we are back for the summer.

[Tizer]

Mrs Tiz got one of those NHS letters inviting her to a `health check'. Her first reaction was `I don't need one of those' but then she relented and decided she might as well go along out of curiosity. She signed up online and now has an appointment this afternoon...at Sainsbury's (well at their pharmacy to be more specific). She should get a good score: she doesn't smoke, is not overweight, eats plenty of veg and fruit, walks daily, drinks less alcohol than the recommended max for a woman, doesn't take any drugs (legal or illegal) and is generally a happy bunny. I wonder if they'll try to sell her anything? (And if after all I've said you think she's a `goody goody two shoes, then think again!)

[StoneRoad]

Getting this one in early - it is for tomorrow.

I'm attending a gala "Hunslet 125" on the Ffestiniog Railway.
Celebrating 125th birthdays for "Blanche" and "Linda" - the organisers claim to have cornered the market in quarry class Hunslets ... I'll let you know how many attended next week.

[Tizer]

Mrs Tiz's health check results. She drove to the big Sainsbury's store on the other side of town and arrived with plenty of time to spare...only to be told `The pharmacist does the checks and he's off ill'. So why didn't they contact Mrs Tiz and tell her not to come: `We tried to contact you but couldn't get through'. When filling in the online form she had entered her home telephone number (which has an answering service and also records the numbers of any missed calls) and given her email address. We have had neither a phone call nor an email from them. She wasn't very motivated in the first place and now isn't going to pursue the health check any further. The people who run the health check service (probably subcontracted from the NHS) aren't going to change the health of the nation if they allow this sort of thing to happen. They'll probably adversely affect health by raising the blood pressure of healthy patients!

This just one more failure to add to the long list of things going wrong in Britain now. They might be small in the overall scale of things but they'll be happening to millions of people and causing a lot of annoyance and wasted time and effort. Another example was last week when our 10-year-old Russell Hobbs electric kettle died. We needed another quickly and bought the same model from the local Debenhams shop. Got it home and began to fill it with water then realised something was wrong - it has a plastic volume scale up each side and the one on the side we normally use is upside down! Not only is this annoying it's also dangerous. Unless you look closely you don't notice it's the wrong way up. So you if you want to boil the maximum amount (as we did, to flush out any chemicals from the new kettle) you simply fill it to the top mark. But with the scale upside down the top mark is higher than it should be and the kettle can boil over.

And another example. Mrs Tiz bought a new coat from M&S a couple of weeks ago. It has buttons that fasten through loops and one of those loops has already come apart and can't fasten so she had to take it back and get it changed. It's all very well that you can get a replacement but then you wonder how long that will last. I think we'll start buying everything in charity shops instead!

[Stanley]

I sympathise with Mrs T! All part of the bigger picture of falling standards right the way through society. I know that sounds like a typical Old Fart's complaint but unfortunately it's a fact. We see it every day from heads of state right down to the treatment of displaced persons.
Shopping today but there could be an hour in the shed......

[Tizer]

Like you, I feel I'm being seen as a Victor Meldrew and the younger generations seem to ignore all that's failing around them. Chill out is the order of the day. It wouldn't be so bad if it were not for the fact that the captain and officers on the bridge are too busy squabbling to notice the icebergs on the horizon!

[Wendyf]

Back home after an overnight stay with my brother & sister in law who live in York. We had a good walk into the city centre, a trip on the river and a wander around some of the sights and shops. A good day out!
I'm quite sad because they are moving south to Devon next month. For 20 years they lived in Suffolk and we were in Scotland, so we didn't see a lot of them, then 19 years ago circumstances brought both of us back to Yorkshire and we have enjoyed getting together on a regular basis, and have dealt happily together with the responsibility of elderly parents. Its 4 years now since Mum died and they have decided to move to be closer to their family and grandchildren. Exeter is a long trip and I shall miss them!

[Stanley]

That made me think Wendy.... I hate travelling and realise that it's because I love the security of being at home. All those years tramming all over the country and now I very seldom leave the Manor of Barnoldswick..... Have I taken root?
Could be an hour in the shed......
Tiz, let's hear it for the Victor Meldrew syndrome! Those icebergs are a lot closer than the horizon......

[Sue]

Today is the hygienist, followed by packing and then the hairdressers. We are at Claires for tea and off to France tomorrow via Coventry to watch Eve swim in her first gala for herself. She looks like her Mum in the water who at the age of 16 was the 11 th fastest backstroker in the country and received a silver medal at National level for her 400 IM. Eve hasn’t got Julias competitive drive, but she loves what she does and that is just as important. I finished Eves top and have got Brionys dress and one of Julias tops ready fro fitting. Its been a busy sewing week.

[Stanley]

Sounds as though you are organised Sue. I am in the shed doing useful things but came back on now as I saw the internet had re-established itself after a 2 hour rest...... (and I have found my keys!)

[Stanley]

Moving slowly forward with the cylinder in the shed. Very satisfying work resurrecting old work!

[Stanley]

I've been busy already, I had a bit of washing that needed doing and so chucked the sheepskin in off my office chair. It and a pair of trousers are out on the line and today's sun will ensure the sheepskin dries. One or two other small jobs to do and then into the shed!