Today I shall be Mainly...

[Tizer]

As I've got older and weaker I've shifted gradually from shed/garden to hobby room. An important factor in our choice of a new house is that, like our present house, it has a couple of upstairs rooms with great views so we each can have a `hobby room with a view'!

[Stanley]

Nice to hear the new house has stairs.... This will give you valuable exercise! I often reflect that stairs are a good thing for me......

[Stanley]

Making slow, careful and steady progress in the shed. Definitely not following Mark Zuckerberg's dictum of 'Move fast and break things!'.
Oh, and keeping dry!

[Sue]

Dentist at lunchtime to replace a filling that came out. No charge as it is less than a year ago! Helping at the hospice this afternoon and pilates this evening, early.

[Stanley]

Commiserations Sue. I hate dentists! Bad experiences as a lad.
Making a crankshaft the Stuart way by building it up. I don't like it but I'll have a stab at it. I can always chop one out of solid bar if I don't like it.....

[Stanley]

Enjoying a day without electioneering. I hate the sound of That Woman saying "Strong and stable' and 'My and I' over and over again.
Relaxing in the house with my shed and my new book.....

[Wendyf]

We usually walk the couple of miles down to Kelbrook village hall and back on polling day, to celebrate the ancient connection to Harden and Kelbrook, despite the lack of modern roads in that direction! It's a bit wet and horrible today so we might drive round...a 9 mile round trip.

[Stanley]

I shall be watching politics obviously, but in a happier frame of mind.....
Shopping day today so shed time cut down but I shall get in there eventually for a bit of crankshaft making my way, chopping it out of the solid. Stuart's way failed.....

[Stanley]

I was not my normal self yesterday, probably the election upsetting me. (Must stop taking these things personally!) I never went in the shed but gave myself an easy day and a four hour sleep at dinnertime. That did the trick and I feel much better today so after getting the morning's jobs out of the way I'll be in the shed chopping my crankshaft out. It will be right this time!

[Sue]

Our tenant in Anglesey left yesterday. We are checking the house today and meeting with an agent to put it on the market. We are tired of all the 6 month and I year lets and the constant cleaning and checking. We have decided to sell whilst it is still in good shape after its renovation two years ago.i shall be sad to see it go as we live it, but of course no longer live in it and with having France we can not use it as a holiday home. Looking after three houses is also rather draining on the finances and our time.

[chinatyke]

Our tenant in Anglesey left yesterday. We are checking the house today and meeting with an agent to put it on the market. We are tired of all the 6 month and I year lets and the constant cleaning and checking. We have decided to sell whilst it is still in good shape after its renovation two years ago.i shall be sad to see it go as we live it, but of course no longer live in it and with having France we can not use it as a holiday home. Looking after three houses is also rather draining on the finances and our time.

It's not all fun being a landlord!
My tenant is brilliant but has an habit of ringing me about every little thing. Yesterday I got 2 phone calls from him. First one was "the electric has gone off." Then ring the electric company or the site management office, what does he expect me to do? Even more ironic because he is an electrician. Next call, much later, was "Where do I buy candles?" Of course my reply was "go to the garden shop and ask for fork handles."

[Stanley]

Full time job looking after one house properly in my case....

[Sue]

At last we had a tenant who left the house clean and sparkling unlike most of the others who just seemed to walk out with their stuff leaving everything rather mucky. The garden was a mess but a little weeding and pulling out sticky jack helped. The estate agent visited and it should be on the market in a week. We bought the place when Bob worked at the power station and I was still in Rochdale as I had my job and the girls were taking their exams. The previous 5 years Bob had lived in a mobile home down near Bristol when his office got moved from Manchester. We decided it was time he had a decent home when working away on such a long term basis. It's the end of an era, a favourite little cottage but the time has come to sell. If we didn't have France we would have kept it.

[Stanley]

I have no doubt it's a good decision Sue and I wish you well with the sale.
I have had a morning of honest endeavour, an hour in the shed rectifying a minor disaster but then a good washing, cooking and cleaning session. It's nice to sit down!

[Stanley]

You all know where I will be......

[PanBiker]

GCSE English Language Paper 2, they only need a pen, I wonder.....

[Tizer]

...and now that Michael Gove is back in government they'll need a bible and a copy of NM Gwynne's pedantic grammar books!

[Stanley]

Don't get me going about that little ........!! There are certain people who start my crap detector whining as soon as I spot them and he's near the top of the list. I think I am the archetypal Grumpy Old Man!
I shall be screwing my courage up and having another attempt at my crankshaft!

[Sue]

Well it's our third day in the Lakes. It's not really rained but I am sure it hasn't really got light yet. Claire , Adam and Erin have been with us but go home this afternoon. We were really all exhausted yesterday after entertaining a bouncing three years old all day! If the rain is only drizzle we may get some walking in towards the end of the week. Tomorrow an old university friend, who lives up here, is visiting for the afternoon. I haven't seen him for 20 years!

[Stanley]

Sue, there is a school of thought that says that the Lakes are best appreciated through a thin veil of water......
I shall hopefully finish my crankshaft today and then will have to address a request from my editor for at least two articles before weekend as he is going on holiday for a fortnight. And this from the man who omitted to give me my annual bottle of 16 year old Lagavulin! I ignore this as I believe the articles are a public service...... (Yes, I know.......)

[Sue]

I am happy with a thin veil Stanley , but a three year old and a three year olds parents, not so much.

[Marilyn]

Very noisy here today with the build occurring next door. In parts, they have started on the second floor frame. It's that pneumatic drill that disturbs the brain and sets the teeth on edge after a while. We took ourselves out for part of yesterday and will do so again tomorrow, for a bit of relief. ( how those lads cope with the radio blaring as well, beggars belief).

[Stanley]

I sympathise Maz. The refurb of the next door houses both took a year and yes, it's the hammer drills....
Having an easy day after the stress of yesterday! Clean up and painting bed castings I think....

[Sue]

We have two viewings for our Welsh cottage booked for this week already.

[Stanley]

Good luck with it Sue.....
I shall be writing for the paper after the usual shopping interspersed with coats of black gloss on the castings.... Who says men can't multitask!