FRIDAY 15th JANUARY
My replacement Driving Licence arrived. Persistence (or cussedness) rewarded! I asked Mary for the car keys and she wouldn' t let me have them, since she had taken me off the car insurance! Disaster - had to wait to get it reinstated! Oh, the misery!! Still, we're still married!
Ian & Alex s Bookcases finished today! Because of cold weather we had to bring them out of the garage and varnish them in the breakfast room. Decided to keep them in until Ian could sort out collection - they gave the cat another place to sit, at various heights!
SATURDAY 23rd JAN
Started replacement of top on "Workmate". Took the whole of two days.
SUNDAY 24th JAN
Lunch with Nick and Sarah Andrews at their cottage at Great Edstone. We had a great time catching up!
SATURDAY 30th JAN
Otis, the cat went missing. After a day and a night missing, the next morning, there was a shout from Dave downstairs that he -Otis that is - had shot in through the cat flap and was terrified. We found him soaked with water and muck, dripping over the carpet, and on a hunch I looked out of upstairs window and realised that there was a hole in the ice in next door's pond! How he had managed to pull himself out on the ice suggests that he has used up eight lives!
FRIDAY 5th FEB
Ian and Alex came up with the van to collect bookcases. We had a good day with them in York on Saturday, went to Castle Museum, and fun dinner in the evening at "Spice for U" with Mary and I, Ian and Alex and Ann & Paul. Dave was working , unfortunately.
MONDAY 8th FEB
Started decorating our bedroom, after protracted negotiations over colour, but we are still married!
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Saturday, 16 January 2010
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!
Now, in collaboration with Ann & Paul, Mary's sister and husband, it was time for us to steel ourselves - sorry, prepare - for the arrival of the Russian delegation for the New Year.
Saturday January 2nd
Our nephew Paul, was about to arrive in this country from Moscow, with his lady friend, Arina, her daughter Genya, and her mother Valentina, and were booked into a cottage several miles out in ther wilds, accessible by snow covered winding lanes complete with a bridge about to be renewed and needing a road closure. Alternative routes were discussed but, as far as I know, without agreement being reached.
Ann and Paul were both smitten with a ghastly bug which put them out of action, so Mary & I collected food and suchlike provisions for the supermarket in Malton and managed, thanks to David's and Mary's superb driving and my map reading, to get to the cottage and leave the stuff in preparation for the arrival of the visitors.
Sunday January 3rd
Arina had driven their party up from Heathrow in a hired car, apparently without difficulty, and they had found their way to the cottage, which they all liked. They know all about snow and far lower temperatures than us!
In the evening they all came to us for dinner, which was liberally lubricated with mulled wine!
A great evening, enjoyed by all.
Monday January 4th
The visitors amused themselves on the tourist trails.
Ann & Paul still unwell.
Tuesday January 5th
Still snowing on and off. Ann & Paul still not very well and not helped by the fact that their poor old dog, Toby had to be put down.
After clearing away our Christmas Decorations, we had dinner in the evening at Florio's Italian Restaurant, in Malton. Participants were Mary and I, Paul, Arina, Genya and Valentina. Valentina does not speak English, so the interpretation of everything was fun. We all ate and drank quite a lot, except for the two drivers, Mary and Arina, and a great time was had.
Wednesday January 6th
The four vsitors had a day touring the sights etc (and the shops)
Thursday January 7th
Paul took Valentina and Genya back to Moscow, leaving Arina in UK to go off to a conference for a few days. What a noble fellow he is!!
Tuesday Januaryy 19th
Ann & Paul (Snr) have now recovered and have been to Kent to Take Paul's mother back home,and came back today. We are finally getting our culinary equipment and containers back from the "Russians" rented cottage today, and life is almost back to normal.
The icing on the cake is that I (Fred) have just got my Driving Licence back and am mobile again!
Saturday January 2nd
Our nephew Paul, was about to arrive in this country from Moscow, with his lady friend, Arina, her daughter Genya, and her mother Valentina, and were booked into a cottage several miles out in ther wilds, accessible by snow covered winding lanes complete with a bridge about to be renewed and needing a road closure. Alternative routes were discussed but, as far as I know, without agreement being reached.
Ann and Paul were both smitten with a ghastly bug which put them out of action, so Mary & I collected food and suchlike provisions for the supermarket in Malton and managed, thanks to David's and Mary's superb driving and my map reading, to get to the cottage and leave the stuff in preparation for the arrival of the visitors.
Sunday January 3rd
Arina had driven their party up from Heathrow in a hired car, apparently without difficulty, and they had found their way to the cottage, which they all liked. They know all about snow and far lower temperatures than us!
In the evening they all came to us for dinner, which was liberally lubricated with mulled wine!
A great evening, enjoyed by all.
Monday January 4th
The visitors amused themselves on the tourist trails.
Ann & Paul still unwell.
Tuesday January 5th
Still snowing on and off. Ann & Paul still not very well and not helped by the fact that their poor old dog, Toby had to be put down.
After clearing away our Christmas Decorations, we had dinner in the evening at Florio's Italian Restaurant, in Malton. Participants were Mary and I, Paul, Arina, Genya and Valentina. Valentina does not speak English, so the interpretation of everything was fun. We all ate and drank quite a lot, except for the two drivers, Mary and Arina, and a great time was had.
Wednesday January 6th
The four vsitors had a day touring the sights etc (and the shops)
Thursday January 7th
Paul took Valentina and Genya back to Moscow, leaving Arina in UK to go off to a conference for a few days. What a noble fellow he is!!
Tuesday Januaryy 19th
Ann & Paul (Snr) have now recovered and have been to Kent to Take Paul's mother back home,and came back today. We are finally getting our culinary equipment and containers back from the "Russians" rented cottage today, and life is almost back to normal.
The icing on the cake is that I (Fred) have just got my Driving Licence back and am mobile again!
Friday, 8 January 2010
XMAS 2009 - THE SAGA
Having heard on December 15th that a fellow student from the old days had died (Peter Beake) I drank a number of Manhattens and followed this up on December 16th with a hangover! Thus started the holiday season!
The snow started on the 17th, and Ann & Paul headed down to Kent. Dave came home from Leeds for Chiristmas, and I spoke to Trevor. We put the decorations up on Monday, 21st December, which was exciting !! Snow continued, which was depressing! Mary, Dave and I then had a terrific Christmas. Dave worked and afternoon/evening shift at the Nursing Home on Christmas Day. The racing at Wetherby was cancelled, so we all went to the pictures on Boxing Day to see "Sherlock Holmes" at 11.00 in the morning, and watched Morecomb and Wise in the evening,!
On Sunday 27th, Dave and I went back to Leeds for him to collect some stuff, and we came back home to a superb Turkey dinner thanks to Mary
On the 28th, the three of us went down to Kent . We met Ann & Paul at motorway services on the way down so that Mary and Ann could have a "chat", which was only to be expected. Dave sat with them, while Paul and I sat at a separate table and discussed the Webbs!! We then went on to see Susie, Kevin, Zac and Josh, and had a lovely visit. Then we drove up to Maidstone, checked into hotel, and had an Indian takeaway at Alisons in the evening. The next day we went to Alisons for a super dinner, where we were joined by Ian and Alex. With Alison, Glenn, Jaz, Jake, Adele, and Adam (Jaz's friend) there were 11 of us, and it really was excellent
We came back home on the 30th. With heavy traffic, fog and rain, it was not an easy drive for Mary, but she managed to go dancing in the evening.
On December 31st Dave visited Ann & Paul, came home and the three of us stayed up until 12.30am.!!!
We can hardly wait until next Christmas!
The next installment will deal with the coming of the Russians!!
The snow started on the 17th, and Ann & Paul headed down to Kent. Dave came home from Leeds for Chiristmas, and I spoke to Trevor. We put the decorations up on Monday, 21st December, which was exciting !! Snow continued, which was depressing! Mary, Dave and I then had a terrific Christmas. Dave worked and afternoon/evening shift at the Nursing Home on Christmas Day. The racing at Wetherby was cancelled, so we all went to the pictures on Boxing Day to see "Sherlock Holmes" at 11.00 in the morning, and watched Morecomb and Wise in the evening,!
On Sunday 27th, Dave and I went back to Leeds for him to collect some stuff, and we came back home to a superb Turkey dinner thanks to Mary
On the 28th, the three of us went down to Kent . We met Ann & Paul at motorway services on the way down so that Mary and Ann could have a "chat", which was only to be expected. Dave sat with them, while Paul and I sat at a separate table and discussed the Webbs!! We then went on to see Susie, Kevin, Zac and Josh, and had a lovely visit. Then we drove up to Maidstone, checked into hotel, and had an Indian takeaway at Alisons in the evening. The next day we went to Alisons for a super dinner, where we were joined by Ian and Alex. With Alison, Glenn, Jaz, Jake, Adele, and Adam (Jaz's friend) there were 11 of us, and it really was excellent
We came back home on the 30th. With heavy traffic, fog and rain, it was not an easy drive for Mary, but she managed to go dancing in the evening.
On December 31st Dave visited Ann & Paul, came home and the three of us stayed up until 12.30am.!!!
We can hardly wait until next Christmas!
The next installment will deal with the coming of the Russians!!
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
BOOKCASES FOR IAN & ALEX
In September, Ian and Alex asked me if I would make two bookcases for them to go in their place in London. Mary and I visited them and found out what was wanted, each bookcase to be 7ft high by 3ft wide, with seven shelves in each. I decided that although they would be happy with painted or stained softwood, I would rather do them in hardwood. The sapele mahogany was duly ordered on October 1st, and was eventually delivered on October 15th. Unloaded and sorted with David's help, and I started work on it. On October 20th my router packed up - not being man enought to work in hardwood doing shelf housings. Mary decided to buy me a new one, which we then collected on October 21st. The completion date of Christmas was achieved with various interuptions, except that the cold weather has delayed the varnishing so that they are not ready for collection yet - I have warned Ian they he and Alex will need strong muscles and a good van to do this with!! I hope their floor is strong enough! Any way, I've had a lot of fun and Mary has stayed away from the garage except when her muscles were needed (she couldnt cope with the language!)
NEWCASTLE
Much of the couple of months leading up to Christmas taken up with exciting odds and ends like visits to doctors, consultants, dentists, physiotherapists, phsyciatrists (STILL CAN'T SPELL IT)and bank managers. Otherwise dominated by Ian's bookcases, more of which later!
On 25th November, drove up to Northumberland and had lunch with Colin and Sandra Chandler, ex Deal and now living up there. A lot of catching up! Then back to Newcastle to M's brother Bill, where we had dinner, stayed with Bill, and in the morning of the 26th the three of us visited the gallery at Newcastle University to see the exhibition of drawings and paintings by Norman Cornish, an ex coal miner. The works were based on his working life, the pits and local life, and were absolutely superb - not to be missed! Home in the evening.
On 25th November, drove up to Northumberland and had lunch with Colin and Sandra Chandler, ex Deal and now living up there. A lot of catching up! Then back to Newcastle to M's brother Bill, where we had dinner, stayed with Bill, and in the morning of the 26th the three of us visited the gallery at Newcastle University to see the exhibition of drawings and paintings by Norman Cornish, an ex coal miner. The works were based on his working life, the pits and local life, and were absolutely superb - not to be missed! Home in the evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)