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Monday 25 April 2016

Excitement.

I am so excited for I have had an personal audience with the Queen of crochet and inhabitant of Cooper's  Cafe and Attic24. Needless to say Lucy was charming in spite of this mad old bat interrupting her workspace whilst she was making beautiful leaves for her twigs and completing today's blog. 

This was all by chance, on Sunday 25th April Ian and I came to Skipton in a  U3A party of 37 to stay at the Rendezvous Hotel, on Monday we went to Skipton itself by canal boat, before a detailed tour around the castle, finishing at midday. We had then to be back in the coach by 1.40 to go to Howarth and Bronte Museum so not much time for lunch and pottering around independent shops for I had determined to find and eat in Cooper's Cafe to support a local business rather than big business. Undeterred, with great use of maps on our mobiles we found it, ordered paninis and drinks, I just happened to mention we had come there because of Lucy and was asked if I would like to pop up and see her! Would I? What a question to ask, so up the winding staircase to knock tentatively and be so welcomed. 

What did we talk about? Everything, I rabbited on about how I returned to knitting after a 20 year break, discovered blogging and Ravelry, about the leaves that were on the table, my Hitchhiker scarf I was wearing, knitting socks for Ian as he doesn't wear shop socks now.  It all finished as Ian called me to say lunch and drinks were getting cold and time was getting short for meeting with the coach.

The first part of this blog was written on Monday evening, I was so exhilarated and chuffed with what had happened, needed to put fingers to key board even though it wouldn't be posted until we were back in Pixie Mansions. 

Over lunch it would decided that we wouldn't go on the afternoon visit, we are recovering still from the bathroom shenanigans, Sunday was up at 6am for the early start to Yorkshire, so we pottered around the town. Purchases were made, including a 1971 Vogue guide to crochet: all you need to know to become an expert. If anyone needs a pattern for a crochet bikini I can now supply this:-




Then there is this wedding dress, so much social history in these books. Also, a blog needs pictures and, if appropriate, some humour. After all, some one may be laughing at our choice of clothes in the early 21st century. 

Off now to download photos from my camera, actually used it a bit, but often forgot, not much point taking pictures of buildings when there are better online. 

Monday 18 April 2016

Almost there

We are waiting John Lewis to arrange a date to fit the flooring in the new bathroom, then it is finished. The second heated towel rail linked to the central heating was installed this morning, working already as it is a bit chilly here today. 


The view from the hall.


The toilet in its original position,


The electric shower rail and wash hand basin in the 'new' extension.  All the walls are tiled, easy to keep clean, no need for painting, we chose white and black to match the upstairs bathroom, also this would fit any future owners' decor. Not that we want a future owner, we consider this our forever home, it fits our needs. 

Another cause for celebration is the dining room is no longer a storage facility, we have made use of the upheaval to declutter and a number of items such as vases made their way to the charity shop this morning. Probably need to discard more, so much has sentimental connotations, other stuff was needed in a former lifestyle but our ways are not the old ways for we eat and live differently today so do we really need multiple baking tins of the same capacity?

Haven't mentioned any knitting lately so it is with great pleasure that I show this scarf, called Hitchhiker for it has 42 points.

Not the easiest of garments to display, I have draped the scarf over a white towel on the ottoman,  a photograph needs to be taken when I am wearing it, given the cold today that will be soon.   Now I need to complete the Beyond Puerperium Cardigan for great nephew, then will make socks for Ian and a jacket for Edward. 

Tuesday 5 April 2016

We have the builders in.

It appeared a simple idea, extend out the downstairs toilet to form a shower room in the space between the back of the garage on one side and back of utility room on the other. Sounded so simple, the official permissions were applied for and given, February 22nd was start day to change this tiny loo into a bathroom. 






Just to explain, the loo is behind the door, small radiator on right below towel rail. Both photos taken at same time so unsure why colours are so different. 

 
External view of infill, with matching Canterbury spar, pebbledash to you and me. 

The project has taken much longer than expected, immediately there were problems with the drains,
such difficulties meant rather than altering the plumbing, both 1934 and 1998 versions were replaced. Did I mention the washing machine in the utility room used the drain situated where the shower was to be and the tumbler dryer sent hot moist air through the wall? Extra plumbing and pipe work for the washing machine means there is not the space for a  tumble dryer so we will manage without one.  Pleased to say our old dryer went off to help another family, it hasn't had heavy use. 

I hadn't appreciated that we would need to clear out the utility room, the big cupboard housing 2015 and 2016 marmalade, the empty jars for the next preserves, all the shallow baskets housing items needed occasionally, like vases, plastic storage boxes because this window had to be bricked up, so eventually the shower will be on the other side of this wall. 


It is a mystery to me how dust spreads through closed doors, returns immediately after one has cleaned a surface and can be seen in the air; the skip doesn't just contain the rubbish from our project,  we never had carpet in the bathroom. 


Apparently the skip goes tomorrow at 7am, quite late as Ian has been up just after 6 a.m. each day to move the car elsewhere, put cones and a wheelbarrow outside to await the builder's van. Another aspect for which we were unprepared was the need for one or other of us to be here all the time, for security,  for tea and coffee making. Ian has assisted  with technical queries so I have escaped the chaos and dust to see Mrs Henderson Presents, yesterday I joined a walking group on a visit to Battersea Park, today managed my visit to organise photographs from 1969 editions of Richmond & Twickenham Times at Local Studies library. 

Well folks, I said I wouldn't be blogging so frequently but need to send these ramblings out into the ether as the battery on my iPad has plummeted to 7% so will return sometime when it is charged up.