Author: peterb51

14th October 2023

I needed more timber from Wickes, I had resolved how the new bits had to work, so extra material was needed.

I stopped off at Sainsburys for provisions.

Then it was back to the cottage to start work.

I set my workmate up on the path with the mitre saw on top.

Progress was slow mainly because I only had a step ladder that I had to lean against the wall.

It was a bit precarious, but needs must.

I worked until 6.00pm but with my legs feeling the strain, I was still alive, I hadn’t stepped back to admire my work, and woke up in casualty.

13th October 2023

My first trip to Wickes in four years, and not much has changed. There is still the food truck in the car park dishing out those gorgeous egg and bacon rolls. There is still the row of cash registers with only one person on them, and customers moaning about it.

I collected the timber I needed for the shed refurb, wheeling it carefully around the store trying not to cause injury to poor unexpected customers.

Loading it into the back of the Shogun I was excited to start.

First I had to remove all the old siding, it was pretty far gone, it was a bit disheartening but I’ve started, no turning back.

I started building a wooden framework which the new cladding will fix to, then the rain started, I pulled up the stumps and ran for cover.

The rain did ease off just long enough to walk to get some some fish and chips, I had wanted some for a long time, it was delicious.

12th October 2023

It had rained overnight, so all my bags were soaking wet, so not only did I have the weight of the stuff in the bags I have water as well.

Fortunately there are so many holes in the bags most of it drained out.

As I carried them to the truck I was aware I was getting a bit damp in my gentleman’s area.

After loading six bags I looked like a bad case of incontinuance.

Getting through Bradford on Avon is bad at normal times, I was out early, but it made no difference. A lot of delays are caused by drivers who do not know how wide their vehicle is. They stop at the narrow sections giving way to oncoming traffic, all the time causing a build up of vehicles behind them. There is easily room for two cars to pass each other, maybe not two trucks, even I have to stop for them.

As I drove into Trowbridge I had to stop because a giant skip was being collected and I was fascinated by how it was loaded onto the lorry. So simple, but effective. I was in a jolly mood, and smiled as the loaders gave me the thumbs-up.

The tip was fairly quiet, so I was able to reverse into a bay close to the container for garden waste.

By now my wet patch was less obvious, I quickly dumped all six bags and left, ready to tackle the congestion once again.

The next section of giant buddleias was a bit tricky, I had to use my ladder to climb on to the raised area where I started clipping gradually filling the path with branches. I was hoping to make another tip run before the schools shed their hordes. I gave up using cutters to chop up the sticks into small pieces, instead I snapped them with my bare hands, I’m no whomp.

This meant I was able to beat the rush and get back at a decent time.

I wanted to set up my powerMac downstairs to copy some files, buy there were cables everywhere, as I had six external hard drives to sort out. Eventually things worked out and I did what I wanted

11th October 2023

The great garden culling continues, this time it moved round the front of the shed.

The buddleia was equally eight feet tall, towering over everyone that walked past, as it was four feet off the ground making it like a threatening monster plant, day of the triffids perhaps.

Systematically I cut each section at a time, watching it fall on to the path. I thought it was best to chop it up and bag it rather than making a massive heap which would hamper any poor sod who wanted to pass. Thankfully at this time of year there are very few lost tourists to appear.

My progress was slow, but the garden bags were filling up and I could see another trip to the tip tomorrow looming.

As soon as the last bag was full it was my signal to stop for the day. Now the full extent of the damage to the shed, the years of neglect was obvious, now I had to do something drastic, the long term future of the structure is not secure, I will eventually remove it, but I’m not ready to do that yet, I have stuff in the spare bedroom that has to be dealt with first.

I’m quite pleased with myself, my self imposed schedule is working, I have tomorrow to complete the front tidy up, and I’m nearly halfway through my trip already.

10th October 2023

Day two of the garden clean-up, Forsythia.

This was the shrub next door that was hanging over my path. Usually I would trim it back, but these were out of control. I had spoken to the lady next door and agreed that I would take them down to the ground.

So I was ready to do the deed, I was up early, I had a small breakfast and even got to the supermarket before nine. I needed things because Nicola and Colin were coming to help, and Colin likes his cake.

Once that was done, I filled five bags with the Buddleia cuttings ready to take to the tip.

I did make a start with the forsythia removing three separate bushes that were sheltering the plants on my side. That made a large pile on the slope, I knew that was just a small part of what was to come.

Once Nicola and Colin arrived they were the heavy artillery, in a short time everything that looked like a forsythia had gone, the pile on the slope was enormous. When I returned from the tip run we started packing the bags with the new branched.

I have learned the secret of successful bag loading and that is by cutting the branches into small pieces, now that might be obvious to most people, but not to me at first.

When faced with a mountain of branches it’s hard to imagine that it could get any smaller, but we all snipped away, and soon filled seven bags ready for the tip run tomorrow.

It was a fantastic effort that couldn’t have been done without the dynamic duo.

9th October 2023

The drive back to Bradford on Avon was like I’d never been away. It was as if the same trucks were ahead slowing down the traffic. It didn’t get any better once I reached my town. The council have decided to close a main road causing lines of traffic as a welcome.

The guest had left the cottage early and Louise had already changed the bed covers.

I had my objective for the day, the giant buddleia in the garden was the first to go. Out came the loppers, and I began to trim the branches.

Very soon there was a massive pile blocking the path. There seemed a big difference between the size of the tree when it was standing, and the sprawling mess that lay before me. Now all I had to do was get it to the tip.

Unfortunately I only had two bags, so filling them up was a doddle.

On the way to the tip I came across another road closure. Now I had to drive back through the town encountering more traffic and school children. It was a torturous journey all for two bags of branches.

Louise had come up to help with the de-weeding, every little be helps.

8th October 2023

Another sunny day dawned, Colin had gone to work overnight supporting the railway maintenance crews so he missed breakfast. It was too good a day to miss so once Colin awoke we set off for a garden Centre.

We traveled through country lanes that were familiar, I had spent quite a bit of time at Nicola and Colin’s house when they lived in Barrington . The Somerset levels are impressive.

Going the scenic route through the winding country lanes showed me what I miss about living in the UK. The narrow roads, the hedges, tie everything together like a giant patchwork quilt. Most of us forget how beautiful it is.

7th October 2023

The sun was shining, and an excellent time to take a walk around the town. Mattock is not a picturesque place, the houses are built with a sandstone that gives everything a yellow tone.

The streets are narrow and busy with traffic.

There was a pathway ahead, an older woman was walking her dog, she had a stick to help her balance, the dog was eager for some exercise. I could see the lady had a ball in her hand and there was an open field ahead.

She moved the ball into her right palm and swung her arm back, both me and the dog expected the ball to hurl towards the field. Then, possibly the worst throw ever, it traveled a few feet into a clump of stingers. The dog looked disappointed, “You must really hate me“ I felt the dog was thinking as he tried to find the ball.

We walked through the cemetery past two Romany graves, highly decorated, but would have more in keeping if there were piles of scrap metal around them. Onward past the church and on to the shopping area. There was a long queue outside a bakery resembling one that you get outside a Russian supermarket. The similarities were, there were very few cakes left in the display cabinets, and it wasn’t even halfway through the day.

Once we were back Nicola helped me to sort through all the clothes I had brought down.

This was the first step in clearing out stuff I no longer needed. On the one hand it was sad to separate the good clothes to donate and the rest to dispose. But it was no time for sentiment this was common sense.

This is just a pin prick of what I have to do this month, but I felt good that it has started.

6th October 2023

I’m taking it easy down with Nicola and Colin’s.

It was a sunny day and we took a short walk to Yandles for lunch. Yandles is primarily a wood merchant, art centre and café. I had been there once before and remembered that the stock of timber is impressive, and today is still the case. They had a lot of black walnut, just what I need to finish the drawer front of my desk, not sure how I could get that through customs.

I have started to read “The real Antony Fauci” by Robert Kennedy Jr, a story of how big pharma misled the people over covid.

It is a book with small writing and no pictures.

I have only got a few pages in, and my mind has been blown, I can’t imagine what the remaining 440 pages will tell me.

This is another stage in my understanding of what the truth is.

As I have said before, I became aware of things that weren’t being reported on the main stream media. I wanted to look behind the curtain and hear the other side. For so long I took what I was told for granted, and although I didn’t get vaccinated it wasn’t that I didn’t trust the science, Kelli’s doctor told me it was a poison. So I wanted to learn more.

Someone has given permission for things to be censored, not allowing debate and discussion to take place, we are entering a troubling time.

5th October 2023

Still heavily traumatised by the amount of things to do around the cottage ii needed something to calm myself down. Unfortunately that did nothing to help. Everywhere I looked I saw something to do.

Kelli helped me realise some solutions to organise all the things stacked in the small bedroom.

The other thing that would help take my mind off my current dilemma was a visit to my sister’s new home in Martock.

I started up the Shogun, and slowly joined the first Traffic jam. Bradford on Avon was always busy with vehicles jamming the narrow streets, but add in a road closure and it is pandemonium. Continuing the journey, I then noticed there was only 20% power left on my phone, and there was no USB outlet in the truck, a sharp reminder of how old it was.

So now I had to drive to a place I didn’t know, not knowing how long my phone would last.

The GPS directed me by the shortest route, through places I did not know, but it joined one that I knew very well.

I was now venturing into a route I had taken to Nicola’s old house.

The power was dropping to 10% as I hit another traffic jam where a new road was being constructed, I was getting anxious.

Then I saw the signs to Martock, now I was down to 5%.

I think the GPS was having a laugh, I’m sure it could sense my stress level, and wanted to take me over the top.

It took me through the narrow car lined streets on a complete wild goose chase eventually bringing me back the way I came. I was down to 1% but at least I was in the town so if all failed I wasn’t totally lost.

With my phone breathing it’s last I pulled into the Nicola’s drive, my quest was over.