Author: peterb51

9th December 2017

I had my fill of curry today. First was Curry Rivel, then North Curry, villages close to Barrington, and not an Indian restaurant in either of them.

I paid a visit to the Wetlands and Willow centre in Stoke St Gregory, an amazing place of damp grass and sticks.

I am interested in woven fencing panels, but here was every conceivable basket shapes, animals, and even coffins. It seems to be popular at this time to hold a “green” funeral, where willow coffins are used as an alternative to the traditional, and although quaint, and well made, it was full of holes, so the deceased could freeze to death.

The company also supply baskets for hot air balloons. I have never wanted to ride in one of those things, my brain will not allow me to take a trip to oblivion where my fate is controlled by the thickness of a twig. It is the same fear of riding roller coasters that make me wonder if all the nuts and bolts have been fitted correctly. The next stop was a to a shop called “The Sandpit Heating Centre” in Curry Rivel, they dealt solely with woodburners and ranges. It was the best place to be on a cold day because the stoves were alight, so hell in summer.

There certainly would not be any incentive to be the first person to arrive in the mornings, because you would have to light all the fires.

8th December 2017

Time to clean the car again. I think I am a regular sight in Barrington walking about, and cleaning cars. I miss the creative stuff I have been doing the past months, I feel the holding pattern will eventually drive me nuts. I had a response from a builder, so that’s a start.

I have made lists of jobs that I can start, and I have my list of tradespeople that I have contacted, but yet to hear back from. I know they can pick and choose work, but it would be polite for them to email and tell me. One day they might need new work from me, but if they appear in my little black book, they can go f*** themselves.

Today was Kelli’s daughter Greer’s birthday, I was sad to miss that. I saw pictures of the cake, and remembered the party they gave me. Although I only had one piece of cake, it was the best piece.

7th December 2017

I decided to spend the day in Exeter to finish my Christmas shopping.

I had a mental list of what I needed to get, so I set off like a guided missile, sliding through the hordes of old people, and those who should be at work.

By lunch time it was done, I had the carrier bags, the gift receipts and a smile on my face. Now I could look round the rest of the place.

The Christmas market was at the front of the cathedral, all pine cabins and quaintness. The street entertainers were out, and very tuneful.

On the way back to the car park, a couple had brought their little dog with them. It did not like the bus journey at all. It was wining all the way, and I could hear them desperately trying to quiet it down, but to no avail.

So there it was, no stress, no panicking, just cruising round the place looking for gifts in boxes, these are the only things I can wrap with any confidence, anything else is just a mess. I can never understand the purpose of wrapping a bottle, everyone will know what it is, and have to feign surprise when opening it.

Christmas this year will be different, hopefully more peaceful, and the holiday will last till the next one, when I will spend it in America.

6th December 2017

The phone was hot today as I went through my list of trusty tradesmen. First it was an e-mail to the electrician, this was preferred to leaving a voice message, odd. I managed to speak to a plasterer, which can be a miracle in itself. He promised to e-mail me back that he could meet me next week. I could not reach the builder, so that’s for another time.

I went for a long walk to clear my head, and to build a timeline of what needs to happen first.

At the end I was becoming a bit excited about what I could do, although I have to rely on others to be available when I need them.

Things will become far more clear once I can talk to people.

My sister Nicola and her partner Colin have been so good to me, I have felt more like a hotel guest, even down to the fresh fruit and bottled water in the room

The daily room rates are good, I can really recommend it.

5th December 2017

Well they turned up, the guys from Interior Harmony were right on time. I sensed that they were shocked at the sight before them. Little did I know just how shocked I would be when they left. The job hinges around some structural work that needs to be done before the kitchen and bathroom can be started. There were “building regs” here and “building refs” there, and quite frankly I was soon pissed off with “buildings regs”. Halfway through I realised that this was getting out of control, there seemed a reason to change and rebuild everything, if I was not careful I would end up spending a fortune. Whilst they were getting their breath ready to embark on the rest of the things to change, I asked them for a “finger in the air” estimate. After a lot of bush circling, he blurted out “could be up to 70k”

“Shit I could have the house rebuilt for that”.

Anyway that will not happen, so now I have to re-think the project differently.

4th December 2017

Today was car cleaning day, and as there are no Polish people here I had to do it myself. That is not a slur on the Polish, it’s just I usually go to them and they do a great job in under fifteen minutes. Fortunately it was a pleasant day, not cold, and ideal for the task.

The lanes here are muddy with potholes and puddles, and after a couple of trips the car was disgusting. I borrowed a mop and bucket, and off I went. The memories came flooding back when car cleaning was a way of life, expecting my children to do it was a complete waste of time, unless it had a screen and went “beep!” they couldn’t relate to it. Ironically cars have far more computer power than their little Sinclair ZX spectrums.

The washing was so therapeutic I even cleaned my sister’s car, as we are both out tomorrow, I’ll be cleaning them again on Wednesday.

3rd December 2017

It is still taking a while to acclimatise to the slow country pace that I’m not used too. I have been taking long walks to think about the work that lies ahead, and I want to get to it as soon as possible. There are huge logistical problems of getting materials to the place, so in my mind I am trying to work out ways that can be achieved. The last time I had to do major work to the place I was much younger and stronger, but what the heck, anything is possible.

I had a look round Illminster a small town that featured in the English civil war, and judging by some of the residents, most of the survivors still live here. I stopped off for a coffee, but the guy was so busy entering a large breakfast order, I got bored and walked out.

I know if I had stayed I would have ended up with afternoon tea.

2nd December 2017

I made the first real trip back to the cottage to start sorting the shed out. Most things were stacked and heaped without much finesse, so this was an attempt to get some order.

Everything went well until I needed a particular size of Allen key. I had the right size, but it was a combined set, and it wouldn’t fit in the space.

That was a drag as I couldn’t find my other set, so that stopped that activity.

However, I did cut the grass and clean the log burner.

I then dropped in on my son, Ryan, and his wonderful family for a belated birthday treat. Louise made me a Black Forest gateau, which means I won’t need to eat for a week.

1st December 2017

Proving that I was not indispensable, Kelli sent me pictures of her latest pieces. One was a corner hutch and the other was a dresser, I really miss not being there to help,

but I have a few thing to sort out here first.

In the evening the was an open evening at Barrington Court for the people of the village. There was mulled cider and a mince pie. The cider is produced from apples grown in the court’s orchard, and with a full cup, you certainly knew you had a drink.

Staggering around the different rooms, each tastefully decorated, I was followed around by a band of jolly minstrels led by a lady armed with a boars head, the music was wonderful, but the tusks of the boar were really sharp.

30th November 2017

I drove into Exeter, the first time I have ever been to the city. I was advised to use the park and ride, so off I went.

The journey took me on the M5 with the car park just off the exit ramp.

Trying to find a space was the first objective, the spaces seemed so narrow, but eventually found one. Then I joined a procession of grey haired people being lured to a red bus, like the march of the living dead. Being more agile than the rest I overtook them to secured my place in the front seat on the top deck. Choosing the seat behind the stairs was bad as the foot space was restricted, or I have large feet.

Fifteen minutes later I was in the centre trying to remember how to find the bus stop for the return journey. With that logged into my brain, I set off on my expedition.

The march of the zombies continued, as the ones from the bus merged with those already there, milling around, getting in my way.

I spent many hours walking around, including John Lewis.

I was amazed by the cost of a mattress these days, one would save a lot of money if you didn’t need to sleep.

It was a pleasant day, and I was able to start my Christmas shopping.