There I was at 1pm, outside the local police station with three, count 'em three police officers, me with a garden fork in hand and all of us looking dubiously at the scraggly rhododendrons in their "garden". One of them took the fork off me and started digging up a clump of past-it daffs.
PC1: Don't dig it up! Don't dig it up!
PC2: Why not?
PC1: You'll have to get all those stones off first. If you dig anything up, all the stones will just go into the soil.
PC3: There's plastic underneath too, look.
Me: Oh dear.
PC1: You need a rake or a broom or something.
PC2: A broom?
PC1: To sweep all the stones off.
PC3: You should probably come back on Saturday morning...
Yep, so that's what I'll do then. I got the e-mail saying to turn up to dig up all the plants in the police station garden, but not the other email saying not to bother. All the tools were there and I was willing to give it a go, but cooler heads than mine prevailed. Saturday was supposed to be the planting day but I guess now it'll be the digging-up day. Unless the PCs get motivated. Personally I'd find gardening in a stab vest a bit warm.
Right now I'm off out to plant some stuff in my own patch.
18 April 2007
4 April 2007
:: progress report
Today I battered in the stakes on the raised bed and screwed the gravel boards in place. It wasn't too easy - most of the stakes ended up at slightly different angles for a start. But once I'd heaved in the two bags of dirt it looked a lot better. The third bag is still in the car boot - didn't have time to heave it out today.
While I had the drill out I completed another little project I've been procrastinating on and put up a washing line. The previous owner for some reason took down one of the three concrete posts set up for a traditional line (and left the post where it lay! it weighs a ton & can't be reused), so today I bolted a hasp to the tree to act as the third pole. Hurrah! I'll hang out my first load of washing tomorrow.
Some photos:
Planted some sunflower seeds....
.... which were much appreciated by the enterprising wildlife.
This is the raised bed earlier in the week, before I finished building it.
My nice compost bin - it's German, very cunningly designed and made from recycled plastic. I have a worm bin too.
While I had the drill out I completed another little project I've been procrastinating on and put up a washing line. The previous owner for some reason took down one of the three concrete posts set up for a traditional line (and left the post where it lay! it weighs a ton & can't be reused), so today I bolted a hasp to the tree to act as the third pole. Hurrah! I'll hang out my first load of washing tomorrow.
Some photos:
Planted some sunflower seeds....
.... which were much appreciated by the enterprising wildlife.
This is the raised bed earlier in the week, before I finished building it.
My nice compost bin - it's German, very cunningly designed and made from recycled plastic. I have a worm bin too.
:: nearly finished!
This afternoon I finally whanged in the posts on the raised bed, screwed the planks to them and tipped in the two bags of dirt I've managed to haul in from the car (one still to go; bad news is I think I'll need another few bags). It looks great! Not perfect - it's hard to whang the posts in straight - but certainly dirt-proof.
While I had the electric drill out I attacked a tree with it. The traditional clothes-drying arrangement in Edinburgh and environs is a to have special posts and a line strung between them. At some point before I bought my place, one of the posts had been taken down. It's an enormously heavy concrete thing, so reusing it isn't an option (yes, it's still there! I managed to heave it to the back of the section but it was a major struggle. There are two others, but they're both on the same side so useless). So I have screwed a heavy galvinised bracket to the pine tree at the back and strung a line to one of the remaining posts. Cool!
It's a stunningly sunny and warm day, the first real warmth we've had this year, what with all the haar.
The sweet peas have sprouted in their pots in the spare bedroom. I think they're sweet peas anyway. I didn't label them, oh dear.
Chris, Julian and wee Ella arrive on Sunday night (or Monday afternoon, depending on whether they break their journey up from Oxford). Chris is looking forward to seeing the raised bed because she's planning to build one herself. I'm looking forward to meeting Ella!
While I had the electric drill out I attacked a tree with it. The traditional clothes-drying arrangement in Edinburgh and environs is a to have special posts and a line strung between them. At some point before I bought my place, one of the posts had been taken down. It's an enormously heavy concrete thing, so reusing it isn't an option (yes, it's still there! I managed to heave it to the back of the section but it was a major struggle. There are two others, but they're both on the same side so useless). So I have screwed a heavy galvinised bracket to the pine tree at the back and strung a line to one of the remaining posts. Cool!
It's a stunningly sunny and warm day, the first real warmth we've had this year, what with all the haar.
The sweet peas have sprouted in their pots in the spare bedroom. I think they're sweet peas anyway. I didn't label them, oh dear.
Chris, Julian and wee Ella arrive on Sunday night (or Monday afternoon, depending on whether they break their journey up from Oxford). Chris is looking forward to seeing the raised bed because she's planning to build one herself. I'm looking forward to meeting Ella!
2 April 2007
:: ow ow ow
Gardening is hard! Saturday I trailed around various garden centres looking at log rolls, before finding the perfect fixings for a raised bed at the Homebase in Linlithgow. Gravel boards and pointed stakes. Gravel boards are planks that have been pressure treated to prevent rot. What could be simpler? bang in the stakes, nail the gravels boards on to them and bingo! A raised bed.
I started out with three planks and six stakes, intending to cut one plank in half and make a rectangular plot. The first challenge was getting the sawdusty planks into the car - move over Bertie! - but managed in the end. Bonus: the car smells lovely.
But when I got home, I realised the plot would be too small, and I should get another plank and have a square plot. OK. By now it was too late to go back to the shop; not only that but I'd missed the first episode of the latest Dr Who series. Tsk.
So, Sunday I set out for the DIY shop again, and got the extra plank, plus two more stakes and three big bags of dirt. How big? Eighty litres. Why do they measure dirt in litres? Very odd. I might be more helpful to express it in stones, so you'd know you were picking up the equivalent of a dead rugby player. I tried to put one of the bags on my trolley and it fell on the ground. I couldn't get it up again. That was a clue I chose to ignore. A staff member hurried over and heaved three bags on dirt on to the trolley, and another staff member heaved them from the trolley in to the car boot. I drove home, suddenly feeling like I was piloting a barge.
I left the dirt in the boot while I dealt with the bed-building. Easy-peasy! Mark out the space, dig up the "lawn" (actually peed-on yellow spots and moss), bang in the stakes and nail on the planks. Digging up the lawn took a long sweaty hour. It turns out there is an amazingly healthy network of buttercups crisscrossing the backyard, roots like hawsers. So then I banged in the stakes. Bang bang bang bang bang ... ARGH! What I really needed was a Russian weightlifter and a sledgehammer, not puny old me and a joke mallet. Blam blam blam blam bangbangbangbang. I managed to get most of them firmly battered in, albeit at crazy angles, without having a heart attack.
I only really lost heart when I discovered that I didn't have any nails big enough to hold the planks on. And it was too late to go back to the shop, whew!
Today I thought I'd better get the dirt out of the boot before the suspension gave way. I don't have a wheelbarrow or anything, but I had a cunning plan! The brown recycling bin had just been emptied, so I'd just load the bags of dirt into it and trundle them round the back. Perfect.
The bin is chest-height, so I laid it down on its side next to the car and posted two bags of dirt in. The flaw in the cunning plan presented itself. Strain as I might, I couldn't lift the bin upright. So I heaved one of the bags out on to the footpath and this time got the bin rolling. Trundled it round the back and heaved it up the steps to the lawn. Repeated with the second bag, more slowly this time. Couldn't. Manage. The. Third. Just. Yet. So it's still in the boot.
Here's the scunner: With two bags of dirt laid out next to the bed, it's apparent that I'll need at least another three bags to fill it. I think this time I might see if Homebase delivers...
What with all this heaving and hammering I can barely raise my arms past shoulder height, and I've discovered bruises I don't remember getting.
The seeds I planted aren't doing very well - a scattering of husks on the tray marked "sunflowers" was a clue, as were the neat rows of holes in the tray marked "broccoli" (I thought I'd put that upstairs in pots but it must be something else up there).
At first I blamed the birds, but then I spotted a little wee burrow under the thyme bush. I covered it over and the next day it was back. That might also explain Bertie's digging frenzies: he's after whatever is burrowing in the bed. One of my neighbours has reported seeing rats - yikes, please don't let it be rats. The burrow looks more mouse-sized though, very neat and cute.
Garden pix:
The rhubarb is up! Yay!
Something eats the blue polyanthus every year. Not the yellow, not the pink, just the blue.
I've taken progress pix of the raised beds, will post them eventually.
Tomorrow I can't do any DIY or gardening or anything because I have some IT training at work. Finish work at 1am (if I'm lucky), start training at 1pm - wah!
I started out with three planks and six stakes, intending to cut one plank in half and make a rectangular plot. The first challenge was getting the sawdusty planks into the car - move over Bertie! - but managed in the end. Bonus: the car smells lovely.
But when I got home, I realised the plot would be too small, and I should get another plank and have a square plot. OK. By now it was too late to go back to the shop; not only that but I'd missed the first episode of the latest Dr Who series. Tsk.
So, Sunday I set out for the DIY shop again, and got the extra plank, plus two more stakes and three big bags of dirt. How big? Eighty litres. Why do they measure dirt in litres? Very odd. I might be more helpful to express it in stones, so you'd know you were picking up the equivalent of a dead rugby player. I tried to put one of the bags on my trolley and it fell on the ground. I couldn't get it up again. That was a clue I chose to ignore. A staff member hurried over and heaved three bags on dirt on to the trolley, and another staff member heaved them from the trolley in to the car boot. I drove home, suddenly feeling like I was piloting a barge.
I left the dirt in the boot while I dealt with the bed-building. Easy-peasy! Mark out the space, dig up the "lawn" (actually peed-on yellow spots and moss), bang in the stakes and nail on the planks. Digging up the lawn took a long sweaty hour. It turns out there is an amazingly healthy network of buttercups crisscrossing the backyard, roots like hawsers. So then I banged in the stakes. Bang bang bang bang bang ... ARGH! What I really needed was a Russian weightlifter and a sledgehammer, not puny old me and a joke mallet. Blam blam blam blam bangbangbangbang. I managed to get most of them firmly battered in, albeit at crazy angles, without having a heart attack.
I only really lost heart when I discovered that I didn't have any nails big enough to hold the planks on. And it was too late to go back to the shop, whew!
Today I thought I'd better get the dirt out of the boot before the suspension gave way. I don't have a wheelbarrow or anything, but I had a cunning plan! The brown recycling bin had just been emptied, so I'd just load the bags of dirt into it and trundle them round the back. Perfect.
The bin is chest-height, so I laid it down on its side next to the car and posted two bags of dirt in. The flaw in the cunning plan presented itself. Strain as I might, I couldn't lift the bin upright. So I heaved one of the bags out on to the footpath and this time got the bin rolling. Trundled it round the back and heaved it up the steps to the lawn. Repeated with the second bag, more slowly this time. Couldn't. Manage. The. Third. Just. Yet. So it's still in the boot.
Here's the scunner: With two bags of dirt laid out next to the bed, it's apparent that I'll need at least another three bags to fill it. I think this time I might see if Homebase delivers...
What with all this heaving and hammering I can barely raise my arms past shoulder height, and I've discovered bruises I don't remember getting.
The seeds I planted aren't doing very well - a scattering of husks on the tray marked "sunflowers" was a clue, as were the neat rows of holes in the tray marked "broccoli" (I thought I'd put that upstairs in pots but it must be something else up there).
At first I blamed the birds, but then I spotted a little wee burrow under the thyme bush. I covered it over and the next day it was back. That might also explain Bertie's digging frenzies: he's after whatever is burrowing in the bed. One of my neighbours has reported seeing rats - yikes, please don't let it be rats. The burrow looks more mouse-sized though, very neat and cute.
Garden pix:
The rhubarb is up! Yay!
Something eats the blue polyanthus every year. Not the yellow, not the pink, just the blue.
I've taken progress pix of the raised beds, will post them eventually.
Tomorrow I can't do any DIY or gardening or anything because I have some IT training at work. Finish work at 1am (if I'm lucky), start training at 1pm - wah!
26 March 2007
:: more gardening
The weather over the weekend was good, apart from some haar, so I got out into the garden and did some serious work. I had bought some plastic "lawn edging" for the existing beds out the back - part of an ongoing effort to curb Bertie's digging frenzies - but that was disappointing. It's too flimsy really, and so was a bugger to get in. However, I perservered and it doesn't look too stupid. I also weeded the beds and then heaved on a big bag of mulch.
Out the front I savaged the Christmas rose or whatever it's called, which was threatening to cut off access to the house. I was thinking of moving it, but the trunk is easily an inch thick - not bad for a feeble little twig that cost 50p from the "search and rescue" section at the garden centre. The trimmings completely filled the big recycling wheelie bin, a good excuse for not doing too much more weeding.
I've also planted some seeds: night-scented stock front and back; sunflowers, sweet peas and a herb mix in trays; purple sprouting brocoli in pots inside.
Today there was some bad news though: the quote for the sleeper beds arrived and ... gasp ... it's £495 plus VAT - nearly £600 altogether. So that's out - it's far too pricey, given that it doesn't even include the soil. So I'm back to plan B, which is a DIY solution using log rolls. If that doesn't deter Bertie I could fence it off with chicken wire, which would keep the rabbits and the squirrel out too! The tricky part of all this is the fact that the section slopes, so I have to kind of level out the plot. And I'll have to get on to it soon - the mange tout and courgettes should go in in April.
Out the front I savaged the Christmas rose or whatever it's called, which was threatening to cut off access to the house. I was thinking of moving it, but the trunk is easily an inch thick - not bad for a feeble little twig that cost 50p from the "search and rescue" section at the garden centre. The trimmings completely filled the big recycling wheelie bin, a good excuse for not doing too much more weeding.
I've also planted some seeds: night-scented stock front and back; sunflowers, sweet peas and a herb mix in trays; purple sprouting brocoli in pots inside.
Today there was some bad news though: the quote for the sleeper beds arrived and ... gasp ... it's £495 plus VAT - nearly £600 altogether. So that's out - it's far too pricey, given that it doesn't even include the soil. So I'm back to plan B, which is a DIY solution using log rolls. If that doesn't deter Bertie I could fence it off with chicken wire, which would keep the rabbits and the squirrel out too! The tricky part of all this is the fact that the section slopes, so I have to kind of level out the plot. And I'll have to get on to it soon - the mange tout and courgettes should go in in April.
15 March 2007
:: spring prang
SNOW SHOWERS TO CUT SHORT SUNNY SPELL
Forecasters today predicted snow showers and frost to bring an abrupt end to a sunny spell across the UK.
A cold front is bringing gale force winds and blizzards from the Arctic with the temperatures plummeting from highs today of 14C (57F) in the south to minus 4C (25F) in parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales by Monday.
Stephen Davenport, senior forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “That’s really quite a drop. Not only that, we will have biting north-westerly winds with significant wind chill to make it feel even colder.
“These north west winds are dragging colder air from the Polar and Arctic regions. Scotland will see lots of hail, sleet and snow by Sunday."
etc.
Uh oh. Lots of things in my garden think it's time to grow crazy - the roses, for example, are leafing out extravagantly.
Snow though! Seriously, how thrilling. There wasn't nearly enough snow this winter. I've been saying in hopeful tones that I remember it snowing heavily in April one year. And here it is only March! Apparently down in Englandshire it's been quite warm this week. Everyone of course puts this down to climate change and rushes around changing their lightbulbs and recycling cardboard. I remember back in the 80s when the scientists who predicted climate change were regarded as nutters. Making changes back then would have really helped, but it was impossible in a way: if we had made all the changes and nothing happened, people would be saying that maybe nothing would have happened anyway. Ach, it makes my head hurt.
Meanwhile, for my money the most terrifying news item was this one, tucked away at the bottom of the page as an amusement:
Giant cold water eddy off Sydney lowers sea level
SYDNEY, March 14 (Reuters) – Australian oceanographers have discovered a giant cold water eddy off Sydney which has lowered sea levels almost one metre and impacted a major ocean current.
The eddy, which has diameter of about 200 km (120 miles) and reaches to depth of 1 km (600 yards), lies about 100 km (60 miles) off Sydney, said Australia’s peak scientific body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The CSIRO said the eddy was so powerful it had pushed out to sea the strong East Australian Current.
Someone's pulled the plug! Either that or the currents are changing direction. The sea surface is 2ft lower at the middle of the eddy, which is some comfort to Kiribati I guess.
In my garden, it's all go. The plum tree is in, can't wait for that to blossom (might not be this year of course). Brian from the fencing place came and measured up for the raised bed; no sign of a quote yet. And today the compost bin arrived.
The council sells cheap compost bins - the cheapest ones are like big upside-down buckets open at top and bottom. I've noticed that a lot of these end up heaved over people's fences, so I was more attracted to a slightly more expensive model, which clips together in sections. This allows you to open the bottom to shovel out any compost that might be ready. The design is very cunning - so cunning that I immediately thought hey, if I get six or so of these I could build a raised bed from them ... it's not a bad idea. They are really sturdy. Not as attractive as sleepers, but I could do it myself. Hmmm. Then I'd have loads of lids left over - I could use those to plug the gaps in the hedge where the rabbits get through.
Speaking of wildlife, the squirrel is back. It was absent for a while but showed up again this week, bold as brass, sitting on the lawn. I'm going to get it a one-way ticket to Aberdeenshire, where they are going to cull grey squirrels to protect the native reds. Here's a fascinating fact: once you've trapped a grey squirrel it is against the law to release it. You HAVE to kill it. In Aberdeenshire they're putting them in sacks and beating them with a club. Before I had my very own squirrel I would have been appalled. Now I'm interested. Bertie is completely useless. This morning I saw the pest from the bedroom window, up on the bird feeder helping itself to nuts (the squirrel this is, not the dog). I got Bertie out of bed (he was resting between naps), hurried him downstairs and shoved him out the door. Even though it didn't start running for the tree until he was shooting up the steps on to the lawn he STILL didn't come close to catching it.
Major discovery of the week: If you put your car keys through the washing machine the remote control fob will no longer work. Not only that: if you have been silly enough to misplace your spare key, it will cost a total of £150 to get new keys cut and reprogrammed. I am therefore condemned to putting my stupid key in the stupid keyhole to lock and unlock the doors, just like in the olden days. Tschah! I should just get a new car.
Forecasters today predicted snow showers and frost to bring an abrupt end to a sunny spell across the UK.
A cold front is bringing gale force winds and blizzards from the Arctic with the temperatures plummeting from highs today of 14C (57F) in the south to minus 4C (25F) in parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales by Monday.
Stephen Davenport, senior forecaster for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “That’s really quite a drop. Not only that, we will have biting north-westerly winds with significant wind chill to make it feel even colder.
“These north west winds are dragging colder air from the Polar and Arctic regions. Scotland will see lots of hail, sleet and snow by Sunday."
etc.
Uh oh. Lots of things in my garden think it's time to grow crazy - the roses, for example, are leafing out extravagantly.
Snow though! Seriously, how thrilling. There wasn't nearly enough snow this winter. I've been saying in hopeful tones that I remember it snowing heavily in April one year. And here it is only March! Apparently down in Englandshire it's been quite warm this week. Everyone of course puts this down to climate change and rushes around changing their lightbulbs and recycling cardboard. I remember back in the 80s when the scientists who predicted climate change were regarded as nutters. Making changes back then would have really helped, but it was impossible in a way: if we had made all the changes and nothing happened, people would be saying that maybe nothing would have happened anyway. Ach, it makes my head hurt.
Meanwhile, for my money the most terrifying news item was this one, tucked away at the bottom of the page as an amusement:
Giant cold water eddy off Sydney lowers sea level
SYDNEY, March 14 (Reuters) – Australian oceanographers have discovered a giant cold water eddy off Sydney which has lowered sea levels almost one metre and impacted a major ocean current.
The eddy, which has diameter of about 200 km (120 miles) and reaches to depth of 1 km (600 yards), lies about 100 km (60 miles) off Sydney, said Australia’s peak scientific body, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The CSIRO said the eddy was so powerful it had pushed out to sea the strong East Australian Current.
Someone's pulled the plug! Either that or the currents are changing direction. The sea surface is 2ft lower at the middle of the eddy, which is some comfort to Kiribati I guess.
In my garden, it's all go. The plum tree is in, can't wait for that to blossom (might not be this year of course). Brian from the fencing place came and measured up for the raised bed; no sign of a quote yet. And today the compost bin arrived.
The council sells cheap compost bins - the cheapest ones are like big upside-down buckets open at top and bottom. I've noticed that a lot of these end up heaved over people's fences, so I was more attracted to a slightly more expensive model, which clips together in sections. This allows you to open the bottom to shovel out any compost that might be ready. The design is very cunning - so cunning that I immediately thought hey, if I get six or so of these I could build a raised bed from them ... it's not a bad idea. They are really sturdy. Not as attractive as sleepers, but I could do it myself. Hmmm. Then I'd have loads of lids left over - I could use those to plug the gaps in the hedge where the rabbits get through.
Speaking of wildlife, the squirrel is back. It was absent for a while but showed up again this week, bold as brass, sitting on the lawn. I'm going to get it a one-way ticket to Aberdeenshire, where they are going to cull grey squirrels to protect the native reds. Here's a fascinating fact: once you've trapped a grey squirrel it is against the law to release it. You HAVE to kill it. In Aberdeenshire they're putting them in sacks and beating them with a club. Before I had my very own squirrel I would have been appalled. Now I'm interested. Bertie is completely useless. This morning I saw the pest from the bedroom window, up on the bird feeder helping itself to nuts (the squirrel this is, not the dog). I got Bertie out of bed (he was resting between naps), hurried him downstairs and shoved him out the door. Even though it didn't start running for the tree until he was shooting up the steps on to the lawn he STILL didn't come close to catching it.
Major discovery of the week: If you put your car keys through the washing machine the remote control fob will no longer work. Not only that: if you have been silly enough to misplace your spare key, it will cost a total of £150 to get new keys cut and reprogrammed. I am therefore condemned to putting my stupid key in the stupid keyhole to lock and unlock the doors, just like in the olden days. Tschah! I should just get a new car.
26 February 2007
:: loafing around
My second go at machine baking went a bit better. This time I played safe and did a plain white loaf, using newly-bought flour and milk powder, as per the recipe. Four hours or so later, I tipped out a big billowing loaf, light as a feather and with a crispy crust, the very opposite of Saturday's sour, leaden lump. Next time I'll try a mix of wholemeal and white flour, see if I can get something between white fluff and brown sludge.
The answer lies in gluten, I think. The recipe for the disastrous wholemeal loaf specified vitamin C powder, but I couldn't find that anywhere, so didn't dare try another wholemeal recipe. I've since done some research that revealed that wholemeal flour has less gluten than white, which is why you add vitamin C powder, to improve the texture. Some people also pooh-poohed the addition of milk powder, saying it's there to make machine bread more like store-bought, ie soft and crumbly, which is not what I'm trying to achieve - far from it. So I have a suspicion that my ideal recipe might be one with some strong wholemeal four, some very strong white four, olive oil and water. Plus salt and sugar (you need some sugar for the yeast).
The answer lies in gluten, I think. The recipe for the disastrous wholemeal loaf specified vitamin C powder, but I couldn't find that anywhere, so didn't dare try another wholemeal recipe. I've since done some research that revealed that wholemeal flour has less gluten than white, which is why you add vitamin C powder, to improve the texture. Some people also pooh-poohed the addition of milk powder, saying it's there to make machine bread more like store-bought, ie soft and crumbly, which is not what I'm trying to achieve - far from it. So I have a suspicion that my ideal recipe might be one with some strong wholemeal four, some very strong white four, olive oil and water. Plus salt and sugar (you need some sugar for the yeast).
24 February 2007
:: Staff of life?
Recently I've gone a bit mad on eBay. One of the great bargains I snapped up was a breadmaker, a Panasonic. It arrived yesterday, in a parcel so gigantic the delivery guy nearly dropped as he heaved it through the door. It's enormous, too big for any of my cupboards. Anyway, last night I bought some new yeast and today set out to make some bread. Among the ingredients was milk powder. Hmm. Soya milk will probably do. Vitamin C powder. Nope, seem to be all out of that. Had the rest though - flour's best-before date was 2002 (last time I made bread, heh) but what the hell, it looks ok - so off I went.
The wholemeal programme is five hours long so I had quite a wait. Went out for a wonderful walk this evening, and when I got back the house smelt great, wow. An hour and a half later the machine beeped and I eagerly tipped out my first loaf:
Uh, ok. Shopping list: flour, vitamin C powder, milk powder.
Very nasty surprise in the post today: I was caught running a red light by the special red-light camera on my way to work. £60 and three points on my licence, argh. My first ever ticket.
The wholemeal programme is five hours long so I had quite a wait. Went out for a wonderful walk this evening, and when I got back the house smelt great, wow. An hour and a half later the machine beeped and I eagerly tipped out my first loaf:
Uh, ok. Shopping list: flour, vitamin C powder, milk powder.
Very nasty surprise in the post today: I was caught running a red light by the special red-light camera on my way to work. £60 and three points on my licence, argh. My first ever ticket.
22 February 2007
:: a little miracle in the garden
The daphne bush that's been struggling along weedily for five years or more is finally flowering! I can hardly believe it.
The brown marks are from a recent bout of frost. It's been a very mild winter though - I wonder if that's it? Or maybe it just needed time. Lots of time.
I still haven't done anything about building raised beds in the back yard. Well, I did go to the fencing place up the road at the weekend but it was shut. I'm now thinking log rolls. We'll see. I thought I'd found the ideal thing in Homebase: sturdy wooden frames hinged at the corners so they fold down flat for easy transport, and clips on the top so they can be stacked to make a higher frame. Sadly it turns out they're not for sale - they belong to the (foreign) company that ships garden supplies to Homebase. Sigh.
It's been raining heavily this week so I've been back on eBay. A breadmaker this time, a Panasonic. I've been thinking about getting one of these but they're nearly £100 new, bit too much to justify. This was £40 - second hand but looks in good nick from the photos. It hasn't arrived yet. I also got a lovely bag for guess who.
How could I see that and not buy it? She is an angel.
Depressing news locally: vandals have burnt out the wooden part of the lovely new walkway through Ferry Glen. It's the second arson attack on the path: last year they burnt the bridge. It was replaced by a metal one, not as nice but at least impervious to fire-raisers. And now this! It's quite a long stretch, and the fire also damaged surrounding trees, as you can see:
Bertie, being a drongo, thinks that because he walked on the walkway a while ago he must be able to walk on it again now, even though it looks and smells funny.
The fight-back against litter also continues. A while back I joined a group effort at the roundabout by Tesco (as a reward they gave us lunch in the staff canteen), and this inspired me to tackle a really nasty corner near my place. I've dubbed it Vodka Valley - there must have been a dozen or more one-litre empties, as well as lots of beer cans, Buckie bottles, crisp packets and Rizlas.
I'm probably going on another joint litter-picking session on Sunday. They're a nice bunch of people and it is kind of satisfying.
The brown marks are from a recent bout of frost. It's been a very mild winter though - I wonder if that's it? Or maybe it just needed time. Lots of time.
I still haven't done anything about building raised beds in the back yard. Well, I did go to the fencing place up the road at the weekend but it was shut. I'm now thinking log rolls. We'll see. I thought I'd found the ideal thing in Homebase: sturdy wooden frames hinged at the corners so they fold down flat for easy transport, and clips on the top so they can be stacked to make a higher frame. Sadly it turns out they're not for sale - they belong to the (foreign) company that ships garden supplies to Homebase. Sigh.
It's been raining heavily this week so I've been back on eBay. A breadmaker this time, a Panasonic. I've been thinking about getting one of these but they're nearly £100 new, bit too much to justify. This was £40 - second hand but looks in good nick from the photos. It hasn't arrived yet. I also got a lovely bag for guess who.
How could I see that and not buy it? She is an angel.
Depressing news locally: vandals have burnt out the wooden part of the lovely new walkway through Ferry Glen. It's the second arson attack on the path: last year they burnt the bridge. It was replaced by a metal one, not as nice but at least impervious to fire-raisers. And now this! It's quite a long stretch, and the fire also damaged surrounding trees, as you can see:
Bertie, being a drongo, thinks that because he walked on the walkway a while ago he must be able to walk on it again now, even though it looks and smells funny.
The fight-back against litter also continues. A while back I joined a group effort at the roundabout by Tesco (as a reward they gave us lunch in the staff canteen), and this inspired me to tackle a really nasty corner near my place. I've dubbed it Vodka Valley - there must have been a dozen or more one-litre empties, as well as lots of beer cans, Buckie bottles, crisp packets and Rizlas.
I'm probably going on another joint litter-picking session on Sunday. They're a nice bunch of people and it is kind of satisfying.
15 February 2007
:: Phew
The weekend starts here! I ended up working last Sunday as well - Alistair's wife developed a terrible all-over rash in reaction to the antibiotics and had to be rushed back to hospital with a raging temperature. (She's doing a bit better now, thank goodness, but will be in hospital over this weekend too.)
I'm having tomorrow off in place of Sunday, so will have a lovely long weekend. Lots to do too.
{tech stuff}
The new laptop is still working, and I've been going through the hoops necessary to get my free Vista update. Mr Gates is determined to make me prove I have the dogged patience required for a true Windows user. First I had to fill in a form at the Acer website - serial number, special code number from the bottom of the machine, £15 for postage and then got a confirmation email. You would think that was that - but no! You have to fax your receipt to the Netherlands to prove you've bought the machine within the qualifying period. Fiiiiine. But the number on the email wasn't a fax number. Confusion at the fax machine. So I phoned the number and after beeping through the menu got to speak to a lovely French chap, who gave me the fax number (which was actually on the confirmation email when I had a really good look). So finally I got the appropriate bits of paper off to the Netherlands. And now I have six weeks to get my laptop ready for the off. Six weeks!! It can't possibly be that difficult to run off a few hundred thousand DVDs and mail them off. Ridiculous.
I do have quite a lot of preparation to do, because I've discovered that my nice new laptop has a flaw. For some unknowable reason, the drive has been formatted in FAT32 rather than NTFS. I know! Stupid. How can it possibly have a sticker on it saying "Windows Vista Premium Ready" when Vista won't install on a FAT32 disk? Duh. It means that part of the upgrade process will be a reformat. In a way that's a Good Thing, because here's another stupid thing: the drive has been split in two. I HATE this! It's just plain irritating. It means I can't have all my programs and photos and music on the default drive, I have to mess around changing the drive letter when installing things, grrr. So I'll be able to change that. But I will have to back up absolutely everything in a nice tidy way on the portable hard drive (and on the desk computer too, belt and braces) - that will probably take me six weeks, ha ha.
{/tech stuff}
I got the most fantastic present the other day - a rhubarb crown. It's a chunk split off a crown that was being divided. I'm on this Freecycle email group, and it was advertised on there, so I leapt at the chance. The donor, Jim, showed up at the door with a big, heavy rubbish bag. I'll post some photos of what was inside - it's the most amazing thing... HUGE. I said to Jim the original must have been something else and he says it is; his wife got it when she was a girl, it was part of a crown that was 40 years old. Incredible! The roots are like a tree's, thicker than my wrist. I dug a huge hole, sprinkled in plenty of organic compost and covered it over. Jim says I won't get much off it this year, but it should come away well next year.
At the weekend I'm going to start off some of my seeds, feed the roses and do some more weeding. It's been such a mild winter the weeds are rampant. The bulbs Faye gave me are starting to show their heads, and the woods are full of snowdrops. I really love spring, but the weather right now is more like what you'd expect in March, not February.
I've fallen prey to the lure of eBay! So far I've bought two tapestry kits, both for a really good price, and a ceramic coffee filter holder thingie to replace a tatty old plastic one I've been gluing together for years. The first tapestry kit I won in a last-minute bidding war - so exciting! I can see how it gets addictive. The last seconds are ticking down and you've got the winning bid, yay! I'm watching another tapestry kit and a bread-maker, but might not bother fighting down to the wire for them. I'm thinking about selling some stuff on eBay too ... see how it goes.
I'm having tomorrow off in place of Sunday, so will have a lovely long weekend. Lots to do too.
{tech stuff}
The new laptop is still working, and I've been going through the hoops necessary to get my free Vista update. Mr Gates is determined to make me prove I have the dogged patience required for a true Windows user. First I had to fill in a form at the Acer website - serial number, special code number from the bottom of the machine, £15 for postage and then got a confirmation email. You would think that was that - but no! You have to fax your receipt to the Netherlands to prove you've bought the machine within the qualifying period. Fiiiiine. But the number on the email wasn't a fax number. Confusion at the fax machine. So I phoned the number and after beeping through the menu got to speak to a lovely French chap, who gave me the fax number (which was actually on the confirmation email when I had a really good look). So finally I got the appropriate bits of paper off to the Netherlands. And now I have six weeks to get my laptop ready for the off. Six weeks!! It can't possibly be that difficult to run off a few hundred thousand DVDs and mail them off. Ridiculous.
I do have quite a lot of preparation to do, because I've discovered that my nice new laptop has a flaw. For some unknowable reason, the drive has been formatted in FAT32 rather than NTFS. I know! Stupid. How can it possibly have a sticker on it saying "Windows Vista Premium Ready" when Vista won't install on a FAT32 disk? Duh. It means that part of the upgrade process will be a reformat. In a way that's a Good Thing, because here's another stupid thing: the drive has been split in two. I HATE this! It's just plain irritating. It means I can't have all my programs and photos and music on the default drive, I have to mess around changing the drive letter when installing things, grrr. So I'll be able to change that. But I will have to back up absolutely everything in a nice tidy way on the portable hard drive (and on the desk computer too, belt and braces) - that will probably take me six weeks, ha ha.
{/tech stuff}
I got the most fantastic present the other day - a rhubarb crown. It's a chunk split off a crown that was being divided. I'm on this Freecycle email group, and it was advertised on there, so I leapt at the chance. The donor, Jim, showed up at the door with a big, heavy rubbish bag. I'll post some photos of what was inside - it's the most amazing thing... HUGE. I said to Jim the original must have been something else and he says it is; his wife got it when she was a girl, it was part of a crown that was 40 years old. Incredible! The roots are like a tree's, thicker than my wrist. I dug a huge hole, sprinkled in plenty of organic compost and covered it over. Jim says I won't get much off it this year, but it should come away well next year.
At the weekend I'm going to start off some of my seeds, feed the roses and do some more weeding. It's been such a mild winter the weeds are rampant. The bulbs Faye gave me are starting to show their heads, and the woods are full of snowdrops. I really love spring, but the weather right now is more like what you'd expect in March, not February.
I've fallen prey to the lure of eBay! So far I've bought two tapestry kits, both for a really good price, and a ceramic coffee filter holder thingie to replace a tatty old plastic one I've been gluing together for years. The first tapestry kit I won in a last-minute bidding war - so exciting! I can see how it gets addictive. The last seconds are ticking down and you've got the winning bid, yay! I'm watching another tapestry kit and a bread-maker, but might not bother fighting down to the wire for them. I'm thinking about selling some stuff on eBay too ... see how it goes.
10 February 2007
:: nearly there
Blimey this has been an ordeal. But all that's still to come is the PIN for my credit card. I'll ring the bank at some point and see what's happening on that score.
Best of all, my spanking new laptop arrived this morning (Friday ... see below). I was too cheap to pay for next-day delivery - sloooow delivery was free - so was amazed when it arrived. I only ordered it on Wednesday. It's a wonderful machine. It's quick, has a beautiful screen and the setup was smooth and easy. And it cost a grand total of £570 - £10 more than getting my broken Sony fixed. I did pay another £50 for a three-year warranty, it seems like a bargain. But yes, it's lovely. I was a bit downcast when I took it out of the box; compared to the slick gorgeousness of the Vaio it seemed cheap and plasticky. But once I got it going and it had whisked through its setup routine I began to bond with it.
The real "oh wow" moment was running the Aquarium screensaver: the screen resolution is breathtaking. And when you set up the Windows Media Centre there's an HD video runs that's so sharp it's scary. So now I'm happily loading all my software and files. Right at this minute I'm testing the battery life, which by the way beats the Vaio hands down: the power management system is slick and easy, and the icon says I have three hours left. Yay! I'm a happy camper.
Later (Saturday in fact - I saved yesterday's entry as a draft & never did get to finish it):
Andrew came down from Sneckie yesterday and I'd arranged to have the day off so we could have a big catchup. But I'd had to warn him I might have to go in to work at short notice and so I did. Alistair's wife is very ill; she'd been in hospital and got out yesterday, but wasn't well enough for him to leave her. It also happened that John is away this weekend. I made lunch and we had about two hours to talk before I had to race away. Andrew came into town and met me in my break and we had a drink. He was in bed already when I got home, and had to leave before I got up (he did wake me to say goodbye). He'll be back at Easter, hope we get more time then!
So today I'm having a really good rest. It's cold and wet outside, nice and snug in here. And I have a nice new toy - bliss!
Best of all, my spanking new laptop arrived this morning (Friday ... see below). I was too cheap to pay for next-day delivery - sloooow delivery was free - so was amazed when it arrived. I only ordered it on Wednesday. It's a wonderful machine. It's quick, has a beautiful screen and the setup was smooth and easy. And it cost a grand total of £570 - £10 more than getting my broken Sony fixed. I did pay another £50 for a three-year warranty, it seems like a bargain. But yes, it's lovely. I was a bit downcast when I took it out of the box; compared to the slick gorgeousness of the Vaio it seemed cheap and plasticky. But once I got it going and it had whisked through its setup routine I began to bond with it.
The real "oh wow" moment was running the Aquarium screensaver: the screen resolution is breathtaking. And when you set up the Windows Media Centre there's an HD video runs that's so sharp it's scary. So now I'm happily loading all my software and files. Right at this minute I'm testing the battery life, which by the way beats the Vaio hands down: the power management system is slick and easy, and the icon says I have three hours left. Yay! I'm a happy camper.
Later (Saturday in fact - I saved yesterday's entry as a draft & never did get to finish it):
Andrew came down from Sneckie yesterday and I'd arranged to have the day off so we could have a big catchup. But I'd had to warn him I might have to go in to work at short notice and so I did. Alistair's wife is very ill; she'd been in hospital and got out yesterday, but wasn't well enough for him to leave her. It also happened that John is away this weekend. I made lunch and we had about two hours to talk before I had to race away. Andrew came into town and met me in my break and we had a drink. He was in bed already when I got home, and had to leave before I got up (he did wake me to say goodbye). He'll be back at Easter, hope we get more time then!
So today I'm having a really good rest. It's cold and wet outside, nice and snug in here. And I have a nice new toy - bliss!
1 February 2007
:: crash bang wallop
Every now and then, something major goes haywire at exactly the worst moment possible.
Like when I was trying to sell my flat and the kitchen sink blocked up and the plumber couldn't fix it and said he would have to tear down the whole wall to get at the drains and I had to wash the dishes in the bath for a week.
Or the time when Trevor and Jenny and Liz and Ken were over from New Zealand for the festive season and while we were all away visiting Mull and Iona in the snow one of my pipes froze and burst and flooded the whole downstairs and my neighbour had to get the police to break in and turn the water off and I had to find an emergency plumber at 10pm on December 30.
Well, it's happened again. First of all, I lost all my bank cards on Sunday night. A major inconvenience but not a disaster (not like the time my credit card was stolen right out of my purse in Sainsburys and the thief went on a spending spree before I could get to a phone). I called the bank, cancelled the cards and ordered new ones, and went to bed in a relaxed mood.
When I got up the next morning I found that my laptop had died in the night. My beautiful Sony Vaio, only 16 months old, stone dead. It only had a year's warranty, so this really is a disaster. Sony is showing its true colours - it cost me 35p a minute to call the helpline, for example - it's local rates when you're under warranty. I called the Sony Centre and described the tests I'd done & they said to bring it in. So I drove all the way in, paid for parking and waited ... and guess what they said? It's dead. Call the helpline.
The helpline (at a cost of almost £6) told me it was a board fault and would cost £560 to fix. They have a tiered charge system and this is the highest level of fault. For £560 I can get a whole new laptop, I wailed. Yes, you probably can, said the helpline boy. Oh, and there's another thing: Sony won't guarantee it won't have to wipe the hard drive.
So now I'm in a quandry. I can get a new laptop for that much, but it wouldn't be so gorgeous and sleek and lovely. But then if I get Sony to fix my dead one, it might break down again - maybe it's a lemon. And whatever I do, I have to first get my files off the broken computer (yeah, yeah, I know I should have backed up every day, I'm an idiot). And I can't do anything about that because I've got no cards and no money.
So actually, it turns out that losing my cards wasn't such a bad thing after all. It has forced me to think long and hard about the whole thing. I've moved my old desktop back downstairs, and I've been doing some online research. I might be able to get the files off the laptop myself, but I've discovered that a bloke who used to be in IT at work has started his own repair business, and his rates are not bad so I might get him to do it. Especially since I've been trying to rewire the hedge trimmer for the past two days (I trimmed through the cable last year) and haven't managed to get it working yet.
The other good thing about not having cards/cash is that I've had to taking my own dinners in to work - I'd gotten into a very bad habit of eating stodgy canteen meals every day. I'm going to keep up the home cooking too, I've been enjoying having decent healthy food every day.
Anyway, the replacement cards have all arrived. I haven't got the PINs yet so no cash, but I've managed to get groceries.
Next week I should be able to decide what to do about the laptop. I really, really loved having one and I miss it. I loved being able to take it on holiday with me, I loved writing emails in bed, I loved watching films on it, I loved lying on the sofa reading Popbitch while downloading mp3s. So I think I will either get a repair or a replacement even though I still have the desktop.
This time though, I'll do my research.
In other news, the wormery finally arrived, a fortnight after I ordered it despite a claim of "**PRIORITY DELIVERY**!". The poor wee worms were sealed in a plastic bag with a bit of compost in it, and a lot of them were dead. So I wrote and complained and they sent me some more worms, which arrived today. Sealed in a plastic bag, in an ordinary envelope. Not even a padded bag! I should report them to the RSPCA.
There isn't much worm activity so far, and they don't seem to have eaten much of the rubbish I've given them, so I've brought the bin inside. It's been in the shed, but although it's not been too cold lately a bit of quality warmth might help the worms get established. Hope they don't start creeping around the house looking for extras.
And finally: some really good news. Faye has at last sold her Milton house, hurrah. She's faxed off all the paperwork so should be debt-free very soon. She's really excited about it, as you can imagine.
Like when I was trying to sell my flat and the kitchen sink blocked up and the plumber couldn't fix it and said he would have to tear down the whole wall to get at the drains and I had to wash the dishes in the bath for a week.
Or the time when Trevor and Jenny and Liz and Ken were over from New Zealand for the festive season and while we were all away visiting Mull and Iona in the snow one of my pipes froze and burst and flooded the whole downstairs and my neighbour had to get the police to break in and turn the water off and I had to find an emergency plumber at 10pm on December 30.
Well, it's happened again. First of all, I lost all my bank cards on Sunday night. A major inconvenience but not a disaster (not like the time my credit card was stolen right out of my purse in Sainsburys and the thief went on a spending spree before I could get to a phone). I called the bank, cancelled the cards and ordered new ones, and went to bed in a relaxed mood.
When I got up the next morning I found that my laptop had died in the night. My beautiful Sony Vaio, only 16 months old, stone dead. It only had a year's warranty, so this really is a disaster. Sony is showing its true colours - it cost me 35p a minute to call the helpline, for example - it's local rates when you're under warranty. I called the Sony Centre and described the tests I'd done & they said to bring it in. So I drove all the way in, paid for parking and waited ... and guess what they said? It's dead. Call the helpline.
The helpline (at a cost of almost £6) told me it was a board fault and would cost £560 to fix. They have a tiered charge system and this is the highest level of fault. For £560 I can get a whole new laptop, I wailed. Yes, you probably can, said the helpline boy. Oh, and there's another thing: Sony won't guarantee it won't have to wipe the hard drive.
So now I'm in a quandry. I can get a new laptop for that much, but it wouldn't be so gorgeous and sleek and lovely. But then if I get Sony to fix my dead one, it might break down again - maybe it's a lemon. And whatever I do, I have to first get my files off the broken computer (yeah, yeah, I know I should have backed up every day, I'm an idiot). And I can't do anything about that because I've got no cards and no money.
So actually, it turns out that losing my cards wasn't such a bad thing after all. It has forced me to think long and hard about the whole thing. I've moved my old desktop back downstairs, and I've been doing some online research. I might be able to get the files off the laptop myself, but I've discovered that a bloke who used to be in IT at work has started his own repair business, and his rates are not bad so I might get him to do it. Especially since I've been trying to rewire the hedge trimmer for the past two days (I trimmed through the cable last year) and haven't managed to get it working yet.
The other good thing about not having cards/cash is that I've had to taking my own dinners in to work - I'd gotten into a very bad habit of eating stodgy canteen meals every day. I'm going to keep up the home cooking too, I've been enjoying having decent healthy food every day.
Anyway, the replacement cards have all arrived. I haven't got the PINs yet so no cash, but I've managed to get groceries.
Next week I should be able to decide what to do about the laptop. I really, really loved having one and I miss it. I loved being able to take it on holiday with me, I loved writing emails in bed, I loved watching films on it, I loved lying on the sofa reading Popbitch while downloading mp3s. So I think I will either get a repair or a replacement even though I still have the desktop.
This time though, I'll do my research.
In other news, the wormery finally arrived, a fortnight after I ordered it despite a claim of "**PRIORITY DELIVERY**!". The poor wee worms were sealed in a plastic bag with a bit of compost in it, and a lot of them were dead. So I wrote and complained and they sent me some more worms, which arrived today. Sealed in a plastic bag, in an ordinary envelope. Not even a padded bag! I should report them to the RSPCA.
There isn't much worm activity so far, and they don't seem to have eaten much of the rubbish I've given them, so I've brought the bin inside. It's been in the shed, but although it's not been too cold lately a bit of quality warmth might help the worms get established. Hope they don't start creeping around the house looking for extras.
And finally: some really good news. Faye has at last sold her Milton house, hurrah. She's faxed off all the paperwork so should be debt-free very soon. She's really excited about it, as you can imagine.
29 December 2006
:: bulbs, bulbs and more bulbs
Today I finally got out into the garden to plant the bulbs Faye gave me. Seventy (approximately) daffodil bulbs. To be honest I only planted about half of them, and so far only in the front garden. But I also hauled a big bag of soil improver out of the car boot, where it's been sitting for weeks, and spread it around, plus I did some major weeding and pruning, and planted a skimmia (another gift from Faye).
The honeysuckle is showing lots of tiny new shoots so should come away in the spring. The climbing rose doesn't look great, so fingers crossed. I'll give it a good feed later on.
If the weather forecast is wrong and it isn't too foul at the weekend I should be able to plant the rest of the bulbs out the back. Which is looking pretty terrible thanks to Bertie's latest gardening experiments. He always looks so innocent when he comes in with his back covered in dirt and his toes full of leaf-mould and roots. If the predicted gale-force winds do sweep in I'll plant the bulbs in pots.
The honeysuckle is showing lots of tiny new shoots so should come away in the spring. The climbing rose doesn't look great, so fingers crossed. I'll give it a good feed later on.
If the weather forecast is wrong and it isn't too foul at the weekend I should be able to plant the rest of the bulbs out the back. Which is looking pretty terrible thanks to Bertie's latest gardening experiments. He always looks so innocent when he comes in with his back covered in dirt and his toes full of leaf-mould and roots. If the predicted gale-force winds do sweep in I'll plant the bulbs in pots.
26 December 2006
:: jingle bells
Merry Christmas!
It's not Christmas any more, of course, it's Boxing Day ... and the year is nearly done. I got some lovely presents - thank you everyone! - and ate far too much. One of the presents was 70 daffodil bulbs (from Faye), which will need to be planted in the next few days. It's not been very frosty so far and the ground is still soft. Faye also gave me a gnome, my first ever.
I worked yesterday, not terribly hard of course, about five hours all told. I'm at work right now and will probably get home an hour earlier than normal.
I've just now bought a new TV. Eeeeek! The curse of online shopping! But it does mean I didn't have to actually battle the sales crowds at John Lewis, where the TV department is always packed, even when there isn't a sale on (it's so bad they operate a ticketing system). This way I'll have to wait for delivery, but in my book that beats waiting around to be served. I had fully intended to wait until later in the year to replace my old TV but, well, it seemed a bargain, and JL does a free five-year guarantee. The scart connection on my old set (a 15" portable) is conking out. I have to keep the plug jammed in with a pile of videos or I lose sound or get a red or green screen. This new one is a space-age 26" flat-screen marvel, yippee!
Apparently there's a direct correlation between the amount of TV you watch and the size of your backside.
But I read in the paper (ours - we are desperate for "news" at this time of year) that dogwalkers are fitter than the average gym-goer, so that's good. Running after a swan-savaging greyhound is probably equivalent to an hour on an exercise bike!
We had a great walk the other day - went to Faye's place (in Santa hat and antlers, laden with gifts) and after coffee and rum truffles we all walked along the Water of Leith to Inverleith Park, Bertie's top favourite city venue, and then back via Stockbridge. I think Bertie was impressed that Faye's flat is so close to the park. He's very nervous of her place because on his first two visits there, there were fireworks outside. He always tries to run back down the stairs, and spends most of his visit looking anxiously out the windows.
Faye was also working on Christmas Day, and says she had a great time. One of the traditions at her workplace is that the managers serve the staff with their Christmas dinner in the canteen - brilliant. She likes the atmosphere there and her co-workers, but will be looking for better paid work in the new year.
OK I had better crack on with my own work. Hope everyone had a good Christmas!
15 December 2006
:: man in black
Yep, Bertie had a visit this morning from The Authorities. Not a police officer, thank goodness, but a nice chap from the SSPCA. Bertie cosied up to him while I made excuses for him - "completely out of character", "never done anything like this before", "normally mild-mannered".
In the end Bertie's big brown eyes worked their magic and he got off with a warning - or rather I did. Keep him on his leash.
He's been quite subdued since The Incident, so I think he realises all is not well.
In the end Bertie's big brown eyes worked their magic and he got off with a warning - or rather I did. Keep him on his leash.
He's been quite subdued since The Incident, so I think he realises all is not well.
14 December 2006
:: bad dog. very, very bad dog
Today the weather has been horrible. It's been horrible all week, but today it rained all day, and it was windy too, and colder than yesterday. Being a dog owner, however, I still had to go out. The morning walk was a short one, so as a special treat, in the afternoon I took Bertie to Linlithgow, to walk round the loch. Walking past the palace I thought it looked safe to let him off the leash - no other dogs around, no children. At first he just jogged along looking happy. Then he jogged off up a little hill and did his "wild dog surveys his domain" act. I whistled and he came galloping back down to the loch.I don't know whether it was the running or the wild dog fantasy that set him off, but he suddenly went crazy. At first it was just ducks - he not only raced at them, he chased them right into the water, getting his nice new coat all wet. I came thundering after him, yelling NO, because I could see what was in his sights now: swans. He ran at them like a creature possessed, again following them into the water. You've seen the wildlife films of cheetahs chasing wildebeest? This was the village hall reenactment. Most of the swans got away no problem, though they had to hustle. Just one youngish one was cut off from the flock. It had a crack at flying, but was too slow. Bertie caught its tail feathers and pulled it down.
Meanwhile I was in hot pursuit (hot for someone with arthritis) and shrieking like a banshee the magic words STOP and NO. They usually stop him in his tracks, but this time he'd completely lost it. He was alternately grabbing the swan and trying to get a killer hold, and evading capture by old spoilsport me. It was a very bad scene.
At last I managed to snatch hold of his coat and dragged him off the poor bird. In his struggle to get free he wriggled his head out of the chest strap, so I now had a hold of him just by the strap around his hips. That proved to be an effective deterrent, because when he struggled the strap bit into his delicate nether regions, causing extreme pain. After a lot of squealing (him) and shouting (me) he calmed down enough for me to grab his collar and get the leash clipped on. I also tightened the collar to choke-hold, because he was still in a frenzy, fighting to get free.
The swan, meanwhile, was lurching back to the water. I watched as it swam out, and it seemed ok. But Bertie's attack had been so fierce I wasn't sure whether it had been injured or not. It was hard to tell if he'd had hold of feathers or flesh.
So I called the police. I know! Dobbing in my own dog. Bit of a panic measure but I wasn't sure who else to approach. The nice officer took all my details but didn't ask much about the swan. He said he'd let the people in charge of the loch know.
The swan was heading around the loch, so I followed it for a bit, checking that it was ok. It had a couple of drinks of water and seemed to be swimming strongly and staying upright. I didn't see anyone who looked like a warden, and none of the signs had contact information. So I loaded the delinquent into the car (by now he was shaking with cold and post-adrenalin comedown) and went home.
I had a shower and went to Faye's for dinner and then to a film (Borat - hilarious), and there's been no word from the police or PETA or anyone, so fingers crossed.
If Bertie is having some sort of mid-life crisis he might have to go back to wearing the muzzle. Certainly he isn't getting off the leash if there's the least danger of him mauling any more wildlife.
In other news: the new front door is in and it's lovely. It took one man only a few hours to install and he made a beautiful job of it, everything very neat and straight. The lock action is slick and quiet - the old one would only shut after repeated slamming. Bertie was gobsmacked that our nice visitor almost immediately wrenched the front door off and carried it down the path. Maybe that had something to do with today's outburst - he lost face by hiding in his bed after the door was stolen instead of confronting the robber, so he tried to kill us something nice for tea.
7 December 2006
:: fiat lux
The kitchen ceiling's been needing attention for a while. First of all there was the light, an ancient fluorescent thing, one of the ones that does nothing for a little while after you throw the switch, then flickers and stutters as if sighing irritably before flooding the room with harsh light. One day the bulb, all three feet of it, slipped out and crashed to the floor in a squillion tiny sharp shards. I got a new bulb and secured the loose end with gaffer tape (though Faye showed me how you could just tap the end smartly with a fish slice to knock it back in).
Then one day I came home and found a big puddle of water on the kitchen floor. It was coming from the bathroom. Specifically, the tiles around the bath were only held on by mould, and every time I showered the water seeped between the tiles and the wall and thus into the kitchen. So I tore off all the tiles, let the wall dry thoroughly and retiled and grouted and sealed. Down in the kitchen the skim on the ceiling dried, split and curled.
It became more and more apparent that Something Had to be Done.
So finally, a few weeks ago now, I climbed up and ladder, measured the old light and bought a new fitting, a shiny white fluorescent one (hey! they're low-energy!) with a diffuser. I brought it home, held it up under the old one and voila! It was about a foot too long. Tsk. So I went back to the DIY shop but they didn't have a smaller one with a diffuser. I got a refund and went to another DIY shop that did. By this time it was too late to actually fit the thing, so I left it until the following weekend.
Which is when I took down the old fitting (having of course first taken out the fuse for the lighting circuit). I then held the new fitting up to the ceiling and realised it was a foot smaller. Curse! Damn! I'd been the victim of an optical illusion when I'd held the original new one up! Ach.
And then I got rocks in my ears (see previous post), which stopped me from climbing ladders.
There followed a week of squalor, with a ladder and a standard lamp filling up most of the kitchen. I scraped off all the peeling plaster, gave it a cursory rubdown, then realised I'd have to wash the ceiling with sugar soap before painting. Sigh. It's a filthy job, but worth the effort. After a few days drying I moved out all my stuff and carpeted the worktops, floor etc in newspaper and painted the ceiling. Another grim job.
Finally I spent a couple of hours teetering on the ladder and fiddling with insanely tiny screws (lost count of the number of times I dropped them) before realising I'd need to fill the gaping hole previously covered by the old, clunky light fitting. More cursing and swearing and leaving-overnight-to-dry.
At long last, the new fixture was bolted into place, the bulb inserted, the diffuser slipped on - and TA DA! It worked. It's a bluer light than the old one, which although harsh was mellowed towards the warm side of the spectrum by a baked-on layer of grease and dead flies. The best thing is that the new one comes on instantly, soon as you hit the switch.
Next on the agenda: a new door. It goes in next Wednesday. I'm taking the day off, I'm so excited.
Energised by all the DIY success I climbed up into the loft yesterday. I have a vague idea of improving the insulation up there and boarding part of the floor. Plus there is junk up there dating from the previous owner. It's hellish though: the current insulation is part fibreglass batts, part - I don't know, some kind of vile crumbly fluff. I need to do something about protecting the water tanks - they have some half-hearted lagging, but I'll have to fix it on better, or get something new.
I tidied Faye's stuff into a corner and hauled Mrs Blackett's old heaters over to the hatch. The electric one was easy enough to deal with - I just lowered it down by its flex. The gas one was heavier and had no flex. I tried wrestling it down, but decided halfway down the ladder, with the heater balanced on my chest, that it wasn't exactly safe and shoved it back up. I'll have to get some rope. I noticed in passing that its ceramic elements are healthier looking than my current gas heater's, so I may do a transplant.
After doing a lot of research I've concluded that I do probably need some more insulation up there - I can't remember the exact figures, but the depth you're supposed to have is deeper than my joists, so I'd have to extend the height of the joists or risk plunging through the ceiling every time I went up there. An alternative would be insulating the roof, but then there's a lot of faff about condensation and ventilation. So I'm plunking for ... the status quo. Some insulation is better than none, surely? And I'll just screw down some duck boards for ease of access.
The next big project on the horizon is central heating. Mine is ancient and inefficient, it desperately needs replacing with a more modern system. But which one? And how much will it cost? And which is the greenest option? Some green opinion seems to be turning against micro-generation - mini wind turbines, solar panels etc - as consuming too many resources in their manufacture. Electricity is more efficient to use than gas but is polluting to create. So I don't know. I might make up my mind and go for it next year, if I still have a job.
No progress in the garden as yet - but lots of planning!! I have just about decided where to plant the plum tree, if I ever get round to buying one. And the raised bed in completed in my head too.
In between projects I've been busy with work and long walks and a bit of socialising. Bertie is well and happy. He turned nine last month, hard to believe he's nearly into double figures. He isn't as scatty as he used to be but can still put on a show of speed when he feels like it.
Faye's doing well - she's enjoying her job still and loving living in Edinburgh.
Then one day I came home and found a big puddle of water on the kitchen floor. It was coming from the bathroom. Specifically, the tiles around the bath were only held on by mould, and every time I showered the water seeped between the tiles and the wall and thus into the kitchen. So I tore off all the tiles, let the wall dry thoroughly and retiled and grouted and sealed. Down in the kitchen the skim on the ceiling dried, split and curled.
It became more and more apparent that Something Had to be Done.
So finally, a few weeks ago now, I climbed up and ladder, measured the old light and bought a new fitting, a shiny white fluorescent one (hey! they're low-energy!) with a diffuser. I brought it home, held it up under the old one and voila! It was about a foot too long. Tsk. So I went back to the DIY shop but they didn't have a smaller one with a diffuser. I got a refund and went to another DIY shop that did. By this time it was too late to actually fit the thing, so I left it until the following weekend.
Which is when I took down the old fitting (having of course first taken out the fuse for the lighting circuit). I then held the new fitting up to the ceiling and realised it was a foot smaller. Curse! Damn! I'd been the victim of an optical illusion when I'd held the original new one up! Ach.
And then I got rocks in my ears (see previous post), which stopped me from climbing ladders.
There followed a week of squalor, with a ladder and a standard lamp filling up most of the kitchen. I scraped off all the peeling plaster, gave it a cursory rubdown, then realised I'd have to wash the ceiling with sugar soap before painting. Sigh. It's a filthy job, but worth the effort. After a few days drying I moved out all my stuff and carpeted the worktops, floor etc in newspaper and painted the ceiling. Another grim job.
Finally I spent a couple of hours teetering on the ladder and fiddling with insanely tiny screws (lost count of the number of times I dropped them) before realising I'd need to fill the gaping hole previously covered by the old, clunky light fitting. More cursing and swearing and leaving-overnight-to-dry.
At long last, the new fixture was bolted into place, the bulb inserted, the diffuser slipped on - and TA DA! It worked. It's a bluer light than the old one, which although harsh was mellowed towards the warm side of the spectrum by a baked-on layer of grease and dead flies. The best thing is that the new one comes on instantly, soon as you hit the switch.
Next on the agenda: a new door. It goes in next Wednesday. I'm taking the day off, I'm so excited.
Energised by all the DIY success I climbed up into the loft yesterday. I have a vague idea of improving the insulation up there and boarding part of the floor. Plus there is junk up there dating from the previous owner. It's hellish though: the current insulation is part fibreglass batts, part - I don't know, some kind of vile crumbly fluff. I need to do something about protecting the water tanks - they have some half-hearted lagging, but I'll have to fix it on better, or get something new.
I tidied Faye's stuff into a corner and hauled Mrs Blackett's old heaters over to the hatch. The electric one was easy enough to deal with - I just lowered it down by its flex. The gas one was heavier and had no flex. I tried wrestling it down, but decided halfway down the ladder, with the heater balanced on my chest, that it wasn't exactly safe and shoved it back up. I'll have to get some rope. I noticed in passing that its ceramic elements are healthier looking than my current gas heater's, so I may do a transplant.
After doing a lot of research I've concluded that I do probably need some more insulation up there - I can't remember the exact figures, but the depth you're supposed to have is deeper than my joists, so I'd have to extend the height of the joists or risk plunging through the ceiling every time I went up there. An alternative would be insulating the roof, but then there's a lot of faff about condensation and ventilation. So I'm plunking for ... the status quo. Some insulation is better than none, surely? And I'll just screw down some duck boards for ease of access.
The next big project on the horizon is central heating. Mine is ancient and inefficient, it desperately needs replacing with a more modern system. But which one? And how much will it cost? And which is the greenest option? Some green opinion seems to be turning against micro-generation - mini wind turbines, solar panels etc - as consuming too many resources in their manufacture. Electricity is more efficient to use than gas but is polluting to create. So I don't know. I might make up my mind and go for it next year, if I still have a job.
No progress in the garden as yet - but lots of planning!! I have just about decided where to plant the plum tree, if I ever get round to buying one. And the raised bed in completed in my head too.
In between projects I've been busy with work and long walks and a bit of socialising. Bertie is well and happy. He turned nine last month, hard to believe he's nearly into double figures. He isn't as scatty as he used to be but can still put on a show of speed when he feels like it.
Faye's doing well - she's enjoying her job still and loving living in Edinburgh.
18 November 2006
:: weakly report
I don't know where this week has gone - or this month, come to that. Last week everything was going swimmingly - a nice man came and cleaned and painted my gutters and downpipes; another nice man came and measured up for a new front door; I managed to get a nice new light fitting for the kitchen (only took three DIY shop visits to get the right one! amazing). Then the wheels started coming off. Not literally, of course. Just stupid little things one after another.
The phone stopped working. I kind of noticed but didn't do anything about it due to coming down with a mysterious attack of vertigo. It started with just a little dizzy spell last Saturday morning. But on Sunday it started before I even got out of bed and continued all day - with added nausea. Monday it was slightly better so I called the doctor - 1st available appointment was Thursday. In the meantime I did some internet research and decided it was Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, or "rocks in the ears". I did some of the exercises recommended and they seemed to help. But then Tuesday I felt nauseous again, and too dizzy to feel safe driving, so called in sick. Was OK again the next day, though still a bit giddy.
About this time I thought I'd better talk to the door people, and it turned out they'd been trying and trying to get hold of me. "I was about to compose a letter to you," the man said. Cor, must be serious! The date for the new door installation is now set for 13 December, hurrah. It has just started getting cold enough for the old one to warp and stick, which it does every winter.
So I ordered a new phone, after putting in new batteries didn't work (the broadband access was still working, so I was convinced it must be the equipment). And then I saw the doctor, who diagnosed Benign Positional Vertigo (I didn't tell him I knew that, or correct him on the name) and gave me some wonderful anti-nausea pills. And a printout of exercises! He Googled them right in front of me! Ha ha ha. I'm going to open my own health clinic, where people describe their symptoms and I Google them.
After that I thought I may as well report a phone fault, just in case. BT turned on a stunning display of efficiency! I was able to divert any incoming calls to my mobile and request text updates of progress. Sure enough, an enginner was on the case within hours and soon discovered a fault on the line. He called today and said it was actually a problem at the exchange and he's fixed it. By this time my new phone had arrived, and it's miles better than my old one - it has nice big clear buttons for a start.
Meanwhile I've been having nice walks every day - Bertie's in fine fettle and enjoying the chilly weather. It's been raining most days; last Friday was especially miserable, with strong winds, and there were mostly just us dog-walkers out there slogging around while our hounds had a fabby time. Today was great - a skiff of snow on the hills but fresh and still and clear. This morning we went round the marina with Lisa from up the road with her chow Eli and sharpei UB (ugly bugger) and then in the afternoon up to Linn Mill, where we met a nice friendly collie and his owner.
Later on though I looked out the window and it was pelting with rain again - which is why on a Saturday night I'm slumped on the sofa in my jogging bottoms and sheepskin slippers (thanks to Jean and Margie, soooo cosy!!) blogging about my new phone.
Bliss.
The phone stopped working. I kind of noticed but didn't do anything about it due to coming down with a mysterious attack of vertigo. It started with just a little dizzy spell last Saturday morning. But on Sunday it started before I even got out of bed and continued all day - with added nausea. Monday it was slightly better so I called the doctor - 1st available appointment was Thursday. In the meantime I did some internet research and decided it was Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, or "rocks in the ears". I did some of the exercises recommended and they seemed to help. But then Tuesday I felt nauseous again, and too dizzy to feel safe driving, so called in sick. Was OK again the next day, though still a bit giddy.
About this time I thought I'd better talk to the door people, and it turned out they'd been trying and trying to get hold of me. "I was about to compose a letter to you," the man said. Cor, must be serious! The date for the new door installation is now set for 13 December, hurrah. It has just started getting cold enough for the old one to warp and stick, which it does every winter.
So I ordered a new phone, after putting in new batteries didn't work (the broadband access was still working, so I was convinced it must be the equipment). And then I saw the doctor, who diagnosed Benign Positional Vertigo (I didn't tell him I knew that, or correct him on the name) and gave me some wonderful anti-nausea pills. And a printout of exercises! He Googled them right in front of me! Ha ha ha. I'm going to open my own health clinic, where people describe their symptoms and I Google them.
After that I thought I may as well report a phone fault, just in case. BT turned on a stunning display of efficiency! I was able to divert any incoming calls to my mobile and request text updates of progress. Sure enough, an enginner was on the case within hours and soon discovered a fault on the line. He called today and said it was actually a problem at the exchange and he's fixed it. By this time my new phone had arrived, and it's miles better than my old one - it has nice big clear buttons for a start.
Meanwhile I've been having nice walks every day - Bertie's in fine fettle and enjoying the chilly weather. It's been raining most days; last Friday was especially miserable, with strong winds, and there were mostly just us dog-walkers out there slogging around while our hounds had a fabby time. Today was great - a skiff of snow on the hills but fresh and still and clear. This morning we went round the marina with Lisa from up the road with her chow Eli and sharpei UB (ugly bugger) and then in the afternoon up to Linn Mill, where we met a nice friendly collie and his owner.
Later on though I looked out the window and it was pelting with rain again - which is why on a Saturday night I'm slumped on the sofa in my jogging bottoms and sheepskin slippers (thanks to Jean and Margie, soooo cosy!!) blogging about my new phone.
Bliss.
30 October 2006
:: the autumn edition
The clocks went back on Sunday and suddenly we're on the slippery slope to winter. Slippery as in rain on fallen leaves, thick mud and puddles. Not slippery as in ice - not yet anyway.
At the moment my obsession is mostly house-related. So much to do and so little interest from workmen in doing it! I'm trying simultaneously to get a new front door (on my to-do list for several years now) and a lick of paint on the gutterings and downpipes. A local chap is supposed to be giving me a quote for a door and the man who made a lovely job of next door's guttering is meant to be doing mine too. No sign of life from either.
In the meantime, ever optimistic, I attacked the honeysuckle and the climbing rose at the front with the wonderful loppers Faye gave me. I meant to just clear them away from the downpipes, but went a bit mad and cut the whole lot down. Ooops! Faye assures me they'll probably grow back. I hope so. It looks very bald out there.
Other plans, DIY this time, include replacing the strip light in the kitchen (held together by gaffer tape at the moment) and fixing up the peeling patch in the ceiling that dates from the time the bathroom leaked.
Then there's the garden. I have great plans for the garden. At the moment it's a jungle - I missed a couple of crucial lawn-mowing opportunities and it's been raining since, so the grass is a foot long or more front and back. I want to put in some raised beds, mainly to keep them out of Bertie's reach, and I want some fruit trees, a plum tree at least and maybe an apple as well. I don't think there's room for everything. Out the front, I'm savaging the rose bush as well as the climbers. It looks like two rose bushes, but I think what happened was that the rootstock on the original got out of control, so there's an ailing hybrid nearly choked out by a vigorous rosa. I'm cutting out all the rootstock suckers and pruning the hybrid back. I'll feed it in the spring and see how it goes. It's quite a pretty one, deep pink. I'm also planting more lavender - it does well and of course smells wonderful. The funny sickly little daphne bush has put on a growth spurt so I'll leave it even though it still hasn't flowered.
Out in the wider world it's been an amazing few weeks for fungi-spotting. I've never ever seen such a variety. The beginning of the month was warm and wet so conditions were perfect, but I wonder where the fungi were last year. Does the spawn lie dormant until conditions are right? Is it blown in from elsewhere? I've been taking loads of photos of them, they're fascinating.
I've been doing a lot of walking and enjoying it. Yesterday Faye and I went on a long ramble around Holyrood Park, which was just great. It was a blustery day but not wet or cold (yes, I should really have been mowing the lawn). Bertie had a fabulous time too. We had a look at the Parliament too, and then had dinner at Faye's place. She's settling in well, has her flat looking lovely and will be getting the phone on any minute now - she has her mobile but is missing being able to keep up with emails.
At the moment my obsession is mostly house-related. So much to do and so little interest from workmen in doing it! I'm trying simultaneously to get a new front door (on my to-do list for several years now) and a lick of paint on the gutterings and downpipes. A local chap is supposed to be giving me a quote for a door and the man who made a lovely job of next door's guttering is meant to be doing mine too. No sign of life from either.
In the meantime, ever optimistic, I attacked the honeysuckle and the climbing rose at the front with the wonderful loppers Faye gave me. I meant to just clear them away from the downpipes, but went a bit mad and cut the whole lot down. Ooops! Faye assures me they'll probably grow back. I hope so. It looks very bald out there.
Other plans, DIY this time, include replacing the strip light in the kitchen (held together by gaffer tape at the moment) and fixing up the peeling patch in the ceiling that dates from the time the bathroom leaked.
Then there's the garden. I have great plans for the garden. At the moment it's a jungle - I missed a couple of crucial lawn-mowing opportunities and it's been raining since, so the grass is a foot long or more front and back. I want to put in some raised beds, mainly to keep them out of Bertie's reach, and I want some fruit trees, a plum tree at least and maybe an apple as well. I don't think there's room for everything. Out the front, I'm savaging the rose bush as well as the climbers. It looks like two rose bushes, but I think what happened was that the rootstock on the original got out of control, so there's an ailing hybrid nearly choked out by a vigorous rosa. I'm cutting out all the rootstock suckers and pruning the hybrid back. I'll feed it in the spring and see how it goes. It's quite a pretty one, deep pink. I'm also planting more lavender - it does well and of course smells wonderful. The funny sickly little daphne bush has put on a growth spurt so I'll leave it even though it still hasn't flowered.
Out in the wider world it's been an amazing few weeks for fungi-spotting. I've never ever seen such a variety. The beginning of the month was warm and wet so conditions were perfect, but I wonder where the fungi were last year. Does the spawn lie dormant until conditions are right? Is it blown in from elsewhere? I've been taking loads of photos of them, they're fascinating.
I've been doing a lot of walking and enjoying it. Yesterday Faye and I went on a long ramble around Holyrood Park, which was just great. It was a blustery day but not wet or cold (yes, I should really have been mowing the lawn). Bertie had a fabulous time too. We had a look at the Parliament too, and then had dinner at Faye's place. She's settling in well, has her flat looking lovely and will be getting the phone on any minute now - she has her mobile but is missing being able to keep up with emails.
9 September 2006
:: more pix
"During" shots rather than "after" ones - Faye's still still living in a sea of boxes.
The table, with the radio I gave Faye as an early birthday present. It's a digital one, gets about 35 stations.
The building the flat is in.
And from the other side.
The other side of the street - there are some really cute little corners in these quiet back streets.
In the kitchen. This was taken last Sunday - I had dinner at Faye's (roast lamb) and then we went to the Fireworks Concert.
One of the livingroom windows.
The table, with the radio I gave Faye as an early birthday present. It's a digital one, gets about 35 stations.
The building the flat is in.
And from the other side.
The other side of the street - there are some really cute little corners in these quiet back streets.
Looking out towards Dublin Street.
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