Is blogging going out of style?

I thought that it has been some time since I last blogged, but when I think about it I realise that it is a long time since I read anyone else’s blog.

While we were in New Zealand it seemed right to blog regularly. There was more reason to blog and more time to do so. At times it seems that we have never really got back to ‘normal’ since returning from our antipodean trip. A lot could be said about the definition of ‘normal’ when, in retirement, there is little by way of work schedule structure. Even regular ‘hall opening and closing’ duties are subject to the whim of others and can be ignored when we have a reason to do so. In fact everything that we do can be subjected to change at a moments notice.

Two of our regular weekly events have gone on with little interruption. Friday night has been our sequence dance time and Sunday is church attendance.

Two things have impacted our ‘normal’. First, the weather has not been conducive to regular walks. It would be instructive to compare the list of summer UK visits this year with those of last. Second, the decision to rebuild our kitchen units has really taken over. 

My last blog covered the period from 23^rd May until 15^th July and was a marathon effort. This one may get really boring as it will cover the period since then.

 Doing the usual ‘follow the photos’ we take up the story at 25^th July. This is a very significant date. Not only was it our oldest son's birthday, it was the date on which we went into ‘B and Q’ to order the components for our kitchen. It began as one of our ‘regular’ Wednesdays off. (While in New Zealand we made this decision which means I do not do any hall duties on this day of the week.) The day started quite well. We collected our friend Margaret Cornish OBE from her care home (Stanton Hall) and took her for coffee at the village cafe. 

This was in the old school house where we had a delicious but expensive piece of cake with our beverages. ‘Beverages’ is going to be shorthand for tea or coffee or any combination of the two for the remainder of the blog and probably for other blogs unless there is a significant reason to break from the convention.

The reason that I remember that this is the day that we purchased our B and Q kitchen is not by looking back at our receipts, but from looking at the photographic records. No, there will be no photographs of ‘B and Q’. The clue is in the photographs taken at our picnic by the River Trent. This is not the first time that a visit to the DIY store has been followed by a picnic by the river.

The embankment has seen a significant change since my years of travelling along it to work. The road has been narrowed by flood defences and the play area has been much improved, as have the parking areas along the road up through the centre of the recreation area. I was keen to see if anyone was in the Kings School building. However, the place looked very deserted and sad. This was heightened when I tried the intercom from the gate and received a melancholy dialling tone. Looking over the site and seeing the work that I had been part of abandoned in this way was a chastening experience. I wonder how the last members of staff must have felt when they closed the gates for the last time. I think that I am glad that I was spared this event. Although I worked on the site for only two years, it was only five and a half years earlier that I returned from a New Zealand trip to join my colleagues for a few frenetic weeks of setting up the building to receive its first Kings School intake.

While waiting for the flat packs to arrive and on a sunny Wednesday we went off into Derbyshire. There was an ulterior, kitchen related motive; namely to purchase 25 door handles in Ilkeston. As we had left early I thought it would be nice to go on further for morning coffee. Coffee time today would be in Rowsley mill, to the north of Matlock. The cafe is in a lovely, peaceful setting, disturbed only by a very loud gentleman on his mobile phone telling his wife where he was. It seems that some people have not discovered that you don’t have to shout into the microphone to be heard.

We still had time left and so we drove onwards through Baslow and on to our beloved Curbar Edge to walk and sit down for our picnic before going home.

Saturday 11^th turned out to be another sunny day and it was a good opportunity to take Nan for a walk in the garden at High Clere. She can’t really see that well now, but she enjoys touching and smelling the flowers.

By the 22^nd work on the kitchen was well underway, but we had a visitor. Irene called me to see a bird sitting on the fence. Speedily I went upstairs to find the camera, change the lens and then go back to replace the batteries. The result of this exertion was well rewarded by a lovely image of a sparrow hawk.

On the 24^th it was our anniversary. We had booked a cruise on the River Trent. The cruise included a pleasant roast dinner. Having told the cruise office that it was our anniversary, we were presented with a framed annotated painting of the boat.

At the beginning of September our routine was interrupted. Tim and Isla were back to work, but the girls were still at home. So, on Sunday 2^nd we travelled down to Milton Keynes to do our child minding. My Monday morning started with taking Iona off to IKEA so she could buy some storage units and lights for her room.

In the afternoon we went off with both girls to Willen Lake. The first part of the session consisted of Izzy and me going off for a master class in photography. I am sure that will you agree that she is very talented. In the meantime Irene and Iona sat sketching. We all then went on to complete a walk around the north part of the lake.

On Tuesday we went off to Salcey Forest. After delicious ice cream and a walk above the tree tops we had our picnic, before returning to the play area. It was fascinating to watch the girls wheedle their way to having a play on the hammock with a girl who showed no intention of surrendering it to anyone else.

On the 14^th the new camera arrived and I was disappointed to find the autofocus function did not work. Further research showed that the lenses I had were not compatible with the new camera so I took a decision to buy a new lens.

On Saturday I had just settled down to watch ‘Doctor Who’ when the door chime sounded. My friend Alan had come to tell me that the mayor had arrived at the community centre, and ‘could I come to take photographs’. Normally notice is given but on this occasion communications had gone awry. The purpose of the visit was to present the centre with a cheque for £4000 which would be used to give back to the council to pay our rent.

On the 18^th the new lens arrived. However, this failed to function. I was very disappointed. It had taken weeks for the exam board to pay me for the marking that I had done in June and I really wanted the camera to take special photos when Sally arrived from New Zealand at the end of the week. Not being sure about what was wrong, I took the camera into Jessops. I would even have considered the possibility of buying a lens if they sold one at anywhere near the price that Amazon was charging. I tried a lens and found that the autofocus did work and so I could conclude that I had been sold a faulty one. I was amazed by how easy it is to send a faulty product back and get a replacement. However, the lens would not be with me on time.

The 22^nd was a historic day and I had it recorded that I was placing piece 3000 into the jigsaw. The only problem is that I did not record when I started*. But, be assured that it was many weeks before and it was a major challenge.

The 23^rd was an even more historic day. All the UK children and grandchildren and us met up with our New Zealand daughter at Nan’s home in High Clere. Having spent some time with Nan, Isla and Iona and Izzy went off to orchestra rehearsal in Cambridge. The rest of us went back to Tim’s house for lunch and then played a game called ‘Settlers of Catan’. The girls and Isla returned in time for a wonderful dinner together. This was followed by good conversation and ended with family photos before Sally drove us back home, Joni and Fiona drove home and Joe and Julie stayed in a hotel before returning the following day.

Did I say that the rain started about lunch time on Sunday and continued for the rest of the time that Sally was with us? Fortunately, Saturday was a sunny day for Sally to enjoy at her friend’s wedding.

On Monday Sally and Irene went shopping leaving me to run the Monday cafes. I don’t think that I have mentioned that for some weeks now we have been running cafes. The Monday morning one started because I noticed that the mums would hang about talking and I thought that it would be nicer if they sat inside to enjoy a chat and refreshments. A voluntary contribution is asked and is generously supported. While we have the equipment ready we move on to provide a cafe at Leicester House sheltered housing.

In the evening Joni and Fiona joined Irene, Sally and me at our favourite Thai restaurant. Sally could not get over the fact that it was at the back of a normal English public house. From there we went back to Joni and Fiona’s place for coffee and to let Sally see their home and, of course, Tay the cat.

On Tuesday we drove off to MacArthur Glen (http://www.mcarthurglen.com/en) which is a collection of factory outlets at junction 28 of the M1. In the evening Joni and Fiona joined us for a meal and stayed as long as they could.

By the morning Sally’s bags were packed, but there was still time for one more shopping trip. This time the ladies set off for Sainsburys at Pride Park, Derby and returned with 5.5 kg of shoes and clothes. I know that this was the weight because we had to ship them off to New Zealand after Sally left us that day. She returned home safe and well and the package caught up with her on the morning of her birthday.

Our next event was Lawrence's birthday. We thought that we could buy a meal rather than a present. The event turned into a meal and the cinema. Irene and I have never been to the Corner House in Nottingham. Jan drove us and we went to the Flaming Dragon Restaurant. (http://www.flaming-dragon.co.uk/nottingham.php)

This was an amazing place. It had a good atmosphere as well as an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese buffet. As pensioners this cost a staggering £6 each. The film which followed was called ‘Looper’. The film had just been released and was a science fiction story involving time travel. It would seem that most Sci-Fi writers have a very jaundiced view of the future. Perhaps they are right.

From the third to the tenth there is little to report apart from the gradual progress in the kitchen. Tim invited us to join them for lunch on Saturday following our visit to Nan. Lunch involved the presentation of a birthday cake and then we had a walk before returning home.

A retirement village and a lot of water

On the 21^st I finally had an opportunity to get to the allotment. Irene has worked really hard to clear it and I have built the bonfire.

On the 25^th it was Irene’s birthday. We had a wonderful present opening time and then, despite the cold, damp weather we went off on our travels. The first stop was Bardill’s Garden Centre. First we had a pot of tea for two and lovely cream and jam doughnuts. Then Irene spent her birthday tokens on a number of plants for her garden.

The next port of call was Shardlow and a meal at the Clock Warehouse pub. (http://www.clockwarehousepub.co.uk/) It lived up to the recommendation that we had been given. The main meal (two for £10) and the ‘Crabbies’ ginger beer was tasty and so filling that neither of us had room for pudding. The setting is great. The pub is a warehouse on an arm of the Trent-Mersey canal. It was too cold to have more than a brief look around. But, I am sure that next summer we will be back.

Our road home took us through Long Eaton where we investigated the possibility of new floor covering for the breakfast room to finish off the extensive work that we have been doing. From there we went on to the ‘Cheese Cake’ shop and purchased half a cake of ‘Continental Caramello’. Not being far from Trowel Garden Centre our final call was to spend some more of Irene’s birthday money.

The day ended by a visit from Joni and Fiona in the evening. They bought a delicious carrot cake which we enjoyed together.

On Saturday we woke to the first snow of the winter. We then continued with the kitchen. I wish that we could say that it was complete, but there are the finishing off bits of skirting board painting and putting trims around the electricity outlets in the kitchen and the grouting in the breakfast room. However, there was time to sweep and wash the garage floor so that the car could be housed before winter really sets in.

*Actually I did record when I started the jigsaw. If I had have been following my own blog I would have learned that I started the jigsaw on 10th July.

Christmas Blog – 2011

This blog will also be instead of many ‘Facebook’ postings. Photographically this blog follows on from ‘The Blog Before Christmas’, with a photograph of the Christmas wreath that Irene placed on her Dad’s grave on the 10^th of December.

This sombre occasion was followed by a happier photo-shoot of Joni, Fiona and Tay. Suffice it to say that Tay, being a young cat, was far too playful to cooperate in such an activity.

No, they are not poking the cat with a stick

On the 14^th we had strange encounters. Irene has a friend who has severe depression. The only visiting hours at the hospital were at night. The ladies left me alone and went off to the ward. Although the entrance hall was large and modern and it was only 7.00 pm, there was a lonesome eeriness about it. As soon as I sat still to read my book the lights went out. The only sound was the hum of the vending machines. I was then aware of strange figures appearing like performers coming on to a stage. The first one unexpectedly decided to buy me a coffee and then leave. A limping man dragged a pile of plastic sacks across the ‘stage’ and then left. Two more gentlemen appeared and came towards me. One of the men spoke to me. His voice was slurred. He tried to explain that he was a preacher. “You know, ‘of the good news’, ‘of righteousness’, ‘of the gospel’ etc.) He boasted that he used to earn £1000 a month and now he only earned £500. His friend added that he was baptised as Samson – you know, the world’s strongest man. As they left I reflected that the staff must think that some of the inmates were safe enough to wander about. Now, the limping man returned. He sat next to me with all his worldly good gathered around him in a few plastic sacks. He told me that he was going home and about the misunderstandings that had led him to be in hospital in the first place.

The evening of jollity was not over. My party returned and in our desperate rush failed in our first attempt to get out. At the same time another crowd were trying to get in. Eventually someone (I don’t know if this was a patient or member of staff) told us that at night the pairs of doors open more slowly so that patients can’t get out in a group. Someone had to be the guinea pig. So, it was not long before I was standing in the space between the two pairs of doors. Once I had explained, by gestures, to those trying to get in, that they need to back off, I made my exit. A raggle-taggle of visitors, ex-inmates and perhaps current ones followed us and we made reasonably speedy exit from the car park.

Christmas celebrations really began for us on 16^th December. This was the Friday night group's Christmas dance. This was well attended, good fun and had a Dutch buffet. On the 17^th the staff of ‘Stanton Hall Care Home’  made a special effort to take all the residents out for a Christmas dinner at the ‘The Risely Park’.

I am so glad that I have the camera!

This was a really big logistical operation involving a large number of people, some with dementia and other in wheel chairs and a small coach making three journeys between the home and the restaurant. Our friend Margaret thoroughly enjoyed the whole event and felt obliged to give a speech of thanks at the end.

We made our Christmas visit to Irene’s mum on the following day and shared our presents. In the afternoon we went on to visit our friends Liz and Martin. It was good to catch up on the news.

The weekend continued with a Christmas carol service at the Haven Church, which had a fun reconstruction (or was it a destruction) of the Christmas story.

On Monday Joni started his new job at a call centre. We hope that this is the start of his working life in Nottingham. He and Fiona have been picking up work with ‘Occasions’ catering. http://www.freeindex.co.uk/profile(occasions-catering)_78627.htm. We had an interesting story about catering at the Nottingham Deaf Institute. After the meal came the speeches, and, you’ve guessed it, this is when silence descended as the speakers used sign language. Strangely, the caterers also went silent, but had to be careful not get in front of the ‘speaker’.

Today, Wednesday we did our big Christmas shop. We noticed that people were buying food as if the shops would be closed until well into the New Year. However, we had to count ourselves amongst the ‘people’. As we sat drinking our coffee and scoffing our éclair (me) and carrot cake (Irene) we reflected on the only sign of austerity visible and this was that Asda had significantly less decorations up than previous years. Were they setting us an example or were they sharing in our pain; after all ‘we are all in it together’.

A major project for me, in these, holiday days has been digitizing our vinyl records. To do this I have attached a deck to my computer and downloaded a program called ‘Audacity’. It is quite fun to watch the wave forms appear on the screen and I have developed a speedy technique of splitting the wave pattern into tracks, labelling them and exporting them to ‘Windows Media Player’. However, it is a slow process; it has to be done in real time. It is also necessary to monitor during recording, in case the needle sticks on the record. (It is sometimes possible to nudge the needle on and avoid repeats.) Even when the record is digitized there is a lengthy process of ‘tagging’ them to create albums that will appear in media player library.

What has been fun is to catalogue them; sometimes this is done while the records are playing into the computer. There is a great deal of nostalgia as the record information is studied and a certain reflection of the silliness behind buying certain records. (I sense the need for a special blog.)

Thursday evening was followed by a church group Christmas party. Close behind the wonderful food was the inevitable game of ‘Trivial Pursuit’ (1986 version). A least, this time one team (I shall not boast about whose) completed the six questions, got to the middle, but could not convert the try.

Friday morning was our last shopping day. This was a vegetable trip to Stapleford. We also wandered around the town looking for Christmas cake decorations. We ended up at a garden centre. I loved the little ‘Christmas Town’ figures, but we finished up buying a bird box with a robin on it. It looks fine on the cake.

Christmas Eve was the day of preparation and we did manage to go out to a final carol service at the Baptist church. The church was packed and candle lit. However, the technology let them down; lights went on and there was a mad frenzy of giving out a few hymn books. It would have taken a Jesus miracle to share so few with so many. However, a miracle came about and we were back to candles and the overhead projector. It was a jolly service. 


Irene and I had time for our own festivities. At this time Joni was joining in the ‘Danish’ festivities at Fiona’s home. He was not too late back.

By the end of the 24th we were ready for Christmas

The Christmas Cakes

Detail from the Christmas Scene

The Christmas Tree

 

Joni's Advent Calendar

Father Christmas was Assembled on Christmas Morning

And so to Christmas morning. Put out the sack/do not put out the sack? Out came the sacks. One of them is now 40 years old. The plan was to have the same number of presents for each of us present on Christmas morning, but each family group was to have the same number of presents. I think that we worked the plan well.

This Christmas was to be more adventurous with the dinner. We had duck. This was a corporate effort, with a little bit of division of opinion. However, it all came out well and this was the most animal fat that we have consumed in a fair while. Our traditional Christmas pudding followed this time with pouring ‘Bailey’s’ cream, as well as the brandy butter.

The Duck

Later in the day Fiona joined us and we did a present swap. Sometimes you should be careful what you wish for. I was overheard saying that I would like to do another 3000 piece jigsaw. This is exactly what Fiona and Joni gave me. I will look forward to doing it on our return from NZ. Many thanks.

Sharing Presents with Joni and Fiona

During the day we spoke to Joe and Julia on the phone. They are looking forward to moving into a bigger place so that, maybe, they can house more stuff. We had texts from Izzie and Iona. We followed this with a phone call to Tim and all the family. They sounded like they were having a great Christmas at home. In the evening Sally managed to Skype us and we could see the girls, Zoe and Emily, who showed us their Christmas presents. However, I had to leave the conversation early as the Christmas ‘Doctor Who’ started. It was a case of you can catch up with family, but not with ‘Doctor Who’. It’s a time warp thing.

Food sort of came and went during the evening around a game of ‘Cranium’. This game takes super intelligence to know how to make someone else move like a puppet. Believe it. There was no way Irene could get me to be an air-guitar playing puppet.

Fiona was much better as a puppet than I was

On Boxing Day the weather was almost superb. In fact in Aberdeen it was 15 C. Irene and I went a walk around Stapleford Hill and made something of a hash of finding our way back to Coventry Lane.

Should there be pipes across a footpath?

Christmas Colour in the Walled Garden

In the afternoon we watched ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.  We then went on to watch ‘Home Alone’. And so Boxing Day came to an end.

The next day it was when leaving for the Dales' that I discovered an enormous puddle of water in the garage. I figured that it might have come from the car. The water bottles were found to be full and so I thought that it might have been due to water collecting in the car after the recent heavy rain. And so, we set off to see our friends, spending a pleasant hour or so with them. They had plenty of news to share. Some of it we found most surprising. (There might be more later.)


In the evening it was our turn to host our other Ilkeston friends, Jan and Lawrence. This was another opportunity for exchanging presents, enjoying a good meal and catching up with friends.


Wednesday was a time for topping up the fridge ready for our day with Tim and Isla. Once again the garage was flooded. So, what was the pattern to this phenomena? Although the water was centred on the floor I spotted traces of water at the back of the garage. It was then that I had an epiphany. The one thing that we were doing that we do not normally do was to use the dishwasher. My first thought was that the pipe from the dishwasher had come out of the waste pipe.


Once back from shopping I removed everything from the back of the garage. It was then I discovered a pipe end hanging in the air. Problem solved. When I told Irene she remembered me asking her to remind me to replace the dishwasher pipe after I had completed the garage redecorating. So, I can't take all the blame. At the time of writing I do not know whether the problem is cured. I am reasonably confident, but tomorrow will tell.


On Thursday Tim, Isla and the girls came for the day. Joni and Fiona were with us. Our festivities started with Christmas photos.

Christmas photo. Notice the brother with the same cardigans

This was followed by mulled (non-alcoholic) wine and warm mince pies. Who knows how difficult it is to pour warm wine into a small cup containing two segments of orange. For me it was a disaster, but only Irene noticed, as did the kitchen table, the floor and anything else in the area. I am now banned from the kitchen. 


For dinner Irene served up a very nice piece of beef and plenty of trimmings. I was going to carve the beef with our electric carving knife, but, as you know, I am banned.


Before eating dinner came our traditional wave to New Zealand. Perhaps we should do the hukka http://youtu.be/gUgKPyy_tlA next year.

Greetings to our family in NZ

After this followed another exchange of presents.

The girls making balloon things

During the afternoon the girls visited my railway and added some of my new scenics to the layout. Strangely, they removed the mountain climbing pigs and the Doctor Who tree monster.


More food followed and then the party broke up. Irene and I played the new game that Tim and Isla gave me. It is a very clever 'strategy' game. Irene could not get her head round it, but she won both times. Joni and Fiona went out. We watched 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' and Joni came back.


On Friday Jenny and Francis came over for tea/coffee and mince pies (we had four left). This was a pleasant morning listening to the Luckcocks. It is a while since we have spent so much time having a conversation with them even though they are our friends from next door.

The last 2011 events we have are a visit to Irene's mum tomorrow and the New Years Eve dance at the Washington Drive Community Centre, which will take us nicely into the new year.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM IRENE (the editor) AND ME (the author).