Time seems to be rushing by so quickly – where does it all go? Since my last blog post, Rachel has been away leaving me to get up to some mischief. Annual bike ride, exploring the well and a couple of anniversaries.
First up is my annual bike ride with my friend Wallie. Once again we met in the Cotswolds for a 20-30 mile amble around the country lanes we love so much. Some might say we are like a pair of grumpy old men putting the world t’right. Me? Nah, not at all, not in a million years.
In the above photo, this is our regular lunch stop. It is at Eastleach, a tiny little village with a river timelessly flowing through no matter how bonkers the world has become. The water continuously flows through as the seasons, years and centuries roll by; such a beautiful spot and we generally stop there for our lunch of squashed sandwiches, squishy bananas and a handful of flapjack crumbs.
There’s something wonderful about my friendship with Wallie. In the college canteen I was being ribbed about my choice in music (i.e. the gravelly Tom waits) and Wallie’s ears picked up and came to my defence. He said “anyone wo likes Tom Waits is bound to be cool” and so started our friendship which has endured almost 40 years and still going strong.
We have cycled hundreds of miles together over the years and we’ve loved every minute – including a couple of through-the-night rides. We share some similar tastes in music and art and yet we have different views on marriage and faith. We are such good friends and I do value the handful of long standing friendships like this where we’ve seen each other through some highs and lows.
Exploring the well
Thoughts of Delboy telling Rodney “this time next year we’ll be millionaires” when concocting the latest hair-brained scheme which was, of course, destined to failure have been whirring through my mind. Are we sitting on a gold mine? Toddington Spring Water? Something to see off Jeremy Clarkson’s No Shit Spring Water?
At the very least I have enjoyed exploring the well so far.
I know it’s not a very good photograph but it is looking through the tiny opening above the well in our cellar – can you make it out? I tied a jam jar to a length of wire with a head torch fixed about 30cm above the jar and lowered it down. I think the water is about 15 feet down and maybe 2 or 3 feet deep. There appears to be some stones at the bottom and then a pipe going across (although I’m not completely sure about that). The brickwork looks in good condition and as the surrounding soil is clay, it should be quite stable, after all it’s a few hundred years old.
The water seems quite clear and one day it might be interesting to have it tested. As the village is on top of a hill, I don’t anticipate any pollutants or farmland chemicals.
So, if it turns out we have drinkable water, what should we do with it?
While Rachel was away…..!
Our bedroom was next in line for a lick of paint, so while Rachel was away for a week (up in The Lakes with Hannah) I decided to press ahead. As ever, here at the Quirky Museum things don’t quite go to plan and there’s always a few snags along the way.
Problem #1 being colourblind made it difficult for me to find a pastel green colour on the sea of paint samples. I asked Val, our friendly electrician to help. We found a few suitable greens and after a bit of discussion we selected a shade. Turns out not to be quite right in Rachel’s view but it’ll do for the time being
Problem #2 moving the furniture. We have a wardrobe 90″ wide, made of walnut wood and “rather heavy” is an all-time understatement. Even though it came to pieces, it was seriously heavy and awkward to move. Trying to move it back in – on my own – was just too difficult and I conceded defeat.
Problem #3 the ceiling needed repairing. You see our bedroom is in the oldest part of the house, dating back to c.1650. The ceiling undulates and had a serious crack. This was duly filled and papered over (having soaked the lining paper and feathered the edges) and the result? Not too bad.
Problem #4 still with the ceiling, at one point the paint roller took off an area of either very fine lining paper, or perhaps a few layers of paint. once dry, I stuck it back down as best I could and then gently painted over the rest. Not exactly perfect but it’ll do.
Problem #5 so many cracks, holes and gaps needed filling. Kept me busy for hours!
Problem #6 nothing is straight. I keep reminding myself that wonky floors and wavy walls are all part of the character of the Quirky Museum. If anyone wants these things to be perfect, then go and buy a modern executive house.
Problem #7 the floorboards squeak and creak in places they didn’t before they were all taken up for the new heating to be installed. Screwing them down tightly is easy but I need to know where the pipes are first of all! I was amused by the previous attempts to flatten out the floor by someone using a bit of old metal and nailing it to the boards.
As things stand, I have:
- painted the walls, ceiling and woodwork
- we have bought a new bed (a vintage Habitat bed from eBay – really well made and a modern classic)
- replaced the curtains and net curtains
- replaced the lampshades
- bought a new duvet cover
Still outstanding to do:
- fix squeaky floorboards
- new carpet
- new vanity unit
- new wardrobe(s) and bedside tables
- finishing touches – pictures etc
And then to move onto the next room….
Two anniversaries
This month has seen two anniversaries.
First is that we moved here a year ago, not quite knowing what would happen. You see Rachel’s Mum’s health had taken a turn for the worse and we decided to look after her, rather than plonking her into a care home, which she would have hated. Sadly we lost her on Christmas Day, aged 94. We did our best, we cared for her when she most needed it, we kept her safe and kept her at home for as long as we could.
Since then we have decided to make this our home and some friends of ours live in our original house, so that’s worked out quite well.
Second is that I have been retired 3 years now! I can honestly say this has been such a lovely time and I have benefitted from being stress-free. Things haven’t quite gone to plan, what with our unplanned move and, of course, the Coronavirus has turned our communities upside down. I think the significance of retired life needs it’s own blog post!