As I sit to write this, it is cold and wet outside, there’s a definite change to the seasons and already summer seems so long ago. The new season brings new delights as we march on here in the Quirky Museum.
We have some new bedroom furniture.
“Well” says Rachel “what would you expect in such an old, quirky house? Straight walls and floors?”
Perhaps I should have known better. I tried for ages with different bits of wood and tiles to compensate for the uneven floor in our bedroom. Did I ever tell you how I feel like I’m walking down a slope as I come into our bedroom? Even the newly installed vanity unit (posh word for kitchen cabinet with a small basin) is sloping a little. It was been corrected to a certain extend but it’s still not right. At least Rachel was understanding as I almost accepted defeat.
Yes, as you will have gathered, we now have our new bedroom furniture. A John Lewis van pulled up outside at exactly the right time. The two “partners” huffed and puffed to get two wardrobes and a tall boy upstairs for us and, I can tell you, they were both very strong and needed to be. The next day a matching chest of drawers turned up at precisely 8:00am by a chirpy chap from Stoke-on-Trent; this time via eBay. I helped him lug it up the stairs.
There was a certain amount of self assembly required for the wardrobes, otherwise they would be impossible to move. I should say this John Lewis own brand furniture is a kind of poor man’s Ercol. In spite of that we were pleased with them being very well made, everything fitted absolutely perfectly.
Many times over the years we have bought second hand things, or had things given to us. This is fine but this time we wanted to get our bedroom exactly right – it is our space and it’s important to get it right. We still need to add some finishing touches and then we’re done. Feels good so far.
Visiting Hannah
We planned to visit Hannah on Thursday. With the current shortage of fuel in all our petrol stations I had been wondering about the practicalities of making the journey alright on half a tank of petrol. Probably okay but a lengthy traffic jam on the M25 could see us spluttering to a halt.
So the day before we sussed out the opening time of our petrol station – 7:00am. We drove both cars around there before opening and joined a short queue and at exactly 7:00am we were filling up. It seemed such a wonderful thing! But it is also a strange time with thus, and other, shortages. Regardless of the Government’s assurances, I am sure Brexit bears some responsibility for this and I don’t think they have these problems on the continent.
Anyway, we spent a day with Hannah, on her day off from her new sailing job. She lives in a shared rented cottage, very near the sailing centre. It is a bit like a student house with lots of wear and tear and things which needed fixing. I took my tool kit, did a few jobs and felt so chuffed I could do these things for my little(!) girl.
Driving home was hard with heavy, relentless rain. At times it was as if we were driving into the sea or into the blast of a monsoon. We made it back quite late and totally exhausted.
New washing machine
On Monday the 30+ year old washing machine was banging, knocking and grumbling far more than usual. Rachel called our friends who run a repair service and apparently the upshot of the conversation was that it had come to the end of its life. Last time it was repaired, the engineer admitted he had never seen one like it and said it was older than he was.
So without further ado they brought around a new machine yesterday. I quite enjoyed all that happening without being involved in the decision making process! Now I do need to learn how to use it….
Running in the rain
Have you ever been for a run in the rain? Did you enjoy it, or perhaps hated it?
Earlier this week I set off for a shortish run which was to include a little errand here in the village. The rain was only spitting a little as I set off, thinking it wouldn’t come to anything I carried on. No jacket, no hat, just running top and shorts; short shorts at that.
The rain got heavier and heavier. A simple choice, turn around and go home, or press on. I decided to not only press on but also to go further. Yes I know, probably bonkers.
By the time I got back I was soaked to the skin, very bedraggled and I had to peel my Helly Hanson off. So how did it make me feel? Exhilarated, refreshed and so, so thankful.
Turns out my pace was a little quicker than my usual, by about 15 seconds per mile. I had one long, though not steep, hill to run up. No need to walk either. I was so elated when I got back!
Moving into autumn
Years ago I used to loathe autumn because I knew winter followed and that was something I really hated. Nowadays I don’t mind. There’s a certain beauty to the seasons changing which I have come to appreciate more and more. The autumn and winter have much going for them, not least that they help me to enjoy spring and summer when they come.
What I’m not quite so sure about is the speed time flies by at. I know everyone says the same, how time gets quicker as you get older. Recently this has hit me like a 100mph steam train. Already the summer seems such a long time ago and so many memories are fading fast in my mind. It is the physical feeling of summer that I miss so much – the warmth, the long hours of day light, those wispy clouds hanging around high up in the sky.
I could go on and on about that…. except to say that you can probably tell I’m feeling very wistful right now….