general – Page 6

how much wood does a woodchuck chuck?

Attentive readers (if there are any) will recall that we installed a woodburning stove last year – a thing of much joy, and much smaller gas bills (even more joy). We have been acquiring cheap wood all summer, and even scavenging from the tip, in preparation for the threatened freezing winter that awaits us, to the point that our little back yard was overrun with bits of timber waiting to be chopped up – but nowhere to store it.

We were keeping our bikes in a bike tent, which was not, shall we say, the most durable of shelters, and it died completely during the gales last month. So we measured up, and got the local shed place to quote us for building a bike store plus log store, to go all along one wall of the yard. £790, they quoth. So when we’d picked ourselves up, we googled a lot, and ordered a wooden bike shed off t’internet for £159, and a log store similar for £200. They arrived this week, and Pete manfully assembled them; the bicycles are now ensconced cosily in their new abode, with the bike trailer and various other bits and bobs, and the log store is now not quite where we planned, but in a more convenient place. This entailed trimming a bit off the kitchen window sill, and taking the log shed roof off and cutting it to shape, but this didn’t seem to phase ‘im indoors, and up it went.

So yesterday and today, between us, we have split pretty much all the logs we bought cheap a couple of months ago, and stacked them in the woodshed, and have chainsawed up all the other bits and bobs of salvaged wood, and we have space for another trailer load, which I have reserved for a hundred quid from the bloke we bought the last trailer load, and that will be enough to see us right through the winter, $deity willing.

There’s also about six bags’ worth of logs in the house, in the log station and stacked round the fire, and several bags of rubbishy (but very cheap, or free) bits and bobs that came from last year’s skipful, or salvage, or whatever. So at least the living room will be warm, even if we can’t afford to heat the rest of the house 😉

And the gas direct debit is now £21 per month, which is nice (although I bet it won’t stay there).

In other news, I have new glasses – my prescription had changed a huge amount, to the point where I needed less strong lenses (!), so I now have rimless ones for the first time ever, and I’m really pleased with them. And I can see properly, which is a bonus – no longer have to take my glasses off to read my phone! Also got a pair of photochromic ones in cool Gok Wan frames, and tempted to give up contacts all together for now, as they’ve been playing me up, but then of course that might be due to the script change, I guess.

Instrumental

I wanted to learn an instrument to play along with the Morris side at rehearsals, and even out performing, so I went down to our local music shop a few weeks ago and had a poke about. Nothing really called to me – I’m a trained pianist, and used to play recorder and guitar too, but my old, slightly arthriticky hands don’t work so well now, and to be honest, a piano is not very portable.

I borrowed an English concertina from a friend, but just couldn’t get on with the fingering – again, a problem with my hands. I did buy a melodica on Ebay last week, on the spur of the moment – a chap in Hull was selling it, so I offered him £20, and popped along to collect it that evening. It’s a comical thing, for sure, but actually its reedy sound goes quite nicely with the other band instruments; the big problems are a) remembering to *blow* (doesn’t come naturally to a piano player :), and b) not laughing – not easy when everyone else is laughing at you!

I had a vague yen for a crumhorn for a while, but sanity prevailed. I decided that a violin was too painful to learn. Pippa lent me a tin whistle, and I mastered the basics of that pretty quick, so I thought I’d see if I could buy a better one, thus we took ourselves off to the wilds of West Yorkshire yesterday on a whistle hunt. That’s a whistle in D, not just any old thing. We headed first to the Early Music shop in Salts Mill, in Bradford. A splendid place, Salts Mill is a World Heritage site, and well worth a wander round. We started with a coffee at the Boathouse Inn, then had a wander up past the (expensive) shops, discovering that there was an Arts Festival on, and a lovely market place with lots and lots of lovely jewellery and so forth – I could have spent a lot of money, but contented myself with a pretty pair of green tourmaline earrings.

Then to the Early Music place – how wonderful. Crumhorns and serpents and shawms, spinets and harpsichords, tabors and renaissance drums, hurdy gurdies, and more recorders than you can shake a stick at. But … very understaffed, and quite dismissive, really. I tried a Shaw whistle but, while the tone was very nice, it was a bit too “soft” to stand out against accordions and concertinas. Then I tried a Susato in C and really liked the tone of that, albeit it was in the wrong key. Their stock records said they should have *one* Susato D in stock, and indeed one is all I wanted, but despite him hunting for about 20 minutes he couldn’t find it. They did say that there were more on order, but there seemed to be problems with Susato stock at the moment (or possibly with their stock keeping), so we departed, whistleless.

I really, really wanted to buy a low D whistle, but I tried every one everywhere, and my hands won’t do it. So sad.

We climbed back up to Vicars’ cafe and had another coffee and (for me) a whopping brie and bacon sammidge, which I couldn’t actually finish, and a quick check on eBay for Susato, then trundled towards the Music Room at Cleckheaton.

They had a wide range of whistles, but nobody who knew anything about them – he fetched out a whole bunch, and I tried a Dixon, but it didn’t really suit me, for some reason, and was quite expensive at £45. I moved on to the concertinae, but he knew nothing about those either, but I *did* establish that I could play an Anglo, at least physically – learning it might be something else again, of course 🙂 But that’ll have to wait for now, until I can afford it. I did buy a mandolin tutor book and CD, and will give my old mando a bash, and Pete bought a set of strings for his old guitar, and a nut for same (don’t ask).

From there we went to Interfish at Ossett, and looked at fish. And inevitably, bought a rainbow wrasse, two hermit crabs with red legs, and four turbo snails. Fish stuff is generally confined to Georgethefish.com, where I shall shortly be writing up today’s travails with the tank.

Came home the non-motorway route, just because, stopped for a pint at the Bear at South Cave, then home, where I ordered a set of three Susato Kildares, in C, D and B♭ for £52 including postage, from eBay. Result. I’d say.

Today, I’m feeling crap – the doctor or the pharmacist has changed my metformin, and it’s really not agreeing with me one bit. Not so nice, but must soldier on. And whistles to look forward to 🙂

end of August

I realise I haven’t written anything about Summer Camp this year – I guess because although we enjoy it so enormously, it must be a bit boring for other people.

This year’s was a classic for no particular reason – some new folk, some people we haven’t seen for a while, and just … lovely. Moyra was very much missed. Only two things marred it for me: firstly, the woman who thought it acceptable both socially and parentally to spend 45 minutes verbally abusing her small child. At 6.30 in the morning, in amongst the campers. I’m amazed I managed to keep my mouth shut. Secondly, I tripped over the back doorstep on Sunday night; it didn’t hurt at all then, but by Monday morning it di, and after 7 hours in the car, it hurt a *lot*. Pete was a hero, and took the tent down, packed the car, drove all the way home, and unloaded it all again, while I crawled upstairs to a hot bath.

Didn’t seem any point in going to casualty – they’d just tell me to strap it and rest it, which is what I did. But I did miss two Morris practices, and far more disappointing, I missed the big dance out at Lincoln on 3rd September 🙁 We did go, and I hobbled around Lincoln with the aid of a stick – it was a grand day out, but I’d rather have been dancing. Still, there’s always next year.

get yer earrings here!

I wanted some new earrings for Morris dancing. My friend Tanya does jewellery design, so I asked her to make me some – I said they must be purple and gold, dangly and not too heavy.

She put together various bits and bobs from her bead box (purple section) and sent me photographs, and I replied telling her which of the bits I liked the best; then she constructed these, which are well nigh perfect.

She has in the past also made me some lovely fish earrings – like an idiot, I lost one, so she made me some more. Which I call great service, don’t you?

Here’s her Folksy page – if you want anything made to order, she’s your woman, and her prices are, to say the least, exceeding reasonable. Take a look!

the riots

I can’t express how I feel about the rioting in London and other places ; my view seems so different to those of most others I have spoken to. And then I read this piece by Laurie Penny, who says exactly what I think.

“Riots are about power, and they are about catharsis. They are not about poor parenting, or youth services being cut, or any of the other snap explanations that media pundits have been trotting out: structural inequalities, as a friend of mine remarked today, are not solved by a few pool tables. People riot because it makes them feel powerful, even if only for a night. People riot because they have spent their whole lives being told that they are good for nothing, and they realise that together they can do anything – literally, anything at all. People to whom respect has never been shown riot because they feel they have little reason to show respect themselves, and it spreads like fire on a warm summer night. And now people have lost their homes, and the country is tearing itself apart.”

Morris dance out

As regular readers will know, I have recently taken up Morris dancing – it’s huge fun, but I still don’t feel I’m very good at it, so I was a bit “ohmigod” when I realised I’d be part of Rackaback’s first dance out last Sunday!

There was a bit of a mad scurry to find suitable trousers (Tesco – I know, I know, but I was in a hurry), a top hat (£6.79 from Mascerade, and Pete manfully cycled over to Holderness Road to fetch it for me), suitable trimmings, and purple socks; the fabulous Boyes obliged with the latter two – they have a fine selection of ribbons and feathers, and I also bought some splendid purple and black stripy socks there for the princely sum of £1.25.

I perpetrated the minimum of stitching required to affix the plaited ribbon to the hat, and discovered, thankfully, that the trousers would tuck into the socks, so no elasticifcation required.

On the Sunday, Pete and I set off for the Minerva, a waterside pub in Hull, where we did a dance out with some Lincoln Broadsword chaps, and great fun it was too, even if the wind did blow, and the rain did rain a bit. I really enjoyed it, but realised that black trainers Simply Won’t Do, so I’ve bought some second hand Doc Martens on eBay – nobody in their right mind would buy new Docs, as they are a right bugger to wear in.

I’m really enjoying this Morris lark – so glad I took it up.

p.s. Somehow I forgot to publish this, so here it is now 🙂

weekend 25/26 june 2011

Poor Pete worked most of Saturday, as we had been running around on domestic stuff for a bit last week. I cleaned the kitchen, did a run round Anlaby (pet shop, returning buckets to someone we borrowed them from, Morrisons), and watched some tennis.

Sunday dawned *hot*. We went over to Skirlaugh to look at an aquatic centre, then over to Albrough (where the photo was taken) – frightening how the coastline is collapsing there. Despite huge red warning signs about the cliff collapse, and huge warning signs about unexploded ordnance on the beach, a gaggle of women were still determined to clamber down, but thankfully they decided not to.

We headed across to Withernsea, a smashing little seaside town. It was full, so we went over over to Paull to have a pint and a sandwich in the Humber Tavern. Good news! – crab salad on the menu. Bad news! – crab salad crossed off the menu. Ordered a prawn sandwich. They don’t do sandwiches on a Sunday. Sigh. Drank a pint of Tetleys and shared a bag of dry roasted peanuts with Pete. Came home and ate an apple. Not, perhaps, a healthy diet.

Slumped for a bit, then tried rockscaping the big tank, and Pete tidied up all the wiring onto a wall mounted block. Constructed a nice Thai stirfry with the raw prawns purchased from Morrisons, and then a blackberry and apple crumble with blackberries ditto. How I miss my brambles at the bottom of the Long Ashton garden.

And that was it, really. Today is HOT.

Oh, and forgot, i think, to mention that we saw Ukulele Orchestra of GB again on Thursday. In Hull! – so rare to actually manage a gig without travelling 80 miles 🙂 Fab as always.

Fish diary

This weekend, added five more White Cloud Mountain minnows, one piece of bogwood, one suction clip to hold vegetation.

Siamese George loves the bogwood, and flitter flutters along it all the time – it is colouring the water a little, but I have some charcoal to go in the filter, and I’ll change the water tomorrow.

Having tried – and failed – to interest Bristlenose George in cucumber, I put some spinach leaves in the clip yesterday, and he loved them; all gone!

12 May 2011 – A pretty typical day?

A few weeks ago, Mass Observations were calling for people to keep a diary of just one day, 12th May. I did it, and sent it in, but I never got round to actually putting it on here. And so, belatedly, here it is. It wasn’t, as it happens, a particularly typical day, which generally consists of work, tea, and slumping!

Woke up, looked at the clock, it said 5.20 a.m. Went to the bathroom where the clock said 6.30, checked other bedroom clock which agreed. Rebooted DAB radio to correct time. Put on leggings and t-shirt, went downstairs.

Turned on Wii for first time in months. Neither remote was charged, nor was the balance board, due to our habit of shutting everything off at the wall, including the Wii. Sat watching appalling infomercials on Sky (although that 3 Minute Abs thing looks good!) until there was enough charge in a Wii remote, then did 45 minutes of Zumba. Ouch.

Had a bath, then had a bowl of porridge with a little brown sugar, and two large mugs of Earl Grey tea. We work at home as web developers, so no commute required. Currently doing new intranet app for client, and setting up a new server for home. Wrapped presents for grandson’s 4th birthday, put them in a bigger box, then wrestled with Royal Mail’s postage site, eventually winning. Sealed box to take to Post Office later.

Henry, one of our five cats, is being very skittish – not easy when you’re a huge blue beast. I think there will be claw marks in the floorboards …

10.15 – Received e-mail from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust looking for volunteers to participate in http://www.bigseasurvey.co.uk/. Looks quite interesting – training day in North Shields (!) on 5th June, free transport. Have responded positively.

It’s now 11.43. Wondering whether to water the post in the front and back yards. Very grey out, but forecast doesn’t say rain, and we desperately need some here in the East Riding. Decisions, decisions.

12.40 – go and cook lunch. We only eat asparagus when it is local, so we gorge a bit. Put some fusilli on to cook, trim a bunch of gorgeous asparagus and steam it while the pasta is cooking, toss asparagus and pasta with walnut oil and some shaved parmesan. Lovely, but would have benefited from some lemon juice. Followed it with an apple. Still hungry.

13.50 – post arrives. Ridiculous, but some days it’s 3 p.m.! Brings bank statement (shame on Yorkshire Bank for new layout – hateful waste of paper and silly font too), this week’s Private Eye with brilliant cover, new swimming goggles for me. Hoping these goggles will allow me to swim wearing contact lenses.

15.00 – weaken, and split two bars of Green and Black chocolate with ‘im indoors. In my defence, they are the teeny tiny bars that that come in a sort of selection box. Very nice, though.

15.40 – depart for Leeds, via Boothferry Road, to post parcel. Am served by a woman who looks worryingly like a younger Margaret Beckett. I drop off on the way – good job Pete is driving. Find a horrendously expensive car park (£5.50 for the evening), then go for a stroll around, before having an unexciting meal in the Spice Quarter. Thence to the Town Hall to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain who were, as always, utterly wonderful.

Got home at about 11.30, ignored by cats, bed with a cup of tea and a page or two of the latest Private Eye.

I donate my 12th May diary to the Mass Observation Archive. I consent to it being made publically available as part of the Archive and assign my copyright in the diary to the Mass Observation Archive Trustees so that it can be reproduced in full or in part on websites, in publications and in broadcasts as approved by the Trustees.

stick but no bucket

Last year, I thought about joining a Morris side – I love watching it, and it doesn’t look too difficult, even to one as terpsichorially challenged as myself.

I went along for a trial evening with Green Ginger Garland, but they weren’t for me; ladies only, further than I’d want to cycle on a winter evening, and just a little bit too serious.

A friend told me about the Raving Maes – we encountered them when we went to the Morris Festival in Lincoln last autumn, and after I’d spoken to them, I contacted them to see if I could join, but never heard anything from them. I was a bit unsure about the costumes, to be honest – an overweight, elderly woman doesn’t necessarily want to be seen out (or even in!) in a basque … And so I never chased it up.

Then my friend Lynn mentioned that she’d been out Morrising last week, and it transpires it was with Rackaback, a new mixed side formed in January, who rehearse a five minute cycle (or 15 minute walk) from home. I trundled along last night to take a look.

Readers, it was huge fun – they even let me have a stick! They just hurl you in at the deep end, and you have to try and keep up; I didn’t do too badly, at least they said I didn’t, but they were probably just being nice. I really enjoyed it, and I shall be there on Tuesdays in future – just loved it. Everyone went to the pub afterwards, and as home is between rehearsal hall and said pub, I dropped my bike off and picked Pete up so he could meet them all.