We're still here in Alvechurch!

Brian and Jackie with Monty dog. Thanks for the photo Helen

Done by the beginning of June? Pah, WE always thought it was a long shot.... The kitchen still isn’t fully in, two of the three work surfaces arrived damaged, replacements were immediately ordered, though apparently replacement plinth was actually ordered.....nothing to do with us, the kitchen is Colin’s Baby!

We have now ordered bathroom suite, double glazing and carpets and vinyl. We’ve bought lawnmower, lights and curtains for the living room. Upstairs (except the bathroom which still needs boarding and plastering) is painted. The living room floor is being boarded on Monday before the work surfaces arrive, so I’m hoping it will remain clear so we can paint in there. It’s all going very slowly!

Now you see the tree in the front garden....

On the social side.... Sunday we dog walked (to the pub) with Helen and Ian before going to another pub, and on for a curry. We’ll get up early Monday (Bank Holiday) take the wood chipper to the house to deal with the tree in the front garden and speak to Paul to confirm he is willing to continue working through the bathroom fit (he says he is, but till I see it happen....) before returning the chipper, having brunch, and talking to H&I’s neighbours, Fiona and Pete, about housesitting for Freddie cat when they go away mid June.

....now you don't

Its amazing what you can get on a car roof (and inside)

All going according to plan, we left Alvechurch at 10.45 only to drive past a patio set, “free to good home” about 10 mins into the journey! Roof bars still on the roof, rope still in the car, but sadly with the wood chipper only 3 of the 6 chairs would fit so we had to do a double shuffle, but what a find! Finally arrived at H&I at 12.15, so everything slipped a bit!

Tuesday was only a half working day as we then had to scrub up to go to Stratford upon Avon for a little bit of culture. The wine club Mum is a member of is a group of friends drawn from the various theatre, musical and Gilbert and Sullivan society’s in Tring where I was brought up. 

But what a find!

They were having a couple of nights away with a trip to see Taming of the Shrew and dinner at the Shakespeare theatre and a posh dinner the second night. Two tickets had become available for the theatre so would we like to take them and partake in the dinner at the theatre? We really enjoyed the play, actually understood most of what was going on, after the initial confusion as they had swapped the sexes of the main characters so was a man, the meal was lovely and catching up with people I probably hadn’t seen in 30 years slightly unusual! We left mother there for the second night, aiming to collect her from the train on Thursday. As it turned out I collected her from a pub where two more people had appeared for lunch. My overriding memory of Richard is when I was probably 7 or 8. During a party at our house he was being carried upstairs past my bedroom door, by a person on each limb, at the start of the third flight of stairs up to the spare room they banged his head, he woke up, and walked himself back downstairs probably to carry on drinking!

Pauline and Jackie in Stratford-Upon-Avon outside the RSC consulting the man himself

Kurzi lamb in the New Dilshad in Alvechurch with Sarah & John

Wednesday we had dinner with Sarah and John, our thank-you for receiving scanning and sending us our post is a great excuse for the kurzi lamb at the local Indian. A set meal of which the main course is a shoulder of lamb, marinated and slowly cooked. It has to be ordered at least 24 hours in advance and arrives so tender you can carve it with a spoon.... it is however huge and none of us are renowned for our self control....!

Saturday we pottered before going to Abi/Sooty and the carpet shop, to add cushion floor for the bathroom to our order and to H&I to return their jet wash which we have made full use of.

Typical Jackie pose

Serious discussion about door planing

Today? Our weekly day off, to include blogging, Farm day (hopefully with cute lambs to stroke and a hog roast to eat which seems all a bit counter intuitive) at Forge Mill and a trip to Brian’s daughter Fiona to deliver long lost ‘treasures’ from the loft. Before Sunday Tea Club at ‘The Merry Maid’ a place we haven’t been to that serves Indian food where apparently Crystal orders, as she does at the Chinese, and every thing goes into the middle. Really looking forward to it and glad the invite from Thursday, when we were both feeling slightly bilious after our overindulgence on Wednesday, could be rescheduled!

Oh, this is what she does when my back is turned

Kitchen on 27th May....

Kitchen on 31st May

And this is how it looked before the builders started in April