Second May update

The Red Arrows flying over our house, right over our back garden.

It’s all been about the bathroom since the last blog. We were very lucky that Brian managed to persuade Mr.Singh, the carpet fitter, to squeeze us in on Friday morning, this gave Tariq a day to rip out and do pipe work and a day to get the towel rail in and get the aqua board in, and gave us an evening to paint the walls and ceiling. So second bedroom carpeted and cushion floor down in the bathroom. Tariq was a star, he came in on Saturday and bank holiday Monday, only having Sunday off because of a family party, and finished on Thursday. We know we shouldn’t moan, and it was really only a very short time, but it was so nice to get the house back. It was really weird trying to eat and relax with a man working in the bathroom, sometimes till 9pm. It looks fab though and showering is now a pleasure.

The finished bathroom. Boring to most people we know, but to us - exciting!

Around the bathroom works, we painted and Brian wired towel rail, mirror and extractor fan. We also now have a guest room, all new and spangley, just need some guests now. We have also been out.

Guest bedroom all ready for when we might have guests, complete with unique £10 note on the wall!

Saturday we drove to Bury St. Edmunds, as did Jonathan and Lucy. We had a very pleasant lunch with Margaret (mum’s cousin) and Ron. They hadn’t, been able to come to the funeral, it was just too far, though they had watched it online, so it was good to catch up with them. After a long day it was most odd to get home to find Tariq still working.

Alvechurch Party in the Park

Sunday was party in the park, in the village so it seemed rude not to go and have a look around, have a pork bap and an ice cream, and generally be locals. The evening was Sunday Tea Club, Mark ll, a trip to the Merry Maid, a pub with a great Indian sizzler restaurant attached, fabulous.

Alvechurch Party in the Park even had an air display of a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Here's a short video of them flying overhead. Listen to that fabulous sound of their RR Merlin engines!

Monday Club was at the Weighbridge, so very easy for us. We went out at 19.45, leaving Tariq with a key to lock up when he left.

Tuesday walk from Tipton to Old Hill through the Netherton canal tunnel with Brian and John

Tuesday we went walking with John and Brian (see our short Relive video with more photos: click here). An 08.30 train start, to New Street, where we stopped for breakfast before heading up to Tipton, for a nice little canal walk, which included the Netherton Tunnel. This was the last canal tunnel to be built during the canal age to relieve congestion of the Dudley Tunnel. 

Geese, ducks and ducklings on the incredibly clear waters of the Birmingham canal

Opened in 1858 it was built with a width of 27 feet to allow two narrow boats to pass, has towpaths on both sides for the horse to pull them. It has air vents, known locally as pepper pots, which means that powered boats are allowed through and was fitted with gas lights and then electric light, but is now unlit. 

The Netherton tunnel is behind and here we are on the Dudley canal with the Birmingham canal passing at right angles over the aqueduct. You might just be able to see some pipes leading down to a small building on the central pier. Water used to flow down from the Birmingham canal to power a water turbine to generate electricity for lights in the tunnel

The dark, means that although you can see the light at the end of the tunnel when you start, the fact that it is 2.7km long means it takes a very long time to walk through it and it is most disorienting. 

The entrance to Netherton tunnel, the 'motorway' of its day. Wide enough to take two narrowboats passing, with two towpaths

We stopped at the Waterfall pub for lunch, which was remarkably restrained on the beer front! We then got a different train back, from Old Hill, Cradely Heath, which meant we got off at Moor Street so had to walk across Birmingham, and through the Great Western Arcade where it seemed rude not to pop into the Good Intent for a couple more pints, particularly as we knew Tariq would still be working hard.

The light at the end of the tunnel, 2.7km away!

Wednesday, another weird ‘lunch’. All the way to Chertsey, in Surrey, for this one. When we were in South Africa, we met Brian’s cousin Martin and his wife Michelle, spending a lovely day wine tasting and chatting with them. 

Lunch in Surrey with Brian's cousin's wife, Michele with friends from South Africa

Martin is sadly no longer with us, but we’ve kept in touch with Michelle who was over to visit friends and family. 

Brian with Michele

We arrived at the pub, to find a table full of South African accents, all very confusing for my little brain. We had a lovely time though, catching up, and meeting new people, before a painfully slow M25 reminded us how lucky we are that we don’t have to travel on a regular basis for work anymore.

Really nice to catch up again with Michele

Thursday was finishing off with Tariq in the bathroom, and it’s done, hurrah! He said leave the sealant to go off if we could so Friday we went off to Solihull to buy me a new mobile phone. Mine has been getting a little temperamental, persuading it to charge on Hadrians Wall was a challenge, easier since John cleaned out the charging port, but it was not long for this world. I hate getting a new phone, it’s so stressful, but have discovered that if you go to John Lewis a very nice man will, for a cost, do all the hard work for you! It still took all day though, but without most of the stress.

An evening walk over Sutton Park near Manu and Crystal's new house. LtoR: Brian, Crystal, Manu, Jackie, Helen and Ian

The weekend we should have been with Helen and Ian but Helen was feeling under the weather, so Saturday we could start filling the bathroom. Sunday was mostly spent hanging the curtains in the front room. They are the same curtains, the ones mum and I spent the whole of 9/11 dying, but they are now on a new track, so they automatically close and open, at a given time, or at dusk, or whenever we want! Very flash. We did manage to catch up with H&I on Sunday evening as Manu and Crystal had invited us all over to see their new house, and marvel at how much work is required, before going back to their old house for a fabulous meal. Crystal banished us all from the kitchen, and within moments produced three fabulous cooked dishes, rice and a salad. She is magic. 

Crystal preparing a fabulous dinner for us in the kitchen of their old house whilst Monty helpfully occupies the floor behind her

Today has been sorting the third bedroom, so another trip to the charity shop and the tip, so I guess tomorrow we can clear and paint, and then get the rest of the carpets laid. Hurrah 

The pre-Parkrun meeting in Arrow Valley in Redditch last Saturday where Brian went for another run. Slightly better time than the week before but still not that good