I wrote the last blog nearly two weeks ago and talked about Jackie doing the most boring job of cleaning and washing slate chippings and I start this one with her still doing the same (although not continuously I hasten to add). She's nearly done and then we can start to construct the top part of the garden, which will be mainly weed control membrane, lots of slate chippings with a meandering path, trees, shrubs, rock ornaments and maybe a water feature and some lights. Coupled with the existing top flower border, raised patio under an ivy canopy shielded by existing lilac and hawthorn bushes with Geraldine's wild garden alongside (who is Geraldine? She's a four foot high giraffe statue that Jackie's mum bought a few years ago and still has pride of place, now with her own wild flower garden around her, while she nibbles her lilac bush).
A look up the garden on day 2 of patio building. There's Geraldine in her wild flower garden
At the front of the garden by the house is the site for our patio which I'm delighted to say has now been started after a months delay (see frustrations in last blog). Our man has finally shown up, dug out a big area ready for the slabs and converted the area into a huge muddy bog. Currently the footings he has partly dug for the retaining walls have filled with water from the current heavy showers regularly occurring in our 'summer' this year. Alvechurch used to have it's own brickworks and, to make bricks, you need clay, lots of it and we now know for sure there is lots of clay in Alvechurch. The trenches he has dug are good quality clay, the type that holds water very well, the type they lined canals with so they didn't leak and, I can confirm the clay in our trenches are of the same quality so very unlikely to have drained at all when he comes to fill them with cement! Glad I'm not doing the job! As long as there's no more distractions for him he might just make considerable progress this next week assuming rain and floods don't stop play!
As it is at the moment, water filled trenches. How is he going to fill those with concrete while full of water?
So our focus has been on the garden, but not exclusively thankfully, I did take a little time out to fit a security camera to cover the back garden. It's not that we're worried about burglary, our back garden is pretty secure, but rather I wanted it to observe any wildlife after our friend John has filmed hedgehogs wandering through his at night. Currently ours isn't suitable for any wildlife except the birds on the birdfeeder. It has, however been useful to observe next doors timid cat Luna who creeps around to check out what's happening in her garden. Here's a less than 1 minute video of the 'secret life of cats' and what they get up to when no-ones looking.
Outside of house things (don't we sound domesticated!) we're continuing with our Argentine Tango lessons in Barnt Green on Saturday mornings and they are coming along. Really looking forward to visiting some of those tango clubs in Buenos Aires late this year if we get there and trying out some of our steps. Just need to go to a few Milonga and tango dances to practice. It's really weird for me as I'm so used to knowing what I'm doing when it comes to dancing but this seems so different to me, much more casual with no rigid footwork as I'm used to in Ballroom and Latin American dancing, so I'm having to get used to being told what to do and having to pay attention, make mistakes and learn from it. I hope I'm not asking too many questions in front of everyone. We're still going to the Wednesday afternoon tea dance where I can lead Jackie confidently around the room on dances I know about. The advantages of being retired!
Out on our walk with John and Keith and this dredging barge has just passed us. It's bow is completely below the surface, why has it not sunk? The driver seemed unconcerned and gave us a wave as he motored by
We've been out with John and Keith on a 9 mile walk from Kings Sutton to Banbury this week partly along the canal (ooh, Life On Mars by David Bowie has just come on the radio - what a fabulous record that is! I'll be singing along in a minute). Keith is a retired canal trust man and had to negotiate disputes, fees, renovations etc on the canal network and he's a really interesting guy to talk to as he points out things on the way and is a very good laugh. A good walk and day out, only getting a couple of short, light showers that didn't even warrant getting the waterproof out. Nicely finished off with a few pints of real ale in Ye Olde Reine Deer Inn in Banbury and a train ride home. Have a look at our short Relive video of the route with photos: click here
That's Banbury Cross, our namesake. Never been there, always wanted to
One of several drinks in Ye Olde Rein Deer Inn with Keith and John
Jackie's been out without me this week, she drove down to Oxford to visit her niece, Caroline who's just finished her first year of four at Oxford University. Exams are done and she's heading home this week for summer holidays before returning in October. They had a nice time shopping and lunch at a Thai restaurant. She sent me this photo of the Bridge of Sighs. The only one I knew of previously was the one in Venice, but there's one in Oxford too.
The Bridge of Sighs in Oxford taken by Jackie. She never takes photos, but she had to take this one as I wasn't there!
Had a great catch up with friends Iain and Bev in Bristol last weekend, we went down and stayed at theirs. Bev is suffering from ME so has limited energy and relies some of the time on a mobility scooter so we knew it wasn't going to be an energetic weekend so we went prepared to relax, eat, drink and stroll round the historic and very lively harbourside at Bristol docks.
With Bev and Iain at the historic Underfall Yard in front of the Patent Slip
Every visit is a revelation and, on this visit we went to places we've never been to before. A restaurant under a road bridge that used to be a breakfast cafe. Doesn't sound very exciting, but it was fabulous. A high class fish and chip place, Noah's Fish and Chips Seafood Restaurant and the skate wing and chips - fabulous! We had a stroll round the historic boatyard Underfall Yard, sadly partly destroyed by an arsonist who was a disgruntled former employee. It's undergoing restoration as funds allow but the old 'Patent Slip', a 'heave up' slipway, invented by Thomas Morton in 1819 survived and is still on view along with a number of the old shipyard buildings that survived the fire.
The plaque telling us about the Patent Slip
Further on we stopped at The Cottage Inn for a drink, walked past Brunels SS Great Britain, another drink at Wapping Wharf and then an alcoholic frozen coctail bar, Brozen bar, where you ate the frozen drinks with a spoon. They tasted divine and the effect was noticeable! More drinks at a harbourside and then head back to the bus stop to catch the bus home.
Mixing the frozen cocktails. That's dry ice (liquid nitrogen)
Except that Bev was so enjoying herself she didn't want it to end, so we carried on to another bar for more drinks! Our heads the following morning were a bit muzzy but what a day - fabulous. BBQ cooked breakfast at Bev and Iains on Sunday in their garden and back home late Sunday afternoon to try to recover. A great weekend, lets do it again sometime!
One of several rounds of cocktails we had. They were fabulous, but lethal!
Well, its much later on Sunday now after Abi and her mum Mary visited to tell us about their weekend, so I'll stop now and post this and only remember something else I wanted to say after I'd posted it. Anyone still reading?
Cheers!
Harbourside for more drinks
Looking out over Bristol docks from our seats
Enjoying the evening sun
Hang on Bev, we can't keep up. Apparently, according to Iain, this is the largest bus stop in, I think he said, Europe
But no, we weren't going to get the bus from there, more drinks please, so off to another pub
The bus ride home was fun. Bev kept this young man talking all the way home. Nothing to do with alcohol!
A blurred Clifton Suspension bridge taken through the window of the bus as we sped along
A final picture. I wanted a coffee after my meal so asked for an Irish coffee (coffee with Irish whiskey) with the cream floating on the top as we used to have in the 1970's. The young waiter had never heard of one before but asked his older manager who created one specially. Here it is - it was delightful!
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