Tuesday 20 November 2007

Bathroom complete

The bathroom is finished at last and we are all loving the new power shower. Not to mention the streamlined look of the room itself. Pictures to follow. Now plans are afoot to start work on the kitchen (yippee) in the Spring.

We went to the Palace Theatre in London on Monday night to see Spamalot. This is a musical comedy that is so completely silly it is not really possible to explain, unless one is a die hard Monty Python fan. (Bristish humour). Adam, David, John and I had a really good chuckle though. Well worth the trip.

http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com/

Finally got out to Standen today after weeks of being absent. The task was to start planting the 7,500 mainly hawthorne 「クラタエグス・モノギナ(ヒトツブサンザシ)」saplings that will become the hedge around a field. I then got a message from the school asking me to go and get Hannah who is ill. This is her third day off this week. Sadly, I had to pack up my wellies and spade, but was relieved to see her looking only a little pale and relatively upbeat. Another day of rest at least.

To make up for not getting to dig this morning, I uprooted a mahonia tree [ヒイラギナンテン]that John had cut down earlier this year. We are going to use the space for our vegetable patch. It won't be long before we have seed potatoes in at work, so I want some of those and some garlic and onions to start with!!

Thursday 15 November 2007

Frost

The bathroom is looking better, the cabinets are in and so is the sink. I did not post a photo yesterday, will see how things look at the end of today. We need it done asap, you should have seen the frost this morning. It was like snow. Emily thought it was. The roof of the shed is still white with ice, as is the back lawn. I put feed out for the birds today. They need it. My heart goes out to anyone living on the streets in weather like this.

Wednesday 14 November 2007

day two photos






Things could not get worse. There was a hole in the wall and we could see the garden!

New bathroom news plus photos day 1 (Before)


Work started on the bathroom on Monday morning. Goodbye to the bathtub, which we rarely used...although on Sunday night most of us had a sayonara splash in it. We now have to perform that great UK tradition, the 'top and tail' style wash at the kitchen sink or the miniscule sink in the downstairs loo! Not fun in the cold....and it has been cold this week. It is now day three, and pipes are going in....

Monday 5 November 2007

Guy Fawkes Night Nov 5

This is bonfire night in UK. To remember the plotter of treason, Guy Fawkes, who planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on 5th November 1605 in an attempt to assassintate James I. He was caught and executed, and to this day people in Britain remember the date with bonfires, on top of which there is often a 'guy', a scarecrow like doll that is burnt. It is a rather barbaric tradition in a way. In my childhood we made a guy and paraded him up and down the street collecting pennies! Now kids seem to light big fires, no guy, but lot of fire works. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot!