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... the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves ...
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gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 16 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The book I have has gone awol for the time being-at least I can't find it-as soon as it reappears I will give you the gen MR, I say its an age thing, but sort of think it is my mind-I lose so much within a moment of putting it down and waste too much time looking for things
!
It was fine this morning when I went out to work at 5.30 and had a good morning cool-due to being windy-but dry and bright.
I have made window sill bits in the past for a friend who wouldn't go to all the rigmarole of making properly or simply buying one, so it leaks! He is the sort who has to have it now, not necessarily penny wise, but not my sill! If I remember correctly they are normally put on a machine known as a 6 cutter, with a block of wood fed in and a window sill comes out the other end perfectly formed!

I know nothing about vehicle electrics, Cassandra, but if it is the earth then that is fairly straight forward-simply select the earth lead off the battery at the spot where it is anchored to the ute body-undo and put back, a very light smear of grease applied to the point that the lead joins the body is a good idea. Also where the lead leaves the battery-basically undo, clean-sand paper, smear a little grease on both bits, replace and tighten up; very often a bit of rust at those points can cause trouble as MR says. This may not work, but it is all I know that may help and is cheap-you can do it yourself with ease, and not land up with a bill. With so many bits not happy I would check that main earth area first.

Are we still on with the house sale, Cassandra? I am assuming it is a case of waiting for D-day!

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 16 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Today is supposed to reach 21 degrees C, tomorrow even warmer. Totally absurd! I shall have to start Spring cleaning if this keeps up.

Mistress Rose, the presenter mentioned the lug pole but not a bottle jack so I really don't know. I did ask and she said it should be linen string but that is very expensive so she was using cotton. I did send her a link to a couple of online yarn shops that sell linen, much less expensive than what she mentioned but perhaps not suitable.

I did finish the Maple Syrup and also the This and That entries for Howell and got them uploaded. Now to start on the butter making. The presenter also made a fresh cheese, much like a paneer. When I started choosing slides there's - again - too much for one entry so the queue is still stretching out ahead of me.

Electrical issues with automobiles are very tricky, says Mr Jam Lord. Fortunate if you can simply / easily twiddle and repair it yourself Cassandra. Clever Mistress Rose to have such a good suggestion. Gregotyn, going to chime in?

All of you know more about cars than do I. For all I know there's a treadmill with squirrels. Step on the accelerator and it drops more acorns so they run faster. Step on the brake and it grabs their tails.

We've had mice in equipment but fortunately not in cars.

Now to do some cleaning / tidying in the kitchen. Out into the garden after lunch I hope, I hope.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 16 7:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Don't worry about mislaying the book Gregotyn. Husband has always been able to lose tools on a completely clean bench, and somehow when something goes missing it is always me that looks for it, and often finds it. Yesterday they lost the sugar in the front of the truck. It was in a sort of white tub, so should have been easy to find, and in fact I did find it quite quickly when son couldn't.

Had a half day in the woods, but got tired rather easily, so think I overdid it on Monday. Husband and son got out the timber they cut on Monday, and we cleared the tops of one tree, so the area looking moderate again.

We had heavy rain overnight, and we are supposed to have rain/sleet/snow most of the day, as well as fairly brisk winds, so apart from delivering one load, we aren't doing much in the woods today.

cassandra



Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 16 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have never quite worked out why men are used in search and rescue as all too often they look straight through the thing they are looking for. It is a well-known fact (at least in the other half of the population).

We had 16 overnight last night (way too hot) and it will be 5 tonight (lovely). As a result I had little sleep last night as it was on with the blanket, off with the blanket all night long. We also had a series of thunderstorms which did little to improve the humidity, and while the rain they produced sounded impressive it was not so impressive when I checked the gauge.

Speaking of books, I have read my last Ben Aaronovitch and now switched to Robert Ludlum (left by a departing guest and not long for my shelves). From light-hearted, ironic humour to heavy testosterone-driven writing is a bit of a culture shock so I am having difficulty getting into it, though I will persist.

Having cleaned the cottages, put out their envelopes, ensured double towels were provided for the two cottages that needed them and packed away the linen order I headed home and took Seb for a walk. The chainsaw massacre continues at Vera's which is a worry, the more so as he does not seem to feel the need to remove the branches he has cut already. Add to that he has now cut down the broom bushes (that actually need to be sprayed if you want to get rid of them, and left to die in place to reduce the risk of seed germination) and I am not at all happy. the broom bushes are actually not on Vera's property it seems. There is a small parcel of land excised from that corner which I suspect belongs to a utility company of some sort, but I was rather hoping to use the presence of the Broom to talk them into handing it over as they do not appear to be using it. Still, it will be a negotiating point once I have some money with which to negotiate.

One has to assume the sale is proceeding though the persistent silence from the UK is causing some stress. It is not helped by a friend who has started a count-down (only two more days to go, are you excited?). I am afraid I snarled and pointed out that adding to my stress levels was not the act of a friend.

If it cools down in time I hope to get to bed early tonight, though I also hope to phone the Bank in the UK to find out why they feel compelled to create a new account for me at this late stage. But the battery recharging on the phone is very very slow at present.

Speaking of wiring, you are probably right about the earth, but electrics is one thing I will not fiddle with under any circumstance, so I will leave it to the experts to sort it out. I will suggest that probability to them when I drop it off next Friday (hopefully, pending funds becoming available).

crofter



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 2252

PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 16 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

cassandra wrote:
I have never quite worked out why men are used in search and rescue as all too often they look straight through the thing they are looking for. It is a well-known fact (at least in the other half of the population).


Very funny, but usually when I can't find something it is because a woman has moved it...

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 16 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Insanely warm weather here. Yesterday was 22.2 degrees C and supposed to reach 25.5 degrees C today. Unheard of for early March. That's the end of the maple syrup season I would think. Didn't know what to make for dinner yesterday so we ended up with tuna salad wraps and a green salad.

Off to the knitting group this morning. Hope to finish the butter entry for my website tonight. And play pick up sticks and weed in-between.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 16 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Done!

Come Butter Come

and as a bonus you also get

Making Cheese at Bouman Stickney Museum

Uncomfortably torrid today. My sister [from different parents as we say, close as sisters but not by blood] gave me a very large rhubarb division this morning. Which I planted by that was the extent of my outdoor activities.

cassandra



Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 16 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We had a lovely cool morning this morning - almost, but not quite a frost. I do like a cool night and after the night before it was a huge relief to be able to sleep properly.

I had intended to go to the memorial service for my friend but got sidetracked into visiting another friend instead. Probably a more useful use of my time, for all the lack of reverence implied - better to visit them while they are alive, after all.

I had spotted this friend next door working with the stallion and wanted to see what was going on. We discussed the issue and agreed it is a case of the wrong owner rather than a bad horse, but what to do about it remains a mystery. She is allied to the horse handler that Robin said had told him to hit the horse around the head with the knotted rope. As I suspected this was simply Robin's interpretation. The actual instruction was to wave the rope to distract the horse if and when he showed signs of aggression - not to charge at the horse when it was minding its own business and hit it over the head. Sigh.

Still at least now I know what he has been told to do and have an agreement that I will report any variations of this that appear to be to the detriment of the stallion. We agreed the chances of retraining the owner are slim short of holding him captive on a horse property and forcing him to get into a routine.

Apparently part of the problem is that the stallion (who is on bare dirt once more) is being fed a high grain mix that the owner buys for his pigs to fatten them....... As I have done in the past she recommended feeding hay and cutting out the grain and providing some copper and (something) supplements, but of course that isn't happening either. Though at least the whip is not being deployed any more.

Speaking of hay, I have a roll bale down the back that I pull bits off from time to time to use as mulch. Since it seems to grow more weeds than it suppresses I have been waiting for it to break down a bit before using it again. Meanwhile a colony of bees has moved into the heart of it (so I presume it has broken down inside at least) and have made themselves at home. We discovered this when I noticed a largish hole that was a bit darker than the rest, and went to investigate, with the result Seb stuck his nose in and was stung. He won't do that again I suspect.

JL I am intrigued by the fancy milk bottle - what a great idea! Though the amount of cream that forms on top of the milk I get would not all fit into the bulge when they are on the right feed. I also try making the odd soft cheese at home, but it seems to use up a lot of milk for very little cheese so it does not happen often.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 16 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Crofter, my husband sometimes complains I move his tools, but the middle of the lounge floor or similar is not, imo, the best place to leave them.

Thanks for those blogs Jam Lady. Interesting. I made some cheese with lemon juice when I had some milk that separated when I heated it for yoghurt. Have made small amounts of butter in the past, but these days with homogenised milk it is rather difficult to get the cream to rise for either butter or clotted cream.

Cassandra, you seem to specialise in people that don't seem to be able to do a job properly round your way, what with the horse ruining neighbour and the chainsaw massacre round Vera's house.

The weather was wet and windy here, so husband decided he would come shopping with me after we had delivered a load of firewood, so son had a day at home doing leather work. Supposed to be fairly well dry the rest of the week, although cloudy today.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 16 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

When I was a gaffa I used to blame other folks, MR, so that they would look for whatever, usually a tape measure! Any where is a good place to leave anything if you have the memory. I loose things now within a moment of putting them down. I was going to say Cassandra that I am only bad at memory now, I was good when younger. Anyway, Cassandra, the reason they send men out on search and rescue is simple who is going to look after the children if the superior sex goes to search of the lost one? We would probably mis-place the kids. I understand you not wanting to get involved with electrics Cassandra, but it would be the only thing I would do without supervision; it is something you can't get wrong as the battery terminals will only fit one way, designed by a man so that he/she can't be mistaken ever.

The book has reappeared, MR, hiding in the warmth under the bed. It is titled 'Creative Spinning' and is by Alison Daykin and Jane Deane, and in a series by 'gaia traditional crafts'. I am not too sure how good it is as I don't think I could learn to spin even if I read it through. I am so pleased that Crofter and son have you to tidy up after them and find their losses-2 very lucky boys eh? I however, sympathise with your boys!! I was perturbed when he wrote, ' "a woman" has moved them' who could that be...?

Weather not too bad again today quite warm this pm , but frost early when I went to work at 5.30. And sitting in the library as I am it has the heating on and I am too hot, fleece top to be removed soon... ... better!

I am getting tired sooner now at work, I think that time is approaching when I will start to do what I want to do and when, by leaving-well there is plan A. I won't go until the lad is back from his annual month off for lambing his and his father's sheep. I just wish I didn't have the company of the other chap who is now in the office and returns to the shop for this month. We had another chap but he left-not especially good at the job, but better than nothing, and meant I could do my own work instead of running after the 'office boy' who is basically idle, but very knowledgeable . If he can stay on the phone and use 2 words where 1 will do, he does! (bit like my prose).

You are right about funerals and memorials, I go to the former but for the deceased's living; the dead won't care either way is how I see it. I just want to be cremated, no service, and my ashes scattered somewhere that I liked whilst alive, but not to go out of their way. It is not that I am irreligious, but no amount of bowing and scraping by anyone can do any good for me when I have gone, too late, so why waste their time? Help the living.

I didn't read about the hitting the horse over the head with a knotted rope. It is definitely the wrong owner, if his attitude is to smack the horse for doing nothing. Most corrective treatment is only valid at the time of misdemeanour otherwise how does the non speaking beast know which was the wrong thing?. This man needs stopping sooner rather than later, or Dobbin will kill him. Oh dear with the feed too. Pig food is particularly high in copper usually. And high grain content foods are for regular working animals which the stallion they have is not from what you say, Cassandra. They seem to need a vet to advise, the food suppliers are wanting to sell food not make a fit working stallion.

I sold one of that style of cream separator JL when I had an antique shop for about £50, doubled my money after I was asked by the farmer to go and 'see if there is anything I want' about 30 years ago. I bought a lot of stuff from him and he was pleased-but not as much as I was!

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 16 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Less than an hour until midnight when the calendar flips over to March 11. Thinking of you, Cassandra, and hoping that the long, winding, real estate road for the sale of your house ends happily on Friday.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 16 8:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I don't think I have that book Gregotyn. The best way to learn spinning is for someone to show you and then to practise. It isn't easy to learn from a book, and I am quite good at learning from books.

Pity you have the useless lad with you at the moment. It makes things harder for you, which could be one reason you are so tired.

Hope all is well with the house sale Cassandra, and that we hear good tidings from you soon.

Spent another afternoon in the coppice yesterday. At least it is a bit tidier than it was as we managed, when we finally got the fire lit, to burn up some more tops. Husband and son managed to cut a few more stools, but there is a bit to do where we are currently working before I can get to them. There are quite a lot of rather heavy rods lying around, and they need to be moved to near the track so they can be extracted easily for charcoal and firewood, then it will be easier to get to the far end to clear another stool and see what we have up there. Think there are another half dozen stools at most, then we work the other way. It is a long thin coup, which is a nuisance, but that is more convenient for paths and access.

cassandra



Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 16 9:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I too have my fingers crossed, though I am not holding my breath due to the continued silence on the subject of contract exchange. So unless they do it all at once there may be a delay (how unusual).

Crofter, I like to think I have quite a bit of experience of people losing stuff and the number of times I have put my hand straight on the thing that is 'not anywhere to be found' within seconds of looking around for it suggests I may be onto something. But then I looked straight at a bunch of keys the other day myself and was unable to find them either. Must be old age, lol.

Nothing to report here today - I have had very little to do or the energy to do them, so I have done nothing. I did, however, find out that it is a holiday on Monday, so that will be another day I can do nothing - something to look forward to after two days of cleaning cottages over the weekend.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 16 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Obviously when one puts something down it is because that is the next place it is to be used-forward planning!, (if only!). Our holiday here is at the end of the month-Easter.

It really is a shame about the lad-well he is close to 40, so still a boy, hasn't learned any manners either; had a run in with him this morning at work over a parcel to be delivered which it is illegal for me to carry as my insurance does not cover other peoples' goods-is that the right grammar with the apostrophe in the right place? He is the stores manager, but a few years back he wanted to go into business with me doing the firewood big time I thought, but he manoeuvred the job to repairing farm machinery about which I know nothing-still don't-he walked away with about £1500 of mine and now working for him I think he sees as payback. He will be in for a shock when I explain to him that I only took the job to get back at him and the money he owes me is that plus interest. Poor boy-he will be so heart broken as money is his god!

The question is would you like the book MR? I did a bit of spinning a long time ago in the back of the green grocer's shop when I first moved up to Wales, but suspect it would be too much now for my arthritic fingers and thumbs to cope. It surprised me that I could chop wood, but I developed a system which uses very little hand movement, and once I have a grip on the brumack my forearm does the work-wrist and hand stay rigid-works for me.

I should imagine that the woods are quite pleasant to work in now that the weather is warmer and little or no rain. To me this is early May weather-very cold am-frosty even-then as the morning develops the sun shines and it is very warm today a fine example' but it is only March.

I hope all is well for you Cassandra, with the sale.

2 whole days off now, looking forward to retiring now, but, well, the money coming in is good. I am reviewing the situation, as the song says!

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 16 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yesterday's high temperature was 25.5 degrees Celsius. Uncomfortably warm for this time of year. Bulbs are hurling themselves forth into bloom in my garden.

Had gone shopping with my friend - she has a membership at one of the big box stores so I could stock up on canned tomato puree, diced tomatoes, chocolate chips for Mr Jam Lord's cookies, etc. They only sell in quantity so tom puree was an 8-can pack and so on. I did get a gallon of homogenized pasteurised but not ultra pasteurized milk so I can try making cheese this weekend.

Then we went to the Asian market where I bought shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger root, fresh water chestnuts, fresh thyme etc.

We passed an Indian grocery store so turned in. I bought a small cone of jaggery - do like that kind of sugar - a tub of yogurt which doesn't seem that different from the usual, and a small one-portion container of mango lassi which I am looking forward to having. We will probably add this to our every other month shopping and lunch routine.

I had noticed 3 Helleborus foetidus on neighbor's property across the street. The only thing I can figure is that in one of our very very heavy rains they washed out of my garden, through the culvert under the road, and ended up there. So in the afternoon I went, shovel in one hand and bucket in the other and brought them home again. Planted them, dug a thick clump of snowdrops next to the compost bin which I divided and planted near the hellebores. Next year it should look rather nice.

Fingers crossed for you Cassandra.

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