Tuesday 21 September:

Amy+Mary here very early (just 8am) to continue decoration (they’re VERY good!).
Moira and I took the opportunity to go to the Garden Centre (to order some drip trays) and then on to coffee at Underfall Yard Café.
Walked back along the harbour and then up through Brandon Hill footpaths to Museum+Art Gallery (some interesting netsuke on display).
Had lunch at Browns before returning home just after 2pm (A+M had done brilliantly – are determined to put on an extra coat of grey on hall wall… and to return tomorrow to ensure no patches(!).
A+M finished their work in the afternoon – looks great… very pleased.
Finished my Dod Procter book (and duly returned it to the library and got out books on Klimt and Textiles of Central Asia).
Finished erecting wardrobe 1 (eventually… very fiddly!)… not brilliant but it’ll do.
Very concerned (fretting!) at the prospect of drilling walls for heavy pictures and shelves (I’m loathe DIY!).
Lovely evening zoom with Alan (it’s been a long time!).
Evening telly: caught up with ‘Gone Fishing’ on my laptop.
Image: coloured sails on the harbour.

Monday 20 September:

Busy (well, strange) day… no early morning walk.
Amy+Mary came to start the re-decoration work… and they ended up doing brilliantly well (very hard working and talented pair!)… they painted the kitchen and dining room/living area (grey wall might need an extra coat?). So lovely to have them here.
I did some sketching and some reading (finished my bookgroup book – now finishing off the Dod Procter art book.
We also had an IKEA delivery!
At the end of the afternoon, Moira and I set about trying to put one of the wardrobes together (made steady/good progress!).
With everything under covers, we ended up going to Pizza Express for supper.
Evening telly: ‘Only Connect’ and ‘University’
Image: Amy and Mary lunching on the balcony.

Sunday 19 September:

Busy day, but no church…
Fetched the newspaper first thing and then, after morning coffee, I went to watch the runners set off in the Great Bristol Run (actually, lots of different start times and two distances involved – half marathon and 10K). Lovely day for it – not too hot – and lots of people around to watch and cheer. More than 10,000 runners, I think.
Read some of my bookgroup book, but most of the rest of the day was spent organising the living room/hall ready for the Amy+Mary redecorations. Boxes everywhere (just hope the floor can stand the weight!?).
Early evening, Moira and I had been invited round to Robin+Sue’s for drinks… also met neighbours Hannah and Francoise there too.
Evening telly: ‘Antiques’… briefly.
Image: one of my photographs from the Great Bristol Run (featuring Dave+Ruby).

 

Saturday 18 September:

Fetched the newspaper first thing… and then organised a temporary dining table (in advance of Ru+co coming for supper later.

Morning coffee with Moira and then bused to Storysmith to collect the next Bloke's Books book before walking back to Urban Sketching at Temple church (perhaps a dozen of us?). Good fun… and the weather held.

Ru+co arrived just after 4pm… and it was so lovely having time to relax with them again. Everyone in very good form (Stu had just returned from a couple of days in the Lake District). Moira cooked chicken supper plus plum crumble.
Villa beat Everton 3-0.
Stayed up to watch footie on telly!
Image: from today’s urban sketching.

Friday 17 September:

No walk today. Needed to stay in to accept (and unload) stuff from the Garden Centre… but we ended up getting a phonecall explaining that their van had broken down (they’ll try again next Thursday!).
Made a sketch of two harbour boats.
Spent much of the morning reading and generally catching up on stuff.
Ana came round in the afternoon and the three of us spent a lovely 2 hours or so sitting on the balcony in the sunshine and catching up. She’s a very lovely lady!
Read more of my bookgroup book on the balcony before supper.
Evening telly: ‘Montalbano’… amid 2 hours of bellringing practice.
Image: harbour boats. 

Thursday 16 September:

Bright morning, so I DID go for a dawn walk around the harbour! Good to get out again at the very start of the day.
Yesterday, I’d commented to Moira that I hadn’t seen any hot air balloons since we came to Deanery Road… and, blow me, just after I’d returned home at 7.30am, I was suddenly aware that balloons were close by (‘that noise’)!
I spent much of the morning filling screw holes in the walls in preparation for Amy+Mary next week (plus tried to modify the radiator height position in the living room)… it all feels part of a never-ending process and one where ‘progress’ is difficult to ‘see’. Step at a time!
Ended up going to the Watershed (for the first time in 18 months) for chunky chips/red wine lunch… and I did a quick sketch while I was there (table service only – no queues at the bar – and really hardly anyone inside… although the roof terrace was full).
In the afternoon, I did a couple of rapid sketches based on images from an Art Deco book I’d got out of the library (an enormous, very heavy thing!)… before returning my Deco and Patrick Caulfield books to the library.
I sat on the balcony for an hour before supper (I was going to read, but didn’t!... but did later).
More balloons overhead!
Evening telly: short ‘Three Men in a Boat’ film (1975 – with Michael Palin).
Image: hot air balloons from the balcony. 

Wednesday 15 September:

The guy from Beaver Electrics (the man who did our survey) turned up at 8am and had sorted all electrical needs by 11am. All very straightforward and efficient – even if it did mean that I needed to shift all the cardboard boxes out of the way beforehand!
I popped down to the Society Café very briefly just to say hello (and give Phil £10).
After lunch, Moira went to the garden centre to order a fig tree and some Spring bulbs while I ended up going to Bishopstone Hradware to check if it was possible to order (cut) timber online for collection (answer: yes… and they were very helpful). They also emphasised how much timber had increased in price over recent months!
I finished my balcony sketch and also started an ‘Art Deco’ pattern drawing in the afternoon.
I read a little more of my bookgroup book.
Evening telly: 'The Long Walk Home' (excellent) and ‘Repair Shop’… and early to bed.
Image: Half Moon from the balcony (taken last night).