Tuesday 28 September:

Another juggling day…
No early morning walk, but I did go down to Broken Dock to check it out as a possible USk location for next month… and then proceeded to Wilko’s for more screws (and had to put on my yellow waterproof because it started raining quite hard).
It ended up a pretty wet and gloomy day.
Received a phonecall from the Art Shop in Skipton (I’d ordered sketchbooks – which still hadn’t arrived 10 days later). I’d been emailed and asked for a review and, in the circumstances, outlined my frustrations. ‘Jonny’ duly apologies and said he’d just sent off a second version of the order. Well done them!
Spent the rest of the morning and the first part of the afternoon erecting shelving uprights in the living room.
In the afternoon, I sent off an email order to Bishopston Hardware for timber (they responded very quickly – cut pieces, totalling some £125 (which was less than I’d feared). Hopefully (with Fee’s help), I’ll be able to collect it on Friday.
Had another zoom session in connection with Adrian’s studies (although it’s been going on for longer than I’d anticipated, Adrian is very good and the sessions never last more than an hour)... but I found this one (on Mission and Evangelism) pretty difficult and frustrating.
Evening telly (after Adrian’s zoom)… 'The Last Mountain' (first part).
Image: balcony rain!! 

Monday 27 September:

A busy day (but no early morning walk – again!).
Forecast seemed as if we were in for high winds and rain, but these conditions seemed to peter out overnight and, apart from a couple of showers, it was quite a sunny day.
Firstly, I endeavoured to come to grips with bedroom 2 storage and stuff. I ended up shifting the radiator so I could fit the old chest of drawers (useful storage if there’s room)… and also modified the shelf positions on the shelf unit and secured it to the wall for stability. All a bit of a hassle drilling holes into dry-lined walls! Loaded up the shelf unit with as many children’s/religious/art books as possible… and ended up absolutely filling everything – and STILL there are loads of plastic boxes of stuff that end up being in stacked in every ‘spare’ corner. All a little depressing.
The shelf brackets and uprights were delivered mid-morning, so I fixed the uprights into the smaller of the recesses in the living room (stupidly, two of the uprights ended up not being vertical – problem with my spirit level??)… but hey! I think my major concern is whether or not the bracket fixings will be strong enough to take the weight of all the books (really)!
I spent some of the remaining part o the afternoon trying to sort what books were in what boxes (‘Dave’ boxes/normal book boxes/kitchen boxes)… and ensuring we emptied all our recycling stuff in the refuse area – before the bins overflow.
Went for a brief walk up Brandon Hill… sadly, the sun had ‘sunk’ by the time I made my trek and it was starting to get pretty murky.
Evening telly: usual ‘Connect’ and ‘University’.
Image: stained glass shadows through the balcony windows.

  

Sunday 26 September:

Fetched the newspaper then church (Saint Stephen’s) – good talk by Phil.
Then home for coffee and early lunch before continuing with picture hanging (including the lightbox). Some difficulties but overall it seemed to go fine… hung 13 pictures in the hall.
Too many pictures and not enough wallspace to hang them!
Did a quick Art Deco sketch (from a library ‘source book’).
Roast supper (venison from the Farmers’ Market)… excellent.
Looks as if Europe will be thrashed in the Ryder Cup (just the singles to come but they trail 5-11).
Evening telly: ‘Gone Fishing’ and ‘Antiques’ and early to bed to read.
Image: picture-hanging in the hallway. 

Saturday 25 September:

Fetched the newspaper first thing (the ‘new style’ Guardian magazine etc) after a pretty restless night’s ‘sleep’.
Ursa was attending a ‘youth theatre’ group at the Old Vic, so H+F called in for coffee – and, CRUCIALLY, were able to help me hang Clarissa’s picture! Thankfully, all my revised hole positions were accurate (amazingly!) and everything came together pretty smoothly. Huge relief (I was convinced it was going to be a disaster).
We ended up going into the centre for a pizza lunch with them (and, happily, Ursa had a lovely time at the Old Vic).
Villa beat ManU 1-0 at Old Trafford (the first Villa win against them for 12 years!)(and United missed a last minute penalty). Dave+Dan won’t be happy!
Evening telly: another Montalbano episode… then early to bed.
Image: ‘And so it begins…’ (picture-hanging!).

Friday 24 September:

Another somewhat weird day… again, no early walk.
I wanted to drill trial holes(?) for the Clarissa picture (in advance of H+F coming round for coffee tomorrow – and helping lift the picture into position)… with Moira’s help, I managed that and then went up the Gloucester Road to Bishopston Hardware to buy some decent fixings. But, when I got home, I stared at the drilled holes and realised that I’d drilled them in wrong place!! Ridiculous.
Hopefully, I ended up making the necessary alterations – but only time will tell (in terms of accuracy AND whether or not the fixings will stand the load!!).
Our Garden Centre order finally arrived (but my shelving stuff didn’t), so Moira was busy organising plant stuff.
Moira had a bookgroup zoom in the evening… and I had a text message from Robin suggesting we met up for a drink… so that’s what we did (at the Three Tuns – just down the road)… and afterwards I watched ‘The Graduate’ via catch-up (lovely, nostalgic and wonderful music).
Image: Indian fabric stamps (which I came across randomly… looking for other stuff!).

Thursday 23 September:

A rather wasted day. Grey skies meant that I didn’t feel up for an early morning walk… instead I started to fill my new storage units with files.
Cut out a paper template for our large (and VERY heavy) Clarissa picture – with a view to being able to drill holes in the correct place without having to support the picture while doing so. Had planned to go to Bishopston Hardware to explore best type of rawlplug etc… but garden centre (see later note!) meant this didn’t happen.
Moira had lip-reading, so I stayed in to await a delivery from the garden centre… they eventually phoned at around 4pm to say we were their next stop… and then that was followed by another phonecall to say that their van had broken down again (ie. just last last week!!). All VERY frustrating.
I ‘sat in’ on zoom Deanery Directors meeting (2 hours of rambling chat from lots of old blokes… and badly chaired, so it rambled on far longer than it ought to have done. Frustrating, but nevertheless, I’ve agreed to join the Board.
Evening telly: ‘Endeavour’.
Image: Asia textile sketch.

Wednesday 22 September:

Bloke’s Prayer first thing at the Society Café (sitting outside as usual – in the bright sunshine)… Robin, Nick, Ed, Dave and Dru.
Moira and I went to Wilko’s (for odd screws, water softener etc) en route to the Farmer’s Market adjacent St Nick’s (bought meat, cheese, fruit and veg). Then sat outside and had a coffee.
Hung Alan Thompson’s picture on the living/dining room wall (first ‘proper’ picture to be hung!).
Spent much of the rest of the day building IKEA wardrobes and shelving units (and, somewhat embarrassingly, discovered that I’d ordered an extra small storage unit – which we don’t want or need!).
Evening telly: ‘repair Shop’ and early to bed.
Image: Alan’s ‘Kitchen Window’ picture up on the wall!