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Plague House

Pic of the week 25/2/24

We’ve both (Becky & I) been a bit poorly this week, with a cough, cold, snuffly affliction.  Becky picked it up from our visit to Cornwall last week, and I succumbed this week. I don’t thin I have had it as bad as Becky, but I’ve coughed a bit, sneezed a few times and blown my nose a lot! I’ve been a bit headachey, and have felt quite tired and lethargic, coupled with developing an ulcer under my tongue. I think we are both over the worst, I would describe it as draining rather than debilitating. It hasn’t been helped by some poor weather – today is cold, wet and windy, thoroughly miserable, certainly not a day that makes you feel like doing anything.  I didn’t run today, and I hope the lazy day will help recharge my batteries for next week.

Becky started work at the gallery this week, and sees to be quite enjoying it, certainly less demanding and stressful than working in Sainsburys!

Earlier in the week, it was relatively warm, and we have had a couple of nice days (not stunners) and when it is vaguely bright and you walk home in daylight at circa 5pm it does give you a lift. The daffodils in the lawn are looking magnificent, and they are also flowering in the big wooden planter at the front of the house.  They really do make a difference and lift your mood. Now we just need a few more bright days to go with them to herald the end of winter and the beginning of Spring, but the forecast for next week looks damp, grey and cold. The magnolia has “budded up” and is very close to flowering – I just hope it doesn’t get too battered in the wind.

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A Cornish Adventure

Pic of the week 18/2/24

So half term has come and gone – its been a busy but enjoyable week which all began with a Cornish adventure …

On Sunday, we drove down to Cornwall and went to the Eden project en-route. I must say I loved the Tropical Rainforest Biome: the warmth, the humidity, the lush planting – the sense of being in another world. I am definitely going through a “plant phase” at the moment, enjoying my garden and getting into houseplants, and the rainforest biome really tapped into this. It was spectacular, particularly ascending the steps to the ceiling of the biome. We were some 30 metres up – with apparently, another 20 metres to the roof – looking down on all the planting.  It was hot – 32 degrees, with circa 82% humidity – we were lucky, they shut access to the stairs whilst we were on them: 5 mins later we wouldn’t have been able to go above the canopy. (We were up there at about 1.30pm , when asked, staff said access would reopen if the temperature fell a little, possibly around 3pm)

The Mediterranean biome was good, but not as good as the rain forest biome – it didn’t seem to contain so much, it didn’t have the same “wow” factor, but perhaps that’s because we’ve seen the real thing?

On Monday we went to the Lost Gardens of Heligan – impressive, peaceful (when we escaped the families and kids!) and inspirational.

I particularly liked the mass of tree ferns – it did feel like you would see a pterodactyl swooping through the value at one point .

And the formal gardens were beautifully presented as well

On Tuesday we came home, via IKEA, where, inspired by our visits, I bought some house plants. Our garden didn’t match those we’d seen but the daffodils in the lawn are giving a much needed burst of colour.

This photo doesn’t do it justice – it already looks better than that, but I include for future reference.

Wednesday I was at the dentist and they have recommended a filling (one of my current fillings – back right) is cracked and needs replacing. Have booked it in for May half term for the princely sum of £192! Shocking!

Thursday saw the Corsa – the red shed – taken away. I got £150 quid for it. On the Saturday I got it to start by taking off and refitting the battery, but that was the last time I was able to get it started. So the 205 is now my daily runner!  It had been a nice day on Thursday, but by late afternoon, when he arrived to take the Cosa away, a mizzle had set in, giving a somewhat melancholic feel to the sad farewell to a loyal servant who had led a tough life. Three and a half years we’d had the car – it was not the best I have ever bought and I did save it from extinction on s few occasions (exhaust, jumping teeth on the timing chain, water pump, rust in a sill) but this was its time.

On Friday we went to the cinema, at Strode, to see the Holdovers

A little sad, and not the greatest of movies, but I’m glad we went.

And now its Sunday, time to gear up for the return to school for six weeks until the Easter break.  The weather is improving, days are getting longer, I often think the first half of the Spring term is the toughest of the year – I hope it was the case this year and the next half of term is not so exhausting.

 

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Death of the red shed

Pic of the week

Wednesday afternoon – cold, tired and miserable, after refereeing a somewhat unnecessarily tetchy U15B team game, I go to the car and turn the key. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The car wouldn’t start.

Now, I can’t say I hadn’t been warned: on Saturday, again at Kingweston, getting into the car after my match, I turn the key, it fires up and dies immediately.  I try again, nothing. And then again, and it bursts into life, I drive home and forget about it. Wednesady afternoon, going to Kingweston it did the same. I did pause, I did think “perhaps I shouldn’t take her” but she was running fine, and I figured worst came scenario the same thing would happen, so I drove to Kingweston – the airbag light coming on a couple of times on route.

But no, I was getting nothing.  Got a lift back to Street and I was annoyed (at myself more than anything, for ignoring the earlier gremlins). I figured it was either a sticking starter motor or, more likely, a failing ECU.  Anyway, we waited at home for about half an hour to allow the masses to disperse, I grabbed a few tools, and Becky took me back to Kingweston.

Suspecting an intermittent ecu/electrical problem I thought I’d try disconnecting the battery, reconnect it, and try and start the car.

I tried, I failed.

I was pretty much all out of ideas, and beginning to think about how I was going to get the red shed home, or arrange for it to be collected from Kingweston. I could see my half term being lost in admin and faff.

One last shot: I disconnected the battery again, but this time left it disconnected for longer, about 3 minutes.

I put the key in the car and turned. Still nothing.  This was the last throw of the dice.

But, but, I thought I’d heard a click of a servo I hadn’t heard before, so I gave the key one last turn, and old faithful burst into life! Overjoyed, I gingerly nursed her back home, the dashboard lights flashing like some poor-mans ’80s disco, but I got home. I was a happy man!

On Friday I tried firing her up again – nothing, but after disconnecting and reconnecting the battery I coaxed her into life. Same again today.

But the red shed is dead. I have arranged for her to be collected on Thursday afternoon, netting me the princely sum of £150 (at this stage, any money is a bonus, I just want her out of my life now)

And cometh the hour, cometh the 205 which will now be elevated to second car status and pressed into regular use.

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Films and thermostats

Pics of the week 4/2/24

Last night was cinema night.  Becky and I went to see the film “Next Goal Wins” at Strode studio we both really enjoyed the film. Based on a true story, it was about the American Samoa football team – the worst in the world – who were still licking there wounds after a record 31-0 defeat by Australia. They hired a new coach to try and turn around their fortunes, and it was a film about him, rather than football, all set against a back drop of green mountains, blue sea and even bluer sky (I think I could be happy living on that island!) The film was light hearted, funny at times and suitably uplifting to have made it worth dragging ones tired body out of the house on a Saturday evening, when a comfy sofa on which to snooze was the alternative!

Also this week, Becky came home on Tuesday saying that her car had made a “pffft” noise – not unlike me, asleep, she said – and then produced a lot of smoke.  My initial diagnosis that a coolant pipe had burst or come loose was correct, I found that one of the pipes from the thermostat had broken – the plastic insert that joins the body of the thermostat to the pipe had broken, necessitating removal and replacement of the thermostat.  As ever, the trickiest part was getting access – in the end I removed the battery and battery bay, I also removed the ecu, but probably didn’t need to, replaced the thermostat (£20) and the job was done.  Did rather enjoy the whole process.  This is the offending part (the black plastic insert had sheared at the joint with the body):

Sophie came home on Tuesday – fed up with the noise of the railway repair work going on outside her flat at night and it was nice to see her, although she was not feeling 100%  I think I’ve got over my cold, but am tired – I need half term to come in four and a half days ….

Not one that I planted, but the first daffodil is flowering – in the stone trugg outside my room, I don’t think it will be too long before a number of others are in flower as well. I hope so!