Still alive!

Bon soir, mes enfants. I am sorry to see that I have been neglecting you this past week - in fact it's over a week since I posted anything. I'm not sure that I've left it so long before.

We've had a week off, you see. I have been at my PC doing things - adding three or four levels on World of Warcraft mainly, but we have done other things too, between long lie ins:



The plan last weekend was to take advantage of the Royal Society's opening of the Brunel Tunnel at Rotherhythe for a candle-lit tour. That plan foundered on the usual rocks of the bank holiday, which sees the Tube lines and rail links around here closed for maintenance. On Tuesday, however, we made it down to Chislehurst to take a tour of the caves. which went down very well. On the way home we popped into the German Shop and Neal's Yard Dairy at Borough Market and bought sundry items including a rare and wondrous tomato and mayo paste for ellefurtle and a small if expensive selection of fine cheeses, including one rather fetchingly named Danegeld.

Wednesday was a trip out to IKEA - in Thurrock, unexpectedly- courtesy of catpooka, for which much thanks. I suspect there is a return favour owing! I managed to get the chairs I was after, though in a dark brown rather than red. They are very comfortable, though we have yet to install them in the conservatory. That will have to wait until the ancient white dining chairs that we painted emerald green have dried sufficiently to risk bringing into the main part of the house. There are other reasons, too.

A few weeks ago, when Furtle Ma dug up most of the plants in the upper flower bed in the garden, we found that the weight of soil had collapsed the wall holding everything in on the boundary, thus explaining why next door's fence is bulging alarmingly out into their garden. On Thursday, with the help of Furtle Pa, the flower bed was fully excavated and a trench dug. A concrete foundation was laid and on Saturday, we built a new and hopefully stronger wall. Next weekend, I shall back fill with all the soil currently heaped on the patio and we can then think about new plants for next year. I am hopeful that in twelve months time we will have created a new jungle on that side to hide our handiwork. At some point I will have to go next door and help them straighten their fence, which luckily seems to have nothing needing doing to it beyond a post straightening.


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The new wall!


After all this work, we repaired to a local and rather renowned restaurant The Pakwaan, where we had a rather fine - probably the finest - Indian meal I have tasted in many a year.

Today I bought shoes.

Tomorrow is back to work. I am missing my holiday already.

Still alive!

Bon soir, mes enfants. I am sorry to see that I have been neglecting you this past week - in fact it's over a week since I posted anything. I'm not sure that I've left it so long before.

We've had a week off, you see. I have been at my PC doing things - adding three or four levels on World of Warcraft mainly, but we have done other things too, between long lie ins:



The plan last weekend was to take advantage of the Royal Society's opening of the Brunel Tunnel at Rotherhythe for a candle-lit tour. That plan foundered on the usual rocks of the bank holiday, which sees the Tube lines and rail links around here closed for maintenance. On Tuesday, however, we made it down to Chislehurst to take a tour of the caves. which went down very well. On the way home we popped into the German Shop and Neal's Yard Dairy at Borough Market and bought sundry items including a rare and wondrous tomato and mayo paste for ellefurtle and a small if expensive selection of fine cheeses, including one rather fetchingly named Danegeld.

Wednesday was a trip out to IKEA - in Thurrock, unexpectedly- courtesy of catpooka, for which much thanks. I suspect there is a return favour owing! I managed to get the chairs I was after, though in a dark brown rather than red. They are very comfortable, though we have yet to install them in the conservatory. That will have to wait until the ancient white dining chairs that we painted emerald green have dried sufficiently to risk bringing into the main part of the house. There are other reasons, too.

A few weeks ago, when Furtle Ma dug up most of the plants in the upper flower bed in the garden, we found that the weight of soil had collapsed the wall holding everything in on the boundary, thus explaining why next door's fence is bulging alarmingly out into their garden. On Thursday, with the help of Furtle Pa, the flower bed was fully excavated and a trench dug. A concrete foundation was laid and on Saturday, we built a new and hopefully stronger wall. Next weekend, I shall back fill with all the soil currently heaped on the patio and we can then think about new plants for next year. I am hopeful that in twelve months time we will have created a new jungle on that side to hide our handiwork. At some point I will have to go next door and help them straighten their fence, which luckily seems to have nothing needing doing to it beyond a post straightening.


Collapse



The new wall!


After all this work, we repaired to a local and rather renowned restaurant The Pakwaan, where we had a rather fine - probably the finest - Indian meal I have tasted in many a year.

Today I bought shoes.

Tomorrow is back to work. I am missing my holiday already.