The transfer of our ISP went without a hitch on Wednesday and we now have broadband download speeds of 36mbps or higher. A vast improvement on 0.3mbps; the norm provided by our previous ISP. I had a little bit of a fiddle with setting my phone to pick up emails but once this was sorted and caller ID on the phone activated we were well away and can now watch Youtube and iPlayer without continual buffering.
Friday 17th July 2015 - ISP Changeover, Inheritance & Legal Matters, Bat Survey Results, More Butterflies and Cliffhanger for Sale
At our WI meeting on Wednesday evening Claire Putterill talked about Inheritance and Legal Matters. Amongst the topics she covered were wills, powers of attorney, living wills and family trusts. Given the time available it was impossible to cover each topic in any great depth but it was evident that there is plenty to consider and put in place if we are to ensure our wishes for later life and after death are implemented. The final total for the amount raised at our yard sale on Sunday was announced and congratulations were extended to members who were involved in our Time Warp Toy Box entry at the Norfolk Royal Show. We were delighted that our entry comprising of toys from over the past 100 years was placed second.
The results came through today from the Norfolk Bat Survey. This provided us with a list of the various different types of bats recorded in three different locations in Overstrand earlier this month. Very much a disappointment with only three types recorded; common pipistrelles, soprano pipistrelles
Ringlet
and one less frequently recorded; nathusius pipistrelle. Compared to the recordings in 2013, when daubentons, brown long eared, barbastelle, common pipistrelle, noctule, soprano pipistrelle and whiskered were identified, this is a considerable reduction. So where have they all gone and is this due to the reduction in the number of trees in both Hillingdon Park and the Northrepps Cottage Hotel area?
If the bats have been a disappointment then the butterflies have made up for this. There have been a couple of firsts for me this year, nothing rare just not spotted before. This afternoon I saw my first small skippers in the grasses, too quick for me to photograph unlike the speckled wood and comma who the other day, posed willingly for my camera.
Following up on Peter Talbot’s ‘Cliffhanger’, which reached the final four in the budget section of Channel 4’s Shed of the Year competition. Clifhanger is now for sale and is on the market for ‘offers in excess of £32,000’. It is being marketed as a studio but I think it would also make a stunning summer house or Wendy house. Full details with terms and conditions of sale can be found on Right Move.
Comma
Wednesday 22nd July 2015 - FAITH Animal Rescue, Quiet, Northrepps Cottage Hotel and Cate Lays an Egg
I forgot to mention about our trip to FAITH Animal Rescue on Friday. The centre is based on the outskirts of Hickling Broad and is where both Barney and Poppy came from. There were two reasons for our visit, firstly to take them some towels, blankets and a dog crate which were excess to ours and friends requirements and secondly to collect some promotional items. Along with a friend we are having a stall, to raise money for FAITH, at the Overstrand Together’s Summer Fayre on August 1st. There will be plenty on our stall including Guess Teddy’s Name, Lucky Dip, Novelty Mermaid Cake Raffle, plus there will be various household and pet items for sale along with copies of my short story ‘Timotheus – Pserimos Puss’. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the weather will be kind to us and the day will be a success for everyone.
It’s all been rather quiet for us since last Friday; in fact there is little to say. The weather has been good with warm temperatures and a mix of sun, blue skies and showers. I have made the redcurrants I froze a couple of weeks ago into jelly, we have been to the mobile library, watered, dead headed and weeded the garden, mowed the grass, cut back a shrub, Peter has planted some more peas and carrots, we’ve walked Barney along the beach and across the fields, had a BBQ, cooked a roast, made pizzas and a pie, picked vegetables, raspberries and gooseberries, done the cleaning, washing and ironing and ate lunch at *Northrepps Cottage Hotel. So you can see from this; nothing of particular note but we have certainly not been idle either.
*Since April Northrepps Cottage Hotel has allowed dogs in the main bar area. You are not restricted to having a drink as there are tables available in the bar for lunches and weather permitting, you can eat in the garden at the front. We decided to try their lunch menu on Tuesday which offered sandwiches, light lunches and more substantial dishes. We both enjoyed light lunches (Chicken Caesar Salad and a Smoked Mackerel and Smoked Salmon Platter) while we sat in the garden with Barney. Both were well presented, tasty and very reasonably priced. We followed this with a walk up into Northrepps before returning across the fields to Overstrand.
I had assumed that as my hen Cate has not produced any eggs this year that she had come to the end of her laying life. But late this morning she spent some time on the nest in the coop and this afternoon I retrieved a warm egg from underneath her. Obviously she is not too upset about losing her friend Beckie or maybe this is the result after feeding her so many treats since Beckie died nearly two weeks ago.
Monday 27th July 2015 - Out of the County
It doesn’t happen very often, it’s not usually more than once a year, when we venture out of the county. It has to be something rather special to lure us beyond the boundaries of Norfolk. The last time we undertook a journey out of our favourite county was just after Christmas last December, to see our baby grandson. This weekend Peter drove down to Bucks so we could see our youngest son and his partners’ new home. For the past six years they have been living in London but have now bought a house not too far from where our eldest son, his wife and son live. We took Barney with us and as he has never travelled such a distance and has a history of being sick in the car, we took good supplies of kitchen towel with us too. We needn’t have bothered, he was the perfect passenger laying on the back seat for most of the journey, with the occasional peer out of the window when we slowed down to pass through a town. We drove into the forecast rain at Duxford and this continued for the rest of our journey, in fact it carried on through into the night. The worse part of the journey was the M25 where lorries were throwing up spray and making visibility poor. Added to this, traffic was reduced to 40 mph and in some places 20 mph. In the end we decided to come off the motorway and use the main roads.
Our first stop was to see my Mum and Dad, who had very kindly laid on lunch for us. After we had eaten, had a good chat and Barney had fully explored their house we set off again, only to find that the road through our old village, which we planned to use as a short cut, was closed. A detour and another session in slow moving traffic with the final part of the journey through open countryside, we arrived at our sons and his partner’s new home were our son was there to greet us.
What followed was a very enjoyable weekend where we not only saw their house and garden but also met up with our eldest son, his wife and our grandson. We took a walk along footpaths and up to a nearby village and met them at a dog friendly pub for lunch. I am always a bit sceptical about babies and children in pubs because they quite often get bored and either end up crying or running around. However, with toys to play with and a couple of walks round the garden our grandson was well behaved and not at all fractious. The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the new house with time for lots of chatting, photographs and videoing.
Buckinghamshire Countryside
The weather was kind to us on Saturday but it was not long before on Sunday morning the rain started again. This was a shame as our son and his partner had hoped to do some work in their garden. Unfortunately this has been left untended during the period of the purchase (about four months) so needless to say there is plenty that needs attention, in particular some areas of very invasive convolvulus.
A good journey back using a slightly different route that only involved a short run on the M25 and we were back home just before lunchtime. During our short absence from the village our neighbour told us about the force eight gales that blew all the tents away on the camping field during Friday night and based on this we quite expected to see our garden devastated. Apart from some damage to the runner beans, torn fleece which was protecting the purple sprouting from cabbage white butterflies, plus the grape vine and a climber that need tying back in, there was little harm done.
Oldest Smock Mill in England
Today work on our bathroom has started. It’s only half eleven and already all the sanitary ware has been removed, a hole cut in the wall ready for the extractor, a good number of tiles are off the walls and the new lights are being fitted.
As I sit here, our home feels as though it is in total chaos. The lounge is now accommodating our outdoor jackets and footwear and to add to this is; our new basin and pedestal. The new toilet and cistern are currently in the storm porch and other pieces that will make up the shower are in the laundry room and Peter’s workshop. In addition, our spare room is full of boxes etc. to take to the Overstrand Fayre plus our bathroom cabinet and mirror. Despite keeping the doors closed while the bathroom refit is in progress, I have been watching the dust steadily accumulate on the sideboard. I have decided to ignore this until the bathroom is finished and then I will have a good clean up. This morning a heated towel rail was installed and this afternoon the new door is being fitted. Tomorrow the flooring will be laid and all that should be left then is the coupling up of the toilet and basin to the main water supply and final bits and pieces, such as putting up the cupboard, mirror and toilet roll holder. Well that’s the plan anyway!
We have not been out much which is no real problem as the weather has been so awful for July. Just as soon as the sky clears then another belt of showers move across. In between these showers we have been able to do a few things in the garden. Peter has lifted the shallots and garlic and these are now drying (well they will when these showers finally pass) and I have had a general tidy following last weekend’s winds. One thing we have not had to do and that is water! But things are looking up and from tomorrow we should see the end of the showers and Saturday, when the Overstrand Fayre will take place on the sports field, it looks as though it should be a pleasant 20ºC with sun and a small amount of cloud.
Well that’s about it. Hopefully by the time I write my next diary entry our bathroom refit will be finished and we will be back to some kind of normality.
Thursday 30th July 2015 - It's all Happening
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