The Builder was a bit surprised. He wasn't expecting a box in the post. It was addressed to me. *I* was surprised. I wasn't expecting a box in the post either. And I certainly wasn't expecting a hippo, searching for Freyja, Bernard and Sleepy, wishing to join them in East London so that she too can study, become a Lady of Letters and (apparently) smoke cigars and drink port. I am not sure that any of the others smoke cigars, but I expect they can oblige with the classes and the port. The hippo came bearing vegemite, socks and packets of chips. Hippos bearing gifts are always welcome!
I saw Freyja for lunch on Friday (and handed over the hippo, and her share of the goodies). I saw Tabitha and Cally and Gaz this afternoon and handed over their share. So many thanks to Tammy the Hippo for her largesse, and to Ian and Lindsey who I believe provided the airfare that allowed Tammy to get here.
We went to Salisbury on Saturday afternoon. And from Salisbury we went to Braishfield near Romsey so we could carry on stalking our favourite Australian publican and, entirely incidentally of course, eat the magnificent food his chef turns out (a mighty burger and some truly lovely French fries for me; steak and positively gargantuan chips for The Builder). We returned, well fed and well watered, to The Swan.
It was quite exciting the following morning when we came out in search of breakfast, to find Carl the landlord up a ladder outside our room peering into the fuse box (not that it has fuses, but it's the same sort of thing). There were no lights on in the bar! For some reason they had decided overnight to stop working!! So we had a romantic breakfast in dim lighting, sat by the window. Not that the window was providing much additional light. It was a grey, gloomy, misty morning. Entirely appropriate for autumn, but not much use if the lights aren't working! Still, how much light do you need to eat an egg and bacon sandwich? Or even a full English breakfast?
And by the time we returned at lunch time, bringing the Builder's mother with us after a really lovely drive around in the New Forest admiring the autumn colours, the lights were back on and we could easily see our Sunday roasts. It seems that the trip switches had taken against the beer coolers in the cellar and turned the lights out. (Don't ask me - I don't understand these things!)
The Builder's mother is in a right pickle. About three weeks ago council workers came and stripped out her kitchen and her bathroom. Agreed, they did do this by appointment, but THREE WEEKS LATER she still doesn't have a functional kitchen, the bathroom is more or less a toilet and a shower attached to a wall, the kitchen equipment is in her bedroom and loungeroom (although the washing machine is out in the corridor)and her (tiny) loungeroom is full of leaves and dust and chaos. Fortunately her youngest son Peter lives in the same complex so she can go and stay at his place during the day, so she isn't starving. But for goodness sake - how long can it possibly take to put in a small kitchen and bathroom?!?!?!? She'll be 87 in April and doesn't have the sharpest of short term memories any more. All this chaos and confusion isn't helping matters at all. She definitely enjoyed the lack of chaos at The Swan. And the food! (And the drive through the New Forest)
Lindsey asked for some more detailed photos of the progress of the porch. Here they are:
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| The back door with a new, large letter box. The shoe rack is by the dining room window |
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| The Builder is going to paint all the boards yellow. Then he's going to put shelves up along this wall, which backs on to Steve and Debbie's garden |
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| Eventually all this will go and the large freezer will go here. The Builder is going to reconcrete the floor and then put down lino |
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| The door out into the garden. The hole at the bottom is to allow Marlo in- and egress. The windows are now glazed |
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