where art collides

It’s early morning. Dark out, presumably. I can’t see because the curtains are drawn but I’m sure I’d notice chinks of light had the dawn arrived. We are heading towards the shortest day and whilst it is still six weeks or so away it feels as if we are already nearly there.

This morning last night’s sounds of fireworks have been replaced by the regular whoosh of cars on the road outside. Odd that I can hear so many cars on a Sunday morning. People going to work I suppose, or taxi drivers taking the last of the Saturday night party animals home. I’m sat in the TV room which is at the front of the house. It’s slightly warmer than the conservatory which also my office and my normal choice of spot to sit and write. At least during the day, and in the early hours of a summer morning where I can see the garden wake up.

Yesterday I made inroads into the jobs list. This is a never ending task because as soon as one list is finished another appears not to mention the fact that new jobs appear on the sheet of paper before I’ve been able to cross them all off. Yesterday I replaced some light bulbs, installed a new curtain rail in Joe’s room and fixed Hannah’s.

I’m not a particularly diligent doer of jobs. I have to be in the right frame of mind. It’s partly because during my working life I’ve spent most waking hours working in one way or another. Now I’ve started to throttle back I’m trying to spend more time getting other things done. Tidying up the garage for instance which desperately needed doing. Sorting out the attic is going to be a big project and not a one man job. Mostly it needs Anne there to decide what stays and what goes. We’ve thrown a lot of stuff up there over the years. It’s a big attic.

Originally we lined it and boarded it over to be my office. Then we built a train layout up there which was an ongoing project and never quite finished. Finally it just became a dumping ground. Every bit of school work the kids ever did is up there. Those 3rd year history notes are going to come in useful someday I’m sure. The latest talk is of turning into a den. We shall see. It may happen if there is enough support to get the clearing done.

Yesterday I also spent some time finishing off the spec for our new website annesvans.com. It’s our new campervan hire business. At the end of the summer we bought a 1971 VW T2 bay campervan. We won’t be using it all the time so figured out we would hire it out when we don’t need it, which will be most of the time.

We’ve named the van Betty which feels right and because Anne’s middle name is Elizabeth. Betty is yellow and is in near perfect nick. Just needs a few mods doing for when we hire her out. She is sat in Dave Cooper’s garage in dry storage. Dave is going to maintain her and be around for the handover between clients.

vw campervan bBtty is a fun funky project. Everybody loves these campervans. I had her pop top up in our drive one weekend and someone came in to talk about her. Then when I drove her to the cathedral to take some pics, tourists kept coming up and having their photographs taken with her. Hey! Cool 🙂 I’ll get someone started on the website this week. The graphic design is going to be important.

Although I’m up early I was quite late to bed last night. 11pm is late for me. Early to bed and up early has been my habit ever since we had kids. Now they don’t get up at the crack of dawn themselves but I still haven’t been able to get out of the habit.

Time to make the tea…

Not many of them left now,  the leaves. On the trees that is. They are mostly on the ground psyching themselves up for removal into a black plastic bin liner and thence either to the compost heap or the green bin. The green bin most likely. Our compost heap is no longer a heap but a black plastic container purpose built for composting. I think it is still full from a couple of seasons back. Outside the light is beginning to fade. It’s only just after 4pm. Doesn’t seem like yesterday when at this time of day I would have been wearing a pair of shorts sipping a cold beer and getting ready for the bbq. No matter. I like the Autumn. I like the slow slide towards Christmas. I like all the planning of parties that goes on. I like the parties themselves too of course. I’m wearing a coat as I write this. I put the heating on but it takes a while to kick in. I figured I’d just sit here and write. No agenda. No specific subject. Just killing a bit of time. It’s an odd concept the killing of time, especially when employing a keyboard to do so. Die time, your time is up!! The wind is getting up. I can hear it. Maybe it gets louder as the trees lose their foliage. The conservatory is a noisy place to be when the wind is like this. Looking up I can see sycamore seeds bouncing around.

The fishing fleet was all in harbour due to a forecast of bad weather later in the day. I’m not sure I’ve seen so many of them moored up at the same time before. The photo was taken with my phone from the top of the lifeboat launch ramp.

It is now Sunday and it is raining again. I feel relaxed having breakfasted on a sausage sandwich with HP sauce and a glass of milk. The clocks have sprung forwards to British Summer Time although none of the ones that require manual adjustment have changed. There’s no rush. It will change back in another 6 months.

It is quiet in the house but can hear five things.

1. the fridge
2. the clock on the kitchen wall
3. my stomach
4. cars on the road outside
5. birdsong

It’s particularly good to hear the birdsong. I may pop over to Whisby Nature Reserve later to check out the avian action. It’s coming up to their busy time of year.

The TV has just come on. It is 10.03, Sunday 29th March 2015. Xbox begins.

I am happy to announce it’s a typical British spring day. Rain, wind, and in the absence of Mrs Davies who is away visiting her mother, no jobs list. Whilst nothing is written down on the chores front that isn’t to say nothing is getting done. I’ve already dropped John off at hockey training, admittedly because otherwise he was going to be late and it suited me to head in that direction as it took me on to the post office where I had to pick up a recorded delivery letter followed by filling the car up with diesel as I have to take John to Sheffield this pm to play in a top of the table hockey clash.

That’s enough of the long sentences. My next job, unwritten, is to refill the bird feeder. The little loves have been pecking away and the level is running low. Adding seed as well as the suet balls seems to be attracting more of a variety. We are now getting blue tits as well as robins and blackbirds. Fair play.

There is a sound of shooting emanating from the TV room. John is back from hockey training.

With Mrs Davies away us kids get to do stuff. Mainly choose our own food. Last night it was burgers. Today I had planned a takeaway curry but there has been some murmuring of dissent from amongst the hockey playing community who voiced a preference for pizza. Doing both is very much possible. Tomorrow we have a pork joint and I’m going to cook it in the slow cooker. Might even do it overnight. In fact my next job will be to check out a recipe.

In the meantime the rain still falls, the wind blows harder and a storm is on its way. Ships pull into harbour.

The postman arrives. I don’t rush to the door to see what news the post brings. It is unlikely that there will be letters from far away places, descriptions of big game safaris or mundane communiques from far away relatives confirming another year where nothing really has happened.

Before refilling the birdfeeder I will have to put on some socks. Otherwise my feet will get cold.

I also need to buy some new guitar strings. Apparently. I will give an offspring cash to get some from downtown. I’ve already been down once, to get the recorded delivery envelope, which was a family railcard btw.

Cars flow steadily on the Wragby Road. I’m not sure it’s called “the” Wragby Road. Normally it’s just Wragby Road, Not any more. Adding a “the” gives it more status. Makes it more iconic.

I’ve just decided, seeing as it’s raining, to go out and bring the bird feeder in for reloading. Makes sense to me. I’ll just go and do that now. There will be a pause.

I’m back and there is news. I picked up the mail off the floor in front of the front door and two of the three letters were for me. One had a Nectar card that I’ve had to sign up for since East Coast trains was taken over by Virgin East Coast. The other envelope contained my tickets for the Ashes test in Trent Bridge. Yay.

I shall finish this post immediately and run off to tell the lads.
Ciao bebes.

Sunday afternoon and it’s raining heavily here in Lincoln. This is in contrast to yesterday which was tshirt weather. Spring is very definitely here. I replenished the bird feeder and now it is getting frequent visits from robins and blue tits.

I find the rain very relaxing. It’s been a busy day so far. 2pm and I’ve just sat down. After breakfast we watched Trawlermen on Dave (ok I did sit down earlier too) but since then I’ve been hard at it in the kitchen. Firstly I made an industrial sized batch of tomato sauce in the stockpot. I am assured there is room in the freezer for it. The ingredients included 8 onions, 4 carrots, 12 ans of tomatoes, 8 garlic cloves and a bottle of pinot grigio. I did wonder whether it would all fit in the pan but fortunately it did.

Whilst that was bubbling away I then made a pork steak casserole. More of a sauce really but it should be fine. As I write I realise I forgot to stick apples in. The cider will make up for it. I also washed up from last night, breakfast (full monty) lunch and all the food prep. Some of you out there will regard that last sentence with contempt. “It’s what us mothers have to do all the time”. Ok. Fine. 🙂

Joe and I will shortly be going for a drive. His driving test is coming up soon so the more miles he gets in the better. I can hear the lads elsewhere in the house. All is well.

Anne is due back from Harrogate at around 5pm. Although she has only been away for one night it will be nice to see her again. She’s my girl 🙂