New Doors

the bungalow

We are having new garage doors fitted today.  I am trying to keep Rick entertained in the garden room to stop him from barking at the fitters.  If we let him loose he would constantly be trying to hug the guys so we try to keep him contained.

We have two garages, one is integral and the other is situated to the side of the bungalow; the old doors looked very tatty and the wooden frames were rotten. 

old door with frame

The new ones will look more contemporary and they are electric so will open with a click of the remote control.  I spent hours trying to choose a colour but in the end decided to stay with white.  A bit boring but the colour will not fade and will match any other colour changes we might want to make to the doors or windows in the future.

new garage door

Another task ticked off the list.

A Long Ride

Yesterday we cycled 35 kms so I was hoping for an easier ride this morning.  Paul thought otherwise and we ended up doing 38 kms.  There are some days when I wake up feeling a sense of joy if it’s raining and we stay at home!

Today we rode north through Atterby, Snitterby, Waddingham and Redbourne.  At Hibaldstow we turned right and cycled past the airfield and sky diver centre and continued across the flat farmland towards the River Ancholme.  

River Ancholme leading towards the Humber Estuary

 A sign warned us that the road ahead was closed and sure enough, when we reached the river the bridge was closed to traffic.  When you look at the photograph you will see why! 

fire damaged bridge across the river

Fortunately there was a way across for pedestrians so we wheeled our bikes across and then continued cycling along the track by the water.

Hibaldstow Bridge

We eventually came out on the road to North Kelsey, a pretty village to the north of the Lincolnshire Wolds.  We were now cycling against the wind and when it started to rain I just focused on getting home as quickly as possible to a hot cup of coffee.  Paul couldn’t see why I was making a fuss about a few drops of rain and a light breeze.  From South Kelsey we dropped down to Brandy Wharf, back to Snitterby, Atterby and then home for coffee….and cake!

Garden in July and Magic Lights

agapanthus

jasmine

nemesia

It’s been a lovely day and just so nice to see the sunshine again.  There has been hardly any wind either so it was a perfect morning for cycling.  When we got back we had lunch outside on the terrace and then an afternoon just pottering around in the garden.  Paul is cooking paella for supper and then we shall probably watch a film on Netflix.

lacewing hydrangea that was so badly hit by frost

We rarely venture out into the garden after dark, there aren’t many warm, balmy evenings in this part of England.  However, we do have a lot of outside lights fixed to the side of the bungalow so we can light up the terrace should we want to.  Paul has been busy replacing the old and broken lights with nice, sturdy new ones.  He has also connected them to our virtual assistant, Alexa, so she can turn the lights on for us.  All we have to say is, “Turn on the garden lights” and hey presto, the lights come on.  This sort of magic fascinates me. The only drawback is that our daughter, Kat,shares our Alexa account and can probably control our lights from Brize Norton.

not a Lincolnshire photo but the view from my daughter's (Sarah) flat in Sydney

Masks

The rules keep changing but the requirement to wear a mask or face covering seems to be increasing.  I believe it is now mandatory in the UK to wear a mask if you are travelling on public transport and anywhere in public where social distancing is not possible. 

My daughter, Kat, made herself a stylish face mask a few weeks ago so I asked her to send me the pattern.  Yesterday, as it was a rainy day, I decided to make some.  In the past I would have had plenty of old linen or fabric to play with but I have no such resource here in our new home.  But in Kat’s room I found a bag of clothes earmarked for the charity shop and decided to use a red t-shirt and blue striped skirt to make my masks.  For any fans of the Sewing Bee it was a cross between the pattern challenge and the transformation challenge.

Paul and I now have four stylish masks at our disposal in case we decide to venture out into the big, bad world.

A Splash of Colour

When we lived in France we took great delight in having pots of colourful geraniums scattered around the courtyard, it was a very French thing to do.  Every spring we would visit the local nursery and stock up on plants.

The previous owners of our Lincolnshire bungalow were clearly fans of hanging baskets and numerous rusty old brackets were fixed to the walls at the front and back of the property.  These have all been removed now and Paul and I decided we wanted a more understated look as you approach the bungalow.  We placed a stand alone bay tree in a large planter by the front entrance and were very pleased with the overall effect.  Not a geranium in sight.

Except for this...

surviving against the odds

A self-seeded geranium growing out of a crevice between the bungalow and driveway.  It's survived two winters here and we can't bring ourselves to get rid of it!

Obelisk

April 2020

Earlier this year I wrote about this broken lamp stand that we recycled and turned into an obelisk for our climbing rose.  The rose is now in full flower and the obelisk is doing a great job supporting the blooms.

I have waited almost two years for my agapanthus to bloom.  Finally some flower heads have appeared.  I hope they don't get washed away by the rain before they fully open.

agapanthus

A Bit Fed Up

Rick looking out of the window (he is not actually allowed on this chair)

It’s not so much about lockdown, it’s this stupid weather!  Another grey, rainy and miserable day.  Rick can’t play in his garden and Paul and I can’t go cycling.  Well, we could but it wouldn’t be much fun.

I’ve done my household chores (I actually polished the door handles and sorted my underwear drawer today), got some bread out of the freezer to make sardine bruschetta for lunch and some chicken for tonight’s meal and it’s only 9.00 a.m.   I’ve just been thwarted by a scrabble move (Words with Friends) on my phone.  I knew exactly where I was going to make my next move to score really high points and then my coffee morning mate, Ralphie, got there first.  He’s a hard chap to beat at scrabble. And now it looks like Bob is going to beat me too.

Rick is also fed up.  He is sulking because his dad is outside tidying his garage.  A tidy garage?  Whatever next!

sulking dog