Do you remember when we put this fence up earlier in the year to hide Paul's compost...
... and now
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| next year the climbing rose and honeysuckle should cover the archway |
Elsewhere in the garden:-
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| Hebe flowering beneath the Tamarisk tree |
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| Agapanthus just coming into bloom - I love the colour |
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| Phlox |
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| Honeysuckle |
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| Jasmine |
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| bedding dahlias add a splash of colour in the border |
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| grass is nice and green after the recent rainfall |
On Sunday morning Paul and I took advantage of the early sunshine and cycled south towards the village of Spridlington before turning east through Hackthorn, across the A15, uphill past Scampton airfield and then north along the ridge. I always enjoy cycling the ridge, it’s one of the highest points in the area and the views are amazing.
It’s nice to have a distraction when you’re cycling. These scarecrows made me giggle as we rode through the villages of Normanby and Omwby. They were just three out of twenty four exhibits for a Scarecrow Trail.
Another project completed. The attic room has been transformed into the loft gym!
I’m delighted with the result, it has gone from being a dusty, storage room to a stylish exercise studio.
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| before |
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| after |
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Later in the year it will be fitted out with a Zwift cycling trainer. The television will be linked to the trainer but if I don’t feel like cycling I can just pretend and sit back and watch Escape to the Country!
The carpet for the loft room arrived this morning. I looked at the 4 metre long roll (that is over 13 feet!) and wondered how on earth we were going to man handle it up through the narrow hatch into the attic. Paul told me not to worry, we would manage it somehow or other.
To get it inside the bungalow it had to come straight through the front door and into our bedroom. Then reversed out and persuaded to bend round at a 90 degree angle into the hallway. There wasn’t enough clearance at the top of the loft ladder so we had to approach the hatchway from the angle of the bathroom. To get it into the bathroom we had to go straight into the kitchen, swing it round and head into the sitting room, swing it round again and head straight through the inner hallway and into the bathroom. Are you still with me?
We finally managed to get it pointed in the right direction and with Paul pulling from above and me at the bottom pushing upwards we finally managed to get the carpet into the loft room.
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| final push |
Phew! Paul has spent most of the day laying it and cutting it to size. Meanwhile I have been recovering and researching spiral staircases.
Work on the loft gym is progressing well. The room has been emptied and the shelves removed. The walls were in a poor state but we didn’t really want to go to the expense of having them re-plastered or skimmed. Instead we opted for some brick effect wallpaper! I think it’s worked really well. I’ve also bought three inexpensive full length mirrors to go along one wall and a powerful fan so that we can feel the wind in our hair when we’re cycling!
Decorating had to be put on pause as we drove down to Sussex on Wednesday to visit my dad. It had been three years since I had seen him, I was a bit sad to see how frail and forgetful he has become. Not surprising really since he’s 92 years old. He and his partner, Rita, were delighted to see us. My dad can’t walk very far but that didn’t stop him getting onto his mobility bike and zipping off to the local chippy to get us all fish and chips for supper.
On Thursday I took Paul and Rick for a long walk around the village where I spent the first twelve years of my life. The fields where I used to play are now housing estates and it took me a while to orientate myself and find the old lane leading to the High Woods and Broadbridge Farm. I hardly recognised the renovated and modernised farmhouse and all the old barns have been converted into posh houses. Needless to say it is no longer a working farm. There is still a right of way through the farmyard and the millpond looked very smart with lilies and rushes. The High Woods were relatively unchanged although it was hard to find the pathway through the overgrown brambles. Rick had a wonderful time with plenty of interesting things to sniff.
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| Sussex countryside with Broadbridge Farm in the distance |
On Friday we returned to Lincolnshire. It was a long journey – five hours including a break halfway. Driving is no longer a pleasure when the roads are so congested with traffic. It was such a relief to get back home to our quiet and peaceful village.
Today we had a 'rest day' from cycling. In actual fact it turned out to be quite a busy day and not restful at all. First thing after breakfast we did some work in the garden. Paul emptied the Maris Bard potato pots and was annoyed to see that one pot had been attacked by red ants. The surface of the potatoes are all pitted but I think they will be okay to use providing we peel them.
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| Maris Bard (ant attacked ones on the left) |
Then we climbed into the attic to discuss clearing the room out, decorating and turning it into a ..... gym. Paul has bought a Zwift trainer so that we can continue cycling during the winter. So much for my cosy retreat!
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| attic room - loads of stuff to clear out before we decorate |
I'm feeling slightly saddle sore after a 39 km cycle ride this morning. We decided to take advantage of the weather - sunny with little or no wind - and headed off north towards Hibaldstow. Just before entering the village we turned east and crossed the little bridge so that we could follow the track alongside the River Ancholme.
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| an abundance of wild flowers on the riverbank |
We cycled back home through North and South Kelsey, dropping down to Brandy Wharf and then a brisk sprint home through Snitterby and Atterby. Nice to know I can still do it.
