September trip to Bovey
Monday 12th - I had intended to pick Suki up early from Linda's and set off straight away for Devon, but really I shouldn't have got up at all today but just pulled the blankets over my head and stayed in bed. It was one of those days!! When I turned my phone on (after turning it off last night for the recording) I got the message that the SD card was corrupted. I couldn't rest until I had sorted it out, so I decided to do it before going to Devon. I went off to collect Suki at 8.30 and then settled down to my computer expecting to sort it out in half an hour. I was very lucky first of all to find that the card could be read quite happily by my computer so it was just a problem with the phone. However it took two hours to move the content from the card to the computer as the PC kept freezing, or slowing to a virtual halt. Eventually I managed it and was able to format the card on my phone and then put it back in to the PC to copy my music back on to it. Luckily all my photos are backed up on Flickr automatically so that was less of a problem than it might have been. However I did have a lot of my apps working from the SD card, so I also had to reinstall those - again this was more straightforward than I had anticipated and I was also very pleased to find that the data etc was all there - even the Kobo books I had downloaded.
While the copying was taking place I thought I might as well pack the car - and as I was putting my rucksack into the front of the car I scraped the bottom of it over the sill and the front seat and smeared dog pooh over the same! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't even see any dog pooh on the pavement! I must have put the bag down on it without noticing while I unlocked the car and the rucksack must have absorbed the complete lot! At least I noticed before setting off and then wondering what the awful smell was. So all that needed washing down and disinfecting.
Finally, with the car clean and fresh, and the phone working properly, I was able to set off at 11,30 which was about two hours later than I had intended. The first part of the journey went well but the satnav started to show a delay of over an hour on the M5. Jayne texted to say there was a bull loose on the M5, and the satnav showed an alternative route taking the Glastonbury turnoff which would supposedly be an hour and a half quicker so I took that. Of course, when I got back on the M5 further down I ended up overtaking vehicles I had overtaken earlier so obviously the motorway had cleared once I got off!
I arrived somewhat jaded about 4 pm. I had a cup of tea and then Jayne and I took Suki for a walk around the block and then up the high street to pick up a chinese takeaway - and just before we got to the high street I had a nosebleed. Not a particularly serious one but it was quite persistent for a while. This is very unusual for me - I can't remember when I had a nosebleed before. I decided not to go ringing as I felt somewhat under the weather and we had half the chinese meal and then had a reasonably early night. I was then up all night being sick -again very unusual for me as I am hardly ever sick.
Jayne was fine the next morning so it clearly wasn't the chinese meal or anything we had both eaten. She had to go to work - her final day - and I got dressed as I was expecting the alarm maintenance man but then went back to bed and slept until 11 am. He arrived just after that an did the service and replaced the box on the outside of the house. I had to cancel handbells as there was no way I could go. Then I lay on the sofa for the rest of the day and slept on and off. Jayne came home and took Suki for a walk and made me some dry toast and a cup of tea - and later when I began to feel just a little better I had a plain jacket potato.
The next day I felt a bit better again, although not 100% and we both took Suki for a short gentle walk in Parke and then went to Jackie's for coffee and to see her kitchen. We bought some soup and rolls from the co-op on the way back for lunch. We didn't do much else that day as I was still feeling a bit wobbly. Jayne cooked a stir fry in the evening which I managed to eat ok and again we had an early night.
The next day we had an appointment with the kitchen designer at Trago - but when Jayne got up she said that she had been sick three times and couldn't go. It was obviously a bug - too much of a coincidence to have been something we ate but at different times. She spent the whole day in bed and I went to the appointment on my own!!! I chose a worktop and had a look at some of the doors and things. At lunchtime I went over to Exeter for the rescheduled handbells - we did some Yorkshire Major for a while until Sue Sawyer turned up at 1.15 and then we practiced Cambridge Royal for an hour. We did struggle through a plain course eventually and also worked on the second half of the course, but it was not very good. I took Suki for a walk in Stover through the woods and bits I can't go to with Mike. It was a really nice walk and again nice and gentle. In the evening I went to Moretonhampstead for handbells - Jimpy drove us in his new car which is very smooth and has lots of gadgets. Had a really enjoyable evening and also made a recording of them doing White Christmas which they did really well.
Jayne was feeling a bit better on Friday. I took Suki for a walk on my own to Parke and did the woods and back by the river circuit, and chatted to Malc for a while. Then Jayne and I went for some retail therapy and lunch. We went to Currys to look at fridges and ovens, but they didn't have much I would have wanted to buy and of course no-one was interested in helping us or selling us anything. We then went to Dunelm and had a wonderful time browsing. I bought some new net curtain material for London and a couple of long shower curtains. We had a nice toasted cheese sandwich and a coffee in the cafe there for lunch. We then went to B& Q for some match pots as I am hoping to splash some paint around the place in London, and to pets at home for a bird feeder although I seemed to come away with an awful lot of dog toys and treats too! Then we finished with a visit to the flooring place recommended by Jackie to choose flooring for the new kitchen in Bovey.
We had completely run out of oomph by the time we got back and just sat in the sun lounge doing computer stuff with a cup of tea. I copied the tv recordings Amanda did for us onto a stick for Jayne and then took Suki for a short walk. I had picked up a bag of freshly dug potatoes on Thursday evening which Charlotte had taken to handbells for everyone, and I boiled some of these up for supper and had them with gravy. They were heavenly. Yet again a programme Jayne had recorded stopped before it got to the end. I am going to have to give the recorder a good test through the winter to see if I can discover whether it is faulty or there is some user input going awry!
On Saturday morning Jayne still wasn't feeling too good - and she was meeting Caroline in the afternoon, so she decided not to come for a walk. Suki and I went up to Yarner Wood - which was looking absolutely glorious. The sun came out and it was a lovely day.
I called in to see Mary afterwards and had coffee with her. Had to leave earlier than usual as I was ringing for a wedding at PPT at 12.30. Lee and Emma came over at 2.30 and we had a lovely long walk round Parke - walking from the house - with the 3 dogs. Jayne was home by the time we got back. We sat on the terrace in the sunshine having a drink - making good use of the new bench - and then we got a takeaway curry for Jayne and me and chinese for Lee and Emma. They put the dressing table in their car so the garage is even clearer now.
On Sunday I went to Chudleigh for the 8am service and then rang for two services at PPT. Austin had asked for ringing for the 11 am as his granddaughter was being baptised at the service. I made them up to 5 for the first one and 6 for the second. In between the two bouts of ringing Rosemary came back to the house with me and we had a cup of tea/coffee and sat in the sun lounge chatting. Jayne and I went to Pink's Place for Sunday lunch - delicious as usual. Saw Margaret and Ann Power there - and Ann mentioned that she had been to see Mary recently and couldn't persuade her to go out into the garden with her. I took Suki for a walk in the plantation in the afternoon and then went over to Lustleigh to ring for their Harvest Festival Evensong - Bob gave Rosemary and me a lift. Jayne and I had a quiet night in watching Victoria on the TV and having a light supper of cheese and biscuits.
On Monday Wayne came round to measure up and discuss all the plans we have for the new kitchen etc so that he can quote. It took over 2 hours and I was definitely flagging at the end. Jayne and I went to the Flying Pig for a brie and cranberry panini for lunch and then we went to Sparkworld and looked at cookers etc. I changed my mind about having an induction hob as they did indeed seem to be quicker and more responsive than gas, and also looked much easier to clean. In the afternoon I checked all my threads against the index I had created which was very satisfying but took longer than I thought and I was very late taking Suki out so I didn't go to bellringing as I had missed the start, and Bob wasn't going to be there.
Tuesday was going home day - but first we went round with the plans and marked where all the electric sockets and light switches should go when the rewiring is done. Then we went out for a walk on the moor - it was a beautiful day and we did the Black Hill circuit from the small car park. We both packed the car - a masterpiece of packing as everything fitted in including Jayne's suitcases and bags. Mind you I couldn't see Suki but she did at least have plenty of air. I set off back to London about 1 pm and had a relatively good journey back - listening to the Archers Omnibus and the outcome of "the Trial". Mike was pleased to see us when I got in. I managed to unpack everything from the car ok and then we had some lunch and I took Suki for a walk - everywhere looked particularly dirty and unkempt compared to Bovey. Mike had lots of work to do and was late going to choir - I did some urgent email admin and then had an early night.
While the copying was taking place I thought I might as well pack the car - and as I was putting my rucksack into the front of the car I scraped the bottom of it over the sill and the front seat and smeared dog pooh over the same! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't even see any dog pooh on the pavement! I must have put the bag down on it without noticing while I unlocked the car and the rucksack must have absorbed the complete lot! At least I noticed before setting off and then wondering what the awful smell was. So all that needed washing down and disinfecting.
Finally, with the car clean and fresh, and the phone working properly, I was able to set off at 11,30 which was about two hours later than I had intended. The first part of the journey went well but the satnav started to show a delay of over an hour on the M5. Jayne texted to say there was a bull loose on the M5, and the satnav showed an alternative route taking the Glastonbury turnoff which would supposedly be an hour and a half quicker so I took that. Of course, when I got back on the M5 further down I ended up overtaking vehicles I had overtaken earlier so obviously the motorway had cleared once I got off!
I arrived somewhat jaded about 4 pm. I had a cup of tea and then Jayne and I took Suki for a walk around the block and then up the high street to pick up a chinese takeaway - and just before we got to the high street I had a nosebleed. Not a particularly serious one but it was quite persistent for a while. This is very unusual for me - I can't remember when I had a nosebleed before. I decided not to go ringing as I felt somewhat under the weather and we had half the chinese meal and then had a reasonably early night. I was then up all night being sick -again very unusual for me as I am hardly ever sick.
Jayne was fine the next morning so it clearly wasn't the chinese meal or anything we had both eaten. She had to go to work - her final day - and I got dressed as I was expecting the alarm maintenance man but then went back to bed and slept until 11 am. He arrived just after that an did the service and replaced the box on the outside of the house. I had to cancel handbells as there was no way I could go. Then I lay on the sofa for the rest of the day and slept on and off. Jayne came home and took Suki for a walk and made me some dry toast and a cup of tea - and later when I began to feel just a little better I had a plain jacket potato.
The next day I felt a bit better again, although not 100% and we both took Suki for a short gentle walk in Parke and then went to Jackie's for coffee and to see her kitchen. We bought some soup and rolls from the co-op on the way back for lunch. We didn't do much else that day as I was still feeling a bit wobbly. Jayne cooked a stir fry in the evening which I managed to eat ok and again we had an early night.
The next day we had an appointment with the kitchen designer at Trago - but when Jayne got up she said that she had been sick three times and couldn't go. It was obviously a bug - too much of a coincidence to have been something we ate but at different times. She spent the whole day in bed and I went to the appointment on my own!!! I chose a worktop and had a look at some of the doors and things. At lunchtime I went over to Exeter for the rescheduled handbells - we did some Yorkshire Major for a while until Sue Sawyer turned up at 1.15 and then we practiced Cambridge Royal for an hour. We did struggle through a plain course eventually and also worked on the second half of the course, but it was not very good. I took Suki for a walk in Stover through the woods and bits I can't go to with Mike. It was a really nice walk and again nice and gentle. In the evening I went to Moretonhampstead for handbells - Jimpy drove us in his new car which is very smooth and has lots of gadgets. Had a really enjoyable evening and also made a recording of them doing White Christmas which they did really well.
Jayne was feeling a bit better on Friday. I took Suki for a walk on my own to Parke and did the woods and back by the river circuit, and chatted to Malc for a while. Then Jayne and I went for some retail therapy and lunch. We went to Currys to look at fridges and ovens, but they didn't have much I would have wanted to buy and of course no-one was interested in helping us or selling us anything. We then went to Dunelm and had a wonderful time browsing. I bought some new net curtain material for London and a couple of long shower curtains. We had a nice toasted cheese sandwich and a coffee in the cafe there for lunch. We then went to B& Q for some match pots as I am hoping to splash some paint around the place in London, and to pets at home for a bird feeder although I seemed to come away with an awful lot of dog toys and treats too! Then we finished with a visit to the flooring place recommended by Jackie to choose flooring for the new kitchen in Bovey.
We had completely run out of oomph by the time we got back and just sat in the sun lounge doing computer stuff with a cup of tea. I copied the tv recordings Amanda did for us onto a stick for Jayne and then took Suki for a short walk. I had picked up a bag of freshly dug potatoes on Thursday evening which Charlotte had taken to handbells for everyone, and I boiled some of these up for supper and had them with gravy. They were heavenly. Yet again a programme Jayne had recorded stopped before it got to the end. I am going to have to give the recorder a good test through the winter to see if I can discover whether it is faulty or there is some user input going awry!
On Saturday morning Jayne still wasn't feeling too good - and she was meeting Caroline in the afternoon, so she decided not to come for a walk. Suki and I went up to Yarner Wood - which was looking absolutely glorious. The sun came out and it was a lovely day.
I called in to see Mary afterwards and had coffee with her. Had to leave earlier than usual as I was ringing for a wedding at PPT at 12.30. Lee and Emma came over at 2.30 and we had a lovely long walk round Parke - walking from the house - with the 3 dogs. Jayne was home by the time we got back. We sat on the terrace in the sunshine having a drink - making good use of the new bench - and then we got a takeaway curry for Jayne and me and chinese for Lee and Emma. They put the dressing table in their car so the garage is even clearer now.
On Sunday I went to Chudleigh for the 8am service and then rang for two services at PPT. Austin had asked for ringing for the 11 am as his granddaughter was being baptised at the service. I made them up to 5 for the first one and 6 for the second. In between the two bouts of ringing Rosemary came back to the house with me and we had a cup of tea/coffee and sat in the sun lounge chatting. Jayne and I went to Pink's Place for Sunday lunch - delicious as usual. Saw Margaret and Ann Power there - and Ann mentioned that she had been to see Mary recently and couldn't persuade her to go out into the garden with her. I took Suki for a walk in the plantation in the afternoon and then went over to Lustleigh to ring for their Harvest Festival Evensong - Bob gave Rosemary and me a lift. Jayne and I had a quiet night in watching Victoria on the TV and having a light supper of cheese and biscuits.
On Monday Wayne came round to measure up and discuss all the plans we have for the new kitchen etc so that he can quote. It took over 2 hours and I was definitely flagging at the end. Jayne and I went to the Flying Pig for a brie and cranberry panini for lunch and then we went to Sparkworld and looked at cookers etc. I changed my mind about having an induction hob as they did indeed seem to be quicker and more responsive than gas, and also looked much easier to clean. In the afternoon I checked all my threads against the index I had created which was very satisfying but took longer than I thought and I was very late taking Suki out so I didn't go to bellringing as I had missed the start, and Bob wasn't going to be there.
Tuesday was going home day - but first we went round with the plans and marked where all the electric sockets and light switches should go when the rewiring is done. Then we went out for a walk on the moor - it was a beautiful day and we did the Black Hill circuit from the small car park. We both packed the car - a masterpiece of packing as everything fitted in including Jayne's suitcases and bags. Mind you I couldn't see Suki but she did at least have plenty of air. I set off back to London about 1 pm and had a relatively good journey back - listening to the Archers Omnibus and the outcome of "the Trial". Mike was pleased to see us when I got in. I managed to unpack everything from the car ok and then we had some lunch and I took Suki for a walk - everywhere looked particularly dirty and unkempt compared to Bovey. Mike had lots of work to do and was late going to choir - I did some urgent email admin and then had an early night.
