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... the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves ...
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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Dec 16, 20 9:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes, of course Gregotyn. If you let me know the length of leg and foot, I can make you some. I like to have some knitting to do to keep my hands occupied.

Went out with husband yesterday to try to get some small timber in for log sacks. The stuff we were after was small enough to carry in 6-7' lengths. The first problem was getting the truck up the hill to it. We couldn't get it up even in low 4 wheel drive, so husband had to take a detour through the wood on a gentler slope. He cut some of it up and we loaded up the back of the truck, cut, and where necessary split it, then unloaded most of it, by which time it was getting dark. This was punctuated by having rests and rain showers, but at least we have a big pile under cover. Just as well as I am sure we will get another order from at least one outlet and still owe a part order to another. What with carrying the timber around, rather a tiring day.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Dec 17, 20 10:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thankyou MR, I will go home and let you know my size of foot and length of leg. Not a process I wish to carry out in the library-probably get a ban for such a thing and knock most people out!
Yes timber lugging is a tiring process. I used to do it in my youth, but I was young, strong and fit 50 years ago. It is annoying how I have to ask a neighbour to come and help today. I guess I helped others out when I was young and fit. I did have a friend who gave me a compliment on my working ability a year ago, when I was taking my wood to go through their machine, as I was picking up 18 ft long logs for a crosscut bench saw, for lengths of 6 feet and stacking them. I remember his words, "You're fit for an old 'un!" They are going out of the kindling trade and have a kindling cutter for sale. I think they would like to carry on but the bulk of the work is done in the winter after felling and upsets the lambing and milking processes. How the one lad did it all I don't know. He has a small farm, and also does electrical fixing in new factories, with a wife and 2 baby children! The wife teaches and used to come to help with the kindling too! Anyway I will chase the machine if I can.
I saw a fun thing this morning when I was delivering kindling. 3 Ladies talking in the roadway entrance to the doctors, the Spar and the main town car park, one of whom had parked in the middle of the road blocking all in and out traffic! I wished I had a camera! I am not without blame in these sort of cases, sometimes-perhaps it is an elderly "thing"!
Funny weather right now round here too, MR. We have what seems like good sunshine, but the first step off the road onto grass and my motor says no chance. I spin going up my small drive with solid grit/stone underneath. I am managing to chop wood, but thank goodness I got some ready earlier on in the year, as it is flying off the shelves and I can't really keep up and January has not even arrived yet. If I haven't got it I can't sell it.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 20 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Could you PM me with the information about the socks please Gregotyn. Also what thickness wool you want them made out of. The ladies in the library may be able to help you there. I use 4ply for mine, but you may want double knitting thickness.

Yesterday was a log sack day for us. We filled some more, plus some reuseable ones and they are ready to go tomorrow. I have a pick up for a besom today and an order for another one to deliver to one of our outlets next week. The lady that ordered the previous one was pleased with it and wants another one.

The weather here isn't supposed to be very nice today, so being indoors isn't a bad thing. Sadly the forecast for next week isn't good, and we still have a few log loads to do, plus any log sacks that are wanted.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Dec 18, 20 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yes I will pm you MR as soon as I remember the foot and leg size. I have been to the doctors today ref COPD with an appointment, but they don't stick to them, and having sat for an hour I have explained what to do with the copd test. Annoying in practise, but I have other things to do and if they can't stick to their half neither can I, since I was waiting before lunch time and no one else went in in front of me. Weather here not good, mainly wet and it rained in the night too. I have done nothing today except get an earful from the friends in Bridgnorth, where I thought I was going for Christmas, but there is a week to go. I will go back and eat humble pie when I have done here-I need to, they are my best friends of many years-45 to be exact, and we have done a lot together-ah well.

Yesterday I chopped wood and enjoyed it, but now the dark comes early, I have no electric lighting in the wood shed so I have to finish early with the chopper, but I have a torch for sawing which is helpful in daylight as the action bit of the saw has no direct light onto it. The old saw is getting past its best and sometimes doesn't want to start so I have to give it some gentle taps and it usually performs. The trouble is that it is old, but I want to carry on but hoped not to have to buy another saw. They are no longer the £200 I gave for it about 30 years ago.

I should be in tomorrow all being well and will try to remember the sock size.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Dec 19, 20 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Oh dear! Calm down and talk nicely to your friends, then go and have a nice cup of tea sounds the best thing. If it is about going there at Christmas, I am afraid I don't think a lot is going to change between now and then, at least not for the better.

Sent of another besom yesterday, but the weather was wet and windy here, so didn't bother going out. Managed to write the Christmas cards anyway, so they will be on their way today, as will some more log sacks. Luckily it seems to have cleared over in the night.

Go careful with your saw Gregotyn. You may be able to get a good reconditioned one for less than full price if you need one, but of course they have gone up rather a lot over the years, and I expect £200 was expensive when you bought it.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Sat Dec 19, 20 11:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I can't go round and see the friends they are 40 miles away in England. I think I may have blown it, but that's life. I didn't realise they were not having the Christmas Day with the children and me there too. They had decided to separate us and do the family Christmas with daughter on boxing day and me come home on Christmas day, but this was not explained. I had planned to stay at home full stop and said so, a few months ago when all this set out. Such a shame to fall out as such when we have been friends for so long-40 +/- years. It is ok with me as I have so much to do at home and I will be able to get more kindling into stock, being down to about 40 nets is not good at this time of the year.
I have to find out how to PM again, MR, for the info you need, but I have done the spade work with the tape measure. If I can't hack the pm, I will send the gen through the snail mail post. I am not sure how the knitting process happens now in wool sizes, but my adviser in this matter-the girl in the library-says double knitting is the one!
I have a lot of wood to cut, sticks and logs to do. The library is apparently open right up to Christmas eve so I should during the holiday be able to catch up. Worryingly the lads I used to help before this virus struck, have decided to sell their round of kindling, so there will be a need for someone to take that over, but I will no doubt have to chop more to make up some slack, till the next man takes it on-we will see! If my neighbour would only retire, we could do this together and reduce my arm ache! I can have a lot more pallets now from where I used to work so that is a plus, wish they would have let me in sooner!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 21 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

As we haven't heard anything of Gregotyn for a while, I wrote to him and received a letter back from him yesterday. He is well and still doing his kindling, but he can't use the computer at the library as it is 'out of bounds' at present due to Covid 19 restrictions. He has, in conjunction with his supplier, reduced the size of his kindling sacks, which in my opinion is not before time, as they were rather large before.

Cassandra is still posting on other subjects on FB, but doesn't seem to have been doing anything particularly 'DS'y lately, which is probably why no posts here.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8576
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 21 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Good to hear that they are both ok

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 21 1:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Surprise, Surprise! the library is at long last available for me to compute, but at a much reduced-council ruling-time allowance, 25% reduction and with my ability to type...., but as my very Yorkshire Dad would have said "better " 'un 'ought lad"

I have not been idle, but have given up working and relying on my "oap" status!. Well that and a bit of doing things for folks results in a meal or so often supplied for which I am grateful as my cooking ability is totally reliant on the microwave, or as I call it removing the wrapper. The firewood has continued to grow and is selling well even now, as the weather is somewhat warm, but I am not complaining. I have managed to build up a degree of stock nets ready for the onslaught of cold weather. A neighbour has made a mechanical-manual-chopper for me which 'saves' the right arm from having to chop and all I do is place the wood and bring down the axe head sited on a long bar, onto the waiting piece of kindling.

I left the work place with an argument with my immediate boss, who owed me a lot of money from previous "engagements" where I provided the money to buy old tractors and do them up and sell them. Unfortunately he was using the money to do his thing of collecting old tractors. When I asked to go and start to learn about these tractors he told me that he had told his father I was his customer not his partner! The money came back, no interest, but £8k is better than nothing. However my boss called me in to see them and explain what had happened between the 2 of us-I told him and my immediate manager landed up with the sack; couldn't happen to a nicer chap! No-one there liked him, even though his tractor knowledge was spectacular. His bed time reading was tractor manuals-and at 40yo he had never had a girlfriend!

Enough of me, how are you all? I hope you have all come out the other side as I now call "it" and that normality is returning. Today is the first day the library has opened. I was toying with the idea of getting a 'phone line put in and buying a computer to not have to be reliant on the library, but I am told they don't come cheap, as they used to. When one of these machines goes wrong here they simply get a new one at my rates expense!

I will have to pop through the previous postings and see how you all are getting along. I will be back once I know what the opening times are.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 21 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

nice to hear your good news

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 21 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lovely to hear from you again Gregotyn. I am hoping to get to a shop that sells sock wool some time soon so I can get the right wool for you. I need to discuss it a the shop as I usually use 4 ply for my own.

We started charcoal very early this year and are currently running one firing a week. We can just about get a firing in during the hours of daylight at the moment, although it was getting pretty dusky by the time we finished yesterday. Logs are still going slowly, and besoms are going fairly steadily, so plenty going on with us.

I recently made our niece an egg apron in crochet using rug yarn that I had left over from my weaving days.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 21 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Lovely to hear from you again Gregotyn. I am hoping to get to a shop that sells sock wool some time soon so I can get the right wool for you. I need to discuss it a the shop as I usually use 4 ply for my own.

We started charcoal very early this year and are currently running one firing a week. We can just about get a firing in during the hours of daylight at the moment, although it was getting pretty dusky by the time we finished yesterday. Logs are still going slowly, and besoms are going fairly steadily, so plenty going on with us.

I recently made our niece an egg apron in crochet using rug yarn that I had left over from my weaving days.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Apr 14, 21 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

" I was toying with the idea of getting a 'phone line put in and buying a computer to not have to be reliant on the library, but I am told they don't come cheap, as they used to."

phone line, fast ish, unlimited internet service and 2 mobile phones(all calls and 3G of mobile data) costs us about £30 a month

unless you want to do high end photo editing, video rendering or mine bit coins etc, a few hundred quid will get a very basic new pooter or a rather nicer one a couple of years old capable of running windows 10

if you are willing to adapt slightly, an older machine running a linux system can be very cheap or free and can do most of the things a windows system can on a fraction of the hardware

between us we might be able to find something suitable for basic stuff like web surfing, writing things, household accounts and banking/shopping etc

if you go for a home pooter in windows10 it will be a few hundred quid minimum to have enough hard drive or ssd to hold the operating system but it should last for 5 years or so

some bits of my steam punk server are from 1998(still the best sound card i have ever heard, it cost a studio £10k when it was new) and the youngest bits are at least ten years old, most are older, afaik it has not cost me anything to create it and for "secure"* web use with booming tunes it works rather well

*no such thing as secure but a combo of stuff can make it more difficult for naughty peeps to look through your draws:lol:

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 21 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

So nice to hear from you! gregotyn. Glad all is well. I'd been concerned with your lengthy absence.

Spring has arrived here across the pond, with flowering cherries and daffodils coloring the landscape. The magnolias started to perform but then got hit with a chilly night, turning their petals brown and limp.

Mr Jam Lord was diagnosed with ACF last year. Had two stents implanted on 6 January. Hospital that did the procedure is 40 miles from home and he was discharged 6 hours after procedure. I wasn't allowed to wait in his room. Too far to drive home, then repeat the round trip that evening - I got a motel room and watched the insurrection on TV, while eating takeout delivered to my room. He's doing much better.

We both received our two jabs of the Moderna vaccine. Second one last Friday, 9 April. I'm hoping to travel to the botanic garden late in this month for an exhibit that was postponed from last year. Scary - this will be 83 miles.

Basically I have not driven more than 10 or 12 miles one way for over a year. Except for driving Mr Jam Lord for hospital-related covid test and his procedure, that is. Needs must.

Tractors are out on the roads around here, fields being plowed, fertilizer spread. Turn of the seasons.

Will be looking for your next Downsizer visit and your updates. Stay well.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Apr 15, 21 6:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have suffered from frosts too Jam Lady. The camellias and magnolia in sons garden have both been hit by the frost. The white camellia is very badly affected but the pink one luckily not so badly.

Glad Mr. Jam Lord has got his operation over with. Hope it makes him feel a lot better. Husband, son, DIL and I have all had our first vaccination. Husband is due for his second this month and I have to have my second by some time next month. DIL got hers early as she is disabled, and son because he is her carer. The other three had the Astrazenica on and I got the Pfizer. We get what we are given, and those are the most common in the UK.

They have been muck spreading in the field near the woods, which has rather ruined the small of the wood anemones which are in full flower at the moment. As it has been so cold, the bluebells have sensibly raised their heads but not really opened fully yet, so with any luck they will wait until the anemones finish.

I haven't managed to get the potatoes or any seeds in the garden yet as it has been generally quite cold for us, but the charcoal season has really started with a vengeance now.

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