A Mrs Bouquet Moment!

Any of you who are familiar with the BBC TV programme "Keeping Up Appearances" will know what I mean about "A Mrs Bouquet Moment". Husband and I decided, since it was a lovely sunny afteroon, to visit the "AV8" cafe on Kemble Airfield for a cup of tea. We were passing through the car park when suddenly I saw a black growling snarling bullet of a dog reach out through a car window to grab me! I am not very good at fast movements due to my wonky knees and I did not have a hedge to back into as did Hyacinth Bouquet so I very nearly fell over as I tried to escape the snapping jaws. Husband just stood and laughed his little cotton socks off!

Electrifying?

The local farmer informed us, as she delivered the weekly eggs, that someone is tampering with the electric fence that borders our garden as well as others. The battery is connected to a solar panel and is discreetly hidden very near the back of our greenhouse. I was shown how the solar panelled battery system works and very definitely someone has bothered to come up and flick the switch off. The farmer says it is well known that dog walkers tamper with electric fences in fields where they think they have a right to roam. There is a footpath through this field so why on earth should someone bother to creep up in full view of our house and switch it off.

To prove a point, during that very next night the battery was switched off, the cows broke the electric fence in several places. The cows did no damage as all of us have post and rails boundaries. I have now volunteered to check the battery morning and evening. I am left wondering how people can be so petty to wander around in the night turning off electric fences. I might scare these people off if I were to sit in our greenhouse all night, jump out in my hideous nightie and say "boo". What do you think?

Ooh, I was so embarrassed!

Yesterday evening, as usual, accompanied Husband and his three friends around the local golf course. I stood on the first tee whilst the four men gathered their golfing kit together. Along came a young couple who had just finished their round, they stopped in front of me and said "How can you play golf with those crutches"? I replied, with a nod of my head towards Husband and his buddies, "Oh, I am just nominated the non-playing captain"! The couple then tiraded me about the state of the course, why was there not a womens' tee position on the fifth hole? Why had the wasps' nest not be attended to, etc etc. It suddenly occurred to me that the couple thought I was the ladies captain of the golf club. I did not enlighten them but the five of us had a good laugh afterwards! By the state of their play last night I think I could have beaten Husband and the other three players if I had used my crutches!!!

I Think I Could Be An IT Expert??

I have sorted out broadband connection myself. I used the wireless connection via my neighbour and accessed Virgin Media webpage. I got through to the email section and shoved in my password and received the emails. I then closed my computer down, disconnected the wireless connection, turned my usual router back on and whirred up the old computer and hey presto - all systems go! Think I might ask for a job at Virgin in their call centre - or perhaps not!!!!

Good Neighbours

My neighbour is an IT whizz kid and has kindly linked my PC to his internet connection wirelessly for the time being. I think it is 12 telephone calls I have made to Virgin now! There is a move underfoot in our village (fingers crossed if a suitable mast can be sited in a suitable place) to have a wireless broadband service. Rural communities are often forgotten when it comes to amenities - but never fear the peace of the countryside makes up for it in my opinion!

It Is Hell Being a Virgin (Customer)!!!

I have not been receiving broadband since Tuesday. After 8 telephone calls and 8 different advisors we at last established (which I knew all along) there is a fault on the local rural exchange that requires BT to correct it. However no green light appears on my router so we ring up again and again. I asked to speak to a supervisor but was refused!!! I have not been impolite to the Virgin call centre so Husband and I are now getting angry. BT are not providing a service to Virgin and Virgin is not providing a service to me so for the time being we are stuck. My neighbours kindly let me use their computer but I do not like to outstay my welcome!

Carrying A Heavy Load!

The cool and . . . . .

the not so cool!!!!!

Supatrike has been kept very busy ferrying our veg we are harvesting from the plot down the road. We have enough potatoes to feed an army. We dig up a box worth, sort them out, dry and clean, and then store. We have another five rows to go!

You Would Think My Brother Was . . . . . . . .

The proud father. I have just received a phone call from my brother who lives in Australia. He delivered the exciting news that their dog, Gemma, has produced 5 puppies. Gemma had been a naughty girl with a Kelpie (whatever that is - I presume a variety of dog!!!!!) and my brother and family had not even noticed Gemma's expanding waistline until a week ago. The Younger Daughter acted as midwife and with the help of Eldest Son they revived two of the puppies that needed midwife type attention. All you dog lovers, follow the link above and view these rather adorable looking puppies. Jamie has promised to post some photos regularly during their development.

Iron Horses and . . . . . . . . . .

Their riders !!!

We love the atmosphere, smell, heat and smoke of the steam engines - they were showing off at their annual visit to Kemble.

We watched the static displays - sawing wood for this engine and their team.

More to come (for those of you not bored by now?)

The Trouble With Under Floor Heating Is . . . . . . .

We cannot store any of our glut of veg on the kitchen floor!!! Apart from that problem the under floor heating is marvellous!

Our garage, (being new-build) does not have a second skin so it becomes damp with the rain seeping though the walls. Husband and I have spent many a merry hot dry day (in the dim distant past) painting on "Aquaseal" to the outside of the walls. We cannot store our veg in the garage. We have no utility room either! We have no garden shed either!

The freezer is full with french and broad beans. Yesterday we dug half a row of potatoes from the plot down the road and these are now being stored in a box on top of a kitche cupboard. We have six more rows of potatoes to dig!!!!! The neighbours are going to be pleased with regular offerings of beetroot (now the size of a bowl, as in bowling green!!!!), french beans and probably potatoes. Bother - I have just looked out of window and it is raining again - meant to go and pick some more beans before they grow enormous and hard. Sorry - that does not sound very nice!