Yes the wheelbarrow did arrive, always look forward to spring after Xmas ;) Also apart from some wool arriving, this for my grand daughter, she wants a gray blanket knitted with large needles, apparently you can knit with your arms according to her. The third thing to arrive was a box of tea, we have both given up on teabags but unfortunately the supermarkets have given up on loose tea. So nowadays I send off to Twinings in Belfast for a dozen packets of 'English Breakfast' and half a dozen 'Bergamot'.
My tea makes a remarkable journey which I can view online via the tracking. Leaves Belfast friday night, arrives at the West Midland airport, trucked to the depot there, makes the long drive down to Teesside dept, where it then arrived at our house lunchtime. And that of course is not even calculating the time it has been picked in India? processed and then sent to Ireland for packing, what would we do if the world suddenly stopped and yet of course that is exactly what is happening to people in Syria, so I should be very grateful to the commercial world I rely on but can do little for those people caught up in war....except nag for better conditions for them.
Well in my small humdrum world, I have finished the third Rickman - The Remains of an Altar, rather bloody murders, Watkins (author of The Long Straight Track) John Mitchell (dabbles in esoteric things) and Elgar, made their appearance in one form or another. Rickman is so clever blending history, and just possible, might be true, fiction together that one hardly knows what is truth and what isn't..
A neighbour turned up yesterday afternoon, going to Tennants the auctioneers today to bid on something, not sure if I could stand around in auction rooms for hours waiting for something to come up. He did say that they have in their foyer, a whole series of the original paintings for the saucy postcards we all used to read with such delight, but without the funny quips underneath, which are place alongside though.
Poor old chickens are in till 28th February, more or less guessed as much, the strictures are more strict now by Defra
"We have taken several actions to reduce the risks - to help protect poultry and captive birds from avian flu. If you keep poultry – whether on a commercial scale or simply a small backyard flock – you are now required by law to keep them “housed” (under cover and kept separate from wild birds).
This requirement (the Prevention Zone) will now be extended until 28 February 2017. We have banned gatherings of poultry across the UK."
It seems that the spread of the Avian flu in France is resulting in the whole culling of wild ducks in some districts, and various cases are starting to appear in this country. Though I notice that the Chief Vet has said you can let them out for cleaning for a short time....
Nothing on our news about avian flew...but we have so many more creepy things going on in our U.S.
ReplyDeleteYour golden cockerel needs some serious dressing down, I cannot believe that there is only 13 days to go before Trump is let loose on the world. The flu is in Europe and it is the wild birds flying overhead that transmit it to our domestic birds.
DeleteI'm sure with Tennants you can bid on line - most auction houses have internet bidding these days. So once you have viewed the auction you can note the lots you want to bid on and do so from the comfort of your own home. Mind you, I know that Tennants have a very good restaurant attached, from what Weaver of Grass has said, so you can get a good meal whilst hanging around. Unless there are big gaps between your lots, you can just go for the lot(s) you are interested in.
ReplyDeleteI bet your chickens will be glad when they can finally be let out again. I'm glad we haven't got any these days (we used to have 65+ chickens and about 35 ducks). We had the chicken shed next to the cart shed though, so plenty of room in there if they did need to be kept in and we would put straw down for them to scratch through and keep amused.
I'm a few chapters in to the latest Phil Rickman - he crafts his facts and fiction so well - and in this there is mention of Kilpeck Church - I wanted to visit again all last summer but we weren't down that far. I have a really good book on the Herefordshire School of Architecture, and that has reminded me we haven't been to Shobdon yet either.
Jim does not like bidding online, it is funny how people are still inhibited by the internet. My bidding for a desk on Ebay was a fiasco, not realising that everyone started seriously bidding in the last minute or so. Also had to put in my password at the same time, panicked and that was that....
DeleteThe problem with Rickman is that the books are so long as well, I find it difficult to put them down. You should really go to Kilpeck the exterior sculptures are supposed to be very good.
Presumably you had all those chickens for eggs? let mine out for a short period this afternoon, one just stayed with me in the run and were very easy to lure back with their toast.
A friend has just told me that Avian Flu is now in Settle - not good news.
ReplyDeleteIf you are ever tempted to go to Tennants then do let me know and call here for a meal. It is literally just down the road and we go there regularly to look at things pre-sale or to eat in the cafe or the restaurant. Super place.
Will remember that Pat, would love to see you both sometime in the New Year, also when the weather gets a little warmer. Bad news about it being so near as Settle, I hope Defra does not think of culling birds.
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