Daydream fund challenge part 4

choille

Second that - Lovely Pushy cat.

Davesnave

She's the Plain Jane. Lila is the pretty one, with her long hair and huge, bushy tail, all totally unsuitable for her knockabout outdoor lifestyle.

Having problems getting a photo of her as she's boycotted the house due to grandson Sam and DD2's ferrets.

pink_poppy

Gorgeous kitty

greenbee

New stove is in and just having the first burn (kindling only). I had to wait 48 hours as there's a new, taller chimney pot which needed time to settle in... I can now see the chimney over the ridge so it should draw better. I'm hoping I can get it cooled and lit 2 or 3 times today and get rid of any fumes so it's OK to use properly from tomorrow.

Having said that, most of my logs will need resizing as what fitted in the jetmaster isn't going to work in the stove.

Builders finished on time. All cleared up and I'm now unpacking into the finished rooms. They'll be back in the New Year to do the kitchen and utility, so I need to chase up the electrician as there are dependencies on his availability.

Davesnave

greenbee wrote: »

New stove is in and just having the first burn (kindling only).

Hope it's now fully fired-up and keeping you toasty. What did you go for in the end?

Our Woodwarm is performing nicely, now the chimney has been cleaned properly. We currently have the conservatory doors wide open, so it's doing that as well as the other living areas, but then, it's hardly what I'd call cold. :cool:

Many of the logs we get benefit from re-sizing, so I look upon that as good exercise.:)

Still not much going on. It's that awkward period when it's too early to shop for Christmas fayre, but I feel I ought to be beating the rush! We'll go to South Molton's market to pick up the bird and all the produce on Saturday, and that will be when Christmas proper begins. :xmastree:

Meanwhile, I've a funeral to attend on Friday; the fourth this year and yet another where someone from my former workplace has succumbed to the big C. There have been so many....:(

greenbee

Davesnave wrote: »

Hope it's now fully fired-up and keeping you toasty. What did you go for in the end?

Did a second burn yesterday, then a third one this morning with all the windows open and have kept it going since then. It's the Aarrow Ecoburn Plus 5, which burns a LOT less wood than the old jetmaster and I think it burns less than the Stovax Stockton 4 (or possibly 3?) that I had previously. Plenty of heat and looks good. Just need to get the hang of the adjustments.

I've been moving furniture around to try to work out where I want it in the rooms that are finished. I quite like the minimalist look but other people seem to think that I need to make things a bit cosier...:cool:

alfie_1

hiya peeps


I am running round like a loon playing catch up....
have a holiday let clean this morning and people coming into another today too..
new arrivals for 6 days over crimble requested a cleaner for 2 hours each day !! there will be 6 adults ? what the heck are they going to do to warrant cleaning EVERY day !! I offered for £100 per day [not xmas/boxing day] but they didn't take it up ...:rotfl:
posh gits have obviously never made a bed or washed up ..
trouble is we have a same day change over next week and im hoping its not a bl**dy bomb site as its a big 5 bed house !!:eek:
im getting too old for this lark...
mind you owner of these 2 properties did take me and friend for our works xmas dinner at local hotel [he owns that too] which we took advantage of and both stuffed our faces


right ,catch up later... a mop beckons

DaftyDuck

Suitable chaos for building up to a quiet Christmas here. Five blokes fitting the conservatory roof... They think they will finish by tonight. One plumber fitting rads upstairs, so heating off for the while. One electrician happily pulling wires through a wall, and umpteen visits by each to see the animals. Then the neighbours turn up, looking clean, well-slept, and relaxed.. Gggarrgggh! So, sent wife off for some fun shopping, plus more sugar (builders' tea with three.... I'd throw up. We had two bags last week, and barely used any ourselves).

I guess the conservatory might be finished tonight, but I'm betting they'll be back tomorrow. Oh well! At least I found some Christmas decorations to put up this afternoon. .... and my "Bah! Humbug!" hat

Greenbee. I've got an Ecoburn, and love it. I do find it burns better when kept clean, less ash bed than they imply. Mine has two little air holes front left and right, just behind the ridge across the front, and if those get ash covered, it chokes a bit. I think they are air holes... If I brush them clean, it cheers it up. I do like it, find it very controllable, and it stays in overnight very well.

It certainly throws out eyebrow-melting heat when fired up fully.

Alf... Cleaning? What's that? I can't see the surfaces for dust, and the floors are covered in bootprints, not carpet....:o

Things should quieten down for a few days. They'd better, or I will keel over. I don't mind stuff happening and busy times.... but I do hate having a house full of people. The cats hate it too, especially if their radiator beds get cold!

alfie_1

dafty duck...
MY house is not as clean as the ones I "do" !!!


having been told the "6" due into the holiday house wanted to be in early at 12.30 ....finally turned up at 3 :mad:


had to clean a cabin in the woods too.. just beat the darkness !


mums coming here xmas eve till boxing day or longer .. will go visit dad xmas eve or xmas morning .. so sad as what can one buy him ! I take in a big mega tub of sweeties for the staff.
meeting sister from IOW at dads tomorrow to give her a lift to mums then she gets 2 ferries and 2 buses to get home !!


actually paid stupid £s for a turkey as id left it ,as usual, to the last minute and waitrose saw me coming !
did get a bottle of champs from my boss
im actually looking forward to doing s*d all for at least 5 days [work wise]


well peeps, stay warm, eat,drink and be merry. best wishes to all.. xxxx

Davesnave

Yesterday I attended the funeral of the retired caretaker to the school where I taught for most of my career. He clocked over 30 years there, also acting as lollipop man and fund raiser.

In earlier, less complicated times, when initiative was allowed.... even encouraged ...he'd renovate old bikes and sell them at the school entrance, together with thousands of plants, raised in makeshift greenhouses he'd built in the courtyard. Money he raised would often be used by him to paint tired classrooms during the holidays. His choice of colours was always loud and not what county would have used....but county wasn't footing the bill and the kids loved it!

Back then, the Head and yours truly were fund-raising too, investing in disco lights and equipment. Our discos gave parents the joy of a night off, for which they gladly paid... and then we made a second killing on all the pop, crisps and Haribos we'd bought at the cash 'n carry! (Yeah, I know, all that sugar and E numbers! )

On the other hand, our school had many things others lacked.....even a good sized heated swimming pool, so almost all our kids could were drown-proof by Year 5. :A

The old Head retired due to ill-health and the new one didn't like these enterprises, because they ‘cheapened’ our image. So, in their place we had a new logo, new healthy policies, no more bike and plant sales.... and discos were for special occasions. Even the swimming pool closed when it needed new investment. He was waiting for that....;)

However, our caretaker had also been raising funds for his beloved rugby club, where he'd a second job as steward from 6pm till midnight. His efforts there were simply redoubled, raising thousands, and only stopping a few years ago when caring for a terminally ill wife became more important

All this came to light today in the service, where it was standing room only. Rugby players predominated; many of them having no idea about our caretaker's 'other life,' just as we'd rarely glimpsed his evening role. However, all agreed that he'd been the most cheerful, hard working and selfless supporter of the communities he served, touching more lives in a positive way than most people can dream of.:A:A:A

I'm glad the old Head, now into his 80s, was there today with some of the surviving staff from ‘our’ era. The school’s been back in safe hands for a while now, gaining new and exciting initiatives, more appropriate for today, but it was us who brought it, kicking and screaming, out of dreary post 11+ monotony.:cool: I’m especially happy that someone who was ‘just’ the caretaker, felt he could be on board and a leading force in all that…. at least for a crazy decade or two!