Simple living in the country - back to basics

Cheery_Daff

Evening all, 

Thank you for all your encouragement, and for your enthusiasm for libraries and archives! (and solidarity with the Je-S system - thanks beckstar I've not been to the Kew archives, or the Bodleian. Where I'd love to go is the Mass Observation archives in Brighton I've got online access through work, and a lot of it is digitised, and it's just fascinating to see the handwriting. I'd love to see in person (I did write that into a funding bid once but never got it - maybe I'll just go for a holiday one day!)

Speaking of funding bids... I have NEARLY finished Not quite. One more 2-page attachment to finish, and then I'm just waiting for confirmation of something from the research office, which might mean I have to change a paragraph or two. I think we'll be submitting on Monday morning as I'm out all day tomorrow. Yes, working on a Friday - whatever next! Off on a train (well, it'll be four trains by the end of the day) but should be a relatively cheerful day at least. 

Anyway, I am writing from my new laptop, hooray! All set up and working nicely. Gosh, there was a lot of set-up nonsense to go through - link this, subscribe to that, create a PIN for the other. Quite ridiculous (obviously I didn't subscribe to anything at all!)

Chilly here today, like everywhere else I think. Had to scrape the car - I've parked diagonally facing the tree today to see if that makes any difference. 

Not sure there's anything financial to report. I'm going to make myself a cuppa and attempt to do banks/YNAB on the new laptop as they've been sorely neglected of late... Will report back... 

Karmacat

I didn't know about the Mass Obs being in Brighton!  The book made up of Nella Last's entries always springs to mind.

Good news on the near completion of the funding bid, and on the new laptop, hurray to that!

badmemory

No mention of central ref in M/c then.  I used to do some work there almost 50 years ago now.  With a side note not to stand on the steps outside when it is approaching evening.  Mind you back then it could be interesting standing at a bus stop near the uni after 5.30.  I have had several very interesting conversations.  But then a local woman's friend (otherwise known as pimp) did fix my flat tyre for me after she saw me struggling.  My sister thinks I have lived an uninteresting & very normal boring life, if only she knew.  She never even realised I spent 2 years working for a transexual.  He may have had the op & become a she but she had the worst traits of both, the male bully & the female !!!!!!.

Cheery_Daff

Karmacat said:

I didn't know about the Mass Obs being in Brighton!  The book made up of Nella Last's entries always springs to mind.

Good news on the near completion of the funding bid, and on the new laptop, hurray to that!

Yes, it's at a place called The Keep, I think! I love Nella Last's diaries, I watched the film again recently. I came across the digitised version of her diaries when I was looking for something else - I mean, I KNEW she was a real person, but it made it more real, seeing it all there in her handwriting 😊😊

This is the website

https://www.thekeep.info/

I've just been having a poke around, they have all kinds of interesting events on, and they have a reference room where you can just wander in and look at stuff - got some family history stuff in there too by the looks of it.

One day I'll make it there! 😊😊

EssexHebridean

That looks fascinating! Honestly - we should have thought of it when we were down in Brighton the other year! 😁

Cheery_Daff

Morning chums

Brrrrrrrr! Gosh it's cold 🥶 🧊 ☃️ Snowed a little bit last night, and there was a very heavy frost this morning. 

Still, I have made it onto my train on time, despite a tentative drive out to the 'main' road which is gritted and clear. 

Opened the door for the chickens, and despite it being dark and freezing, Sunshine came out 🙄 Stupid creature. I'd scattered a few oats, and taken them some warm water, so hopefully she'll just have breakfast and go back to bed! 

Mr Cheery is off to his dad's again today - his dad's washing machine broke when he was there last weekend 🙄 Managed to find him a washer dryer on Gumtree for £30 which we are very pleased about - Mr Cheery picked that up yesterday, and will go and plumb it in.

Pleasantly surprised at parking this morning! The other train station I use charges £12 a day - so I always just park on the road and walk the last 5 minutes. This one would have been a longer walk from a free spot so I parked at the station (didn't have loads of time either) and it was £2 for 24 hours!

This is a nice experimental journey - the place I'm changing trains is somewhere I'd considered applying for jobs in the past, and so this would have been my journey - so far I'm pleasantly surprised! The train even has USB charging points now (although it's all 4-6 seat blocks with no tables).

Cheery_Daff

Gosh, the free WiFi worked as well! Let's see if it does with the next train company...

Looked for a box of French Fancies to take to my meeting - they wanted £3.50! 😮 Frosty Fancies (all white) were £2, and when I got to he till, they were reduced to £1.50.

And I stood in the queue for a cuppa, but the notification for the train came before I got to the front.

So a money saving morning all round! 😂

Cheery_Daff

Ha, so much for money-saving- the boiler is showing an unusual error code, and Mr Cheery is so far unable to persuade it to start 🙄 

Fortuitously, our nice plumber man texted just this morning to ask me if I wanted to book a service 😂 So I've said yes, and am hoping either we can figure out what's up with it and get it running tonight, or he's able to come over this evening and do an emergency fix 🙄

Not really the time to have no central heating! 🥶🥶🥶 We've got friends coming to stay tomorrow too 🙄

Cheery_Daff

Ha - slightly less panicked call from Mr Cheery saying he's made it work now 😂 I've already texted the plumber so hopefully he can fit us in for a quick service anyway to check it over.

Very ready for a cup of tea, but doesn't seem to be any chance of one on here sadly!

Cheery_Daff

Afternoon chums 😊

Well, a cheerful day here 😊 Spent a bit more time with someone I work with, so that was nice 😊

I was planning to get the 3.20 train home, but didn't get back to the station early enough - which didn't matter as it was delayed, and then cancelled, anyway. 

Looks like I originally booked a seat on the 4.20 anyway (although the chabce of getting it is probably slim, as all the delayed 3.20 people will be trying too!)