The Pig Yard

July 2013

Despite of our impending move or perhaps because of it we planned as many activities as we could into this month so we have been busy. Jane continued to work filling in when there was a severe shortage of staff but she has now finished both officially and unofficially so she can focus on all the other tasks we have at hand.

We spent a couple of days up in Market Rasen to look at the site development, review local properties available for rent and to visit Grimsby which although grim in parts has a very vibrant shopping area similar in size and style to Milton Keynes.

Four Go to Whipsnade Zoo

It’s many years since we had been to Whipsnade Zoo and our imminent departure from the area led us to invite Sue & Graham to come with us. We arrived just after opening time at ten o’clock and walked ourselves into the ground making sure we saw every animal that we could. There were a couple of no-shows – the Otters were not evident and because the Lynx had recently given birth the area was completely overgrown with weeds and grasses. Somewhere in the middle of the large compound the Lynx and its kittens was happily snoozing the afternoon away.

We did see plenty of other animals during the time we were there (not leaving until 6pm) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 

Movers and Shifters

After many weeks of little activity or at least no visible activity we can now see a slight glimmer at the end of the tunnel.

We’ve signed the contract with the builders and they started w/c 15th July. It will took a day or two to set the site out before commencing pile driving for the foundations. We are really excited to see some progress.

Our house sale has stalled as the buyer is having problems with their mortgage and they are having to undertake another survey. This could delay the process by two or three weeks. We had hoped to move out in the middle of August but it is now likely it will be the end of August or even early September. Once we exchange contracts we will have 4 weeks before completion to find somewhere to rent in or around Market Rasen; change our address details; organise the removals date; and get the house cleared.

Jane’s doing a superb job of packing up and getting rid of unwanted “stuff”. Whilst she’s doing that for us she’s also clearing her mother’s house which is more challenging because she’s trying to conserve much of her parents’ historical documents. A very tough job and quite emotional.

Broken Tooth

We were on our way to East Sussex for a few days with Jane’s brother when we stopped off at a pub for lunch. Steve avoided the cheesy sandwiches in favour of a crispy bacon salad sandwich but on the first bite he heard a crunch which didn’t sound like bacon and there was something strange in his mouth which wasn't bacon.

As he fished about with his tongue he realised one of his upper front teeth was missing. It had sheared at gum level and looked as if it was rotten. How can this be? He's visited the dentist every 6 months since about 1973, they’ve been fully xrayed in the past 2 years and yet this weakness has gone unnoticed. He thinks in this day and age your teeth shouldn’t catastrophically fail. Jane booked him in with the dentist but we imagine this will just be the first step towards getting a replacement tooth.
At the moment he looks like Mackenzie Crook in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Glyndebourne Opera

The opera at Glyndebourne was a complete unknown to us. We were told it was a black tie and posh frock event so we got into our best kit and turned up with plenty of fizzy wine a picnic and open minds.

We had plenty to drink before hand so we were quite relaxed. The box we had was very versatile because we could move the seats around – Nicola was concerned that the view would be obscured but we had perfect sight of the whole stage. The story was easy enough to follow, after all it was an Italian farce. At the interval we came out to eat our picnic which Jane had prepared earlier.

More wine was consumed before returning for the second half. It was without doubt a memorably enjoyable evening. Would we do it again? Well possibly because of the ritualised dressing up and overall atmosphere. The opera was “interesting” but possibly not engaging enough to become a regular thing.

Kew Gardens

We went to Kew Gardens with Dave & Lucie. This was their first visit so it was really exciting for them. It was due to be another hot day so we set off early and arrived just as the gates were opening at 09:30 so it was pleasantly cool for the morning. It’s strange that the gates were open but the cafes didn’t start serving refreshments until 10am.

There were some new features since we last went and the tree top walk was very good to see right over the gardens and into the tree canopy even if the climb to the top in the midday sun was a bit of a stretch.

We hadn’t been in the Princess of Wales Conservatory before and as it was early and therefore quiet we went for a stroll through the various collections. We were impressed and the term conservatory doesn’t really do it justice. There was as much to see as there was in some of the domes at the Eden Project.

The Temperate House was about to close before undergoing some major refurbishment so we were lucky to go when we did. They were removing all the plants which is a mammoth task in itself as some of them have grown into the roof area. It will be several years before it reopens.

From the Ground Up

The house project has started with the top soil being scraped off and the house being marked out. The piling for the foundations should be starting next week (w/c 29th July) as the piling on the Kew’s plot has started although it is taking a little longer than anticipated because instead of going down 6 metres some of the piles are going in 8 metres or more before hitting solid ground.

It gave us a real boost to see activity on site and we hope to see the foundations completed in the next two weeks. The timber frame isn’t due for delivery until w/c 9th September so there’s plenty of time for all the ground works to be completed.

All's Well That Ends Well

Our infrequent visits to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon are always something to look forward to. The last time we stayed at a different B&B because where we normally stayed was full but this time we were back staying with Johanna and it was like revisiting an old friend as we were greeted with hugs and kisses - she is very theatrical and therefore a good preparation for what is to come. This visit we were joined by Richard and Nicola as part payment for their hosting us at Glyndebourne two weeks ago.

We had never seen All's Well That Ends Well before and as usual we had done very little preparation partly because we like to approach it with a totally open mind and partly because we are too busy (for which read couldn't be bothered). Our seats were excellent, front row of the circle. The play was well directed and although some of the actors were a little wooden or hammy we enjoyed it very much. Some of the speeches were brilliant, particularly the King of France extolling the virtues of Helena who although of poor birth is virtuous and undertakes good deeds. Simply put - it's not who you are but how good you are that matters.

We enjoyed it enormously and it is probably going to be in the top three of our best Shakespeare plays.