<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/u3a-logo.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-4788" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/u3a-logo-200x98.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="98" /></a>Since I returned from California I've spent a lot of time with <a href="http://www.westwoldsu3a.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U3A</a> stuff. Last Monday I had a committee meeting that didn't quite go as expected with two surprise resignations from the committee (one person had given us 6 months notice). The meeting was "lively" which gave me some food for thought. We are preparing for the AGM in November when the committee members are elected and we are three nominations short of a full complement. We will be able to run and hopefully co-opt people as we go through the year.  Thankfully the monthly general meeting went well with a reasonable turn out. I visited a 92-year-old lady who was a founder member. She was lovely - a real sparkle and superb outlook on life. She never married and gave so much to her community and appreciates the community is now giving something back.

It isn't often that I'm pleased to have a wet Sunday. It means I can relax a little and not concern myself with the garden although it isn't in good shape and the vegetable plot needs to be cleaned up so that I can plant onion and garlic sets - they really need to go in before the end of October. Knowing it was going to rain I cleaned out one of the gutters at the front of the house but I needed to do more because while I write this I can hear other gutters overflowing blocked by the leaves blown off in the reason high winds. The gutters were never adequate for the size of the roof so I'm contemplating changing them all for larger aluminium ones. It will be quite a job because some of the roof areas are totally inaccessible without a telehoist.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/firepit0ct18.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5313" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/firepit0ct18-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>In preparation for next weekend when I'm planning a camp fire I've bought a fire pit. At the Rothersthorpe house I used to dig up the drive and build the fire but I'm trying something different. Hopefully it works and we can cook sausages, bacon and beans over this with a few baked potatoes in the oven. The aim is to be as unsophisticated as possible.

<img class="alignright" src="http://www.pigyard.com/images/campfire(oct07).jpg" />Here's a photo from <a href="http://www.pigyard.com/ArchivePages/october07.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">October 2007</a> with Nick and I cooking over the hand dug and brick lined fire pit. A lot has happened in the last eleven years...