Pig Yard News

Last week I was visited by my nephew, Lewis, and his wife Viji.

They were in the UK on a flying visit from their home in the USA and I was pleased to see them. I picked them up from Newark Station after which we had lunch at Stokes on the Lawn (always a good venue), then a tour of Lincoln Cathedral and a walk down Steep Hill.

They left mid morning the following day. It was great to see them both here.

The lawn alongside the drive is looking very good since the ash and beech tree were removed in the spring.

Where the trees were, I’ve laid the left over turf and it seems to be growing well. In a years time it will be impossible to see where the trees used to be. The replacement hornbeam trees are in full leaf and very healthy. I look forward to them filling out over the coming years.

Helène came to stay for week. We went to see Kate Rusby at Scunthorpe Baths Hall. We enjoyed the music and Kate Rusby was very funny with her anecdotes.

The pre-gig dinner at the Royal Pub across the road wasn’t so great. It turned out to be a sports bar and it was impossible to sit anywhere without a TV screen blaring out a football match.

The vegetable plot is looking very tidy. Helène helped me prepare the ground in February which means the soil is in perfect condition. I’ve planted out the french and runner beans that were in the greenhouse; sown parsnips, beetroot, peas, and carrots straight into the ground.

I can honestly say I haven’t had a cold since I moved to Lincolnshire ten years ago. Yes, I did catch Covid when I was in Edinburgh but not a cold. I’ve now had two colds since Christmas.

This one has followed the usual stages which start to sound like the seven dwarfs – sneezy, snotty, sleepy, cloggy, grumpy, achy and crusty.

I’m part of the u3a Architecture Group. We meet every 2 months at my house when each of us presents a subject of their choice. It was my turn and I decided on Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

It was interesting doing the research and I learned a great deal about the man and particularly the influence of his wife. All of the interior designs attributed to Mackintosh were in fact a collaboration with his wife Margaret.

The presentation seemed to go down well.

The play is the true story of the rehearsal of Hamlet starring Richard Burton and directed by Sir John Gielgud. Johnny Flynn played Burton and Mark Gatiss was Gielgud. The dynamic was electric with Elizabeth Taylor (Tuppence Middleton) acting as a diplomat to keep the play rehearsals on track.

Superb acting, beautifully written and another wonderful production from National Theatre.

Time for some gardening. I started cutting back the willow from along the drive fence a couple of weeks ago. The idea had been to weave it into a hedge however it grew faster than I imagined and despite my best efforts it got out of control. A case of blink and I missed it.

I bundled the whips up and took them to the recycling centre.

My 7 year old Samsung S3 smartwatch started to run out of steam and the battery died half way through the day. It was time for a replacement.

I’ve upgraded to a Samsung Watch 6 Classic. It has several additional features: measuring my oxygen levels, blood pressure, stress level and ECG. It also tells the time.

A significant improvement is the battery life. I had to charge the S3 every day whereas the Watch6 will last 3 days.

West Wolds u3a has been through a bit of a difficult time with several people resigning from the committee including the chairman. I was asked to step in and despite my reticence I agreed to be interim chair until the AGM in November.

My first task was to manage the 25th anniversary meeting. I confess I was quite stressed about it. The committee and a whole host of volunteers stepped up and made it a great success.

It has been a busy couple of weeks… so busy I haven’t had time to update the website.

Helene has been with me for the past couple of weeks. We went to see National Theatre Live’s production of Vanya at the Odeon in Lincoln with dinner at Ask beforehand.

An interesting play with all parts played by Andrew Scott. An incredible performance.

Despite a chill in the air we drove to Baumber Walled Garden in the Porsche and had an early lunch, sitting outside.

A large pot of decaf tea, with sausage roll for me and toasted plum bread with cheese for Helene.

In January 2021 I planted some willow whips as hedging. Despite my best efforts to control them they have got out of hand. I was advised that if I cut them back to within 30 cms of the ground I should be able to train the side shoots.
I was totally surprised to find how thick the stems had become and the amount of shredding that would be required. So far it has taken me 3 hours and that’s only half the willow cut.

I’m always looking at ways to improve things in the kitchen. The plastic microwave containers I have at the moment have become pitted and stained. I thought I would try glass ones. They are supposed to be microwave, dishwasher and freezer proof. Time will tell.

Gosh, Sunday morning cleaning the car. How suburban is that?

After a year of ownership it has done just over 8,000 miles. I do use the Porsche a lot in the summer so my collective annual mileage is about 11,000 miles.

I’m gradually getting used to charging the Kia on longer trips but it doesn’t charge as fast as some people claim and it is 10 times more expensive to charge away from home. The joys of EV ownership.

Last week Tony and Jude came to stay for a couple of nights on their way back to Scotland.

I took them on a tour of Lincoln, starting with the cathedral; lunch at Stokes on the Lawn; before walking down the back streets to Brayford Wharfe.

We headed back through town calling into the Usher Gallery. The car was parked on a side street at the top of Steep Hill so that was good exercise.

Before Christmas, on the day I was travelling up to the Lake District, my smart gas meter stopped working (flat battery). It was replaced on the day however it refused to talk to the existing electric meter.

To get the meters to communicate, both meters had to be replaced. The technology to make smart meters talk to each other is quite sophisticated and according to the guy who fitted them not all solutions work. Thankfully he was able to get everything up and running within 2 hours. Now my meter readings are being sent to Octopus energy on an hourly basis. That’s smart.

After having two trees removed alongside the drive the guys came in to remove the stumps. It requires a special bit of kit that grinds away at the stump. It does produce a significant pile of chippings. I’m using some of them to fill in the hole before laying turf on the top. It all takes time and it will be quite a while before the grass recovers after all the heavy equipment that has been over it.

There’s plenty more to be done before I’ve got on top of my to do list.

Helene’s Mazda went in for a service locally and sailed through it’s MoT.

As a four year old car it’s getting a bit long in the tooth for my liking and might need changing in a year or so.

Whilst the Kia was being serviced in Louth we walked into town, had a wonderful hot chocolate and shared a toasted tea cake then wandered around the church.

The verger was busy cleaning but he took time out to explain the fascinating history of St James’. We were interested in the paper sculptures which were situated around the building. Very cleverly done. Apparently the views from the tower are magnificent however we turned down the invitation because it was so cold and we weren’t feeling great.

On the day I returned home I was joined by Helene. We ate healthily and this was probably the first time I’d eaten mackerel. It was a very good meal consisting of carrots, salad leaves, air fried potato wedges, beetroot, and of course mackerel.

It is becoming an annual event when we meet up with Helene’s close friends at Burghley House, Stamford.

It was quite cold but after walking for an hour plus we retired to the William Cecil Hotel & Restaurant for lunch. Sunday lunch was excellent.

Don’t forget to take a look at December’s photo selection… if you haven’t already.

More of a Tarn than a lake. It was a short steep hike up to the Dam. The water from the lake was used to turn a water mill at the bottom which made bobbins for the Lancashire cotton industry.

Stott Bobbin Mill is just across the road from the cottage. Unfortunately it’s closed from November to March.