Meeting Friends at Southampton Airport.

On the left is the dinkiest little cafe I have ever seen on a railway station.  This one I photographed in the rain at Westbury station.   I was on my way to Southampton Airport to meet friends from Braunschweig, who are staying with me for twelve days.   The weather was ghastly, cold, wet and windy.  To make matters worse the airport was busy, because flights to the Channel Islands were suspended  due  to  the  bad weather.  Initially it was difficult to find somewhere to sit, and then more bad news, J's plane from Hannover was delayed for 50 minutes while a man and his screwdriver tinkered with the engine.  That's not a happy sight to see before boarding an aircraft.   The plane eventually arrived 49 minutes late and of course, this meant that we missed our train with the reserved seats in Southampton.   

It was not an easy day, although J's homemake cake, eaten in the waiting room of Southampton Central station, helped improve our spirits.  It was an English day at its worst, Novemberish, with everything  going  slightly wrong in unpleasant weather.   We took a taxi for the final leg of our journey, and arrived in Devizes at 18.30 after what seemed an endless day!

 

 

J's homemade fruit cake, lovingly made in Germany, and eaten on a wet day in England, went down a treat with a cup of English tea.

A Semi Bone-Idle Sunday.

 

I was bone idle for most of Sunday, apart from a lunch time walk to the Wharf shop, and a quick bit of late afternoon food shopping, when bargains can be had in Sainsburys.  I bought a bargain nutty wholemeal loaf reduced to 75p, and some salad stuff for my healthy tea of cheesy jacket potato, with plenteous green salad, coleslaw, chopped onion and tomatoes, followed by fresh fruit and a strong cuppa!

The photo shows silly boater's badges which are on sale in the Kennet & Avon Canal shop at Devizes Wharf.  There have been big changes at the shop, which is now upstairs in the cafe, and the former shop downstairs is now displaying information about the Canal Museum, and selling a small amount of chandlery.   The established shop of many years is much missed, and time will tell if all these changes are for the best.  Not too sure!

 

When I had my boat I refused to wear the "Galley Slave or the Deck Scrubber" badges, much prefering the "Chief Engineer" or in particular the "Miss-Chief" badge!

 

J & G  are arriving here from Querum this week, and will stay for twelve days.   I have been much involved in housework over the last fornight, which is not really my "cup of tea" but necessary when visitors are about to arrive.   It is really nice to look out on the world again through sparkly clean windows and my polished surfaces are so clean, that I could eat off them!   It won't last!

Cutting out the Regency Dress

It's been a very long time since I did any dressmaking.  I think the last time I made a dress was way back in the 1970's, certainly long before my son was born 1985.   I've rather lost my confidence, and spent the afternoon, checking and double checking that I had laid the pattern out properly on the fabric.  I've decided to simplify the dress, and make the back in one piece, rather than in the four pieces of the original design.  Some parts of the pattern had to be laid wrong side up, the material is placed right sides together, so all in all, you need an IQ of 150+ just to read the pattern!   Anyway after much dithering, I've managed to cut out dress A, and will now have to find some lining material, and cut that out at a later date.  It's been a lovely autumn day here with warm sunshine and no wind, although it is about to change for the worst on Sunday unfortnately!  

 

"Hampshire Rose" the narrowboat belonging to my friends is still at the Wharf, having had engine problems which are now repaired, and been delayed by the closure of the locks because a hire-boat sank in the bottom lock of the Caen Hill flight.  It is thought that water flooded through the weed-hatch, a device that gives access to the propeller for the removal of fouling, and which needs screwing up tightly when replaced.  Obviously somebody forgot to tighten the nut.   Oh dear!

Clatford Bottom, The Devil's Den Dolmen and the Grey Wether Field.

It rained heavily overnight on Thursday evening, so we knew that on today's walk, we would encounter some puddles.  The ones  to the right  show  some of the worst, although we all managed to find a dry route past, and nobody slipped in!    We walked to the "Devil's Den Dolmen," the last three remaining stones that once stood and supported  the entrance to a stone-age, long barrow burial chamber.   Fortunately the one on top is  cemented firmly to the others,  but none of us was keen to walk under the lintel, just in case!

 

 

Through the Dolmen,  B can be seen reading the map, and working out the best way to the "Grey Wether Field" and "The Red Lion" at Avebury.

 

The sarsen stones in the background are still a mystery to archeologists and historians.  How did they get to this dry valley?  Were they carried here by ice and water?  Were they here all the time, and have appeared through the eroded ground over millions of years?  Nobody seems to know, and perhaps we never will.  The stones are called Wethers, after the old English name of sheep.  Many sheep were grazing in this area, and were very difficult to make out amongst the stones.

 

We finished our walk in "The Red Lion" at Avebury, where I had to drink another half pint of beer.  Sorry G!

Market Day Again.

It usually pours with rain on Thursday´s market day in Devizes, but today it was bright and cheerful, although a bit chilly in the blowing wind.   I walked past this lovely flower stall on my way to the "Black Swan," where the "Thursday Coffee Girls"  (we are all over 60, so hardly girls!) meet in the back bar at 11am for drinks and a good chinwag.   It was so busy today, that we had trouble finding a table for the four of us.   The pub does a roaring trade on a Thursday morning selling coffee at a £1 a cup, far cheaper than anywhere else in Devizes,  and good beer of course, (although not so cheap.)    After a good chat,  I wandered back home via the free range egg stall, and bought six large eggs, and then wandered to a fruit stall and bought six large nectarines.   I walked home for lunch at 12.45pm, drank a cup of tea, and at 2.30pm the  members of my "Beginners German Group" arrived.   We are working on numbers, telling the time and generally struggling with the complexities of German grammar.  All interesting stuff.

Engine Trouble at Devizes Wharf.

I was all set for a morning's hard work helping "Hampshire Rose" down the Caen Hill flight of 29 locks in Devizes.  I had a good breakfast, wore my sensible shoes and set off at 09.45 to meet Gerald and Anne at "Town Lock," to help them on their way to Bath.  When I arrived at the Wharf, they were still moored up at the water point, so I went on board and drank a cuppa, while we all waited for the water tank to fill.   When filled,  A and I picked up a windlass each, (these operate the locks,) and we set off to walk to the first lock.  We didn't get very far because, as we looked over the canal bridge at the boat below, G could not start the engine!   We looked at each other in disbelief and walked back to the boat.  G lifted the engine hatch and tinkered with the pipes and tried the engine again, which sprang to life for a couple of seconds and then fizzled out.   Friends came over to help and offer possible solutions, "What about the fuel pump, the injection pump, the pipe clips,  a worn hose, have you got diesel in the tank?"  The problem remained unsolved! 

 

 

The boat had to leave the water point to allow other boaters to use, so we poled her back over to the towpath moorings  (behind the two blue boats to the right in the picture above,) where G rang "River and Canal Rescue," for a marine engineer to come out and repair the problem.  "Holly"  the Jack Russell,  watched the proceedings in warm sunshine from her comfy bed on the stern hatch cover.

 

"Hampshie Rose" puts on water at the Wharf water point.  Holly followed me and my camera to the front of the boat, curious little creature that she is.

Regency Dress, Pattern and Fabric

My pattern arrived today, "Butterick 6630 Ladies Regency Dress, Coat and Spencer sizes 12/14/16."   I'm starting with dress A, the brown one worn by the lady on the right of the picture.  The lady on the left is wearing a white dress with a blue coat on top, and I hope eventually to make both outfits.  Tonight I cut out pieces 12 to 21 of the paper pattern, and made sure that I have enough fabric to complete the dress.   Yesterday I bought a second-hand duvet cover and pillowcase very cheaply in a charity shop.  It is a linen type beige fabric with a pale blue stripe, and looks very Regency!    I took these two photos in half light tonight, as I have no ceiling lighting, since something went click this morning and all the lights went out.  The sockets still work, as does the television,  and I have the light from the cookerhood in the kitchen,  and the  side tablelights work in the bedrooms.  The electrician is coming on Wednesday morning at 09.30 to rectify the problem, and then I can get going in earnest with my dressmaking.
 

 

Above is pattern piece 16, a puff sleeve, which is lying on the nice striped blue fabric.  The dress will need lining, and a lot of hand stitching is involved, but I have seven weeks in which to complete it before our Grand Regency Party on Saturday 24th November.