Sunday, October 25, 2020

Published Sunday, October 25, 2020 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 25h October

Finished off sanding the window on Monday and have started doing minor repairs and filling. Wales are going back into more or less full lockdown for a couple weeks from Friday. They already have in Northern Ireland. We watched UC and they had screens between the contestants for the first time. They had had a break in filming during lock down as all the previous programs had no screens. Went for a swim on Tuesday morning. The new wood filler I bought seems to have worked on the window sill. I've finished the prep apart from sanding the middle sill. Sort of finished the Superstar video but I'm not entirely happy with it. Rick has suggested a get together at his place. Roy has a chest infection. He must have been worried that it was covid. On Wednesday it was announced that Sheffield is moving to tier 3 so the trip to Rick's is now off. Didn't do much as it rained most of the day. Got a text from John Lewis saying my guitar playing chair is ready. Re-did some of the Superstar video. I'm a bit happier with it but not entirely. On Thursday morning I arranged for the chair to be delivered, its coming next Tuesday. I'm very excited. M went for a swim but I didn't go as I wanted to put a coat if primer on the window. I used a bucket to put the paint in when using the ladder and managed to get it done by lunch time. We then had some very sad news. Fran and Ian's son Jake has died. He was Fran's son from her first marriage. I only met him a couple of times when he was very young. He has spent most of his life in care homes. He had epilepsy and then developed brain damage as a result of a bad attack. His condition had been deteriorating so they we're kind of expecting it. They don't think it was covid related, just his systems packing in. He was 44. I went to buy some paint from Johnstone's as Kelvin recommended it. It's kind if a trade shop and I think they found it odd that I only wanted half litre tins. It was very pleasant out so decided to go out for a quick ride when I got back. Headed out along the Kennet towards Theale. Bumped into Roger who looked very smart for someone out walking. He was with his niece visiting from London. I decided not to go the usual way as I thought it might be muddy so crossed the bridge just after the Cunning Man. It was fine until I got to the field where the path ran out and it was full of cows with calves. A bit worrying but I think they were used to humans.
There was a bull lurking in the bushes.
I took the usual footpath over the M4 and took a snap as I dont think I took one during the great footpath quest. You can see that the leaves are turning.
A good ride. Heard that nearby Sloughbhas been put in tier 2. Had a zoom with Penno, Kevin and Adrienne in the evening. All OK, Penno is now at uni in Farnham as she didn't like being down in Bournemouth. So she's commuting but at the moment doesn't need to go in that often. Its part of the University of Creative Arts (UCA). I was going to do some painting on Friday but it wasn't a very nice day so didn't get round to it. Then went for a swim and the next thing I new I was doing my blog and it was nearly 4 o-clock so too late to start. I'm been trying to following the underfloor insulation for the green deal thing but no luck. I tried to contact 3 companies initially. 2 said they would get back to me but haven't. I tried them again. Left a message with one but they haven't got back, another said phone Monday, the third didn't answer. They were the ones I gave up on initially. The weather couldn't make up its mind on Saurday but I wanted to crack on with the undercoat. There was a bit of fine drizzle but I stated anyway and the bottom bits. The paint is really good, very easy to apply. I stopped for a cuppa and it started to rain so had to abandon. It really chucked it down but the paint seemed to survive. Watched Reading v newly promoted Rotherham on iFollow. They were all over us in the first half but we had one shot and Meite scored. He then got a cracker with an overhead shot in the second half. Hopefully this link will work. Joao then won and scored a penalty to make it 3 0 and 5 points clear at the top. It was an unexpectedly nice day on Sunday so I finished off the undercoat. Got an email from my cousin Sue to say aunty Phil is in Scunthorpe hospital with a broken hip. No visitors allowed. Also got an email from Helen saying she has tested positive so wont be on the next walk. No symptoms but a slight sore throat. According to the covid app the number of current cases in Reading has jumped to 552, thats gone up by a couple of hundred since yesterday, only an estimate though. The clocks have gone back. Nice autumnal light on Kelvin's cherry tree.
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Sunday, October 18, 2020

Published Sunday, October 18, 2020 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 18th October

Went for a swim late Monday morning. Did my blog, learnt a few songs for the Sheffield Locktober session but that was about it. Boris announced a new 3 tier lockdown system. Discovered on Tuesday morning that Sheffield is tier 2 which means no mixing of households so the session is off. Booked a flu jab. 4 22 on 21st October. Very precise. Ian has said we can still go to Sheffield but I dont think its right to break the rules. Did a bit of sanding of the bay window. Still haven't heard from the green deal people. Did tidying and more on the window on Wednesday with a swim in between. Started on my vidro for Shooting Star. On Thursday I persuaded Andy and Kelvin to do some ford spotting so we headed out to North Warnborough just East of Basingstoke. 
We spotted some massive mushrooms on the way. We lost Kelvin at one point and realised we had stopped under an apple tree so grabbed a couple, not done that for ages.
Stopped off at West Green House for lunch where Andy had been on Sunday.
We then hit the Basingstoke canal where I haven't been before and cycled along the towpath. Its a bit like the Kennet and Avon but narrower and shallower. The water is also very clear.
Just off the canal we found the ford on the river Whitewater.
Its not a proper ford anymore as its not open to traffic. The river flows under some fences. All a bit odd but very picturesque.
We then made our way back to the canal and cycled to the end taking in Odium Castle.
If doesn't go to Basingstoke any more because of the colapsed Greywell Tunnel.
We picked up  Sunstrans route 23 and branched off to the station to catch a train back. We didn't sit together on the train. We normally would have but we put each bike in a separare door way and say near them. I've found this website dedicated to fords http://www.wetroads.co.uk. Had a zoom with T, S, J and A in the evening. All OK. T and S making good progress moving in. Went up to the university on Friday morning as M needed to go the library. Its click and collect. Went for a bit of a wander around the campus. Then went for quite a long swim. M did 40 lengths. Had a fun call with the Lutonians in the evening. All doing well. Pete and Sue in Jersey. This is the view from their balcony.
Brian in his studio. Ron and Lyn are going to be grand parents next easter. Got up late on Saturday. Listened to a Charles Paris. A good start to the day on Sunday. Had a bit of a lie in. Trimmed the jasmin by the side of the house and put a new tube in my mountain bike after the covid puncture a couple of weeks ago. M did roast lamb.

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Monday, October 12, 2020

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Coronavirus - Sunday 11th October

Had a bit of a slow start on Monday. It was a nice morning so eventually I did a bit of paint stripping then we went for a swim. Did more stripping in the afternoon then cooked a veggie stir fry but maybe not quite enough. Finished off Superstar and settled down for all the quizzes. A new post covid Mastermind with no audience. Had a problem with gears on my road bike after the repairs so cycled out to Rotec at Shinfield on Tuesday morning to see if they could sort it. It just took a few minutes to do and involved doing something to a cable and adjusting a screw. There had been a suggestion of going over to Ian's for a musical weekend and I've decided to go. Got a suggested playlist from Roy. so checked out a few songs. On Wednesday we drove over to Tom and Sally's. They are completing on there new house on Thursday which is also Tom's birthday and wanted to cook us a nice last meal. Spaghetti and meat balls, very nice. May have over indulged they had  a few bottles they wanted finishing off before the move.
They got to know they had completed about 11 o-clock. We had breakfast and walked over with them to pick up the keys. Then we went round to the house. Its great, we're really pleased for them. Here are some photos.

We walked back to the flat to pick up a some stuff that we took over in the car, Me and Tom made another trip with some boxes, then walked back, its very close to where they live. They met some friendly neighbours. We had our last bottle of ruby wedding champagne and a cake we had bought.

M did make one but we decided not to bring it.
We then went for a couple of pints in the nearest pub, the British Oak, we sat inside, they had one of the NHS QR location codes. My phone wouldn't read it but Sally's did. Very friendly pub, had Good Old Boy on but we went for a golden ale instead. We then went to Bianco's, an Italian in Blackheath. Had an excellent meal, very good pizzas. Then back to the flat and had a relatively early night. We drove back on Friday. Keith and Fiona were going over for the weekend to help with the main move. They have a bigger car and Tom and Sally were hiring a van on Sunday to move the big stuff. Keith had been moving his mum into sheltered accommodation up in Yorkshire. He then discoved she had tested positive for covid so he had been isolating for a week. Fiona hadn't though as she needed to go to work so they had been socially distancing at home. Made a really good Ottolenghi chick pea dish for tea that I had seen in a magazine and Tom and Sally's.
Lazy day on Saturday. On Sunday I had a phone call from Anton Aaron and also phoned Norilyn as she had emailed to say she was having computer problems. Andrew seemed to have beaten me to it though. There is no change in Martin's condition. She Skypes everyday and has been to seem him in the hospital in Putney twice. She is living in their flat in Harwich but hoping to move to London soon. Watched some old Spooks in the evening and persuaded M to watch the second series of Ghosts which she actually enjoyed. We ended up watching until 1 30. A bit late for a Sunday.
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Monday, October 05, 2020

Published Monday, October 05, 2020 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 4th October

I was putting the finishing touches to this post on Sunday night and for some reason the text was blue so I pressed the discard option as opposed to save thinking it would discard my changes but it discarded the whole post. So now I have to try to remember what I've been doing all week. It was a really nice morning on Monday so I went a ride. Did the one along the Kennet to Theale then across to Pangbourne and back via Hardwick Stud and Mapledurham. Not many people about. Went for a swim in the afternoon so I did two thirds of a triathlon. Finished my video of A Sailors Daughter in the evening but I might make some changes when my green screen arrives. Another nice morning on Tuesday so I went for another ride. This time exploring the tracks out Barkham way. Spotted these starlings on A33 bridge over the M4.
Came across this ford which I had already discovered on a previous lockdown ride but not sure if I took a picture. Anyway I approached from the opposite direction. I do like a ford, there's something timeless about them.
Had my first covid puncture. Not very diffetent to a regular one but at least it was on the front wheel. I must have nicked the new tube with a tyre lever when putting it on as it wouldn't inflate so had to take it off again. Found the hole OK but then discovered my puncture kit was so old the glue had almost dried up. I did manage to get a couple of patches on though. I thought about getting a train back from Wokingham to be on the safe side but didn't have a mask so cycled all the way and fortunately it held up. Went to get some more tubes and stuff from Evans but they didn't have the right ones and very little choice of other stuff so ordered online from Tredz.
Started work on another song. The weather changed on Wednesday but we did manage a swim. My  green screen arrived and I managed to successfully take some video and get it to work once I'd remembered how to use the settings in Filmora.  On Thursday I embarked on a spot of ford spotting. My new hobby now that I've exhausted the motorway footbridges. Went for these 3 on the river Blackwater.
I went over the motorway bridge again and the starlings were still hanging about. 
Stopped of at Kings Bridge and trued to take a picture of a kingfisher but it wouldn't stay still. Took one of some Himalayan balsam instead. There seems to be a lot  of it around.
I may have done the first ford before but I cant imagine what I would have been dojng there. It looked impassable and there didn't appear to be a bridge until a dog walker on the other side pointed me in the right direction.

There was some sort of memorial on the other side.
l was difficult to get to the middle ford so I ended up at the last one after a pleasant ride through some woods. This also looked impassable but had an obvious bridge.
I tried to get to the middle ford via various footpaths but got to a point where I would have to take my bike over a stile and through a field of horses so decided to go the long way around and approach it from the other side. This was also impassable  and didn't look like it was used much. It had no obvious bridge but some walkers I spoke to had been told there was one.
Cooked a cherry tomato and feta flan in the evening that turned out OK. Posted an updated version of Sailors Daughter with the green screen bits of me playing guitar. Storm Alex arrived on Friday  (I think) so didn't do much during the day but did go for a swim. In the  evening had a greater Ounsley zoom call for James's birthday. They were going to the Finneston for a meal. Tom was going to Pirate Studios with Adam. Had a bit of a lazy day on Saturday due to the weather. Made tapas for tea which worked OK. I had organised the society walk on Sunday but quite a few people dropped out because of the weather leaving just 7. We decided to all go round together even though we would be technically breaking the rule of 6 as when you walk you tend to spread out and break into smaller groups anyway. Me and M had already done the walk with Kelvin, as described a couple of posts ago, but unfortunately we had a bit of a problem. We needed to cross a ford after about a mile but it was completely impassable.
I managed to walk round and get to the bridge by getting very wet but could see it was too deep on the other side. It was nearly 6 feet deep in the middle. We decided on an alternative walk on Greenham Common. None of us had been before except Lindsey had turned up once to join the protest and Margaret had taken a cake she baked for the protestors. If was quite interesting. We walked to on old control tower which is now a coffee shop and then made our way back.


M cooked a lasagna for tea with homemade pasta. We spent the evening watching the starting episodes of various Netflix series. So this post has pictures of 5 different fords and has the word impassable 4 times.




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Monday, September 28, 2020

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Coronavirus - Sunday 27th September

Went for a swim on Monday morning. The kitchen sink was blocked so had to take the pipes apart. Did a bit more paint stripping. Tom phoned and all the searches have been done now so they are hoping to exchange contracts on Thursday so we transferred the money we are giving them for the deposit. As infection rates are still rising more country wide restrictions are being planned. Only Connect is back and its been recorded during lockdown so there are screens between the contestants. Most similar programs make no mention of covid so they must have been recorded before this all started, e.g. Pointless and UC. Finally picked up my Ridgeback on Tuesday morning. Tried the front brake in the shop and the cable came loose. Gave it a test run near the shop as its in Shinfield and didn't want to have to go back. It seemed OK but when I got back noticed the back brake was catching. What is it with these people, don't they do basic tests? I think Andy had a similar problem. Decided to go for a ride to check out the bike and also because its the last day of the good weather. Thought I'd head east to Windsor Great Park and get a train back. There are some great views. Its Windsor Castle in the background.
I was thinking to myself that in spite of the fact that its a royal park its a fantastic place for walking and cycling only to find that for some reason cycling is not allowed in the main bit of it at the moment. I did manage to go round and out the other side though and got a train from Egham. Didn't see any deer either. Or any royals. The weather changed on Wednesday, cooler and it rained, so didn't go out. Did a bit of house cleaning and worked on my video for Sailor's Daughter. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with regarde to the money we are giving Tom and Sally. They needed a document to say it was a gift and proof of the transfer. Went for a swim on Thursday morning. 45 mins this time. M did 40 lengths which is 1K. New measures come into force today as the infection rate is rising. The main one is that all pubs and restaurants have to shut by 10pm. People are also being encouraged to work from home if they can, they were being encouraged to go back to work. The NHS track and trace app has been released so I've installed it. Did some more work on the window but its a bit nippy out there. Had a Zoom call with Kevin, Adrienne and Penno in the evening. The first one I've had for a while. Almost forgot how it works. We played Carcassonne via https://en.boardgamearena.com/
Enjoyed it,  worked quite well. Kevin is going to retire next May. Penno is waiting for term to start. She has the option to study abroad for a term. A bit of a lazy day on Friday. It was very windy and various pots blew over. Went for another swim, ordered a green screen for making videos, cooked a curry. We're watching Damages about American lawyers. Tom and Sally have exchanged contracts on their house. The completion date was been put back to 8th which is Tom's birthday. Another lazy day on Saturday. Did some more video stuff and guitar playing. M did homemade pasta for tea. Very nice. A good start to the day on Sunday, didn't get up til 1. Went for an urban walk. Very busy in town but the shops we went in weren't that full. In stark contrast to the time we went into town just after lockdown started when we took photos for the pub sign and clock quiz. I noticed the 3 Guineas was shut as was the coffee van round the back of the station. The tea boat was doing a roaring trade though. Popped into the Castle Castle Tap garden and Steve and Patrick were there. Did a roast chicken from the Genius cookbook  as recommended by James and Amy. Stayed up a bit too late. Only one photo this week.
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Monday, September 21, 2020

Published Monday, September 21, 2020 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 20th September

Infection rates are rising so new measures have been introduced from Monday. No gatherings of more than 6 people. They have removed the household limit though. So it can be 6 people from 6 different households. I guess it makes enforcement easier. Tony came round to fix a broken radiator valve. We went for a swim and managed 40 mins. Went to pick my bike up from Evans on Tuesday morning and guess what? No new pedals in spite of being told it wouldn't be a problem they dont have any in stock. I hate that shop. Managed to get some online without a problem. The final part for my Ridgeback, a chain ring, had arrived last week so phoned up to see it it was ready but they had sent the wrong one. It's due in tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath. In case I haven't mentioned it there is supposed to be world wide shortage of bikes and parts as so many people have started cycling because of covid. That's to keep fit and avoid public transport. Restarted work on the bay window. Cooked a stir fry worked on my new song. Finished The Polish Officer by Alan Furst on Wednesday morning which I really enjoyed. Did the usual spot if cleaning in the morning. Went for another 40 minute swim and did some more stripping of the window.  There's not much on TV at the moment so we re-watched The Bridge which we enjoyed so now we are re-watching the second series. There was a Mansfield Rd walk on Thursday arranged by Kelvin. We got a bus to the Red Lion at Upper Basildon and walked to Pangbourne. Sue, John and Paul also came.


M was supposed to come too but had a hair appointment. Really good walk most of which I hadn't done before. We passed St Bartholomew's church Lower Basildon where Jethro Tull came from and is buried.

Churches tend to be open so people can go in any time as there are some restrictions on services

We then walked down to the river where I used to fish and into Pangbourne. The plan was to have a quick pint in The Swan and then get the same bus back. However we waited for 20 mins and no bus so we got a train. We then saw the bus at the start of Oxford Rd on the walk back from the station. M had had her hair coloured. Streaked, some blond, some very red. Looks great. Finished off Sailor's Daughter in the evening. Friday was the annual cycle the number of miles Reading got points ride. This year it was 56 which co-incidentally is about the same as my planned 5 brewerys ride so we combined the two.

Graham dropped out so that left just me, Andy, Kelvin and Dave. Lodden was first on the list and we half halves of Ferrymans with an extra half for top ups. Next up was Binghams where they only have a shop and a few barrels outside to sit on.  Had 5 halves of Mystic Endeavour which is a very hoppy IPA with a hint of burntness like a stout.
An interesting sculpture in the unit opposite.
And this car sticker.
Next was Sirencraft. We passed the Royal's new training ground at Bearwood Park on the way.
We also passed Hogwood, the old training ground. We dropped down to 4 halves of Soundwave and had our sarnies sitting in the sun. There was then a 20 plus mile ride over to West Berks. We moved onto pints of Maharaja but it wasn't as good as it could be and there was also a bit of a country smell. We bombed back to Double Barrelled which is another industrial unit down Portman Rd. I hadn't been before. It was really busy and almost exactly 56 miles.
Purely by co-incidence we had pints of 56K Modem. Kelvin's daughter Amy was there with Ben and John Luther. A good ride and I remembered the route. M had cooked a lamb tagine when I got back so settled back to watch TV with a bottle of red. Saw a good documentary about Hendrix at Woodstock. Great stuff. Did a bit of gardening on Saturday morning. My pedals turned up but they are all plastic including the thread so didn't really fancy using them. Found an old pair in the shed though so went down to Evans to get them fixed along with the back brake which was catching the wheel. They sorted it and even gave me a mask so I'll ease off them a bit. My Ridgeback is also ready so I'll pick it up next week. Decided to make pizzas for tea. I had volunteered to do October's society walk so we did a trial run on Sunday with Kelvin.. Nice walk, from Crookham  Common near Thatcham, new territory. A lot of it by the river Enborne.

Tried the pub at the bottom of Ashford Hill I had found on one of my lockdown rides but unfortunately it wasn't open. Had a nice pint of Hophead in the Hinds Head at Aldermaston instead.Very quiet. The last time I'd arranged a walk there it was heaving. Had to ask for track and trace which seemed odd. The rest of the covid stuff was fine though. M cooked nice steaks for teas. We finished off watching Criminal UK, a really good series.

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