Martin and Judiths excellent adventure: Cornish visitors

Hello everyone. Its Sunday afternoon and our guests Alexander and Meg have just gone back to Cornwall , we hope they have a safe drive back and are not too hot in any traffic jams.

The bathrooms are nearing completion, this one has its bath and is just waiting for the boards to go down . Amtico suggest 18mm hardboard with screws to the floorboards every 20cm. In the new front bathroom that was 530 screws. This room is about twice the size. So leaky plumbing is not an option! We have had to identify where the traps for the bath and shower are in the rooms downstairs just in case we have to take out any ceiling to rectify future errors. Doesn't bear thinking about.

'Yellow room bathroom'

Our personal bathroom is now complete, all the pipes boxed in and white undercoat applied. Its a bit too clinical so we are going for some more muted tones for the top coat. Amazing to think there was a large cupboard where the bath is.

Actually, the bathroom is now a light yellow and looks much nicer.

Our bathroom takes shape

Judith's son Alexander came to stay with his girlfriend Meg on their way back down from a short holiday in Edinburgh. We barbecued and got the fire pit out for the first time here. Got ever so slightly squiffy.

Also have been eating outside, having to use the parasol as the sun has been too much. The new bit of lawn now looks ok, its as patchy as the rest of it so blends in well.

For some reason Alex decided to wear the slow cooker as a hat.

Sally came over and brought her best Victoria sponge. Her and Judith spend a lot of time in this chair plotting.

Raz decided that our favourite festival chairs were far too good for us and requisitioned this one.

Judith has to go see her mum next week down south, so im left at the mercy of the builders for a while. Laurence added to the general stress by doing what was expressly forbidden: hiring a motorbike in Greece. William's wheel fell off (the bikes are SO well maintained) and Tom and Laurence veered off the road. Fortunately the injuries to the boys were minor but Laurence's bike was fatally injured. Judith's wallet was struck a mortal blow. Laurence is paying back the debt by being our painting slave.

See, the bathroom is now yellow.

The new en-suite is now complete for the 'Green room' and I had a shower in it at Johns request, so I know it doesn't leak.

We seem to have a Song thrush set up a nest in the Wisteria. Its been so hot lately that I have left a few windows open at night. One morning I got up early and heard this incessant cheeping coming from the first floor. Seems like one of its young has flown in and couldn't figure out its escape. Whilst fending off the cat with one hand I managed to scoop the little fella up in t'other (see, im nearly Yorkshire now) and release him into the garden, phew.

Looks more like a small frog than a Thrush. Size of them feet!

Judith eventually got back from looking after her Dad, and on Monday we took some time off to go sight seeing. We had heard Kirby Lonsdale was pretty and its on the way virtually to Sedburgh and the Howgill hills, where we had planned to do a big walk, Judith's bad back allowing (too much wheelchair lifting).

This is us walking. It was far too hot so we had a stroll along the river Rawthey, a tributary of the Lune and ace trout stream. Judith got very annoyed because her untrained fisherman's eye initially couldn't spot them lurking in the shallows. But dogged determination won the day and now she can spot them better than me.

This is the Parish church of St Mary in Kirby Lonsdale. Its

got a fine self-closing gate that is very Heath-Robinson.

Kirby is lovely and has a bridge over the river that you can swim off. It was packed that day and there were loads of bikers cooling off there and in the pubs. Lots of antique shops and nice upholstery and gals clothing places.

This is the Rothay, Its clear and shallow at the moment, not much rainfall for a while. There is a plethora of beautiful wildflowers, many of which only grow up north so we had to get the book out to ID them when we got back. Giant Bell flowers do exacty what it says on the packet.

Giant Bells

These are the Howgill hills at Sedburgh. They aren't very high and on a cooler day they make very good walking. There are several of them, all about the same size, so you can do as many as you want, depending on your level of fitness. We didn't do any that day!

On the way back Judith drove and gave me the map to navigate. Foolish woman! I decided we should head back via the little white roads on the map instead of the red or yellow ones. They are quite narrow the white ones. This one took us back via Dent and dentdale and lovely views of the Dent Viaduct. Its not as long as the Ribblehead Viaduct but its in a fairly steeply sided gorge and is probably prettier, given the setting.

Raz has been at the kitty crack or Catnip as its known round here. I made this little chicken wire net to go over it so she can only destroy little bits at a time. I do feel a bit like her dealer sometimes though.