Long Weekend and New Start

I've spent most of this weekend in Thirsk, relaxing thoroughly with a lot of badminton and table tennis, some films, and a large quantity of coffee. It's been really good; I came home mid-afternoon today.

I've actually just bought an espresso machine, which will hopefully arrive soon, having discovered how much I enjoy lattes (which have been instrumental, really, in learning to enjoy coffee without sugar).

Today is Liz and my eighth wedding anniversary. Over the last few weeks, we've decided that neither of us want to separate, and we'll be remaining together. It's going to be tough, and involve a lot of work, but I'm hopeful.

On the bank of Loch Awe (© REM 2008)

Kent

It's been a weekend in Kent, with David and Ann. I really enjoyed it: plenty of food and games, and a visit to Emmett's Garden.

Wedding cake tree (Cornus controversa 'Variegata') (© Ian 2016)

Lovely bright rhododendron (© Ian 2016)

Bracts and flowers on a hankerchief tree (Davidia involucrata

) (© Ian 2016)

Also known as a dove tree (the bracts are meant to look like roosting doves) (© Ian 2016)

It makes a very pretty tree, though it's quite slow growing (© Ian 2016)

Perennial borders (© Ian 2016)

A new (well, being renovated) pond (© Ian 2016)

Burger

Yesterday, I had lunch with Cath & Jason at a new burger place in Lindley (delicious; a blue-cheese sauce'd burger, with sweet potato fries), which was a lot of fun. The rest of the weekend has been effective, but less outright fun: a lot of cleaning, tidying and sorting inside—and I've managed to do a load of weeding and mow the lawn.

Thirsk

I've spent the weekend in Thirsk, which has been very relaxing.

Earlier in the week, I made a little door for the soot hatch in the chimney in the master bedroom. It will need securing, when I re-point the chimney breast, but I like it.

Chimney breast in the master bedroom (© Ian 2016)

Hall and Woodwork

My mum came through for another weekend of decorating, and we've got loads done.

We: repainted the entrance hall, and the last niggling bits of paintwork upstairs; repainted most of the windowsills; cut and attached the skirting boards downstairs (and a few bits upstairs); finished opening up the fireplace in the front guest room; put the cornices on the fitted wardrobes; did the last bit of tiling (fiddly bits I'd never finished!) in the guest bathroom; replaced a power socket in the utility room (that's been on the to-do list for three years, and is the completion of a job itself on the list for three years—things get done, eventually...); put back up ten shelves in the master bed and dressing room; and repaired the floor in the dining room. We also vacuumed quite a lot, and I believe all the windows & frames were cleaned.

We drank a lot of coffee.