Tag Archives: wall

End of a Scottish era: the cottage is sold

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The wee house at Ballater: our home from home for more than 20 years

End of an era. The wee house at Ballater has been sold – back to the council from whom it was originally bought. One can only hope they now do something constructive with the whole site. Today we received a parcel from Ella with a memento: a small column with a Farquharson crest on it. It will be really strange being somewhere else in Ballater. It’s like losing a home: we had become so familiar with it.

Meanwhile, Dot was sitting in the garden during a momentary burst of sunshine and slight heat yesterday  when a Wildlife vehicle backed into our wall. No damage this time, but it heightens our suspicions that the fallen section mentioned earlier was indeed provoked by a collision. Maybe the cutting back of the hedge makes it easier for the rear of vehicles to reach the wall. Unexpected consequence. No word from NWT yet.

It seems a long time ago now, but David and the children left last Thursday after a really nice few days, and our ex-best man Fred arrived around 7pm the same day, staying the night so that we could all go the CNS Old Boys’ event at Dragon Hall the next morning. The latter was sunny but still pretty chilly, but it all went well. Dot immediately met someone she knew: Mary Thrower, who plays clarinet in the same orchestra as her. She is the wife of former classmate Neville, who I never knew all that well.

Adrian O’dell, the organiser of all this reunion stuff, gave us a tour of the Hall that was surprisingly informative, and we then had a talk from Peter Bussey on the Large Hadron Collider, where he has worked. He did well with a difficult subject, but it left our brains a little fuzzy. Then on to Yellows for a meal that was described later as “not quite Premier League”. But the company was good. As well as Fred, we spoke to (the Rev) Graham Drake, and others including Barnard, Chadwick and Cowell from the L stream.

We spent the rest of the day recovering from the food (amount rather than quality), but on Saturday we were out again – first at Winterton, looking unsuccessfully for an earring that Dot had lost earlier in the week, and later at the Kibbles’, where the conversation is even more filling than the food. The next two or three days were spent catching up with things that had been set aside while the grandchildren were here and exciting things were happening: I caught up with some Chronicle stuff and sent a potential blog to B J Epstein at the UEA. I was quite pleased with it, but I haven’t heard back.

Yesterday I struggled to get out of Norwich for a Chronicle meeting at Kay’s. Big hold-ups on the inner ring road and on the Aylsham road; so I diverted on to the Reepham Road and approached Wood Dalling from behind, as it were. Happily I was able to find Kay’s rather remote cottage without much trouble. We spent much of the meeting discussing the potential recording of a CD, and we did trial recordings of small sections that worked well in the end, after David (Kay’s husband) struggled to make the machine work properly. And he’s an expert. Why is sound technology so difficult?

We also talked about out plans for the year and allocated a few tasks. I am producing a script for Dragon Hall and printing some letters for reading at Paston Church at the open day in a couple of weeks’ time. We also fixed a date for rehearsal, which is good.

Now I am about to have my hair cut by Linda, then my shoulder massaged by Sharon. One of my better days.

23 December 2008

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That was just to fool you. In fact it’s reasonably mild for the time of year, and the days are getting longer, though as yet it’s undiscernible. The footprints are undoubtedly of Father Christmas, but where is it? No-one knows. I’ve just been into the city to get a final one or two things and forgetting one or two others that we will certainly need, though we don’t know it yet. Fairly quiet in the city, except in HMV, where there was the longest queue I’ve ever seen. Fortunately, it was also the quickest because their system was so superbly organised: a whole row of cashiers, with an additional guy directing the next in queue to the next cashier available (shoppers are usually too dim to see this for themselves, or possibly too short). Anyway, great planning: well done, HMV.

Dot has meanwhile decorated the house and actually painted part of the bathroom ceiling. We got a promise from City Hall that the binmen would come tomorrow after they came yesterday without telling anyone, and so we didn’t have out bags out. Discovered from our neighbour Ailsa that she too has been in contact several times over the intermittent service. I think City Care have a lucky dip on which day they’re going to do Aspland Road each week.

Yesterday I took part in the Christmas chess event and managed to beat the club’s top player on his final day before moving to Kent. OK, he had three minutes and I had seven, but who’s counting? Managed to lose my last game of six when a win would have tied me for first place, but that’s par for the course. An enjoyable evening, though I had one ginger beer too many. That’s a total of two, in case you were wondering. And yes, they’re non-alcoholic.

The alternative carol service went well on Sunday, with appreciation from many of the 40 or so present. Used a couple of old sketches revamped slightly, and they got some laughs. This was followed by a splendid Christmas lunch cooked by Vicky and friends, and in the evening by yet another meal out – Eugenia’s 40th birthday bash at the York Tavern. This turned out to be really good; it was in a private room at the top of the pub, and we met some interesting people, as well as eating some interesting food. In Italian style, plenty of children present, including her own baby, Francesca, who is a lovely little thing. Sat with a Japanese PhD student from UEA and Lisa, formerly in environmental education but now at a day centre for people with varying degrees of disability. Also met a German GP, with whose views on red tape we strongly sympathised. She is married to a Frenchman who is also at UEA – something to do with pharmaceuticals. I think Dot would like me to have been Norwegian, or Uzbekhistani or something.

The previous night we had another meal out, at the Higbees, which was also a lot of fun and very relaxing. Since then I have been down to Alburgh to pick up the Christmas cake from Marion while Dot was at Park Farm / picking up parcels from the Post Office / buying food from Waitrose / visiting her aunt Ethel. I also called in at Burston to leave Annette and Mike’s gift, but they were out. I hid it by the door, then wondered if Annette was at Bally, which would have been much easier. Now we’re just about ready to crash out before cooking a smallish meal for our much depleted Tuesday Group.

Another Aspland Road wall has been knocked down, this time by someone unknown. It must have happened while I was out this morning. The house turns out to be owned by Mrs Hicks’ daughter Janet, who is renting it out and called to see if we’d heard anything. Unfortunately Dot had The Messiah on high and was oblivious. Nice to meet Janet, though.