13th.May - 1st. June 2008

I had great plans to re-design the Diary Page for the 27th. May entry, but as you can see, I'm four days late and all the sides of the page are the same as last time.
I will find time - promise! After all, I'm only working at Cricket from this Tuesday to the Friday week.
I'm very worried, I haven't had one of those red coloured bills for over six weeks now. Spoiling my cred altogether. I can't afford to appear mainstream at the Bank. Guess I'll just have to spend it all!

Last week Kent played at Tunbridge Wells and I had the pleasure of staying in a Hotel.
Great, except.....Leo and myself worked at the Ground pre-match day and got to the Hotel at 8.30pm.
The room had a lovely floor to ceiling mirror doored Cupboard. Leo opened it and it immediately fell off.
I rested it against the wall and told him to sit down whilst I sorted it out. He sat on the Bed and that collapsed!.
After finally sorting things out, we went down Town for something to eat. Both Restaurants we'd eaten at in previous years had closed down, another shut before we got there, so it was Witherspoons or hunger. We chose Witherspoons.

Besides that, it was a very pleasant week as always spoilt only by the final one day game there being abandoned before it even started. This at least gave me some inspiration to write a web page HERE !

The abandoned game meant travelling from home to Tunbridge Wells (one hour and ten minutes) only to return some two hours later.
As always, the rain had stopped and this at least gave me a chance of mowing the lawn.
The following day was a training day at Canterbury followed by travelling down to Southampton for a family five day spell.

This was most enjoyable and I've been back for one whole day and still haven't felt a Virus coming on.

Whilst there, I was able to re-design, restore and build new living quarters for the Rabbit and Guinea Pig (Snoopy and Austin!).
The whole job was quite a long one for me, about four hours, but it's amazing what Staple Guns, bits of roof tile and old Plywood can do.
I built it on solid ground, so I'm hoping Snoopy isn't doing a Steve McQueen and digging his way under the House, Front Garden and coming out by the Dandelions next to No.39.
But the Grand Kids love it, they've been to look at it at least once and said "We're going indoors to play the Wii".

The Vegetables are doing fairly well, albeit a bit slow because of the silly amount of rain we've had in the past few weeks. The soil is getting quite clogged up and it's a problem when there's no drainage underneath. The Greenhouse Salads though are doing very well.

The leaves on the tree's all around the Lane look like it's late August; lush heavy green - much pruning to do when I get the chance I think.

I'm amazed at how my Garden Power Tools are still going. The Honda Lawnmower seems to be on memory and not Petrol. It has so many bangs and the handle is still held on by a bit of 1" x 1" timber and Gaffer Tape!
The Strimmer has lost both it's cover and  the shield which stops things hitting your leg. I put Shin pads on now.
It's like my Cars, I use them til they drop.

Just before Tunbridge Wells, Leo and I had a day trip to France. We drove up to the Belgium border (for 'bounty') then on to Ypres to visit some WW1 Trench Sites and Museum.
It was a gloriously sunny day and it was a real experience for us both.
You can see a page about Hill 62 - Sanctuary Wood on the Blog.

On the way back we made another shopping stop in Cite Europ to come home suitably loaded with Goodies less expensive than Blighty.

I have a feeling that may have been my Summer Holiday this year! But I am finding out exactly where my two Grandfathers fought in WW1 and plan to visit the areas (on the Somme) in October.
Could be a Tent job that one I think.

With the exception of Big Ron the cat planting a live Rabbit in the Hall last week, life has been pretty dull.
Tomorrow, being my last day off for a while, I intend to make my maiden Bus Pass ride to town.
I don't like being 60 much. Every year seems to be more challenging than the last, but as long as I have reasonable health, I intend to use up every minute of every day to some positive use.
So, looks like a quick whip round to Wilkinsons for my Denture stuff, pop down to Specsavers for an eye test whilst remembering I went by Bus, thus avoiding a one hour search around the Town trying to recollect where I put the Car.

28th.April - 13th.May 2008

It makes a change not to say I've only spent one day at home in the last two weeks. A gap in the Home Fixture list enabled me 5 days off. Blimey, I didn't know what to do first!

With that and the heat wave down here, I've spent almost the whole of the spare time outside in the Garden - and has it paid off!
I finished off the detail bits to the Shed (whoops, Office), cut the grass four times, strimmed around the garden / Chicken Run, trimmed off a load of tree's and shrubs, planted out and weeded out the Vegetable Patch and generally had a good clear out of the Sheds (proper ones) and off loaded rubbish down the Tip.

Vegetable wise, after a few walks down the Woods for some 'Sticks', I planted out the Runner Beans (12 in total), sowed Carrots, Spring Onions, Beetroot and more Cabbages.
Almost ready for planting out are the first lot of Cabbages and Tomatoes (32 Plants).
The Potatoes I put in the old Bath won't stop growing. It seems that I have to earth them over every day. Can't wait to see how that turns out!
Meanwhile, all the Salad plants are doing well.

What I have noticed in the last few weeks is the huge increase in Wasps this year. Everytime I dig a hole, a few hours later, the Wasps have made a Nest in it!
I guess it's all part of the natural cycle, but it is pushing the patience out a bit.

The adaptation of the Coal Shed to 'Summerhouse' and the new 'Office' has made so much difference to the lower end of the Garden. We can now view the whole garden from the back door and it's a pleasure to sit somewhere sheltered without having a two mile trek up the other end.

The trip to the local Waste Disposal Unit (Tip !) also cleared a lot of unwanted stuff from the old Barn and even that's looking tidy as well now. I'll have to mess something up or I'll be accused of being posh!

It's nice to have own time. I love my Cricket job to bits, but I do enjoy being at home tinkering around completely alone. It's a real escape, a time for not only work, but thought as well.
I've been thinking a lot about the future of late and am undecided whether to become a millionaire or not. How I'd become a millionaire, the right side of the Law, is the hard bit. We'll see, I'm not in any rush.

Last weekend we had a pleasant family day at Hastings. This ended up with a Barbecue at an old friend of the families house which was brilliant. They have a large garden with a proper Summerhouse surrounded by Palms. All this overlooks the Channel from Hastings Castle to Beachy Head. It was a beautiful day and a lovely way to round things off.

Tomorrow, Leo and myself are popping accross to Channel. I need some of that horrible stuff which is cheap in Belgium and Leo wants some of that almost as horrible stuff sold in Cans!! We shall drive up to Andinkirke, then spend a few hours around Ypres to see some of the WW1 Battlefields. After that, back to Cite Europe for his things, a few Sausages, bit of Cheese and anything else which is about half the price compared to here.

Then, from Saturday, I work a ten dayer, five days of which are in a Hotel at Tunbridge Wells for our games against Somerset and Middlesex.
I return to Ashford on Monday 26th, then off to Southampton for five days the day after.
So another busy stretch, but I love Tunbridge Wells Cricket Ground. It's set in a very 'well to do' residential area with lots of green, pretty close to the Pantiles and other characteristic olde worlde places.
I shall take the Laptop with me, so all contact will not be lost!

On the chicken front, all is well. I'm getting two eggs a day from my three remaining Hens and have started huge renovation work (new roof covering - heavy duty bin bags) on the Shed awaiting the arrival of up to ten ex-battery hens sometime in June.
It's nearly two years since I introduced new chickens, so It'll be good watching their progress from Factory Hen to proper one.
Mind you, I have to say that having only three for the last few months has kept the cleaning down to a more acceptable level of time. I guess I have to see the postives in 'more poo = more compost'!

What the weather has done is not enable me to write many new pages for the Web Site, but with the forthcoming trips to France, Belgium and Tunbridge Wells, I'm sure some inspiration will come from somewhere.

In the meantime, the Forum continues to grow both in Members and Topics. If you aren't a Member yet, please join up - no catches and you get another four Members Only Categories as well.

Cor strewth, all free - how do I do it !!