Lock Down in Devon

 Once it became clear we were both going to be spending more time here in future we decided to convert the bathroom into a wet room.  The current shower arrangement for Mike was for me to place a kitchen chair with a folded towel on it in the bath and Mike would transfer over from his wheelchair on to it.  I then moved the wheelchair away and held the shower head over him while he showered.  Then we reversed the process.  Not exactly ideal.  The bathroom needed refurbishment anyway - it was cold and damp and I had to regularly clean black mould from the walls and ceiling. In the winter the condensation on the cistern caused puddles on the floor.  The shower tiling left a lot to be desired and we suspected the bath leaked.   The old bathroom They started work on 26th November - and it seemed we were right in thinking the bathroom needed attention.  The shower tiles fell off the wall as soon as they were touched, and when they took the frame away from the bath it fell through the rott

Christmas is coming!  And we are still here!  In fact we've been here so long now we are thinking of making it a permanent move.  Watch this space! We have passed the time during the various stages of Lock Down, relaxation of Lock Down, and Lock Down 2, in much the same way. It has been delightful and has felt reasonably safe from Covid.  Mike has put a huge number of Middlesex peals on to Bell Board, starting with the formation of the Association.  I have been working backwards through the reports from the present day doing the same, and we are currently only about 30 years apart.  He has also written some interesting articles for Bell News on the peal ringers of those early days.   When we were allowed to do so, we rang several handbell quarter peals with Tim - first in his garden, then in his garage and latterly (until the second Lock Down followed by Tier 2 restrictions) in the Church Hall next to his house. Having formed a bubble with Peter, we continued to ring handbells wit

One of my friends in London asked me to send a few photos of what I was seeing when I went on my walks.  I've got plenty of the moor etc - but the next day was a beautiful sunny crisp day so I decided to do my "exercise" walk round the town and take some photos. (Click on the photos to enlarge) This photo is looking back to the bungalow from the end of the drive as I set off. Here is Coombe Close leading to Drake Road looking down to the right as I leave the drive.   However I am turning left and heading uphill. On the right there is a cut through to the next road, Rendells Meadow, where there is a reasonable size piece of grassland and trees on the top of the hill (presumably Rendells Meadow!!).  This is a useful place to bring Suki for a quick sniff and play with a ball etc (in the old days - she's not interested in much more than sniffing now and can't walk very far).  The cut through from our road I take a detour to go up on to the hill where there is a fabulo