Thanks to Matthew for looking after the blog while me and Helen took a few days off in the sun.
We are straight back into the finishing touches in Buckle Yeat, the lads have done really well this last week and it is just about all done.
We did as much cleaning up as we could this morning and then shot off to Kendal to get some wallpaper and paint.
Tomorrow we will get busy doing all the finishing touches.



This is a view of our breakfast table last week and below a view from the breakfast table. Not quite the same as Sawrey but it does have its charm.



There seems to be a problem with our web site and I will try to get it sorted in the morning.

This isn't fireworks or meteors raining down from the sky it's a badly taken photograph! Although I thought it looked quite interesting.



This is a better attempt at shooting some of the festive lights going up in Hawkshead today. The village is getting ready for its first (as far as I am aware) Christmas Festival which is taking place at the weekend.

The workmen have been back in again today things moving along nicely now. I was in Hawkshead all day and the weather was pretty dismal so I didn't fancy going out to take photos at lunchtime. Spent the evening catching up on emails and sorting my South America photos onto CD ready for printing later in the week. I hope no-one was daft enough to stay up for the Ashes over the weekend!

After a quiet day in Ambleside I picked Sarah up from Windermere and we grabbed a pizza at Zeffs. Then we went to the Tower for the dominoes and darts event. Here are some pics




Not sure who won the darts and dominoes as we left before the end. I won some tea in the raffle and the Sawrey Stores seemed party seemed very happy with all their winnings!

Today Sarah and I walked up Latterbarrow and it was really windy. We managed to keep dry and then drove up Kirkstone pass for a drink in the pub and to take in the view. Then we dropped back to Ambleside to watch the Xmas lights being switched on. No celebs but Santa was there. No reindeer, his sleigh was pulled by a Ford Focus.

Managed a quick snap of the work progress, tiles are grouted and some of the fittings are in place. It's a bit difficult to photograph an all white scene so it isn't very clear. Don't forget that there is the Darts and Dominoes event at the Tower Bank Arms tomorrow (Friday).

My bathroom progress photographer let me down again so still no photos of that - The anticipation must be unbearable! Went with some work pals to watch Casino Royale last night which was very good. Watched Liverpool win tonight to top their Champions League Group. Saw Uncle Tony on the way to work in Ambleside today. It was a bright start weather wise but then turned miserable. The two photos are from a couple of weeks ago. One is of a sheep, obviously, and the other is of Yewtree Tarn (I think).

Just for good measure i'm also going to add one of my favourite South America trip photos. It's of some Peruvian children spectating at a fiesta on a Lake Titicaca island.

It managed to stay dry most of the day until later this evening. Had a glance on the ferry webcam just in time to see the gritter doing a three point turn - they must be expecting a touch of frost. The workmen are on schedule as far as I know, hopefully some photos of the progress tomorrow.

A wonderful sunny morning and there was a frost on the car windscreens earlier.
Denis arrived back from Sawrey Stores with a couple of massive sticky bath buns, check out the Sawrey Stores blog by clicking the link in the side bar.
Everyone leaves this morning and the workman return in the morning, we are having a few days away so I will leave Denis in charge of works and Matthew in charge of the blog.
We will be away for the darts and domino night at the Tower next week, it's on Friday 24th at 8pm,(our wedding anniversary)

  
This is Estwaite Water taken by Denis the other afternoon.

A wild windy night with a thunderstorm rumbling around, in fact the power failed at some time overnight.
After we served breakfast Helen baked some scones and I took them and some gingerbread to my auntie in Ulverston who is not well and loves Helen's cakes.






There was snow on the tops of Coniston Old Man this morning and Helen took these pictures this afternoon.

Next Friday there is a darts and domino evening at the Tower bank Arms and funds raised will be donated to the Tarn Hill trust who look after the playground.

It's been a good day on the bathroom front with a good lot of progress made, we had two builders two plumbers and a joiner at one point.
We got the water on just as the weekend guests arrived and we had the heating on all day.

This is an update of the the ongoing work, this room should have all the tiles on by Monday night.
Pete and Lynn, some of the New Year gang are here this weekend with Lynn's cousin.
The other two guests we have in this weekend are a blast from the past,they and their family have connections with Sawrey going back many years,it is awhile since we met them and we did not know it was them until they arrived.

Denis and Margaret went off to Hawkshead this morning for their annual flu jab and then on to Kendal for a hair appointment.
We had a few heavy hail showers this afternoon and it has definitely gone cooler.


The dining room yesterday.


The dining room tonight.

A better day weather wise,just the odd heavy shower but the temperature dropped as the day went on.
Helen her mum and Matthew went to Kendal,Helen had an appointment at the hairdressers and Margaret was needing some material for her passion of patchwork quilting.
I stayed at Buckle Yeat to try and keep the work moving along as well as it has been so far.
No tiles on today but they are ready to start first thing in the morning, we are on target and are pleased with the progress so far.





These are a couple of pictures of the downstairs room, this room is had the most problems to overcome but I think we have sorted them all.This room is the one in the most advanced stage.



I managed to get out and took this picture across to Far Sawrey, the sun on the trees was stunning

Andy was working till after 7pm last night so I stayed on sorted out some of the lighting circuits.
Horrible,wet and windy all day, the work in the bathrooms is progressing well. Mark, another joiner turned up today and so they just about finished their part in all 3 rooms, just a few skirting boards to fit tomorrow.

I had to go to Kendal for some plumbing gear and some extractor fans, I went over the ferry but on the way back I sat for 10 minutes waiting for it to come back across and just as it did they took it out of service for 1 hour. I had no intention of sitting for an hour so decided to drive round, a young lad called Joe who lives in the village had gone on as a foot passenger so I gave him a shout and I give him a lift home, he was going to have a cold boring hour sat on the ferry.
Peter is just about finished in the downstairs room, we might see some tiles going on tomorrow.

Another busy day on the refurbishment front, we had the joiner and the plumber working today and they seem to sorting out the minor problems that were bound to crop up.
I did a bit more on the electrics and also did a bit of fetching and carrying for Peter as we stripped out the two bathrooms upstairs. Andy seems to be intending to work on a bit late tonight so we should be making good progress, it's the downstairs bathroom that seems to be a bit of problem but I think it is all falling into place and should be ready for tiling on Thursday or at the latest Friday.







Heavy showers again this afternoon, but after helping me have a good clear out of some of the rubbish Helen went for a walk with her mum.
I had to nip down to Hawkshead and beg some conduit from the electrical contractors in the village, it's handy when you need something to be able to get it so close.

A blustery morning and although we had no guests in we were up early to be at Buckle Yeat when Peter the plumber arrived.

We made progress during the day removing the bath, basin and WC from the downstairs room, we are concentrating on that one first so as to get one ready for Roger to start tiling.

Milky the joiner will be here in the morning, he gets the name Milky from his dad who was the local milkman, not very original but there you go, his name is Andy and in fact I always call him that.


I took this on the way up a wild and windy village.





Helen went a walk with her mum this afternoon and took these pictures, it stayed dry all day.

A full house this morning,everybody leaving and even before they had left I had set to work in the downstairs bathroom, it is all coming out.
Everyone keeps saying why do we need to change the bathrooms and when i see the photograph I do begin to wonder, however the job has begun and we made a good start.


This is before we started.



Phase 1 complete and we manged to get this far in all 3 bathrooms, we have been busy and I even missed the 1st half of the Liverpool Arsenal game, I would have been better missing it all, a 3-0 defeat.

First thing in the morning Peter will be here and we can turn the water off and take all the sanitary ware out.

Wild and wet today, we have decided to give the walk a miss. Some guests have just got back in and are wet through, we have had to put a load of coats boots etc to dry in the boiler room. It looks to be a better day in London, the Armistice Day memorial ceremony is taking place in Hyde Park and it is being televised.


Denis spent almost half an hour sweeping the leaves from the front doorsteps of Buckle Yeat, but as you can see it was like trying to turn back the tide.

It feels like winter has arrived and we have even lit the log fire at home.

A full house tonight,13 or 14 people from the same family, we usually stay clear of large groups but we know these and they have all been before.

It started dry but then we have had torrential rain, I seem to think it was like this the last time these people were here.

We have been busy this morning replacing a bathroom fan in one of the bedrooms, it meant me crawling about in the loft, anyway all done now.

The skip arrived this morning ready for the big clear out on Sunday when we will start to dismantle the old bathrooms.
If all the party get here in good time we might nip next door for a scoop or two.

Matthew is at Coniston today and then tonight is headed to Lancaster to spend the weekend with Sarah.

We had a pleasant surprise this morning,the postman brought a large parcel that contained flowers and chocolates, it was a thank-you from Matthews friends Jen & Frazer who stayed with us a couple of weekend ago, there was no need to send anything but it was a nice gesture.

The sun returned today and it has been a glorious autumnal day, we went to Kendal, it was haircut day and we just needed a few items to keep the freezer stocked up. I treat myself to some new shoes, I hate buying shoes but managed to find some that suited.
We were back before it went dark I hate driving in the dark.



I spotted this alarming notice on the ferry.



I took this shot on the way across Windermere.


Helen took this on the way back.

When we got back Denis had just about got his hanging baskets and troughs planted up.
A big fuss on the news today Red poppie or White poppie for Remembrance Sunday, I think I will keep out of that one.

We headed to Ambleside today, first to the garden center for some potting compost so Denis can get on with the hanging baskets for Buckle Yeat, he is champing at the bit. We also bought some cyclamen plants for in our window boxes at home.
We then called in to see Matthew at the shop, we ended up buying a few items, a small day sack for walking and a hat for Helen and some walking socks for me.





We stopped at Brathay bridge on the way back and took these pictures.

When we got back I sorted out the last bit of the garden and planted the cyclamen in the window boxes.
Liverpool are on the box tonight against Birmingham, a good result is needed to keep the run going.

A grey damp day so we caught up with a few jobs at home. We took the tiles up to Buckle Yeat and stored them safely for next week.

Some guests who left on Sunday rang to claim some clothes etc they had left in the room, so I went down to Hawkshead to post them back, I called in and had a word with Matthew at the same time.

Last night I got the asking price for the Tower Bank house rental a bit wrong, a decimal point in wrong place makes a bit of a difference.

A bit of a shock on the footy front, Man Utd lost to Southend in the Carling cup, Liverpool play tomorrow so I hope there are no more shocks.

Roger rang tonight and I met him up at Buckle Yeat, he will be doing the tiling and wanted to have look at the job beforehand.

Off to Barrow this morning to pick up the rest of the tiles for the bathrooms, visit Auntie Margaret in hospital and get some shopping.
We had no idea but overnight there had been a major fire in Barrow and two big stores were destroyed, the first we knew was when we passed the site.
We arrived at the hospital and traffic wardens were blocking the car park which was full so we had a bit off a problem finding alternative parking, we managed to find a place then had a bit off a route march in to see my Aunt, she was a looking a lot better than she did on our last visit


This is Tower Bank house which was recently vacated and is now being advertised to let, the landlords are the National Trust and if you are interested the rent is a snip at £1,350 per month, form an orderly queue.


Autumn colours at Moss Eccles

Everybody checked out this morning and we are closed for a couple of days until the weekend, hopefully we can get some long walks in this week.
We just got up to Moss Eccles this afternoon, Helen was washing and ironing until mid afternoon, as we got back into the village we called in at the Tower for a Sunday afternoon pint, they are open all day, this means on a Sunday we can have a nice walk and still manage a quick beer, very civilised.




I have taken this shot before but the colours stunning.


Sarah took this last weekend with Matthews camera, it was down at Harrowslack and it is difficult to tell which way it up it should be.

A couple of messages today, one from Judy & Dorothy in Derbyshire and one from Mark & Carole in Purley, all correspondence is good.

It was a frosty night but a thaw set in after midnight and this morning it was overcast and dreary.
A full house this morning and all up for breakfast bright and early.
I took the ladder next door to the Tower Bank and changed the bulb above the door Anthony held the ladder while I climbed up, the butcher cheered me up by saying "be careful look what happened to Rod Hull" charming.

The rotary iron is on it's last legs and we will have to source a steam press, they seem to be the thing, we have no idea which is the best and have never used one.


This a taken on Rawlinson Nab


We had a good walk this afternoon down to Cunsey and along the shore of Windermere and then back up past the church before heading home.


This horse is in a field down by the Dub Cottages, I think it belongs to Dawn who lives in the village.

Another dry cold day, no breakfasts this morning, but a full house tonight.
We have two groups in a foursome and a group of eight, the eight arrived early afternoon, had a beer and a sandwich at the Tower and then went a walk, the foursome will be here at 8pm ish.
I have been trying to repair the rotary iron this afternoon, we have two and they are both prehistoric, anyway we have managed to get one in working order.


This Grasmere taken from up near Alcock Tarn

I had trip down to Hawkshead for some free range eggs from the Honeypot, our normal supplier Amy from Hill Top farm is struggling to meet demand, well her hens are.

I think we might go for a beer early doors tonight,it always seems quite busy then.

A frosty start to the day but when the sun got to work it was wall to wall sunshine.



We always enjoy the local walks but it is good to have more time and be able to go a bit farther afield.
We parked at White Moss Common then walked up to Alcock Tarn, the visibility was amazing.




This is Alcock Tarn with Windermere in the distance