The Swan Inn at Swineford

Eating out twice in one day! Lovely tasty home cooked, non microwaved dinners at The Swan which is a mile or so from kelstonmills.
Really nice welcoming pub that sells pickled eggs in cute little tea cups.
As with B and Q earlier today, it is highly recommended.

B and Q view

What a lovely view this is from the cafe at B and Q on the outskirts of Bristol!
It is raised up so you can see on the top of all the shelves and there doesn't seem to be any dusty corners where they put all of the stuff that they don't know what to do with.
For £4 you can get a cappuccino and a breakfast nap and sit on the lovely orange chairs and watch the action. Who needs to go on a safari when you can sit up here in comfort - just had second thoughts about this plan as there are no animals, but hopefully you know what I mean.

Splashing about

Can see these two from the living room window. Not the guy in the rowing boat but the two in wetsuits on the weir.
They don't seem to have a boat, they are just having a lovely time jumping in and out of the water and splashing each other!
Don't think the swans are too impressed as no sign of any of them.

Finished the tiling!

After much effort, I have finished the tiling. Don't look too closely at the picture though as there are lots of finishing off jobs to do.
Off to have an early bath and night as shattered.

Grout and wine party

Due to the issue of still having no tv signal, I have decided to have a grout and wine party. Unfortunately, I am too embarrassed to Invite anyone so it is a solo party, if such a thing exists. Had a major panic as bought a bottle of wine with a cork, but managed to prize it out with a screwdriver - they really do have so many uses.

Handsome handyman

No, no, no - this is a photo of my lovely neighbour who is well over 80 but who works in his garden everyday. I was too embarrassed to get a photo of the handyman who came round to quote for various jobs.
He is more handsome than George Clooney, and as nice as the policeman in Uruguay who helped me out after I got mugged!
Hope his quote isn't too high as I am pretty sure he will get the job.

Ps tiling is going ok.

Tomorrows tiling task

Just finished laying out the floor tiles in the kitchen ready for tomorrows job of starting to lay them. Have hacked off about four inches of plaster from the base of the walls all the way around the room as it was plastered right down to the concrete floor which allows damp to rise.
Also PVAed the floor to provide a seal. Will have to be more careful with my tiling tomorrow as I made sure today to finish at the front door so that I could go straight out and buy the tiles while the floor dried, but it turned out I left my car keys on the stairs.
Quite worried about tomorrow, but think the tiles are quite forgiving.

Mural inspiration

Saw this row of cottages af Keynsham which is about three miles from Kelston Mills. It is a row of four with either end really traditional and the middle two are really crazy!

Demolition day

Darren dismantling the kitchen.

Misty morning on the river

Nice shot of the river from the footpath next to the cottages.

Kitchen cupboards

Working on the stairs and kitchen cupboards today. They need a lot of work as they are so bunged up with paint that non of them close.

Lovely view

This is the view looking up at the cottages from beside the river. They were built in about 1760 for the workers in the brass mill.

A bossy husband

Took a little stroll along the river bank and saw this couple in their canoes. The husband was in front shouting instructions back to his wife who clearly did not want to go over the top of the weir.
"Just follow me" he yelled and disappeared down the ramp. The lady just paddled backwards and forwards while he shouted encouragingly from the other side. Felt a bit embarrassed watching and left them to it, but by the time I got back to my garden they were both bobbing about happily on the other side of the weir.
Alls well that ends well, and it looked as if she hadn't got her hair wet!

Gorgeous day foday

Lovely weather today.  No sign of the man who seems to live on his boat af the bottom of the garden, or his boat. Guess he must be coming back as he has left his rowing  boat.

Fly update

Thank you to my sister who commented that her favourite post was the one about the flies. I am slightly disappointed as I have tried to include pretty and interesting subjects, but she liked the one where I was clearly having a trauma!
Anyway, you may be relieved to know the flies are no more. A neighbour said that a fly must have laid it's eggs in a gap in the window frame and they got in when they hatched. Well not any more they won't, as I have gone mad with the filler gun and draught excluder tape.
Sorry no photo as no flies and even I am not sad enough to take a photo of draught excluder tape!

Trouble at the pub

I was all ready to take a photo of two canoeists getting in to the water outside the pub when they both ran off! A cow seems to be on the loose but its blending in to the background so I don't think I can get a good picture . Instead here's one I took earlier of a pretty boat.

Postcode issue!

I arranged for a surveyor to come round today to check if the kitchen floor was damp. Told him to put the postcode in his Sat nav, which he did and it took him to The Jolly Sailor pub and told him he was almost at his destination. Unfortunately, although it is only about 50 metres away, it is on the other side of the river! It is also about 6 miles away by road. Didn't realise it had the same postcode as us. He did say the house looks very pretty when viewed from the pub
I have cleared the garden a bit, so you can now see the pub garden from our garden - a lot more work still needed.

Not great progress

Had trouble with the enormous nettles and I think I have done the trick from womens magazines when the before and after photos aren't taken from the same angle! Stopped at a fence I uncovered as the bank slopes really steeply straight after it down to the water about eight feet below. You can see the colours of the boats from the marina, and I don't want to clear the trees on this section as I want to keep.spme privacy and will open it up more further along the bank.

Todays challenge

I am going to have a real go at clearing the garden overlooking the river today, as at the moment you can't see it at all. Bit of a wet start so will be a bit muddy. See how I get on later......

Over grown garden

Starting to make a dent in the garden, at least it doesn't look so bad from the other cottages now. Look carefully in the background and you can see a narrowboat just coming out of the lock on the river.

Slightly more privacy

Got fed up of being on display whilst in the bathroom so made my own blind! Enjoying the privacy and thinking of patenting my design.

Overgrown garden

Had a go today at starting to tame the Garden. As you can see, it is still winning.

Sunset

Sunset view from the window seat.

Shiny wooden floorboards

Spent today sanding and varnishing the floorboards on the first floor and they are looking lovely.  Met the neighbours who are really friendly and no sign of any flies today!

End of day one

Just finished cleaning house and it's much nicer now. Even the cute little stairs aren't such a problem getting things up and down as I thought it might be. Completed shattered though and as expected I can't get the telly working. Early night I think.

Flies everywhere

Arrived about two hours ago and cottage is lovely but very dirty and full of flies around the windows. Have zapped hundreds with Henry and hope they can't escape. Went to the local shop and the lady said it is normal for the time of year in the country, particularly near horses.  Not sure if I will take to country living and Henry can't wait to go home. I can't wait to have a bath but at the moment it's filled with dead spiders.

It's all ours!

Just heard from the Solicitor and I can collect the keys first thing
tomorrow morning. Can't wait!