Repairs

  I thought it was cold yesterday, but today it seemed colder. Possibly, it was the rain and dampness; possibly, it was the fact that the sky was so grey. Whatever the reason, it seemed very wintery. I had a lie-in this morning and didn't attack my first coffee until 7:30. Diane was still fast asleep and didn't emerge until after 8:00.

Once I was washed and dressed, I headed for my study, armed with another coffee and a bowl of porridge. I settled down at the computer to talk with the cousins over Zoom. Today's call was more informative than it was banter-filled. It was an interesting 40 minutes, and Ellie (who had popped in with Zoe) came into the study to say hello to everyone.

After the call, I settled down with the second proofread for last year's journal. I need to send it off for printing soon, so I must finish this second edit. I have got as far as May, but one or two more concerted sessions should complete the task.

As members of the Weald & Downland Museum, we had been informed that the barn where they film "The Repair Shop" would be open for visitors today. We put on our wet weather gear and headed for Singleton. We checked in at the entrance and, after a quick comfort break, walked out into the drizzle and down to the barn.

Visitors couldn't walk into the barn, but there was a barrier just inside that kept you in the dry, kept you away from the various work areas, but gave you a good view of the "set". There is no filming going on at present, but it will restart in May and run through until October. Apparently, they film for about 12 hours a day, 6 days a week.

As we left the barn, I was intrigued by this old threshing machine that was stored outside, by the side of the barn. I would have liked to have found out more about it, but there didn't appear to be an information board.

We wandered back to the café where, being lunchtime, we stopped for a coffee and baguette. We timed it well. As we sat down, the rain intensified, and it looked pretty bleak for a while. By the time we had finished and were ready to move on, the rain had relented and given way to a light drizzle.

We took another walk through the main spine of the museum site. It would be nice to go back at least once when the weather isn't grey and wet! We headed home.

The afternoon was spent quietly with our Kindles... and a nice piece of passion fruit and lime sponge cake we had picked up at the museum.

Diane was too full for dinner tonight, but I managed to eat the last of my curries. I will have to cook another batch next week.