31st July 2012 - Channel Tunnel and beyond...

3.30am start and the rain has been pouring all night - and the ground has that lovely morning smell of freshness. Last few items put back into the van and a short trip down the M25, M20 and down to Folkestone for the Channel Tunnel. Mainly dry with a few showers.

Have to say I am impressed with the whole set up. Well signed and as we drive up to the first automated gates - the vehicle number has been scanned and the sign pops up saying "Hello Mr Sewell - are these details correct and a slip of paper comes out offering us the earlier departure for no additional cost.
Needless to say we take it - but a short stop at the services for light relief - means that by the time we get through passport and security - which was admittedly fast they are just closing the early booking.

However no more than 10 minutes and we are driving into the train ready for departure and we are second vehicle in - meaning that the toilets and facilities are right in front of us.

Last option to use the mobile broadband before we leave. Have topped up for roaming - so we will see what happens when we get to the other end.

waiting in line...

30th July 2012 - On the Road to Mythodea.....

A fine start - unloading the remainder of the Big Cheese stock and setting up for the trip to Germany.
Seem to have a bit of everything and hoping that it will be enough...
Looking at the journey now - it seems not to be quite as long as we thought -
Have a stranger who seems to have stowed away with us..

The amazing adventures of Dor....

Safely at Aylesbury and beef burgers for dinner. 3 am start tomorrow and hope to be in Folkestone with an hour to spare... Weather looks to be good for the week in Germany.

29th July 2012 - Big Cheese Day 2 - and Susie's Birthday..

Not so busy today - started the day with a shower at 10.30am - seems to have kept people away - or maybe the Olympics - either way - probably half of the customers in the Castle that we had yesterday.
Reflected in takings at about half yesterday as well and a fair amount of wind - but the sun came out later and the whole weekend was worthwhile...

Susie had to celebrate her birthday - and Rusty's - by working - but several people popped in to say Happy Birthday.

Birthday Girl!!

Excellent dry take down - and less than two hours from start to leaving the Castle - Home before 9.30pm.

Good weekend..  

28th July 2012 - Caerphilly Castle....  Big Cheese Day 1

Sunshine and our favourite Castle...  Looks to be a good day ahead. Plenty of Stock and all we need to ensure is that bladder control is good - as it is difficult to get away once we start.....
Crimson Moon is looking good and we are in our favourite spot...

6pm - and we have a moment to stop at last....  
Gin and Tonic definitely needed but a frenetic and busy day. Covered all costs and got into profit margins so all looking good...
Lovely sunset as we finish..

Dogs enjoying themselves except for the canon and the musket fire. But even Delft is settling down a little - she is on a chain all the day of course. Rusty hides under the counter !!!

27th July 2012 - Caerphilly Castle - Big Cheese

Started the day with a phone call from the courier service at 9.15am saying that they were ready to deliver two pallets of Mead and Wine at the Castle...  and where was I ???   I explained that the delivery was due for after lunch time and they decided that the details said after 10am - and it was still before that time!!
So - it seems that with the large pallets on - he couldn't do any other deliveries and had to drop this one ..  or I could meet later in the day if I chased him and found where he was.
There was no option for delivery on Saturday as they do not deliver on Saturdays!!
I was still in Llanelli - I explained and could not get there before 11am ( actually we got there at 10.30am - but I am more used to driving at trailer speeds...)
Final compromise - he was delivering to the Card Factory in the shopping centre opposite the castle - and they would look after the pallets till we got there .. So Job Done !!!

Steady journey down the motorway and a nice set up - what a delight to only have a twenty footer and a small set up ...  with a trial for the Germany trip...
Sunny and hot - for a change - but all there and Susie just arrived with the Chinese ... yum...

26th July 2102 - Thursday - 

Managed a fair bit yesterday. Worked through the day on adnin stuff and then it was cool enough after 7pm for a couple of hours unloading the van and trailer. All sorted out now and the heavy stuff done so can look at what we are needing for the weekend and the trip to Germany.
Luckily, Susie mentioned the fact hat we have to lace the tent this morning - I had forgotten that it was unlaced and had put the wrong bit of tent into the van. That would have been embarrassing when we got to Caerphilly!!!

Sun is blazing down again -  and there is a n annoying fly caught in the window that is making a phenomenal amount of noise.

Well the van is ready for the trip to Caerphilly in the morning. Have loaded with the majority of stuff for Germany - leaving the costumes and some set dressing and drinks for loading on Monday Morning.
Sorted out the change - and got my Euros today so just about everything sorted
Have to put all the paperwork together for the vehicle and the insurance and the breakdown cover  and passports and it all gets very complicated !!!

Decided I will have to change the music on the iPod for the Angry Bird this weekend - need the old monks singing in the background... See if I can remember how to do it !!
Well - seems to be working ...  not the easiest way of doing things - but works - probably doing it completely the wrong way - but if I get the result i am not too worried...

25th July 2012 - Sunny Wednesday ...

So the continuing saga of the new car goes into the next phase. we got back yesterday and checked to see if the oil leak was still there and it is - though only a few drops for a whole week - but it is in the garage this morning for a check through and to see if there is anything that needs to be done.... Which is a little sad as I woke at 8am and thought to myself - no reason to get up this morning .... might have a lie in... only to be nudged at five past nine to be asked if I was going to take the car in ......

Never mind. It is blisteringly hot out there so may wait until a little later in the day before starting on the van and trailer - only really have two days to get everything together..   so will have to get on with it today.  Vitis will be sending all the wines and meads on Friday after 10am so we will have to be in a position to leave first thing on Friday.

Uploaded photos to the machine last night.. so can spend some time  working on theme and then posting onto the Book of Faces and into Flickr...
Also need to do the TABS as we were unable to take any cards at the last event so there are a large number to notify.
Was notified this morning that the Credit Card company that I work with "Streamline" wish to push the prices up with an annual fee for extra security - sounds like it may be a national requirement to ensure that everyone using credit card facilities is covered and using data securely. Will be a change on October 1st. Am looking to see whether it is worth keeping the card running as we are likely only to have the Caerphilly Christmas Fayre after October. Other gigs are likely to be sorted using BACS transfer or Paypal. Likely that I will cancel the account during September to give them the 28 days notice.

Lunchtime and £1,000 worth of Tabs identified and posted via Facebook and email. Still waiting on the car.
Seems a good time to get some lunch...

24th July 2012 - Back Home

8am - and the Van and Trailer are outside the fonrt of the house - so up early to start unloading.
10.30am - Van and trailer disgorged of main items - including all stock into the living room
House is a warehouse again - but the next two weeks have a few logistic issues to deal with
Caerphilly Castle for the Big Cheese and a speedy move onto Germany....

A  hectic start to the day - but the weather is a glorious heat and sunny - so the rest of the day has been a bit of a chill. Got a few bits of paper around. Found that the MP3 player with radio output that I had hoped would be here for the trip to Germany, was posted in Hong Kong and could take up to 30 days to arrive. Well I suppose I can't complain much at £3.50 including post and package !!

LED lights are charging. Have to cash up from the last day at the event and think about getting my Euros tomorrow.  I think it will be a nice salad this evening - possibly in the garden as it is still warm enough - bets make the most of it before the Jet Stream decides to change again.
Next task - get the photos from the weekend onto the machine and have a look at them - see if any came out ..

Of course - others have  a different view of you ... thank you "flasher "

23rd July 2012 - Monday - Take Down

22nd July 2012 - Sunday Fayre

21st July 21012 - Saturday - Fayre

20th July 2012 - Fayre of Siberia - Day One

8.30 am - and a cup of tea and strangely enough a signal on the laptop while the phone has none!!.
Well if you stand by the kettle you can speak on the phone with 3 bars on the signal and three feet away absolutely nothing.

Dogs walked down the road and have had a biscuit. sitting looking at me expectantly as though I would give them another walk!!.. Sadly - they get used to a game of throwing the ball straight after getting up when at event.
Not today - it is wet and muddy out there !!.

Final touches on the Tavern required this morning and then perhaps another warm shower and get ready for the players...  Is currently dry but there seems to be rain in the air.. may have to look at the forecast...

19th July 2012 - Sherrat's Wood - Day 1

Main set up complete. Very wet underfoot and the extra distance for the carrying has taken its toll. Everything had to be barrowed through the mud. The Beer was all dropped in the wrong place - well it was the right place when we dropped it - but a long way away from where we wanted it in the end !!
But the Kitchen is mainly done and ready to go.


Very wet shoes and boots - they are drying under the fire - hopefully we will not get trench foot...
Long day .. Tired.. Night

18th July 2012 - Sherratt's Wood

Well - we will be soon...   Lovely B & B - the Rooks Nest ..   Comfortable beds - nice shower and excellent cooked breakfast - all sourced locally - the pigs from up the road to provide the sausages, and bacon - local eggs ...  and milk from the farm.....

Walked the dogs at 8am and though it is trying to spit a little - it looks as though we may get a day of sunshine and showers. Met warning for torrential rain in Western Scotland - but they are still having a drought so they may be happy.

Killing an hour now before we arrive at Sherratt's Wood and start the set up.

First part of setup done.. Now 10pm - had fish and chips this evening rather than steak and very welcome it was - care of Lawrence and Curious Pastimes..

Been a mixed set up.  Rain and showers followed by sun for a while - but the whole site is rather saturated..
The suggested set up was on the main field - always better for trade to be in the In Character area - near the arena and the games ...  but in this case that meant being on a slope - which was a little too steep for safety. We were convinced that benches and tables would topple in the course of the weekend ...
Instead we have set up in the trees by the main toilet block - convenient but very tight on space - and we ended up spending some time tieing the branches back to stop them rubbing on the canvass - which would just force the wet through the canvass..   We are also about 25 yards away from the van - doesn't sound much - but after you have barrowed 5 ton of goods through 25 yards of wet - soggy - muddy ground - you find that it saps your strength . Not that we have barrowed it yet - we are happy to have the tent up and the bedroom ready and on this version - a new tarpauling to keep the bedding dry ..  and it seems to be working...


Two beautiful Thunder Storms and torrential rain later this evening...   Susie has been excavating as usual and has built her trench around the tents - before it rained - and the water course has proved very effective - directing the water away from the main tent.
All those years practising building damns on the beach have finally paid off !!
Dogs both wet and muddy ...   everything a little moist ... [hehe heh - he said "Moist"!!]


Angry Bird is singing in the background - iPod care of Gary {sluggie] Thank you ...
Running the laptop in the dark - will correct the spelling mistakes tomorrow ..
Richard sadly is not able to be with us after an incident in the battle at Tewkesbury - we wish him well ...


Bookers managed their delivery fine - and the Brewery brought the beer
Just have to get it all into the tent now -
Job for another day tomorrow   ...
Showers here very nice and am warm - clean - dry clothes - well except the feet...
Nice bottle of blush  - maybe a glass of Scotch  - Slainte....

July 17th 2012 - And ready for the off..

So....  Trailer loaded and ready to go - only the bits and pieces from the house to get together and load up. Looking for a midday leaving time and then a saunter up to the Midlands and a B & B in the Farm tonight.
Got my Frankie & Benny 20% off vouchers ...

Finishes the first draft of the Dredd Song last night. Seems that Sgt. Major Dredd - who was a bit of a ruffian - has been Knighted and is trying to appear "Knightly", helping his Lord and Master Ser Samuel Keel ( yes that is the way they write Sir for some reason) increase his lands. Apparently - his methods have not changed much and he does tend to lapse into his old ways .... So is he really the new Ser de Maccusweil - or is he still really just Dredd!!!

Order for Big Cheese in place - full pallet to be delivered directly to the Castle on Friday 27th July.
Dropped some advance payment to Vitis due to the size of the order.

Started updating the Guitar:

1.30pm and we are off
Switching off now
see you in Staffs

Now 10.30pm, and we are in a lovely B & B called the Rooks Nest Farm in the village of Weston.
And now it all gets interesting.. After all my middle name is Weston.. The reason for this is that my mother's maiden name is Weston. There is a lovely hotel here - which is an old stately home  - called Weston Hall.
So it all seems to be a lovely spot - and then we start talking with Jackie who is the owner of the Farm / B & B.

As the conversation goes to Sherrat's Wood Scouts - it seems that Jackie's Father is one of the key managers at the Scout Camp and knows if very well so we talk about that. The conversation then goes onto contacts in Bridgnorth - where it seems that Jackie has connections...and the fact that "little nanny" lived on High Rock - and I describe the three main houses upon the woods - One opposite Pendleston Castle (couldn't remember their names) Jack and Anni Weston in the middle  - and of course the "Bills" at the other end of the woods...
Then we get the bombshell...  "Oh - the Bills are my family !!"  Jackie's is related to the mother who was Ethel or Enid - can't remember now - Bill ...  Chances are we know the family - the family connections are in the mid to late 60's so may be ones that we should remember...  Will have to check with my sister and mother..  Will probably update these names tomorrow when I get the story right !!...

However - all a small world ....

Lovely dinner in the Woolpack - lovely pub on a large village green in Weston. Not too expensive and all deserts at £1.50 today - broke a habit of a lifetime and decided to have the healthy option - that is the toffee and clotted cream sponge with ice cream...  Yum...

Weather taken a turn for the better and there is a faint suggestion that the Jet Stream may be travelling northward - that would improve the weather at a stroke - so fingers crossed.
Ordered nice cooked breakfast for the morning ...... 9am start - no need to get up too early...

July 16th 2012 - So much for St Swithins....

Well - to be fair - the rain started 40 minutes before the end of the day - so by the rhyme it seems that we are stuck with rain for 40 days !!!  I thought that the Rainbow was meant to say that this would not happen again!!

So - the prospect of loading the Trailer in the rain. Will have to make some sort of arrangement of a canopy with Tarpaulins to keep most of the water off while sorting everything out...

Freezer is in the van already though - and switched on with an extension cable.
Found an MP3  player with FM output last night at a ridiculously cheap price.. I think it is what I want for the van / car  so I can play MP3's and listen through the FM radio - ut at under a fiver including post and package - if it is wrong then it is really quite disposable...

Had another booking this morning - this time for the Bears Faction in Lorien Trust.
Is a bit early - wanting March 15-17 where we would not normally take bookings that early - but will have to negotiate with prospective buyers - I anticipate that as a new business the more bookings early the better - but have advised the client that I will have to confirm later and take deposit at that time...

Carry forward the lists from yesterday :

1. RAC - breakdown Cover for Germany - 11.30am
2. Insurance - cover for Germany   - 11.30am
3. Euros for Germany 
4. Load Trailer 7pm
5. Get Change from Bank - 11.45am
6. Confirm Vitis Order.  - 11.30am

Had to be done - copied to the file

Don't suppose I can put the loading of the trailer off much longer - doesn't look as thought he rain is going to stop !!!

Most of the tasks completed ...  Trailer loading was mainly in the dry later on - a little rain but nothing much.
Think I will take the big tarpaulins for ground sheets.

Well - better think about writing a song for Sergeant Major Dredd - he wants one for Germany...

July 15th 2012 - Another Sunday..

 Always nice to remember why we are doing this ...
Put up a little video yesterday to test the video engineering software  -came out okay and is called
"Some reasons that I LARP"..

About sums it up really ....
Better go and get some Oil and if it is nice enough - put the tents back together after Susie's repairs....

Looking at the amount that has to be done before we leave on Tuesday - I think it is time to start the lists again :

1. Get Gin - 3.30pm
2. Get Amaretto - people keep on asking for it and I keep telling them there is no demand !!  - 3.30pm
3. Cooking Oil for Event cooking - always forget to bring it - Rape Seed   - 3.30pm
4. Pick up Used oil for Biodiesel  - midday
5. Check Existing Stock - enough for CP event - but need to estimate Big Cheese   - 3.30pm
6. Order for Caerphilly - 4pm - 
7. Revise TABS  - lost the computer file in the rebuild of the computer - midday
8. Update Events Account Book - midday
9. Work out Cash/Change requirements for next events - 9pm
10. Print Business Cards - 10pm
11. RAC - breakdown Cover for Germany 
12. Insurance - cover for Germany 
13. Euros for Germany 
14. Load Trailer 
15. Freezer and wine boxes to Van   - 3.30pm
16. Re-lace and pack marquees  - midday
17. Personal Banking update. midnight

That should keep me going ....

Hmm - mother just pointed out that it is St Swithin's day and it hasn't rained yet!!..
'St Swithin's Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin's Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more.'

Fingers crossed then !!

Another booking enquiry - this time for the Sealed Knot to be held in Carmarthen in 2014. Have informed them of main price structure and also that the "moon" may be working in conjunction with a partner by then so better able to meet the requirements of a larger muster.

Also looking at a booking for May 2013 - probable wedding .

Kelmarsh is rained off today - Tewksbury is very wet. Berkley Castle has just cancelled their event... Glad that we are not dependent upon Re-enactment at the moment  - at least the game systems seem to be going on ....

On a religious Note :

Sorted out requirements for Cash for next events - am looking at £500 in £1,£150 in 50p minimal in 20p and 10p as we do not do much these days in the smaller amounts - and have £200 in fivers ...

Got some 20% off vouchers for Frankie & Benny - so printed them for the trip up to Stafford
Also printed out the Kitchen List for the weekend.
Now the business cards ..... while the printer is on and the dog hides under the chair - seems he doesn't like the sound of the printer - goes frantic as soon as it is switched on - in fact I think that he now recognises the USB plug being changed....
Charged the Credit Card Machine
Charged the Camera Batteries
Started a song for Dredd - didn't get the recording session started tonight ...

11.43 pm and it started raining - so much for St Swithin - looks like 40 days of rain !!
Well - that was what the Countryfile Forecast said as well - and my mate Pete tells me you can see the Aurora from North London .. Something screwy with the world in my humble opinion...
Probably time for bed ...  

July 14th 2012 - Nearly missed today ...

Well it is 7.30pm - and the day has pretty well gone already and I am only just opening the Blog.

Hunted for oil this morning and taxed the new car.
Did the search and comparison of the Tesco / Morrisons / Asda for the spirits. mDecided on Bookers for the Vodka - as though there are offers at the moment for Smirnoff - it is still cheaper to work with Bookers for that. Found the Whiskey at £18 a litre in Tesco. Gin is £16 a litre in ASDA so will be back there tomorrow. Had a text that the oil has finally arrived at Lliedi Suite so can pick up tomorrow.

Added another Motivational Picture ..

 Seemed like good advice to me ....

Well, spent the evening trying to get the sound recorder working properly and put down a couple of tracks - failed miserably. Can't get the inputs and the outputs to match - need more than a day to work at this it seems. Will have to just work on the acoustic versions for the moment. Pity - it is a waste of borrowing the keyboard !!

Oh well - there will be time for this in the future I suppose...
Time to think about bed ...

13th July 2012 - Friday 13th - must be a lucky day...

Paraskevidekatriaphobics — people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th — will be staying in bed today no doubt....  I would have , but for some reason I am up early and checking money transactions - the King was in his counting house - counting out his money !!!


The sixth day of the week and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times. It seems their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year (there will be three such occurrences in 2012, exactly 13 weeks apart) portends more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear.  Legend has it: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, one will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven.


The Chinese regarded the number as lucky, some commentators note, as did the Egyptians in the time of the pharaohs.  To the ancient Egyptians, we're told, life was a quest for spiritual ascension which unfolded in stages — twelve in this life and a thirteenth beyond, thought to be the eternal afterlife. The number 13 therefore symbolized death, not in terms of dust and decay but as a glorious and desirable transformation. Though Egyptian civilization perished, the symbolism conferred on the number 13 by its priesthood survived, we may speculate, only to be corrupted by subsequent cultures who came to associate 13 with a fear of death instead of a reverence for the afterlife.

Well - I shall drive carefully as usual - and in this case we are going to be heading off to Bristol to pick up the new car. Counted out the cash so all we have to do now is go and get it.


My latest post to Facebook seems to be quite popular. Over 500 hits ...

Money from the returned car safely in my account this morning - as is the invoice from Profound Decisions - so al looking good on the banking front.
Bookers is about ready to be sent on the web.
Must consider requirements for the Big Cheese as there will be little time for deliveries if we are not careful.

Borrowed a keyboard so may have a chance to do some recording later ...

Last few minutes of Friday 13th - and no disasters so far !!1
Bookers order is in
Confirmation from the Brewery that delivery will be fine for Wednesday
Good trip down to Bristol and we have a new Car  - and "it is a Green One !! "
Home Made Pizza for dinner and a bottle of Blush...
Website for Nancy up and running ( still waiting on the email but getting there )
Loaded and tried Skype with Nancy  - works well
Playing with new Video software - trying video montage ....   seems to work ....
Meat Loaf on the speakers ...    can't really fault the world  ( except the flood warnings all over the country of course!!)

12th July 2012 - I wonder if it will rain today !!!

Well, a little late on the blog this morning and as it comes to a quarter to eleven ( of course) - it is starting to tip it down again !!!.

Bookers contacted yesterday - so will get the web order in once Susie works out the food requirements.
Sent order to Wincle Beer Company - who are holding our lagers and ciders, and from whom I have ordered 6 kegs. Probably overstocking again - but they have been very good to us with the storage - so I want them to have a decent order to make it worth their while delivering the extra distance .

Managed the trip around to Glamorgan Beer to take back the empties yesterday and ordered another two Black Rat - which with the Westons and the fizzy keg - should be more than enough for the next event.

Tarpaulin arrived - so we should be able to get the sleeping area of the tent dry this time around - without problem. Message that the lining material - the ripstock for the inner tent for the 20 x 20 is in Lee mills at Swansea. If the car gets through the MOT then we will probably go to Bristol tomorrow and pick the material up on the way back.

time for a picture .....

3 staff sorted for the next event
Have extra for the setup which could be nice - as it looks as though we may not get very close to the tents  if the weather stays as it is - the ground is apparently fairly water logged...

Evening of socialising and bookers order pretty well complete on the website - just check the finals tomorrow .
Car seems to have got through its MOT with no problems - so scheduled for early start and trip to Brizzle tomorrow to pick up the new car. That will be an end to the car crisis - though it has been a little expensive.
Transfer of my daughter's website is still being slow - have made several calls to the new domain hosting site - EASYSPACE with whom I have always been very happy - but had problems with Mr Site - the old domain holder who did not want to release the site without a fee - and now we are waiting for the DNS to transfer  - sadly the email is out in the meantime - so hoping that it will be resolved tomorrow ...

Marquees mainly repaired and checked by Susie  - can't find the main tear - so it must be on the other tent - so we will have to get that out over the weekend and check them as well.
Food for the Kitchen at next event - one meal cooked and ready for freezing....
Bedding sorted out and put in for washing and drying and freshening ...
Still failed to get more Oil - have to think about looking again tomorrow ....
Seem to have covered most of the check list 

11th July 2012 - Wednesday - Nothing much happened on this  day in History ..

Did check - but can't see anything really interesting. iPhone 3G was launched - that will have no affect upon life - well not upon mine anyway ... I still use a phone to talk to people. Not even very good at texting - fingers too big and the screen too small. Babe Ruth debued somewhere in america...  Always remember Babe Ruth as when Trivial Pursuit first came out it was released in America before it was released in the UK.
My sister generously brought a box over from the States for us to play "this great new game"  and we had great fun in almost every category except Sport ( and some TV ).  However - we soon decided that any sport question - the answer was as likely to be Babe Ruth as anything else!!

So, we have heard form the new car man down in Bristol and this car seems a little more genuine. He has offered to re- MOT and fix anything found at his own expense if I send him the money for the MOT - that saves us trying to arrange things when we go down - so am sending the money when he gets back to me.
That would be nice if we can get it done before the weekend.

Found an old song sung by some of the girls at Curious Pastimes - called "No One's Slaves" and decide that I should do a mash up with the guitar and voice and the original as backing - may put some pictures on as well and try the new video software as an experiment.

Need to sort the van today - everything fell from the roof last time I was getting stuff out - so it needs sorting out before I get some more Oil - which I also need to do today - probably walk the dogs as well - they are getting stir crazy!! We must exercise them too much when we are away...

10th July 2012 - Another day in the madhouse....

Started measuring the canvass for the inner skin for the 20ft x 20ft that we think we will need for Hadrian's all in October - and would be nice to have when I go to Germany at the end of the month.
Seems that the canvass has stretched in places as the measurements don't really add up - but there you go ... Susie is making a scale drawing of everything and I have every confidence that she will manage !!

Took the opportunity of a little marketing this morning..  Saw a couple of pictures that really needed to be turned into a "Quarter to Eleven" at the Crimson Moon  ...

Crimson Moon Time

Clearly the wrong time on the original - so amended accordingly

'nuff said....

Loaded some Video editing software - seems very complicated - but will have a look at it later when I have a chance...

Well - easier than I thought it would be to get my money back... Went to the dealer who was very apologetic and offered me a cheque for the value of the car straight away. Was a pleasure to see his face when I got out my credit card / debit card reader and told him that I could process it straight away on a card!  But had no problems and the transaction went straight through...

Back via hobbycraft for cards for Susie - and Lee Mill  Fabrics looking for lining material for the 20 x 20 ft Marquee. Ordered a roll - should be in on Thursday...

Now trying to get hold of Saga insurance to cancel the windscreen repair for tomorrow...  still holding for an operator .... Okay cancelled - but took so long that Bookers is now shut - will have to call them tomorrow now...

9th July 2012  - And so another week starts...

Another Monday - and start of another week. Feeling a little industrious so up early and finished the computer installation stuff.  Looking for tarpaulins to weather proof the marquee as it looks as though it is gong to be wet again... The site is apparently very water logged - but there is nothing we can do about it now. We will just try to ensure that the tent stays dry enough in the bedroom area and maybe put some flooring down in some fashion.

Called Bookers, so as to give them the maximum period of time let me arrange a delivery to Sherratts wood and seem to have hit a real jobsworth !!  telling me that he will have to do a risk assessment before he can deliver - in case he has the wrong vehicle - Still am awaiting a call back from the Catering Manager  now - all I asked was for him to change my account to the site in Stoke !!. Come back Macclesfield is what I say - they fell over themselves to help us last event.

Managed to complete the paperwork of the past events - and am up to date with the records of events now. Brought in the bedroom tentage from the van and promptly dropped everything on my head from the roof structures - No harm done - probably the safest part of me to hit !!

Terrano is in the garage getting the once over from my mechanic - to see if there are any problem areas with it - fingers crossed that it is fine cos I rather like it .

Heard from Curious Pastimes - and there will be no problem wit the extra day stay over and the dogs - which is a relief as my father in law called this morning to say that they were off to the Mediterranean for a week - starting Saturday - which would have been a blow if we were wanting to leave the dogs with them next week !!!


Sorted out the Kitchen List for the next event and also for Renewal - looks as though we can cater for the Black Company After all - so that will be a fun crowd to have there.


Worse news on the car front- got called to the garage where they started explaining all the things wrong with the car - which led to us borrowing my mother's car and driving it back to Swansea to the garage from whence it came  - they want t put it on the ramp tomorrow - but I have told them that I just want my money back.. we will see how much of a fight I need to make .... 

8th July 2012 - Sunday Morning ... 

So - with a good nights sleep it is back to the computer - getting the antivirus software back up and running and checking the systems.
Virus all loaded and checked - seems to be working - Outlook still giving problems - does not like to get the email and hangs - will have to check that ...
Sorted the Email with a few adjustments. Active Sync with the pocket PC installed. Downloading winamp to get the music running again ...  and all seems to be going quite well .

Used a brief section of sun to get the Marquee unlaced and brought into the house so we can repair ropes and look for patches before the next event.  Amazing how heavy it all seems when you are not doing it every day !!

So - late evening and the computer is fully working. Everything seems to be reloaded and luckily - a customer enquiry emailed again - the only one to my knowledge that I had lost  - so one more booking for 2013.

Susie managed a full day in the garden - the first we have had for many weeks.
Lovely roast chicken for dinner with cheesie stuff and roasties  -yum...
Very proud of my mother - who managed t pluck up the courage to drive all the way to Lidl today and get her shopping home...   No mean feat for a lady in her mid 80's ( don't let on) with a new hip and knee and a recovering Achilles tendon ...     she will read this later and know how proud we all are ....

Managed to get some admin done and recorded the last there events into the record books ...  finish the household accounts tomorrow....

Crimson Moon 

Looking through some facebook pages - but sometimes I remember why I love this business

And so to bed - but with a couple of pictures of the dogs - put up onto a gallery on Susie's pages ...

Rusty

Delft

7th July 2012 - A Lost day!!

Well - late last night I decided to bite the bullet and reformat the hard disk - expecting to have a lot of grief - after all I had been putting it off for almost two years. After doing a bit of extra back up and thinking I had managed to get the outlook settings properly backed up this time - I went for the Format option and crossed my fingers!!

Surprisingly - it is working all very well and a n hour later I was up and running and lost 60 gig form the hard drive - so something must have gone !! Also much faster - still have the reloads of various programmes - but the Outlook and email came back quickly - and Chrome loaded in place of Firefox - which had been giving me all sorts of grief with stalled scripts showing up and delaying the whole system...

So Saturday dawns - and not much time for playing with the computer.  Meeting of Athelston in Llanelli and getting invested as Provincial Organist and have  a few lines to say - and what a pleasant day it was with a fairly reasonable lunch - a bottle of red - a couple of pints of lager and - sadly - a trip down to the Kilkenny Cat afterwards !!!.. Not a good idea ... Morning finished at 4pm or so - and the rest of the day was lost to all!!    Well to me at any rate ...  In bed by 5pm for a short nap - and slept through till 9am the next day !!!

Well - I thought I should catch up on some sleep sometime !!

6th July 2012 - Another week draws to a close

Seems I start every blog these days with the weather forecast/. they used to say that the British only speak about the weather because it is so variable that it becomes a good topic of conversation!  In our case these days - it seems to be that the weather is so consistent - and in consistent I mean bad - that it is still the subject of conversation. Well - today is little difference - except it seems to be dry this morning - fairly humid but still cloudy and overcast.

Seems like a day to go out hunting for oil again. Also will be able to take the embarrassingly large pile of bottles that are invading the upper staircases and stopping me reaching the upper floor of the house. Have the Terrano - so will be able to take some bags to the dump as well. Clear a whole area!!!  (and remove the evidence!!)

Looking at my to do list I see that I have not sent the invoice to Odyssey yet  - must get that done today - but will have to find the invoices from the beer company and Bookers as they will want the VAT receipt.

Will have to think about ordering for the next event at Bookers and see if they deliver that far - looks like we will be arriving on the Wednesday again - so we will probably take a travelodge for the Tuesday Night - that worked well last time. No word back for Lawrence about taking the dogs - so we may well have to take them down to the South Coast to the Outlaws... 
Also need to speak to the Beer company that are keeping our ales and lagers so they can get the delivery schedule done. Also may need to think about the end of the month regarding the Big Cheese -and decide how much stock I want to carry.
Tempted to rebuild the computer as well  - getting very erratic now.

5th July 2012 - Thursday...

Up early and it is dry for a change. Of to Carmarthen for the Provincial Chapter and Provincial Grand Lodge. My emails saying I was attending did not go through for some reason - so i have a day off - someone else is playing th organ - so I can relax....
Back later....

Long day - and very warm and stuffy - and that was just on the dias !!!
Back home and some more TABS paid - so getting there in the end.
Sadly a bit of a crisis with the Biodiesel Unit - the water hose came off the unit and sprayed water all over the garage - causing us to lose about half of the prepared Biodiesel - came home to a very unhappy Susie trying to dry out the garage and get the unit working again - drying all the plugs - the house circuit breakers had switched the house off....

All put back together - but half of the load was lost...   Will have to go hunting for some more oil now !!
On a brighter side - a friend today told me that he thinks he has found an agricultural liquid container for our oil - the ones that have a cage around them ....   also that he may have some coolers and pumps form a pub he has bought to convert back into a house...  Something to go and look at !!!

Susie has finished my Mythodea Cloak - Brown with Green Lining - looks great - going to make my new shirt tomorrow .

Seems to be a new Meme about Games of Throne  - seems we need one for Vollsanger

Glass of red ....    Ham and salad from the Garden  - yum...

4th July 2012 - Happy 4th July !!!

Well it my be a day of celebration for some - but here in Western Wales it is another gloomy day of rain.
Website finished for Nancy and has her approval so will look into the transfer of the domain.
Another couple of TABS in so still head above water.
Phoned the Trailer company to get  a new mud guard for the trailer... also decided to buy a shoring pole to stop any movement in the trailer for safety purposes...

Car Tax refund applied for and sent off the registration documents for both vehicles - old and new.
Temporary Event Notice for Caerphilly the Big Cheese approved.

Found that I can't change the radio in the Terrano - it is a custom Nissan radio and has stuff like the hazard warning lights included - well at least Halfords won't change it. Got the headlamp changers for Mythodea, and the breathalisers that are required in France now ( no penalty until November for not having them - but as they are only £5.99 seemed easier to show that I have them ).

Managed to get a few barrels of cooking oil - enough for a full batch and a little more.
Got around to emptying the Trailer of the Methanol and finding the kitchen crates that needed to come in - with the cooking pots and the Jugs. Thought I had kept the table cloths separate - i did when going form Leek to Silverstone - but somehow managed to put them in the bottom box - so had to empty half of the trailer to get to them - had to be done - they need to be de-waxed before the next event. Was a pain as had little room to work in - and other than that - the trailer could have stayed pretty well as it way for the next event.    [Note to self - do not be an idiot !]

Done my first domain transfer - for the birthright domain .....  seems to be very simple as opposed to all my previous work several years ago - which was very painful and complicated .. this time it seems to say it will just go through!!   well we will see

3rd July 2012 - Damp again...

Seems no end to the weather - June did not finish it - seems we are stuck with the same for July.
I recall 10 days or so in early April - that was summer now methinks...

First task - get insurance for the new car ...
Love SayNoto0870    -  allows a freephone number in place of the local number...
All insured - £231 per anum .....   an additional £28 for this year - which isn't bad considering it is another 1000 cc on top. Interesting the way the insurance companies work these days . I had a choice - I could pay the £12 admin fee for the change over - or take some new options that I do not normally have. In this case - if I take another £20,000  personal accident cover and a courtesy car in case of accident - then I can get the extra cover for £7.42 and they waive the admin fee. So £5 off and better cover...

So - picked up the car and that is great, shown it off to the family. Found that Halfords have some quite neat little radios to replace the one that is there with MP3 stick adaptors and iPod docking and stuff like that - for not too much money ...  so planning ahead...

Checking a few emails - but I think a nap is called for today - did a lot of driving over the last couple of days .. for an old man like me......

Completed much of the website for Nancy - the Hypno Birthing site which needs to be transferred in the next week or so  - will look to completing that part this evening...

Website all done : Birth Right Hypnobirthing

2nd July 2012 - Taxi services....

A quiet day of travelling..
Up to get the grandchildren off to school..
Driving Chrissie to friends in Stanmore and return trip back to Llanelli ...

Freja at Fes  [click here]

10 TABS in this evening so making progress.....

1st July 2012 - " A Pinch and a Punch..."

For the first of the month...
So June goes out in a bluster - July starts - with the Police Helicopter hovering overhead - but I don't think they are after me - I am sure they have forgotten who I am by now....
Routes planned for trip to Aylesbury and then onto Stanmore in the morning.
Cup of tea and a lie in - rare for a Sunday these days - more like a Wednesday !!!

Quick check of the TABS and the apologies are coming in  - can work with that, and the payments - that of course is better - just need to wait a week to chase those who do not watch their Facebook Messages well.
 Found nice old photo someone had taken of me at an event - and posted via FLICKR - added it to the Avatar Gallery..

Aiming or a midday leave - so better get started..

Uneventful journey - but rather memorable - the amount of poppies in the fields and the hedgerows...  the wild flowers along the road side .. the green-ness of the countryside due to the extra rainfall .. but still dramatic...

We get to Waddeston Manor in time for the Ballet demonstrations and enjoyed Freja - grandchild - with her friends performing ..  Such a lovely venue - always passed it in the past and thought what a lovely gatehouse...  as we go into the National Trust Land - we see the real prize of this place - the views and the grounds...

Enjoy our time in the gardens - and bird spotting in the aviary - they hide the birds well here...
and back for a Stuart Cooked Bolognaise...   a present giving to the girls and a skype session on the computer ...  

Chats about Mythodea far too late for a school night.... but all well with the world...

[yes - offered a glass of wine with my meal and had to refuse !!!   may have been open for a while..
But .. I tried.. I really Tried!!!!   but I had to admit - even I could not drink that glass !"!!   got a bottle of white from the car...   shared with Nancy .. glass of Scotch .. all is well in the world ..
Don't tell anyone that I threw a glass of red wine away !!!  ]