The House Husband

We went for a wonderful (if very long) walk at Hankley this morning. Given the snow fall, we knew it would look lovely and we weren’t disappointed. The bits with snow looked spectacular, the bits without looked just as wonderful as they always do. A real win-win situation.

Snow at Hankley

Above is the burnt bit, where all the heather was lost. While it’s still mostly black, there are some clumps of sprouting grass. Now, all white, it looks fabulous. Pity it won’t last.

We were in for a bit of a surprise on the top of the hill. Looking down the valley someone has started building what appears to be a film set.

Is it a church? Is it a Chateau? No, it's a Scottish monastery!

Mirinda suggested we set off towards it for a closer look rather than just complete our usual circle. After the excitement of the thatched huts at Frensham, I couldn’t think of a reason why not. We set off down the hill, following the snowy paths, getting ever closer to the strange structure.

Even Sherlock Holmes couldn't figure it out

The closer we moved, the more obvious it became that it was an unfinished film set. Rather than proper building materials, the walls are just that. No unnecessary foundations or floors. Nothing like that. Just boards cut to shape with a big scaffolding to hold it all up.

My first guess was that it might become a church. Mirinda thinks probably a chateau. On closer examination, I think she’s right. We’ll have to go back the week after next to see how it’s going.

One of the reasons I thought it might be a church was the fact that the two window openings in the shot below – the ones on the first floor level – appear to have been made at different periods. This would explain why they are not in line.

Hankley set

However, on closer examination of the photograph, I think someone has just put one of the panels the wrong way round. It’s clear that the two openings are in the same position in each of the large panels but one has the smaller bit at the top. Anyway, I hope they notice before they start adding the fake bricks.

Close up of the cock up?

I’m hoping something will crop up in the local paper so I can find out what it is. It’s a question of staying tuned, I guess.

Having walked a few extra miles to get to the film set, we set off up what we call Carmen’s Hill, to take a short cut to the ridge. It was already getting on for well passed lunch time and Mirinda was starting to feel the strain. Carmen’s Hill, so named because she loves running all over it, normally from the top, is quite a steep slope. Having never attempted walking up it, this came as a surprise to us both. Here’s Mirinda almost at the top.

Sherlock nears the summit

In the car, she said I should have taken a few photographs of her odd outfit. She’s probably right.

UPDATE: There has been a lot of interest from the James Bond community with regards this post (none that warrant a comment, I notice). It seems that the building is a mock up Scottish monastery for the new James Bond movie, Skyfall. In case anyone wants to see more photos of the set, I’ve uploaded an album of all the shots I took here.

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I just want to add a photo I took yesterday but didn’t see until today. I’m quite happy with it. I’ve been trying for something like it for a while.

Magpie flies above the snow

Mirinda is very ill at the moment. So ill, she hasn’t come home from the flat. Believe me when I say, THAT is pretty ill. We thought she’d be home this afternoon but she has slipped back downhill and will probably stay in bed. Meanwhile I am holding the fort. Well, if you can describe a dolls house with two miniature poodles a fort.

First thing this morning saw the replanting of the sink into the bathroom top. It was a bit of a struggle (the access for the pipe is somewhat limited and my hand somewhat too big) and I had to have two goes at it (the first time I cross threaded it and when I turned the tap on, drenched everything) but it was eventually complete.

Given I’m such a lousy plumber I tend to be very careful and somewhat over-zealous but I always recall the advice Cowboy gave me all those years ago. I therefore remembered to use plumber’s tape to seal the thread, something the person who originally built the bathroom seems to have ignored. In fact, the thread was covered in silicone sealant instead! This would explain why it was so difficult to get off in the first place.

Sadly I didn’t take a ‘before’ photo of the top. it was looking a bit sad. The varnish had chipped off all over the place and the wood was all but bare. Anyway, here’s how it looks now.

Bathroom top after a bit of renovation

After struggling with the sink, I set to cleaning the bathroom, finding bits of wood dust everywhere. I’m happy to report that it now looks like a new bathroom. Well, the top anyway. Mirinda helpfully suggested I should now paint the entire room. To be fair, it wouldn’t hurt.

After lunch and walk up the park which saw two FSIs (one each) and a consequential bath, I decided to spend some time in the garden in preparation for a visit from Ben, Monali, Imogen and Saffron. This was planned for tomorrow. A day in the country, pub, walk, cricket and swings (the latter for Imogen). Everyone was looking forward to it. Sadly, due to emergency quarantine restrictions, we had to cancel.

As reported earlier, I’m delighted with the progress of my hand sown borage. It continues to thrive. I think the pixies must be looking after the plants. I’m pretty sure they use the flowers for hats and the leaves in their tea so it’s seriously in their own interests for them to grow well and fruitful.

I can now report that the first flower has emerged! It looks a bit lonely but, given the amount of buds on the other plants, I reckon there’ll be a more solid covering of blooms soon.

Our first borage flower

Speaking of dogs…which I wasn’t really but figured it was as good a change of subject as any…Carmen spent most of my garden time near me, chewing on a ham bone – between the occasional growl at her sister if she came within twenty yards of her.

The bone is all that remains of two ginormous ham bones I gave them Friday morning. They were bigger than their heads and I’m amazed Day-z could pick hers up. Carmen, of course, started eating hers in her bed so had no need for carrying. Day-z, however, took hers out of my hand and stressed her neck muscles getting it outside.

Before returning home last night, I suggested to Mirinda that Day-z would have eventually claimed them both. After the usual leaping and licking at my arrival home, Day-z quickly disappeared around the side of the house. I followed her and, sure enough, there were both the bones. I like to think that hopefully Carmen managed to eat a bit of one of them before it was stolen.

A little later, after posting last night’s blog post, I started to go downstairs. Sometimes the dogs go mad and start jumping up and down at me, threatening to push me down the stairs. This is their way of saying they want a wrestle. I sat on the top step and complied.

Wrestling usually means playing with them with one hand each while they bounce back and forth. Carmen, however, had a cunning plan. After distracting both Day-z and me, she dashed downstairs without a backward glance. I just played with Day-z for a bit and then continued going downstairs. Just outside the back door, under the herb table, arse in the air, was Carmen, chewing eagerly on the retrieved bone.

Day-z did not look amused when she realised what had happened and how easily she’d been tricked. She approached but quickly backed off when the growls started. I showed Day-z the other bone but, of course, she wanted the one her sister had.

And now, there is only one left. I have no idea what they have done with the other. I’ve searched but can’t find it. The one Carmen was chewing is all but gone, covered with flies when she leaves it for a second. I’m sure the mower will find the other one eventually.

Small bloom on the fuchsia we thought was dead

As it turned out, Mirinda came home at about 8:30. She was feeling slightly better. I read her a couple of peculiar fairy stories and she slipped off to sleep.

Being snowed out of Farnham I decided to spend the weekend in London rather than put my life in the hands of south west trains in trying to get home and back again. I have always wanted to have a look around Mayfair – being only one of two areas Eve says she could live in in the uk – so I decided to spend the morning exploring New Bond Street and round about. The mansion flat buildings are lovely and no doubt house stately and enormous apartments. But New Bond Street was remarkably unappealing – lots of very expensive shops full of diamonds and designers in which they deliberately try and intimidate the customer by having wanky looking doormen. Over half the shops were shut – despite being a Saturday – and those that were open were distinctly unwelcoming and uninteresting. It struck me as a place purely about demonstrating boring wealth – no heart. Flat and dead. Not at all what I was expecting – nothing that made me long to buy it (apart from a passionfruit fondant but I was unable to attract the shopgirls’s attention).

It has of course been incredibly cold and there was an uncanny lack of toilets. Bond Street station had several signs aggressively announcing “No Toilets. Nearest at Marble Arch.” (several streets away). Even Starbucks didn’t have one! I thought that was illegal!

I traversed Burlington Arcade and couldn’t help but note that though there were at least 100 people in the arcade I didn’t see a single person actually enter a shop. I studied one of these customer deprived enterprises with interest. It sold luggage – all shiny and new but in an old fashioned design of hard bags with straps – no wheels, no extendable handles. I then studied the Burly boy guarding the entrance – top hat-ed and tailed, and black. What a ridiculous, artificial and vaguely offensive nostalgia is being pickled here.

The final day of 2009 was grim, grey and chilly. We’re hoping for some sunshine tomorrow.

I watched the Sydney fireworks this afternoon. It’s the only thing that makes me homesick. Always brings a tear to my eye.

Anyway, this is going to be a very short entry. I have been struck down with Mirinda’s accursed bug and feel lousy. Mirinda is still not 100% so we’re off to bed well before the midnight hour. As Mirinda just said “This has to be our worst Christmas break ever!” and I couldn’t agree more. To make up for it we organised a trip to Paris for next weekend. That’ll show those lousy bugs!

Happy New Year anybody
xx