Another year,another hole

Wishing A Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

I feel I should list some of the reasons why I haven't posted on my blog for the past four months. All of them are valid but slightly pathetic and in no way excuse my blog lethargy. I think I've been suffering from Writer's Blog.
Holidaying in our Motorhome to Sandringham, York, Hexham and Chester (to be discussed on next post) disposed of most of October and the first week in November and then there was the 'hole'.
In my wisdom? I'd suggested to the Curious Fish it might be a good idea to have a conservatory built in the U shaped space we have at the rear of our house. After discussion we decided to proceed and we asked for a quote from our local friendly and highly efficient/effective builder. The price was agreed with part of the agreement being that I would dig out the foundations. Am I Certifiable? The hole to be six courses of bricks deep (about 2ft) and covering an area of circa 16 square yards. The entire surface area was also covered by an existing slabbed patio (which I layed with some determination and a great deal of concrete ten years ago), a Greek Urn water feature (with subterranean plastic dustbin tank) and a large wooden Grape pergola entwined with well established vine. 
No problem says I ???.

Taking up the old

September saw off the Pergola, Water feature and most of the Patio. November and the first half of December was devoted to removing the rest of the patio, cleaning the slabs for re use (I am a Yorkshireman...deep pockets and short arms), soil digging and moving.

The above photograph reveals that the sewer and drain pipes congregate under the new conservatory area. There are two further pipes not yet revealed. We have decided that the manhole should be moved outside the conservatory.

The end result being I now have a major excavation in the back garden, huge piles of soil decorating the flower and shrub beds and the news that our beloved builder is running 6 weeks late with his
existing job and can't start just yet.

Stop Press...Builders due to move sewers and drains on 13th Jan 2012.

The above excavation and the intrusive pressures caused by the building site works adjoining the rear of our site have also convinced  us that we need to re landscape our rear Garden to fit in with the anticipated Conservatory and to maximise our privacy. Consequently we have now removed a walled rockery and gravel garden. I am currently creating a new patio area, a new lawn and contemplating removing the Garden Pond.
I must go now. I need to fit in a LOBOTOMY (or another bottle of Merlot).

Ah Glasshopper

Field Grasshopper (I think)

The Curious Fish and me were just enjoying a cuppa (30/8/11) when I heard a sequence of chirps (no it wasn't wind) which caused me to peer at my greenhouse side. Lo and behold perched happily on the glass was a grasshopper.
So what!! I can hear you all yelling.
Well we've lived hear since 1997 and its the first grasshopper I've been aware of in our garden. I can only presume it was disturbed from its vegetarian nibblings by the activity on the building site to the rear of our property. It also appears to be in its mating finery so that may have something to do with it.

Its visit was only fleeting and I only had time for a hasty photograph before it disappeared.  I find identification of Grasshoppers difficult as they look alike in many ways and many of them like the one above can turn up in brown, green, grey or reddish colours.

The title of this post is a homage to the 1970s TV series Kung Fu in which David Carradine starred as the warrior monk Kwai Chang Caine. His blind Mentor/Abbot usually greeted him with the words Ah Glasshopper. 
To our everlasting amusement.

Howdy Pardners!!

Its a bit like waiting for buses to come along. Nothing happens for ages and then several come at once.
At last my blog is starting to work and I have now had 4 comments.
 RG thankyou for your advice it seems to be working OK. (fingers crossed it stays that way).
Sis this years first batch of chutney is in the jars and one of them has your name on it.
CF I feel a crumble coming on.
Added to the above excitement it was our annual visit to the Western Motorhome Show yesterday, one of our favourite events.
We had coffee, a chin wag and lots of laughs with our pals Terry and Jan.  We look forward to seeing them again in October when our travels cross paths once more.
To my great joy the Curious Fish bought me an Indiana Jones type hat. I may never been seen hatless again. I've had to hide it in my wardrobe as there is a limit as to how may times a person can try on a hat and admire himself in the mirror. Mirror, mirror on the wall.

The show is vast with many delights including hundreds of Motorhomes both new and secondhand and so many avenues of stalls that I became quite disorientated (I'm geographically challenged at the best of times). Had it not been for the Curious Fishe's highly developed sense of direction I fear I would still be wandering around now.
Highlights of the show include the re-enactments and Wild West historical encampments. We spent a considerable amount of time chatting with Red Indians,(see brave outside Tepee) Cowboys (see the Gabby Hayes lookalike at the top of this post) and Cow girls and admiring their homes. Their encampments are historically accurate and amazing. Attention to detail seems to be the norm.
Yes I know it is highly unlikely anybody younger than 60 will remember Gabby Hayes. He was the old geezer who always drove the Chuck Wagon when he wasn't spitting out tabaccy chewings.

Blog On

Hoorah...today is a red letter day 'blogging wise'.  After receiving some very good advise I have adjusted the template of my blog so that visitors can now access 'my profile', 'followers' and 'archive' without having to scroll down to the end of the postings for this information.
I have also spent a considerable amount of time adjusting my settings to hopefully facilitate the receiving of comments. (Not easy, not intuitive in fact very hit and miss.)
 I have now managed to post a comment on the Curious Fish blog and equally exciting after also setting my comments box to 'Pop Up' (thanks to some advise Curious Fish found in a help forum) I have received my first comment.

Novels,Blogs,Apples and Motorhomes

Been to the Writers Circle meeting (see previous post) and have come away awash with ambition. I heard members discussing the size of novels (circa 80,000 words) and have decided that if I bring all my current ideas together into a coherent whole I can achieve this. Previously I had been splitting my ideas into at least two books. Reality check ..WORK ON ONE.
I enjoy writing this blog but I do need to develop a wider audience. WWC to the rescue once more with ideas on how to link to other bloggers.
In amongst all these thoughts I am busy peeling fallen apples on a daily basis and turning them into bags of stewed fruit to go in the freezer. I can't stand nature's harvest rotting away. I can feel another blackberry foray coming on.
Western Motorhome Show on Saturday, a chance to meet up with a couple of pals we made when in France. I suspect my next posting may have a Motorhome flavour.

Writing for Pleasure

Since my last posting we have joined the local writers circle. It is very well attended with untypically (in my limited experience) a higher male population than female.
The meetings are fortnightly and last circa 2.5 hours.It is a round table environment with members reading out their latest efforts either against a pre ordained subject or anything that is of particular interest to them.
It is fascinating to listen to others stories, poems and articles and equally fascinating to hear the comments of fellow writers. To date we have both read out two of our stories and found the experience very beneficial.
The members interests are diverse. Some have been published, some are self publishing and many are working towards publication. Some are just writing for pleasure.
I have decided this is the impetus (thrust, push, kick up the backside) I need to reinvigorate my writing.
My writing efforts to date have been random (NB my blog title), sporadic and generally without any focus.
I am now making efforts to control my 'Grasshopper' tendencies and to focus, focus, focus.
I have a lifetime of fascinating experience and memories to draw on. I am now attempting to put this 'treasure trove' together into a meaningful whole. JUST DO IT.

Pigeon Post

Good news...contact now established with owner of the pigeon discussed in the previous post. I managed to entice it sufficiently with bird food to capture it once more and contain it in my old Merlot Box. It has now departed with its very pleased owner back to Wednesbury for a period of refamiliarisation in its pigeon loft before it will be allowed to 'fly' again. This hopefully will help it to fix on its proper home and not on the curious fish/grasshopper guest house. If it turns up again I'll let you know.