Saturday April 6th...

 Still no Internet and home phone despite endless calls to CYTA and no end of debate between John and I (for which read bickering!) as we are told one thing and then another - apparently it has been fixed and then it hasn't been fixed, or the road needs digging up or that we have phone and some Internet but at a reduced rate of maybe only 2Mb only to find that we have .4 of a meg which is worse than useless and today is Grand National Day and we wont be able to watch it which is a shame - or not as it turned out as our pensions were riding on nags which never got a mention.  This is the first time that CYTA have let us down but we have been cut off since Monday and you don't realise how much you miss something until it has been taken away. During the day it isn't a problem as we have plenty to keep us busy but trying to agree on what to watch at night can be an issue except we have been watching a series called Jekyll starring James Nesbitt and are completely hooked.

Our conservatory is smelling absolutely lovely at the moment as Paps had washing powder on offer yesterday - BOGOF - buy one get one free - which just about makes it affordable - although having checked with Tesco Online washing powder is pretty expensive in the UK by the looks of things.  Anyway I took advantage of the offer and had the two boxes sitting in the conservatory whilst I tried to work out where I was going to house them to keep them dry.

Anyway it tickled John to bits that I had come home with two large boxes of OMO - which isn't a brand that I think they still sell in the UK.  

He was tickled because lonely Navy Wives used to put a box of OMO in the window when they wanted extra marital gentlemen callers as OMO stood for Old Man's Out!  I am hoping that our partially blind goat herder (GH) isn't familiar with this custom as I don't want to have to fight his advances off any time soon!

I was right to be worried too because GH and Goats were in the field next door this afternoon and GH was clearly feeling tired as he cut an uncomfortable looking figure curled up on the kerb of the new road!  I quickly hid the OMO from view!

Chivers' attitude to the goats has changed - he has gone from growling at them to ignoring them to wanting to play with them.  He got right in amongst them today - there was a mutual curiosity but then a nanny goat ventured a little too close and Chivers lost his nerve and beat a hasty retreat back up onto our fence so that he could view the herd from a safer distance.

We have worked like Trojans today creosoting (or should I say creocoting) everything that we can in order to preserve it.  We didn't get everything done as we ran out of creocote and we were getting high on the fumes (no wonder it has been banned!!!).  The outside shower is now looking less scruffy although you might well pass out if you are having a shower in the next day or so!

The back decking and the new runway to replace the trip hazard steps have also been treated.  We have also found our old slightly mouse eaten gazebo cover to put up temporarily for the barbeque tomorrow and it will give us some breathing space until we decide what we are actually going to use to cover it.

A whole day out in the sunshine meant that we were both glowing by the time we had finished.  John had been more sensible than me and kept covered up - but then he has to be careful with his skin and is usually a good boy.  He has clear white marks where he was wearing flipflops so he looks like he is still wearing them when he has taken them off!!!  He also looks like he is still wearing his sunglasses!

We had our last episode of Jekyll tonight - what a brilliant series - now what?