Musings from the Merse
Monday, July 28, 2008
Adieu to all that
In the steaming Merse sunshine Huttonian did a final trawl of the Old Manse-three drawers in a desk still stuffed with mostly rubbish. Found the missing lid of the kettle,an old video camera which may or may not work and a broken golf tee. Packed the golf tee. Was kindly allowed a last pick in the garden. Raspberries weighing down the branches, red currants in record numbers. Managed to fill a small ice box.
Found a golf ball amongst the weeds Packed it and the fruit. Looked in frog shelter; frogs glared back. Bye Bye Pond.
Handed in the final set of keys.
Au Revoir Old Manse.
Or should that be
Adieu?
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Duns Plus One
No crows in the chimney so we had a quiet start after our first night in the Small House in Duns but no glorious vistas either. A secret house in a secret garden but we pay for the privilege by being hemmed in all sides; in Hutton the nearest visible house to the north was a clear two miles, here it is not quite two metres.
The only outbuilding, a dinky 'summer house' is crammed full of builders rubbish-builders who have so far built nothing, but then it is only 5 weeks since they removed a neighbours fence -the wrong one-right neighbour, wrong fence, filled the summer house with rubble, presumably from a previous assignment as they have cut no sods here, and buggered off. We hope that they will return if only to empty the summerhouse so as we can find room for an array of boxes for which there is no room in the s-h-i-d. So far the weather has been kind but come the rains (and it rains in Duns, unlike Hutton-the driest place in the UK bar* Dunbar-and even drier since they closed the pub 50 years ago)only a thin sheet of plastic protects Huttonian's remaining possessions from the elements.
AS for clearing the Old Manse-the feeding of the five thousand resonates here. Having moved most of our possessions, we thought, that we have not taken has so far involved 5 car loads and the rubbish thrown out has filled the biblical 12 baskets. In this case it is 12 recycling bags-clear and purple;plus 21 cartons for the Charity Shops** (very little is classified as pure rubbish under the scrutiny of the wife-save Planet first,move house next.) But in my view life is too short to save the Planet-leave that to the grandchildren; carpe diem and fill not only our Wheelie Bin but the neighbours' as well.
When the wife is not looking of course
* Pun foreshadowed
** Oxfam will have fun with the 53 baby nappies; unused (I think) but individually offered as their containers have been recycled separately on the wife's instructions
No crows in the chimney so we had a quiet start after our first night in the Small House in Duns but no glorious vistas either. A secret house in a secret garden but we pay for the privilege by being hemmed in all sides; in Hutton the nearest visible house to the north was a clear two miles, here it is not quite two metres.
The only outbuilding, a dinky 'summer house' is crammed full of builders rubbish-builders who have so far built nothing, but then it is only 5 weeks since they removed a neighbours fence -the wrong one-right neighbour, wrong fence, filled the summer house with rubble, presumably from a previous assignment as they have cut no sods here, and buggered off. We hope that they will return if only to empty the summerhouse so as we can find room for an array of boxes for which there is no room in the s-h-i-d. So far the weather has been kind but come the rains (and it rains in Duns, unlike Hutton-the driest place in the UK bar* Dunbar-and even drier since they closed the pub 50 years ago)only a thin sheet of plastic protects Huttonian's remaining possessions from the elements.
AS for clearing the Old Manse-the feeding of the five thousand resonates here. Having moved most of our possessions, we thought, that we have not taken has so far involved 5 car loads and the rubbish thrown out has filled the biblical 12 baskets. In this case it is 12 recycling bags-clear and purple;plus 21 cartons for the Charity Shops** (very little is classified as pure rubbish under the scrutiny of the wife-save Planet first,move house next.) But in my view life is too short to save the Planet-leave that to the grandchildren; carpe diem and fill not only our Wheelie Bin but the neighbours' as well.
When the wife is not looking of course
* Pun foreshadowed
** Oxfam will have fun with the 53 baby nappies; unused (I think) but individually offered as their containers have been recycled separately on the wife's instructions
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Monday, July 21, 2008
DUNS HERE WE HAVE COME
We are Dingers now. Well honorary Dingers at least. We have been here since 12 noon and no longer feel incomers. Shunters prowled around the Old Manse with the removal van, doors agape, avoiding the family of partridges pecking around the weeds in the gravel. A family? Well a Mum and 10 chicks born yesterday; images to follow when I can find where Shunters put the camera. Probably in the garden with the majority of our possessions there being not enough room in the house until the builders finish their work-not actually started. Luckily the weather is glorious and even if it rains our priceless Persian rugs will keep the groceries dry.
Yes it was sad to leave the Old Manse but we will be back every day this week removing a lot of disorganised bit and pieces and running the hoovers over the cobwebs and we have left behind almost as many pieces of furniture as we have moved to here so we will need to visit them from time to time.
Oh dear we are now going to have to buy strawberries, raspberries, blackberries,blackcurrants,gooseberries- a bumper crop coming up but it is the Coop for us.
At least I don't have to do the bloody pruning and shredding.
For that relief much thanks.
(Hutton is only 10 miles as the crow flies and a mere 20 by bus-via Berwick ,thats a comfort of a sort.)
We are Dingers now. Well honorary Dingers at least. We have been here since 12 noon and no longer feel incomers. Shunters prowled around the Old Manse with the removal van, doors agape, avoiding the family of partridges pecking around the weeds in the gravel. A family? Well a Mum and 10 chicks born yesterday; images to follow when I can find where Shunters put the camera. Probably in the garden with the majority of our possessions there being not enough room in the house until the builders finish their work-not actually started. Luckily the weather is glorious and even if it rains our priceless Persian rugs will keep the groceries dry.
Yes it was sad to leave the Old Manse but we will be back every day this week removing a lot of disorganised bit and pieces and running the hoovers over the cobwebs and we have left behind almost as many pieces of furniture as we have moved to here so we will need to visit them from time to time.
Oh dear we are now going to have to buy strawberries, raspberries, blackberries,blackcurrants,gooseberries- a bumper crop coming up but it is the Coop for us.
At least I don't have to do the bloody pruning and shredding.
For that relief much thanks.
(Hutton is only 10 miles as the crow flies and a mere 20 by bus-via Berwick ,thats a comfort of a sort.)
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Duns Minus two
Day After Tomorrow
And no work started on extension. Stove ditto! 'Sorry we have a few missing parts' (forgot to order) but they have still put a hole in our sitting room chimney and our bedroom floor. Back on Wednesday. Bukra fii Mishmish (Apricots tomorrow) Nocturnal trip to the loo could yet be dangerous but an interesting shortcut to the ground floor.
Broadband Installed. 8mb promised by BT. We have 124bps coming through the roof and 64 going up. 'No No not an exchange fault' said yer man in Mumbai. The Wireless router is in the wrong hole. We have tried three routers in all the orifices with the same result. Oh Keep trying said Mumbai and call us again after four days.
I will
Day After Tomorrow
And no work started on extension. Stove ditto! 'Sorry we have a few missing parts' (forgot to order) but they have still put a hole in our sitting room chimney and our bedroom floor. Back on Wednesday. Bukra fii Mishmish (Apricots tomorrow) Nocturnal trip to the loo could yet be dangerous but an interesting shortcut to the ground floor.
Broadband Installed. 8mb promised by BT. We have 124bps coming through the roof and 64 going up. 'No No not an exchange fault' said yer man in Mumbai. The Wireless router is in the wrong hole. We have tried three routers in all the orifices with the same result. Oh Keep trying said Mumbai and call us again after four days.
I will
Labels: Broadband, BT, Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Normal Service etc
At our house cooling party several bloggees asked if 'Huttonian' would die with our move to outwith Greater Hutton-and a number of alternatives were suggested: The Reluctant Dinger being one of the more polite. Its a good question but for the moment Huttonian will live on-our hearth may be in the small house in Duns but the heart remains firmly in Hutton a mere 11 miles away from Berwickshire's capital. And it is all the Merse after all.
But as our Broadband is disconnected and we look to BT to hooking us up in Duns-all happening at the stroke of midnight according to at least three text messages I have had from the BBAT (Broad Band Activating Team it could all go horribly wrong and we might be off air for some time. But come what may, one fine day
Huttonian will be back.
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
D (Duns) Day Minus a little less.
Slowly, very slowly the small house in Duns is being moulded in the Huttonian (or The Wife's style) Mirabile dictu as the Romans used to say every time Novus Labor won a bye-election, the wood burning stove arrived plus all the bits and pieces to make a chimney where none existed before. It looks nice in its box and will, one day, look nice on the hearth. 'How long to install, chimneyise and erect associated works?' I asked the builder highheidyin. 'One day will do it'? 'Tomorrow?' 'Yes'. I was tempted to invoke the rodents of disbelief, as many tomorrows have come and gone in this long running saga-not a kitchen sink drama in this case but the sitting room equivalent. But I kept my silence, recalling the Spanish 'Manana', the Arabic 'Bukra Insha'allah' and wondering if the Borders like the Irish have no phrase which conveys the same sense of urgency. And we move in on Monday-surely that is urgent enough in any language
On the further plus side the middle son in law and a bloggee from down the (D class) road have used a combination of rocket science and brain surgery to assemble an IKEA bunk bed-adult size but intended for various combinations of grandchildren. So at least, come the weekend-D Minus 1, when two of them move in even before the Wife and I, there will be one unit of accommodation ready for occupation. We may have to content ourselves with our large bed, the only one we are actually moving from Hutton, with the chimney pipe from the sitting room below, bisecting the bedroom on its way to the roof,dividing the His n' Hers pillows. Cold steel coming between us but cosy when the stove is lit.
Slowly, very slowly the small house in Duns is being moulded in the Huttonian (or The Wife's style) Mirabile dictu as the Romans used to say every time Novus Labor won a bye-election, the wood burning stove arrived plus all the bits and pieces to make a chimney where none existed before. It looks nice in its box and will, one day, look nice on the hearth. 'How long to install, chimneyise and erect associated works?' I asked the builder highheidyin. 'One day will do it'? 'Tomorrow?' 'Yes'. I was tempted to invoke the rodents of disbelief, as many tomorrows have come and gone in this long running saga-not a kitchen sink drama in this case but the sitting room equivalent. But I kept my silence, recalling the Spanish 'Manana', the Arabic 'Bukra Insha'allah' and wondering if the Borders like the Irish have no phrase which conveys the same sense of urgency. And we move in on Monday-surely that is urgent enough in any language
On the further plus side the middle son in law and a bloggee from down the (D class) road have used a combination of rocket science and brain surgery to assemble an IKEA bunk bed-adult size but intended for various combinations of grandchildren. So at least, come the weekend-D Minus 1, when two of them move in even before the Wife and I, there will be one unit of accommodation ready for occupation. We may have to content ourselves with our large bed, the only one we are actually moving from Hutton, with the chimney pipe from the sitting room below, bisecting the bedroom on its way to the roof,dividing the His n' Hers pillows. Cold steel coming between us but cosy when the stove is lit.
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
Monday, July 07, 2008
D MINUS 14
Two weeks today is D for Duns Day. Out of the Old into the comparatively new. Out of the big into the small. So downsized that we have over done it somewhat and are building an extra bedroom onto the small-house-in-Duns. Will it be ready by the time we move? It might just be started. And so might the major redecoration involved after the the installation of a wood burning stove. Surely, asks Garrulous of Gavinton-putting in a wood burning stove is no big deal? It is when you haven't a chimney. This should have been done yonks ago but the builders forgot to order the stove which is something of a hiccup. And until the stove is in place and the chimney piping installed and boxed in no redecoration is possible either in the sitting room or the room above through which the pipe also has to go...and this is our bedroom. It all could be a bit messy. But 21 July-Shunters are all geared up to move our few sticks what ever the state of the house.
Just the two of you rattling around the house? Yes, plus Mr P Ms KB and the eldest daughter. But at least one bedroom will be usable.
Shoe horn any one
Two weeks today is D for Duns Day. Out of the Old into the comparatively new. Out of the big into the small. So downsized that we have over done it somewhat and are building an extra bedroom onto the small-house-in-Duns. Will it be ready by the time we move? It might just be started. And so might the major redecoration involved after the the installation of a wood burning stove. Surely, asks Garrulous of Gavinton-putting in a wood burning stove is no big deal? It is when you haven't a chimney. This should have been done yonks ago but the builders forgot to order the stove which is something of a hiccup. And until the stove is in place and the chimney piping installed and boxed in no redecoration is possible either in the sitting room or the room above through which the pipe also has to go...and this is our bedroom. It all could be a bit messy. But 21 July-Shunters are all geared up to move our few sticks what ever the state of the house.
Just the two of you rattling around the house? Yes, plus Mr P Ms KB and the eldest daughter. But at least one bedroom will be usable.
Shoe horn any one
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
