The Big Society

The lane has been looking rather scruffy recently, what with weeds mud and great sods of earth banked up against the dry stone wall. ( Believe me the above photo is an "after" shot, so does not show how awful it all looked) The highways department doesn't venture down our lane much, so in celebration of David Cameron's "Big Society" ( or irritation at the mess and what people think of it more like) I got off my arse and cleaned the whole lane border...a task that is rebounding on my lower back as we speak!

So Instead of a nice  hot bath, I am sat at the dining room table with Chris' hot water bottle stuck down the back of my pants - ( I have already received a weird look from Mrs Jones who has just called down for some duck eggs- as I know I had a definite look of Max Wall pic)- but my old bones are benfitting from the warm attention.
As I am waiting for Chris to come home from the airport after a jaunt up to Edinburgh, I thought I'd type another blog entry in between making meatballs and sorting out pancake batter for supper!
Anyhow all morning I have been ringing various builders and workmen in an effort to find a little man to repair our broken chimney pot, but typically , replies have been few and far between.
However this afternoon, as I was leaving yet another message on Steve-the-odd-job man's mobile there was a sudden knock on the cottage window and a local sheep farmer called me to say that he had found Constance on walkabout way down the lane. This surprised me as the last time I had seen her she was snoring on her bed in the kitchen, but out she indeed was after taking herself off for ever-so-slow amble in the sunshine.
The farmer, I know had done a few jobs for Jenny the postmistress , so on impulse I asked him if he would be interested in replacing the cottage chimney pot. After quickly looking at it, he said he would be delighted to! AND for a very reasonable price too!....so it's
Job done! and all thanks to Constance's very first moment of wanderlust......

Constance eating a bagel at lunchtime watched by the hens and Albert