Woke at 6:20. Without an alarm clock it’s always a concern about oversleeping but I haven’t yet. In this new place I feel right at home because early in the morning the crows in the real rookery across the road from me start to wake up too. A picture is included today. Last night I did two loads of wash and hung one out on the clothesline and put the second out this morning. It rained last night so everything is quite damp but I am hoping for sunshine today. One of today’s pictures shows my handiwork at hanging laundry and I know Carol is cringing because I haven’t got the shirts right. Now the rule about the back door is that if the key is not in the lock on the outside it will be under a flower pot by the back entry. (pretty novel eh?) Well when I got back to the door after hanging the laundry, the door was locked so I looked under the flower pot and a moment of panic set in – no key. You see my landlady was in hospital overnight for arm surgery, her husband works the night shift at Tesco and hadn’t come back yet and their daughter was asleep in her room. I had about 10 minutes before I had to leave for work and my shoulder bag with some of my gear and lunch were inside as well as my hat. I rang the doorbell and after 3 times, Lucy came to the door, very sleepy but not annoyed with me thank goodness.
Off to work on time using the back lane and entering the College and Garden grounds through a code operated door for staff and students only. This is a much shorter walk than yesterday. Work today consisted of continuing to fix the bed on the left side of the arch by edging and weeding. I have cut a much better line and the work is going well. While I am doing this, Anne one of the staff is further preparing the beds for planting by removing stones. I’ll stop here to say that the ground is full of flint, an igneous rock that is prolific in this area. It is very hard and continually works to the surface. It is used in many of the houses and walls in the Sussex area. From the two beds we removed ten 2 gallon pails full of stones which are collected and used for construction or fill at a future time. As the plants are set in according to a plan designed by Jim and Sarah, mulch is added which will ensure we have less weeding to do next year. There is a constant mist in the air, and the temperature is likely 15 in the am and stayed that way all day. I am wearing shorts and with the work am very comfortable. At the 9:00 morning break I sat in a thatched hut reminiscent of a jungle hut near what is called the Roundel due to its circular shape at a crossroads. It was a lovely place to sit and was better than walking all the way to the staff lounge which many people do. Here is a picture of the hut and its floor which was reconstructed in 2004. Also a picture of the Roundel which is seeded with grass.
After lunch the mist was a little heavier more like a drizzle but never a rain. I wore a raincoat but continued with the shorts. The soil was getting a little heavier but still easy to work and the planting continued. There is a picture of the mulched and planted beds with much crisper edges. Once I had the edging done Jim had me plant some boxwood and lift some plants that required moving and storage until a new location was determined for them. On Fridays we knock off at 3:00 so at 2:45 I wheeled a full load of sod and debris to the mulching yards where it is saved until sufficient amounts are available for chipping and reuse on the beds. Cleaning up and washing all the tools we used during the day is an end of shift requirement. By 3:15 I was on my way walking home and had been provided with a connection to the WIFI at the college which I plan to use this evening.
Showered and ate a meal of Chile Con Carne provided by my hostess who was home from the hospital after a successful surgery. She had prepared several meals before going in the day before. At 6:45 I left for the college and entered through the coded door and checked in with the registration desk and was given access to their internet. The only place you can use the WIFI is in Oak Hall. Rules do not allow pictures being taken in the house and I will not abuse the privileges that I have been given, however let me describe my location. From where I am sitting, directly in front is a floor to ceiling fireplace carved out of beautiful sandstone with the date 1892 inscribed at the top. The firebox itself is approx. Six feet wide and six feet tall with a depth of three feet. The ceiling in this room is about 24 feet high and entirely covered with oak panelling inset in beams. To either side of the fireplace are a set of armour and various weapons, including shields, spears, axes and swords. No dates are available but one looks medieval and the other looks oriental. On the oak floors are two carpets 27’ x 15 and a runner 27’ x 4’. The room itself is approximately 26’ x 40’ with oak panelling all around up 12’. At one end sits a grand piano with stained glass windows about 12’ tall. On the opposite end a gallery from the bedrooms on the second floor looks down upon the room I am in. The walls of the gallery are ornate carved wood and stretches the full width of the room. A large carved upright provides support to the gallery and is richly carved and about 30” square. The tables and chairs are oak and the chairs are a combination of oak and leather. There are various coaches and settees in the room. I am the only person here. I wish I could have taken a picture but hope my description will suffice for now.
Back to my room at 9:00, read for a while and off to bed at my usual time.
Off to work on time using the back lane and entering the College and Garden grounds through a code operated door for staff and students only. This is a much shorter walk than yesterday. Work today consisted of continuing to fix the bed on the left side of the arch by edging and weeding. I have cut a much better line and the work is going well. While I am doing this, Anne one of the staff is further preparing the beds for planting by removing stones. I’ll stop here to say that the ground is full of flint, an igneous rock that is prolific in this area. It is very hard and continually works to the surface. It is used in many of the houses and walls in the Sussex area. From the two beds we removed ten 2 gallon pails full of stones which are collected and used for construction or fill at a future time. As the plants are set in according to a plan designed by Jim and Sarah, mulch is added which will ensure we have less weeding to do next year. There is a constant mist in the air, and the temperature is likely 15 in the am and stayed that way all day. I am wearing shorts and with the work am very comfortable. At the 9:00 morning break I sat in a thatched hut reminiscent of a jungle hut near what is called the Roundel due to its circular shape at a crossroads. It was a lovely place to sit and was better than walking all the way to the staff lounge which many people do. Here is a picture of the hut and its floor which was reconstructed in 2004. Also a picture of the Roundel which is seeded with grass.
After lunch the mist was a little heavier more like a drizzle but never a rain. I wore a raincoat but continued with the shorts. The soil was getting a little heavier but still easy to work and the planting continued. There is a picture of the mulched and planted beds with much crisper edges. Once I had the edging done Jim had me plant some boxwood and lift some plants that required moving and storage until a new location was determined for them. On Fridays we knock off at 3:00 so at 2:45 I wheeled a full load of sod and debris to the mulching yards where it is saved until sufficient amounts are available for chipping and reuse on the beds. Cleaning up and washing all the tools we used during the day is an end of shift requirement. By 3:15 I was on my way walking home and had been provided with a connection to the WIFI at the college which I plan to use this evening.
Showered and ate a meal of Chile Con Carne provided by my hostess who was home from the hospital after a successful surgery. She had prepared several meals before going in the day before. At 6:45 I left for the college and entered through the coded door and checked in with the registration desk and was given access to their internet. The only place you can use the WIFI is in Oak Hall. Rules do not allow pictures being taken in the house and I will not abuse the privileges that I have been given, however let me describe my location. From where I am sitting, directly in front is a floor to ceiling fireplace carved out of beautiful sandstone with the date 1892 inscribed at the top. The firebox itself is approx. Six feet wide and six feet tall with a depth of three feet. The ceiling in this room is about 24 feet high and entirely covered with oak panelling inset in beams. To either side of the fireplace are a set of armour and various weapons, including shields, spears, axes and swords. No dates are available but one looks medieval and the other looks oriental. On the oak floors are two carpets 27’ x 15 and a runner 27’ x 4’. The room itself is approximately 26’ x 40’ with oak panelling all around up 12’. At one end sits a grand piano with stained glass windows about 12’ tall. On the opposite end a gallery from the bedrooms on the second floor looks down upon the room I am in. The walls of the gallery are ornate carved wood and stretches the full width of the room. A large carved upright provides support to the gallery and is richly carved and about 30” square. The tables and chairs are oak and the chairs are a combination of oak and leather. There are various coaches and settees in the room. I am the only person here. I wish I could have taken a picture but hope my description will suffice for now.
Back to my room at 9:00, read for a while and off to bed at my usual time.
Just for the record - the shirts ARE upside down... But I'm still proud of you!!
ReplyDeleteC.