Herefordshire Week 067: Tuesday 06 – Monday 12 April 2021

Bathroom revamping in progress!


Tuesday morning saw the start of Project Bathroom Revamps, with Morgan & Cuss working in the en suite to get the old sink out and to plumb in at new sink spot. Great work throughout the week, and by Friday the en suite was pretty much all done bar the repainting and finishing touches, and the main bathroom ready for work the following week.

Bathroom Refurb In Progress - End of Day 1
Bathroom Refurb In Progress – End of Day 1
Bathroom Revamp: Day 4
Bathroom Revamp: Day 4
Bathroom Revamp: Day 4
Bathroom Revamp: Day 4

On Monday, the heated mirror went into the en suite and the first coat of paint was applied, with the panelling and relocated en suite mirror going up in the main bathroom.

As Phil says, it feels like we’re at a swanky hotel, when we use the en suite at least….

Morgan & Cuss are excellent. Highly recommended if you’re in the Herefordshire area and need someone to handle plumbing or heating.


Walked over to Ewyas Harold to post of my old camera batteries that I’d sold on eBay (much easier than I’d expected) on Tuesday. A lovely morning so having gone Direct (Dore Abbey – Footpaths up and over EH Common – Recreation Ground – Village Shop & Post Office), I took the scenic route back: School Lane footpath back up onto the Common, down via the Deer Farm, into Abbey Dore, left onto the Dore River footpath to Riverdale and back via Kerrys Gate, meeting K&K en route.

Ate lunch in the conservatory as it snowed outside. A week of weird weather – cold when cloudy and lots of snow / hail showers, warm/hot when the sun is out. Classic April Showers really, just featuring snow and hail rather than rain.


Productive week at work. Next week is full of meetings, ie less productive but more informative.

A lot of evening Zooms – LED Trustees meeting on Tuesday evening. VWW on Wednesday, Family Zoom Thursday, postponed catch up with Pete & Ruth on Saturday.


On Saturday morning I did the Bacton Square again, primarily to dig up some wild garlic shoots to plant here. Met K&K again en route to Kerrys Gate and down by Bacton Stud the gate was open into the field with the old barn, so I took the chance to take some photos before it does finally collapse.

Old Barn, Bacton Stud
Old Barn, Bacton Stud

And on the “busy” stretch of road between Bacton and Abbey Dore, there were lots of lambs in the fields, and tractors out in the fields ploughing and planting.

Sheep and Lambs, Bacton
Sheep and Lambs, Bacton
Planting Potatoes: Red Tractor + Red Soil = Herefordshire Field
Planting Potatoes: Red Tractor + Red Soil = Herefordshire Field

From Abbey Dore I took a detour up into the deer field and listened to Dore Abbey’s Bell tolling for Prince Phillip who died on Friday. Opted for the footpath to Canns Hill for the final stretch.

Deer Field: Deer
Deer Field: Deer
Flag at Half Mast, and Bell Tollings for Prince Philip
Flag at Half Mast, and Bell Tollings for Prince Philip

On Sunday Phil and I headed out to find some of the footpaths between Kerrys Gate and Cockyard, but without success. Still, a nice walk and we chatted with D&D – working on their garden room’s new roof – before the final hill up from Quarrels Green.


Did various bits of gardening on Friday – hampered a bit by my still-sprained hand – getting particularly excited as the bean and pea shoots start to make an appearance. And I now have NINE tomato seedlings. I realised Jean’s chard still had the roots attached, so I transplanted these into the veg patch.

Veg Patch & Herb Bed, Orchard
Veg Patch & Herb Bed, Orchard

Everything is growing. It’s green and lovely. The primroses, cowslips and dandelions, and plenty of daffodils still, are blooming in various shades of yellow, and blossom is appearing on the trees.

Apple Blossom, Canns Hill
Apple Blossom, Canns Hill

I’ve repurposed some of the old ensuite – the sink basin is now home to Helen’s Mint (hopefully a more solid container than the plastic pots its broken through) and the pedestal is earmarked as a trough. The shower glass may reemerge as a cold frame, and we are planning to use the panels as shelves in the log shed.

A Greenfinch is visiting the bird feeders, and we’ve seen Yellowhammers hurtling along the hedgerows. Our pairs of pheasants and partridges haven’t become roadkill.


Good reading this week – finished of Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered (I always enjoy her novels, even when the theme doesn’t initially appeal) and Andrew Greig’s Summit Fever (which has rekindled my smouldering desire to return to the mountains of Pakistan and to trek to K2 Base Camp, and to spend more time in beautiful Baltistan).

View of Karimabad, the Karakorams and the Hunza valley, from Duikar viewpoint
View of Karimabad, the Karakorams and the Hunza valley, from Duikar viewpoint

My reading rate has dropped off since moving to Herefordshire. Two factors I think: (1) No long weekends at Walton on the Naze, where I did a lot of reading (no competing activities / jobs to do, and no internet); and (2) Lots of outside jobs to do here, especially in the garden. And possibly (3) general weariness and disinclination to read longer things, finding listening to podcasts less taxing (aka Pandemic Fatigue) and (4) a series of OK reads rather than page turners (Unsheltered and Summit Fever fall squarely in the latter).


Monday saw me drive to Mere for a day with Carl, and to collect two chain saws. Dark clouds and sleety rain on the drive there, glorious sunshine on the drive home. Road much, much busier. Caravans and motorhomes are back out. 12 April saw England start Step 2 of the Roadmap out of Lockdown.


Delighted to find another walker who’s an excel plan fan: Ridgeline — 115 — April, 12, 2021.


TV: Started Better Call Saul (so far, so good – we completed series 1 and started on series 2), more Glow and Line of Duty season 6 (and sorrow at the death of Sarah Hughes who wrote The Guardian Episode Recaps and much more).

Podcasts: Mainly Books and Authors for nighttime listens and The History of England on the drive to/from Mere, plus History ExtraThe Infinite Monkey Cage and The Essay.


Photos: Herefordshire week 67 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2021-04-11.