Herefordshire Week 095: Tuesday 19 – Monday 25 October 2021

Back to the office. Utility Room revamped and loft boarded out. Tick Tick!

Oh yeah, and I bought a car 🙂

Never Say Never...
Never Say Never…

Yes, for the first time since February 2020 I spent my working week in The Office. Well, “An Office” as I headed up to Manchester for the week. Busy few days, but I did find time to indulge in a tour of the massive M&S Food Hall and to take a look at Uniqlo’s offerings. I got the TfW train up on Tuesday morning – not nearly as busy as the capacity checker suggested – and back again on Thursday afternoon. Shattered.

No VWW or Family Zoom though.


Friday morning, Neil came to start adding insulation in the loft ahead of boarding it out. We’re juggling a visit from the electrician as we’ll need to replace the ceiling lights before Neil lays the boards in the extension.

Spent the morning sorting out a few treats for December and January. We’ve rented an AirBnB flat back in Walton for a few days geared around a week in the London office for me and P visiting his folks, and a night plus dinner at The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny in January. I may have had some Autotrader tabs open too…

Into Hereford in the afternoon to the Hospice charity shop to drop off the unwanted stuff from the roof, then on to Screwfix and B&Q for DIY stuff. And a rat trap – it’s made itself at home in the compost bin if the entrance/exit holes are anything to go by 🙁

Pizza and Grand Designs in the evening. We rewatched one from 2001 set in the Black Mountains.


We had Neil and Sam onsite all day Saturday, but I spent the morning further up the Golden Valley with the GVWC doing a circular walk from Dorstone, to Merbach Hill and Arthur’s Stone. Good group. Good route.

GVWC Dorstone Circular - Merbach Hill & Arthur's Stone
GVWC Dorstone Circular – Merbach Hill & Arthur’s Stone
GVWC Dorstone Circular - Merbach Hill & Arthur's Stone
GVWC Dorstone Circular – Merbach Hill & Arthur’s Stone

Back for a late lunch followed by clearing cherry tree saplings and some brambles from the wooded slope below the solarium. Got quite a big pile for a bonfire now. It just keeps on coming!

Handyman Sam’s revamp of the utility room / downstairs loo was done and dusted by 4pm. It’s looking great; there’s so much more space. Now all we have to do is paint and find someone to tile the floor…  Sam and I spent a final 30 mins making the door for the apple racks. A much better result that I would have managed.

Utility Room Revamp - Handyman Sam Stage 2
Utility Room Revamp – Handyman Sam Stage 2 Complete

Dad called round to drop off 6 sacks of earth and stayed for a cup of tea. Lots of cars on the drive.


Neil was back early on Sunday to finish off in the loft. It is transformed.

Loft revamped
Loft revamped

Bit of computing and photographing the white porcelain dinner service ahead of an eBay bonanza, then down to Ross for my mammogram (the “feels a bit like when your blood pressure is taken” analogy held true), a mooch around the shops and a look at A Car. Back via Pengethley Garden Centre – nice farm shop, OK nursery – where I spent some birthday money on A Pot.

Slight hiccup getting back into the house after we realised neither of us had taken house keys, then lunch, log stove on – it’s a drizzly / rainy day – and reading.


Slow start Monday, and it was a glorious sunny day, blue skies. A bit of admin first thing, then Cockyard backwards in my T-shirt, arriving home just as Martin Watkins’ Jon arrived to replace various lights for us, and to install the magic light switch in the Snug.

Then down to Ross on Wye to pay a return visit to Bowen’s Garage, and to test drive the 2010 MAZDA MX-5 2.0 ROADSTER SE I’d spotted on Autotrader. I’d phoned up on Friday to arrange a viewing and they’d suggested I take a look on Sunday when the garage would be closed but the forecourt open. So I had, and I liked what I saw. And after today’s test drive I liked how it went so we did a deal. I’m picking it up next week.

Into Hereford for car key cutting and petrol and then over to Dinedor for tea and cake with Jean. Home for a mutual debrief. Adrenalin rush on the wane.


TV: Grand DesignsThe Get Down.

Podcasts: History Extra, History of JapanBookclub.


Photos: Herefordshire week 95 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2021-10-24.