April 2010 b

Sun 18 Apr 2010
We're wondering how many airlines will go bust, due to volcanic ash clouds?

Wed 21 Apr 2010
It seems that Spring has well and truly Sprung! For those of our Aussie friends who don't know what it looks like when oak trees grow new leaves (see right) - it looks much like when flowering trees (such as bauhenias) shoot out new flowers.

Thu 22 Apr 2010
At long last, the car is back home and ready for use again. It's only been in and out of the mechanics' for the past month....

Fri 23 Apr 2010
On the telly at the moment, it seems there's nothing but the ongoing election campaign news round-up. We'll be mightily relieved when this malarky is all over and done with!

Sat 24 Apr 2010
Left London early and drove out to Cirencester. Here's a quick snap, near the museum.

 

The Corinium Roman Museum here in Cirencester is world famous for its mosaics.

 

And they have other cool stuff too. Here's some Anglo-Saxon jewellery. The detail is just phenomenal (brooch is enlarged, at right).

We met up with our friends Kevin and Mary at 2pm, at Chedworth Roman Villa - only a 20 minute drive from the museum. They have lots of Roman mosaics too, made by the Cirencester workshop.
 

The grounds included a quaint little Victorian museum of finds from on-site. Interestingly, we did wonder if the museum itself was being preserved to show what a Victorian museum looks like - including the quality of the displays, on hessian backing with type-writer labels and little tags attached to items.

Sun 25 Apr 2010
Had a pleasant breakfast chatting with Kevin and Mary and set off back home. We were fortunate to avoid the London Marathon traffic chaos. Jen did a spot of garden trimming in the afternoon.

Mon 26 Apr 2010 

Steve's work sent him on a week-long training course on MS window Exchange Server (mail server 2010).
Tonight Steve drove to Edith's place to pick up boxes of Thamesreach (SCA) cooking stuff for storage in our loft. Meanwhile, Jen had her regular oil painting evening. It's embarrassing, but it has to be a self portrait in the styles of the artists she's chosen to study (Manet and Klimt) and so the poses and looks are also along those lines. For example, Klimts ladies almost always have the mouth open a little, and wearing a choker. Manet's ladies have very round eyes and hugely full lips.

 

Wed 28 Apr 2010
Jen played catch up with the oil painting and went again tonight.
NB: these still need loads more work!

Fri 30 Apr 2010
Today, we've officially been in the UK for 4 years. Quite the milestone!
Jen and her workmates together had a team-building day, by painting the lounge room and hallway of a resident's home (Jen's work is a social landlord looking after thousands of residents). This was good fun and very satisfying to see the results. The resident in question was very pleased!

Sat 01 May 2010
It's the May Day long weekend here in Britain, which for many, is a traditional weekend for doing some DIY about the house, which is exactly what we've decided to do also. Mainly we're doing various little odd jobs about the place, like replacing tap washers, replacing a faulty door knob (didn't turn properly), sealing up possible mouse-holes, and other little things. Steve did a legendary job of going through the Shire boxes and clearing out mouse-poo and possibly contaminated foodstuffs before we store these in the loft. For the door knob, Steve was also legendary, by hacksawing the internal metal shank to the correct length. 

This photo: where the wall in the bathroom just 'ends', and the difficult-to-match skirting board.