Three is NOT a crowd!

Katie, our niece, has recently moved in and brought a breath of fresh air and exuberance to the Fresh/Buffo household. We are enjoying every minute and trying our hardest to make her feel at home. We have taken this to also include domestication and today was marked by the first, independent, cleaning of her room. By the time she leaves we will have converted her to an obsessive compulsive , at the very least !!! : ) (We will have to work on getting the bag of rubbish put IN the bin. Currently it is believed to walk there by itself !! :)

But, seriously, we are loving having her here and looking forward to spending Yuletide together.

Solstice greetings and a Merry Yule

Up and out, before a Robin's twitter, Tree and I headed to the Malvern Hills to celebrate the return of the sun. Taking a small lamp and a seat (an essential item) we walked up from The Wyche cutting to midway between the Beacon and British Camp. Snow had fallen overnight and the top of the hills was cast in a subtle blue light as the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon. It seems that this year was a little too cold for others as we remained alone for the whole time we were up there. At one point we did begin to feel the cold creeping into our bones and decided to dance to get the blood moving again. This worked well but would have presented quite a sight to anyone walking by. This Solstice will be most remembered for the fact that we were able to share it together and uninterrupted.

A very Merry Solstice Blessing to one and all and a Happy Yule.

A well earned rest.

Following on from the prang on my bike, I couldn't wait for this week and a long awaited break away at Ragdale Hall. Tree and I treated ourselves to a few days at this 5 Star Hotel and Spa to recharge the old batteries after working so hard for the recent craft shows. Every day has consisted of doing nothing apart from chilling out and using the Saunas, Pools, Steam Rooms, Thought lounges and having all-over body massages and getting my feet massaged as well!! Heaven. My favourite had to be the Candle Pool. Built like catacombs underground with podlike areas under the water, a rich, deep blue in colour, that you lie on while watching the lights in the ceiling twinkle in complete silence. Not a child in sight as well!!!!

Tree and I needed this break and with the Winter Solstice coming up soon there was nothing finer than watching the sun come up from the comfort of our bedroom each day. An experience I would recommend to anyone.

Overbury Craft Fayre

I finally made it, literally, to this craft event at Overbury, with the last mirror finished only the night before. This village is completely owned by one estate and therefore has managed to survive all the usual ravages of time. To visit there is to take a step back in time. The whole place is like a chocolate box picture. The hall we were in was a beautiful example of joinery skills from days gone by! Well worth a visit, I say!

Slip sliding away.....

Well it had to happen at some point I guess and happen it did in style. I am talking about an accident I had this morning at the top of Newtown Road. I set off for work as usual at about 5.30'ish in the morning, taking extra care because of the hard frost the night before and made my way up to the top of Ronkswood Bank. What I didn't know was that a water leak, left unattended ALL weekend, had turned into an ice rink on the other side of the brow of the hill. Yep, you guessed it, as I hit the ice I crashed the bike and proceeded to slide on my ass for 65.2 feet ( as calculated by the insurance company on Google Earth) coming to a halt some way down the road. I was helped up by a passer by who remarked on the prang as "spectacular". A Police car soon arrived, having been notified by a motorist who nearly crashed, and I chose, at this point, to phone Tree. As I was on the phone, another bike came over the hill and slid past me, missing me and the Policeman by inches. Tree was going crazy by this time as all she heard was me shout "Noooooo" very loudly and then the sound of the crash as his bike disintegrated.

I went on to work and got checked out as okay, apart from bruising, but, in hindsight, I should have taken the rest of the day off. It was a good job I wear an armoured jacket as I certainly would have broken my arm without it. The elbow plate is cracked and the arm torn.

Tammy, however, took the brunt of the crash and looks in a very sorry state. I am still riding her but she needs a full makeover. My insurers are taking a case against the local water authority for negligence in doing nothing about the leak, knowing there was a frost due, so I should get her fully repaired. I, meanwhile, feel more than a bit stiff and achey now the adrenaline is wearing off !!!

Oh I almost forgot, I also got a mention on Radio Wyvern as the "White bike man". There is now traffic lights and one way traffic, a frost sign, a slow sign, a police slow sign and a slippery road sign out at the scene. Smacks of too little, too late !!!!!!

Men CAN multi-task.

Whoever said men can't multitask obviously hasn't seen what I've been up to lately. Things are going smoothly for Clayton at the factory and prospects look promising. Otherwise, I have been painting like a mad fool to try and get the front room decorated in time for Yule.

I am feeling a lot fitter now, particularly as Tree has me swimming 50 lengths of the pool every day!! The pounds are dropping off, so I can't complain.Oh well onwards and upwards.

Samhain Blessings.

We are here again, at that magical time of year, when everything old is passing and we look forward to the New Year ahead.

Tree and I celebrated in the usual way and Tree made pumpkin soup while I carved the pumpkin shell. This year I moved away from the theme of bats and wise women and chose to carve a wolf hound calling to the moon goddess.Using a new method of carving, I was able to create 4 layers of colour and I was pleased with the result.

Samhain Blessings and don't forget to make those resolutions.

Who's a buzzy boy?

I finally had the chance of a spot of good weather and decided to get the porch roof stripped and repaired at last. The whole job took two days to complete but it was worth it to replace the roof with felt under the slates and insulation as well. Every little bit for the environment an' all that. While I was taking the old roof off, I came across a beautiful wasp nest that had been from a few summers ago. The walls were so delicate and made of thousands of strands of paper mache. One touch and it crumbled to dust. Amazing!

Yeah Baby!!

As it is 40 years of slimming world this year, Clayton decided to do a theme for the anniversary night at club, with ruby (being the colour for 40) and the 1960's as the theme. While we got evrything ready, Clayt got changed.How a gladiator has anything to do with either of those beats me. He said it was all they had left at the fancy dress shop but I think he got it from his wardrobe. Could be a secret L.A.R.P'er on the quiet !?! Anyway, it raised a laugh or two. Top marks to Lorraine on the Revue Bar dancer.

Oh and me......I just went dressed as a tw*t!!

Bye Bye Mikey the Hippy Van.

Today we received the notice from DVLA confirming the transfer of sale for the festie van. Goodbye dear friend, you served us well. From Hampshire to Devon, from Cornwall to Wales, you carried your weighty load and never broke down. From Blissfields to Beautiful Days, from Forest Fayre to The Green Man and from Clun to Nozstock, you saw them all. Blasting out Dub Reggae at 60 watts per channel, every trip became an adventure. Who could forget the numerous extras like the homemade shower at the back - priceless at a festie!!

You are gone but not forgotten, especially if you check Google Earth which still shows it outside our house - a ghost of it's former glory!!

WOMAD

We have just got back from a rather wet WOMAD and are enjoying the simple pleasures of a hot shower and flushable toilets. Overall we were quite disappointed with this years festival. Gone were the impromptu entertainers and general crazy people and in were the boring wellie brigade with their 4 X 4's and waxed coats. Tree and I feel that this festival has lost it's hippy vibe and become a haven for the pseudo middle classes.

Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves despite the rain, especially seeing Mad Professor, The Ghoad Gypsies of Rhajasthan and an amazing set by DJ M3. This year might be where we say goodbye to WOMAD and find another more chilled festie to replace it. We will see!

Camping it up in Cornwall.

We decided to grab a few days in Cornwall camping but, as we went to Tony Ballard's funeral on Monday, we didn't get away until Tuesday. The weather was good to us in that it stopped briefly when we got there so we could get the tent up and then started again, promptly, straight after. Out of the whole trip we managed one fine day and made use of every second of it. We also found a restaurant that serves children ON the menu. Someone wasn't paying attention at advertising school, weren't they? We also made friends with a baby Starling that sat with us, waiting patiently until we were finished, to grab the crumbs leftover - cute. By Friday the rain had set well in so we decamped and went to see Joy in her new shop. She is doing really well and has no regrets in moving at all. I think a trip to sunny India is on the cards if the weather doesn't get better here!!!

In memory of Tony Ballard

It is with a heavy heart that I must report the death of Tony Ballard who drowned whilst swimming in the Severn. Our thoughts go out to Ellie and Duncan, his parents, at this desperate time. For those who came to our handfasting, Duncan was the minister who came and said a few words for us. Tony will be remembered fondly.

Having a jolly BAD time

Blimey, a sunny day and what better than to get down to Tewkesbury for the Fayre. We took this chance to catch up with Brian and Donna of BAD Ceramics as we haven't seen them since the shop closed. They have now got a new tent and their work is as brilliant as ever. Brian is producing some fantastic new works and Donna's glazes are stunning. We hope to see them away from work before they head back up North. Both Tree and I felt the itch to get back to having a stall but this soon passed when the rain came down to remind of the disaster of last year. Although , I must say, once I have finished the Geodesic dome I will not be able to resist trading from it. I don't think it will be ready for WOMAD by a long shot!!

Get your motor running..........

A few good bits to report.

Firstly, Tree is back to swimming again and has been doing 75 lengths each morning (about 0.75 mile). I had to take out her stitches in the end, as they just would not dissolve and were pulling, and this has spurred her on a bit.

Secondly, I realised that I had most of my blogs in draft format and had forgotten to publish them...Doh!

Thirdly, I'm on the road. Thursday saw the delivery of my new Tamoretti scooter (Scoot). Steve, the dealer, drove up from London on a special journey to drop it off. Well done mate. The only drawback is that I have found out that Jamie Oliver rides one (can't be helped I suppose) and I will also not be able to go more than 20 miles an hour until I have run it in. Only 285 miles to go! Oh well.

Geodesic delights.

One of "the back burner jobs", I referred to in a previous blog, is to build a geodesic dome. Now for anyone unfamiliar with them, a geodesic dome is a structure like the Epcot Centre in the USA and was discovered by a man called Buckminster Fuller. The structure is lightweight, aerodynamic and requires a minimal amount of storage. The math behind them basically says that the larger the structure, the stronger it gets. I have fancied making one for years and have opted for a 12' diameter with standing room of 8'. This leaves enough room to put a wood burner in the centre with the chimney out through the middle. Once built, it will take up less ground space than a 4 berth family tent and have almost twice the height for half the weight and storage. I have already begun the build and I am photographing the whole process in order to make plans to sell on to other prospective builders. This is because the resources on the internet are, frankly, too nerdy or just not well described. My plans will be aimed at the complete novice and have adequate illustrations to make sense of the text. I am not looking to make loads of cash but just to cover the cost of my first build. Hopefully, the project will be completed within the month, in time for a testing at WOMAD. I shall keep you posted.

Happy Solstice.

Tree and I were up at a sparrows chirp to watch the Solstice sunrise. We had planned to go to Avebury but Tree is still not right after her operation. Her stomach area is still very swollen and she is in a lot of discomfort. As it was, the sky was a little obscured by cloud so we got ourselves a couple of drinks and sat out in the garden and watched it from there. I love the calmness that only comes just before dawn and the madness of the birds as they all start twittering like mad idiots at the first glimpse of light.Tree and I have been a bit detached from the outside world, for one reason or another, over the last few weeks and it has been good to share the intimacy of this, at a time like this. All we need now is a good summer and a few festies and we will be made up.

I'm on the road again (well soonish).

My old bike


My new bike (in my dreams at the mo)

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Now that things are a bit calmer here, I have decided to dedicate some time to finishing a few projects I have put on the back burner over the years. One of them is to work towards getting my old bike back. Not literally my old bike, as it was a beautiful custom one off and I cried when they took it away (in pieces I might add), but the modern equivalent. The nearest to the Yamaha 750 SE special nowadays would be a dragstar. However I would rather have the larger 1100 but with a few modifications like on my old bike. For starters I would have it dropped with an extension to the front forks, easy rider stylee!! Anyway, I first need to get a licence and do it all legal this time so the first step will be to get on two wheels again. To do this I am going to buy a scooter and move upwards, at a rate of knots, to the superbike level. I have found a nice little scoot with sit up and beg bars and, trust me, there aren't many about like that. I also want a bike on the heavier side. This means you don't have that annoying weight to centre of gravity difference throwing you about on the road. The only problem is that there is only one person who sells them over here in the UK and they are brought in by order if you want a particular set up.Parts are easy to get though so there is a silver lining I guess. I just need to flick a coin over which colour I want and go for it. White, Green, White, Green .......... Oh it looks like it's gonna be white with black and chrome trim. Keep you posted!
P.S Someone mentioned about a mid-life crisis when buying a custom bike when you are over 40. I agree, but that is for saddo's who buy Harleys and can't ride properly. In my case, I was riding my SE special back in 1980 when most people hadn't even seen a custom bike outside of a show. Now it seems everyone has a Harley so I will be getting a big barge pole and steering clear of that crowd. Besides, I did my hedonistic bit back in the good old, breaking my leg twice, elbow once, hand three times, days. Sod speed, I want comfort now!!!

Time flies like the wind (fruit flies like a banana).

I must admit that I find it harder and harder to find time to blog these days. Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing as it means I've got a life outside of being a techy nerd stuck on a computer. It's just I do like to have the time to blog every now and then.
Anyway, Not a lot happening at Camp Sandys other than I have been working myself stupid getting loads done to the house. To do this I have been going to work at about 6am so I finish with a good chunk of the day left to work at home. This has been good, now I look back on what I've achieved, but knackering. Now I know you might say "I bet Tree hasn't been happy with you starting this early," but you would be soooo wrong. Tree has been getting up at 5.30 every day and going swimming after dropping me off to work. She has averaged at least half a mile each day. In fact I have to catch up with her in the mornings!! The only set back to this has been her recent surgery which has meant she can't go in water with stitches but I am sure she will be back on it again in no time. All this has spurred me on to think about getting down to the gym more but as Oscar Wild said "every time I think about exercise I have to lie down until it passes"

The Spring clean blog.

Well it has to be done at this time of year. Tree and I have taken time to get the old house in order and clear out all of the clutter that seems to have built up over the last year. Trust me though, when I say, that nothing has been put to waste. If it can't be handed on or car booted then it has been donated to a good cause like P.U.P.S (Protection of Unwanted Pets Society).
Otherwise, I have been really busy working on the house. I finally completed the conservatory floor and it now has a rich, deep shine that should last a few years at least. The cellar workshop has been refitted to make working down there easier for me as well.
As I said in an earlier blog, Tree and I have decided not to work any festies this year, however, we have bought tickets for WOMAD and will definitely be doing Nozstock!!! Can't wait.
On a sad note, Joy popped in today and told us that Dave Halligan committed suicide yesterday. He always said he would be dead by 40 and it seems he made his phophecy true. Ironically, I was only looking at some old photos of WOMAD, with Dave in them, this morning. His famous blogs Worcesterfari & Poons will live on in cyberspace forever. Rest In Peace mate.

Happy Birthday Pip!!

I couldn't resist the opportunity of Pip's birthday to print up and frame an old photo of her when she was a nipper. I think she liked it, although we did give it to her at the pub after a few beers!!

Eostre blessings.

Tree's mum invited all the family over for a Sunday lunch to celebrate Eostre. Tree and I sorted out an egg hunt in the garden for Jamie and a quizz, for the adults, after. It was good for everyone to get together as we hadn't since Yuletime. David suggested a game of swingball and between David, Nathan and Myself we managed to destroy the bats with our overkeen playing. Luckily, Tree and I have a spare set in our shed that we have never used!!

No more waiting.

Tree and I have just come back from Brighton after spending my birthday "bit of culture" weekend away. The highlight of the trip was seeing Ian McKellern and Patrick Stewart in Waiting for Godot at the Theatre Royal. We would have seen them at Malvern but they sold out in minutes and the only place left was Brighton. We also took time out to go to the Brighton Pavilion, which blew Tree away when she saw the opulent interior and the dragon chandeliers. I took Tree round the Laines to see the plethora of small art and design shops. Sadly, I had an upset stomach otherwise we would have enjoyed the mass of veggie cafes and restaurants in the area as well.

Back to work for the rest.

Tree and I have just finished a week off work together and I need a rest quite frankly. The week previous to this one and I was off work anyway with an upper respiratory infection, which doesn't go down well in a hospital, so was tired before I started.

Anyway, we went down to Cornwall at the start of the weekend to see Joy and Nige, stopping at Glastonbury on the way for lunch. We picked the best time to go as the weather was gorgeous and hot. We spent a lot of time scouting out the beaches and found some more wicked caves in Constantine and the Lizard Point. One of them was lined with this amazing red Algae and the photo doesn't show how red it actually was by a long shot. We also got to see Joy's new shop in Perranporth as the signs were put on this week. She should do well with the location and the summer crowds. We sold loads of the shop stock as well, so one less thing to worry about.

On that note, Tree and I are thinking about going to 3 or 4 festivals this year as punters rather than traders. We both have enough on with work that we would rather enjoy the festies like we used to rather than work them. We have had positive feedback from loads of organisers who have said they would love us to come anyway, trading or not, so why work if you don't have to. We will still keep the marquee for future events but just take a year out maybe. Besides, Noz loves me (why I don't know) so there is always an open invitation there!!

We came back to Worcester on Wednesday and have filled our days with relaxing, eating out and a bit of gardening. Just my trip to Brighton to look forward to now...it's a hard life innit!!

Red Nose Day

Tree raised £60 for Comic Relief this year through her colleagues at work and Slimming World. I, on the other hand, didn't do anything. However, I did wear a stupid red wig round to get the Chinese takeway which raised a laugh or two on the way. Making people laugh should be an all year round occupation , not just one day. Keep smiling!!

Happy Birthday to me.

What an excellent day. Tree got me lots of presents, including a trip to Brighton to see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellern in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and a stay in a top hotel with dinner in a posh vegetarian restaurant. Sorted!! We met up with Pip on the weekend for lunch and she gave me an Xbox game and a BIG mug from her and Murali. To be honest, I have liked the mug best of all but that's me being soppy. Besides, I haven't been on my trip yet!!!

It's snow joke!

Blimey is that the time! Yep, that's January for you, gone in the blink of an eye. Its a sort of non-month, if there is such a thing. You get past Yuletime and its back to work and the daily routine and then, vroom, the end of January comes whizzing up.

Anyway, not a lot to report, apart from some festie news for the new year in the shape of invites to Blissfields, Nozstock and Tiddesley Wood. All with FREE pitches, which shows we must be doing something right. After last years wet, but not wonderful, series of disasters it can only get better....we hope.

Tree and I have not been up to much otherwise. I am settling into the new job and looking to doing a coders course, which takes about 2 years, and gets way better pay.

The weekends have been spent going out and entertaining ourselves. Clayton and Lorraine stopped over a couple of weekends ago and we had a good laugh, including trying Clayt's homemade Ferrero Roche which are supposed to be fat free. They DID actually taste a bit like the real thing!!

We have also managed to see a lot more of Pip & Murali. We met up in town the other day and had a good lunch but sadly I gave in to chocolate cake with cream for afters. Enjoyed every mouthful an all!!! Can't complain though as I am only 7 pounds off my target weight now. On Tues night they came over and we cooked up Tacos with a veggie filling...Yum, Yum. Murali liked it a lot. He has promised a masterclass in Sri Lankan cooking next time. Can't wait.

Otherwise, I am hopeful of a little more snow, now its the weekend, because I don't have to worry about driving in it or getting to work. Instead I can enjoy Mother Nature when she wraps the Earth up in a white blanket and that beautiful silence that comes with it. See Y'all!!