Sunday 22 December 2019

Sunday

Hurray!   I have a telephone again.   And I cannot speak too highly of the treatment I have received from BT.   Once they knew my age and the fact that I subscribe to Lifeline they have pulled out all the stops.   After various checks by various teams both inside and outside the house, they finally identified the fault as being in the cable under my front lawn.   It had been laid  when the bungalow was built almost fifty years ago and is the kind of cable which is no longer used in any case.   They took up the turf, dug a channel, replaced the cable with a much large one, brushed the soil off the grass into the trench, replaced the turf and then broke through the path to the house wall and drilled a new hole through into the sitting room.   It is all neat and tidy.   Tess promptly 'christened' the new concrete strip with paw prints which will be there for ever, but otherwise it is a neat job.   All the teams who came were pleasant chaps - I dished out hot mince pies - the least I could do.

My visitors have been and have now gone.   I got lots of food in and they were both very good at helping prepare it.  They also took Tess for her walks which was a help.   But inevitably I was on my feet a lot more than usual and today I am finding it very difficult to walk.   I am just hoping that my ankles and knees get stronger over the next few days. 

Out to usual Sunday lunch today then home to take Tess for a very short walk, which was all I could manage.   I have several presents still to wrap so that job will take me up to bedtime - there is nothing I wish to watch on television.   My Book Group book is Bill Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' which somebody on my blog recommended (it is my choice this month and I didn't want anything too heavy for around Christmas as everybody's mind is on other things).   I must say I am enjoying it very much - it is a very amusing read.  Bill Bryson lives up in The Dales so he is very much a local lad (he is of course American but seems to like living over here).   So whoever it was who recommended it - 'Thank you.'

18 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

I think it was Gwil's recommendation. I sort of remember it for "oh, not such a serious book" as Bryson is usually witty. Glad you have your phone back on and life is going to be ok this week.

Sue said...

I like Bill Bryson. I didn't realise he was living in the Dales now.

The Weaver of Grass said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

Must put that on my list of requests from the library. Hope you feel better tomorrow.

jinxxxygirl said...

Oh my gosh Pat.. i haven't read the book but the movie with Robert Redford is delightful! Ofcourse you have to like Nick Nolte too as he is in it too.. Now i must get the book now that you mention it.. Hugs! deb

Joanne Noragon said...

Thanks, Weaver. After I read it, it's on to my grandson, who must walk it, some day.

Red said...

At the present time I'm reading bill Bryson's The Road to Little Dribbling.

angryparsnip said...

I have several Bill Bryson's book all great read. I have a favorite story of his that I tell anyone who will listen.
Happy to know you have your phone back.
parsnip

Cro Magnon said...

I've not read that particular book. The one I liked most was his book about Australia, which I always thought should be obligatory reading for all Aussie school children (an exam subject even). In comparison, I didn't think his one about Britain (Small Island?) was half as good.

thelma said...

Love Bryson's dry wit and gentle poking fun at us, so easy reading for the book club.

Gwil said...

Rachel is correct. I’m pleased you chose it and that you’re enjoying it.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Glad to hear you got your phone fixed so efficiently, I'm sure the mince pies helped! We used to claim Bryson as one of ours when he lived in Cambridge, such an amusing writer.

Sue in Suffolk said...

The sort of author where you read the books and chuckle to yourself while other people read the same book and don't find it funny at all.
I've not read his more recent books - must remember to try them

Heather said...

So pleased that you are once again connected, and I think Tess's paw prints are her signature of approval for a job well done.
I usually find that a gentle day with my feet up at regular intervals helps my feet and ankles to feel more comfortable.
I have read a few of Bill Bryson's books and find him a very entertaining author.

Librarian said...

Are you going to write to BT to let them know how happy you are about their service? I love that Tess's foot prints are on the path now!

Lynda said...

Love Bill Bryson! My son moved to England from the US almost 20 years ago, and is firmly entrenched, too! The upside is that I get to visit as much as I can afford to!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Librarian - BT rang me to ask whether everything was alright and I gave them a lot of praise then.

Thanks to you all - obviously we are all of the same opinion.

pam nash said...

It's always nice to feel "back in touch" with the world. Cell phones are great but tend to go wonky with the weather!