Yesterday, I happily agreed to taking Kate to the Upfront gallery inbetween Penrith and Wigton, for the first day of an exhibition of felt pictures that they were holding. Kate had been quite excited by this since hearing about it and, following her recent felt making class, had been looking forward to it even more. She’d suggested a day out that would also encompass a trip to an ethnic shop in Keswick and then onto the Percy House gallery in Cockermouth which also displayed felt items.
So it was that we took a drive down from Carlisle that we didn’t know too well, meaning a strong reliance on road signs. Hence my sudden requirement to stop the car suddenly and pull off a 3 point turn 50 metres from a bend. Kate felt I should continue on to the next junction and turn there, but I felt that this spot was fine. Admttedly towards the end of the manoeuvere (spell check anyone?) a car came round the bend and the driver expressed their feeling that Kate was right about not turning there, though they were able to slow without any danger.
We then continued for almost 400 metres with Kate making it very clear that she’d been right and that I am a dangerous driver. At that point I brought the car to a halt, rather close to some poor bloke out walking his dog, and jumped from the car declaring that Kate had better drive if I am so dangerous. I then stood by the side of the car with Kate’s door open while she sat there laughing hysterically. Strangely she seemed to laugh more the more I demanded she drove.
The man with his dog was starting to drag his heels and was obviously starting to wish that his dog would take more interest in the trees by the side of the road or perhaps chase a sheep or two. The dog however was quite keen to get down the road and meet the excitable nutter who was stood by the car demanding that he be kept safe by not driving himself because he is a danger to all on the road.
it was at about this point that I started to remember Basil Fawlty beating his car with a stick, saw some similarities and decided to get back in the car, having made my apolgoes to the dog.
I continued to drive in the hope that if Kate continued to laugh like that her side would quite surely split.
It didn’t and she was unsplit when we reached Upfront.
Interestingly, having taken a walk around the gallery, it became clear that the exhibition wasn’t quite what we’d been expecting. That was possibly due to the fact that the show we’d travelled there specifically to see didn’t start for another 4 days.
Oh well. C’est la vie.
Actually I took great delight in winding Kate up for her mistake. Got to admit she makes quite a good Sybil.
From there we headed onto Keswick and took a stroll around the town. We’d wanted to have a look at some saris that an ethnic shop sold but didn’t see anything we liked. However Kate has decided she’s going to start walking 3 times a week and so needed a new pair of walking trousers, so we took a look around the charity shops for such like.
In one they had men’s combat trousers for sale at £3.50 each which was too good to refuse. I picked a pair and Kate thought she would as well. For some reason and despite my claims she was nowhere near, she got a pair of 38″ waist. We later discovered they were far too big, though fortunately my pair fitted her perfectly. I’m sat here now wearing a pair of 38″ combats which have had some adjustment.
Today we’ve pressed on with the house and we’ve now got lights in the front and rear porches and outside again, which will be helpful in these dark evenings.
Could do with lights out by the hen house to help get the chicks indoors at night. Once more this evening, the youngest chicks put themselves to bed under the shed again. Fortunately it was a little earlier and I was able to tempt them out with a few handfulls of chick crumbs and then place them into the shed one by one. Hopefully they’ll get used to the idea of going into the shed sooner or later. By then we’ll probably have another 4 chicks outside to be annoying by hiding under the shed in the dark and the rain. I’ll look forward to that.
Least I’ll have my felt hat to wear then though. The choice of 3 in fact.
The first that Kate made somehow ended up far too big but would make a good environmentally friendly shopping bag.
The second was a perfect fit, however the colours were slightly concerning. It is bright rainbow coloured and rather more suitable for Kate than I. After all I am a hardened farmer and having watched the farmers around here quite closelsy, I am pretty sure that a Barbour flat cap is probably what I should be wearing on my head.
The third is good colourwise and a pretty good fit. I think I may have to wear this one.