Building matters

The gloriously fine weather has broken and we have a day of low cloud and fog - so I have time to write the blog. The Rector@6 and I are still so very busy. It is difficult to believe life will slow down - but it is good to be busy. I am riding regularly on a lovely shire cross and I have even been jumping her in the paddock. The last time I jumped on a horse (and it was a pony) was over forty years ago. It is so good to play horses

again!! We have had some lovely invitations to accept and we begin to feel quite 'local' when we join with others to celebrate  occasions such as birthdays or the opening of the second village shop (a shortage of celebrities meant that the Rector@6 had to say a few words.) Last Saturday we stepped in at short notice to host the 'Marriage Matters' course for engaged couples. This is a short course aiming to equip couples to consider the many different aspects of marriage, from parents in law to money matters to the meaning of the wedding vows. It focuses on more than 'the big day'. It was good to work alongside The Rector@6 and another experienced couple - despite two of the three couples dropping out. (If they only knew how I cleaned the Rectory - but it was such a beautiful day, I would probably have pulled out myself - if I had had the choice!) So life is busy for me and even more so for the Rector@6 who often looks and sounds worn out by the end of the day. Today is an 'at home day', (except for the visit to the coffee morning to meet the Sudanese Bishop who is dropping in, the discussions with the neighbouring vicar who is popping in and the churchwardens meeting this evening!)

It just so happens that as we are in today - the builders have returned to carry out some of the jobs identified in the 5 year inspection (which was a year late). As they are replacing a cracked WC upstairs and adding more insulation to the roof space, they are all over the house. The dogs and I are confined to the front room or the kitchen. I expect we will see a lot of these builders as there is quite an extensive repair list and, if they just do a few jobs at a time, I can see that we will get to know them very well!

In contrast, the roof thatchers who are working on many of the village houses at the moment, work with great speed to complete the jobs, as they are so dependent on good weather. These skilled men have been repairing ridges or replacing one side of a roof or occasionally the whole roof. Our village pub remains closed after having had half the thatched roof repaired. It is looking great but there is no one prepared to take the lease on - or manage it at the moment. Many rumours are flying around but in the meantime the door is firmly shut. Anyone want to manage a friendly village pub in deepest Dorset?

So many cottages are needing repairs after the very wet, cold winter we experienced this year. The cottage across the road was to have its ridge repaired but the thatchers have had to repair all of one side, as the roof was in such poor condition. This will have been an unexpected expense for the owners. It amazes me that we still have thatched cottages today but they are so much part of Dorset's charm. It is good to see firms of skilled men are still available to continue the thatching trade.