Warming up

We're gradually getting back into the swing of things. No more trouble from the "pig farmers" but I've no doubt they'll find a reason for more. In the meantime we had a good day on Saturday at the Banbury Street Organ Festival. No pictures at the moment as I'm not taking any, our "friends are adept at interpreting anything they like to mean anything they want it to mean no matter how innocent it is, after all this picture  is pornographic in their eyes. It came as a surprise to all of us, especially those in the picture.

For now our next outings are in December at Woodstock and Bourton on the Water, but if the weather stays good we may just hit the local streets occasionally, probably Headington as although Oxford have often asked us to bring Rosie into the city they won't do anything to help and we can't just tuck her under an arm and catch the bus.

Back in Business

After an enforced break we seem to be back in business.



Rosie's problems had us worried for a while, and none of our efforts to make her better had any effect. Finally I went for major surgery and last summer saw a kit of parts for a small Fussell organ arranged in any available space round the house. I took a lot of pictures at the time but just at the moment can't find them. I hope they'll turn up but I have just a suspicion that they are on the backup disks my "friends" at TVP*  have taken.

That actually didn't achieve anything as once back together we still had the same problems - no air pressure, or at least very little and certainly not enough to play properly.  Finally common sense took over. If the problem's not in any of the parts I've checked out it has to be somewhere else. But where? There was only one place I hadn't taken apart but that was because it would have been a hammer and chisel job to do so. Then inspiration. The tracker bar has square holes (unusually) but the pipes coming out of the bottom are round. The old problem of a square peg and a round hole or vice versa. OK, but how to fix it? Well, to keep this short, a drop of water from an eyedropper. It trickled down the hole and filled the corners, and Rosie worked for a few minutes till the water got blown through. I've now found that three drops at every roll change keeps us going and am investigating the possibility that a drop of liquid soap will gradually form a permanent seal as the water dries out leaving the soap as a sealer.
 


After a quiet summer....

Bicester Avenue

After a quiet summer with very few outings except one or two regulars Christmas looks like being a busy time with several booking around Oxford, Bicester, Bourton on the Water and Abingdon. On the left a picture of Rosie at Bicester Avenue, taking part in the celebrations to welcome Father Christmas who arrived on a sledge drawn by huskies. The reindeer were taking it easy just off the right of here. Really. it seems to be the Fashion this year as there were reindeer in Abingdon last weekend when we "helped " turn the lights on, attending as guests of our friends at the Abindon speakers Club
      http://www.abingdonspeakers.co.uk/ 

Sorry, no details of dates as were still getting unwanted attention from people who claim to be our friends and only trying to help. Maybe more about this some other time.
Enough for now. Keep a lookout for us and come and say hello if you have time.
 
.

Still nothing much doing....

but after a very quiet spring we're beginning to get calls from our regulars so it should be back to business as usual soon.

Not much doing

This is just a short post to keep the blog active. After a couple of events over Christmas the season passed largely without going out. Due to problem beyond my control I'm looking into how to use he blog in the future for now it's enough to say to those causing the problems that thanks to you the charity takings over Christmas were down by about £1000 compared to the preceding two or three years.
Happy new year to all my real friends and to my self appointed  "friends" at TVP I hope you're satisfied.

A short story left over from the last post

I was going to add this story at the end of the last post but got cut short by the library computers time allowance.

When we were praising Quba for his ability to fetch Alison told us a story about another dog. This dog's owner was taken ill in the bath and sent his dog to get help. As taught the dog went to the neighbour's house and attracted their attention and they called an ambulance. The dog, realising that something was still wrong from all the commotion going on around him, and unnoticed by the adults who were now in charge  proceeded to work his way through a list of other commonly used commands and by the time the ambulance arrived had rounded up the mobile phone, the TV remote and a four pack of lager and laid them out neatly by the bath.

Quiet summer

It's been a quiet summer thanks to our "friends" at TVP but nevertheless we've been out a few times to organised events, but no roughing it on the streets. 

Morris dancing at Holy Trinity, Headington.





Firstly was Holy Trinity fete. After missing for a couple of years due to calendar clashes we were back this year and pleased to be there. The day started dull and damp but a window in the clouds from just after one till about five gave us a dry afternoon.  All the usual stalls for a church fete with the Morris dancers giving a good performance.





At the end of the afternoon we got an invitation to a street party the following weekend just a few yards up the road. Another fine afternoon in spite of the forecast.

Finally another good day at Banbury, down on Castle Quay along with the roundabout and bouncy castle. We were collecting for the mayor's charity "Dogs for the disabled"

http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/



Quba

 Takings were noticeably up all the time we had one of their helpers.

In the morning it was Quba who made himself extremely useful fetching back any leaflets that blew away in the wind, something many of the dogs do for their owners. 

... Got to go, out of time at the library. another picture and a story to add some other time.