A visit from Lola II

Lola II enjoying a nice sensible cup of tea, April 2025

I was privileged to host an overnight visit from Lola II, despite the terrible state of her knees which are each suffering from a different complaint. We usually do a whole lot of walking when we are together, so this demanded a new, car-based approach for our usual pastimes of eating, talking, playing and mucking about.

It's not that she can't walk, but she can't walk far, and steps and stairs are quite a problem. So instead of walking together from the station into town I picked her up in the car. First stop was lunch at a beautiful riverside pub that used to have delicious food, but was sadly disappointing this time. Never mind, we went elsewhere for dessert after a stop at the Re-Useful Centre, my new treasure trove, where we found a perfect walking stick. She doesn't particularly need it for walking but it does help with the stairs, and it may get her a seat at busy times on the tube.

Dessert was cake at Temperance café, where they also keep a few board games for customers. I'd noticed one of the games I'd played with my U3A group that I thought was rather good (Splendor), so we had a go, and it went so well that we thought we might go to a games café next day - there are at least two in Leamington.

Evening entertainment was a National Theatre Live performance of Dr Strangelove, adapted for the stage by Armando Ianucci and starring Steve Coogan. I'm enjoying these NT Live shows, and there are a few more to come over the summer. Lola II managed to walk from Lola Towers all the way to the Royal Spa Centre where it was on, but went the long way round to avoid the steps up to the door.

Next morning I started on the task that Lola II had brought for me - shortening some new trousers (she did give me two large leeks and some carrots in payment). I only made one fairly serious mistake and broke two sewing machine needles - the twin sort for stretch material, which seem to break as soon as you look at them. My enthusiasm for stretch fabric is seriously waning, although this must be the first time I've got the sewing machine out for at least a year, and I came across the fabric we bought in 2016 when I was supposed to be making a dress for Lola II. I try not to think about it. I'll definitely get round to it one day but it just doesn't feel like a priority at the moment.

My ineptitude at sewing was interrupted for each of us to have a massage. I'd booked this when the venue was just a short walk into town, which might have been a problem for Lola II's knees except that they had moved to an out-of-town venue so we could drive. I try to make sure that there are activities in Leamington that can't be found in Lola's home area so that she has a reason to visit. Previously it had been the optician, but she's found one locally (how rude). Thankfully I think I have her hooked on the massage option now. She does the same for me - visiting their local international supermarket is my treat whenever I stay with Lola II and Mr M.

We had lunch at another place (Boston Tea Party) in Leamington which was half the price and twice as good as lunch the previous day at the fancy riverside gastropub. I shall visit BTP again. Then we did go to one of the games cafés where we repeated the game from the day before and tried another (One Key), which involved guessing which very strange picture had been chosen using various other very strange pictures, and it seemed absolutely impossible except somehow I managed to guess Lola II's very strange picture - an achievement that will never be repeated.

Before she left, I went through my box of art materials and persuaded Lola II to take as much GRUHI stuff as I could. So at the end of a lovely couple of days I delivered Hopalong Lola back to the train station with her new walking stick, and listed a few things that she didn't want on the trading platform Olio, and they were collected later that day. When it works, Olio is a marvel.

Lola I enjoying a ridiculously outrageous milkshake

The launch of GRUHI

July 2023

I've managed to start the huge project to try and free myself of all the accumulated stuff in my house that might come in useful one day, or that reminds me of something or someone, or is broken or just needed to be out of the way so it found its way to the loft, or that is nice to look at but taking up space and accumulating dust. So much Stuff. Just looking around from where I'm sitting: a silver desk clock with the second hand broken off. A small plastic dinosaur. An English dictionary and Thesaurus. A non-functional electric blanket. Three French language course books. And mum has also been passing me things that she no longer needs.

I don't want it all to end up in landfill, and ideally I'd like to find new owners who would appreciate the items. As with the LTRP I feel that to maintain momentum I need to apply an acronym. Get Rid of Unwanted Household Items seems appropriate: GRUHI. Sounds suitably gruesome to signify the tedious and difficult nature of the job and yet with a jolly little hiccup at the end which is the joy when it is accomplished.

Anyway, the first item to achieve the GRUHI status is my old iPod, which I have listed on eBay along with various compatible items - the iPod speaker docking station and assorted cables. The auction ended on Sunday and the iPod sold; I relisted the docking station and received one bid; the other items aren't even getting any views, so how will I get rid of those?

Leamington has a number of local initiatives as well as branches of national initiatives, which is one of the reasons I like to live here. LETS is a local trading community where the currency is 'Oaks' and people trade services rather than goods - giving lifts, swapping plants, make and mend sessions, recommendations for tradespeople and helping with any sort of household jobs. I've been a member for some time but haven't actually offered or asked for help. Leamington also has a monthly 'Repair Café' where people can take items that need repairing, and I have used that - they have extended the life of my camping chairs and a shopping bag.

Apparently Leamington LETS is represented at the monthly Repair Café. They have said that I might bring some GRUHI goods and see if anyone will take them off my hands - either the visitors, or maybe the people doing the repairs. That's all very interesting for the future, but the second Leamington Film Festival was about to take place and I needed to sort out the door to my toilet, which is dragging on the threshold and would be in danger of damage at the hands of multiple strangers pulling and pushing at it. So I put out a request via LETS, and who should respond but one of my U3A board game friends?

So he came over and we have improved the state of the door - I wouldn't say it's fixed but it's certainly much better. And he stayed for a cup of tea, and I told him about the Film Festival and sent him the link and he came to two of the films, which was very nice. And when I was out with my U3A walking group I mentioned my new project, and they told me about a company in Warwick that might be interested in dad's stamps - I haven't yet had time to do anything about that yet but it could happen soon.

And there are many charity shops in Leamington, and one of my Buddhist friend volunteers in two different charity shops in Kenilworth, and there's the shop at the tip, so many other ways to take forward my GRUHI initiative. It's now mid-September and I think it would be helpful to have some kind of time-based target for what I might achieve. Difficult to imagine what that might be at the moment - maybe I could go round the house listing everything to get rid of by the end of the year?

Volunteering and a weekend off

August 2023

I haven't written anything for ages, but I've got some unattractive tasks ahead of me so I thought I'd cushion the experience with some leisure writing first, even though it turns out there's not much to say.

After a lovely weekend with friends in Nottingham I drove on to Adhisthana, the retreat centre near Ledbury where I volunteer. This time I haven't been put in the kitchen or the office, but am helping in advance of their biggest event of the year, where all rooms are filled and the field is open for camping too. There are so many guests that a marquee is erected as a shrine room and the barn is used for meals. The barn accumulates junk through the year, so one job has been to clear it out and set it up ready for food service. Stocks of food are ordered, paper plates and cups have arrived, and there's all the usual cleaning to be done.

Surprisingly, the job I most enjoyed involved refilling all the cleaning product bottles and distributing them round the site - hand wash, surface cleaning spray, toilet cleaner and washing up liquid. But most of the time I was cleaning areas that already looked pretty clean to me, which I take to be a good reason why I have strongly resisted being put in charge of any cleaning operation. Given the numbers who are coming, if it were down to me I'd just wait to clean up afterwards - they're going to make it so much more dirty than it is now. Anyway, the housekeeper was very complimentary about how tidy the cleaning product refilling station was after I'd finished.

I've been given the weekend off and a half day next week, so came home to find UJ had already gone for a weekend away. I had a proper day off on Saturday, and finished watching the huge three-part series about the Beatles recording their penultimate album and performing on the roof of the Apple building in London in 1969, which I was vaguely aware of but didn't know any of the details. I found it hugely moving and have been affected by it for days now.

When I went out on Saturday Leamington was teeming with people. The bowling greens are hosting their annual national competition, then the Pump Room gardens were full of the Warwickshire Pride festival, with stalls offering everything in rainbow colours and a sound stage and a funfair. Moving on towards Jephson Gardens there was a wedding reception happening, and also a chap with a funny-looking horn was playing it through the railings into the Jephson memorial building to make the sound resonate more. I do love Leamington when it's busy.

Meetings

Riverhill Himalayan Garden, June 2021

In order to host my Ukrainian refugee, I have been visited by the District Council housing officer and found deficient to the tune of two smoke alarms and a Gas Safety Certificate. I can't believe how close to death I have been for the last 20 years here without such essentials. Anyway, I ordered smoke alarms via the Warwickshire Fire Service website, and noticed that a local company was offering to provide the gas certification for free for people signed up to the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The alarms have arrived - now I have to decide whether to do the proper thing and screw them to the ceiling, or make it easy on myself and use sticky pads.

Buddhist film night at my house went very well apart from burning the popcorn the first time round when a visitor distracted me by turning up very late indeed. They did bring delicious tortilla, and the second round of popcorn went well so they are forgiven. We watched the film Galaxy Quest, and one of the guests declared that he had come for the company and wasn't expecting to enjoy the film at all, but in fact it was really good and he was going to get his whole family to watch it.

I have been to two local meetings about the Commonwealth Games, which it is now clear will cause significant disruption in Leamington and Warwick and in my road in particular. One meeting was in the Pub Next Door and led by two of the local people who have been liaising with the Games Organising Committee about our three streets. Up to now they have been bound to confidentiality, but details have been worked through and there's now a much clearer idea of what residents will endure. It's likely to be so difficult that one of our two liaisons has decided to move out for the duration of the event.

The other meeting was for all residents of Warwick and Leamington, which was very carefully referred to as Royal Leamington Spa by all the officials throughout (one of them stopping to correct herself after saying just 'Leamington'). As well as the men's, women's and para bowling here in Royal Leamington Spa, the men's and women's cycling road race will encircle Warwick. In attendance were people from the District Council, the County Council, the West Midlands and Warwickshire Police services, the Organising Committee, Transport for West Midlands, and a handful of residents.

The cycling road race will prevent a lot of people in Warwick from getting in or out of their homes by car, but will only last for a single day. The bowling will remove 60 car parking spaces from our three roads for about a month, which is a great deal less time than was at first proposed. We have now seen the plans for where those cars might go, and how we will gain access to our properties, and when we can't - twice a day, lunchtime and evening, when the anticipated 2,400 spectators for each session will be leaving the bowling venue. I'd love to see the ticket sales, because based on my experience last summer I'd be surprised if they sell half that number.

The local group is doing a good job of speaking up for residents, and the Organising Committee is leaving it pretty much up to us to work out how to manage the restrictions. While most of us won't experience more than mild inconvenience, arrangements for people with Blue Badges, with young children or who are visited by carers need to be a bit more thought out, along with some allowance for people doing a weekly shop, deliveries, tradesmen, etc. One resident in the most affected road has added to the disruption by selling their house and potentially needing access by a removal truck during the month in question. For me, having a garage, it shouldn't be too difficult. For my guests, however, I might have to do a bit of homework.

Odds and ends

Leamington Spa Food and Drink Festival, September 2021

The 'lawn' (perhaps more accurately described as 'scrubland' or 'prairie') has 'grass' that is now short enough for a dog to survive, but there is much more to be done in keeping the 'garden' ('nemesis') under control. If moss and wisteria prunings were a cash crop then I'd be pretty wealthy. It will take at least two trips to the tip with the car full of bags of green waste.

I went on a walk around Leamington with two gents from the Leamington History Group, another lady from Leamington and some tourists on a lovely hot day last week. I didn't learn a whole lot of new information, but we wandered down a street with beautiful old buildings which I had never seen before. There are a few other walks scheduled in the next couple of weeks which I'll probably sign up to. This flexible working arrangement is brilliant.

The actual work for Mr MXF, however, is rather frustrating at the moment. I have now established what the triggers are that cause the platform to seize up and refuse to work any more for about 12 hours, and I have an idea or two about how to get round it, but have to wait until it untwists its knickers before I can try.

Glf has come round to look at the wall and share the annoyance of unreliable plasterers that get full time jobs when you want them to work for you. We also shared a love of 70's and 80's music - he is a collector of vinyl and recommended a website where he goes to augment his collection. He was very impressed with my vinyl collection (which I am looking to diminish rather than augment), and suggested it might be worth something. I had a quick look at the website, but it's a bit like selling stuff on ebay - I could probably make a couple of hundred pounds, but the effort involved may not be worth it.

And Leamington has hosted its annual Food and Drink Festival, after having to cancel last year's, and apart from less free food to taste (no more dipping crackers into vats of different curry sauces) and a few more face masks in evidence, it is as good as ever. Except that since two years ago I no longer eat meat, so it takes much less time going round all the stalls. The weather was kind, and I stocked up on some treats for our camping next week - yes, the last camping trip of the year is about to happen in a northerly location that could bring pretty cold weather. I'm taking a hot water bottle with me...