It’s been a week of sorting out cars and getting work done – keeping those bills at bay!
We made a short trip to Cirencester to help Pinky’s owners with some SEO work, and got the Picanto into the garage to find out what the catalytic problem was/is – thankfully it’s a problem covered under the manufacture’s warranty 🙂 .
The Picanto will return for her/his mend once the garage gets the parts in – in the meantime Annabel’s Golf purchase also requires a cam belt and service.
Having had some non-returned calls from a garage in Highworth, we went in to the town to locate them on the industrial estate – fortunately with no success, as by chance we found a works unit with a big picture of a model train on it’s window – I drive up – next door is a different garage – two birds, one stone! The garage owners turn out to be from St Austell, and also the owners of the model railway unit too! The garage is clean, the receptionist asks reassuringly annoying questions over how we have the cam belt – the husband agrees to take our car in on Monday 14th April, we’ll drop it off on the Sunday, (see tomorrow’s walk) – and we chat railways :-).
With the cars now booked in for their medicals – the rest of the week is spent working.
Saturday, Grand National day – and whatever your views on the racing – it is a day when Annabel’s family comes virtually together for a flutter, and Alan and I do our one bet of the year. Horses choosen first thing – Annabel and I set off for a walk from the National Trust Coleshill estate, and over the hills to the National Trust’s Coxwell Barn.
Coxwell barn is worth a visit to get the size of this 13th Century tithe barn. I copy the National Trust’s words below.
Great Coxwell Barn in Great Coxwell village is the only surviving part of a thriving 13th-century grange that once provided vital income to Beaulieu Abbey. Built from Cotswold rubble-stone walling, the barn is an impressive reminder of the skills of Gothic carpenters and the wealth of great monastic orders. For many years it was thought that Great Coxwell Barn was built in the early 1300s, but scientific testing has shed new light on this theory.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/great-coxwell-barn/history-of-great-coxwell-barn
The work done to uncover the history of this barn is worth a read, and the barn worth a walk to.
You get some idea of the size, with the photos below, Annabel is stood in the doorway, and I am stood under the central point in the main hall.
From the barn we walked along the lowlands of the estate, which were also the boggy bits, Annabel added some suitable muddy decorations to her trousers ready for the pub in Highworth where we are going to watch the Grand National.
A drive back to Highworth, a drink for the race, pop to the supermarket and home to the cats – oh I won £30 if you are wondering?!