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Thursday 12 June 2008

Raby Blue

I happily admit to being a vassal of the local earldom so when I was woken on Tuesday morning at 8 am by a couple of paint-spattered overalls with happy and handsome faces on top, saying "it's your turn to have your house painted", I relented immediately and opened all the windows and doors throughout the place so that they could commence.

It has taken a few days. The only colours available for painting on the Raby Estate are black, used usually for barns and roofs; white, used for farmhouses and out buildings; and Raby Blue, for doors, gates and other outdoor bits other than windows.


So, I went for Raby Blue. I have eight doors and gates and they were all painted the "Estate" colour. The rest of the stuff has been painted white and all I have to do now is, hoover up all the bits which were scraped off and fell inside each of the fifteen window sills.

While it was happening today, I took off for a 5 miler to wear-in the new boots. I got lost and the footpath disappeared under a field of rapeseed so I'm now nursing some sore heels. I hope to be repaired enough to do the Seaham geology walk this Sunday. It's an easy one and I'll wear the light weight boots and tons of bandaid stuff.

I hope it rains soon or I shall have to go out and water the new plants. I haven't got a hose yet so it will all take an hour or so.

Cheers Gillian

2 comments:

carol said...

It looks good but what is the definition of Raby Blue - googled but did not find!

It leads to imaginative ideas...

Gillian said...

Lord Barnard, my landlord, lives in Raby Castle and all his properties are painted as I described. Raby blue is just the official Raby Estate colour! As you travel through Teesdale all the whitewashed farmhouses are Raby Estate properties and all the blue doored cottages in the villages likewise. About 200 or so of them!
Cheers Gillian