It has been raining since Friday, but finally the wet is over and the sun has come out again. A little humid this morning, but warming up nicely and as the moister evaporates things should get better.
Last night was interesting, one of my hosts, Kay Kimball Gruder had some short videos to make for her new role as ‘parenting expert’ with ‘College Magazine‘. It was an interesting evening, first trying to get the lighting good, and to set a friendly scene where Kay could give her presentation. We had the added distraction of coping with Dozer and Java, their two dogs did not seem to appreciate the need for quiet! It all went off very nicely and celebratory refreshments were consumed after the event.
Since the sun came out this morning, I decided to try and get the Pink Imp (it was a red Imp, but the paint faded!). Since replacing the front brakes in November last year there has been a leak which has proved difficult to trace. However today it was traced, and fixed! It appears that some dirt entered the system, and found its way to one of the new wheel cylinders. The spec managed to work its way to the new seal and caused the leak! It only remains to do a final bleed and brake adjustment and all should be well.
After a good morning’s work, time for lunch
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Its still raining after 3 days. I thought it was only supposed to last 2 days 
It is still fairly warm, by Irish standards, however based on normal temps its between 15 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than normal for Connecticut. City-Data is a useful place to find out about various cities and regions throughout the US.
With the, now intermittent, rain it has been a slow day. I was disappointed that I could not find a local supplier for some parts for the Plymouth Cricket I’m trying to get back into driving condition. Anyway the ‘bay came to the rescue and hopefully the seller will be able to dispatch them ASAP so I might have a chance to get it going before heading to Colorado on Friday afternoon. There there will be more Rootes Group vehicles to play with
Looking forward to seeing a new part of this wonderful country. Hope there will be enough time to fit some of the things I’d like to see. Its only a 2 day visit with 2 days of traveling, I will be happy to do whatever the hosts suggest 
Will go and to some organizing in the barn now so I’m ready when the ebay shipment arrived.
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After my visit to Roseland Cottage, it was suggested I should also consider a visit to Old Sturbridge Village so off I went to see what I was missing. The U.S. do these things so well, Old Sturbridge Village is representation of a Massachusetts village in the 1800s. Most of the buildings are original and moved here from their original locations. The guides and presenters are all in period dress, and will speak as though you are a time traveler just visiting their village. Sometimes quite unnerving, but does bring the past alive.
Old Sturbridge Village
The emphasis is on agriculture, although some other industries are portrayed in the complex. It is a huge site, and really needs a full day, or even two days to fully explore. They currently have a free return visit within 10 days, if you purchase something in their gift shops! Good walking shoes are essential!
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Posted in Lifestyle, Uncategorized, Vacation
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Tagged BurrenTech, Connecticut, Historic, Massachusetts, Murray Mitchell, New England, Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, The Quiet Corner, vacation, Woodstock
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I can’t say have been too busy the last couple of days to write anything here, so no excuses. The weather has been unusual for the area, water restrictions are starting to be imposed due to the lack of rainfall, and the above average temperatures. At least the humidity seems to have peaked last week, and although still in the high 80s (28 Celsius) it has been tolerable. Guess I’ll hae to get used to it if I want to move here one day!
Took a tour of a famous residence’s summer cottage on Thursday. Henry C Bowan made his fortune by being a tax collector in the Brooklyn area of New York city. He and his first wife built a summer residence in his home town of Woodstock in Connecticut.
Roseland Cottage is well worth the visit. It is well preserved, and mostly in its original condition when the last Bowen resident passed on. The Historic New England society buying it when it cam on the market in the 1960s, and maintaining it as an historic landmark for all.
Roseland Cottage
The day I visited was cloudless, and warm. I was amazed at how cool the house was inside, there is definitely something for us to consider in our power hungry world that perhaps there are better ways of living without fighting nature.
The rest of my day was spent trying to amuse Dozer and Java!
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The wind has shifted, and today has started really pleasantly. High pressure to the North means a gentle northerly breeze with cooler temps, and lower humidity. Yippee
Dozer and Java really seemed to enjoy the cooler morning, here they are in the back yard just after breakfast
Dozer and Java
And a couple of snaps taken of them before breakfast
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Not even 8am, and the temperature outside is already more than 70F (20C)! It does feel quite humid, but ‘they’ say it will improve as the day progesses.
I am doing some house and pet sitting this week while my hosts are enjoying some much earned vacation in Maryland. I can’t believe that I have already done the pet chores for this morning, I must be a farmer at heart! LOL. The dogs now tolerate me, in that that will do as I say about 80% of the time The goats are much more forgiving, Saturday night was a struggle to get them secured for the night, however they have been fine since. Last night they almost locked themselves up.
On Sunday (August 15) I took Jonathan’s Plymouth Cricket to the Putnam Car Show, hosted by the town of Putnam, CT and the Tri State Cruisers. The Cricket was dwarfed by all the American muscle on display, however the little Cricket did herself proud, and drew a lot of attention. A few people even remembered seeing one, or at least an advert for one!
That’s a Ford Thunderbird to the left of the Cricket btw I uploaded all the photos to my Facebook album (you’ll need me to add you as a friend to be able to view the photos though).
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Be careful about offers of the ‘Dislike’ button app for Facebook. It appears to be a scam!… http://fb.me/AeIVbt7A
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