Painting over

Burscough to Aug 14^th

Not a lot to report, painting is not very enthralling but it hasn’t been without problems. When originally we painted the interior of Lily we were recommended to use an oil based paint & settled for Dulux Satinwood, using Brilliant white for the framing & Magnolia for the panels. After 3 or so years in certain areas the difference in shade between the two colours was difficult to detect, and I repainted the white, but sent a photo of the colour change to Dulux. They said the problem was insufficient UV light & recommended that in future we used emulsion paint.

When I started painting this time I assessed the paint left from previous work & decided I had enough for the white & enough to do the lounge/dinette/galley in Satinwood magnolia. Horror appeared as I blended in a pot of magnolia I had bought some months ago in with the original paint in that it didn’t seem to mix too well......closer investigation after I’d just about finished showed why. The extra pot, whilst still called Satinwood, was not a normal oil based paint but a low odour paint!! It worked, but the finish was not as good. Nor was the finish when I changed to emulsion paint, despite me trying 3 different types of roller. The jury is out on it now, I may end up rubbing it flat & coating it in original Satinwood. The trouble is there is an incredible length of “cutting in” where the frames & panels meet...aaarghh!

During & after the painting we have made trips by train to Southport to see a film, buy paint, have a curry, and it really has some charming old features including the canopied streets, plus it has this fantastic war memorial.

We also went to Rufford Old Hall which is less than 3 miles from Burscough. A lovely 16^th century NT property with a fantastic hammer beam roof in the old timber framed hall, and the brick built wing is thought to be the oldest brick built house in Lancashire. In the hall there is this incredible “moveable” screen, built out of bog oak, it is said to be moveable because it is not attached to any walls, but I reckon it must weigh a couple of tons so it is highly unlikely that it has ever moved. In its early years it hid Shakespeare from the view as he changed costume whilst performing plays in the hall. Well worth a visit but do read the bus timetable correctly, and especially if the weather is as wet as it was when we went, we got soaked waiting for the bus.

We also took the bus to Ormskirk on Saturday, market day. Quite a pleasant place, reasonable market, & they certainly love their butchers in the town. It’s not very big but we saw 5 butchers plus there was a mobile butcher in the market. The church is an interesting building. It seems the spire was built at first, but not in exactly the usual place. Then at the dissolution of the monasteries the tower was built to take the peel of bells from Burscough Priory. With a bus pass it is not an expensive excursion.

We’re away to Norfolk on Monday for a few days to see friends & then when return we are away from here.