Castle Rekkie

As I'm the one living closest the Castle I agreed to visit to agree the jobs that the Maintenance Week group will tackle.

 I usually spend Sunday afternoons with my friend Lorraine and her mate Mick after she's locked up after the African Church at the community centre. I haven't been in touch with her since before Christmas. I was going to pop in before heading for the castle but when I got to the centre it was closed! I wonder what's going on there, but hadn't the time to investigate so headed off.

 I picked up my first hitch-hiker! Odd little man standing miles from anything on the A69 with his thumb out. Says he was studying in Dublin, here visiting his estranged mother. Tried to talk to me about Jesus and 'prophecised' that I was going to meet a 14 year old boy in need of help- Oh, did I mention he was drunk? lol dropped him off at a petrol station in Hexham.

 Consequently (?) I got to the castle about 10 mins late. Had a long chat with the owner about what needed to be done and then wandered off to take photos and take notes. I wish I had the responsibility of caring for/running that place!  There's a lot of work to be done, mainly scrubbing and painting. It will be interesting creating work schedules to achieve what we can. I'm concerned about poor people like me needing to find £10 per day for food costs plus travel. I'd been trying to find some grant aid through my cic, but the owner is on the board of the last two funders in my frame, so that's out. The cooks are going to have to come up with a budget that will hopefully be reduced AND I think the organisation is going to have to find some cash to subsidise it.Now I have to sort out the notes and pics into something coherent for the rest of the organising group.

 I'd found myself looking for "rural" property for sale the other day. Surprising the range of prices if you're prepared for/want seclusion. That might have been part of the emotional crash I felt when I got back home. My lodgers... (sigh). That hitch-hiker's "prophecy" made me think "I'm getting sick of helping people"! Too often they seem to get used to expecting it but evaporate if I need something (oh boo fucking hoo!). 

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