The mundane view

I had coffee with Camilla this morning at the Black Books cafe to catch up and plan various events we are both involved with. It was easy to spend an hour spinning between work plans, stories of friendships and families and carroms! I won't explain, but we have made plans to play together which rather excites me.

We then wandered down to Lansdown Hall , one of the projects we are both involved with, me as chair of the Council's regeneration group and Camilla as chief fund-raiser for the works (she has been hugely successful at that, for which we are so grateful). Camilla needed photographs to send to the organisation that provided £45,000 for a variety of works, to show that the money had been spent on what we had said it would be. Two days ago I photographed the new internal glass lobby which will provide a see through insulation barrier at the entrance to the Gallery, to make sure there is minimal heat loss, whilst allowing easy and open access from the street for the public.

Today the new installation of heat pumps were due to be finished, which will provide big savings and environmental efficiency to the heating systems of the whole Hall and the Gallery. I am not sure they are fully commissioned as there looked to be a few loose ends to be tied up, but I gather the heating is working and the control systems are fully functioning allowing the three separate areas of the building to be separately and independently controlled.

This picture is of the inside of the old basement where the coal fired boilers were originally located. On the outside of this wall are the heat pumps and the plumbing comes straight in to the big tank before the water temperature of the internal system are warmed in the heat exchanger. I had a few other pictures taken of walls, stonework, reflections on wall mounted paintings from when I waited for the key to the boiler room to be found. But I prefer this mundane view which will keep the fund suppliers happy, which is very important especially when you are very grateful for those funds. We are.