The woolly art project

Something short and sweet for tonight.

Dull damp day today. I did a late village walk. I needed the fresh air. 

Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Speak up, speak louder

 Good evening. 

I have been on an emotional roller coaster for the last six years or so. I watch alternative news channels, both here and the rest of the world. I follow citizen journalists who are out on the streets of the UK, and I watch UK Column News. GB News is another one to follow. There are others, but this is where you get a broad spectrum of all the worlds news. Forget the six o clock news on the telly, or News at Ten. What comes from these stations is a word salad picked to pieces, edited over and over again to make sure it is word perfect and will be acceptable to those in high places. It is censored up to the eyeballs, and bears no relation to what is happening on the ground. 

I have just been over to Cro's blog, and his post today has given me hope. The comments indicate that more people are waking up. So thank you Cro and thank you Deejohn. We have to keep speaking out. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Snap happy + banking + art

Good morning. No video today. I sat with my other Canon outside while I drank my coffee. What can I see from my chair. 

Home made plastic cd flowers in my home made raised bed. 

Many birds playing in the trees. Mainly pigeons and blackbirds. Slight breeze. 

The sun is coming up behind the trees. 

I've pumped up the saturation on this one to show the contrast between black and red. 

Sometimes they land on the hedge quite close to me. Got to be quick to click the shutter though. 

Back indoors. I am playing around with these swirls, trying the find the most pleasing and eye catching arrangement for a wall hanging. Do I squash them together or space them out apart? Erm, several stages to go through yet. Can't rush these things. 

I went to the Bank Hub yesterday in town. There are two interview rooms in the Library which are used by banking staff to speak to customers. The lady introduced herself as Kim. I had several questions to ask her about the card they sent me. I can ignore the leaflet they sent me about scanning codes, and registering pin numbers. The new card looks different from the old one, so I wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything sneaky embedded into it. I will not be swept along with everyone else, and do as I am told. 

She reassured me that I can carry on using my own banking methods to keep control of my account. I have had the same pin number for years, don't have to change it. I will keep getting paper statements in the post, they will keep coming. I pointed out to her that they are easy to check, no nasty surprises. I will not be tap tapping the card anywhere. It stays safe at home, only coming out when I need to top up my pocket money spends. 

Kim was quite pleasant and listened while I explained the reasoning behind my methods. She said, fine, carry on as you are. This is what a customer service person from a bank, or any establishment providing a service or goods, should be like. Willing to listen to the customer who is paying their wages. This is why I won't do internet banking, or internet shopping, and won't monetise my blog or yoootooob channel. 

Let's move on. I will get my breakfast. Thanks for popping in. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip. ilona

Be positive. Try weight training

Good evening. Let's have a coffee chat before I start the day. What shall we talk about. Have you got a coffee. 

This afternoon I went to town. I needed to stock up on a few items from Aldi. I didn't spend as much as I usually do, because I wasn't in the mood for checking every aisle. I just went for the things I definitely needed. 

I called in at the 20 21 Arts Centre to see Nikki. Made her laugh. There is a new art exhibition opening soon, and it looks amazing. Very colourful, lots of lights. I couldn't stay long because I was on a one hour free parking restriction and I spotted a traffic warden lurking. I will have to go back with my camera. It is showing for a longtime, so no rush. 

Next to Home Bargains and The Range for the cat food and cat litter. I won't be spending much time in those shops before Christmas. Never seen so many boxes of Christmas balls piled high.

BEFORE YOU SCROLL ON BY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.  

I've got a little bonus for you here. We could all do with a chuffin good laaafffff. Have you seen this man on Facebook? He wears a janitors overall and goes to gymnasiums disguised as a cleaner. He wants to try and lift some weights and the big boys think he is having a laugh. He plays the part really well. It's hilarious. 

Anatoly 

4h ·

Just a regular industrial mop

I've done some snooping and it turns out he is a personal trainer. What a great idea to generate some publicity for his business. He has 30 million followers on social media. Check out his web site here.  He has a very impressive collection of before and after client photo's. 

I was born in a small village and started working out at the age of 14. I never had a trainer, or a proper gym to train in. To work out, I used anything I could possibly get my hands on.
All I did was try everything on myself. Training methods, new exercises and training life hacks. My whole life I was my own trainer.

So now I am going to watch some Vladimir videos on his yoootooob channel. Give it a whirl and you will laugh your little cotton socks off. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Remember remember the 5th of November

Good evening. The view from my bedroom window at about 4.45pm tonight. Shame about the telephone wires. Shame it only lasts a couple of minutes. 

Reflection in next doors kitchen window. 

A quick look down the street opposite. Then it was gone. 

Luckily Oscar cat came in early tonight for his dinner. The other two were already in. Then the flashes and bangs came. Oscar was worried and lay halfway up the stairs, wondering whether to go to his bed in the corner of the spare room. He may want to go out at some point but will have to wait until the fireworks have stopped. 

Two hedgehogs came last night, and so far just one tonight. I keep putting food out as soon as it starts getting dark, and keep checking until I go to bed. 

Gloria has been camping out in the pub for the last week. They had a scarecrow competition on and a Halloween party. That caused a lot of fun for the regulars. She didn't win the prize for the best one. I said if she does happen to win I want the sweets to be shared out between everyone. At lunchtime today I fetched her back. I think she had a good time. She doesn't say very much. 😵😎😆

The new router came today. I might try it, I'll think about it. 

Still banging and flashing outside. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.    ilona 
 

What a fright I look.

Good arfternoon. I knocked this one out yesterday, uploaded it last night, too late to install it here. I went to bed. 

3,015 views 4 Nov 2025

Much better now. I've had a bath and made a meal. Back to the land of the living. I can't deny that things are changing throughout the world, but in my opinion it won't be for the better. People will get used to new technology, just as we did when we got our first Bush television set from Radio Rentals. We gathered around it in the corner of the room, arguing about which programmes we wanted to watch. Now people have a screen in every room, and in front of their faces, and walk around like zombies.

Anyhoooo, back to the subject of contactless credit cards. My previous video created a lot of comments, both on yoootooob and here. Everybody wanting to add their twopennuth. A lot of people telling me I should just go along with the flow, but something is nagging my tiny mind. I've done some digging. I do not trust digital banking. 

Ghost Skimming your card or phone.

Ghost tapping is the new-age version of pickpocketing—only now, thieves don’t need to touch you to steal. Using hidden scanners, scammers can “tap” your card wirelessly through wallets, pockets, or bags and charge small amounts you’ll likely miss.

RFID-blocking wallets or sleeves provide a simple way to prevent wireless skimming and ghost tapping scams. While they don’t interfere with NFC tap-to-pay signals, these accessories create a protective shield around your cards. Widely available and easy to use, they offer a practical layer of security against unauthorized card access.

Ghost tapping schemes rely on victims not noticing small, irregular charges. Automated account monitoring disrupts this strategy by flagging unusual tap-to-pay activity instantly. Regular reviews combined with automation create a two-layer defense that significantly reduces financial risk and catches scammers during their initial testing phase.

Further information. 

Protect yourself against plastic card fraud

Keep all your cards and financial details safe:

• look after your cards and card details at all times. Try not to let your card out of your sight when making a transaction
• check receipts against statements carefully. Contact your card company immediately if you find an unfamiliar transaction
• store your statements, receipts and financial documents safely and destroy them, preferably using a shredder, when you dispose of them.

Criminals are evolving and finding more sophisticated ways to steal your money – even with chip cards. Super skimmers are now being used, and security experts tell Boston 25 News, they’re much harder to detect. But there are things to watch out for to protect your money.

Watch the video.

News report on wireless skimming scam. 

DEBIT CARD USERS BEWARE: This WIRELESS SKIMMER Trick Is SPREADING FAST — scammers are now using hidden NFC devices to charge your card just by standing near you. Learn how to protect yourself, spot suspicious activity, and keep your money safe from contactless fraud.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

There's plenty more. This is the reason I do not want a contactless card, and will only use my debit card at the local Post Office. I won't use any other atm machine. Card readers can be tampered with. The only exception is if I cross the Humber Bridge in my car, and that might have to stop soon as they remove the toll booths.

I don't want the hassle of sorting out a mess created by my stupidity. Cash all the way for me.

Toodle pip. ilona

An old lady rants.

It's very tiring this blogging and yoootooobing lark. 👵👸👩

Still a bit weak, but getting there. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

New rant coming soon.

 Good afternoon. 

Day 4. Some progress has been made. Not had to dash to the loo, have eaten some food and it has not come back up again. Now I will hopefully take Billy for a walk, he will be missing me. 

Just made a new video, recorded outside in the garden. I will upload it now, should be ready later. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

From my sick bed.

Update

Hello. I am back online again. I didn't need a new router. Apparently you have to leave them connected to the mains 24/7, and I had been switching all my electricals off at the plug every night. Still not feeling very perky so I will gradually ease myself back into real life.

Thanks for popping in. Not feeling great but I will get there.  Toodle pip.   ilona 

Should I put this on my blog . . . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . . . . . . does it really matter that another innocent person has been attacked and killed? Or am I just fearmongering?  

Every death matters. Wayne's family must be distraught. I feel so sorry for them. 

SAY HIS NAME: Wayne Broadhurst Killed yesterday in broad daylight as he was walking his dog in the UK by an illegal from Afghanistan

1:57 AM · Oct 29, 2025

Some comments. . . .

This is so sad and evil. Politics and ideology over the safety of citizens is madness. Importing tons of people unwilling to assimilate with no respect for culture is a recipe for utter disaster.

Every nation faces its own war. England must realize it’s being invaded, and a greater conflict is on the horizon.

The UK government let down Wayne. His right to life was ended because the UK government won’t face the violent consequences of unlawful immigration. How many more will be murdered?

This is what they want. This is not a mistake or stupidity. They want a society in arrested development and chaos. Women won’t be able to go anywhere without a male escort

Sometimes I can't wrap my head around how bad the UK really is. White people are not safe there anymore.

Starmer in panic mode

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

52m

I’ve just secured a landmark agreement with Vietnam to ramp up the returns process of illegal migrants. I mean it when I say: if you come here illegally, you will be swiftly returned.

My thoughts. . . .

People often ask me if I am scared to walk alone outside in the countryside. In the past I have always replied no, I take precautions, I look around me, to check each side and behind me. I have been walking alone in places I have never been to before, for years. I have never had a problem. 

It is in my nature to chat with strangers. Now I have to be more observant. I shall have to assess every situation where I might come into contact with someone I don't know. What I see with my own eyes will be the basis of whether to speak or not to speak. I will be looking for body language from a distance. Should I make eye contact or  look away. Does this person look different from me. I may choose to  divert off my chosen route and look for an exit. This is my new risk assessment routine. 

Times are changing, my world is shrinking. Towns and cities are becoming dangerous places to walk about. This is not me being paranoid. There are still a lot of decent people about. I will carry on walking but risk assessment will play a bigger part where I chose to walk. 

Thank you for reading my blog. ilona

Short and curly's (edited)

 

Martin Lewis

@MartinSLewis

O2 price rise feels like a mockery of Ofcom’s consumer protection! O2 has announced that from April 2026, mobile customers will see their monthly bills rise by MORE THAN IT TOLD THEM, £30 a year – up 40% from the £21.60 annual increase previously written into their contracts.

Part of Martins press statement

This move feels to me a bit like it makes a mockery of

@Ofcom

's new 'pounds and pence' consumer protection regime, which came in at the start of this year. It was the regulator's solution to hideous above-inflation, mid-contract price hikes was that on sign-up firms should tell you in advance, in pounds and pence, the price hikes you'll face during the contract period.

Now O2 is increasing contracts by more than it said it would when people signed up. And while that means all its impacted mobile customers can leave penalty-free – and many should – we know few will. Most will likely just have to suck up a rise that was more than they were told when they signed up.

Read Martins tweeet here.

Dear reader.

My thoughts. . . . . .

They change the goal posts whenever they feel like it. You take out a contract for your mobile phone and they've got you by the short and curly's. You are their slave, and you enslave yourself by going along with it. All part of the plan.

People laugh at me when I take out my bog standard pay as you go text and calls only handset. Yes, there are a lot of things I cannot do, places that I cannot visit, events that I cannot join in with, because I refuse to be dictated to by those who want to enslave me.

I can ignore any statements about contracts, one less thing to worry about. Instead I can concentrate on what I can do through my own endeavors, to get the most out of my life, without the constant reminders that I am a slave.

OK, so you want to keep your phone like it's some kind of umbilical cord that you dare not let go of. You hand over your whole life to Blackrock or Vanguard or whoever owns you. Go ahead, but be aware, this is not the end game. Piece by piece you will lose more control of your life when it goes full circle. Digital ID for everything. Freedoms gone forever.

I am now going to go outside and meet up with some friends for a chat at Coffee Morning. Half way through the chat the phones will come out.

Thanks for popping in Have a good day. Toodle pip. ilona

Update edit

Martin Lewis

@MartinSLewis

·

1h

Martin Lewis gives O2 & Ofcom both barrels after O2 hikes prices by more than it’d told customers & regulators do nowt to stop it! For full info and how to beat the rise.2-price-rise/