The latest mandala is finished.

Aye up me ducks. Howz ya diddling. 

Cast yer eyeballs over this beauty. I'm mighty chuffed with it. It's nine and a half inches in diameter. When I started I had no idea how it was going to end up. I take the construction of these mandalas very slowly. Decide on the colours as I go along. Go through all my bits and bobs to see what might fit. Keep adding more layers until I fill the hoop. 

The green circle is the bottom of a cardboard popcorn tub. Previously I used the top rim of the same tub  on another mandala.  

The previous hoops I have wrapped with ribbon but I didn't have enough yellow for this one. I used wool instead. 

Some of the decorations I used for this. The black and gold motifs are from a charity shop. Everything is stitched on, I don't use glue. It's fully covered in red felt at the back, with my name and year sewn into it.  

I now have a set of four. I can't decide which one I like the best. Sorry, they are not for sale. When you sell hand made craft items, you never get the price you want for them, I would rather keep them. I am fascinated by circles and how they all fit together. 

Now I am watching some arty crafty videos on yoootoob, I might do something different for the next project. I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea for the face masks. I will play around with that. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Fond memories.

 Good morning.

My first job upon leaving school in 1964, aged 15, was in a small leather shop in New Street. I have just found this on faceboook. Looks like they closed the business in May 2024

New Street was my first job when I left school in 1964. I only lasted five days. All I did was dusting suitcases and handbags. I didn't like being in a small enclosed space. My pay was £3.10 shillings, half of which I gave to my mum. I then went to Woolys, and Melias, then onto factory work.

Dear All,

For over 100 years Start and Tremayne has been a constant name in the history of the town centre of Burton on Trent. A brand synonymous with quality and great customer service. It is with great sadness therefore, due to very difficult trading conditions and many external influences over the past few years, that we have to say goodbye. We will be closing our store by the end of May.

It was easy to get jobs back then. Just walk into a place and ask. Next stop Woolworths. I was given a yellow overall with matching headband, and put to work on the sweetie counter. Exactly like the picture below. I started as a junior to learn the ropes, then was given the pick n mix section to oversee. Eventually I was made chargehand and had the responsibility of a monthly stocktake upstairs, and putting an order in for new deliveries. 

It was great fun. Every Saturday the store was heaving. Three or four deep at the counter waiting to make their purchases. At the end of the day the counter was looking like a bomb had hit it, and Monday morning was a day to fill it all up again. If you fancied having a sweetie you would bend down pretending to rummage about underneath looking for something, and slip a handful of Smarties in your mouth. No cameras to catch you out then.

I remember this time with fondness. I was just starting to take notice of boys. There was a 'floor walker' a supervisor you could call him, called Howard. He was shy and good looking. I tried my best to chat him up. The nearest I got to having a date with him was to get a group of friends together and have a night at the Bowling Alley. He had a car so I talked him into giving me a lift home. Never managed to get a snog though, had to be content with just a friendship. 

Back to today. Dull and damp outside. Must go to the Post Office to pay my water bill. Must stock up on cat food, either today or tomorrow. Must pay my car insurance in the next couple of days. Might do it on the phone or go to the office. 

Thanks for popping in. See ya later.  Toodle pip.  ilona

Robert or Fred?

 Good evening. 

Please yourself who you believe. 

Posted by. . . . . . .Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) / X

Robert F. Kennedy Jr

@RobertKennedyJr

Posts on this account are my personal views.

Los Angeles, California

Joined July 2011

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Posted by. . . . . . .Fred Herring 🤪🗿 (@herringfred291) / X

Fred Herring

@herringfred291

Joined December 2022

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This is a war of the minds. Freedom of speech means you can say anything you like, but you can't believe any of it. They want to shut down twitttter, they want to block it in some countries. 

I know what I believe, and that is to take control of my own life. I said no, and now a lot of people are getting sick. No matter what I read, what I watch, I get to decide. Saying no is a lot easier than you think. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

PS. One last comment. I think Reform has shot itself in the foot, again. I really don't want to see any more fat bald men on my screen. I had a bad experience with one once. If someone's going to be an utter pillock, please let them be good looking.  

Sweet Caroline

 Good morning. 

Who remembers this. 😁😝😎😵😍 

Oh WOW, they have a web site. 

Just found the Flashback button for the 60's and 70's. Playing it now. Foot tapping. Going to have this running in the background. Brings a new dimension to blogging. Happy memories come flooding back. See if you can name that tune within the first few bars of the track. No more listening on the transistor under the bed clothes. 

Happy Monday. Toodle pip. ilona. 

1966 and all that.

Hello my little bloggerettes.

The weather has been awful today. Non stop rain. Poor little Billy did not get a walk, because I don't like rain and he doesn't either. So I have been entertaining myself. Making a lovely veggie stir fry, plus a pudding. Half a banana with a generous dollop of fresh cream. Then I had a soak and a scrub in the bath. 

I recorded a video this morning, to cheer myself up. You might like a little titter. 

Extracts from my diary. Memories of a skinny teenager. I was 16. I worked in a grocery store. I hadn't a clue about boyfriends. I lived with my mum. We had no hot running water and I washed my clothes in the kitchen sink, after heating the water on the top of the gas stove. I was into pop music and fashions. It was a simple life. We had nothing but we were happy.

I have almost finished the mandala, just got to sew the back on. It looks pretty chuffing fabulous. I'll take some photo's tomorrow. 

Now I am going to relax and watch some videos. James is near Barrow in Furness, Ruth is on a remote Scottish island learning how to knit, Liam and Janine are touring the US, Emily and Louise have left their cottage in Ireland and are now touring in the van once again.   

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Easy paper bag Journal

Good morning.

Following on from my previous video on journaling, I have just come across this tutorial on how to make one from a brown paper bag. I don't follow instructions I just do my own thing, but if you want to give it a try, you might find this helpful. 

If you have a used paper bag, paper and glue, you have everything you need to make a stunning new journal! Today I’m on a mission to reduce waste and transform "Trash" into a satisfying, creative Treasure. I made one of these last month while clearing out my craft room and I honestly couldn't stop—they are so addictive to create and even more fun to fill.

No snow overnight, freezing outside.

Now I must put food out for the garden birds, and break the ice on their water bowls. 

Have a good Sunday. Catch ya later.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Journaling or scrapbooking?

Good evening.

I recorded a video this morning. 

The art of making a scrapbook and filling it with collected memorabilia. Fun to make, but what do you do with it afterwards. Here is one I made a few years ago. Someone gave me some small brown bags. What can I do with them? Make a book. Have you made one of these, what did you put in it?

The snow has mostly gone, so I went to the park this afternoon. I bought some duck food from the shop. It's 50p a small bag, a rip off really. I only had a £1 coin in my pocket. I must remember to take some from the big bag I have at home next time. All the ducks came swarming around our feet. Families with children were loving feeding them. 

The sun was going down as I walked home. 

I don't know what this black smoke is rising in the sky. Is it smoke or is it steam. A couple of miles away is an industrial estate. Maybe it's from one of the factories. 

Nothing more to report tonight. 

Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Lee tells it like it is.

 

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9 Jan 2026

I use everything that happens as a gift. It is fuel to never give up. I can be hurt, but I will never be stopped. We are just getting started.

Anyone who posts online will be attacked by someone who does not agree with what they are doing, or what they are saying. Lee Asher has had more than his share of haters. Here he describes how he deals with it. Yes, he is hurt, because he knows the truth. The hate he receives only fuels the passion he has for rescuing animals. 

With the onset of AI things will only get worse. To extrapolate truth from fiction will be almost impossible. Divisions will widen as people are pulled towards one side or the other. There is good on one side and evil on the other. 

Listen to Lee to the end. He is a good guy. Anyone who loves animals is on the right side. You decide which side you want to be on. 

Have a good weekend. We had a sprinkling of snow overnight but is is starting to melt. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

M & S or Aldi. Which is cheaper.

Good evening.

My shopping trip on Tuesday. It was cold and wet and I wanted to go out. Let's go to Marks and Spencer for a change. It must be at least a year since I was last in there. Did I go through the self scan checkouts. Nope. I was talking to a woman who was scanning an enormous trolley load of shopping. She was scanning it very carefully, making sure that the bar code was visible so the machine could pick it up. I asked her if she didn't mind that it was taking her a long time. She replied, 'I have got nothing else to do'. If scanning her shopping is her only bit of fun, good luck to her. 

I whipped my camera out and took a photo of myself facing the camera. I know there are cameras in all shops, but I don't want my mush to be scrutinised while self scanning. Will they pounce on me if I make a mistake I wonder. 

What a lot of ready meals. No need to cook at all if you don't want to. 

Everything is so expensive in there. It will be another year before I go again. I didn't go for a bargain, I went to be nosey. It's a posh shop, and even the customers look posh. 

I went across the road to the other retail park to go to the big Aldi, to get the rest of my shopping. In the video you can see what I bought.  

This afternoon it was a visit to the vet for Mickey cat. His front claws were giving him some bother and making his pads sore. The nurse sorted him out. Two nurses actually, one to hold him down and the other to trim the claws and bathe his sore feet. All is well now, he was ravenous when we got back and immediately scoffed a plate of shredded chicken. 

I'll cut you loose and have a relaxing hour cuddling my little girl Mayze. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Careful as you go.

 

Be careful everyone. I was dragged around the village yesterday by an excited dog that wanted to sniff everything in the hope of finding a tasty morsel. He goes from one side to the other, darting across my path, doesn't want to pass anything by without a full inspection. The bin men had been so a few spillages happened. I had to wrestle the remnants of a Sunday roast from Billy's mouth before his strong jaws ground the remaining bones to a gritty mess. 

This picture is from an advert to wear suitable footwear when out in slippery conditions. I try and walk on grass wherever I can, and always wear my boots. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Loverly jumbley

 Good morning. Still frosty but no snow. 

Does anyone remember Jumble Sales, or as we used to call them, Rummage Sales. We had them at the Village Hall in the village I grew up in. Rows of tables were put out and people dumped all their unwanted clothing, shoes and bags, and bric a brac, a day or two before the sale. No separate pitches like there are now. No one knew where the second hand clothes came from, no one cared. You take them home and wash them. 

On the opening day, before the specified opening time, a long queue of bargain hunters formed. Pay on the door to come in, usually a few pennies. Once inside people dashed to the table where they had seen something they wanted. The rummage began. 

I loved these sales. I saved up a little bit of pocket money to spend on clothes that we couldn't afford to buy from shops. I was a skinny teenager who wanted to look classy and fashionable. I bought stiletto shoes and stockings, preferably those with a ladder so people would think I must be grown up. Make sure the seams on the back of my legs were straight. I tottered up the garden path to show off. 

The Rummage Sale was the highlight of my week. I could wear my new secondhand clothes to the Youth Club on a Friday night. Dress to impress eh! Dance the night away, tottering about in my high heels. 😎😁😝  

Gone are those days when I was worried about keeping up with the fashions. Now I couldn't give a stuff. I don't have to keep up with anybody. The charity shop I sometimes go to has a rail or a big bin full of reduced clothing. Everything £1, I am diving in there. 

Happy Thursday everyone. I'll be putting out a video later.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Trapped.

Awaiting moderation

Unknown commented on "Recovery operation is planned."

58 mins ago

Heidi is not requiring a lift as her boat was not affected.

 Oh yes it is. Do you have first hand knowledge of the situation? Are you there onsite? Do you know Heidi personally?  The canal will be closed for the best part of a year. She can wait it out, but several of them are organising a lift out. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Are you smart enough

 Good morning. 

Here we go. The latest new fangled gadget to replace doctors that we have no hope of getting an appointment with. A DIY self diagnostic machine. Stand on it and it will yell at you, moan at you, tell you what to eat, with instructions to get up off your arse and move about more. 

Take the guesswork out of your health. The Hume Pod is elegantly designed and easy to use. No matter where you are in your health journey, this health station will fit seamlessly into your life.

Our New Year Sale is here - Get up to 40% off with code NEW20. Tired of guessing what’s going on with your body? Hume Health Pod tells you straight up - what’s fat, what’s muscle, and what’s water. Finally, a scale that makes sense.

And only £143. Or 18 interest free payments of £7.95.

Maybe we should all get one. Maybe not. I'll stick with the guesswork. 

I'm off to the Wednesday Coffee Morning.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona