Talking about retirement.

Aye up me ducks. this video has had 1k views in four hours on yoootooob.

A subscriber commented on how the retirement age has been changed, with the result that they have to keep working for a few more years. I make some suggestions about how they might bring that date forward. 

You might have noticed that there are massive protests in France because Macron wants to raise the retirement age there. The people have had enough of him and are making their voices heard. France is burning. Short video here, put the sound on, they are all singing together. 

Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

A mishmash post

We still have unsettled weather, so it's difficult to plan anything. The Coffee Morning yesterday went well. I took the pet beds with me and sold them, the money going towards Club Funds. On the last Wednesday of every month they have a game of Bingo. It's always a jolly laugh. I don't join in because I don't want to win anything. I thought it might be good fun to call the numbers out, so I asked if I could. They said I can when they have the next session. I will enjoy that. 

After Coffee Morning I called in to see Angela, and had mug of coffee with her. They have had a couple of holidays over the winter months so I haven't seen much of them It was good to have a catch up chin wag. In the afternoon I did a Village Walk. 

Look what I found in the rubbish bin at the Cemetery at Chesterfield. There was a big wire basket and people toss their unwanted Christmas decorations in there. Easy to quickly take them out. Why don't people take them home and bring them back the Christmas after. A bit of colour for my garden.   

A friend called by last night and gave me an apple pie. She had been shopping and found some reduced yellow stickers. Very kind of her to pick an extra one up and pass it on to me. This morning I had a portion with cream. Very nice. 

The weather is still unpredictable today. I've been to town, I wanted to check in with the bank because I am in the process of spending some money. Best to alert them so they don't block it as an unusual transaction. Lo and behold, the doors were shut, bank was closed. What! Why is it closed on a Thursday? 

I popped into the Arts Centre while I was there. A new exhibition has opened. I didn't have my camera with me because the battery was on charge. I will have to go back to take some photographs. 

I have just uploaded a video. It will appear on the blog later today. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Goodbye Lily.

Sad news this morning that Paul O Grady is no longer with us. 😢

What an amazing career he has had. Lily Savage was hilarious. He was a brilliant quiz show host, and anyone who loves animals as much as Paul did is a good one in my books. 

So sad that he has now departed this earth, but he leaves behind hours of fun. Thank you Lily and thank you Paul. 

Back later.  ilona 

Getting on the right path

What a change from yesterday. It was sunny with blue skies, and no wind, perfect for a walk. Today it is cold and hasn't stopped raining. Billy will be waiting to go out. I hope the rain stops soon. 

This is me giving a short motivational talk. Change the direction of your life. Move from a not so good path, to a much better path. 

I put out a post earlier but after some negative comments, I deleted it. You can still see it. I put a shortened version over on the Linkys page. 

I've just remembered, I have to start paying my Council Tax now. The first payment is due by the 1st of April. I shall go to the Post Office tomorrow and make the payment. The first three months of the year have gone very quickly. While I am doing that I will take a letter with me which I received from the Council today. The letter says I am eligible to receive a household support payment of £100. The Post Office can scan the bar code on the letter and hand me the cash. I don't need it so I have earmarked it for a charitable donation. 

Still waiting for the rain to stop. We might have to make do with a shorter walk, even if it just eases off a bit. I will get on with a needle felted small picture I am making. 

See ya soon. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Tasty

These are the cheeses I bought from the horse show. I have just finished the garlic and chive cheddar, it was super delicious. 😵😍😎😜 

 One down four to go.  Very hard not to cut off a small piece every time I go in the fridge. 😄 I have managed to curb the craving for chocolate, now I have to try harder not to pig out on the cheese. 🙎

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Five miles

It was a lovely afternoon for a walk. My usual five mile route. Nothing much of interest to photograph. I had a look at the allotments and managed to get these four pics. 

Rhubarb and daffs are doing well. 

One lone flower on a patch of slate chippings. 

The wheelbarrow graveyard looks interesting. I think all the gardeners must share these. As the allotments are quite a distance from the road, it makes sense to leave them here. 

I made a walky talky video which I will put on tomorrow. See ya soon. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Too little too late.

So, Swishy wants to crackdown on antisocial behaviour. I think he lives on another planet, like many politicians they are not living in the real world. Violence is escalating everywhere. 

Elderly woman is punched in the face by a so call activist.

Woman is pushed to the ground by a pretend officer of the law using his shield as a battering ram.

Mother is kicked and pushed onto the ground by her own young son in their flat.

Teacher is set upon by one of his pupils. He retaliates and loses his job. The boy started it. 

Two black teenagers beating a white kid up in the school corridor. 

Kellie Jay being escorted to safety by the security guys at a rally she was speaking at. They were after her blood. She could have been killed. 

There are groups of thugs who I think are seeing this as a new sport. Let's go to a rally and cause havoc. Duff a few people up. Gang warfare is rife all over the world. 

I think it has gone a lot further than anti social behaviour. Join the dots, this is part of the plan. 

Now I am going for a walk across the fields. I want to feel the sun on my face. For my own sense of peace and well being I need to step outside. If you need to get away for an hour or two, do the same. Make your own plans to escape the madness.  

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Sewing day today

I was collecting mesh fruit bags for a long time, for an art project that I started but didn't finish. I finally decided that I needed to do something with the bags. There are some bath scrubbies in there as well. I had an idea, I could use them to stuff cushions. Mayze seems comfortable laid on them, pity I have to move her. 

I made two covers out of an old curtain lining, and stitched up the opening. 

There were two manky old cushions inside these covers, now there are two new ones. 

I made five pet beds out of a second hand duvet that someone wanted to get rid of. These are like mini quilts and can be used as cat or small dog beds. The whole thing can be put in the washing machine. 

Last night I saw a rainbow from my back window. It was sunny and raining at the same time. 

The view from the front window was weird. 

This afternoon I filled the car with petrol at the garage in town. A quick shop for a few things from Aldi while I was there. 

Mau Mau is feeling more confident about coming in the house now. He was inside overnight last night. It has been cold here today. I did a village walk this afternoon but I cut it short because I was freezing. Now I am sitting here with my dressing gown on over my clothes, and the heating is on. This must be one of the downsides of getting old. Your skin becomes thinner like tissue paper and you feel the cold more. I am not liking it.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Good earner

 This is an eye opener and should make fun reading. MP's are supposedly hard working people who are trying to make our country a better place. It seems that some of them are much more interested in earning mega pounds to top up their income and pensions. They can find time to offer their services to commercial companies in exchange for some very attractive fees. 

Led by Donkeys has a yoootooob channel here.  They challenge the official narrative. They are conducting an undercover investigation on how MP's can be bought. It is not against parliamentary rules that MP's cannot obtain work elsewhere. They can. 

Led by Donkeys set up a fake business, with a fake web site, to reel them in. Some MP's took the bait. Watch the trailer here. 

Several news channels are reporting this. It was on Sky News but they have taken it down. It is in The Guardian.  Also Wion News. 

I somehow think that some MP's are looking after their own interests before those of the constituents that voted for them. 

A sunny start to the day. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Psychologically speaking

Good morning. The weather is a bit dodgy again. Rain overnight, rain this morning, now it's dry and windy and sunny. I think we are due for some more showers as the day goes on. I have a doggy walk this afternoon and plenty to keep me busy in the house and garden. 

I bought a copy of Psychologies last week from the local newsagent. I am wanting to support them a bit more, take some of my custom there. 

I used to have Psychologies on a subscription but didn't renew it after the year was up. Now I will just pick up a copy now and again, when I feel like it. 

Flicking through it there are articles which interest me. Open your eyes to awe and enhance your experience of life. Learn to accept the seasonal ebb and flow of life. Expand your horizons and leap into learning in March. Begin your day the right way with a mindful morning routine. Award winning coach helps a client find the courage to overcome controlling behaviour. And so on, a good selection there. 

A message on the front cover for everyone. Yes, that is my mission. 

Thanks for popping in. Have a good weekend everyone. Catch ya later.  ilona 

The Crooked Spire at Chesterfield.

Here we go then, the final clue. The Parish of St Mary and All Saints. Did you guess right. I passed  through Chesterfield when I did a long walk a few years ago, but didn't have time to stop then. 

It was a sunny day, with the odd shower now and again. Strange weather when the rain comes, like turning on a tap. 

The market sold a bit of everything. Some stalls were selling second hand, vintage and antique goods, what you might call a flea market. 

The church was gorgeous. I spoke with the lady who was running the shop. I couldn't resist buying soap, they had the same sort that I bought from Lincoln Cathedral. My house smells lovely now. There is soap in every room. 

It was very peaceful. 

Here is a ten minute video. If anybody is in Chesterfield go and have a look inside. Or even if you are passing through, it's worth making a stop. 

I went to the Tourist Information to get a map so I could take a walk along the canal. They gave me two maps, one of the town centre and the other of the canal. The lady explained how to get to the start of it. That lock is permanently closed. The canal this side of it is overgrown and un navigable. There is a massive new housing estate going up on one side of the canal. 

And here we are at the next lock. Tapton Lock has a cafe. Naughty me had a drink of orange juice and a piece of chocolate brownie. Well I am on holiday. 😁

There is some information on Chesterfield and the crooked spire on this web site. 

And now it's the weekend, don't they come round quickly. Time is flying, must make some plans for summer. 

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona.

Where did I go today?

 It's almost time for bed. I'll put a few pics out tonight and the rest tomorrow. Lots of lovely black and white buildings. 

It was market day.

There was a lovely indoor market. 

And a big car park but I didn't use it. I parked free in the street next to the Cemetery. 

There were a row of trees that looked like they had been butchered.  

There was a lovely church. 

And I went a walk along a canal. 

Some clues for you to solve. Where was I?  Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

What's on the tele.

My friend is back and my cat sitting duties are over. Here is a video I made this morning. Little Ginger likes to be in the picture. On both nights while I was there it rained. Oh boy, when it hit the plastic conservatory roof did it make a racket. 

I did a three mile village walk this afternoon. It was sunny but still a bit cold. 

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

A tale of two Andrew's.

 I've had more correspondence from my MP, Andrew Percy. 

Mine to him.

Dear Andrew. 

I write again. Your last email to me was a big disappointment. The language you used was condescending and insulting. Parts of it were read out on a video, without identifying you or me of course. It had 67k views, which has alerted people that not all MP's are genuine and caring. 

You could rethink your position and go the same way as Andrew Bridgen. he is a hero for putting the lives of his constituents, the people who voted him in, first. You could admit to making a mistake, and come over to the right side of history. Dr John Campbell has done just that. After steering people towards taking an experimental jab, he now knows it was all built on lies. Many people are waking up.

Andy Percy

Hello 

Your delusion is really quite worrying. 

The idiocy and anti-science crap which Andrew Bridgen has advanced is not only disprovable in fact, it is dangerous and risks damaging lives.

You can continue to believe this whackjoberry if you want to. That is your right. 

But know this. What you believe is not only disproven by every available fact and by the real world data on these vaccines, it is being promoted very much by a bunch of conspiracy theory loons. 

I couldn't give a fig whether my email is read out, anonymised or not, to 67k people of 67 million people. 

The loons who promote these anti-vaccine lies need calling out and I will not stop calling it out whenever and wherever I come across it. 

Those who promote this nonsense should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves. 

A minority of gullible people will believe it sadly. 

I am sorry you appear to be one of those people. 

Dear Andrew.

Thank you for your response. It is what I expected. 

ilona

to me

And so it should be. 

It is good that you expect people to call you out on the promotion of this nonsense. 

You are making progress towards fact. 

It's also always better when relying on a Dr to advance your argument, to rely on medical doctors who are experts in vaccines and immunology, not ones who got a PHD for designing online teaching tools. Lol. 

Always happy to help educate you and bring you back to the path of actual scientific and medical facts. 

It is important to not get dragged into online conspiracy theory driven nonsense as you have. 

We shall draw it to a close here. I wish you well in searching for actual facts. 

You think you are so clever, don't you. 

What a nasty piece of work you are. 

I will never let it close.

You will be proved wrong.

ilona

to me

Haha. 

Very amusing. 

No, I think medical and scientific experts are clever and it is those who I follow. I certainly believe them over an arm chair expert such as yourself who has been wound up by online rubbish.  

And I certainly don't follow the bassinet teaching of somebody with a PHD in designing online training tools and a potatoe farmer MP. 

I'm embarrassed for you. 

And no, I won't be proved wrong because these vaccines have been delivered to hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people across the globe and all of the data coming back from that attests to the efficacy, safety and amazing job these vaccines have done saving lives.  

There is no debate. The facts have already being established and are proven, without doubt. 

Only a few online whackos and loons think otherwise. 

As I say, I'm embarrassed for you. Your emails are cringe worthy and I would be ashamed and embarrassed to promote this uneducated and ignorant nonsense. 

Have a lovely rest of the weekend and perhaps spend it researching with established, not going down online rabbit holes of a few conspiracy theory nut jobs. 

We won't be communicating any further as I will not engage with whackjobbery any more. 

to Andy

Thank goodness that we won't have to put up with you when you lose your seat. Holly Mumby will make a much better job of it.

to me

As much as I don't want to keep interacting with this whackjob nonsense, I do find your emails highly amusing.  

As for Holly, she has the same views on vaccines as me. That's because she is not a loon and follows the data, the evidence and scientific and medical facts. You should give it a go.  

I'm not losing my seat by the way. An even safer Conservative  seat is being created where I live should I wish to stand there. If I leave parliament it will be because I have decided to leave. 

You seem to know even less about constituency boundary reviews then vaccine efficacy which is saying something.

This really is all too easy.   

Have a lovely Sunday evening. Perhaps try to use it to research the words 'science' and 'facts'. 

to Andy

I am struggling to believe that this is a real MP writing to me. If you are Andrew Percy, I am shocked that you can't be civil to your constituents. Why are you working on a Sunday, and how come your replies come minutes after I have emailed you. Something dodgy going on here.  

to Andy

You keep taking the jabs, you can have my share. I am not so gullible. 

to me

Why would I be civil to anyone spreading dangerous anti-science views. The stuff you are spouting is nonsense. It is debunked widely. It runs contrary to every scientific fact, it runs contrary to the real world date on these vaccines. It is utter utter nonsense. 

As for something dodgy going on because I replied quickly, I think you need to stop thinking everything is a conspiracy! 

If it helps, I'll block this email address so you can't be offended again by a quick reply! 

Dear me! 

to Andy

Yes, block me please. And I will block you. 

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

And that's how it ended. Mr Percy spouts bullshit. He reads from the official narrative, which is being proved as fabricated lies. They are all in this conspiracy together. All except Andrew Bridgen, and a few others who are mostly too afraid of losing their jobs, losing their credibility, and losing their income. I will not bow down to these people. They are our elected servants. 

Busy today, We will catch up later. Toodle pip.  ilona