Town centre visit.

I went to town this afternoon, a few things I needed to buy. I have the one hour free parking on the street. That's long enough for what I want to do. I was also curious about what it is like in the town centre these days, because I hardly ever go. Annoyed that the bank is closed on a Thursday, I should have remembered that from the last time I went, which was several months ago. 

I had a look in WH Smith for a book I would like to read. Not there, didn't expect it to be. I had a quick look in a charity shop, but my heart wasn't in it. Soon came out, can't be bothered. I went into The Works looking for something I had seen on a blog. No, they don't have any. I spotted some large tubes of paint reduced from £3 to £2 so I bought a red and a yellow. These are to spruce up the summer house. 

I had a walk through the shopping precinct, it was very quiet. I usually chat to the nice young lady on The Sky stand, Chelsea I think she is called. She wasn't there, so I had a chat with Aimee who has recently started working there. We had a laugh. I caught sight of my reflection in a shop window and said what a mess I looked. I had my across body bag under my jacket, it made me look pregnant. We laughed some more. A group of young girls walked by wearing very short shorts. So short they were barely there. The cheeks of their arses were hanging out. They couldn't have been no more that 13 or 14. 

I gave up with the town, didn't want to be there, so I went to the Retail Park. Cat food bought from Home Bargains and The Range. Checked out a couple of charity shops, and bought a pair of sheer tights for £1, to make some more soft pots.

I met up with a friend the other day. She makes these bowl cosies. I said to her ages ago that I would like to buy one. I chose this one, but she wouldn't take payment for it. I said I will give the money to a good cause. 

Isn't it lovely. The other side is a patterned red fabric. The bowl fits in perfectly. You can actually put the bowl and the cosy in the microwave together. I haven't done that yet, but they are perfect to put the hot bowl into it to carry it to the table. Perfect for porridge or soup. 

It's starting to get dark earlier now. Must put the hedgehog food out before it gets dark. They come for it straight away. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Tragedy

I am cutting up a pile of teeshirt scraps into smaller pieces to make a peg rug. To make the job less boring I watch videos. There is much more information to come out about the Maui wildfire tragedy, but the main stream media are slow on the uptake. They hold back, because to say the wrong thing might bring about multi lawsuits against the perpetrators of such crimes. They are looking after themselves, and will never disclose information which may result in them losing their sources of funding from those who pay them. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

Glenn Beck from Blaze TV however, is not tied to any such restrictions. He can say what he sees to be true, based on real facts. He doesn't have to make things up. There are millions of people coming forward with their own personal stories of what happened at Maui, in the time leading up to the fire, during the fire, and what has been going on since the fire. 

People on the ground have no reason to make it up. The warning sirens were not used, the Government turned the water supply off, and the road out of Mauri was blocked by the police. People were forced to endure that hell hole, with no escape. 

Now, the survivors are not being allowed back onto the site until they produce documented evidence that they own their house and land. Something off about that. 

Watch Glenn's video. You will either be consumed with sadness for the lost lives, a lot of children died, or hopping mad that there is a massive cover up. Read the comments for verification of what Glenn is reporting. 

Another weekend is almost upon us. I hope you have something nice planned. A treat, an outing maybe, a family meet up perhaps. Value every day.

Lots of love.   ilona 

Not a winner.

Numbers were a bit thin on the ground at the Coffee Morning today. Illness and holidays were the reasons why people did not come. Some sent their apologies. Nevertheless we had a good laugh.

As it's the last Wednesday of the month, they always finish the session with a raffle, and a game of Bingo. I don't normally join in with this, because I don't want to win anything, but today I decided to stay for it. £1 for the raffle tickets, and £1 for two games of Bingo. Coffee and cake is £2.50, and very nice coffee it is too.   

Waiting for numbers to be called out I think is a bit boring. I might have been excited to win something years ago, but I have never been competitive, and I don't mind if I don't win. 

Four numbers short on the Bingo tickets, twice, and my numbers were not picked for the raffle prizes. I am glad that they are keeping this going. As we move into Autumn and Winter it will be nice to meet in a warm place, with friends, on a Wednesday morning.

Hedgehog news. Four came last night, all together. They look to be pretty big now. I don't know where they are sleeping but as soon as the food comes out they appear. Must have a good sense of smell. 

There is a dog waiting for me to take him for a walk, so I'll say Toodle pip. Catch ya later.   ilona 

Sheddies unite

 There seems to be a bit of a kerfufffle about who has won Shed of the Year 2023. The winner is a simple shed, nothing spectacular. Those who have spent shed loads of money, and given many hours of their time to create something spectacular, are a bit miffed. 

It's not worth bickering about, it's just a bit of fun. 

The competition is no longer aired on television. The last one was in 2017, a year after I won Best Budget Shed. It's a shame they cut it out of the schedule, it was a lot of fun for everyone taking part. The competition is still run every year, it's just that it isn't on tele any more. 

If you are a sheddie fan take a look at this article. There are lots of pictures of some fantastic sheds. 

Catch ya later.   ilona

One pot meals

I like one pot meals. Chuck everything in the pan, saves time, and washing up. In goes herbs and spices, never the same combination, and by some miracle it all comes out tasting lovely. Here we have frozen mushrooms, frozen broad beans, fresh carrots, fresh cauliflower, fresh spinach, and pre cooked rice. And why not throw in a few slugs of beer. I start the cooking with a splash of extra virgin olive oil, and add fruit juice if it needs some moisture. 

Fresh mushrooms, spiralised fresh courgette, pre cooked rice, fresh spinach, on a slice of seeded bread. I don't bother to toast the bread if there is moisture in the food to soak into it. 

Simple tagliatelle and frozen peas cooked for three minutes in a small pan of water. Half a slice of shop bought cheese and onion pasty, cold. Sometimes have this with grated cheese, or mayo, or a drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil. 

I have one of these quick meals almost every day. Today I have two portions of veg stew with tagliatelle and couscous. Made in a bigger pan yesterday. So it's a warm up day in the microwave today. 

Mixing fresh and frozen veg makes a simple and convenient meal. Another tip, add some Danish blue cheese to your one pot cooking, and stews. It gives it a deeeeelishussss flavour. If you have a jar of chutney, add a spoonful of that as well. 

See ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Fun at the park.

It was busy at the Park today. All car parks full, plus they were using an adjoining field. There was entertainment for all the family, lots to do for the kids. The pantomime dame was very jolly. 

Don't you just love a display of British Morris Dancers. They performed in the courtyard.

 

I was surprised to find a laundry, haven't seen that before. I went in to find out what it was about, and had a chat with this lovely lady. 

A family came in with young children. I think they were rather shocked to learn about doing the washing without any modern appliances. 

A smiley DJ playing the music for the Lindy Hoppers in the courtyard. 40's style dresses and 40's style dancing. Read all about them here. If you like jiving this will be right up your street. 

This was hilarious. A demonstration on how to herd ducks with a very clever Border Collie. 

The demonstration explained how the dog is trained to respond to the commands. 

A bit of fun. Which duck will go back into the box first. Pick a colour. 

The green one won. 

A very enjoyable afternoon. Plenty to do for the kids. Pony rides, fairground rides, and miniature train rides. For the grown ups, vintage cars, craft stalls, and food. 

That's the summer Bank Holiday over. I hope you had a good one. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Goodbye

 Good morning. Gotta love this person. They insist on telling me they are not coming here again, and why. They could have just disappeared and I wouldn't be any the wiser. It matters to me not one jot why they have decided to drop out. People come, people go, it happens all the time. Anyway, anonymous person, go forth and get on with your life. I wish you a good one. By not coming here you will have more free time to do exactly what you want to do. Please don't bother me again. Best wishes. 

. . . . . . . . . . . .

I have followed your blog for many years and always found it interesting and entertaining. The way you live your life is commendable and inspiring.
But now, I will no longer bother, because you support and promote, extreme right wing conspiracy theories. And you reckon anyone who doesn’t agree with you, is “asleep”. It seems like you don’t believe in climate change or having a democratic government. You keep saying some mysterious group tells our government what to do and how there is an “agenda” to control us too. Where you get these ideas from is beyond belief !
So toodle pip !

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I have a full day today. Crafty Club this morning, then a local Summer Fair this afternoon. Sunny at the moment, let's hope we are in for a warm and dry day. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona 

An arty treat for me.

Ok, I confess, I did spend money at Art in the Pen at Skipton. I saw this beauty and couldn't resist. Worth the £35 I paid for it. The artist is Abigail Langden, from somewhere in North East England. Her fabric sculptures are charming. She uses some kind of hardening glue to mould the fabric into the shapes she wants. I love the quirky zip here, the way it is open and the insides are spilling out. 

How cute is that. Abigail runs fabric and mixed media sculpting workshops. For more of her work visit her web site, Curiously Contrary. She has a shop, and there is a list of upcoming workshops. Take a look at her 'About me' page. 

There were so many fantastic artists at Skipton. I spent most of my time chatting to as many as I could before I collapsed in a tired heap. 

Lynne Haslam had some stunning mixed media pictures to show, made with wet felting, fabric, and machine embroidery. I could have easily picked one to bring home, but I had a budget I wanted to stick to. Take a look at her Facebook page. Lovely to chat with her. 

Deborah is another artist that stands out from the crowd. Desirables By Deborah has a Facebook page. She is a self-taught artist who has developed the technique of intricately drawn patterning creating texture and contrast in sketches. Using pigment pen and alcohol-based ink she also embellishes each piece with high-quality colour-matched rhinestones for her trademark sparkle. Deborah’s work needs to be seen in it's true form to be appreciated fully.

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I do like events where you can actually talk to the artist. It's better than looking around a gallery and just seeing a name that you've never heard of before.

There is an interesting exhibition on at 20 21 Art Centre in town at the moment. I have some photo's and will do a write up soon. In the meantime, I have six jobs on the go at the same time here. I need to prioritise. Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Bank Holiday Sunday. Toodle pip. ilona

Be prepared

It's on it's way. Are you ready for the next round of treatments? News coming out suggests that the next variant is going to arrive any time now. Apparently it's going to be a rapid spread, and alarm is growing. But this time they are on the ball with their developments of new treatments. Updated jabs are nearly ready. 

It comes as providers and pharmacies prepare to roll out an updated vaccine designed to combat Omicron — but experts are not very optimistic that the greater majority of Americans will opt to be vaccinated.

The new strain is called Eris. One expert warns that Britons could face a new round of jabs if Eris is shown to be resistant to the current treatments. 

As a descendant of the Omicron strain, Eris is thought to cause symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat and headache.

NHS launches probe into why staff still aren't getting jabs. They have paid 'behavioural insight' consultants £50,000, to explore medics attitudes.

The health service has asked the consultancy to provide a 'thorough understanding of the motivators, drivers, situational changes and nudge factors and steps that could lead to a positive attitudinal and behaviour change towards vaccination'. 

Maybe now is the time to think about what you might do next. If you are not sure you could always take part in a trial to help Astra Zeneca with their ongoing trials as they search for a preventative medicine for cov19. 

 We’re researching a trial drug that could help protect you against new strains

Here are my thoughts. Whatever you do, it should be your choice. 

It's a Bank Holiday Saturday and the sun is shining. Have a good weekend everyone. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Busy in the fields

Plenty of activity in the fields to look at this afternoon. I watched these two working together in perfect harmony to collect the straw bales. Teamwork at it's best. They cleared this field in no time. 

24 bales on the trailer, and the JCB machine chased after it down the lane with the last three bales. 

Down at the farm they had them unloaded in no time, then back up the lane to start on the next field.

 

This combine harvester was up and down pretty quickly. The clouds look threatening but luckily it didn't rain. 

Oooops, get out of the way, that was a bit close. 

Keep going, still lots to do. 

Then he went through a gap in the corner of the field, to discharge the load into a waiting trailer. Handy having a good zoom on the camera. 

And onto the next field. It hasn't been raining enough and the turf needs watering. There are underground pipes laid around the edges of the fields. 

Two mobile pumps alongside each other. 

Going for a walk is never boring. 

Have a great weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

No parking.

When I was overnighting at Woolley Edge last week I wandered around the car park and took a few snaps. Got to keep up to date with parking restrictions, and what might happen if you fall foul of them. 

Quite often, in other locations, the signs are not obvious, and hidden at the top of tall metal poles. The writing is so small you need a pair of binoculars to read them. It's easy to be caught out. 

I am forever reading parking signs when I am out and about, and will often choose to leave my car in a residential area, or a wide road where it will not cause an obstruction. I check small signs on posts for restrictions, sometimes residential permits are required. Yellow lines along the edge of the road, whether single or double, should not be ignored.  

A lot more signs will be going up in the future as they bring in even more restrictions about where you can and can't drive, depending on the type of vehicle you have. The push for zero emissions is turning into a bit of a nightmare. It's enough to turn people off driving their car into cities and town centres, which is exactly what they are aiming for. The fear and threats of multiple fines is enough to put anyone off. I shall keep driving for as long as I can, being extra vigilant and looking for signs. 

Time for breakfast. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Go June

 June Slater is one hellova woman. I follow her on the tweeeeeteraatta. She is a very intelligent woman, has studied politicking for a long time. She talks my language, ie, common sense. And she makes me laugh. 

Watch this interview with Jim Ferguson. She is on fire. 

Today's tweeeet. . . . . 

After years of agitation by NATO advancement, Putin went into Ukraine with 40,000 troops. The media calls it an invasion. Britain has between 500,000 to 1.2 million illegal migrants, hundreds coming in daily, mainly male, often described as military age. This is detrimental . Immigration of this kind is not an enhancement. There's a cabal at the top of our political class, that are ruining this country. They abuse the tax payers who are simply crushed to feed overseas political projects, without our consent, such as wars, that could have been avoided. The US is in exactly the same position. You could be forgiven for thinking it's a deliberate attempt to ruin the country.

Ta ta for now. Catch ya later.  ilona. 

The bells are ringing in Skipton

It was 3pm when I left the Art Show. They were due to close at 4pm, and after everyone had left the building they were going to close the gates. I thought it best to move the car, so I didn't get locked in. I drove a few minutes to the town centre and found a car park. Time for a look around before I go home. 

The sun had brought everybody out, it was buzzing with activity. People spilling out of the pubs, music blasting out, and people strolling along the canal. The cruise boats were up and down, and I saw several day hire boats out with people partying on board.  

I strolled up the High street towards the Castle. Memories of previous visits came back to me. The church bells were deafening. The Castle had closed it's gates for the day. 

It was a relief to go inside for ten minutes. As much as I like church bells, these were extremely loud. Once inside it was quiet. 

Close by is the Town Hall. 

You've seen the pics, now watch the video. You might need to turn the volume down, or wear ear plugs. 

A perfect end to a perfect weekend. A straight run home, not much traffic on the southbound side of the motorway, but there was a massive traffic jam on the northbound, due to the Leeds festival. 

We are coming up to the Bank Holiday Weekend. I will stay local, the roads will be extra busy.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona