Smile please

 Hooooray, my broken toof is fixed. My Dentist is at Brigg and I had an appointment with David, or Davakis if you want to use his real name. He is from Greece. He was very friendly, but I had to ask him to speak slowly and look at me so I could lip read. I am not very good at understanding accents. He was very accommodating, and we got on really well. A more mature dentist unlike the last one I had there, which I was pleased about. I asked him how long he had been doing dentistry. He said 31 years, and he loves his job. He has been in the UK for a great many years, so it sounds like he is fairly settled. That's ok with me, so now I know I can go back there again. I would rather keep to the same dentist. 

He has made a good job of filling my tooth which had a big hole in it where the previous filling dropped out. It took a while to do the job and my jaw was beginning to ache with holding my mouth open for so long. He x-rayed the tooth and gave me three options. Leave it as it is, do nothing, or he can fill it, or I can have a crown fitted. As the crown was going to be mega expensive I said please fill it. The cost was £170. He said it should last a long time, but if there is a problem within a year I can go back and he will fill it again for nothing. Which I thought was a fair offer. Or if it doesn't stay put and I want to go for the crown he will take the £170 off the cost of it. Anyway, as it's a front tooth it looks much better now. 

I had a walk around Brigg Town Centre and took some photos of the yarn bombing which is decorating  the main street and the Market Place at the moment. I will put them on here tomorrow. Too late now and I am a bit tired. 

When I got home it was still sunny so I went a walk to the Park. A peacock was wandering around again. Strolling across the road. They don't care. 

They were just closing the park gates when I left. I never knew peacocks perched on railings. Well they are birds, I suppose. 

I'll be back tomorrow with some yarn bombing photo's. Thanks for popping in. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

What is a playlist?

I was asked a question on my channel, which I read out in this video. I didn't know what a playlist is, I do now. Subscribers came to my rescue. 

I had a phone call from the garage this morning. Your car is now ready. My friends husband very kindly gave me a lift there to pick it up. That was nice of him. I enjoyed a few minutes sitting in his very posh Range Rover. 

Car is good, a new clutch was needed. There was an oil leak on the slave cylinder. Very costly. So now I keep the car for a little while longer. It's a nice car. I usually change it when it gets to around the 50,000 mile mark, but with the low mileage I do this will suit my purposes for the summer. 

Tomorrow a dentist visit. I hope they can repair my broken tooth so I don't have to go back again. I don't think it will cost as much as the car repair. 

A crazy weather day today. Sunny and mild for a while. I took Billy out this afternoon. We just got back as a black cloud came over and the sky chucked a ton of hailstones down. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Home alone.

It's been a lovely day for taking the car to the garage, and walking back home because it was going to be an all day job. I wandered into Winterton while they were assessing the job to be done. It could have been simple to repair or it could take a long time. I went to the Post Office, and took a few photo's while waiting for the phone call with the verdict. 

The information board next to the Co op. 

Oh dear, the raised flower bed looks a bit sad. Can someone come along with the secateurs and chop off all the dead bits. 

This is a private house near the Co op. The ornate front porch could do with a lick of paint. 

For a small town it's well signposted. 

Drop off and pick up point for mail and small parcels, next to the Co op. 

Let's see how this works. OK, need an app, haven't got one. 😝

Oh look, there's another one. At the front of a workshop. 

I walked through a small park. Here's an instruction board on how to use the Outdoor Gym. 

And the rules. Must have rules. 

Then I got a phone call telling me that it was going to be an all day job, or could go on until tomorrow. The slave cylinder on the clutch has an oil leak so basically everything has to come out. Then came the stinger, it is going to cost a lot of money. Oh well, I won't be changing my car just yet. It is taxed for six months, which gives me time to build up my bank account for when I find the right car. 

So I set off walking back home. Only three and a bit miles and I stayed on tarmac because the field paths are muddy at the moment. I remembered finding some bee hives that I discovered a couple of years ago. They are hidden behind a hedge next to a haulage yard. Yes they are still there. This is the post about the same walk back from the garage in January 2023.  

There are a lot of them, about 50 altogether. I could see bees going in and out. They looked pretty active. They make the honey that I buy from the Farm Shop. 

Coming into the next village I came across what looked like a police bike with a policeman standing close to it. He had a zapper thingy. Just up the road is a 30mph speed limit and quite often people don't bother to slow down. It's a straight road with houses both sides and I think people must get a bit fed up of drivers speeding through. There is a warning sign which flashes what speed people are doing. 

I was curious so asked lots of questions. He is a retired police officer who now works part time on this job. I had a fascinating conversation with Kevin. He lives in Beverley, the other side of the Bridge. It was amazing that we had a lot to talk about. I told him about my driving qualifications. The advanced tests I have taken. My motorcycle advanced training. How many times I have been caught speeding, (3 in 52 years of driving), and I used to go out with a chap from Beverley who worked for the Vehicle Investigation Bureau attached to the police. He went out to accidents to inspect the vehicles involved. When I mentioned his name, yes, Kevin knows him. Amazing. What a nice fella he was. 

It is now 6.30pm and the garage hasn't rung me, so I assume they haven't finished the job and I will get a call tomorrow. It does seem strange to have an empty driveway with no car. I dread the day when I stop driving. I shall be totally lost. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Safety first

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

It is my first duty as Prime Minister to keep this country safe. That is why we are increasing defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027. In an ever more dangerous world, it’s vital that we protect British people at home.

- - - - - - - - - -

What a fantastic idea. So we have to wait two years for things to get better. How many more stabbings, riots, rapes robberies, are we to witness?

What are you going to spend this extra money on? Will there be physical barriers like walls and fences, or will it be more smile please cameras on poles. Will there be more bobbies on the beat? Where will you get them from? Oh, might there be jobs for the thousands living it up in hotels?

When you catch the criminals where are you going to put them? Maybe release a few from the overcrowded prisons? Or build more prisons? Maybe the money will go to building more magistrates courts so they can fast track the naughty people through the system?

Maybe you could stop inviting the 'ever more dangerous world,' into Great Britain. That would go a long way to making us safe.

Let's have a look at what others think. Read the comments here.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip. ilona

Limits

 Good morning. A new week, a new start. Nothing winds me up more than when someone tells me what I should be doing. The NHS appears to be more proactive in finding guinea pigs for their treatments. At least they said 'please ask' further down. I don't think it's a good idea so I will pass on this offer. In the meantime I will limit my contact with the great general public by being careful about who I mix with. 

Talking about mixing with people. Due to the endless excessive troll comments I receive on a daily basis I have reluctantly decided that comments will be closed for a while. The same people keep coming back. There must be something wrong with their own lives that they do this. A lot of the comments are being sent in the middle of the night, which makes me think, across the pond, as the US is referred to. Someone has told me several times over the last few years what I should be writing about. My reply to that person, and I know who you are, is it is my blog, you don't get to decide.

 

I am almost inclined to give up blogging altogether, but I won't. This is my diary, a place to record my life, what I do, my interests, and what I think about. I have my paper diaries dating back to 1963. Perhaps I should go back to that kind of record keeping.

 

It's a shame that this has to happen because I have some nice people visiting who I'm pleased to hear from. There are still a lot of good people about, but more increasingly there are some very bitter and twisted people walking this planet. 

Now I can breath. There is nothing I can do about people spouting nasty comments, nitpicking comments, and those who come just to cause trouble. But I can control how I deal with it, and that is to stop all comments. 

Thank you for popping in. Abrupt end, need to eat. Enjoy your week. Toodle pip.   ilona

Village life

Such a change in the weather. Yesterday sunny and mildish, today windy, wet, and miserable. I gave Billy a walk this morning. Just got it done as the rain came lashing down. 

Here is a village video for my overseas subscribers. 

It's a sewing day today. 

Thanks for all the comments yesterday. Lovely to hear from you all. You may have noticed that I did a bit of tidying up. I don't need to keep comments from those who have a different opinion to me. Please start your own blog where you can convey your thoughts to likeminded people. There are plenty of  trump bashers on social media. I am here to support those who can see through it all. 

See ya soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

Perfect day for a walk.

 Blue skies and white fluffy clouds today. Perfect for a seven mile walk. Fantastic views. There are pictures the same as these elsewhere on the blog because I have walked this route many times. Didn't even need to wear a jacket, it was quite warm.  

Zooming in to the farm on the other side of the river. 

It was still quite muddy underfoot in places. 

As I came into a village I got chatting to an elderly couple out for a stroll. I describe them as elderly but they were probably about my age. They very kindly invited me to take a look at their garden. There was no garden at the front of the house, but the back garden was huge. I am not very good at describing acreage or square feet, but it was big. He had a big veg garden, a massive lawn, a fish pond, two greenhouses, a potting shed, and a big chicken coop. The borders were full of spring flowers. That must be a heck of a lot of work for them. 

I called in to see my friend June but she wasn't there. Not surprising, I think a lot of people were out and about on a sunny afternoon. 

Dinner was an under the grill meal tonight. Quorn chicken nuggets, hash brown, Quorn sausage, and wedges  (chunky chips) 

I have been putting food out for the hedgehogs in case they come out of hibernation. No sign of them yet. 

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

Look out for the Red Arrows

 The Red Arrows will transit from RAF Waddington to RAF Lossiemouth on Monday 24 February 2025.

1.15pm - Depart RAF Waddington.

2.13pm - Arrive RAF Lossiemouth.

https://www.military-airshows.co.uk/.../redarrowsschedule...

Updated NOTAMS (Times in GMT):

• RAF Waddington to RAF Lossiemouth Transit - 24 February 2025:

1. 530958N 0003129W RAF WADDINGTON (EGXW) - 1.15pm

2. 531240N 0004202W NE OF NORTH SCARLE - 1.17pm

3. 534538N 0004459W N OF GILBERDYKE - 1.23pm

4. 540116N 0010537W VCY OF HAXBY - 1.26pm

5. 540811N 0013544W W OF RIPON - 1.29pm

6. 542004N 0013733W HACKFORTH - 1.31pm

7. 545859N 0021125W W OF HEXHAM - 1.38pm

8. 551721N 0015658W SW OF ROTHBURY - 1.41pm

9. 561404N 0025056W N OF COLINSBURGH - 1.52pm

10. 562111N 0033126W NW OF FORGANDENNY - 1.56pm

11. 564338N 0034656W NW OF PITLOCHRY - 2.00pm

12. 565145N 0041502W E OF LOCH ERICHT - 2.03pm

13. 574225N 0032015W RAF LOSSIEMOUTH (EGQS) - 2.13pm

Timings and route may change due to weather or other requirements.

Have a good day. Toodle pip. ilona

A quick lesson (EDITED)

Go for it Katie.

Make of this what you will.  

Have a nice weekend.   ilona

EDIT

Now Saturday morning. I see this post has attracted some dismissive comments. This is to be expected. I have no need to reply to them personally. I will reply with this edit.  

Jeffrey Sachs Brings Real Politics to the EU Parliament

This is a video of Jeffrey Sachs who recently gave a speech to a meeting of the European Parliament. If you have 1 hour 40 minutes to spare, it adds meat to the bones of what Katie said.

Here is another video. A shorter version, 29 minutes long.

A mini-documentary on the background of the Ukraine conflict follows Jeffrey Sachs’ lecture at the Cambridge Union. The journey begins in the early 1990s and continues to the present day. The documentary features interviews and statements from world leaders along the way, shedding light on significant historical geopolitical events and questioning the narrative created by Western media.

Who is Jeffrey Sachs?

Jeffrey David Sachs is an American economist and public policy analyst who is a professor at Columbia University, where he was former director of The Earth Institute. He worked on the topics of sustainable development and economic development.