Walking the line.

 We saw these yesterday as we were crossing. 

Humber Bridge

23h ·

Don't be alarmed if you see people walking the bridge cables throughout this week. That will be our Engineering team carrying out planned cable inspections.

Photo from their facebuck page. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

The pleasure of becoming whole.

A lesson in psychology on this Wednesday morning. This struck a chord with me. If you make it to the end there are some useful tips. Worth 23 minutes of your time. I think I am on the right track.  

Carl Jung warned that the nicest people are often the most lost. Not because they lack intelligence — but because they’ve been trained to betray themselves just to be liked. In this video, we expose the hidden danger of people-pleasing, why it’s rooted in fear and identity loss, and how Jung’s shadow work leads to the only real cure: becoming whole.

Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

In balance

 Good morning. I sometimes wonder if there is any point in documenting my life here. I make sure I have plenty to do, I go out and visit places, I like meeting people, I make art, I enjoy photography, and I live in a village with a good community spirit. So why do I need to tell everyone about what I do? And who would be interested?  Because there is more to me than just having a good time. There are a lot more important things going on in the world. My life is just a grain of sand on a beach, insignificant and irrelevant, but combined with all the other grains of sand, it paints a bigger picture. 

It's about keeping my life in balance. I don't live in a closet, I don't bury my head in the sand, I watch and observe what is going on around me, and in the wider world. Dividing my time between simple pleasures, and more complex issues, gives me the balance I require. It gives me purpose, a reason to live. 

Life is fascinating, people are fascinating. Unravelling the complex issues in the political world is the best murder mystery novel you can find yourself engrossed in. A book that you can't put down. Every day a new chapter begins. And it's all played out on my desk top computer. 

Yesterday I went out. Today I will stay local. This morning I caught up with what is going on in the wider world. Being able to switch from one to the other is part of the rich tapestry of life. Staying locked inside a bubble is not conducive to the natural expansion of the brain, and therefore it stifles the ability to adapt when a new direction must be taken. Unblock the blockages by constantly moving on. 

The point of this blog is not just about, oh I went out yesterday and had a good time. This morning I read something which struck a chord, made me think, so I will share that with you. 

Alice Weidel is a new name to look out for. She has fire in her belly. She has recently given a speech at a conference in Hungary. She could be talking about what is going on here in the UK. 

Alice Weidel

@Alice_Weidel

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May 30

"The wind of change is blowing stronger in Europe and throughout the Western world. The future belongs to free, patriotic citizens and sovereign nations." My full speech at #CPACHungary2025!

Read her tweeeter feed, watch the video, and see the difference between her and our sadly lacking in passion and empathy PM. 

Now for breakfast and back to posting about my day out yesterday.

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

Reading Mr Emerson

 I am liking these quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
“Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true.”
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.

 Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

I'm away to sit with my friends at Crafty Club. I have some donated wool and fabric to give away. A good start to the week. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Welcome home.

 Good morning. As much as I dislike facebuck, my fingers quickly scroll past the dross, there are a few short video clips which prompt me to hesitate for a minute. They are the ones which trigger my  sentimental slushy side. Some of them are about animals. Sean and his sheepdog Kate. The beautiful partnership between man and dog. Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset. Frannie and Gracie, the two little dogs who run out to greet Dan the Postman when he arrives. 

Now we have surprise reunions. Those returning to their families after long periods away. Lots of emotional scenes. I blub every time one of these appear on my screen. 

I watched live last night as the spacex crew returned to planet earth. The parachutes opening, first two, then four. The gentle drop into the ocean. The rescue boats coming out to meet them. The dolphins cavorting in the sea, curious about what is happening in their territory. The hauling of the capsule onto the deck, and the securing down. Then the opening of the hatch and the four were helped out. 

Welcome home. 

Now to get ready for Coffee Morning. Have a good day. Toodle pip.   ilona

Wise words from Emmy.

Good morning. I am listening to Emmy while I eat my porridge and chopped apple. 

I thought I had a hard time at various stages of my life, but I never contemplated ending it all. Listening to Emmy's story puts everything into perspective. I had it easy. The way she addresses her audience is unique. She says 'Hello my friend', indicating that she is speaking directly to you. If you watch some of her videos you can feel the warmth in her gentle voice. She doesn't play to the audience. She offers an intimate conversation between two people. 

If you are struggling with anything at all, maybe listening to Emmy would help.  

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.  ilona

Adding this PS. 

From a recent video.

Most of my subscribers know that I am a professor of psychology and psychotherapy, and an author, with over 50 years experience in clinical work, teaching and training. In view of the many challenges I have had it seemed a good idea to say a few words about my background and reasons for posting. Having held back on giving advice, as a psychotherapist and a teacher, I felt it was important to pass my knowledge, expertise and experience on in an honest and direct way. I also wanted to reach a wider public as I am concerned about the way the world is affecting people. I will do a video about my books at some point too.

Good news

 It was a good laffff today at Crafty Club. The chatter was very jolly. I told a couple of trucking stories.  Someone suggested we form a choir and sing a song. Lisa brought a laptop and put some words on the screen. Pat had printed the words out so we all had a song sheet, and off we went. The first was an Abba song, then I suggested, Always look on the bright side of life. And that's how it ended at 12 o clock. Everyone departed in a happy mood. I think we should have a proper practice rehearsal and perform a song on the stage at the next Christmas Fair. We could learn a dance routine as well. 

Me and Billy got blown about a bit as we did a 40 minute walk around the village. The wind has really picked up tonight. I went out and checked on the summer house. I added a few bungee straps to secure the door shut. The roof over the porch was lifting up when there was a particularly big gust. I could see that might be a problem, so I got my step ladder out and put some bricks and a big block of concrete on the top. The weight should hold it down. I've just been out again to check it. It seems to have done the trick. 

I am seeing some exciting news coming through on the channels I monitor. It seems the farmers protests are spreading. The truckers started it in Canada. The Dutch farmers are all out, and now the French and German farmers are following suit. They are using a mix of vehicles, mainly tractors, with many trucks backing them up. 

Every Town, village and city is seeing the farmer protests in Germany as hundreds of thousands of people in Germany rally to support them. The Globalists are failing to stop the coverage in the media despite their agents within MSN attempting to do so.

À cette heure, plus de 150 tracteurs sont en route vers l'A62, près d'Agen, pour bloquer les deux voies. L'axe Bordeaux-Toulouse est actuellement quasiment impraticable.

Translate. At this time, more than 150 tractors are on their way to the A62, near Agen, to block the two lanes. The Bordeaux-Toulouse axis is currently almost impassable.

This evening hundreds of farmers will spend the night on the highway in Agen.

Breaking News: Sirens wail and horns blare out in a strong show of force. French farmers protests are gaining traction as more join in and begin to block roads. The demonstrations are growing and could fully go International as people push back against the globalists and their infiltrated governments.

No news about it in Italy, but it is starting here too:

Wise words from this Scottish farmer as number of farmers in Scotland start a tractor protest convoy against the government who are wilfully destroying the farming industry through neglect and restrictive policies.

Keep it up lads and lassies.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Research notes

Anyone who is keen to learn more about what is going on might find these pages from the conference brochure helpful. Insert the names into your search engine and do a bit of snooping. It will all become clear, and then you can get on with the rest of your lives. Knowledge is power.

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Change your life

Eating my breakfast on this sunny morning, watching the latest Liam and Janine video. This is worth a shout out. Those Happy Days is a documentary of their van life adventures. Clever Janine does all the editing. 

They have just won an award and are keen to talk about it. Recently back from a six month tour of India, they are now UK based for the summer, and are planning lots of adventures. Catch up with them here at Brighton. Morgan is a repurposed furniture van, their second vehicle, after they outgrew a smaller van. 

Yes, they are influencers, in the nicest possible way. They have worked hard to create a full time job for themselves. They have sponsors, which they don't push in your face. They strive to create a good mix of interesting and varied content, based on entertainment. 

Their enthusiasm for living a great life is infectious. People say I am an inspiration. If they see that in me that's good, but I say, don't do as I do, make your own inspiration and make your own life. 

We can't all be a Liam and a Janine, but we can allow some of their magic into our lives and make our own plans. 

Catch ya 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 

On fire

 Hello and Good Morning. I start the new week with a visit to the dentist. A filling dropped out a week ago, I knew it would, it was loose. Now I am going to get the hole filled. Not a nice thing to have to do, but needs must. At least I didn't have to wait too long for the repair. 

I note this morning that Italy has a new Prime Minister. Mainstream media are slow to pick up this news, they will be having a hard time choking on their cornflakes. Giorgia Meloni is a firecracker, she has fire in her belly. Someone put up a snippet of a speech she made three and a half years ago, on the twiitterattta. I have found the full speech on yooohoootooob, and it is electrifying. What she said then still stands today. If you want to give it a go it's here. I won't post the whole video, it would be too upsetting for the erm, other side, if you see what I mean. 

Daily Mail has a report, without mentioning the fact that she has been elected. Don't bother reading the article, too many mentions of 'far right', which is a load of bollox. The 3500 comments are very enlightening though. 

Giorgia is going to have a hard time ploughing through the woke fraternity. I hope she has the balls to follow through with her plans for a fair and just society. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona.

Oh, before I forget, thanks to the trollies for the fun yesterday.

Brian May's Wood

Here is another feel good post. We have to rise above all the gloom and doom, and look at the positives. Dr Brian May bought a piece of land in Bere Regis in 2012, which was earmarked to be a housing estate, and he turned it into woodland. Brian is possibly one of the best guitarists in the world, if not the best. What better way to spend his millions than for the good of future generations. 

There are two videos on this web site which tells the story of how it all happened. 

There is a follow up video of seven years later, but I am not allowed to paste it into here. Try this link. 

I must get some breakfast. Catch ya later.   ilona

Weekend entertainment.

It's the weekend, here is a lovely video from Daniel. He bought a plot of land in Ireland and is turning it into a small holding. His aim is to be completely self sufficient. He lives in a mobile home, is renovating a cottage, built a wooden cabin, has animals as pets, and grows all his own food. He doesn't post videos that often, but everyone is a little gem. 

I am busy in other places, fending off the trolls on my yoootooob channel :o) 

Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Moving. Again!!

It's sunny and I am going outside. I'll leave you with this, a new video from Mr Hahn. Elmer has been following me on yooootooob for a long time, and I look at his videos. This one made me laugh. He is 99 years old, since he lost his wife he has been undecided about where he wants to live. He recently moved to a new Condo. Now watch and see what happens next. 

I love people who are true to themselves, and tell it like it is. Nothing to watch, but listen carefully. Yoootooob have told him to buck his ideas up and make more videos because he doesn't have many followers. He thinks they might close his channel down. Do me a favour and make him smile by watching this on yoootooob, and giving him a like. Thanks very much. 

Have a nice day. Catch ya later.  Toodle pip.   ilona

Dreaming of when we come out the other side.

I was awake early this morning, so I took my coffee back to bed with me. I like to prop myself up with pillows and let my mind wander for the time it takes me to drink the coffee plus a bit extra. I get up when I am ready, when I have worked out a few things in my head. 

My art is mainly stored in a big suitcase inside the wardrobe, with the larger pieces wrapped and put on the top of the wardrobe. It's mounting up now, I have quite a lot. It needs to be seen, but it will be a long time before I can show it in a proper gallery. I thought about our Village Hall. When the government gives the go ahead, and the committee decide it can be opened, I could hire it for a day to show my art. 

It won't be a proper gallery, nothing will be hanging on walls, but all around the outside edge are chairs, quite nice chairs with padded seats and backs. My pictures could all be stood on those. They won't be at eye level, except for the children which might visit, but people can bend down to peer closely at the detail. 

I could put notices up around the village and in the shop window. I could put it on our facebook page, I could tell my friends to come and have a look. There won't be any prices on anything because the purpose is not to sell it. If someone shows an interest I might be open to discussion about how much I want for it. The main purpose is to get people interested in making art, having a go themselves, and making something new out of something old. It will have a recycling message. 

I am starting to think about where I might go for a holiday when we are allowed to travel. The ideal place would be somewhere remote, off the beaten track, where hopefully there won't be a lot of other people. Yooootooob videos are great for planning holidays,  I've been watching Andrew Ditton, he has been all over the place, lots of caravanning and camping. He fell in love with the Outer Hebrides ten years ago, and very bravely made the decision to live there. Sold up down south and now lives on North Uist. It looks lovely there, so I'm going to look further into holidaying there. 

Here's a video, Andrew and Dougal taking a walk on the beach. 

I need to have something to look forward to, need a plan. I can keep busy day to day, but there has to be some punctuation in the routine, something different to think about. Plans need to be spread over the short term, medium term, and the long term. Life needs to have some structure to it. To drift aimlessly is a life wasted. 

So that's what I have been thinking about. Two things to plan and look forward to. Don't give up on your dreams. I came close to thinking what's the point of it all, now I am making plans. Have you got a plan? A big plan or a little plan? Even doing something different on a daily basis can add a bit of variety to your life. 10.20am and I haven't had breakfast yet, my stomach is screaming for food. Porridge I think. 

Toodle pip.  ilona

PS. Apologies if you have been reading this post while I have been editing it. It seems I can't embed a video when using the new blogger format. I've had to open a new page with the old format, add the video, then copy and past the words that I had already written. Now going to delete the first attempt at posting. 64 people have read it without the video.