Catching up with Lara

Hello. I had a short drive to Elsham Hall on Thursday, Lara King was there with the Radio Humberside bus. It's about six years since I last saw her in the studios of Radio Humberside, so I thought it would be nice to have a catchup. I don't go to Elsham very often, in fact hardly at all, the entrance prices put me off. Luckily there was no one at the gate to ask for money, I suspect because there was a wedding on, and the bus was there, so there would be lots of people mooching about. 

I had a stroll around and took a few snaps. The daffs were on their way out, but the blossoms were beautiful. There is a very pleasant walk around the lake.

Elsham Hall itself is not very spectacular, there is no mention of it being open on the web site.

Poor old horsey has lost his head. In dire need of restoration, or demolition.

There are woodland walks.

Aha, here is the bus. Looks like Lara is chatting to the bride. I'll stand well back until she is free to speak. 

Hello Lara, nice to see you again. She has moved on from her regular morning programme, and is now the roving reporter, covering events in the Humberside area. She is happy and full of fun as always.

She looks quite different now, I like her casual attire, and her hair suits her a bit longer. 

After chatting with Lara, on and off the radio, I continued my walk around the grounds. The walled garden had some peacock activity going on. Mr Peacocks bum is just as attractive as his magnificent frontal plumage. 

There was much stamping of feet and quivering of  feathers.

And some twirling going on.

Look at me, ain't I beautiful. 

Come and get me, my little honey bun. .

Two piggies in their sty. Super cheap to keep, no feed required. 

This model is real, I love that shade of blue.

It's the perfect setting for wedding photo's.

In the courtyard was this carousel. I'm not sure if it was there for the wedding or if it is a permanent attraction. Two very old lorries were parked nearby out of view and out of earshot, with the generator next to them providing the power. The wedding guests were taking the opportunity to have a bit of fun.

Here is a link to the Elsham Hall web site. 

The weather wasn't too good yesterday so I stayed in, today looks better so I am going out. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Fun with Lego.

Hello. It's business as usual here at Tightwad Towers over the Easter period. More photo's in the pipeline, more shopping bags to make, more walking to do, and some lounging in the garden when the sun comes out. I did a yellow sticker shop on Wednesday night and struck lucky, the fridge is full. I had intended to do a £40 shop so I could use a £6 off voucher, but after filling the trolley with reductions, which only came to £9 something, I knew I would have no chance of reaching the target. No point in wandering round the shop trying to decide what to buy when I didn't actually need anything else.

Here are the last few photo's from my visit to Hull on Tuesday. I remember Lego as being quite basic when I was young, it consisted of bricks and flat pieces to stick the bricks onto. Nowadays there is a lot more variety in the shapes it comes in, and you can construct almost anything with it, including flowers. The daffodil display was very popular, especially with the kids who could meander between them and pretend to water them with the Lego watering can.  

Have a little titter at this.


The City of Culture exhibits are spread out in different locations, so the Land Train was handy for those who would rather ride than walk.

Dancing fountains are advertised as being in the city centre but I couldn't find them. I asked a volunteer who said that they had done a trial run and the drainage was found to have a problem, so they are under repair at the moment. They should be working soon. There are cars filled with sand down at The deep, but I didn't have time to go and see them, maybe next time.

Enjoy your weekend, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Oceans of dreams

Good Morning. I think most people like to sit for a while and watch the sea. It can be a calm and relaxing experience with the waves gently lapping the shoreline, or an exciting and spectacular performance of waves crashing crazily over a rocky outcrop. There is something mesmerizing about watching something with so many different features

Another exhibit in the Ferens Gallery aroused my curiosity. One enters a small dark room rather like a small cinema. There are no lights, it's total blackness. On one wall is the screen, with one small bench for those who wish to sit and linger awhile. The rest of the space is standing only. I poked my head around the corner to catch a glimpse of what was being shown, and saw  the sea. Hmmm, shall I keep watching , it looks a bit boring. 

I sat down and let the film wash over me. The only sound was the shusssshing of the waves, which had a relaxing effect. Every few seconds the picture changed, the same view but at different times of the day, and different weather conditions. Often there was nothing much to look at, no sign of life, just the sea. 

I found myself peering through fog searching for any indication that there was life out there. Was that a boat on the horizon or was it a figment of my imagination? I think I can see a bridge, or maybe the fog is playing tricks with my vision. 

A succession of pictures when not very much was happening was quickly interrupted by movement in the foreground. Someone walking a dog from one side to the other. Someone riding a bicycle, stopping to check his brakes, then moving on. These little quirky disturbances jolted my almost dozing brain into alertness. 

Just when I was getting used to the pattern of  the mostly grey weather changes, my eyes were assaulted with a blinding flash of colour. Wow, that grabbed my attention and I began to find the whole thing quite like a musical performance. I could imagine the music in my head, each changing scene was played by different instruments. The sunset was the whole orchestra building up into the loudest finale.  

The film is on a loop and I searched for the first frame I saw to tell me when I had seen it all. It's about eighteen minutes. I was so lost in it that I hadn't noticed several people had crept in behind me. 

Hey, it's looking like a nice day outside. I'm off out. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Art is not always what it seems

Hello. What would you think if you entered an art gallery and saw a pile of rubble in the main entrance hall? When I saw it yesterday at the Ferens Gallery, I thought, oh, nice, looks a bit arty, anyone who lived near a beach could do that. I then had a wander round and browsed at the other exhibitions, and on my way out I stopped to have a chat about what I had seen, with one of the volunteers working there. 

Dave then asked me what I thought about this. I quickly discovered that the pile of beach rubble was not all it seemed, so I took a closer look. My eyes did indeed deceive me the first time'

Of course, you are not meant to rush around an art gallery at breakneck speed, but sadly, if something does not grab my attention quite quickly I tend not to give it a second glance. And so of course I can miss out on  hidden meanings and messages.

So, what do you think? A pile of rubble or what? Scroll through the pictures and all will be revealed.   

That taught me, didn't it? Do not take anything at face value. I don't normally, but without any obvious clues in the artwork itself, I almost missed the point. Dang! Must take care to look deeper, and not dismiss something as being of no value.

I usually decide on which pieces of art I like best by what I see in front of me, but now I know the story behind it I find myself being drawn to the pile. There is beauty in it. My eyes want to search through it and discover the smaller hidden gems among the mighty boulders. I want to go beach combing. It will take me a long time to learn all these arty ways, but I'll get there eventually.

Thanks for popping in. Are you ready for Easter? I don't go anywhere on bank holidays, like the quietness of my own home. Another arty conundrum tomorrow.
Toodle pip

Poppies in Hull

Hello. I've had a busy day today, and taken 87 photographs, there are lots to sort out. I'll have to put them into several posts, so come back over the next few days to get the full story. 

This morning I went to a Hedgehog Hospital with Helen, she is writing an article for her village newsletter. I went along to take some photos, and will write about that later. 

After lunch I caught the bus to Hull, there are some new art installations I want to see as part of the City of Culture 2017. The Maritime Museum is the site of the Poppies:Weeping Window installation. There are several thousand hand made ceramic poppies cascading down from an upper window. These poppies were originally seen at the Tower of London.

Looks pretty stunning don't you agree. The blue sky is a bonus. 

A little bit more information about it on this poster.

This is a good web site to check it out. There are some smashing photo's, click on Gallery and it will take you through them. If you hesitate for a couple of seconds as you click, it will enlarge each one to full screen.

I had a look round the Museum and spotted this nice view from an upstairs window. The flowers at Queens Gardens are always immaculate, the gardeners make a wonderful display.

I'll be back tomorrow with more photo's of my afternoon in Hull. Thanks for popping in, see you soon.
Toodle pip

More flowers for the garden

Hello. I didn't make it to Crafty Club this morning, I was busy with a man in my house. A very nice man actually, someone I have known for about 20 years. That's got your attention hasn't it, oooh, I am a tease. The man in question is our local plumber in the village. There are other plumbers but I prefer to stick with Michael as I know he does a good job.

He used to be a lorry driver working in Rugby Cement at the same time as I was. He didn't like it very much so he paid a lot of money to retrain as a plumber/gas fitter. He is fully qualified with the certificates, and has been self employed for a long time now. He gets all his work from recommendations and never needs to advertise. He doesn't even have his name on the side of his van. He is so busy I had to wait a while until he could find a slot for me.

So, my boiler is serviced, water tank and radiators checked, two hot taps upstairs removed cleaned and put back, gas fire in the living room completely stripped, checked and serviced, and an overflow leak in the upstairs toilet rectified. He has done a good job at a reasonable cost. Michael the plumber is brilliant.

Someone mentioned that the flowers I made from drinks cans could be made with plastic. Yes, they certainly can, and here is the proof.

If you are going to do this you need plastic that is flexible and not too thick to be able to cut it with scissors. Some plastics are brittle and will break when you try and cut out the shapes. Look out for plastic containers, boxes, and anything with a flat surface. Large square bottles are ok, but round ones wouldn't work so good. Some large cardboard containers have plastic lids.

Here is a little video.



Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Free flowers for your garden

Hello. Have you seen those flowers on a stick things that you can put in a plant pot or stick in the garden? You can get them from the £1 shops and discount stores, a bit of cheap tat to brighten up your garden. I thought I would have a go at making them, here we are, I made five today and they cost me nothing. 

Here's some instructions in case you fancy having a go. You need some flower shapes in three different sizes, small, medium, and large. I trace mine onto greaseproof paper, copied from magazines. You need colourful aluminium drinks cans, cut off top and bottom with small scissors, and cut up the side to make a flat piece. Put the pattern on the top and prick out the outline with a map pin. Then cut out the flower with small sharp scissors. Nail scissors are ideal for this. 

Next you want a button, a piece of wire about ten inches long, and some tape. I've got insulation tape, it's plastic and won't fall apart in the rain. Three different sizes of petals. To curve the petals use finger and thumb to pull and bend them.

First you bend the wire in the centre, then thread the button on it. Next stab two holes in the centre of the petals and thread them on starting with the smallest. Pull the wire tight and twist the two ends together on the back. For the stalks you need old knitting needles, the thinner the better. Mine are metal but plastic would do the job as well. 

Push the pointy end of the needle through the wire loop and pull it down not quite all the way. Then wrap the ends of the wire around the needle in opposite directions. It doesn't matter that an inch or two will show at the front. Secure the needle to the back of the flower with two pieces of tape. And there you have it, so simple.

I don't have many different colours, look out for discarded cans.

Add them to any kind of pot plants. You could put one in each of your pots, or put several in together.

You can stick them into a thick conifer hedge.

Or you can stick them on top of a hedge.

Very colourful, I'm going to make some more. Home made is much better than shop bought. Make your garden unique and individual. Are you going to try it?

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip