Textile art

Happy Friday everyone.

I have added stems to the flowers. Tried them in various vases, glasses, and containers but it's difficult to arrange them into a bunch without them falling over. I think I might frame them something like this, so that they are separated, and all the colours are visible. The stems are from old artificial flowers. I have  wrapped them in green wool. 

I will think about it. Maybe I will add some leaves. I will have a look at the frames I have.

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Who is Colin Brazier

Some useful links. 

A video from Outpost Studios. 

 Brazier is back. 

Who is Colin Brazier. 

Colin Brazier is a household name in Britain’s news for decades. With a robust presence in television broadcasting, he is recognized by his reflective reporting, grave presentation, and extensive knowledge of world and country affairs.

Colin and his late wife, Joanna raised six children together. She sadly died in 2018 after fighting cancer. Her loss was a loss that not only affected the children and Colin as individuals but also severely affected people who were used to watching Colin all these years.

Colin Brazier is not just a newsreader. He is an old reporter, who has endured the big stories of our era—and explained them to others. From his extended tenure at Sky News to working for GB News, he has been consistent and reflective.

Mike Graham chats with Colin in this yoootooob video.

It's a gardening day today. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

You'll never guess what I found.

Good evening.

I was going to cut down on the litter picking and have a few days off. But . . . I couldn't resist going out today. I went a bit earlier hoping it would be a bit cooler. Only an hour, and one bag, I said to myself. Back to Bagmoor Lane. 

Parked my car next to this black bag. Oh no, I recognise that smell. Didn't need to look in it, another dead animal. I started my picking a bit further along the lane. 

This is the back wall of the park, with woodland on the other side. I looked over it and found fly tipping.

 

A shopping trolley with no handle and no wheels. Don't know how this got here, there are no shops nearby. 

A lot of black bin bags, and that smell again. Another report for the Council I think. I am not touching this. 

I soon filled the red bag up. Then I found an empty black bag and filled that as well.

18 glass bottles, bagged up in a sturdy bag, and labelled, Litter picked by a volunteer. 

Then guess what I found. A full couples toy kit wrapped in a bag, still in the box. 😄😂😎

In the red bag it went, after I checked it for batteries. Only found one very small one which I removed. 

All stacked up nicely in a prominent position on a busy road. Awaiting collection. 

I posted my report on the Council web site and got a reference number. Hopefully they will come and check out those black bags which I am sure contain animal remains. 

My one hour litter pick lasted two hours. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona
 

Careful when charging . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . . . . .your lithium batteries.

News item from Cornwall Live. 

A heartbreaking tragedy has struck a Cornish family after sixty years of cherished memories and generations of hard work went up in smoke in a matter of hours.

On Sunday, July 18, a ferocious fire tore through Saddle Rock Farm in Rejerrah, sending a massive plume of dark smoke billowing into the sky that could be seen for miles across mid-Cornwall.

What began as a routine afternoon turned into a nightmare when a lithium battery left on charge suddenly caught alight, igniting a catastrophic inferno that destroyed everything in its path.

The smallholding between Newquay and Truro was far more than just a piece of land; it was a deeply sentimental sanctuary built from the ground up by the owner's late father over six decades ago.

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

I have given up with rechargeable tools and equipment. They are useless anyway, never hold their charge for long enough. The only thing I recharge is my mobile phone and camera batteries. and only when I am in the house to keep an eye on them.

And as for electric cars, look how many catch fire. On driveways when charging, when parked in multistory car parks, and even when they are being transported on ferries across the seas.

If you want to take that risk then so be it.

Catch you later. Toodle pip. ilona

Slobs

I know, you have had enough of me rabbiting on about litter. Scroll through if you don't want to see the reality of how it is blighting our countryside. 

On my way to Lincoln on Saturday I stopped for a few minutes at this layby on the other side of Scunthorpe. It's called Mortal Ash layby. It's a long layby set back off the dual carriageway A 18. There is a tumbledown shack that is supposed to be a teabar. 

It has been a magnet for litter and fly tipping for many years. Not so long ago a team of pickers went in there over several days to clear it up. Now it's as bad again, if not worse than before. This is just one layby. 

I see lots of pictures like this on UK Litter pickers page. Teams of pickers do a good job all over the UK, but we are fighting a losing battle. Things have changed since I was a nipper, I can't ever remember scenes like this when I was growing up in a village and running around footloose and fancy free. People took pride in their frontage, rubbish was stored in the right place, not just discarded wherever they felt like it. 

I wish I could come up with some answers. Litter pickers will continue to tidy up their patch, but we are outnumbered by the amount of slobs who couldn't give a toss, literally, about the area around them. Chuck it anywhere, as long as it's out of my sight. 

Have a nice day. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Crowle Agricultural Show.

Good afternoon. 

It is Tuesday. Another day out on Sunday. I went to Crowle Agricultural Show. I was in two minds whether to go or not. Do I feel like it, do I want to, do I need to. I looked at last years blog post. Ah ha, I bought cheese from a stall there. I will go and buy some more cheese. Big disappointment, she wasn't there. 

Never mind, I'll take a few photo's. Not many, I have seen most of it before, and it's not a very big show. Have a scroll through these. 

Combines are busy in the fields just now. I am seeing lots of videos of them at work. Some great drone footage coming out. 

I watched a family excitedly looking at these pictures. A little girl was excited to see hers on the board. 

I felt sorry for the cows, being tethered like that. It was warm but there was a breeze going through the open sided tent. People kept reaching in to stroke them. The agricultural side of these shows puts me off going to any more. 

Two fluffy sheep. Looks like they had a wash and brush up before they came. 

Lots of rosettes to win if you present an animal in good condition. 

The bonus of this day out was that I met a smashing couple from Yorkshire. They were sat at a picnic bench and I asked if I could join them. Yes, of course. They very politely introduced themselves. Stacey and Robert. We got chatting, as you do. What a coincidence, we had so much in common it felt like we were old friends. These are my kind of people. When you know instantly that you are going to have a rapport with strangers, it's like instant connection. Events are all about meeting people. 

So I went home with a smile on my face, I had forgotten all about the cheese. 

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

A bit more of Lincoln

It is Monday morning so I am catching up on the weekend posts. I went out yesterday to Crowle Show, so that post is still to come. So for now, what did I do after I had seen all I wanted to see at the Castle. I took a slow and unsteady walk down the cobbled Steep Hill onto the High Street. 

Lots of people about as you can imagine on a Saturday afternoon. I didn't linger as I passed the shops, just wanted to get through the crowds. My next port of call was a charity shop. If you read my blog you will remember that Pumpkin and Friends, run by Tammy and Richard, fit wheelchairs to disabled dogs. I went to see them at the Showground recently for the disabled dog walk. If you want to read about that here is the link for May 27th. 

They have a new seating area at the back of the shop. Coffee is served at £1 a cup. Much cheaper than other establishments. If you are in Lincoln regularly they give you a loyalty card to collect stamps. Five cups and the next one is free. The shop is just off the High Street at the front of where the Post Office depot vans pull in. Not far from the railway crossing. 

Then I took to wandering about with my camera, looking for a few interesting shots. The pink foliage caught my eye. 

Reflections in the water under the footbridge. 

Oh dear, ugly graffiti.

The Firth Road area looks pretty run down. A mix of new buildings in close proximity to empty abandoned warehouses and factories. A lot of student accommodation around here. 

Boarded up, nature is reclaiming it. 

The Modern Students Union building and Arts Centre. 

A walk along Brayford Wharf, over the bridge and back down the other side. Late Saturday afternoon and the pubs and eateries were thronging with party goers. I stood for a few minutes people watching when a woman I recognised left her friends and came to speak to me. Amazing coincidence. I met her a  few months ago at the Showground. Talking to strangers pays off. She runs a charity shop in a nearby village. 

I made my way back up the High Street and Steep Hill, very slowly. I'm glad I made the effort to go. Twas most enjoyable. 

I will post the pictures of Crowle Show when I have time. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

40's style in Lincoln.

Now I am fully awake after a good nights sleep. Sunday morning. So did you guess where I went  yesterday? Yep, Lincoln. I parked at the top of Steep Hill on Wragby Road. A side road off it, upon reading the signs no restrictions on a Saturday. 

A pleasant walk down to the castle and cathedral, a taxing walk back up later on. There was a forties event on at the castle. Free to go in. I love to see people dress up in their vintage costumes. Walk straight in, no charge. 

The first person I spoke to was wearing a yellow vest with a lanyard around her neck. Had to say hello, a fellow solo litter picker. What a nice lady. Hello to Jackie. Lincoln litter pickers post on Instagram. I must say, walking all around Lincoln centre, it was very clean. I noticed several purple bags of picked litter awaiting collection. Well done Lincoln Litter Pickers. 

I also noticed a young man dressed in orange overalls emptying the bins with his picking stick. I asked him if he was a volunteer, and no, he is paid by a company who have a contract with the council to keep the place tidy. Good idea I thought. Access to the bins by a vehicle is almost impossible, so this job has to be done by hand. 

A stage set up inside the grounds. Lady belting out 40's songs. Lots of applause.  

Man playing with guns, woman drinking a cup of tea. 

I'll show you how to take this gun apart, and put it back together again. 

Interesting set up for a camp. 

Woman selling home baked cakes. I bought one, £4.50, gulp. Supporting a local business. 

People queuing up to climb the steps to the walk around the walls. I have done this before, no need to go again, plus I don't like shuffling forward in a queue. 

This lovely couple happily posed for a photo. They drove themselves here in their vintage car which was on display at the front of the Cathedral. 

Chatting around the vintage vehicles. Twas a great atmosphere. 

The Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society selling their memorabilia. 

Rides on a horse and carriage if you fancy that. 

Lots going on in Lincoln today. More snap happy photo's to come.

See ya soon. Toodle pip.   ilona