What a cheek.

 Shropshire Council is piloting giving powers to volunteers to do highways maintenance including litter picking under certain conditions. Something to keep an eye on.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clypryry0rqo....

A new pilot scheme in Shropshire will see volunteers given powers to carry out low-risk maintenance jobs like litter picking, sign cleaning and small pothole repairs.

Volunteers will be co-ordinated by the parish council, with small scale highway and street scene works carried out at agreed locations across the parish.

One of the pilot's first tasks is to fix ditches and drains to clear road surfaces of water.

Litter picking volunteers already do a good job. They generally go above and beyond what they are supposed to do. We are told not to tackle fly tipping as the items are usually bulky and heavy. The instruction is to report any we find to the Council and they will come and remove it. Often they are not very quick to come out and do this, and there is a chance that the fly tip will grow bigger as people add to it. 

In the article they want volunteers to carry out small scale highway and street works, and to fix ditches and drains to clear road surfaces after heavy rain. 

If this scheme is successful it could be adopted in other places. If this happens I will be looking for other opportunities to volunteer. The reason I do this is flexibility. I can choose where I work, when I work, and for how long I want to work. I am not going to join a scheme where I need training, or where I am allocated certain jobs. I think this is a step too far. 

Now going to Aldi.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Community spirit

 Love Brigg The Brigg Community Partnership

Just a reminder of the next litter pick organised by CPRE in the centre of Brigg this Saturday, 16th May.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Jane

This is really catching on. People are keen to get out there and clean up their towns. 

I wonder how many people they are expecting to come. This covers Brigg Town Centre, and it appears to be for one hour only. 

Brigg Town Centre is usually quite tidy. They might be struggling to find some litter. They would find more if they split up and went further afield. 

It will be a good opportunity for pickers to socialise and make new friends. Sorry, I can't go. It is my Birthday on Saturday and I will be doing other things. Contact the organiser if you fancy joining in. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona. 

2 + 1 = 3

Here is a short video I knocked up this morning on the benefits of litter picking.

How to meet new people and make new friends

 Get yourself some bags and a litter picking stick. Put a smile on your face and people will talk to you.

I wasn't going to do any picking today. After Crafty Club I went across the road and had a natter with Angela, then went home and put the heating on because the weather has turned cold again. My intention was to get on with my sewing project. It was about 5.30pm when I suddenly jumped up and took myself off to my usual picking site on the Industrial Estate. There was something I wanted to check out. I don't very often walk around the pond, but I had seen someone having a barbeque yesterday, and I wanted to check if they had left any mess behind. 

I parked and took a couple of carrier bags with me because there's no way I could get a trolley down there. So I did a circuit of the pond, assisted by a lorry driver who was parked there for the night. We have met before. I think he was pleased that he came with me. Better than sitting in his cab all night. He will be going to bed early because he has to pick his trailer up at 4am then drive to Scotland. We filled the bags, I transferred the contents to a red bag. So there you have it. Another red bag plus a smaller bag of glass bottles. Back home by 7.30pm. 

Now I must put the hedgehog food out. It's getting dark and they will be here soon. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

The way I see it.

 Something to think about. 

Artificial Intelligence ensures we are all captivated by the bollocks of it all. 

Off to Crafty Club. See ya later. Toodle pip.   

Psychology has the answers

Every day I discover a little bit more about myself and my life. This video matches my thoughts exactly.  I've been on a bit of a roller coaster ride at times. I sometimes followed my heart, like you do when you get carried away with the moment, but eventually I followed my head. When things went wrong I knew how to put things right. I made the right choices. 

In this video, you’ll discover: • Why some women intentionally choose to live alone • The psychological depth behind independence and solitude • How self-love and emotional healing shape a woman’s life path • The connection between Jungian psychology and feminine growth • Why emotional strength increases with self-awareness and maturity

Two hours of  litter picking this afternoon, along the main road going into town. If I find any other bags I use them as well. Starting another pile. I'll add to it as the week goes on, that's unless the Council comes along and takes it away. 

Since starting this litter picking lark I am meeting a lot more people. Today a man on a bicycle stopped to chat. He was from Latvia and has been living here for ten years. He is settled and is buying a house. Not married, no partner, not gay. He laughed. I asked him because I am cheeky.

 

As I was finishing the picking a man pulled up in a van, and took his dog for a walk around the pond. When he came back I was still there tidying up. We chatted, and guess what, he has a haulage company. Of course we had lots to chat about. I told him some stories, and he laughed his socks off when I told him my CB handle. It was Flying Fanny, if you didn't know. 

So if you want to meet some new people and make some friends, don't bother with a dating site. Don't hang out in pubs and clubs. Get yourself a few bags and a litter picking stick. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Local litter checking circuit

 I did a local check round on the litter situation yesterday. Through the churchyard and out of the back gate. There is a footpath through to a housing estate, which a lot of people use as a short cut. I was surprised to see that the people in the big house in the corner has chopped down most of the hedging between the fence and their garage. The rickety fence is very old and won't last much longer. This has exposed numerous bottles and cans, and now looks a mess. I will tidy it up, even though as a litter picker, we don't go into private gardens. I dragged the church bin through the gate and put it close to the fence, so I could reach over and pick up the debris. I could do with a longer stick, so I hopped over the fence to dig out the hard to reach stuff. Looks much better now. It will be interesting to see what they do with this narrow strip of land. 

Onward I walked to the picnic area car park. They still call it a picnic area although nobody could picnic there now because it is so overgrown. 

There is a litter bin here, but it is not big enough. I pulled out the extra black binbag that someone had tried to put in, then proceeded to pick up all the fast food debris and fill the extra bag. Two nitrous oxide cannisters were found in the bushes. Here is a description. We don't get many of them around here, but I believe they are popular around town and city centres. 

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a colorless, slightly sweet-smelling gas used medically for sedation, recreationally for euphoria, and industrially as an oxidizer and propellant. 

I left it all tidy, but this car park needs regular monitoring. 

Sunday morning and the sun is shining. 

Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Saturday night . . . . . . .

 . . . . . . . . is film night.

BAFTA-winning drama starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. A plucky young hairdresser starts university and meets a cynical professor who takes her under his wing. 1983

One of my all time favourite films. I bought the soundtrack on an LP, remember black vinyl. Several scenes stick in my mind. Remember the singsong in the pub where Rita's mum sheds a tear. The line, 'there has to be a better song'. There is. Never give up, there is always a better song.

It's a shame there was never a sequel to this, where she followed him to Australia. 

Goodnight. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Not again.

 Posted in 2021 on Bill Gate's vaccine website Gavi:

2000 – Gavi is the result of a broad collaboration, with the Gates Foundation as the largest financial and visionary driving force in the initial phase. Other founding partners: WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Please be mindful. Look after your own health first.

Have a great weekend. Toodle pip. ilona

Let's Booooogie

Here is your weekend bonus. 

A very special moment at the piano with Jools Holland & Ladyva, captured at his home in London.

Worth two minutes of your time. 

Toodle pip.   ilona
 

Great Yarmouth - Great Britain

 You dun it Rupert. Now keep going. 

Have a GREAT weekend. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Don't fall off the edge

Good evening. Well that's the elections over, done and dusted. Did you get who you wanted in your area. Mr Starmer had a bit of a wake up call. From listening to his speech afterwards, it seems that he refuses to be pushed out of the door. He still thinks he has a chance of turning things around for our country. He is living in cloud cuckooooo land. His hands are tied, he will carry on following orders. 

I knocked up this video this morning, and left it uploading while I went out. It's a bit tongue in cheek. A micky take. If you are offended, so be it.   

Remember the litter I found at South Ferriby yesterday. Today I went back to tidy it up. I parked my car in the lane, and went down a track to the waters edge, with a carrier bag and my picking stick. I was foraging around in the reeds and found loads of plastic bottles and cans which must have been washed up from the river on high tides hundreds of time. I couldn't go right into it, didn't want to lose my balance and fall into the mud. 

Back at the car I was wondering how to do the next pick. There is a wide open gate across the path, and the rest of the litter was about a quarter of a mile down there. The sign on the gate says no entry. I could get my trolley set up and walk down there. Just then a little truck came along so I waved at the driver to stop. I told him what I wanted to do, but would rather drive to the spot. As luck would have it he knew the farmer who's land I wanted to drive onto. Although it is a public footpath, vehicles are not allowed. The very nice man rang the farmer and told him what I wanted to do. Back came the reply, tell her she has my permission to drive down. Well that was good, saved me a lot of bother dragging my trolley back and forth. 

There is the River Humber, a long way down below the steep cliff. Don't fall off the edge. It was lovely to have a change of scenery. Nice and quiet and nobody watching me. Not a soul about. 

Plenty to pick. I filled the bag. 

All bagged up ready to go. One small bag of glass bottles. Plus a thing that floats in the water. Must have fallen off a boat. 

There is a small pond and a garden which the residents look after, and a very convenient litter bin next to it. Another one for the Council to collect. 

I might look for more places to pick litter. Will check the Industrial Estate from time to time. 

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

Danger - Bus on fire.

 Stagecoach

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Get in your car at any time of the day or night. Go where you want to go. Stop and start. Have a break. Long journeys or short journeys. No timetables. Build your car costs into your overall budget. It's that easy. 

Or, stop driving your car, sit on a bus with a lot of sweaty people. But make sure it's not this one. Stagecoach bus on fire this morning on the slip road off the Humber bridge. Other photo's showed that the fire started at the back in the engine compartment. The driver was quick thinking and got everyone off safely. Now the bridge is closed to allow emergency services to recover the wreckage.  

Have a good day. Stay at home and don't go anywhere, then you will be safe.

Toodle pip.   ilona

High above the river.

Today I went to The Ropewalk at Barton, to pay £55 for a bookbinding workshop that I want to do. Here is a tutorial on Coptic Bookbinding. Everything is supplied, take your own lunch. I am looking forward to that. Something new to learn.

Then I parked at South Ferriby and went for a walk along part of the Viking Way footpath, which starts at the Humber Bridge. It follows the river for a while. This section is high up with some good views across to the other side. No sunshine today though, it was cloudy.  

Ferriby Hall is now a private residence once again, having formerly been used as nursing home. Originally a private house until at least the 1960s. In 1953 some contents of the house were lent to Hull Museum on permanent loan. The house was owned in the 1960s by the Booty Family but had to be sold after Leonard Booty, grandson of Frederick Booty absconded with the family inheritance

Two swans cruising down the river. 

Then one got out and went foraging for food. It's quite high up here with no access to the beach. No sand, just thick mud. 

There is an area which attracts youngsters hanging out. There is car access so they come here to party. 

There is rather a lot of litter. I may come back here and fill a bag or two. 

A nice bracing walk. Windy but not too cold. 

I did this walk in 2020. Here is the blog post with photo's. I did go down onto the beach then. 

Two hedgehogs so far tonight. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Voting has started.

Here we go, the boxing gloves are out. The circus begins. My faith in political parties to do the right thing, have diminished greatly. It's inevitable that people will vote for more of the same. They feel comfortable with knowing what's coming down the line. They will continue to follow whatever instructions they are given. 

I am hoping that people will take the leap of faith and give other options a chance. Career politicians are not working in the interests of you, me, the working class, the patriots of Great Britain. They are embroiled in a battle for world dominance, funded by the corrupt, and mainly bankrupt, global elite. Numbers on a spread sheet are easily manipulated. Follow the debt, not the money. 

What will be will be. I watch with interest. I will not get into a debate about political shenanigans. 

In the meantime I get on with my own life. 

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

Litter picking plan was almost scuppered.

There were quite a few faces missing from the Coffee Morning, this morning. Holidays perhaps. One new lady came along. Her husband recently passed away and she came to see what the club was about. Everyone made her welcome, so I think she will come again. 

After a natter with Angela I went home and had some lunch. The drizzle had stopped and the sky brightened up, so I decided to have a couple of hours litter picking. I wanted to tackle the small fly tip which I spotted on my last visit. This is what I found when I got there. They have blocked the entrance to the road off and I couldn't drive my car to the end of it to start the job. I decided to walk down to it. At the halfway point I had already filled my bag, so I turned round and walked back. 

There was still time to fill another bag so I went back to a fly tip I had started picking at last week. So my two bags from the last pick turned into four. Someone has added the Lidl bag. 

As I was loading my car up and putting the trolley away two teenage boys walking by stopped to put their drinks cans into the litter bin. I thanked them for being considerate. Then we discussed littering and why people do it. What intelligent boys they were, a joy to speak to. They are college students, and one of them lives in my village. As the conversation went on it became apparent that they know exactly what all the troubles in the world are about. They were definitely wide awake. I hope there are more young people like these. It gives me hope for the future. 

Three hedgehogs are scoffing at the moment. I must go out and fetch Mayze in. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona