It's been a lovely day, wall to wall blue skies. Too nice to stay in. I went to Blacktoft Sands.
It's on the south bank of the River Ouse. You have to drive through several villages to get to it. Crossing the River Trent at Gunness, I went through Keadby, Amcotts, Luddington, Garthorpe, and Adlingfleet.
I remember visiting this place when lockdown was a thing, and was very disappointed when I found the gate was locked and it was closed. Why was a walk around the Nature Reserve not allowed.
I had just missed the reception today, the volunteers had locked up. Never mind, I am here for the walk, and I may spot a few birds. I don't know much about birds anyway.
Go left down the path for these Hides.
Maybe there is a Hide down here.
Yep, found one. Now what kind of birds are those. There are charts on the walls inside the Hide if you want to identify what you are seeing.
A bit more zoom wanted to bring them closer. I'm still not sure.
Oooh wow, look at that one. It took about ten shots to get this one picture. There was a man in the Hide with his huge long lens camera, he said it is a heron.
This is one of the Hides, it is a double decker, upstairs and downstairs. There are six altogether, and I went in all of them looking for some more birds.
I will never be a proper Twitcher with all the gear. You have to sit for a long time, sometimes hours, for a rare bird to come along. I wouldn't have the patience.
It was a nice afternoon out. Back home for 7pm and greeted by hungry cats waiting at the door.
I recoded a video this morning and left it downloading onto yoootooob while I went out.
This advert popped up on my face-it-book page on Friday morning during my first coffee of the day bimble on 'tinternet. I hadn't any plans of how I was going to spend the day, this answered it for me. Leave home just after 4pm, drive to the bridge, park underneath it, and walk across to the other side of the river.
I had heard about this show, but not been to it before. I believe it happens four times a year. At 5.30pm the time I arrived the car park was filling up fast. People had set off early and it was half full already. See that road going up behind the trees, that goes up to the steps for pedestrians and cyclists to get on the bridge.
Difficult to know how many vehicles there were. A couple of hundred at least. I took photo's of the most eye catching to me.
This monster came on the back of a flatbed truck, although the owner said it is road legal. When they started it up at the end to load it onto the truck the racket it made, and the smoke billowing out of it, made me wonder if it had the ability to take off and fly back home. It is for sale if you are interested.
This is a quirky little cab with a flatbed on the back. I am not familiar with some of the makes of these vehicles, but this I think is a Morris Minor.
A 1937 Fiat, because it says so in the windscreen.
Fancy a sporty job. Not for me, I don't like my arse dragging on the ground. Beautiful condition.
I saw a gentleman studying something in the engine compartment of his beautifully restored Rover. He had the bonnet up and his hands were smeared with oil as he was fiddling with something. I asked him if there was a problem. He didn't seem interested in having a conversation so his reply was somewhat hesitant. When he realised that I was genuinely interested he opened up.
It was a long story of how he came to buy this particular make of car. Briefly, he was a passenger in a friends car some years ago. The car came off the road in a remote area, it flipped onto the roof and he was trapped, very badly injured. His mate managed to get out and eventually flagged someone down, after several passers by refused to help saying they didn't have time. Someone did stop, and they managed to get him into the car. There was blood everywhere, he had a bad head injury.
The stranger took him to hospital where he stayed for a month. He made it known that he wanted to pay for the cleaning of the vehicle. Luckily the driver had left an envelope at the hospital reception. He thought this may contain the drivers details. When it was time for him to leave the hospital they handed him the envelope. Inside was a piece of paper which said, Good Luck. Some time later he noticed a car for sale, the exact make and model of the one which had picked him up. He took this as an omen and bought it. The Good Samaritan had saved his life.
Another quirky on. I like quirky.
I asked the owner of this one if it had a hood. What does he do if it rains. He said, put a hat on. 😄
This is an Elswick Envoy. I know that because if you right click on a picture and choose 'search the web', it will throw up similar vehicles.
Old army vehicles are collectors items.
I happened to bump into two friends from my village who were there by chance. They had been to Hull and came across some of these vehicles heading towards the bridge car park. Not being in a hurry they stopped to wander around. They asked me what car I would choose if I had unlimited money to spend. My choice, this gorgeous Mercedes. I love the way the owner has set up his table and chair and was enjoying his afternoon tea.
Take a look at this. How cool. I have seen this set up before at other shows.
Cute. Someones pride and joy.
All sorts of vehicles on show.
Years ago I nearly bought an ex army vehicle. I was hooked on going to Truck Shows and wanted something a bit eye catching. I had a look at some in a yard at Fradley near Lichfield. After some careful consideration I decided a petrol engine was not going to be a good idea. I looked at getting it changed to a diesel, but that sounded too complicated and too costly. So I abandoned that idea. I bought an old ambulance instead.
This looks very much like a Ford Ranchero.
I remember seeing Rovers like this one about when I was pottering around in my Bedford Viva Van. Rover was greatly admired as the cream of the crop. Only well off people could afford them. I got chatting to the owner. David from Selby has been coming to these rallies for a long time, but it is the first one he has been to with his own classic car. Fairly newish to him, he is chuffed to bits with it. We had a terrific conversation. I shall be looking out for him at the next one in 2025.
And so, darkness was looming, time to walk back across that bridge. Heading up the steps I came across a family of five, and as I was in a good mood after an enjoyable evening, I struck up yet another conversation. We walked together to the first tower and stopped to admire the view. Then said goodbye as they turned round to go home.
Looking back. My car is still where I parked underneath it thank goodness.
You've seen the pictures, now watch the movie.
Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip. ilona
PS. I have saved photos of two cars because there is a story to tell about them. See you soon.
Good morning, it's Saturday again. The weeks are flying by, it will soon be Christmas. 😈 I recorded this video a week ago so it is a bit late appearing here. I went to Doddington Hall on the Friday, and wondered whether I should have another day out the following day. Well the temptation was too great, make the most of opportunities when they arrive. I went back to Lincoln for a Craft event at the Showground.
I didn't take many photo's because similar ones have appeared on this blog previously. I like these types of events where you can meet arty crafty people who make the things they sell. I did a lot of talking that day. I sat outside on a picnic bench to eat my sandwich and people watch. A lady shared the same bench and we got chatting, like you do. 😁 It was a very enlightening conversation, for both of us I think. Her contribution was more of a personal nature. I can be a good listener if I keep my gob shut. 😉 I waffled on about my crazy life, as I do. I don't know if she has found this blog but I wish her well in whatever path she decides to take.
Here are a couple of shots of the Exhibition Hall, Taken about an hour before they closed. The crowds were thinning out a bit by then. There was a cheese seller there so I bought four delicious truckle cheeses for £20.
I will mention this lady. Harriet is the granddaughter of Carol, whose dog Billy I walk. Harriet looks just like her mother and her grandmother, she didn't want to pose for a photo. A bit shy possibly but she is a beautiful young lady inside and out. She is a shepherdess and makes gorgeous items from her own sheep wool. Take a look at her web site, The Wild Shepherdess.
I'll wrap this post up here, because I need to catch up. I went out last night to an event on the North Bank of The Humber Bridge. Parked my car on the South Bank, walked over, and back again. And met some smashing people. Catch ya later when I have uploaded another video. Right now my stomach is shouting out, gimeee food.
If you possess a garment that is a little bit boring, and you don't enjoy wearing it, you could jazz it up a bit with some stitchery and some buttons. Let your imagination run wild. Add colour.
This cardy was £1 from a charity shop. It's functional, made in a far away factory, and it's a bit bland. Needs something. Needs colour. I followed the lines in the pattern and added some colourful running stitches. I took the original matching buttons off and replaced them with colourful odd buttons. I also added extra bigger buttons for decoration.
What next? I know, I need pockets. Old socks worn out on the heels, cut them off at the ankle, and there you go, pockets. Glittery bits added. Now what do I do with the other five pairs of socks? I'll think of something.
I thought about extending the coloured stripes over the shoulders and putting them down the back as well, but that would be too predictable. I need circles. Some on the back and three on one arm. I might add some more later.
I am now looking at my clothes in a different way. Not shoving them to the back of the wardrobe if I don't like them. What could I do to customise them? Maybe start my own fashion label. You never know, the trend might catch on. Friday the 13th, unlucky for some. But lucky for me because I have just found out there is a local event on tonight. I may be going for a walk.
Hello. My working life ended 15 years ago. Now I just please myself. This is my diary. What I do and what I think about. You are welcome to read it. Toodle pip.
