Monday, 9 March 2026

What I did yesterday

Good moaning, ooops sorry, morning. Forgot myself for a minute. 😁😘😵
This is the house on the corner of where I parked yesterday to start a litter pick. The people love having birds in their garden, and scatter copious amounts of bird seed to encourage them to come on in. It's nosh time. 
Every time something disturbed them they took flight. I tried to capture them in the air and almost got run over by traffic coming around the corner. Good job I had my yellow vest on. 

Like a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock's film. 
I planned to do a short stretch of road that I hadn't had time to finish on Saturday. It is never as easy as you think it might be. A lot of the litter was partially buried in the long grass. Some people only use the red bags, but they are very heavy when full. I have my own method. Fill two carrier bags first, walk back to the car, then empty them into the red sack. I did this up and down method twice, First one side, then the other. 
Oooh look what I found. 
There is a bus shelter with a litter bin next to it, so that's where I left my two bags. The Council will be along today to take them away. I will check on that later, as well as the two other piles I parked elsewhere. 
Remember the video I did on the possible next location for picking? The grottiest spot I have ever seen, it's on and Industrial Estate. Well it came up on the Scunthorpe pickers page last night. Someone has been to sort it out. Oh gooodie I thought, I don't have to do it. But, reading the report more closely it seems that they didn't do the whole length of it. Yes, they got 18 bags out, but there is still a lot left. I will go and have a look, to see if there is more to be done. 
Now I need to wash my hair before I go to Crafty Club.
Thanks for popping in. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.    ilona

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Party Political Broadcast

Good morning. 
It's a bit overcast, no sun as yet but we can live in hope. Look on the bright side, it's not raining. 
WARNING. This is a politically incorrect post. It is said that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but what is the first thing you see in front of your eyes. My gut instinct speaks to me. Yep, he is good looking, or nope, not to my liking. 
My first reaction on seeing Pierre Poilievre on my screen was WOW, now that is eye candy. As soon as he opened his mouth I just knew. I'm going to like this man. The voice, deep and velvety. Never heard of him before, but I was lured into listening to the whole interview. Naughty me, judging him on his looks. 
Watch this interview here.  7,909 comments and all positive. 
About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians.
Remember this fiasco? Trudeau made a right pigs ear of it didn't he. 
Trudeau might have been good looking but what came out of his mouth was pathetic.  

On the other hand, Pierre is one gorgeous hunk, with ooodles of common sense. You get the full package here. 

I think we should start a campaign to find the sexiest man on the planet. I nominate Pierre. 
Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Saturday, 7 March 2026

Funny but not funny

 Happy Saturday

What a daft idea. Somebody tweeeeted this. 

It’s no wonder we have rising crime when the police roll out on patrol in something that looks like Postman Pat’s van! Also proving that even electric Tuk-Tuks lose 82% of their resale value in 2 years.


The force said: 'Four tuk-tuk vehicles, rolled out in Newport and Abergavenny as "safe spaces" for those residing or visiting Gwent are now available to provide crime prevention advice, report incidents to and seek help from if you are feeling unsafe.

'Our tuk-tuks will be used both during the day and night, driven by our officers and "ambassadors" such as those employed by Newport NOW as part of a Newport City Council initiative.

'The tuk-tuks will be used to patrol parks, walkways and other public spaces across Newport and Abergavenny.'

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A longish litter picking walk today. I did this area a couple of weeks ago. Fresh litter found. Drinks cans and takeaway wrappers, thrown out of passing cars. Some old bottles buried in hedge bottoms. I will sleep well tonight. 

Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Friday, 6 March 2026

There were 91 green bottles . . . .

Good evening. 
The weather has been a bit dull today. I went out for a couple of hours this afternoon. A nice and easy litter pick, or so I thought. On a nearby Industrial Estate. I drive through it sometimes and it doesn't seem too bad. A nice stroll with a bag and a stick. 
I parked in a layby, and set off down a straight and quiet road. Not many vehicles enter the Estate here, they all use the other entrance just off the main road. 
There is a roundabout at the bottom with thick hedging on it. I checked around the edges. Ooooh, quite a lot of glass bottles. I reached in with my picking stick and pulled them out. Then I went down a short dead end side road. I found more bottles. 
In total there were 91 bottles. The green bag has 30 bottles in it, which I topped up with more. That was as much as I could lift into my car.  
All loaded up. That's it, I've done enough. 

Drop them off at the other end next to the litter bin. The Council will pick them up from here. 

Five o clock, straight back home. Billy will be waiting for his walk. 

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

Things are looking up

 Good morning. 

Friday morning is not looking too good outside, unlike yesterday when the sun was shining. After the litter picking and after a quick lunch, I went off to Hull for the afternoon. That's Kingston upon Hull if you are posh. 

First of all, when arriving by bus or train check the poster displayed in the Station to see if you are allowed to wander around freely. If you have been naughty and your Implied Permission has been withdrawn, get straight back on a train or a bus, and go back to where you came from. Behave yourself and stop mucking about. That is my interpretation of this poster anyway.

Let's go to Hullabaloo. Looking up at the fantastic architecture here. Wall to wall piccies. 
There you are. You don't need to go there now, you have seen it all here. 🙋🙋🙋

Thanks for popping in. The weekend is coming. Make it a good one. 

Toodle pip.   ilona


Thursday, 5 March 2026

Painting pylons

Good evening.
Tiredness is catching up with me now. I went to Kingston upon Hull this afternoon. On the way to Barton to get the bus I spotted two men working on a pylon. Had to ask them what they were doing. On closer inspection I see they are covered in paint. One of them came down to have a chat with me. The third one came out of his van. 
They were such fun, telling me all about their job. I asked if I could put their picture on my blog. They offered to pose, and said, yeah, sure. 

Now I am yawning so I will cut this short. I have some photo's of Hull which I will post tomorrow. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona
 

Toxic people. Edited

 Hello. I have copied this from Lee Asher's Faceboook page. He has had a lot of aggravation from trolls. 

The Asher House

21h 
If you ever want to do something great in this world, you have to learn how to deal with the hate that will come with it.
I recently received a message from an animal rescuer asking how to handle the online criticism and attacks she’s been facing. Sadly, this is something I hear about all the time. Many people in animal rescue and even people outside of it come to me asking how to deal with the negativity that shows up when you put yourself out there.
The truth is, it takes an incredibly unhappy and toxic person to want to hurt someone who is trying to do something good in the world. But the reality is that online bullying is real, and in the animal rescue community especially, it has caused deep pain. Tragically, some incredible people have even taken their own lives because of it.
So if you’re facing criticism right now, please remember this: there is always far more love and support for you than hate. The loudest voices are rarely the majority.
When you choose a path of purpose, you will be tested. Not because you’re failing but because you’re being asked if you’re strong enough to continue the work you were meant to do.
Take the hate as a sign that you’re on the right path.
We’re all here to help each other grow, to challenge each other to be better and ultimately to learn how to lead with love.
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Tammie from the Charity Pumpkin the Wheelie Westie, has also been suffering from online bullies. She has put a video out about it.
It does seem like there is an epidemic of hate, and it's growing. Lee and Tammie are posting about it. And of course my troll is still hounding me.
Catch ya later. Toodle pip. ilona
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EDIT.
Just found this. Someone criticising litter pickers. English is not their first language. 😆
Reply from UK Litterpicking Group.

Comments & posts such as this have no place in this group ....declined & banned . If people really think that the council street cleaners could cope without volunteers then they're seriously wrong......we do many areas that street cleaners can not, there are many streets & parks in towns that would take the few cleaners a year to do where we know areas need regular cleaning not once now n again ....so if you see Comments like this that normally ....not always ....get declined ....please don't engage with them as they are not worth your valuable time ....just report to admin & we'll happily remove comment & ban member.....obviously they do not share our values when it comes to litter . The group is growing increasingly in numbers & soo many fantastic posts & supportive comments,so keep up the great work all & huge thanks to everyone one of you & you are all so very much appreciated

Comment just come in to my blog.
Oh lol! Linda has nailed it.
You say it is an online diary but it isn’t your want applause and people saying how wonderful you are. And if there is a bit of casual racism even better.

There are some sick people about. 
When something is going wrong in someone's life, all they can do is lash out and attack others. If you are being bullied don't be a victim. They have the problem. 

Three red bags and a pile of junk

Hello. I'm on my lunch break. 
Just spent the morning finishing off the litter pick which I started at the weekend. Only one more bag and that should do it. Erm.. no. It never is one more bag. You think you've got it all, you backtrack to return to your car, and bugger me, there is plenty more that you missed the first time. 
Poor car, looking a bit mucky now. 
I deposited it at the same road sign on the bend, as they were so quick to pick it up last time. 

Job done, now it's me time. Glorious sunshine here. Got to catch a bus. See you later. 

Toodle pip.   ilona
 

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

An energetic hobby.

Good evening. 
Coffee Morning at the club this morning. A bit low on numbers, but that doesn't lessen the amount of noise. Lots of chattering going on. 
This is the second video I recorded on Monday, after shopping. A walk through a short stretch of road leading to a footpath, on an Industrial Estate. Oh my, such a lot of rubbish. If I am going to tackle this it will need a lot of visits. 
I went back to where I was picking at the weekend, to finish the job off. Filled one red sack to bursting point. Found bigger pieces of rubbish dumped. I walked there from home because the sun was shining and it was surprisingly hot. I wore a jacket but wish I hadn't. My pickings were too heavy to carry back to the village. I was going to come back in my car to collect them but ran out of time. Watching the sun go down as I walked home. I will go and collect the piles I have left by the roadside in the morning. . 
Another tiring day. It's surprising how much energy you need to constantly pick up cans and bottles, even with a stick. There's a lot of stretching and reaching under hedges to be done. The bag becomes very heavy. 

Now I'm going to chill with Mayze. She is waiting for me to stop typing.

Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Happy Birthday Mother

 Thinking about you. 

You showed me the right way, and you gave me the freedom to choose. 

Lots of love from your first daughter, ilona

Threats

 Rupert Lowe MP

Last night, there was another arrest following a credible death threat against me. The concerted campaign of hate against Restore Britain has had two consequences. I now have private security. And I am more determined than ever to ensure Restore Britain wins the next election.

It's a sad bad world. Go outside the sun is shining. ilona