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The Boss. 

Climb every tower

The last few pics from Sunday at Gainsborough. There is a narrow stone spiral staircase up to the top of the tower. Might as well do it while I am here. So what did I see. The church is not far away. 

Hold tight mother, here is a short video. 

After I left the Hall I had a walkabout. The town was very quiet on a Sunday afternoon. Wetherspoons was busy, and so was a bar next to the river. I had a wander through the shopping centre Marshalls Yard. Here are the rules. 

The Railway Station is close by. It's very basic, two platforms with a bridge across the track. No waiting room, no ticket office, no toilets. Buy a ticket with your mobile phone. 

Time to go home. I took a more direct route back to Scunthorpe along the main road. The scenic route is nice, but the twisty narrow roads make it a slow journey. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Sorry not sorry

 Had to hop in with this quickie. 

Traveller still spitting his venom elsewhere. 

Made me LAFF OUT LOUD.

Making up.  ha ha.

😍😂😁😄😝😜😏

Toodle pip.  ilona

Traveller14 September 2026 at 19:25

irresponsible advice - it is very responsible advice. Irresponsible advice is making up all sorts of nonsense about vaccinations and telling people not to get a jabby jabby - that is irresponsible.

Gainsborough Old Hall.

 Good morning. It is Tuesday, I'm playing catch-up with the pictures from Sunday. Gainsborough Old Hall is in the centre of Gainsborough. Easy to find, not far from the river, and well signposted. I parked in a quiet street a few minutes walk away, close to Morton Terrace. 

This looks like an impressive entrance, except the way in is a small door somewhere round the back. This is an English Heritage property. I paid £11.80 concession fee.   

Some photo's as I walked around. It has minimum furnishings, which I don't mind. The simplicity of the room layouts gives your brain space to take it all in. There are plenty of information boards if you wish to linger and read them all. 

Here is the web site. I see there is a classic car gathering on the lawn on the 27th of September. 

I recorded a fifteen minute video if you want to follow me around. 

I climbed the stairs to the top of the tower, and will report on that in the next post.

I was dreaming of a new art project last night. An idea came to me. I will look into that today. It might work if I can find suitable bits and pieces to construct it. 

The sun is shining. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Burringham is a village

 I took the scenic route yesterday to Gainsborough. Following the River Trent, a route that I am familiar with because I have walked most of it. The first village is Burringham. I have written about this previously on my blog. Pictures of the church here. 

Today the door is locked. 

I zoomed in to the garden next door for a couple of pics. They seem to have an abundance of logs, they will be ok for heating through the winter. 

To the right of this pile is another much larger pile behind the greenhouse. 

A fallen half buried tree trunk laid on the ground. 

Crafty Club this morning. I mowed the front lawn this afternoon. I only do it twice a year. It becomes a wild flower meadow in the summer. This afternoon I had a couple of hours picking litter on Foxhills Industrial Estate. Look what I saw. A magnificent Volvo left hooker from Northumberland. What a bonus. 

Two more bags added to my pile. Let's see how long it takes the Council to collect them. It might be tomorrow. 

Mondays are always busy for me. I will have a day off tomorrow. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Ruffled feathers

 I've been out today, not litter picking. 😆 Gainsborough was my destination. Haven't been there for ages, thought I would take a look, have a wander around, take some photo's. I recorded a couple of videos as well. Will post about it tomorrow. 

In the meantime, here is a pigeon taking a bath on my back garden. It seemed to enjoy splashing about and washing under it's wings. The salad bowl I bought for £2 from a charity shop was a good buy. 

Two hedgehogs on the garden tonight. 

I'll be back tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

LAFF OUT LOUD

 Sunday morning and this video has given me a laugh that will last all week. 

😀😁😂😄😍😎😛😝

Enjoy your Sunday.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Staying positive

 I found Sandra Hart. She is ten years older than me. I respect people who are older than I am. They have so many life experiences to share. 

17,695 views 10 Sept 2026 #complacency #speaking #fear

What responsibility do we have to speak on something we value deeply feels threatened, even when speaking may cost us something? I’ve spent years, encouraging people to find their voice and live authentically. What happens when one becomes afraid to use their voice because they might lose something that means a great deal to them? I found myself asking what am I going to do with the voice I have left?

The world is changing, and we must never stop asking questions. 

So, what did I do today. A litter pick of course. I was on Flixborough Industrial Estate. My bag was half full so I turned down another road that I haven't been down before. OMG, such a mess. 

Here are the pictures.

How many bottles of pee ! ! ! I left these there. Will probably go back another day to empty them. 

69 glass bottles. All bagged up. 

Glass dropped off at the wheelie bin. Put my labels on so people won't think it's a fly tip. 

Two black bin bags added to the red ones from yesterday. 

Lots more tidying up to do here, when I have time. 

I met the Council driver who comes to collect the bags and empty the bins today. He seems a nice chap. Thanked me for my efforts. I quite like working on an Industrial Estate at a weekend when there is nobody there. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

A bus ride and a walk

 This is Dan the driver. Yesterday I got on his bus and went to the terminal with him. A village called Whitton on the banks of the River Humber. The bus turns round and goes back to Scunthorpe. I planned on walking home. 

Here is a little bit of the bus ride. It was a bit bumpy.

I had a look at the Church before I set off walking back.

Come inside and have a look. 

The sideways wind was quiet blustery. . 

I entered a field through a gate and could see a herd of brown cows were gathered in the distance. They were just where I wanted to exit the field on the other side. I went a bit closer to assess the situation. Would I be safe to walk through them. 

Two or three of them noticed me approaching. I stopped to see if they would come towards me. I might be alright if they carry on eating. I bottled out, not taking any chances. I scrambled over that fence and went into the next field. 

Probably would have been ok to walk through them. 

We had a nice chat over the gate. 

I stopped off at my friend June's house for a natter. By the time we had finished talking it had started to rain. I had a packamac with me, but I didn't need it because her daughter came to pick me up and gave me a lift home. That saved me a half hour walk in the rain. 

Today I've been to town. Chatted with Nikki at the Arts Centre. Spent £50 on shopping in Aldi. And picked a bag of litter on the way home. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Twentyfive years ago

 

I was in a big store in town. People were gathered around a television set in the electrical department. I stopped to see what they were watching. I couldn't believe that it was really happening, and it wasn't a film. 

Just before this happened I was in New York. Didn't go up the twin towers, but went up the Empire State Building. I will never forget the views, and the speed of the lift to the top. 

ilona

Relocate

When our land has been taken over and covered in solar panels, concreted over fields full of new builds, and we are surrounded by windfarms, where else is there left to go. How do we escape our little boxes then. There will be no escaping our digital prisons. 

I rather like the Isle of Wight. That might be a safe place. I could happily go and live there. Wait a minute, maybe not. Joe Robertson offers a warning. 

Joe Robertson MP questions the Government following a migrant crossing off the Isle of Wight which saw Bembridge Lifeboat volunteers called to respond. Joe asked whether people smugglers operating across more than 80 miles of open water represents a concerning new development in small boat crossings, and pressed the Government on resources in France and along the south coast.

 The sun is shining. Today I will go to Aldi and buy some food, my fridge is empty. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Decorating a small hoop

Something to keep my hands busy when the weather is dull. I have a lot of  scraps of fabric. Cut them up into smaller pieces, stitch them together, and add embroidery. I painted the hoop blue using nail varnish.   

Now I am starting another one. The first was random shapes, this one will be a mini landscape picture. 

I did a bus out and walk back today. Some photo's from that to post tomorrow. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Go Germany

 We need an Alice right now. Someone with balls, someone who is not afraid to speak out. 

The speech could apply to any European country right now, it's perfectly rational, and reflects the situation across Europe and the UK.

It's not far right, it's basic commonsense.

The type of leader we need in Europe, strong and patriotic, with a love for their country and people.

We should replace Burnham with Alice.

She tells it how it is she gets my vote 

Photo's from a litter pick yesterday. 21 glass bottles. Foxhills Industrial Estate, Scunthorpe. 

Toodle pip.   ilona