Tidying the grot spot

Help. I am running out of time. This will be a quick one. I managed to squeeze in an hour of litter picking this afternoon, at the Industrial Estate, on the way to Aldi. I took a sandwich with me because I knew I would have to eat. Get the chair out and have a break half way through the job. 

I was at the grot spot, that was first cleared by the Scunthorpe group pickers. It's two weeks since I was last here. It's going to need regular monitoring as it's a busy path that people walk between work and home. I could have easily filled a second red bag but didn't have time, so I used two smaller bags, and filled a carrier bag with glass bottles. Close by is this red litter bin so this is where I left my bags. 

Now it's time to go to bed. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Got it covered.

 Don't worry about what is going on. The Home Office is in control and has everything covered. 

Home Office

@ukhomeoffice

We are the lead UK government department for immigration & passports, crime & policing, homeland security and protecting vulnerable people.

Home Office

@ukhomeoffice

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5h

New reforms will see asylum seekers pay towards the cost of their housing and financial support. Migrants who can afford to are expected to have to pay around £10,000 to be eligible for settlement. Those who leaves the UK must pay up if they wish to return.

A new independent appeals body will quickly and fairly ensure asylum appeals are heard in months, not years. Currently, the average time taken to clear asylum appeal cases stands at 67 weeks, which has left a backlog of more than 87,000 appeals waiting to be heard. The new appeals body will be staffed by professionally trained and independently appointed adjudicators.

45,000 more illegal migrants and foreign criminals will be deported or removed from the UK within the next decade. Capacity at secure Immigration Removal Centres is increasing by 1,000 beds so that foreign offenders, illegal workers and small boat arrivals can be removed faster.

New safe and legal routes for refugees to come to the UK will begin to rollout in the autumn, giving genuine refugees a pathway to rebuild their lives. Our new community sponsorship scheme will allow approved groups to choose the refugees they sponsor, taking responsibility for their housing, integration and supporting them into work. Trusted universities will be able to directly sponsor refugees through a new refugee study route. The first refugee arrivals are expected by autumn 2027.

Up to 3,750 illegal migrants could be housed within three former

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sites until their asylum claim is decided. MoD Bicester, MoD Barnham and MoD Linton-on-Ouse are being considered for accommodation purposes, allowing for the further closure of asylum hotels.

20 more asylum hotels have shut to illegal migrants and are being handed back to communities. This follows the 11 hotels already closed in April, saving taxpayers over £170 million this financial year.

Big Tech companies like Apple and Google have been given three months to activate built in safeguards on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children. This will prevent predators from exploiting and abusing victims through their devices, as well as stopping children accessing pornography.

AI technology will be rolled out at our borders in 2027 to crack down on illegal migrants who pose as children to claim asylum, dodge detention and avoid removal from the UK. Strengthened checks will make it easier to identify those abusing protections for children.

Nothing to worry about then. Get regular reports directly from The Home Office on Tweeeeter.

Sunny today. Have a good day. Toodle pip. ilona

I'm not very good at guessing games.

Pardon. Can you speak up please. I'm a little bit deaf. 

NO, YOU DON'T NEED TO SHOUT. 

Just face me so I can read the expressions on your face, and lipread the words as they come out of your mouth. Please speak slowly and clearly. 

This is a short video. It is sound only. I recorded it at our Crafty Club this morning. We meet in the Village Hall. There are usually 12 - 15 members, everyone sits around a big table, all except me. I have a small table by myself. Some of you may know that I am deaf in my left ear. I wear a hearing aid which helps. But, it magnifies every sound, every voice, if I am in a group setting. When everyone is talking I cannot have a conversation because everything is loud. I wondered if my camera would pick up what I hear.

Thank you. That's better. 

Have a good day. See you soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

Back on the litter trail again.

Good evening. 

It's still warm, but not quite as hot as it has been these last few days. I ventured out today to do a bit of tidying up at the back of Tesco, the big store at the end of the motorway. There is a short piece of road which opens out onto a field. people use it to park there, then throw their litter out of the window. Lorry drivers park overnight, even though there is a sign which says no overnight parking. I have every sympathy for them, knowing what it's like to be a few minutes over your driving time with nowhere to park. 

Let's see how many bags I can fill. That's a good start, a black bin bag full of plastics. 

Lots of brambles and nettles to fight my way through. 

This concrete block stops vehicles going onto the field. I can walk through there with my trolley. 

I don't know why someone has thrown these away. The plastic cups look like they have only been used once. 

This looks like a tent has been abandoned. I tried to pick it up but it is so heavy. I left it there. 

I can get my trolley through that gap. 

24 glass bottles pulled out of the weeds, some of them dug out of the ground. 

Strange what you find. A dog collar. A potato masher and a serving spoon. Don't know what that other thing is. 

I just kept going, Four bags filled, plus the glass bottles in two carrier bags. I dropped it all off in my usual place, the litter bin next to the pond. 

Phew, I was hot but because it was all in one small area, it didn't take much effort to bag it up. 

Now I've got to feed the hedgies. 

Thanks for popping in. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.  ilona

The Annual Summer Fair

Good evening. 

We have just had a massive downpour. I'm glad it didn't arrive this afternoon. Today was our Summer Fair on the Green. It was hot so people were making the most of the shade under the trees. I had a stall and sold some of my arty crafty makes. Proceeds were given to our Cat Rescue who had a stall next to me. I took the photo's before it got busy.

The Teddy Bears Picnic is underway here. 

The Women's Institute always have a good selection of cakes and pastries. 

I took Gloria with me. She sat on a bench opposite my stall. It was funny to watch people sit next to her and pose for photographs. 

I noticed several new faces that I haven't seen before. New people have moved into the village in the last year. We have a good community here. Lot's of people know me from the Crafty Club and Coffee Mornings. There are several groups who meet weekly. Everyone is very friendly. 

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

Water under the bridge

Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, retweeted a post from one of his followers. 

MartinSLewis, I just received info on my new monthly direct debit payment from Severn Trent and it’s tripled!!!! I’ve gone from paying £45 to £133 per month and surprisingly unable to talk to anyone to discuss. Martin says, That's two people reporting similar errors, so if your Severn Trent bill has unexpectedly massively increased, make sure you check.

Some comments.

I’m getting messages from friends saying theirs too has also at least doubled.

Just cancel it. I had a similar issue with Welsh Water. Now I pay every six months and I make them wait right up to the point of debt collection.

Stop the direct debit and set up a standing order for a fixed amount.

I had a similar problem with Yorkshire water.

My thoughts.

This is why I won't have direct debits for utilities. Too much messing about if they get it wrong. Call me old fashioned, I don't care. I have gas, electricity, and water coming into my house. I send them meter readings, then they send me a bill, for the amounts that I have used. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Old people

Ignore old people, they do not matter. 

They did their duty to keep things moving along.

Respect their contribution to the system.

They have paid enough in through their taxes. 

Respect their freedom to live out their days in peace.

No pockets in shrouds - smartphone not needed.

Don't mock old people, they will be dead soon.  

Hot again today. Back later. ilona

Did I pay my water bill?

 It's been another hot day today. We could do with some rain now, or do I have to water up the pots and raised beds with a watering can from the kitchen tap again. 

This morning I went to the Post Office with my bill from Severn Trent. I wanted to pay cash over the counter, but it doesn't have a bar code on it. Is this a printing error on their part, or did they deliberately leave it off because they don't like the way I pay my bills. 

If you watch the video you will find out what happened.  

Now I need to go outside, Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Hedgie watching

Good evening. A late post tonight. I've been on hedgehog watch. 

I almost tripped over a hog tonight. I was in and out of the backdoor with my watering can. One of them came right up to the door and was half hidden under a small bush. I saw it just in time. 

I put the food down in set places so they know where to find it. They usually freeze if they are aware that someone is close by. I sneak up on it and put a handful of food just in front of it. Then it starts eating it. Tonight a second one arrived and joined in. 

I won a set of four solar light flowers in the raffle this morning. Added them to the metal flowers. It looks lovely. See little hedgie having a drink. 

Mayze on her mat over on the seating area. One hog went up close to her, she never bothered. It's starting to get dark now so the pictures aren't so good. No flash used, the camera adjusts itself as the light begins to fade. 

Two more underneath the table. 

I tried to get a group shot but they keep moving about. 

I'm so pleased they keep coming back. If they stay in my back garden and only wander into the gardens either side and at the back, they might have a good chance of surviving. 

See ya tomorrow. Goodnight.   ilona

Controlling the masses.

Another scorcher today. I went to Coffee Morning at the club. Thank goodness the aircon was working. At the end of the session nobody wanted to leave. Stepping outside was like walking into an oven. I stayed indoors the rest of the day. At times I had to have a break from sewing. 

I recorded this video this morning. Something bugging me. My half yearly bill came from Severn Trent. They deal with the waste water from this house. I normally pay this at the Post Office with cash. There is a bar code on it so that is scanned by the post lady. Easy method of payment. 

I thought there was something funny about the letter, it hasn't got a bar code. There are several alternative ways to pay, but I don't want to change things. Seems they want to force me to make changes. 

Did you follow the link I put up on the previous post? I'll briefly tell you what it is about. It's a short video of a mother telling her teenage daughter that Mr Starmer wants to put an age limit on who can access the internet on their mobile phone. Apparently young teenagers will have to give up their phones. You might guess what the daughters response was to that. An almighty screaming and crying hissy fit. It is truly shocking to watch. 

This has got me thinking. She doesn't want to give up her phone because she is addicted to it. I am an old biddy that is reluctant to change anything that is working for me. She is desperate to keep her phone. I can happily live without having access to a screen 24/7. 

I think we all know where it's going. The young ones will lose their natural ability to think for themselves. That makes it so much easier for those in power to control the masses. Us oldies who want to carry on as we are will get pushed further and further back. They will be happy when we pop our clogs. That will make way for the new generation of digital prisoners. With the new data centres being built all over the world they will be able to control every aspect of our lives. Maybe not mine, or yours, because we won't be here. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 
 

Testing a link

I don't know if this link will work. 

I have checked it. Copy and paste into your browser. 

It's shocking. 

If you are a parent or grandparent you should be concerned about what they are doing to children. 

It's about control. It's about freedom. 

It's about free thinking.

 https://www.facebook.com/reel/973872489007939

ilona

I met a real Dame today

 Wow, it's been a hot one today. I went out early, 10am, that's early for me. Off down to the football ground to meet up with some people from the local bus company. They had a single decker to look round, nice and modern it was. Too hot to sit in it though for a chat. We stood outside in the breeze. 

They were doing a survey about transport matters, which I didn't get to do because I was so busy chatting. You know how I like anything transport related. I went because I wanted to ask about how to get a paper version of the timetable for my local number 60 bus. It's all electronic now, you need to have an app. I explained I can't do that, because as you know I don't have a smart phone. Anyway, the response was they will get my Councillor to print one off for me and post it through my letter box. Good service eh! If you don't ask you don't get. 

Dame Andrea Jenkyns, who is the Mayor for Greater Lincolnshire was also there. I had a lovely chat with her. I wanted a photo of us together, but I came out of the house in such a rush I forgot to put the camera in my bag. Not to worry, she very kindly took a photo with her phone. 

Rob Waltham was also there, he is a local Councillor and is very keen to promote litter picking. So we had a lot to talk about. I was chatting to Rob after the bus and it's crew left to go to Gainsborough. The car park at the Football Ground is massive. I spotted an abandoned Tesco trolley some distance away  on the edge. I said I have to go to Tesco which is across a busy road and I would take the trolley back. Then we spotted two more trolleys so we gathered all three together. I noticed that all around the edge of the car park was massive amounts of litter. I will go back there to tidy up. 

I delivered the trolleys to Tesco then went in to speak to the man in the phone shop. I bought my phone from there about six months ago, maybe more, and I have never topped up the credit. I asked him how to check the balance, which he showed me how to do. I was surprised to see that I still have £35 left on it. Amazing. Understandable though because I hardly ever use it. It's only for texts and phone calls if I need to contact someone. 

While I was at Tesco had a look around the back of the store which backs onto open fields. What a mess, tons of litter. That's another grot spot ripe for picking. I went next door to the big Aldi store and picked up a few things there. 

Then to The Range because I need a bag of wild bird seed. Then a massive detour home because there were road closures due to roadworks. By this time I was sweltering hot and pleased to get indoors. 

Yesterday was a crafting day. This is what I made. I need to make a video about the flowers. I might do that tomorrow. 

Five pet beds. Different sizes. Using up a duvet given to me, and the last of the fabric I was given ages ago. We have the village Summer Fair coming up soon, so I need to sort out what I will put on my table. 

Don't forget to put bowls of water out for wild animals and birds. I have eight bowls of various sizes on my lawn. 

Thanks for popping in. Now I am going to eat. Catch ya later. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

PS. 

A post from Andrea on tweeeter

Dame Andrea Jenkyns DBE 

@andreajenkyns

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9m

Fantastic to be in Scunthorpe today for my Transport Roadshow. A massive thank you to everyone who turned out in the heat to chat with me. ​You told me loud and clear what needs fixing: better rail frequency at Brigg, more Sunday and evening buses, and a transport network that actually connects properly.

Toodle pip again.