Danger - Bus on fire.

 Stagecoach

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Make the most of it by leaving the car at home and enjoying more free days out.

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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

Job opportunity.

How do you fancy a job like this? 

Here is the job description. 

Here at 2 Sisters Food Group in Scunthorpe we don’t waste a thing! Our main products are whole chickens and portions (breast, drumsticks, wings, etc), but we also make use of everything else that is produced throughout our processes via our by-products plant.

The By-product plant, or Protein Plant as its commonly called, is where we process all by-products from the main manufacturing facility ready for despatch. By-products from the main process include; feathers, feet, innards and blood. Many of the by-products are utilised for animal consumption and others are used as part of the process for creating bio-fuels. 

The Protein Plant team is small; hence reliability is key, all holidays are covered by the team, strong teamworking skills are a must!

This reminds me of how I started my working life, in shops, offices, and factories. When I was 16-17 I worked at Robirch. It's a meat processing facility, not chickens, but pigs. I could manage the packing sausages job. They come down a conveyor belt and I packed them in boxes. 

After doing every job in the sausage room I found it pretty boring. I asked for a move to another department within the factory. They told me to go into a massive walk in fridge room, and bring out big vats of pigs blood and guts. This was to go into Savoury ducks, or commonly known as faggots. The stench was awful. I had to wear white welly boots, I was paddling around in the stuff. 

I lasted about five minutes. I came out ready to puke up. I went to the managers office and said I can't do that. 

His reply was, 'If you can't settle into one particular job then you will have to go'. I went. It's the only time I have been sacked from a job. I walked out and went straight to Wesleys, a paper products factory. As well as packing toilet rolls, another job I did was sewing Christmas Garlands. I soon became bored but at least it was a clean job and I wasn't feeling sick. 

When I think about it I wasn't a team player, and hated repetitive work. Once I have learnt how to do something I become bored and have to move on. Then I found driving, which ticked all the boxes. First van driving delivering spares to garages. Then a driving instructor, then lorry and bus driving. The rest is history. 

Proof that if you are in the wrong job, in the wrong place, with the wrong person, keep looking until you find your niche. 

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

Working in the garden today.

On my craft table. Oh dear it looks like I might not get very much done today. The sun is shining through the window. There is a thick soft cat bed for Mayze to lie on but she much prefers to sprawl out just where I want to make a button arrangement. 

Oh well, I'll go outside, I have plenty to do in the garden. I'll get the electric hedge trimmer out. Up and down the ladder. Then get the lawn mower out and cut the grass. I'm getting too old for this. Have to keep taking a break every 20 minutes or so. The brown bin is now full, ready for collection tomorrow. 

A few pics of flowers. Real flowers, metal, plastic, and artificial flowers. I don't mind. Adds a bit of colour. 

I bought some flat mushrooms for a change. I usually get the small white button type. I cut them up and made a stir fry. It was like chewing rubber. I gave up, and turned them into soup. Zap it with the stick blender. Looks awful but it was amazingly tasty. 

Hedgehog count tonight 5. They all came at the same time. Must be a family because they are getting on together so well. 

Now I am tired. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Baffled

Good morning.  It is Tuesday, the day after a Bank Holiday.

I was at the Ropewalk at Barton yesterday. The current exhibition is by artist Chris Brook. 

Here is some of the blurb taken from the Ropewalk web site. Even after reading it several times, I still don't understand what it is about. 

Sat, March 28, 2026 - Sun, May 31, 2026

Mark making is paramount throughout Chris’ work. 
He is intrigued by the partially revealed, and our innate ability to extract information from the fragile and eroded remnants which remain.

Chris Brook expresses so clearly the painstaking slow process involved in these mesmerising, decorative artworks each with a hidden narrative of time and place partially obscured below the veneer of the paint through finely crafted artistry and imagination.

This is a big picture. Look at the price of it. 😵😕😬

I found one with a red spot. Only £650. 

There's no accounting for taste in the artworld. I am baffled by most of it.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Yesterday and today

Good evening. 

Here's a video about what I did yesterday. As I mentioned in the previous post, I went to Barton on Humber to the Visitor Centre, and to The Ropewalk, and to Tesco. I spent a bit of money. This is what I bought from the Craft Fair. 

This is what I did today. back to the Industrial Estate. It was very quiet this afternoon. Later on the night trunker trucks started rolling in at about 5pm. 

I have picked this area before, thought I had better come and check it out. Oooops, I think I might have over filled the bag there. It's all tidy now.  

Two bags filled. One tyre found, and a smaller bag of glass bottles. 

Checking out my next picking spot. Found a small fly tip. There isn't much, I can tidy that up. 

The first hedgehog out tonight is quite small. Let's see how many more arrive for their supper. Or is it breakfast for them if they have just woken up.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Lucky find - a unique church

Happy Bank Holiday Monday.

The third and last blog post from the day out on Saturday. From Goole I set off along the A161 towards Crowle. I decided to take the scenic route. Not that scenic because it is all flat farmland with many twists and turns. I passed through Old Goole, Swinefleet, Reedness, and Little Reedness. The road now runs alongside the River Ouse on the South Bank. Once you are in this little corner of the Isle of Axholme you are trapped, as there is limited places where you can cross the river. 

I came into Whitgift, and on a whim I stopped to have a look at this church. The large burial ground at the back remains largely uncut, with pathways mowed into the grass. I really like walking among the sleeping dead hiding amongst the grass and wild flowers. 

I came across a lady who was tending a family grave. She asked me if I had noticed an odd number on the clock face. I hadn't. It's hard to see it from ground level, so I have blown up the photograph. Apparently there isn't a number twelve, it has the Roman numerals of X111.  Here is the explanation from Wiki. 

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is an Anglican church in the hamlet of Whitgift, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The church is noted for its clock which displays the number 13 in Roman numerals in what should be the 12 o'clock position – the only one in Britain to do so.

A piece of land behind the old graveyard has been extended to accommodate the more newer graves. 

The two contrasting plots compliment each other. It has benches where one can relax in the peaceful countryside. 

From there I decided to take the more direct route through Crowle back home. Time was getting on and I had my little family waiting for their dinner. 

I haven't yet decided what I am going to do today. I had a little trip out yesterday to Barton upon Humber. There was a Craft Fair at the Visitor Centre. Combine it with a visit to the Ropewalk, and pick up a few foodie items at Tesco, it is perfect for a three hour afternoon visit if the weather is not so good. 

Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday. Toodle pip.   ilona 

A bimble around Goole.

Big change in the weather today. After raining all night, it's been drizzling for most of the day. 

Here are the pictures of sunny Goole yesterday. There is a big Marina there, which is home to a lot of narrowboats. As everything is on the same level there are no vantage points to take photographs. I had a walk around, as far as I was allowed. There is a bar restaurant for the boaters and visitors. It was a nice day to sit outside. I ate my packup. 

I pointed my camera across the water, and zoomed towards some cargo and maintenance boats. 

According to Marine Traffic, the general cargo ship, Spanaco Reliability, sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. It departed at 19.35 last night and is at present in the North sea heading for Latvia. 

I didn't have much time left to do a detailed tour of Goole, but that's ok, I have been before. There are some interesting buildings around the dock area. When you see buildings of this size and compare them to anything modern in town centres, it is sad to see the building skills we have now are much more inferior. 

There are more pictures of Goole from a previous visit in July 2015. 

I had a walk through the Market Hall hoping to see traditional stalls. No such luck. It was full of tables and chairs, families and groups, drinking and eating, listening to loud music. It was like a giant Wetherspoons. Awful. Far too noisy for me. 

I had a look at this church while I was there. Searching for a bit of peace and quiet. Pity it wasn't open. 

Time to move on. I will head towards home along country roads and I might see something else I can stop and have a look at.

Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow. I hope the weather picks up a bit. I did go out this afternoon. The mizzle wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. Got to make an effort.  

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip. 

That's a shame

 Truckfest

 

30 April at 14:31 ·

Important message to everyone joining us this weekend at TRUCKFEST. There is now zero tolerance on air horns at any of the TRUCKFEST events. It isn’t fair on your neighbours at TRUCKFEST or the local residents.

From now on this can lead to exclusion from the event and future TRUCKFEST events. We don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment but it has to stop! The alternative is to lose the good will of our venues. Our TRUCKFEST security team will be helping us identify those who are spoiling it for everyone. Thank you for your help and here’s to a fantastic weekend ahead.

The TRUCKFEST Team

Air horns have always been a big part of a Truck Show. Big boys and their toys. A competitive streak to outblast each other. Mine is bigger and loudest. 

Well it seems that now the moaners and groaners have put a stop to all that malarkey. How dare people have such fun. For goodness sake, it's only two days. As usual it's all about money. Follow the rules or you won't be able to come back next year. 

Have a nice day. Check in later for some more photo's. 

Toodle pip.   ilona