Red letter day

Good morning. It is Sunday and the sun is shining. 

It was the table top sale in the Village Hall yesterday. Set up at 11am, start at midday. Supposed to finish at 4pm, but at 3pm there was not much point in hanging around any longer. A few visitors came through the door. It was nice to chat, but not many sales. This was a trial event to raise funds for the Village Hall. I'm not sure if they will do it again. I had a free section on my table. Everything to the right of the line was free, everything on the left was 50p. 

I put this video out on Friday on my channel. Another letter from the TV Licensing people. Yoootooob have decided to add their own AI generated summaries on most videos now. Another way to control the content they put out. 

AI-generated video summary 

Quality and accuracy may vary. 

After ignoring several notices, a red letter arrives regarding a TV license. The content outlines the consequences of not having one and the potential for an upcoming enforcement visit.

So far, 2,626 views, and 70 comments. I check all comments. Subscribers can also talk to each other.

I have copied two comments here. It seems that it is my fault for the increased license fee. It is due to go up to £180 in April. 

Why not just tell them you don’t have a tv ? That way the additional costs raised chasing people like yourselves are avoided , as in the end everyone with a tv ends up paying for people like you!

It's would be hilarious except it's just costing us who do have a TV and pay our licence fee, extra to cover the cost of all these letters.

Now I am going to have breakfast, then off outside in the sunshine.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip. ilona

Freedom to choose.

 You are what you eat, as they say. Whatever you put into your body will have consequences. 

Getting the counter set up ready for the customers to come flooding in. 

Picking up your takeaway from a drive through fast food outlet. 

Taking part in an eating challenge. Attempting to break a record. Will he manage it. 

Nope, he didn't make it. He gave up. There's always another day, he can try again. 

There are many more challenges like this on yoootooob. Stuffing your face as fast as you can with huge amounts of food seems to be a group activity. Egged on by your mates, there are substantial prizes to be won. Go for it if you like a challenge.

This is not a post about me telling you what you should or shouldn't do. I believe in freedom of choice. You can trash your body in whichever way you like, even to the point of making yourself sick. Fill your stomach to bursting point. Alter your appearance with face lifts, bum lifts, false boobs, botox, tattoos, and piercings. Wear what ever clothes you like. 

As long as you accept responsibility for the outcome when it all goes pear shaped, and admit you did it to yourself, that's fine. We can see what happens when celebrities go through all these body shaping procedures. They eat too much of the wrong food, then they go on extreme diets. Then their willpower dwindles. When they try and put right their mistakes. It doesn't end well. 

So the advice I give is go ahead, you have the choice about what goes into your body.  

Thanks for popping in. Have a nice day. Toodle pip.  

Batteries are dangerous

 Good morning. 

People think it's ok to toss batteries in with their household rubbish. It is not. Any batteries, even the smallest, should be recycled at an authorised collection point. 

Norwich City Council

2h ·

One battery. One fire. One lorry out of action for a week.

A discarded battery in a household waste bin caused a fire in one of our bin lorries this week. The blaze was so intense it split the welded metal floor of the lorry apart.

This didn’t need to happen. The battery could have been recycled safely through our kerbside electricals collection.

Please put batteries in a separate bag on top of your bin and make use of our free kerbside collection for electrical items.

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Don't be a tosser.

I am coming across discarded vapes, these have to be kept separate. Cigarette butts are bad enough, but these can be lethal. Imagine sucking on one of these dummies for your fix. Try and get off them if you can.

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

Will there be enough time.

It was like a summers day here today, even though British Summer Time doesn't start until the 29th. 

I have jobs waiting to be done in the garden so I thought I'd better get on with things. Firstly sorting the plant pots out. Re potting where needed, trimming up dead foliage, and deciding which plants to keep when they look a bit sick. Will they pick up or won't they. Next some weeding, down on my hands and knees. Thank goodness Angela gave me one of those kneeling things with handles. I need to get the mower out soon, the grass needs cutting. Will it still work after all these years. I need to wash the car. It hasn't been done for ages. I can't bring myself to drive it through a car wash, I will do it myself, when I have time. Then I need to clean the windows inside and out. The summerhouse needs a lick of paint. Lots of jobs to do now the weather is getting a bit warmer. Plenty to keep me busy. 

Here is a video if you want to see my garden. 

I would rather be busy than have nothing to do. We are only here for a short time, best make the most of it.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Just stop.

Good morning. Bright and sunny here. I am making a start on the garden. Such a lot to do. 

I don't know anything about Chris Packham, but he speaks with passion about animal welfare, which is good enough for me. 

 Chris Packham

14h ·

I’m smiling, but I’m very angry.

8 major food companies – including Nando’s, KFC and Wagamama – have all withdrawn from the Better Chicken Commitment.

They’re reneging on their pledge to stop using ‘Frankenchickens’ in their supply chain – the overbred, rapid-growing chickens that suffer awful welfare over the course of their short lives.

Instead they’re setting up the Sustainable Chicken Forum, a welfare washing PR stunt to deflect from the horrors these chickens face.

Vote with your £££ – don’t spend with these companies. Support The Humane League UK and Anima both on the front line fighting for these animals to have better lives.

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I will add my bit. Stop buying from these companies. And stop eating their takeaway crap pretend food. Go into your kitchen and cook up some real food.

Now going to eat my porridge.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip. ilona

A bird watching sort of day.

It's been wonderfully warm today. Mr and Mrs Ducky were in the garden for most of the morning. They were sitting in the shade, close to the house, next to a bowl of water. Looks like they have settled in. 

After lunch I went for a walk, taking my picking stick and a couple of bags with me. The plan was go down a long track to a road, then pick litter along there. The ground was rough so the trolley stayed at home. I got to the Park and emptied my very full bags into the bin behind the cafe. A ten minute sit down on a bench before I headed home. 

Then I spotted Snowy the peacock. He was showing off his beautiful white feathers. What a treat. 

He did a little dance and turned around. 

It looks like he is wearing a bridal gown. 

That's it, the show is over, and off he went. 

I carried on picking litter as I walked home. Just caught the sunset as it was going down. 

Dinner tonight was rice with a fried egg on top, smothered with grated cheese. Very nice. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Changing . . . .

Good morning. 

Sunny again. Maybe we can cast off our winter garb and pull out the summer frocks. 

My thoughts. . . . . . 

This is the Britain that I would like to keep. Fields and villages with plenty of space to roam freely. No windfarms, no solar, no concrete. I have always said we cannot stand still we have to move forward. But when you can look into the future and see which direction it is all going the prospects are looking pretty grim. 

Those with all the money are on a mission to change everything. I now think we should be backtracking. Restoring things to how they were. It will be messy, but we have to try or there will be nothing left for future generations.  

Have a good day. Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Behind the bus shelter

Good evening. 

It's been warm and sunny today. After lunch I went to see June. She's the friend who fell and hurt her knee. She had an operation to replace the damage. It is taking a while for it to heal, she is still unsteady on her feet. We had a natter and put the world to rights. June likes my new trolley. She used to do litter picking many years ago. 

I had a couple of hours to spare after that, so I went to the Industrial Estate. I see that the Council have collected my bags. I picked my spot to park, on a bus layby along a straight stretch of road. They used to have buses along there, but for some reason they stopped that service. 

I thought I would decorate my trolley with some tape. That's better. 

There is a terrible mess behind the bus shelter. I couldn't reach it all. I managed to fill two red bags and dropped them next to a litter bin, for collection. I need to go back to that location at some point when I have time. Such a lot to do. Keep chipping away at it. 

Good news. I put some dry cat food out last night, just in case the hedgehog comes back. All the food was gone this morning. I have just put the light on over the back garden and guess what. There is a hedgehog on my lawn right now. So pleased about that.  

Thanks for popping in.Toodle pip.   ilona

Too risky?

Good morning. 

Random picture from the library

A sunny start, but still cold. A question came up on a litter picking site.  

I live in a village where the A38 (which is a 40mph road) divides our village. The council will not allow litter pickers to work on it. The litter is awful, what can I do?

Well Mr Litter picker, since when do you have to ask someone's permission to do some tidying up. Obviously the road is not private land, it is a public highway. People are allowed to drive along it, cycle along it, ride a horse along it, and walk along it. Each one of those activities has it's own risks.

Do your own risk assessment. Are there restrictions, any signs saying no walking? Like you can't walk on a motorway. Too dangerous and it's against the law. Take note of busy times when there is likely to be a lot more traffic, eg, people going to and from work. Avoid those, go when it's quiet. Choose your times. Like a Saturday or Sunday.

If you are going to clear grass verges along a stretch of road you need to be seen. Common sense. Wear something bright, like a high viz jacket or vest, or even high viz trousers. Walk as you pick facing the oncoming traffic. Common sense. Be prepared to change sides if you come to a bend so you can see around it.

Before you cross stop look and listen. Look right, look left, and look right again. Just like being back at school. Common sense.

Use your ears to listen for traffic. Sound carries a long way across open spaces. If you are deaf, even more care should be taken. Do not dash across, wait until all is quiet. Litter picking is a leisurely activity, no need to hurry. Personal safety is important. Common sense.

This post isn't about litter picking, it's about personal responsibility. As I said, do your own risk assessment, as with any decisions you have to make in life. If you think the litter pick along your road would be too dangerous, don't do it. Find somewhere else safer. There is plenty to choose from.

Have a nice day. Toodle pip. ilona

Tidying the grot spot.

 Hello. Crafty Club was rather lively. It was Pat's birthday and we ate cake. 

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours litter picking at the grot spot on the Industrial Estate. I found it on Saturday. The first mega grot spot was cleaned up by the Scunthorpe Group yesterday. All looking tidy there. 

The Council was due to pick my pile up today, and they haven't done. 

Then somebody added another bag to it. 

Today I picked two bags.

And added them to the pile. I wonder if the Council will come and collect these tomorrow. So glad I got the trolley. Definitely a game changer. 

Now I'm going to settle down with Mayze and watch a new video from Dan and Stephen. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Nest building begins.

 Good morning. 

A quick post before Crafty Club. I am looking out of my front window watching the tiny birds coming for the feather dusters sticking out of the hedge It's nest building time again. It's delightful to see them. Some pictures from a year ago. 

Last year they stripped every last bit from the feather dusters. 

Now I must wash my hair and get some breakfast.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

An extra bag has appeared

 Good evening.

I went to Aldi this afternoon, and drove past my litter pile which I picked yesterday. This is how I left it. 

And now there is an extra bag and other bits and bobs. I wondered if someone was being cheeky and getting rid of their own personal rubbish. I stopped for a closer look. It's a clear plastic bag and it is genuinely real litter inside. So someone else is picking on my patch. Well done whoever it is. It's good of you to help me. 

The weather has been chaotic today. Sunny for a while, then black clouds and pouring with rain, then back to sunny.  Crazy. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona