Colourful artworks by Andi Dakin

Hello. Let's add a bit of colour on this drab miserable day. After my walk with Jo, I called in at The Ropewalk in Barton, to see if there was anything interesting going on. I found an exhibition of pictures and sculptures called Space Urchins, Dark Matter and Positive Energies, by Andi Dakin. The spikey spheres appear to be balancing on top of each other, I can see no other means of support. I'm not sure what they are made off, and I didn't dare to touch them to find out for fear of them all collapsing. I suspect they are some kind of ceramics, if they were rubber they would bend. 

How does he do that? There are no visible joins between them, no wire frame for support.

These sculptures under glass look like thimbles stuck onto rubber balls. Love the creativity of his ideas.

Single spikes attached to a clear perspex ball. 

How these are able to remain standing up against the wall, I couldn't work it out.

A few small sculptures were on display in a cabinet in the shop. Can't remember the exact price, around £25 each. My apologies for the hazy pictures, I discovered that my camera lens needed cleaning after the battering from the wind.

I've had a look for Andi's web site but I can't find one. Here is a bit about him with some of his paintings, on the Kingston Art Group web site.

Lunch today was pasta. I made extra portions yesterday, and warmed some through in oil in a small pan. Added garlic powder and some powdered veg stock, some grated cheese, and scrambled two eggs into it. Served with two tomatoes. Very nice it was.

Here's a money saving tip for you. If you have a small to medium size dog, don't buy proper dog poo bags. Buy a pack of Tesco nappy bags, you get 300 for 35p, yes, only 35p Other supermarkets probably have something similar, but I'm not sure of the price. They are not much good for bigger dog poo's though. And don't forget, another tip, Poundland is not always the cheapest, shop around.

I think it's stopped raining, maybe a good time to go out. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya soon.
Toodle pip

He's pinched my dinner ;o(

Hello. I've done my three mile walk early today, half of it was in the sunshine, and half in a hailstorm. It's brightened up a bit now, but it's bloomin cold outside. Once again I had a break at the halfway point, I had a coffee with my friend Paul, a catch up natter because we haven't seen each other for ages. 

Someone commented on an article that my bananas were black and horrible. I don't think any of the photographs escaped scrutiny by the great British public, you can't hide anything from those eagle eyed lot. There was one that said I have a nice tiled floor in the kitchen. Hah, that's a laugh, it was the cheapest lino and it's about ten years old. It's easy to keep clean because I don't have an army of boots walking through here, just the patter of tiny pet feet. Another bright spark noticed that there were two small bottles of milk in my fridge, and why didn't I buy a larger one because it would be cheaper. Errrr, one of them was given to me, I didn't buy it. What a dumbo. Anyway, as you can see, the bananas are perfect ten days after the sell by date, and I have one left for tomorrow. On my breakfast cereal I have been using up some small bottles of Danone Actimel yogurt drink, bought from Morrisons on a yellow sticker. Eight in a pack, real price £2.75, I paid 35p, also ten days out of date. 

I have just eaten the last of the Avocado pears, I had eight in total, the single ones were 5p each, this was a pack of two for 18p, real Price £1.80. Still ok at ten days out of date. Some people might say that fresh fruit and veg loses some of it's nutritional value as it ages. I say I can't afford to pay £1.80 for two avocados, I will take a chance with these because it's better than not having any at all.

Bugsy's bed is just behind my chair, I sometimes put his food bowl in with him, dinner in bed, ha ha. Rocky has cottoned on to this and when he thinks I am not looking he sneakily helps himself. I have to laugh. Bugsy then starts meowing because his dinner has disappeared and he wants some more. Pets are funny. 

I woke up this morning with an idea for a craft project buzzing around in my head. I have two of these table lamps given to me by a friend, she was having a clear out and wanted them gone. I didn't particularly like them, they are rather large and I don't like the colours, but I thought I would find someone who did and pass them on. Sadly no takers, the next step is take them to a charity shop. But then I thought, wait a minute, I could change them using brighter colours, using maybe fabric or wool. Hmmmm, my little pea brain is mulling over the options.

It's chuffin cold today, I will have to have a blast of heat soon. Dog wants to go out first, heat on when we come back. Hope you have a nice weekend. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip.
PS. Anyone seen anything about me in the Daily Mail today? If not it could be in tomorrows paper. I went and had a look in the newsagents but the magazine is in a sealed plastic bag so I couldn't look inside.

PPS. For those who haven't seen the Good Morning Britain video.

Get it down you, it's good for you.

Hello. Life is back to normal at Tightwad Towers. What a windy day, must be all those sprouts, I've just eaten the last portion of sprout stew. Nothing is wasted here, even though my meals sometimes don't look very appealing, ha ha. Just shut up and get it down you my mum used to say, when I turned my nose up at anything she dished up. I was forced to eat food that I didn't like, it was eat that, there isn't anything else. I was once bundled into the coal shed with my dinner and had to sit in the dark and eat it, because I had been a bit cheeky. 

I've made a start on tidying my fabric stash today. this is as far as I've got. I am ready to start a new project, and I thought if I go through everything the colours might inspire me with some ideas. 

I cheated a bit with my three mile walk this afternoon. I did the distance alright, but I split it into two, and stopped off at my friend Heathers house, she had invited me for coffee and cake. We are nearly at the end of the month, so don't forget, if you are in the Walking Group please send in your miles on Monday so the page can be updated. I am getting excited to see how you have all been doing. I was hoping to get to 100 for January, but I am only on 81 now with two days left so I won't make it.  I see Vicki is ahead of me, she is on 112, well done. Don't forget, February is a short month. I have a walk planned with my buddies on the 12th, so that will give me a boost.

My hair needs cutting, it's getting on my nerves. When it gets to a certain length, hanging around my face, it irritates me. I thought I might hold off cutting it until the weather gets a bit warmer, but I can see me getting fed up of brushing it aside, and make an appointment at the hairdressers. I'm sure she will be able to fit me in. Two mirrors hanging on opposite facing doors and a pair of scissors in my right hand should do the job. Handy that the salon is on my back door step.

Good news from the vet. Heidi had another blood test yesterday and Marian the vet left me a voice mail saying her blood count is normal, no treatment is needed, and to bring her for weighing in four weeks. Oh heck, I've just remembered, I should have rung to confirm I got that message. My brain has been overloaded, not surprising I forget things.

I'm going to put off food shopping for a week, I have plenty in the freezer. I darn't show my face at Tesco now, probably find a massive scrum going on, ha ha. I'll give it a couple of weeks until the hullabaloo dies down.

I've just paid my car insurance, it has gone up a bit from a year ago, but apparently everyone's has because of a new tax the government introduced in November. I remember reading about that. I was speaking to my broker on the phone and mentioned that I am with the RAC, she asked me how much I pay for it. I told her about £75 ish for roadside recovery and get me home if it can't be fixed. She surprised me by saying I could get it through them for £45. The policy I have with the RAC also covers me for any car I am traveling in as a passenger as well. It turns out that there is a policy that insures my car and not me, but the RAC doesn't offer that, and the broker does. So in April when it comes up for renewal I shall be on the phone to the RAC and will cancel unless they give me the policy with the lower price.

I caught up with Call the Midwife on the iplayer tonight. I love that programme. I also look forward to Mr Selfridge, Jeremy Piven is drop dead gorgeous. Pity it's the last series, I think his empire is about to come crashing down around him.

Think that's all the news. There might be something coming out in the papers tomorrow, or could be Sunday.  It should be the last time you see my mush staring at you as you turn the page. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya soon. Have a nice weekend.
Toodle pip.  

Are you still there?

Just a quickie regarding loss of blog followers.
Elaine pointed me in the direction of this blog. Thank you Elaine.
Pleasure in Stitching
Radka has this notice on her blog, which sheds some light on the loss of followers thing. I must say I am still a bit confused, but if any of you notice that your name has disappeared from my list, it might explain what to do if you want to reinstate yourself.

I don't take the number of followers I have as an indication of how popular my blog is, it is open to anyone who wants to read it. It is a bit annoying that my followers have shrunk by 50, but if you are still visiting, I can put up with that. I am still getting anonymous comments, so it makes little difference to me whether people sign up to join or not. I think if you want notifications of when a new post is added, you might have to join something, but as I post most days, you only have to pop in when you feel like it.
Hope this helps, Thank you Radka.

Blogger has made some big changes to

 how we follow blogs

so read on to see

if these new rules will affect you!

We announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of the plan starting the week of Jan.11th, 2016 we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.

We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.

We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

Would you like a cup of tea?

Hello Campers. Hi de Hi. I've been checking around the www to see what people are saying about my appearance on Good Morning Britain. There are both positive and negative comments, I've been answering some of them on their Facebook page. Of course it does not matter to me that people have a go at me, I find it quite amusing to be able to answer some of them. 

What does the inside of a mini TV studio looks like. It's an amazing array of screens and switches. The van is parked on the road outside my next door neighbours front because the signal is coming from between the two houses and the dish has to face that direction. 

Everything is set up inside the house and a cable is laid between van and house. Live filming is going to start in the living room, with the presenter Katy walking down the halway into the kitchen, where I will be waiting to do my piece. Katy enjoyed my mug of coffee :o)

Then the live filming is done, and twenty minutes later I can view it inside the van. She is asking me some questions. We had a little practice first, and I am trying not to hesitate, and remember the words. 

I already have the pan of veg stew, heated on the gas stove. I made it last night. We carry on talking as I am stirring.

I then spoon some into a bowl so she can taste it.

Katy hesitates, she doesn't look to impressed with the colour and texture. Go on Katy, Sprouts soup for breakfast is delicious, ha ha. 

YAY, she liked it and ate a couple of spoonfuls. I offered to put some into a plastic box so she could take some with her, I am generous like that, happy to share, but she declined my kind offer.

There was a lot of preparation beforehand, and it only took a few minutes to do it. With all the equipment packed away, Katy and the team were ready to go. .

Bye guys, have a good journey.

Don't forget to put the dish down.

Well that's all done and dusted. I've just had my lunch, the sprouts stew is lovely. Anybody for a cup of tea, I've got 159 tea bags left over, ha ha. No, I didn't buy them, the reporter from the Mail brought them with her. 

Here is the link to the piece on Good Morning Britain this morning. Thanks to Gill, that British Woman for finding it.

I've been having a mooch around the www and found some links to newspaper articles. I can't be bothered to read them all.
Daily Mail
Daily Mirror.
ITV News Calendar
The Sun
Yorkshire Post
Scunthorpe Telegraph
Yahoo
FAKT24 polish newspaper
Daily Express
Daily News
AOL
Hexjam
Real Fix 
Headline News
My Informs

I can't find a link to the Studio interview at Calendar Leeds. There is another article in the pipeline, it might appear this weekend. I think I'll have a rest now. Still not done any walking, unlike Jo, who has now crossed the finishing line at Liverpool. That woman is amazing, there has been times when I thought she might give up, she will be ready for a rest now.

Just been to the vet with Heidi. Another blood test because the last one didn't travel very well through the post to the lab. This time it will be tested on site at the vets as they have a new machine. She appears well at the moment.

Well I'm getting a bit tired now, I think it will be an early night for me. Thank you for popping in. Catch you soon.
Toodle pip.
PS. I have noticed that my members list has dropped by 50 people. Perhaps it is something to do with Google saying you have to sign up to something now. I don't understand it.

Crikey

Crikey. 5.30am and there's a big white van outside with ITV News all over it. What will the neighbours think !!!!!
Ha ha, having fun
XXX

There's a man in my kitchen.

Hello. Just a bit more to do. This nice young man called Ed came today. We had a laugh, he said I was quite good. I felt sorry for him because he had come from another job at Darlington and had difficulty finding a hire car, which made him late. These film people don't half get about. he has been on the go since four this morning and when he left me at 5.30pm he still had to drive to Boston. Here he is testing out some equipment. I don't know how it works, he is hoping for a 4G signal. Our mobile phone signal is a bit hit and miss and has a lot of flat spots. Anyway, he decided his gadget was not going to work for the live show tomorrow morning, and the van with an aerial on the roof would be sent instead. Oh my word, I don't know what the neighbours are going to think. Most of them probably won't be up at 5am. Yes, it's an early start. 

If you put the tele on when you get up you might catch me on Good Morning Britain. 

I had a dash to town at lunchtime, needed to pay a bill into the bank, and get some dog food. Yesterday I cooked a big pan of allsorts. Food that I bought a week ago that needed cooking and freezing. It is mostly bean salad with nuts, and a pot of couscous salad, with half a tin of spaghetti hoops I had lurking in the fridge. 

I've got another pan on the stove now, another veg stew. Yellow stickers of course. Sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and half a bag of crunchy salad. Total 45p. That will do for breakfast when the film crew arrive. Oh, and I will have a cup of tea to offer them, someone gave me a box of teabags yesterday, ha ha.

An early night tonight and an early start tomorrow. Don't think there is anything else in the pipeline, I can start the walking again. Some of you have been asking for links to the newspaper articles. I'll sort that out tomorrow. I still haven't seen the bit I did yesterday in the Calendar Studios. I've looked on the ITV site, I can see the film footage they did here, but not the studio bit. I'll have another look. Thanks for all the kind messages you are sending me, I am chuffin chuffed. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Ooooh, I've been on the tele.

Hello. Another busy day. Oh dear, my walking is getting neglected at the moment, but now I am famous there are many demands on my time, ha ha. It's a struggle to fit it all in. A chat on Radio Teeside this morning, getting the hang of these radio interviews now. Phone call comes through, person says hello, I'm putting you through to the studio. I listen to the current topic, or some music, the presenter comes on and introduces me. Jokey chat, questions, me firing up the brain in the hope of coming up with some light hearted banter. It usually works. 

This afternoon journalist and photographer at the house, had to chuck them out when the taxi turned up to take me to Leeds. Here I am in the Calendar studio with the presenters. Now what were their names.....erm, I forgot. Spoken to that many people just lately, the names are going in one ear and out of the other. I thought this was going to go out live, but it was recorded. It went out about an hour later just after 6pm, after I had left the building. I haven't seen it, but Janet and Paul said it was quite good.   

These are the cameras facing the desk. The green boxy type things are screens for the autocues.

I wasn't in there very long, and when I came out I was introduced the the weatherman who was watching his computer screens.

It was all over quite quickly. I had a chat to a lady who asked me the best time to go to Asda for the reductions. Then I was escorted back to the front door where I texted the taxi driver to come and get me. The traffic was horrendous getting out of Leeds, I'm glad I don't live in a city.

So here I am, job done. Not sure if I am doing any more media stuff tomorrow. There was something else for today but it was put back until tomorrow. Haven't had confirmation so I assume it's not going to happen. Now I see an email about something for Thursday. Ah well, tomorrow's another day, we shall see.

The wind is still howling outside, I think Jo has had a very tough day. Walking over that Peak District is hard at the best of times, never mind battling with a 50 mph wind. Come on Jo, you can do it.

Thanks for popping in, and all your brilliant comments. Page views hit 13,900 yesterday in the 24 hours from midnight to midnight. Chuffin amazing, an all time record. New people are coming to the blog, pleased to meet you, welcome.

My brain has shut down. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.
Ooops, just remembered. I've had a phone call from the Shed of the Year people, asking questions.

A day for playing at being famous

Hello bloggerettes everywhere. Howzit been for you today? It's been a bit crazy here at Tightwad Towers. The phone started ringing quite early and hardly stopped all day. It was one call after another, hardly had time for a widdle and didn't get any breakfast until nearly lunchtime. And then there was the emails coming in which needed attending to. I am not very good at speaking on the phone and typing at the same time, so I had to alternate from one to the other. The newspapers have been going bananas with the story, all wanting a share of it, so it is appearing all over the place. It will die down eventually.

Radio interviews done today - Humberside, Sheffield, Radio Five Live twice, and Scotland. Newspaper interviews - Daily Mirror, Scunthorpe Telegraph. Filming for Calendar in my house this afternoon. . Tomorrow I am on Radio Teeside. Later in the afternoon a taxi is coming for me to take me to Leeds for the teatime news programme, when the film will also be shown. So I'll be on the tele tomorrow, not sure what time it goes out.  There was something to do for Good Morning Britain, but that has been put back to Wednesday.

I only got to Crafty Club for fifteen minutes and had to dash back to take a phone call.

On top of all this I have been keeping up with the comments coming in here, and I would like to thank you all for your support. Thank you to those who have commented on the Daily Mail article, and zapping all the positive comments with a green arrow and the negative ones with a red arrow.

I've been checking on Jo's progress, she is now over half way. Such a gutsy lady.

I see I have some friend requests on Facebook, from people I don't know. I am not going down the road of friending everyone who asks, nor will I be looking for friends. So if you have asked don't be offended if I don't accept, nothing personal. I won't be twittering to all and sundry either, I don't need the hassle.

Page views hit an all time high in the 24 hours yesterday, and it's looking like it's going to be a lot higher today. Flippin amazing.

I'm going to wind down now. Have a mug of hot chocolate, and watch the final daily page view figure as it hits midnight and goes back to zero. Then I shall fall asleep with a smile on my face knowing I have had a busy and interesting day.

Thank you for popping in. We'll catch up tomorrow. Toodle pip.

It's all kicking off now.

Oh chuffin heck. Thanks to the readers who have pointed it out to me that I am in the Daily Mail. Things have been going a bit crazy today, I had a phone call from a news agency wanting to use the Yorkshire Post story. It's what they do. They have pieced together bits from the original article and some of what I said on the phone, and used the photo's that were taken on Thursday. Actually I think it reads ok, though I haven't been over it in detail. I am sick of reading about myself, ha ha.

The comments on it are coming thick and fast. I've actually signed up so I can answer some of them. What I didn't realize is that you are only allowed to post up to ten comments per article in 24 hours, I was thinking I would blitz it with my replies. Probably a good rule to have or I would be bashing away at this keyboard half the night, ha ha.

I have no problem with people knowing how I live, I am proud of my frugalness, proud to tread lightly on this earth, proud that I am not wasteful, and proud that I live within my means. Those people who don't get it are either very rich or massively in debt. I just laugh at the blinkered trolls who poke fun and slag me off, for it's me that's winning here, not them.

I need to get something ready to take to my Crafty Club in the morning.
Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Just been reading some more comments.
THANK YOU TO THE BLOG READERS WHO ARE STICKING UP FOR ME. YOU ARE BRILLIANT. XXX 

A little prick will do it

Hello, a second dose today. That's a sight for sore eye's isn't it, the bottom of my left foot. I thought I felt a twinge, and there it is the little blighter. I always manage to pick up a blister or two between my toes where they are all scrunched up together, ha ha. A needle and a splodge of Germaline will soon get shot of that little devil. Look how supple I am, managing to balance on one leg and turn my foot over on top of the table. Should have been a ballet dancer. 

One healthy yellow sticker lunch today.

 I've been on a mission to cook all the prepared veg before it goes off. Looking at the original prices I wondered why people choose to buy these, given that they go off quicker than whole vegetables, and they cost a lot more as well. Don't people know how to use a vegetable knife? Ok some will say they have arthritis in their hands and can't grasp the knife, or they have a sight problem, fair enough, anything to make life easier. But if anyone buys these because they say they don't have the time to chop up a few carrots or peel a few spuds, or dissect a cauliflower, that's just a lame excuse for I can't be bothered. A 480g pack of peas and carrots costs £1.25. How much does a bag of whole carrots cost, 40p - 50p, and how much is a handful of frozen peas? 20p at a guess. A family pack of broccoli and cauliflower costs £1.65. What would they cost whole if bought separately? In season about £1 for both, or less.

I am chopping the carrots into small pieces to shorten the cooking time.

There is enough for three pans. Broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, beans and onions stew mix, and green beans. The small pan will be zapped with the blender and turned into soup. The other will stay as a veggie stew. It is all cooling now and will be put into margarine tubs to go in the freezer. Lot's of cheap ready meals.

Someone asked what to do with lettuce if it has gone a bit limp. There was a 'turn it into soup', suggestion, which sounds like a good idea, but I normally eat my lettuce before it gets to that stage. I once chucked the last bits of a prepared lettuce into a stew, but I never end up with a whole lettuce uneaten. I make sure I eat it, even if it means chomping on it straight out of the fridge without it ever going on a plate.

The Yorkshire Post article was online yesterday. I read it last night, but there was something in it which I was not happy about and wanted it removed. This morning, Sarah the journalist has done that, but unfortunately she has removed one of the photo's as well, and I thought it was a better photo than the other one which is still there. I have noticed a couple of  inaccuracies, I didn't buy the shorts at Primark, as if I would shop there. They came from a charity shop and cost £1. And I used more than a couple of pallets to build the Summer House. The article overall I feel is disappointing. Why she brought up parts of the old story I don't know. I was expecting it to be fresh and new, like what has happened over the last seven years since the first article. It reads like a series of one or two line statements with nothing holding it together. There is mention of collecting fabric and tin cans, but no mention that these are used for my arts and crafts work. Makes me look like a dotty old woman who hoards rubbish for the sake of it.

The interview was rushed, she kept darting from one topic to the next, not giving me time to gather thoughts and construct coherent answers. I was struggling to keep up with her, and I felt like she wasn't really listening. The online newspaper is so full of advertisements it makes reading anything hard going. I think it might come out in paper form on Monday. Still, it's done now.

The only accurate record I am going to have of my lifestyle is this blog, written by myself. I have never met a media person who is fully understanding of the reasons why I live as I do.

I'm having a day off walking today, too much to do, I'll start again tomorrow on the three miles each day. Poor Jo is struggling a bit now, I've been watching her on and off all day. They keep putting little videos up and photographs. It must make it doubly hard for her with the cameras at her face every step of the way. The way I coped with the pain was to detach my brain from my physical body, to close up and retreat inside myself and fill my head with nice thoughts. Basically you have to try and switch off. She can't do that because as well as walking she has a job to do, performing for the cameras, whether it be joking or despairing, and speaking to her well wishers. If there is anyone out there who is of similar age and stature, who likes a drink and a smoke, and who hasn't done any exercise for 25 years, just imagine how hard it must be for her to do this challenge. I can almost feel her pain.

We have a few Walking Group reports coming in, I keep updating the list with whatever you tell me. Some of you are going great guns, well done. Don't despair if you are a bit slow at catching up, you still have 11 months and 8 days left, plenty of time. Don't keep putting it off though, time doesn't stand still. Do a little each day, you don't have to walk a marathon. Anything is better than staying sat on your bum and not moving. Go for it.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday, get out for a walk if it is a nice day. Get out anyway, just wear appropriate clothing. Oooh, nearly forgot, welcome to the new followers. It's good to have your company.
Toodle pip

Saturday morning slob about

Good morning. Just catching up with Jo's progress while eating my super healthy breakfast of granola, walnuts, banana, raspberries, grapes, and Actimel, all thanks to yellow stickers.

For those who can't be bothered faffing with around with links, I've embedded these videos here from yooooyooob.







Must get a move on and do something today. First, take doggie a walk and collect free newspapers from my friend. Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Catch you later.
Toodle pip

Walking with Jo Brand on her 'Hell of a Walk'

Hello, get a butchers of this then. Me and Jo, good eh! I've had a brilliant day. Up early and out of the house by 8am, I arrived at the Waters Edge Visitors Centre at Barton on Humber, at 8.20am. I didn't know what to expect, would there be lots of people coming to see Jo Brand off on her 'Hell of a Walk', or would the windy and damp weather have put them off. My plan was to walk with her for a while, but I didn't want to get in the way of the media. Most of the people there were the media, radio, TV cameras, and newspaper journalists and photographers. I watched while they all did their work. 

It was time to set off, Jo led the way, and we followed. I decided to leave my car there because the crowds had thinned out a bit so I start walking, rather than drive over the bridge and meet them at the other side. Nobody seemed to be leading the way, and I wondered if Jo knew how to get up onto the Humber Bridge. I caught her up because she seemed to be hesitating, and pointed the way, up the road and take the first right.  The winds were very strong, blowing a gale in fact. It was very cold walking over the river. I got chatting to a man who had come over from the other side to meet up with the group. Jo was full of jollity, cracking jokes with everyone. 

An hour or so into the walk it started raining, it got heavier and heavier and hammered it down. Along the route there were groups of people waiting to meet Jo. She stopped to talk to anyone who had made the effort to turn out in the foul weather. 

As we were coming into North Ferriby we were greeted by hundreds of children all waiting patiently in the rain outside their schools on both sides of the road. A lot of them had painted their own messages to Jo on colourful signs which they held up high. It was a fantastic sight. Jo crossed over to speak to them, no doubt cracking a few jokes to make them laugh. 

Then she crossed back over to speak to the tiny tots inside their playground. 

The first pitstop was at the Duke of Cumberland pub in North Ferriby. More people were waiting to see Jo, and there was some filming to do with a group of pork pie enthusiasts. I used the comfort facilities (lavvy), and decided to sit outside at a table with a parasol and eat my sandwiches. I had only just sat down and one of the film people asked me if I would like a cup of tea. I was chuffed at such a friendly gesture, he said come inside, so I did. Look what he brought me. Fantastic eh!

The rain had eased a bit when we set off again. I decided to go a bit further, it was too early to turn round and go back, besides, I was enjoying myself. I had done a few short interviews on camera, not sure if anything will be included in the film they are making, but it was fun to do it, we shall see. I love Jo's sense of humour, she is down to earth, a lot of fun, always joking, and no airs and graces. There is nothing false about Jo, she is what you see on the tele. 

I walked with them to Melton, the next village, where I said my goodbye's and turned round and walked the route in reverse back to my car on the south side of the Humber Bridge. I've checked the miles, it was 7.5 each way, so I've done a total of 15 miles to add to my challenge walk.

If you want to follow Jo on Twitter, here is the link.
If you want to see her on the BBC Sports Relief web site, here is the link.
Or you can look at Sport Relief on Twitter, here is the link.

That's me done for tonight. I'm clocking off. Thanks for popping in. Catch up soon.
Toodle pip