The Priceless Benefits of Not Belonging

Hello. I have had this in my draft folder for a few weeks now. I collect yooootoooob videos, ha ha, especially those which strike a chord with me and have a meaningful message. I am too lazy to write an introduction, but if you watch it you will see what I mean about it being meaningful. 

There are those who are happy to go with the flow, who will look for something or somewhere or someone to belong to, and there are those who are happy to go it alone and do their own thing. As you know if you have been reading my blog, I am very much a free thinker, I value my freedom. My mind is my own, and I will always make decisions which will give me the best outcome. At times I have stumbled, but I always get back on to try again. This video was published in December last year, the message is still applicable now, and I think it will be for a long time. Listen carefully to the words. Grab your own piece of freedom now, before it disappears. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Aye up petal.

This is a nice easy project to do while I sit and have my morning coffee. I think if I made a lot of these flowers I could put them in a vase. I have some wire to make the stalks, and I could make leaves and attach them to the stalks. 

They are simple to make, I've done a diagram with instructions in case you want to have a go. I have put Suffolk Puffs in the middle of these, but you could make a second set of petals a bit smaller and put them on top. I have put buttons in the centre, and a circle of felt on the back to hold all the parts together. 

There are plenty of videos on yooootoooob if you get stuck. Thin cotton fabric or silk works best. If you use thicker fabric the gathers won't pull tight and the hole in the middle will be too big. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Terry is back.

How nice to see this on the screen this morning. If anyone can lift the spirits, Terry can. He is on holiday in Devon. After working his red socks off doing live streams from home for the whole of the lockdown time, he deserves a holiday. Good to see this. 

We need happy music right now. Thank you Terry.  I'll catch up with you later. 

Toodle pip.  ilona

A new day dawns

It's not very often that I can't sleep, but it happens. Mostly I drift off as soon as my head hits the pillow. Mostly I sleep the whole night through. Sometimes I wake up in the early hours needing to go to the bathroom, especially if I have had a late drink, as happened last night. I keep a wind up torch next to my pillow, I don't put on the light because that fully wakes me up, and more often than not I do what I have to do in a state of half asleep. 

Back in my bed, eyes closed, I just could not drop off to sleep. Stuff going round in my head. I lay there, checked the time on my wristwatch with the wind up torch, it's 2.30am. By this time I was fully awake and trying different lying positions in the hope I would fall asleep. Nope, it didn't happen. I looked out of the window, all is quiet, I thought I would make a hot chocolate, that would do the trick. I put my fleecy dressing gown on, and looked out of the window again. By this time I had turned the light on. I didn't really fancy a hot chocolate, what about a mug of fruit tea. Yes, that would be better. I looked out of the window again. It looked very quiet out there. Dry with a slight breeze. 

Blow the drink, I'm going for a walk. And so I did. Quickly got dressed, picked up the phone just in case, picked up a small torch, just in case, and I was out the door quick as a flash. 

I did my three mile walk and it was great. Didn't see a soul, one car passed me. I half expected a police car to appear and ask me what I was doing, but it didn't. Most of the houses were in darkness, some of them had lights on, maybe they were up, maybe for security. 

I like the idea of being out and about when everyone is asleep. I used to like working nights, driving through sleeping towns, quiet motorways, alone in the company of other truck drivers doing their jobs. 

An hour later I was back, and I made a mug of tea, and turned the computer on. Now I feel ready for bed, at 5am. The darkness was lifting, it was starting to get light. I slept till 7am and got up.

I really must get rid of the shit going around in my head. It's not like me to feel bogged down. So now I've had a coffee and a piece of toast, I'm back to fighting mode. They will not beat me. No, not the demons, I don't have any. Those who are trying to control my every waking moment. 

Every day is a new day, every day is a new start. Now I'm going to have breakfast. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

What's on the menu at Tightwad Towers

Good evening. It's been a mixed bag of weather today, brilliant sunshine, high winds, and dark skies with heavy showers. We were a few short at Crafty Club this morning, I think the weather put them off, it rained about 9.30am just when we walk to the Village Hall. 

Not a lot to talk about today, so if news is a bit thin on the ground, fill the space with food. Yesterdays dinner. The cheese and onion pasty has had a few bites taken out of it because I took it with me when I went for a walk. Too much to eat all in one go, so save some of it for dinner. Left over steamed veg from the night before, rocket and shop bought potato salad, and pickled beetroot.

 

Lunch today was three cheese and onion croquets from the chiller cabinet in Aldi. I haven't had these before but thought worth a try. They were quite nice. the instructions say oven bake them, but I put them under a low grill. I opened a tin of mixed beans and warmed half of them in the microwave. 

Tonight I wasn't very hungry so I had a cheese sandwich with a dollop of houmous on it. Then an hour later I opened a tin of rice pudding, warmed half of it in the microwave. 

I took Billy out in between showers, we called in to see his best friend Maisie, and the two of them were running around the back garden chasing balls, having a whale of a time. 

Now I'm going out for my late village walk. I don't need to do it because my miles are well up, but I feel I want to do it. So off I go. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Eat, drink, and crafting.

Hello, on this sunny Sunday afternoon. They said it was going to rain over the weekend, thunderstorms I think, but as yet, no sign of them. I have made another bowl from rope and wool, the last of the rope picked up from the beach at Orkney. That's the end of that, all used up, no more left. I started it last week at Crafty Club because someone wanted to know how to make them. I wonder if she will bring one tomorrow that she has finished, we'll see. This one is a bit deeper, I carried on going round and round until I had no more rope left.  

This is the full set, up to date. I may make some more if I come across some suitable rope. 

Someone likes to see what meals I make. This is what I had for lunch yesterday. Two largish brown mushrooms in the pan with a drop of oil, crack an egg over it when mushrooms have cooked. Put it on top of a microwaved spud, a bit of grated cheese, serve with rocket and mayo. Finish off the beer from the day before. Very nice it was. 

Dinner last night was steamed veg, oh how I love my steamed veg. Drizzled with Toasted Sesame Seed Oil. I made extra so that's what I will be eating tonight as well. 

Playing around with fabric this morning, making flowers, getting instructions from yoootooob vids. Not sure what I'm going to do with them, just wanted to try them out. Could be brooches, could be embellishments for bags or whatever. 

It's 3pm, think I'll squeeze a two hour walk in while the sun shines. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Snoozing kitty

Contented Mayze, purring like a well oiled engine. 

Don't buy a cat or a kitten, or a dog or a puppy, from a breeder. Get your pet from a reputable Rescue Centre. There are plenty of homeless animals needing safe and cosy homes. 

Have a nice weekend. Toodle pip.  ilona

A little of what you fancy

I wasn't going to post today because I'm all blogged out, but I have just scoffed this fandabidozi lunch so I thought I would record the event for posterity. Sometimes you just gotta eat what you fancy. Luckily I fancy all the food that I buy, at some point. Today I fancied hash browns, oven wedges, veggie sausage, iceberg lettuce, beetroot, mayo, and Black Sheep Ale brewed at Masham in Yorkshire. Deeeelishus.

I don't need to go to a pub for a treat. I might not get through the whole bottle of ale today, might have to finish it off tomorrow. Must say though, it's lovely beer. 

A sunny day, I should be outside. Not walking today, I've done two days of five and a bit miles each, now having a day off. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip. ilona

Shopping in silence

How nice to open the fridge in the morning and find I have some food. I went shopping last night after I collected Heidi's tablets from the vet. I timed it to be at the vet at 7.45pm, they close at 8pm, then on to Aldi. They now have red and green traffic lights above the door, the stop go is done electronically rather than paying a person to stand there and monitor the traffic entering. The shop was virtually empty anyway at that time. Two ladies each with a trolley, A man and a woman with hand baskets. It is so easy to shop late. I thought I would get this done before the new rule comes into force tomorrow about wearing a face covering. I have my mask ready but I suspect there will be a rebellion against it. 

Will the shops legally have to enforce it, if they don't will they get fined? I can see a few scuffles breaking out if people are refused entry. The police in one county have said they won't come out if they get a phone call saying someone is not wearing a mask, but they will if a disturbance breaks out. 

Single bananas at Aldi are 13p each, cheaper than buying them in a bag, so I pick out the biggest. 

Getting low on seeds again. I put these in my mini chopper and add the mix to my porridge or cereal. I did buy a packet of mixed seeds once, but even after chopping them there was still a lot of hard gritty bits in it. I didn't like that, won't buy them again. 

Have I got enough tins? I put a tin of beans in the trolley last night, didn't really need to, I already had three tins. Oh well, beans on toast, beans on a jacket spud, beans in a stew. So many things you can do with a 22p tin of beans. 

Going back to the vet experience for a minute. Customers have to wait outside. I gave my name at the open window where a receptionist sits at a desk. She had the tablets ready. I got my debit card out to pay, she puts the machine on the window ledge in front of me, expecting me to waft the card over it. I said I have to punch in the numbers. She puts a small plastic bag over the whole machine so I can continue with the transaction. I wonder how many times she uses that same bag, how many other people have touched it. Luckily I remembered to take my small hand sanitiser with me. They don't take cash.

I called in at the petrol station for some fuel on the way home. Using my gardening gloves which I now keep in the car, and stopping the filling just after the £20 mark. I sauntered over to the entrance taking the exact amount of cash out of my purse, opening the door with a shove from my whole body, and covering my hand with my sleeve to open it to get out. 

It's difficult to do supermarket shopping with gloves on, I tried with soft cotton gloves, can't get a grip on the boxes and jars, so now I don't bother. They have cleaning stations if you want to clean your trolley I don't use them. Other people have touched those bottles of spray, and look at all the waste paper it creates. I push my trolley the wrong way round, back to front, not touching the handle. Or use the sides of the trolley to move it along. I don't know if this makes any difference, but it makes me feel better. 

Shopping has never been so boring. No smiles, no chatting, moving around like chess pieces on a board. No discussing favourite products, just grab your items drop them in a trolley and get out as quick as you can. Hardly a word spoken. 

Anyway, that's me done. A nice day I think, my friend might come a walk with me today. I will put the flags out if she does. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Don't read this while you are eating.

Hello. A delicate subject today, feel free to scroll by if this does not appeal to you. Talking about bodily functions while camping. Where do you pee and poo. I have this Porta Potti which went inside my tent next to the car. Some campsites will have their own toilet facilities, but they are not all open at the moment. 

I bought this potti new about 30 years ago. It has come with me on one house move and has been stored under my stairs for the past 22 years. I used it for a while when I lived in a small caravan close to my work. I could have possibly given it away when I didn't use it any more, but then I thought who would want it? It was easier to keep it, and I'm glad I did.  

I know that my bodily functions are regular, by that I mean I need to poop every morning. Once it's done that's it for the day. When I am out walking I can pee behind a hedge. I am a firm believer that what you put in at the top dictates the consistency of what comes out at the bottom, and the speed you have to dash to the nearest convenience. Planned poos are better than emergency poos. If you eat processed foods, especially meat, ready meals, takeaways, and what I call mucked about dirty food, on a regular basis, and drink too much alcohol, you will pebble dash your toilet, and maybe once a day will not be enough. 

At the other end of the scale you might get bunged up and the call to go could happen at any time. Sitting around a lot bungs up the bowels, moving will loosen things up. I prefer to be like clockwork so I eat sensibly, mostly fresh vegetables, salads, nuts and seeds, and fruit, with the odd treat of naughty food. 

So how does this toilet work. It goes in the tent next to the car. I always have a coffee to start the day. Within an hour or two, sometimes sooner, I need to go. The potti has two parts. In the top goes clean water which is used to flush it. No electricity needed, it is a push pump action. 

In the bottom goes the chemical, and some water, pour it in. The smell is ok, not at all chemically. If you position your bum in the exact correct spot and hold the hatch open through to the bottom tank, your doings can drop straight through without touching the sides. That's as long as it's the right consistency. I know, too much information. Shut hatch when finished and it can stay in there for a day or two with the chemical doing it's stuff and breaking it down. There is no poo smell at all. 

This is the bottom tank which will need emptying.

I bought this toilet fluid at Go Outdoors for £7. It's going to last for ages. 

Instructions on the back on how much to use. You can put some in the top tank with the water if you so wish.

When it comes to emptying it has a carrying handle, the contents will not leak out however you carry it. Turn the outlet round, unscrew the cap, and tip into a designated disposal unit at the camp site. You could possibly take it home and put it down your own toilet. The label on the container says it is suitable for home use. 

There are other methods of organising your toilet requirements, the bucket and chuck it for instance. But I do recommend using the proper chemical to kill all smells. I have seen pictures of a sturdy bucket with a rim placed over the top made with pipe insulation slotted over it to soften the sharp edge. Some use a swimming pool spaghetti floaty thing. I won't go into the sitting with your bum over a log in the wood and burying it method. There are plenty of yooootooob videos covering that. 

Anyway, that's all for now. Time for lunch, then I'll go and do my local walk. Thanks for popping in.  Toodle pip. ilona

Feet up after a long walk, and another walk on day 3.

Hello. I start this post with a video I made at the end of day 2. Chilling back at the camp site. 

Day three was decision time, do I go a short walk in the morning and get back to pack everything away and be off the site by 12 noon, or do I pack away after coffee and a bite to eat, then drive to another village and walk from there. I checked the map, North Grimston which is on the way home looks a good place to walk from and it's only 15 minutes away. 

That settled it, get packed up first then I have the rest of the day to go a walk. The Centenary Way footpath runs through the village, and the sign was right next to where I parked my car. Through a small wooded area and it opened out into a field. Look at this beauty, come to say hello. 

The path goes underneath this railway viaduct, no trains, the track has been dismantled. 

Then it opened out into this very pleasant walk passing the grazing sheep. 

The trees on each side were very picturesque.

Even the dead tree looked very arty. I like the skeletal look of dead trees. 

I'm glad they are in the next field.

I came off the footpath at Mill Farm, and turned northwards along the road. At the end I crossed over a  road to go down another path which was overgrown with wild flowers. These were taller than me. 

This path had a slight incline and became easier as it widened out. Just over the other side of a fence on my left it says on the map that there is a training ground. The thunder of hooves told me what kind of training ground it is. I stood and waited a few minutes to see if any more horses were going to come past. I hoped I pressed the shutter at the right moment. 

After stopping for a bite to eat, I crossed a busy road and carried on along another track, to Settrington. What a pretty village this is. The doors and windows of these houses were freshly painted. Just a bit further along the decorating man was having his break before carrying on with the rest of them. They looked lovely but what a boring job. I think they must have been estate houses for the workers because they all looked the same.  

The village looked tidy. I have hardly seen any litter at all anywhere. 

In the middle of the village is the Green. I was pleased to see that most of it had been left as a wild flower meadow, with only the edges and a walkway through it having been mowed. I stopped to say hello to a dog at gate, the owner came out and we got chatting, at a distance of course. I said I liked how the wild flowers had been left to grow. She surprised me by saying they were awful, and a lot of the villagers don't like them either. 

I left Setteringham on another section of the Centenary Way. Along the edges of fields back to North Grimston. I love this picture. 

What a fantastic finish to three days. I must go camping again. Here are the three walks marked on the OS map. The circle in the middle is the camp site. I always mark where I have walked with a felt tipped pen so I can find new routes in places I haven't been to before. I did a total of 28 miles. 

Now I have finished writing all that up I feel like I have done it all over again. I need a rest now. Thanks for popping in. Dinner time. Toodle pip.  ilona

Battling my way through Jeffry Bog Plantation

Hello again. Here is the video I wanted to insert in the previous post. I never had this trouble before with the old blogger version. I must remember in future, if I have a video I must copy and paste it into the blog post first, then add other pictures and words to it. What a fafffffff. 

The next post will be day three. Toodle pip.  ilona

Camping in Yorkshire - second day.

Hello. After a good nights sleep, and a mug of apple pie coffee, I was ready to get off for another walk. I made a packup of various snacky type foods, enough to see me through the day. I had a route in mind, to go in the opposite direction to the day before. I walked out of the camp site at the back of the equestrian centre. This is the first time I have seen a horse in an exercise machine. It was like a carousel, with partitions in it and as it went round, the horse walked. It briefly looked at me as I went past it. 

Once on the road I looked for the sign opposite to go down a footpath. There was no sign so I worked it out which gap in the hedge I had to go through. This brought me into a field with chin high broad bean plants. According to the map the path went through the edge of the crop. All well and good to start with, the farmer had left a wide path through. It might have been obvious at the time of planting the seeds, but by the time they were this high the gap closed up. Nothing for it but to walk along the edge of the crop through waist high wet grass and thistles. 

I reached the road at Menethorpe and took a right. Follow the sign. Two signposts on the same corner. 

 I left the road and went down a track along the River Derwent. which is called Jeffry Bog Plantation. I made a video here because it was very overgrown in a nice way. For a moment I thought I was walking through a jungle. I wanted to put the video in here, but I still can't embed the code into this post. I Have had to put it into another post which follows on from this one. 

The Centenary Way goes through Firby, a pretty little village, and on I went to Kirkham. The Priory is an English Heritage site, and has an entrance fee to pay. As with all these visitor attractions you have to book in advance. There were a lot of cars parked close to it and on the road alongside. Here is a bit of information should you wish to explore further. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkham_Priory

The river runs alongside the Priory, I sat on the parapet for a while, people watching from a distance. I was amazed to see a man appear from under the bridge in the middle of the river. Not that unusual I suppose as it was a hot day. He appeared to be floating rather than swimming, and holding his arm up high he had a camera in his hand. He was looking up at the bridge as he floated along. Strange I thought. If you wanted to film under the bridge surely you would sit in a boat to do that. 

It was decision time. Do I have enough time to follow the river down to Howsham where there was a bridge to cross back over, or should I stay on the right side of it and make a shorter walk back to the camp site. I decided to go for it, a nice two and a half mile walk along a river bank was very appealing. It was a lovely day and I didn't need to hurry back. A weir at Kirkham.....

...and a weir at Howsham. Easy peasy. A lovely walk. There were two people ahead of me who kept stopping to admire the flora and fauna, and I was catching them up. When they stopped I had to stop. When I caught them up I politely asked if they could step aside and let me pass. They were ok about it. 

From Howsham I followed the road to Westow. 

I like the look of this impressive Westow Hall. I would love to have a mooch inside. The green fence and gate are in need of repair, the paint is peeling off the wood. I don't suppose they can do much with it as it's a listed building. 

By this time it was getting a bit late so I thought I had better press on. I saw on the map that I could pick up a footpath at the back of the church, which was down a long dead end road. It went to the church and nowhere else. It is tucked away right off the beaten track. 

I got back on the road again, close to Jeffrys Bog, then stayed on the road towards Eddlethorpe Hall, and  back to the camp site. It was a smashing day. Checking the distance on bikehike.co.uk, I did 13.5 miles. Tired but happy. I'm going to post the Bog video now following this.

Thanks for popping in. More to come. Another walk on day three. Toodle pip.  ilona

Morning coffee at the camp site

Hello. I wanted to put this video at the beginning of the next post, with some photo's added to it. For some reason I am finding that I can't embed a video into a draft post which has been already prepared. I used to be able to slot them into the middle. Don't know why this is happening. So, I can put it into a brand new post, then add to it after, but I have already done the next post. I want to keep things flowing in a logical sequence, so here is a video, with the pictures following in the next post.  

I've just remembered, I've got another video which really needs to be in the next picture post. What a chuffin faff. I'll have another go at embedding it. 

Looks like a sunny day ahead. The garden needs tidying. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

I'm off out for an afternoon walk.

After putting the tent up on Wednesday and having a bit to eat, it was time for walkies. The sky looked a bit grey after the downpour so I put my new jacket on in case there was any more rain to come. I think it was about 3pm when I set off. With the long daylight hours there was no need to rush back for anything. I had picked out a possible route on the map. Across the road from the site was a footpath along the edge of a field. Here is a link to the Thornthorpe Caravan Park by the way,  it's midway between Langton and Menethorps a few miles south of Norton/Malton in Yorkshire. 

http://thornthorpecaravanpark.co.uk/

The footpath took me to Langton village. I always like to take a picture of a church. Most churches are not open at the moment so no chance to see inside. 

The villages in these parts have lovely cottagey type houses. Very pretty. 

I walked out of Langton on the road. After the downpour the fields and paths were very wet. A lot of paths were very overgrown with weeds, thistles, and nettles. The stiles and gates were not very well maintained. I ended up climbing over gates where the locking mechanism had seized up. At least I know my new boots are waterproof. In fact I stayed on the road for the rest of the walk. I had identified a route that would fit in more or less exactly with the time I had left. I came into Birdsall. The church there sits high on a hill, and can be seen from different angles from the road which bends around it. I thought this view was the best.

Around the bends I went, and up a hill towards Burythorpe. Just as I came out of the trees I found this amazing view across several fields. I love the blend of different shades of green. This could be a picture perfect basis for an applique landscape. 

Several cyclists came past me going up the hill, standing on their pedals. That must have taken some hard work to get to the top. Here is the last one lagging behind a bit. 

I could see there was a church in Burythorpe but decided not to walk up the lane to see it. However, just as I was walking along the main street I noticed the church between two houses, and thought this would make a nice picture if I zoomed in a bit. I particularly like the bell tower. 

I passed through Kennythorpe, still on the road, and back to the camp site. So, what's cooking for dinner tonight. Easy to warm up on a small camping cooker. The taste was a bit bland so I put a slice of cheese in it, and bulked it out with a slice of seeded bread. That filled me up nicely. 

It was getting on for 8.30pm by this time. so I sat in my car and did some stitching on a new art project. Bed time at 10pm. I have checked the miles on bikehike.co.uk and this one today was 7.5 miles. It didn't rain again so I needn't have worn the jacket. I was a bit hot and folded it up and put it in the backpack. 

More to follow. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona