A sunny day in Thorne

I am tending to make the decision about what I am going to do on a daily basis at the moment, with the weather being changeable. Yesterday it was sunny first thing, so the choice of stay in or go out was simple. Don't waste a day of sunshine by staying indoors. I got ready, packed a sandwich and drink and a few other bits and bobs. A map is essential, I don't go anywhere without a map, and off I went to Thorne. It's about half an hours drive. There is a big car park in the centre which is free. 

I have been to Thorne before. I took this photo of an old school building on my way out. It looks deserted, overgrown at the front, no sign of life through the windows. Shame, it would look lovely if it was restored. 

I found the footpath sign which took me onto a path which ran next to a railway track. I passed through some open fields which are used for grazing and recreation. I felt sorry for this horse, tethered by a heavy chain. I don't like to see this sort of thing. I want to rescue it.

 

Past a stagnant pond, the sun brought out various colours of vegetation. Pretty to look at, but not so pretty if you look down at the ground. Sadly some litter. 

Oh my, did I say litter. I came across a humungous pile of fly tipping. 

I had intended doing a big circular walk to fill the time, and get back to my car at about 5 - 6 pm. Fishlake and Stainforth looks interesting on the map. I checked how I would be able to cross the M18 motorway, and the canal, not many bridges. I chose my route, which didn't work out how I would have liked. I found myself on a track which came to an abrupt end. After a conversation with a farm worker who was sitting in his tractor, I discovered that the route through to a road was not there. Oh well, a bit of back tracking was necessary, and a plan B was hatched. 

Fishlake and Stainforth was not going to be possible, maybe save that for another day. I found another route back to Thorne. It was too early to head home so I did a bit of exploring along the canal which runs right through it. I like looking around boatyards. 

Hmmm, now let's have a look at the boats for sale. Maybe....but probably not. After following a few people on yoootooob who live on the canal, it seems there is a lot to learn. Nice to dream though. 

I had a chat with some people who were pottering around their boats. One lady was in the middle of selling her boat and buying another. The new boat was being refurbished nearby, and she had a buyer waiting to move into hers. I asked lots of questions, as I do, I want to know all the ins and outs. There is a contrast on this section of the canal, boats moored on one side, and new build apartments on the other side, all with balconies. I can just imagine sitting out there watching the world go by. The traffic noise was a bit off putting though. 

I sat for a while in the park. It was buzzing with activity. The kids had come out of school and they were excitedly climbing all over the equipment in the playground, with parents keeping an eye on them. Families feeding the ducks, an elderly couple walking their dog, a young woman throwing a ball for her dogs, and people sat on a bench chatting. It was lovely to see. A summers day where everyone was getting on with their lives. 

Nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing someone who is kind to their pets. I saw man cycling down the street with his little dog on a home made carrier strapped to the crossbar. I said hello and he stopped to chat. This cute little dog looked so happy and relaxed to ride on the bike. The man said he was taking it to the park so it had somewhere different to explore, as he had done all the walks near to where he lives, numerous times. He said, it's just me and the dog. It reminded me of Rocky in his pushchair. He said he was going to sit on a bench while his dog played in the park. A perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. 

Time to go home. It was a lovely day out. I walked eight miles and chatted with some nice people. Don't forget it's check in day for the International Walking Group tomorrow. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Moving. Again!!

It's sunny and I am going outside. I'll leave you with this, a new video from Mr Hahn. Elmer has been following me on yooootooob for a long time, and I look at his videos. This one made me laugh. He is 99 years old, since he lost his wife he has been undecided about where he wants to live. He recently moved to a new Condo. Now watch and see what happens next. 

I love people who are true to themselves, and tell it like it is. Nothing to watch, but listen carefully. Yoootooob have told him to buck his ideas up and make more videos because he doesn't have many followers. He thinks they might close his channel down. Do me a favour and make him smile by watching this on yoootooob, and giving him a like. Thanks very much. 

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

Life on the River Humber

It was a bit blustery yesterday, but no matter. I have a woolly hat, a jacket with a hood, and a scarf, that will keep me snug for a walk along the river. 

The River Humber is very wide, and it's tidal, so the wind was creating waves. Just like being at the seaside. I parked at South Ferriby and went down onto the beach, for a walk towards Barton on Humber. I couldn't go the whole distance on the beach because the path which is part of the Viking Way, turns inland for a bit to avoid the boggy reed beds. At one point it goes around the edge of a farm, and then there is a track along the top of the bank. The wind really whipped across on that section. 

The white stones give it the look of a paradise island, but it it hellish to walk any distance on it. 

That's the cement works over there at South Ferriby, operated by Cemex UK. 
 

I made it to the Humber Bridge, then turned round and headed back, by a slightly different route.  

Almost back, I finished the walk off on the track above the beach. Into view came a boat. Quick get a photo. There are several small docks up river, and this boat was on it's way out to sea. 

Then came another. 

And another, they were following each other. 

The river is difficult to navigate because of all the sandbanks. They can only go up and down it at certain times according to the tides. They zig zag across the water. You can see the blue boat just coming into view as it follows the green one around that buoy. 

Well that was a bonus to see these, I didn't expect to see four boats. One had a Russian name, the others were H & S Wisdom, H & S Prudence, and Leiria. I've just been on the Marine Traffic web site and see that Leiria is at Moerdijk, Netherlands at the moment. It took one day and four hours to sail from Groveport UK. It was built in 2003, and sails under the flag of Antigua Barbuda. Fascinating eh! 

I've just had a look to see where my yacht ILONA is at the moment. It is moored at Vilanova in Spain. The information on Marine Traffic used to be free, but like most sites now, if you want more details you have to sign up to a plan, which costs. It was through this web site that I found out where the ILONA yacht was moored at Canary Wharf for the Olympics in 2012, which prompted me to go down to London to see it. This is the blog post about the visit. 

Oooops I digress, back to the walk. There is a pond at South Ferriby which is being looked after by volunteers. I remember years ago it was just a stinky manky mucky hole in the ground. Now the gardens have been cultivated and planted, a path has been laid, and a bench sited. It's very pretty. 

It even has a Bug Hotel. 

It was a lovely walk, I really enjoyed it, and another five miles added to my total. I think some of these photo's are in the wrong order, but I think you get my drift. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Sunday Summary.

Hello. It's Sunday just after midday. 

Yesterday was an early start, woke at 4, got up at 5, went for a walk at 5.45, back for 6.45. Not so early this morning, woke at 6, got up at 7. A long chat with sister before breakfast. On the computer, now need to get off it so I'll knock this post out and close down. 

An update on the sweet tooth situation and making treats last. The egg custard tarts have gone, four in four days. The muffins have gone, I ate one whole when I got back from shopping on Friday, and cut the others in half so as not to pig out on them. It worked, they lasted a bit longer. 

I have four scones left, so they will last eight more days when cut in half. There are two and a half slices of fruit loaf left. I cut a slice in half because two would have been too much, and one would not have been enough. One and a half slices, just right. I have saved the best till last, and because the caramel slices have a longer date. Three slices left, so, cut in half they will take me to Friday if I eat a piece today. Or Saturday if I don't. Then I might think about going shopping again. My self discipline is getting better. The less sweet stuff I eat, the less I want. 

I made some more bunting. Didn't have enough stripy fabric to do the whole strip, it was a windbreak by the way, so I did alternate plain blue flags. 

I went round to Angela's last night, she wanted some help with bunting making. She has seen the video but wasn't quite sure about some of the details. We started from scratch and made the templates, then cut the fabric after deciding which colours she wanted to use. She had the machine out and sewed the seams, I ironed, now all she has to do is finish it off. We had a cheese sandwich and a glass of red wine. A very nice evening. 

At last I have sorted my pins out, throwing away all the bent ones, and making a new pin cushion. The old one was too small and the pins too cluttered and close together. This one is better, now I can get my finger between them to pull them out, and I know they are not bent. Bliss. 

Hey, look what I found in a skip the other day. It was full of builders rubble with this lamp shade sitting on top of it. The house was empty, someone is doing it up in between tenants. It's really big, 18 inches across, and made of metal so quite heavy. Not sure what I am going to do with it. I may keep it because a light inside would throw out patterns on the wall. 

That's it for now. Time for lunch. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Coffee time chat with Mayze.

Hello. It's crazy windy out there, I've just taken Billy dog for a walk and we nearly got blown over. Now the sky is going a darker shade of grey, I think a storm is brewing. The veg is steaming in the pan, and will be ready in fifteen minutes. Carrots, potatoes, broccoli, and Brussel Sprouts tonight. 

I haven't tackled the video editing yet, I decided to make another one instead. I will play around with some old videos then it won't matter if I make a mess because they are already out there on yooootooob. 

A new brand of coffee and some more bunting on this one, with my co star Mayze 

I will leave you to it, I need to pop into the kitchen to check on my dinner. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip. 

Walking away from a problem

Hello. I had a longer video planned for today. I recorded it, watched it, thought it was ok, then had second thoughts, something needs editing out. I haven't edited a video before. There is a programme on my computer which can do that, so I thought I would give it a try. Oh my, backwards and forwards, find the bit I want to cut out, tying myself in knots, utterly baffled. The sun was shining and it was mid afternoon, I had to close down the computer and get outside. I need the sun on my face. 

I made this little video while walking around a field edge. 

I'll sort out the other video tomorrow. I may just re record it, that would be the simpler option, and a lot quicker. I need to get the hang of editing though. I'm a bit slow at learning new things, but once I have done something a few times, it eventually sinks in. 

Six miles done today, it was a lovely walk. I felt good as I was striding along. I always feel energised when out in the open air. Only a few more days to the end of the month, and the nine month marker for the walking challenge. the target is 750 miles, I have gone past that now. 

That's all for now, we'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.  ilona

Yesterday

Hello. It's been a miserable day today, different from the sunshine of yesterday. I did my usual walk, five miles, and my friend Angela decided to come with me. She didn't have anything pressing to do at home, and it made a nice change to have some company. 

We found a lot of black bin bags dumped in the wood, full of cannabis plant root balls and compost. There must have been at least 30 bags or more in three separate piles. The Council have put, 'No vehicles' signs up at each end of the track, but that doesn't seem to deter the fly tippers. The only way to stop it is to install gates, or cameras. I don't think that will happen. 

It is pheasant rearing season, they are running across the fields, sometimes taking flight if they can't run fast enough to get out of the way. The shooters will be out in a few weeks, ready to blast them out of the sky. Cruel nasty horrible people. 

We walked through the playing field and did our exercises on the outdoor gym. Well Angela did, I just played on the zip wire. Help, I can't get off it. 

Today I have been making more bunting. Now I'm going to read some blogs. I don't think the weather is going to be very good tomorrow. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

You could make some bunting.

Good evening. Someone asked me if I could make a video about making bunting, so here it is. 

It's so easy, why not have a go and make some for your house or your garden. Let me know how you get on. Which colours you chose, how long did you make it, how many flags, and where is it hanging?  If you have made bunting before this will be easy for you, if you are a beginner give it a try. 

Tatty byes and toodle pip.  Thanks for popping in.  ilona 

I must make an effort.

I called in for a coffee at lunchtime, at my friend Angela's gaff. We are of the same ilk, make do and mend, recycle and reuse, and we both love second hand. She had been given a bag of clothes from a friend who was having a clear out, some of them didn't fit her so she offered them to me. 

I am not too fussed about being fashionable, baggy and comfy is me. Angela on the other hand always looks nice and makes an effort. She handed me garments from the bag, saying how about this then, it will fit you. I hesitated because skinny jeans are not something I would wear. I don't want people looking at my bum, and besides I don't think a 71 year old should be dressing like a teenager. She made me try them on. Amazing, they fit. Then she handed me some tops saying try this one. 

Some of the clothes were not my thing, I don't like cutoffs, or pedal pushers as I think they are called. They have to be regular length trousers or shorts, preferably baggy. I am not too keen on threequarter length sleeves either, I want to pull them down to my wrists. She went through the bag picking out what she thought I ought to wear. 

Here is the fashion show.  This is a beautiful shade of turquois, with a jewelled neckline. Lighter washed stretch denim jeans. 

I like pink. This is a really comfy and soft t shirt. 

The colour doesn't show very well on this picture, it's shades of maroon, orange, and green, stripes. Darker stretched denim jeans. 

And a lovely pair of soft leather boots, which fit me perfectly. 

Plain black long sleeved t shirt. 

And look at me now, back to my normal self, my baggy slobbing about the house clothes, ha ha. 

I promise I will make an effort and get dressed up in my new to me clothes. I think people will be shocked when they see my new image. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Dead Ted

Good morning. I first saw this dead body on the edge of a field I was walking along, on a regular route I use. As I looked down it stopped me dead in my tracks, two glassy eyes looking up at me, spooky.  What is this poor creature I see, all mangled and mutilated. I peered closely and was relieved to find that Ted's stuffing was spilling out from a huge gash between it's legs. Thank goodness it wasn't blood and guts, which would have indicated a truly horrifying death. 

I wondered how Ted came to be out in the open air, some distance away from houses. Was a child wandering along and accidentally dropped him, or was he flung over the hedge from a passing car on the road alongside? 

Poor Ted looks like he, I'm assuming it was a boy, has been chopped up and flung about by a passing tractor, as the field has been ploughed on a regular basis in between crops.  

Now, when I pass that particular point, I look out for Ted. I'm thinking of putting up a memorial plaque for him. Here lies Ted, legless, tossed aside, and abandoned. What a terrible way to go. Cruelty to Teds should be a criminal offence. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.  ilona
 

A testing time

I spent rather more than I intended last night at Aldi. Well it was so easy. I had the shop almost to myself, no need to dodge people. There was only two others pushing their loaded trolleys around, masked of course but I don't know why. We were well spread out and only one staff member was masked up. There was time to browse. They close at 9pm and I was the last one out,  well almost the last one. A late shopper dashed in just as I was leaving. 

Loading ones trolley with a load of crap is often the result of browsing, and so I slipped in a few sweet treats because I'm worth it. Over the years I have been fairly disciplined about limiting the junk I eat, by not buying a packet of biscuits, or cake, because I have no willpower once I get them home. I would just scoff the lot in one day, but look what I bought last night. 

Now here's the test, I need to make these last for two weeks until I go shopping again. These days I don't pop in a shop because I fancy something sweet. That has all gone out of the window. Now, the only food that passes my lips is bought in my fortnightly supermarket shop. So how am I going to manage with all this temptation around, can I make these treats last?  

Custard Tarts, 85p, not suitable for freezing, and they go out of date today. Not to worry, I'll eat one every day for four days. I love custard tarts. 

Fruit Loaf, 75p. This will freeze if I have to, but I have eaten this a week over the date, and it's alright. This one is 22nd September. There are twelve slices, so I could have one slice with my morning coffee every day. I don't bother putting butter on it. 

These Sultana Scones are 79p. They will freeze but I probably wont. Dated 26th September. These are rather large so I cut them in half, and only eat half at a time. I also eat them dry, no jam and cream in this house. Suitable for freezing it says. 

I have been a bit naughty with the Blueberry Muffins, as you can see, one is missing. When I got home last night and unpacked the shopping, I decided that I deserved a treat, so I ate one with a mug of hot choccy. They cost 85p and are dated till 9th October, they can be frozen. I think I may cut these in half in the future, no need to eat a whole one really. 

These are hellishly sweet, must be mounds of sugar in them. Caramel Shortcake, cost 99p. Long date 17th December. Does not mention freezing on the pack. I know I will cut these in half. Four in a pack and I ate a whole one once, it was too much. So half of one will be enough. 

So the test is, can I make these last the whole two weeks. There I've made it public now, so I can't fail. I will report back. 

Sunny Saturday folks, get your bodies outside. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Danglydooooos

I thought I would make some single decorations with felt scraps. It's also a good way to use up shorter pieces of embroidery silks. The centre pieces are from children's bracelets. I have stiffened them with cardboard in between the back and front. Doing a little bit of embroidery is quite relaxing. I will possibly make some more later on, but I have other ideas waiting to be started. 

It's the weekend folks, how time flies. I'm off to Aldi in half an hour, so I'll say Tattybyes and Toodle pip. Ilona. 

Part of the family.

Hello, it's sunny here. Strange weather we're having, one day overcast and rainy, next day the sun is out. I'll get this done, then go out. 

My Creator Monthly landed in the email box this morning from yoooootoooob. It's like a Newsletter, with stats to tell me how I'm doing with the numbers of subscribers, how many views and minutes watched, how many likes, comments, posts, and shares. Most of it I'm not really interested in. I just check into the channel now and again to tidy things up, and see if I have missed any incoming comments. It's only a hobby for me. 

There are also hints and tips on how to increase visitor numbers, create more interesting content, generally polish things up, and work on promoting it to a wider audience. Here's a bit of blurb to fire me up. 

Hey Meanqueen Superscrimper,

This month, get out of your comfort zone and find ways to change up your content, deepen connections with your audience, and lean into fan support. See how other creators are mixing it up and seeing lasting results — so you can apply these strategies to your own channel. Let's get into it!

They then give me some links to other Channels which will inspire me with ideas. I could try this.......

Our channel members love bonus videos, so we try and give them fun videos they wouldn't normally see on our channel. It's a place for us to experiment with new ideas but also connect with our audience and get feedback from some of our most devoted viewers. After we started taking memberships seriously, so did our audience and membership revenue has grown in the past few months to a point where we're now really paying attention.

Another yoootooober suggests this..........

RPM gives you a full snapshot of all your earnings, from Channel Memberships, YouTube Premium, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Ads, across all your views. In short, use this to track your revenue performance so you can hone your content, growth, and earning strategies. Take a look at this helpful video.

Or I could do this......

We knew that more than subscribers & view counts - it would be a community of paying members that would support us. So that's what we have done - built a small community that supports, us.

And if I want to I could take part in a Boot Camp..........

Get ready to pump up your channel with the help of our boot camp classes. It’s easy – just pick your course and you’ll be flexing your new YouTube powers in no time.

Google is very keen to encourage me to be part of the family, they are very supportive if anyone wants to start their own Channel. What they don't know is that I am happy to pootle along in my own sweet way, in my own time. I wondered if they might dump me because I don't have any adverts, so they won't be making any money from me. I hope they let me carry on as I am because it's fun to do, and it keeps me busy. If I suddenly disappear they might have decided I am not worth the bother. 

Blogger is part of the same family, so I hope there won't be any massive shake ups. I've had quite a lot of free entertainment from both over the years. 

Going for a walk. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Pick and mix books.

Good morning. The mobile library came yesterday, this is Stan's first week out since about March April time. Can't remember when the plague first started, it seems like ages ago. Stan has now turned into a long haired hippy, it suits him. 

It was nice to see him again. We chatted, him stood inside the van at the top of the steps, me stood on the tarmac a good distance away. It seems the library staff weren't given much notice about how this new system of lending books was going to work. They haven't been able to do all the preparation needed. Stan has to ring all the customers to ask what their preferred reading matter is. He compiles a list and a staff member of the Central Library picks a selection of books and bags them up. Stan then brings them with him on the van. 

The trouble is that the picker works part time, so is not able to fulfil the requirements of everyone. Stan has started the week with only three days of ordered books. When he goes out on Thursday and Friday, he has no books to deliver. No one can go onto the van to choose books, so technically Stan is just a delivery service. So why does he need to drag the whole caboodle, big van, around the villages? Bit silly really, he could come in a transit van. 

I got two brown paper bags, each with three books in them. I think this is a pretty good selection. I won't read them in their entirety, I never do. I pick bits out of them when I want to sit down for half an hour. 

Sometimes I would swap my books as often as weekly, but these I will keep a bit longer. If the picking lady is swamped with work, I had best be patient and not add to her already hefty workload. She might need a breather to catch up. 

When books are returned they are to be dropped into a plastic box on the table outside the van. Stan is not allowed to re issue them to someone else because they have to go back to Central and be quarantined for 72 hours, before they are put back into the system. I asked Stan if I should quarantine these books when I got home. He didn't know. 

I am not sure what I have to do when I am ready to change these. When I take them back there won't be any replacements, I assume I have to order those in advance. Perhaps I will have to wait until the following week for some more to arrive. If I return these in the two brown paper bags I was given, would they have to be quarantined as well? Will we be getting the same bags over and over again, or will they issue new bags every time? 

It's all a bit strange, seems a bit over the top to me. But as Stan explained, they have strict instructions to protect the customers and staff. Fear of anyone suing the Council because they caught something from a book, is at the heart of the new system. We shall see what happens next.

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona. 

Making small crafty items to sell locally

Hello. I made a little video for yoooooohooohooo. 

Sunny here today. Thanks for popping in.  Toodle pip.  ilona

Free, take it if you want it.

 Do you like my little shop? I set a table up, it's full of unwanted toys, rescued from a skip. The house owner is moving out and gave me permission to take whatever I wanted. I can't bear to see useful stuff thrown into a hole in the ground. Some of it is brand new. 

Some of it has been taken. I put a few items at the front of my friends house in the High Street, she has more people passing there, my street is very quiet. 

The skip is being picked up on Thursday and more will be added as they go through the house to empty it. As it is nearby I shall keep going back to have a look if anything else has appeared. I hope to find homes for anything that is useful. 

Thanks for popping in, Toodle pip.   ilona