The things I see.

What did I see on my walk today? One of the turbines appears to be broken. No worries, the maintenance crew are here to put it right. 

Another load of straw bales on it's way to who knows where. That's a wagon and drag lorry by the way, or a draw bar and trailer if you like. The cab is a Scania, I can tell that by it's shape. That's one combo that I never got the chance to drive. Very difficult to reverse. They used to rope and sheet a load like that, now they just strap it. 

The entrance to the horsey field is partially blocked. A very large branch has broken away from the trunk of this tree. Bet that made a loud crack as it fell. 

Entertainment while I ate my custard tart sitting on the bench outside the Village Hall. Young man pulls up, unstraps his load, drops his tailboard and proceeds to drive the machine off, and down to the site where it's wanted. 

Nearly there, careful, don't tip it up. 

Look what I found, luckily I had a carrier bag with me. They have started to harvest the potatoes. No I didn't dig these up. They must have fallen off the trailer, I found them on the grass verge on the track next to the field. Lucky find eh! 

I had a chat with a man walking his dog, and a woman walking her two dogs. The walk is supposed to take about two hours. It often takes longer because I stop and chat to people. 

I've made a big pan of stew tonight. It's blooming loverly. I put a packet of macaroni cheese in it. Plenty left for two more portions. 

I'm going to stop now, I am making mistakes, hitting the wrong keys, brain must be tired. Don't forget, it's check in day tomorrow for the walking group. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Flying high

I remember when I flew to the USA, or was it Canada, I can't remember now, we had a female pilot. My boyfriend asked if we could take a look in the cockpit during the flight, and I was thrilled when we were granted permission. 

I like to think that I was a bit of a trail blazer when I started my career as an HGV driver back in 1976, but things have moved on since then and now it is commonplace to see women piloting for the big airlines. I imagine that training for this job would take many years, I have every admiration for them. 

There are so many aircraft grounded at the moment, I think opportunities in travel are few and far between. Please don't give up ladies, in whatever line of work you choose. Fight for your rights as free citizens of the western world. Never ever give up your dreams, your hopes for the future. Make sure you do have a future. Accept nothing less, you are worth it. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

PS. Putting a note in here to say the Research page is getting very heavy and slow to load. I have opened a second page to carry us forward to the end of the year. The link is at the top under the sunflowers. I will also say that if people want to ignore it they can, but be prepared for whatever comes next. I am trying to alert you to the dangers, you must take full responsibility for your actions. Thank you for your emails, I will get round to replying soon. 

A beer with my dinner

Good afternoon on this Bank Holiday Monday. The weather is fine here, I hope it is where you are. I made this little video yesterday, now uploaded to yooohoootooob. 

I will now go outside. Thank you for popping in. We'll catch up soon.  

Toodle pip.   ilona

Free chairs

Look at that, I can see new grass. How exciting. I'm not sure how thick it will be, I might have to buy some more seed. 

I came across these chairs yesterday that someone left on their front for anyone to take. I went home to get my car, and nabbed them pretty quick. They are plastic and will be left outside. I don't have anywhere to store them. I still don't know what I am going to fill the space with. 

My dinner tonight, steamed veg with a spicy bean burger. I fancied a beer, luckily I have some in my cupboard. 

I've walked two miles today with Billy dog so I don't need to go out tonight. I say walked, it was more like a march as he dragged me along. 

We'll catch up tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Out and about

I've had a busy day. The village is quiet, a lot of people have gone away this Bank Holiday Weekend. There doesn't seem to be much happening on the seeded patch on the garden, no sign of anything sprouting yet. I scattered some more seed on it and watered it. I don't know how long these things take. 

I went to the arts centre in town. One of the ladies is leaving and I wanted to give her a little gift, some bunting for her campervan. She was telling me about it last time I was there. I didn't see her because she had finished yesterday. I left the bunting at the reception desk because they tell me she will be in on Thursday. I will send her an email telling her to ask for it so it is not forgotten. 

I called in at Aldi to pick up a few things. It was strange going in there in the middle of the day when I am used to having the shop to myself at 9pm. I quickly put a few things in my own shopping bag, then emptied it at the checkout onto the belt. I was in and out in a jiffy. 

When I got back I had lunch, then decided to go out. I did my usual walk. The sunshine was lovely. 

They are busy baling the straw up. Clever how this machine spits blocks out of the back.

In another field they were harvesting the grain. I wouldn't fancy working in all that dust. It drifted my way. I pulled my scarf over my mouth as I was passing it. 

Starting to yawn, it must be nearly time for bed. We'll catch up soon. 

Good Morning. As soon as I shut this down last night I realised I had forgotten to mention the highlight of my walk yesterday. I really shouldn't write blog posts late at night when my brain has turned to mush. So, what was the bonus that made me smile from ear to ear. The Red Arrows flew right over the top of me. I heard a rumble from somewhere behind me but couldn't see anything as the sun was in my eyes. There are often light aircraft overhead, so I didn't take much notice. 

A second later I turned for another look and there they were. Ten of the little red aircraft flying in perfect formation. Two 'V' s, a bit like how the Canada Ducks fly. I didn't have time to get the camera out of my little pouch, it was over in a few seconds. I saw in the news that they were performing at Blackpool and the Isle of Man, so they would be on their way back to base in Lincolnshire, and we are directly inline with that flight path. I love the Red Arrows.  

Back again. I've found a clip of the Arrows on their return journey last night. Sharyn managed to get a shot of them passing over somewhere in the North West. A smart phone is a lot quicker than getting a camera out. This is exactly as I saw them. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

History repeats itself

Fast forward twelve years. Looking familiar? A definite pattern emerging. 

It didn't work then so now they are having another shot at it. 

Have a nice Bank Holiday Weekend. The sun is shining, go outside and get your vitamin D. We are coming to the end of the month. Check in for the International Walking Group is on Wednesday the 1st of September. Still time to top up your totals with an extra few miles. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Bring back common sense.

 People keep asking me why don't I come out of retirement and take a lorry driving job. I suppose I could, I am confident that I could still get in any lorry and drive it, even though it's been thirteen years since I last did so. Some things have changed though, the CPC, Certificate of Professional Competence,  is now mandatory for all drivers. 

I passed a CPC exam many years ago, back then it was for anyone who was thinking of going into transport management. I thought I might do that when I wanted a change from sitting in a cab to sitting at a desk. It never happened, I loved sitting in a cab. Nowadays the CPC is different, it was added to a list of training and qualifications a driver needed to get a job. Most of this legislation came from Brussels, supposedly to set a level playing field. It never did. 

Most of the drivers who came from other European countries have now gone back home, which has left us with a shortage. Another reason is that the industry is not training up new drivers. 

John Redwood asked the question in Parliament yesterday, why don't we train up new drivers. That seems like a common sense thing to say. Boris replied that they are doing all they can to get people back to work. Waffling and missing the point completely.

The DVLA is in such a disarray that applicants for a licence are having difficulty going through the process. The frustrations of jumping through many hoops, and the cost of training, around £3,000, is putting many would be drivers off. New applicants can't even get a provisional licence to start their training. Working from home, furlough, and pinging staff has put a spanner in the works. 

If companies need new staff, for any job, they should be investing in new training. If they can't afford it there should be grants available from the Government. Some haulage companies will take young people on in say, van driving or warehouse jobs, and put them through the system inhouse until they get the training and licences needed to handle larger vehicles. Sadly there are not enough of these places to cover the shortfall. 

We may see more empty shelves as time goes on if nothing is done to address the problem. More drivers are needed so set up more training centres, and cut out some of the hoops. I am sure people would step forward with the promise of a job afterwards. 

Government should understand the fact that the whole infrastructure is build around lorries and drivers moving goods about. Everything you see has been on the back of a lorry at some point. It's very short sighted to sweep the problem under the carpet. Put money into training to stop the country grinding to a halt. Train new drivers to replace the ones leaving. There's a bit of common sense for you. Are you listening, Boris. 

Thanks for popping in. Looking a bit dull outside, I am sure it will brighten up. 

Toodle pip.    ilona  

Find the Lincoln Imp.

Yesterday I went to the camera shop at Lincoln, then had a look around. I have been here a few times before, I like it. A few hours is not enough time to see it all, so several visits are advised. Free parking is available on Wragby Road a few minutes walk from the cathedral. I was disappointed that the two big art galleries were not open. 

The summer attraction is the Lincoln Imp Trail. These are scattered all over Lincoln. There is a list and map which can be downloaded. I saw several families ticking off the ones that they had found. Children seem to be enjoying it. I thought the sculptures were a colourful addition. 

Part of the Cathedral is covered in scaffolding. Team brief, what are we going to do next. 

It's easy to find your way around. There are signposts in abundance at most junctions. I had a map but didn't need to use it much, I was familiar with some of the route. 

Ooooh look, another Imp. When I saw the first one I thought it had only one leg, I was mistaken, they have two. 

Flower time is the best time to visit. The colourful display is lovely. 

And another.

I had a walk around Brayford Wharf and was able to climb up some steps to a balcony to get this shot of the Marina. 

Another Imp. He looks a bit angry. 

Standing on a road bridge overlooking the river. The Sea Cadets are having fun in their canoe's. 

Along comes a cruiser. Not many people on the lower deck, it looks a bit top heavy. 

It was inevitable that some of the teenagers would end up in the water. It was good to see them larking about and having fun. 

On one side of the water it is mainly commercial, hotels, shops, and eateries. On the other there are a lot of University buildings, which are empty at the moment. August is holiday time.  

I took this picture because I liked the contrast between the personal decorations of pot plants on top of the narrowboat, the modern multistory car park and retail buildings, and on top of it all rising high above the city the historical Cathedral. 

Look what I found. A picnic table decorated with a lovely cloth and sunflowers, with an abundance of delicious food. The ladies were celebrating a birthday, and they had all brought along a contribution in the way of food and drink. One of the ladies lives in the narrow boat with the pot plants on top. What a fantastic idea to have it out in the open. This made my day to see it. The ladies were smashing. It was a pleasure to meet you, if you find this blog post. 

I headed back towards the town. Ooooh look, another Imp. 

The railway crossing gates were down to let a train through. 

A bit further on I crossed over the line via a footbridge. A lot of people waiting for a train. 

And they all pile on when it arrives. It's a very short train. Could have done with an extra carriage I think. 

Another Imp. I like his green face. 

The river goes right through the centre. Book your tickets here for the cruise. 

There is a coffee shop on this boat. it looks like it is closed. 

This Imp is gorgeous, I love the colours. 

If you want more information about the Imp Trail, 

check out this web site.  

Or this web site.

I had a fabulous day out yesterday, now I must get on with my chores. 

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

A bargain.

 

I've had an enjoyable day out in Lincoln today. There was something I wanted from the camera shop, so I made it into a day out rather than go there and back in a couple of hours. 

I struck lucky. I told the man in the shop that I needed a long selfie stick because holding the camera out in front of me was making my arm ache. He suggested this, it extends in three places and can adjust to any length you want. It has a soft grip handle, and the head will tilt and can be locked in place. 

I said, that will be great how much is it? He said a couple of quid, it's second hand. WOW, what a bargain. 

I walked around Lincoln for three hours and took some photo's. It's too late to sort them out now, I will put them on tomorrow. 

Now I'm starting to yawn, it won't be long till I will be in bed. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Welcome home

Imagine what it would be like if you were greeted like this every time you come home. 

Bobby goes around the whole house saying hello to all his pooches. They are so excited.

Now I am off out. Catch ya later.   ilona

Shopping

I've had a very nice afternoon. After lunch I loaded my car up with boxes of rubble and took it to the recycling centre. That's the last of it, no more digging. The strip of ground is covered in grass seed. I shall be out there every day looking for the first signs of growth. 

While I was out and about I went to town and picked up a couple of maps from WH Smith. I had a look in their clearance sale upstairs but nothing to tempt me. Some of the prices didn't seem particularly cheap. 

Parked in a side road was this beautiful DAF truck. I'm not a fan of this make. British  Leyland trucks were taken over by DAF many years ago. They called the new trucks Leyland DAF. Eventually they dropped the Leyland part of the name. This one is from Holland. 

The driver travels the UK delivering fresh flowers. He can't get the truck parked close to a lot of flower shops so the assistant has to come out with a trolley to pick up her delivery. I had a little chat with the driver. He is away for three days and makes 40 deliveries. He has a hand held electronic gadget with all the addresses on there, and what stock has been ordered for each shop. The refrigerated trailer is fitted out with shelving and he puts together the orders for each place. That's a lot of work, I suspect he must be doing twelve hour days. 

Next I went to Go Outdoors to have a browse around there. It's a big store, there were one or two things I wanted. I looked longingly at the tents, there are some big ones at quite good prices. They would be great for two people to put up, but no good for me struggling in the wind and rain. 

I bought a gas cooker single burner. The small one I have is unstable so something flat will be safer to use. I found a small folding table, it will be useful to put next to my chair. I didn't get the electric hook up lead that I wanted. They had one that was £40. Too much. I considered buying another pair of my favourite boots, but they didn't have my size, so that saved me some money. 

 On the way back I pass Poundstretcher so I had a browse there. It was nice to wander around a near empty shop. I spent the grand total of £2.49 for a tin of Coffee Mate. 

I've had a dawdling kind of day, no pressure to hurry up. Now I'm going to make dinner. It will be a fridge to plate meal, no need to cook. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

When you don't have a roller.

My old boots are useful for gardening tasks. Like stamping the ground flat preparing it for sowing grass seeds. It's taking shape. 

Another load of rubble waiting to be taken to the recycling centre. 

Catch ya soon. Toodle pip.   ilona

PS. I did a post after this one. 51 people saw it. I have deleted it because it was distressing. It was certainly distressing for me. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the horrors of life, there are things we don't want to know about. But the horrors must be faced so people can learn from them. The news item is covered on the Research page if you want to know what it is about. I have removed it from here because I didn't want anyone to be distressed about it. 

Just go.

It started off rather dull this morning, the weather didn't look very promising. I got on with the garden, and managed to dig most of the roots out of the ground. Some of the thick ones went so deep I dug down as far as I could, then chopped them off with the loppers. Now I need to dig over the whole patch again to break the soil down, then flatten it and spread the grass seed on it. 

I was in two minds whether to go for a walk because black clouds kept coming over threatening rain. In the end I thought just go, if it rains it rains. So I went, and it didn't. 

The tide is out on the river, the sand banks are visible. 

I sat on the bench outside the church and ate my cheese and lettuce sandwich. 

Bales of hay stacked and waiting to be picked up. 

The track goes through this farm. 

I'm glad I made the effort to go. It turned out to be a lovely warm day. Eight miles, and a chat to a nice man who was also out for a walk. We discussed the routes we walk, he was local so he knows the area. 

I got back just in time to catch a live chat on yooohoootoob. Andrew Ditton was telling us all about his plans. He is off to Germany tomorrow to a caravan and motorhome show, then he is going to pick up his Airstream, which has been at the factory for repairs. He will be back home in the Outer Hebrides sometime in October. I think I mentioned him before, he has made some smashing caravan and motorhome travel videos. 

I'm starting to yawn so I will wind this up. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona  

Dig this.

It's been a wet and a dry day today, so I've been out in the garden when it wasn't raining, and indoors when it was. I made a piece of needle felting ages ago, and zigzagged across it with the machine to hold it all together. I thought it was time I did something with it, so I've made a handy little lined pouch. It could be used for a small gadget, a smart phone maybe. 

It has a velcro fastening. I won't put a strap on it. 

I'm having a heck of a job to dig out the last of the roots which are entwined around buried rubble. This is all that remains of the ivy which engulfed the garage. The roots go deep, I am not able to get them all out. I dig down as far as I can, the ground is rock hard clay, and use the loppers to chop them off. 

This is the third box to be tipped in the bin. Oooh my aching back. 

I won't bother to go for a walk tonight, it's raining again. I'm going to relax with a glass of wine and a video. 

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for popping in. ilona. 

Not enough time

I almost didn't get out for a walk yesterday. As usual I was busy in the morning and just as I was ready at 3pm the rain came. I had literally got my boots on to step out of the door. Oh bugger, it's raining. Back inside, remove boots, now what? 

Looking for little jobs to fill the time until it stops raining. I have a Dyson upstairs so a quick whip round with that took ten minutes. My credit card statements are building up so time to get rid of the old ones. Ten minutes spent shredding. I need to start a new craft project, fancied doing some weaving. Ten minutes looking for the small loom. Gave up. Still raining. Sit down and read a book. Looking a bit more promising, boots back on, I will take a chance. I got going at 4.30pm. 

Harvesting well on the way now. Grain first, potatoes later. 

Coming back into the village and it was raining. I didn't expect to see the Bowls Club open. They sure are keen on the game to be playing in the pouring rain. 

 

I got back later than I normally would have, due to the late start. A quick and simple meal. Pasta and cheese sauce out of a packet, a handful of frozen peas, with an egg on top. This pic was taken this morning, because I had the same for breakfast. 

I don't have enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. My mission to carry on researching means my brain is absorbing a shed load of information. Everything I read and watch leads me to believe that the truth is getting through to a lot more people now than in the beginning.  

It is my hope that people will eventually come to realise that this isn't about health. For starters we need to know where, why, and how the virus was released to the world. 

Keep your eyes and ears open. Stop watching, listening, and reading the news on the TV, national newspapers, and national radio. You all have the internet. Experts who are telling the truth are being censored, deleted, and blacklisted. There has to be a reason for that. They will not be silenced.  

I am coming towards the end of Laura Dodsworth's book, A State of Panic. She needs to write another book about what comes next.  

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