Prepping for a Halloween party.

The rain was lashing down this morning, it looked like it was set in for the day. Amazingly the same thing happened, as it did yesterday, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Might as well go for another walk. I need to alter my start times now, it will be getting dark an hour earlier. Long shadows from a low sun going down. Can you see me mother. 

Someone here likes bird boxes. I wonder if they are hand made. There are piles of wood stacked on the ground just below them.  

I uploaded this video from yesterday, while I was out. The Village Hall getting ready for a Halloween party. 

Don't forget, it's check in day tomorrow for the International Walking Group. Only two months left of the year. How are you all doing? 

I will sign off now, don't feel like writing any more today. I'm feeling a bit sad. My best friend is poorly. Bye for now.   ilona

Meeting friendly people on a really nice walk.

I didn't think I was going to get out for a walk today, but after a miserable morning with lashings of heavy rain, it miraculously brightened up. It was a local walk, there wasn't  enough time to drive somewhere new.  

Even the Industrial Estate looked picturesque in the sunshine. 

It was lovely to see that this bus shelter had been decorated. 

Orange and black flags were strung up around it. 

In the nearby Village Hall they were getting ready for a party. I received a warm welcome and a mug of coffee. The ladies preparing food in the kitchen recognised me, they have  been watching my videos on yooootooob. I made a video while I was there and will upload it tomorrow. My new best friend greeted me at the door. 

Interesting cloud formations and it looks like there is going to be a spectacular sunset. 

Chattering geese flying in formation. 

The sunset over to the left of this tree is lighting it up. Gorgeous colours.  

Oh here we go, snap happy me couldn't stop clicking. 

I arrived home just as it was getting dark. We put the clocks back one hour tonight so we get an extra hour in bed, that's if we want to spend it in bed. The downside is it will start getting dark earlier. I don't like it when we have to shut the curtains and put the light on at 4pm. 

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. Tatty byes.   ilona

Bullies or trolls?

 Good morning. I wasn't going to post today, but I will now I have received this comment. It came in at about 3am this morning, so that tells me it is possibly from the other side of the world. This is just one of many that land here, mostly I delete them, occasionally I publish one just to illustrate the dark side of blogging. 

Jane Jereb commented on "Coffee chat. Are you ready for 2022?"

7 hours ago

Yes, ignore, deny and spread falsehoods. How about running for Parliament Ilona. We all understand that a truckie knows more than any qualified scientist, epidemiologist and medical expert. You could run as the common man's expert on Corona. Go for it Ilona. You are so good at rambling you are sure to succeed.

I didn't see Rachels recent disruption on her blog, but I can well understand her disappointment that it happens. She prefers to call them bullies, which they are, but I would add that when the same person does it over and over again, I think it's fair to call them trolls. 

The tone of the comment is important, how it is written is important, the language used is important. Some of them are blunt to the point of abuse. This one I show here is sarcasm personified. Someone who thinks they have a better understanding of me, than me. 

You have to feel sorry for them. I am at the top of my game, they are at the bottom trying to claw their way back up. The only way they know how is to knock other people back down to their level. Well it's not happening here. There will be no tears from me, I will not be taking my blog down. 

I've had enough knockbacks in my life to know that if you show your weaknesses they come back over and over again, and go for the jugular. I have never known this level of bitterness in people before, it is soaring to new heights. There is something strange going on. 

Enjoy your weekend. I think it's going to be rainy here, not a good prospect but it is what it is. I did a late shop last night at Aldi so I have some delicious food in the fridge. Plenty of vegetables and some treats. The car is filled up with petrol so if there is a sunny spell I am ready to go out. 

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon. If any bullies comment on this, on yer bike sunshine. In the words of Catherine Tate's character, Lauren, Am I bovvered? I ain't bovvered. 

Toodle pip.   ilona 

Afternoon in the garden

I've been catching up with some jobs in the garden this afternoon. It was windy but not too cold. I got the big step ladder out to reach the top of the conifer hedge at the bottom end of the garden. Hazel was busy on the other side mowing her lawn. As I was standing on the step ladder I could see right across there. When she finished mowing we had a chat across the hedge and fence between us. 

I found a silver beady curtain in a skip last week. I thought I might put it in the house porch, but it is too wide. Now it is in the Summer House. It's perfect in there. 

It was starting to get dark when I took this picture. I put the big butterfly back up again. I took it down to paint the door, but then found I didn't have any suitable paint in a nice colour, so it will have to stay dark green for now. The neighbours cat has decided he quite likes the shelter and has taken it over. Oscar has claimed the other shelter in the porch of the Summer House. 

There's not a lot to do in the garden now. I don't think the grass will need mowing again. A bit of hedge trimming will keep it tidy. I thought I might get a small greenhouse to put in place of the garage, but I am getting to like the extra space I have. 

Thank you for popping in. Bye for now.   ilona

Coffee chat. Are you ready for 2022?

Here is a vid I made yesterday, got to keep my yoootooob gang happy. 

I think I will have a day off walking today. The weather is a bit dull and windy. Want to get on with some artycrafty stuff. 

Catch ya later.   Toodle pip.  ilona

Local walk and a chat.

It was mild and warm when I went out for a walk this afternoon. I set off a bit earlier than usual so I wouldn't be coming back in the dark. One of my usual walks that I have done many times before. 

I called in to see a friend, and this time she was in. We sat in the garden and had a catch up natter. 

The sky clouded over and looked as if it was going to rain, but luckily it didn't. It got very windy though. I needed the woolly hat, scarf, and gloves. Most of the fields have been ploughed now, all looking neat and tidy. 

Eight miles walked, which has got me to 834, just over the target for the end of October. Four days left so I will be able to get a little bit ahead, which will give me a good start for November. 

I believe it was Budget Day today. I missed that. Don't know what was said. Potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots, and broccoli for dinner tonight. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip. 

Useful information?

 In January 2022 the Government are launching a new App to help people make positive changes to their diet and physical activity. A pilot will see users wear wrist-worn devices that can generate personalised health recommendations such as increasing their step count, eating more fruit and vegetables, and decreasing portion size. 

Users will collect points for their healthy behaviours, which will unlock rewards, which could include gym passes, clothes or food vouchers and discounts for shops, cinema or theme park tickets. 

Check out the rest of it on the Government web site. Be ready for it so you know what's coming. This is a Social Credit system being brought in. This is about training people like you would with a dog, with treats.

Following a competitive tender process, HeadUp has been chosen to deliver the new scheme, with £3 million also coming from the Department of Health and Social Care to provide incentives. 

Check out the HeadUp web site. They are a data science company that applies itself to people's health. Quote...We have all sorts of thoughts about health care, how it should look, how it should feel, how it should taste. We are not here to fall in line with the status quo, we're here to re-engineer.' 

Think about the word re-engineer, it is important. 

Thank you to Hugo Talks. You can find his video on this here. 

I will not be getting a smart phone, I will not be getting an app, I will continue to monitor my own health. Now off for a walk. Catch ya later.   Toodle pip.  ilona

Reporting on the mushrooms.

Small mushrooms when they started to appear. 

Much larger mushrooms now. 

Pink underneath as they were. 

Now they are brown underneath. 

Still not eating them. 

I was late up this morning. The walking is good for my sleeping. Now what to have for breakfast. Not mushrooms. 

Catch ya later.  Toodle pip. ilona

Back to Nottinghamshire

Another nice day today. Off I went, back to Nottinghamshire. A bit further this time, through Bawtry, through Ranskill, to a small village called Torworth. I saw a car park on the map for Daneshill Lakes. Worth a look I thought. 

I am a little bit hesitant to go into woods because I usually get lost. The tracks are on the map so I should be able to follow them. So far into it I got a bit confused, but I managed to find my way out. 

The sign posts are hard to spot, buried in the bushes. 

There are some lovely lakes to walk around. Plenty of Canada Geese about. 

I have no idea who those people are, they just happened to be there. 

It looks lovely and peaceful, apart from the trains going by on the main line railway line not far away. 

Picture of the bottom of me.....

....and the top of me. Taken in two different locations. 

I arrived in Sutton cum Lound. The flying swans on this sign don't show up very well on the pale background. I had a look around this small village and noticed quite a lot of new build houses. There was a large site with a sign at the entrance saying 33 houses are being built here. If they carry on expanding this village it is going to spoil it. 

The church is really big. I have noticed that a lot of small villages have the biggest churches. This one is lovely. Door was locked so I couldn't go inside. 

The rest of the walking was on roads, through Lound, and back to the car park. I must try and remember to take food with me for swans and ducks when I go for a walk. I feel guilty when they come towards me and I haven't got any. 

I was back home for 7.30pm. The cats were ready for their dinner. I have opened a bottle of cider. Miles checked at 7, on bikehike.co.uk. 

An at home day tomorrow, I have a dog walk to do. Thanks for popping in. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Home made peanut butter.

This is how I make peanut butter. Two packets of salted peanuts in a Kenwood Chef, whizz until the required texture is achieved. I put it in the fridge just as it is, and dip into it whenever I fancy some.

It stiffens up a bit in the fridge so if you want it soft whizz for a bit longer. If you want it crunchy whizz for less time. 

I tried it with plain unsalted peanuts, it works. I also washed the salt from the peanuts and dried them in a clean tea towel. That works also. It's a matter of try it and see which method suits you best. You can add a spoon of oil, but there is no need, there is enough oil in the nuts. 

Looks like good walking weather so I am off for a ramble. 

Catch ya later.   Toodle pip.    ilona

Smiley Sunday

A new day dawns, and this morning the sunrise was a treat to see from my window. 

I could gaze at that all day. In a couple of minutes it was gone. 

Yesterday was a dog walk, and afterwards coffee and natter with a friend. It was late when I got home so an easy warmed up bowl of stew was very welcome. 

Today is the village Boot Sale, where people put their stuff out at the front of their houses. I am not joining in this time as I gave a lot of my stuff to a charity shop. I will have a walk round to see what's on offer. First, beans and egg on toast.

Have a nice Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Standing together

This is how to protest. No vaxxxxx passports, anywhere. 

Frontline workers and first responders stood in silence to protest the province's vaccine passport in Quebec City on Oct. 15, 2021.

From Humboldt, CA, we stand with YOU! This is so powerful I can't help but cry.

The people stand up against tyranny! Worldwide! The best wishes from Austria!

I stand with you from the United States, I send you all love

Love from South Africa to all my brothers and sisters throughout the world who believe in Freedom and Truth.

That's powerful. England stands with you, Quebec.

AUSTRALIA supports and appreciates your commitment.

Brave, dignified and wise people, we support you all, we support you and we join our hearts - for Freedom Poland

That is amazing to see, respect to all of you from The Netherlands

I'm from Germany. Love and Peace for the People who stand up. We are strong together

We are with you. People must be united and fight for freedom. Thank you Québécois. From Greece Macedonia Thessaloniki.

Greetings from The Netherlands, stay strong

Super!!! Ukraine is with you!!!! We are also fighting this insanity here.

Watching from Denmark. Well done, keep going. May God Bless us all!

I am not alone.    ilona

Patching things up.

I will get another winters wear out of these slipper socks. Last year I patched the heels with green baize from a snooker table. It is stronger and thicker than ordinary felt. Now the soles are wearing thin so more patching is needed. 

They are snuggly warm, I wear them over one, sometimes two pairs of ordinary socks. I have got some slippers which I hardly wear now. I much prefer these.

Just a thought, if you have a pair of thick knitted socks you could easily convert them to slipper socks by putting patches on the bottom. I might try that with another pair, I have got a drawer full of them. 

It's the weekend. The weather is looking ok. Coffee with a friend this morning, a dog walk this afternoon. Keep busy folks.

Toodle pip.   ilona

Into Nottinghamshire

Good morning. I took these photo's yesterday but it was too late to post them last night. My brain went to bed before I did. It was a sunny morning so I went out. My walk starts at Everton, which is about three miles south of Bawtry, an hours drive away. 

It's a lovely village, with a mix of small cottages and big posh mansions. I saw a lot of high walls and big gates with intercom systems, to keep nosey people out. Spotted, an electric car plugged into a socket next to the front door. A massive balcony with access through French windows, and plate glass panels around the edge to stop people falling off it. 

I parked next to the church. It is surrounded by trees, so this is the best photo I could get of it. The door was locked so I couldn't go inside. 

Off down a track and I came across this. The land was divided into paddocks surrounded by fencing. In one area a chap was cutting the grass, I stopped to say hello. A woman was exercising a couple of dogs, and giving obedience training to another. The two running about were in doggy day care. 

This was a nice walk through. The fallen leaves providing a soft carpet. 

I arrived at Mattersey via a footbridge over the Rive Idle. I always walk around the outside of a church to get a good shot. This one stand high on a mound above the level of the road. 

The door was open so I took the opportunity to get a bit of shelter while I changed from my body warmer to a jacket. Although sunny it was a tad cold. The woolly hat also went on over the sun visor. The collage is a quiz for children. They have to look at the pictures and answer questions. 

It looks a bit ghostly with the furniture covered in sheets. I imagined them with wires attached. They could be dancing spooks flying up into the roof. 

I sat on a bench and ate my cheese and lettuce sandwich. The next part took me down a long straight road, with a turn to the right onto a footpath along a field edge. I came to a small wood which had a big sign saying no entry. The path runs along the side it. These trees in the wood caught my eye, I need to get a good shot of them. There were a couple of gaps in the hedge. I cropped out the hedge in this photo. 

I zoomed in a bit on this one. I like the way the sun shows the whiteness of the trunks. 

A bit further along I came to a bit where I could hop over the fence and get into the wood for a better shot. 

Over on the other side of the field was another wood. I zoomed in to get this shot.

I was hoping to do a circular route, but found that the track I wanted to walk on was not a public footpath. Normally I would give it a go and hope I wouldn't be spotted, but I could see that there were two machines and two tractors working in the field. There was an alternative path I could use but it was going to take me in the wrong direction and it would add another hour onto the walk. Time was getting on and I didn't want to get stuck in the dark. Only one thing for it, backtrack the same way as I had come. Back to the road and into Mattersley. 

Had to snap this one. Geese lounging on the grass, and a man with a stick. He stood very still as I walked past him. Ha ha. 

And the last photo, a sunset to finish off with as I got back into Everton. 

It was 7.30pm when I got home. Eight miles walked. I really should start going out earlier. A spud in the microwave with baked beans for a quick meal. 

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