Christmas lights at the park.

Good evening. Here are a few pics and a video from the late opening last night at Normanby Hall. The entrance to the Walled Garden was a focus for photographs. 

The glasshouses look pretty spectacular. 

Santa's sleigh, but no Santa. Apparently he was in another room within the walled gardens. 

The Hall from a distance. Some of the trees were lit up with coloured lamps. All very spooky. 

The courtyard cafe was open, plus some stalls selling Christmas merchandise, and food. It wasn't very busy. There wasn't enough lighting under that canopy. 

The shop was very quiet. 

Now come for a walk with me and see a bit more. The camera is a bit slow to self focus in the dark. I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more lights. They just seemed to focus on the Walled Garden, the Hall, and the Courtyard.  In other areas it was pitch black. A torch would have been useful while walking around. 

Thanks for popping in. Have a good weekend. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

What I did today.

No real rain today, except that mizzly drizzly stuff, so I went to town on the 11.30am bus. The Bus Station is next to the Arts Centre so I called in there for a quick chat with Nicky. Treated myself to a Magnum Ice Cream. 

I walked the same route back home as when I found the glass blocks. Didn't find any more. I have been trying to scrape the paint off them but it's stuck fast. I need to get some Nitramors paint stripper. Is that how you spell it. 

Another fly tip I came across. A quick peek in the bags tells me they are full of mainly clothing, some household linen, and kids toys. Shocking to throw them all away when they could have gone to a charity shop. 

Tonight, at 5pm, I went to the park. They have installed some coloured Christmassy lights. I drove there because I had already walked five miles. I took photo's and made a video. I will post them tomorrow. 

Now I am going to relax with Mayze cat and a glass of sherry. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Superyacht News

I am hooked on watching eSysman and his Superyacht Reports. I became interested a couple of months ago when the yacht with the tallest mast in the world unexpectedly sank in a storm. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about that, which may come out when the enquiry is finally conducted. 

These reports are an interesting look at the lives of the richest people on earth. Some of them own multiple vessels. Some reports have a web of mystery surrounding their owners whereabouts and activities. One can only imagine the exchange of enormous amounts of money being moved about when deals, either legal or illegal, take place. 

It's another world out there. The difference between those who have an abundance of wealth at their fingertips, and those who are just scraping by to make ends meet. The divide widens.  

I would like to see a more level playing field but it's not going to happen. It never has and it never will. The push for Globalisation surges ahead. Don't make it easy for them. They will never give up their wealth.

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Queen Mayze

For those who like the sound of a purring pussy, Mayze loves a cuddle. 

Today it was Christmas Party day at the Club. Normally a Coffee Morning, we had it in the afternoon. Lovely food laid out. Christmas crackers to pull and paper hats to wear. Bingo was played, and there were lots of prizes to win on the raffle. It was a hoot. I did my usual acting the fool routine, cracking jokes and generally being very silly. It was all good fun. 

No rain today, I took Billy dog for a walk. Santa has been in the village tonight, travelling around in his sleigh, collecting money for the Rotary Club charities. 

No hedgehogs for a couple of nights. maybe it's time for their winter sleep. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Story - part 2

More from the exhibition at the 20 21 Arts Centre. 

As time goes on the Christian Church will no longer be needed. Neglect will see it being reclaimed by nature. 

Meat producers will be taken over by the big corporations. Animals will live in controlled environments. 

They will be herded into slaughterhouses after never seeing daylight. 

The big men will be in charge. 

The little people will be clamouring to jump on the bandwagon in fear of being left behind. 

Robots will be everywhere. They will be reporting back to the controllers about any misdemeanours they see taking place. Punishment will be dished out withdrawing any privileges the culprit may have accumulated. Their digital passport will be stamped accordingly. Restrictions of movement will be the consequence. 

Eating unhealthy food will be punished by a lifetime of taking drugs. 

Eating healthy approved food will be rewarded with extra rations. 

The times they are a-changing. Bob Dylan. 1964. 

Thanks for popping in. Catch ya later. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Seven weeks.

 I was in the Post Office this morning, the one that comes to the church once a week. They also serve coffee which I didn't have because I had just had one at home. A few ladies were just leaving after their coffee and chat. Some of these ladies go to our Coffee Morning on a Wednesday. I had a few words with them, and said to one of them, will you be at the Coffee Morning tomorrow. Don't forget it's in the afternoon, for a Christmas Party. She said she didn't know if she would be going. I said, oh dear, are you not well. She said she didn't feel too good, she has had a cough for seven weeks, and can't shake it off. She said she is not able to sleep because it keeps her awake. 

Must be the time of the year. Lots of germs flying around. Wrap yourself up when you go out. Stay away from crowded places where lots of people congregate together. Be vigilant if anyone close to you is coughing and sneezing. Move away and leave space between you. 

Catch ya later.   ilona

Scammers

 

Happy birthday to our incredible founder, Lee Asher! Lee’s passion for wellness and dedication to helping both people and pets is what makes Asher House Wellness so special. His heart for animals, commitment to quality, and relentless drive to make a difference inspire us all every day. Here’s to many more years of making the world a better place, one bit of wellness at a time!

This is not Lee Asher, it's a composite picture generated by AI. His birthday is in August. 

Scams are everywhere, facebook is full of them. People are daft enough to believe them. People join the groups. Same is happening with the Royal Family posts. The pictures are either AI or have been stolen. 

The power of the internet has no boundaries. 

Catch ya later. ilona

Monday morning musings

Good evening. I knocked up this little video this morning. I decided to have an easy day, not to go to Crafty Club, and have myself a pamper in the bathroom. A lovely soak in the bath after washing my hair in it first. This afternoon I did two dog walks, Billy and Rocky both had a walk. 

I still haven't sorted out why I can't comment with my goooogle account. I've been here there and everywhere with it, in and out, driving me nuts. One day I might just figure it out. At least I can upload videos and photographs now, which was the original problem, but for some reason deleting all my cookies and emptying the recycling box, was the wrong thing to do. Not my fault. 

I have some new crafty projects on the go, so that is keeping me busy. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

A story.

Chad McCail is the artist who created these art pieces. He looks into the future. . 

Just imagine what it would be like to live in a small box in a row of boxes, in a tight knit community of friendly neighbours. Everyone could work together and share the vegetables from the communal plot. There would be a little park and a playground. No need to go far because everything you need would be close by. Don't need a car, you could walk everywhere.  

In and out of each others boxes. Always someone to lend a hand. 

There could be a municipal building which houses the hospital, the doctors surgery, the dentist, the Police Force, the Council, and any other organisation which you might need from time to time. 

There might be some work in a nearby factory. It will be inside a building and no one would have access to it, because most of the work will be done by robots.  

The production line produces tanks, so it would be top secret. The revenue from selling these tanks around the world will top up the already rich bank accounts of those on a mission to acquire more land thus becoming more powerful. 

There they are leaving the factory and heading for a waiting aircraft to start their journey across the globe. Security of the site is paramount. Trees will be planted for screening. 

Giant robots patrol the site. 

Wars produce bodies so they have to be disposed of. 

And that's just one small part of the story. It all sounds familiar to me. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Have a look at the new exhibition.

It's ben a rotten day for bad weather. Wind, rain, and repeat. I recorded this video yesterday and uploaded it today. When I was making it I didn't take in the complexity of the exhibition I was viewing. When I checked it this morning on the computer I realised that the artist had really got to the nitty gritty of the current situation. I would say that Chad McCail has insights far beyond what most people are capable of. 

Today I went back to 20 21 Arts Centre because I wanted to take photographs and watch a video he had recorded specially for this exhibition. Listening to his words was like filling in a lot of blank spaces. It struck a chord with me. Ok, now I get it. I now have a lot of photo's I need to edit for the next post on this. 

Here is the blurb on the All Together Now exhibition.

This is an interesting article which was written to accompany a previous exhibition he did. That Was Then and This Is Now. It's a history lesson starting in 1945, to the present day. 

I stopped at the park on the way home. There was a Christmas Fair taking place. Sadly the bad weather put paid to any fun people were hoping to have. A few stalls were accommodated inside the hall, and a few food stalls braved the wind and rain outside under their gazebo's. I had a quick look round, but didn't stay long. 

Now I must pay some attention to my pussy cats, so I'll say goodnight for now. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Finders keepers

I've been to town today. Visited my friend Nicki at the Arts Centre, and shopped at Aldi. £58 spent. It was a bit busy. Friday afternoon after work people come in on their way home. 

I did a bit of foraging in the hedgerows. Two weeks ago, if you remember, I got the bus out and walked back. As I was walking along a fairly busy road I noticed what looked like a glass block. The sort that they build walls with. They are heavy and solid, and made to stack up without breaking. I thought, that's strange, it was among all the other litter that was on the grass verge alongside the pavement. 

As I carried on I saw another one, then another, and another. Not together but some distance apart. There were five in total. It was on my mind, I ought to come back in my car and pick them up. I could use them in the garden to build something interesting. Anyway today, two weeks later, I drove that way and curiosity got the better of me. I wonder if they are still there. I parked my car in a layby and walked up and down the stretch of road, trying to remember where I had seen them.

Yes, there is one of them, now lets see if I can find the rest. It was a fairly long stretch of road, and they are heavy, so I had to move the car to pick them up. Whoopeee, found all five. They are 7.5 inches square, and 3 inches deep. 

I've turned one on it's side so you can see how thick they are. I should be able to scrape all the paint off and clean them up. 

I have no idea how they came to be spread so far apart, rather than dumped in a pile. I always seem to find something interesting when I am walking about. 

We have the Christmas Tree Lights switch on here tonight. The tree lights are already on, and the celebrations have been moved indoors to the Village Hall. I won't be going. I don't mind Carol Singing around the tree, but I don't fancy it indoors. 

Have a good weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

Nothing to see here.

 

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

58m

We were elected with a mandate of change. The next phase of mission-led government continues our relentless focus on delivering for working people. Our Plan for Change sets out ambitious, yet achievable milestones that will improve people’s lives across the country.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

7h

We will fix the foundations, repair the damage, reform government and rebuild Britain. We will deliver change.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

1h

Our Plan for Change will deliver for working people across the country.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

3h

When I say this is a ­government in the service of working people, I mean it. Our Plan for Change will deliver for you.

Watch. My plan for change. One hour video.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

Dec 4

Clean energy is creating the jobs of the future and putting money back in the pockets of working people. This investment from Qatar will help to make every part of the country better off. We are delivering on our promise to make growth a number one mission.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

Dec 4

We’re delivering on our promise to fix our broken railways. South Western Railway is now back in public control. Better services for passengers. Better value for taxpayers. My government is rebuilding Britain.

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

Dec 2

I promised that we would speed up the process to fix unsafe cladding, and I meant it. Today we set out new targets for those responsible to make sure their properties are safe. This government is delivering change.

Yeah yeah yeah. Heard it all before. Promises then nothing happens.

Toodle pip. ilona