The village comes out to play

It was busy at the Bowls Club this morning, they had a coffee and cake event, with a chance to have a go at bowls if you haven't tried before. I chucked a few balls around two years ago so didn't bother this time. It's not really my thing, too slow, and my balls went all over the place. 

It was £1 at the gate to get in.

The new club house is just perfect, all modern facilities, a big improvement on the tumble down old shed they used to occupy. Coffee and biscuits included in the entrance fee. Cakes for sale on the W I stall if you so wished.

A marque was set up outside for the tombola. Lots of prizes to win.

 Quite a few people took advantage of the 'give it a try' offer.

A target was set up on the grass so the youngsters could have a go. 

Whooopeeeee, I won a prize. A bottle of red wine.

After it closed at 12 o clock, I did a litter picking circuit of the playing field. Toodle pip.  ilona

The missing picture, and a box of bits.

Hello. Well blow me down, I've found the missing picture. Raymond emailed his walking photo and I think I mislaid it, and here it is. Found. I went through the list of emails several times, saving the photo's and writing notes on who sent them, and somehow this one was missed. I thought it hadn't arrived at all, and suddenly, there it was.  Looking down from Welton, the River Humber and North Lincolnshire. I know it well. So, if you send me your postal address Raymond I will send you one of my exclusive designer shopping bags, to make up for losing your photo. 

I went out for my usual three mile walk yesterday afternoon and I got home three hours later. How the heck did that happen you may ask. It was a lovely sunny day and I seemed to bump into several people that I know, and inevitably I stopped for a chat, lots of chats actually. Isn't that what life is all about. 

I pass a bungalow that has been under renovation for the last year, the man buys properties, does them up and then sells them. I have had lots of useful bits and pieces from him, things that he has thrown out, he is happy to pass things on. He was there yesterday, I asked him if his project was nearing completion and he showed me around. Only the new shower to fit, and he has a viewing, someone wants to buy it. The bungalow should have been ready a few months ago but there was a delay, he fell out of the loft and broke his back. Three months in a full body cast, how awful. But, he has made a recovery and as soon as he has finished this one, there is a new house to start on. 

I eyed up the pile of rubbish he was throwing out and noticed this metal box, he said he didn't want it. I think it's lovely, will look good with a clean up, and maybe a coat of paint. 

Look what's inside, looks like a load of junk but I will sift through it and keep any useful bits and bobs. I went back later in my car to pick it up.

I was almost back home when I thought I would pop in and say hello to Angela. We sat sipping a cold drink in her garden, the sun was still hot. What a nice way to finish my three hour three mile walk, ha ha.

I've been getting on with a project for the garden which I started a few months ago. I can do most of it indoors, the weather has been a bit damp and murky today. It should be ready in a day or two.

Two parcels posted today to Croatia and the USA. Look out for them.

Dinner time, my tum is rumbling. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Walking Group photo's, and check in

Hello. Thank you to the members of the International Walking Group for sending in your photo's of where you walk in your area. Some lovely places, I can see why you are enjoying this challenge so much. There is a prize for the winner, it isn't judged on the photo, it's a prize draw, so each photo is a chance to win a goody bag.

(1) Jeanneke. Dokkum,  Friesland, The Netherlands.

(2) Jacquie.

(3) Amanda with her doggie. Peachtree City, Atlanta, Georgia.

(4) Anne aka slimsdotter. Photo taken from her ranch in Wyoming USA

(5) Jenette. Teddesley Park, Penkridge, Staffordshire

(6) Katherine. Kate on the Coast. Somewhere on the south coast I think

(7) Patricia, Canada.

(8) Sue, aka Beachcomber. A regular walking place of six miles.

(9) Angela, Rodborough Common, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, looking down on North Woodchester.

(10) AT, New Hampshire.

(11) Odette, in rural Wales, near Wrexham. On a clear day she can see England.

(12) Sandy in the USA. Mojave Desert, California.

(13) Rentintin from Croatia. Sunset from Istria.

(14) Shelly. Early morning walk in the woods.

(15) Hilogene. This is a road she walks down every day, though not when it is this late.

Unfortunately the next two photo's don't qualify for the prize draw, but I'll include them anyway because they are so nice.

Simplesista. A day out at Clumber Park.

Alison. Royal Victoria Golf Club, looking out over the Straight of Georgia, to the Gulf and San Juan Islands.

Fantastic photo's everyone, thanks for sending them. Now we know what your area looks like. All I have to do now is the prize draw to find the winner of the goody bag. So here goes.

Congratulations number 13. I have two spellings for your name, it came through as Rentintin on your email, and you check in under Rin tin tin. If you could please send me your postal address via email, or here and I won't publish it, and I will send you your prize.

I have two runner up prizes and these are for number 3 Amanda, and number 9 Angela. Could you also send me a postal address and you will both get a hand made, exclusive, shopping bag.

This is also the group check in post. Please update your miles for the first five months of the year, We start the sixth month now and the target is to reach 500 miles by the end of this month. I am on 430. I have been slacking a bit but I must now get back to my normal three mile walk per day.

Thanks for popping in, keep walking, keep fit and healthy, watch your diet, don't eat rubbish, get up off your bum and walk. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Pictures of my walk, and a competition.

Hello. It looks a lovely morning out there, hope it's going to be a good day for doing some jobs outdoors. I recently took my camera with me and took a few shots as I did my normal walk around the village. Such a lot of colour about at the moment, lifts the spirit. 

Blossoms on the trees in abundance.

I love the way these are spilling over the rockery wall. Don't ask me to name any flowers, I only know a few basic ones. Purple, my favourite colour.

There is a competition going on with two houses opposite each other. How many daffodils and tulips can you fit into the borders. The daffs are on their way out now. I can't decide which one wins.

Just inside someone garden, blossoms, and a monkey puzzle tree.

A stroll between the white and pink. The daffs in the wide verges are now gone.

This is in a quiet road where not many people go.

This end has open fields backing onto it.

A sprinkling of white climbing up inside the conifers.

Here is one of the many doggies I see on my walk. This little chap has been poorly, his owner was most concerned. After expensive vets visits and a lot of TLC thankfully he has pulled through. He is always pleased to see me and loves a doggy treat from my pocket. It's lovely to see him so cheerful.

The border pansies look nice.

This is another quiet road, I can walk in the middle of the road here. I prefer to do that whenever I can as some of the pavements are lumpy bumpy.

I'm not too keen on the way people block pave or gravel over their front garden, but I suppose if they leave at least a bit of space for planting that's better than none at all.

Same trees from the other side.

I've been watching this man do up his front garden, bit by bit. It was a big mess, bushes that needed cutting back, and all manner of rubble. He's done a good job. Railways sleepers for the edging, a new hedge planted at the front, a new gate, and new turf laid. Looks a treat now. As a quirky addition he has put an old Post Office letter box, now repainted black, by the gate. It does say it's private, so I hope he doesn't get people thinking it's a regular box and put their letters into it.

There's a few piccies of my regular village walk, now let's see some of yours. I am asking the International Walking Group members to send in one photograph of where you walk the most often. In your neighbourhood or surrounding area. Send it to my email address, it's on the sidebar. You have a month to do this, I will publish them on the 1st of June, the next check in date. Give us a flavour of what you see when you walk. Be careful where you take the photo, steer clear of anything which will identify and pinpoint the exact location. I don't want names of places, or street names. Be careful not to snap names and numbers of houses. Those that send a photo will be put into a prize draw, I will make up a goody bag for the winner. Happy snapping.

Thanks for popping in, I'm off outside now. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Another bag winner.

Hello again. Very windy weather today, so I have been indoors a lot. Almost finished the Walled Garden picture, looking good.

I have pulled a name out of a box, no hats available, and have a winner for the second shopping bag. Step forward Lilly's Mom, and tell me your postal address so I can post it off to you. Put it in a comment which I won't publish, or use the email address on the side bar.

It's getting late and the battery is getting a bit low in my brain, it's starting to malfunction. I am a morning person so I will be back tomorrow when suitably refreshed after a nights sleep. Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

A hand made book cover, and are you a lucky winner.

Hello. What a difference a day makes, warm, sunny, and wonderful here, lets hope it holds out. Thank you for your comments on the previous post, you have given me a lot to think about. I hope you don't mind but I took a day off blogging yesterday to give the slow readers chance to catch up, ha ha. Well that's my excuse anyway. 

I've made a cover for a book, to give myself a bit of practice. I thought I would do this first before making an actual book. Cut a piece of the fancy paper a fraction wider than the book, and a few inches longer. Add some stitching to the front. The chain stitch is in pink but it doesn't show up very well on the photo. Didn't have a plan, just stuck the needle in. I did it quickly.   

Blanket stitch along the top and bottom edge .

The inside of the cover. I stuck a piece of self adhesive paper over the back of the stitching to cover it up.

And what was the book? An old copy of Ilona, by Hans Habe. A friend found this book in a box in a charity shop about 25 years ago down in Southampton. When she saw it she thought of me. It was first published in Great Britain in 1962, the German edition was printed in 1960. This one is in English but I also have copies of it in both German and English, five copies in total.

The story is in three parts, three generations of women. Ilona the mother, Zita her daughter, and Eva the granddaughter. It takes the reader through Vienna and Budapest at the time of the Emporer Franz Joseph, the St Petersburg of Rasputin, the Italian front during the first world war, Germany under the Weimar Republic, France battling with inflation, Germany during the nights of bombing, America in the course of the second world war, and finally liberated Europe. It's a long time since I last read it, I must read it again one day.

I have a bit of news for you. Surprise surprise, another secret prize draw. Remember the green bags that Janet made, she has donated two of them (both cats), to be given away free to two lucky readers, so I asked her to pull two names out of the hat from those who commented on that particular post. So step forward........
CAZ and HELEN D. You are the winners.
Please send me your postal address either in an email, or a comment which I will not publish. Ta very muchly.

Off outside now to get a few rays of sunshine. Toodle pip