Lost photo's found.

Hooooray, I found the pics. Tucked away in a folder, inside another folder. Yesterday I started this project. Someone gave me a wooden tray thingy with partitions. It was full of seeds and dried beans, with a glass front, to hang on the wall. I removed the glass, emptied it, and took out some of the dividing bits of wood. Start by painting it black with a mix of acrylic and PVA glue. The little bottle is stuck hard so it will have to stay there. 

Then I had a look through my tons of bits and pieces, and start playing around with layouts. What fits where. Will I make it in a similar fashion as the previous ones, all black with a dusting of silver or gold? Not sure. Then other ideas came to me, I might go off in a different direction. 

Here's a little tip. When you have finished a tube of tomato puree, cut the top and bottom off with a big pair of scissors. Cut up the side and open it out. 

Wash it, and you have a piece of soft metallic material to use for crafting. It can be cut with small scissors and bent into different shapes. Jewellery perhaps. 

Yesterday I made a pan of veggie stew. I have run out of packet broccoli and stilton soup, which gives it a lovely flavour. Instead I mixed up a packet of macaroni cheese with a bit of cold water, and added it to the stew a few minutes before it was ready to eat. The macaroni gave it some body, and the cheese sauce thickened it nicely. And it tastes pretty good as well. It's only about 39p a packet. I have enough for two more meals. 

I sometimes make this up in a pan and add a handful of frozen peas. 

Did you like Nico's piano playing? Ace isn't it. 

I'm going to get a walk in now, before it gets dark. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.  ilona

Wakey wakey with Nico

Good Morning. Here's something to get you going. First I found Brendan Dr K, then I found Terry Miles, then Silvan Zingg, and Jorg Hegimann, then Ladyva, and now Nico Brina. I've got the full set of Boogie Woogie piano players. I can't decide who I like best, but Nico is in a class of his own. I love his enthusiasm, his smiling face, I love to see people enjoying their passion. Try and keep your feet still while watching this. 

Back in a bit, when I have found the lost photo's. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Where are they?

 I took some photo's today, and now I can't find them. My filing system is rubbish, hundreds of photo's all over the place. I give up, going for a walk. 

Toodle pip.  ilona

Part 2. 

That was quick, I see 82 people looked at this post in the time it took me to walk two miles. Nearly all of the Christmas lights have been taken down now. It's all quiet in the village. 

Today I made a nice stew, and I started a new art project, I can't find the photo's so I will have a look tomorrow. 

A phone call to Aunty Lynn today, they are all fine in Nottingham. A chat on Messenger with nephew, they are ok. 

That's about it really. Now to watch a video. Toodle pip again. ilona

Tweets......Cheeky post.

Good morning. Let's start the day with a Tweet. 

No, not that kind of Tweet. This kind of Tweet.

Carl Vernon

@RealCarlVernon

·

19h

The Caribbean is currently full of hypocrites who told you to stay at home.

I like Carl, his Tweets are short and to the point. Yes, I have noticed there are quite a lot of holiday snaps littering the internet at this time of the year. Rich people who find a way to exit our damp and dismal, freezing your bollox off country. Woooohooooo look at me in my tiny micro hardly there bikini. Look at my fabulous arse and big tits. And  the blokes, look at my very expensive big belly hanging over the top of my baggy shorts. 

Nice work if you can get it. Are these celebs so special that they can fly off to the sun? No. not at all. They just chose a lucrative career path, namely acting, which pays very well. They pretend to be someone else to earn money. They pee and poo just like we do. When you see Amanda cavorting on a beach, close your eyes and imagine her sat on a bog with her pants around her ankles waiting for the explosion. 

That's all. Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Proud of our Walking Group

 Hello. It's still cold outside, but not quite as cold as the last couple of days. I did a Billy dog walk this afternoon, he absolutely loves it. He often barks at dogs he doesn't like, usually big black ones, but I have noticed that he doesn't do it so often now. We met several dogs today, and I had a nice chat with a man who was walking a small black puppy. The little do was so excited, jumping about everywhere. I have seen a few new dogs around the village. I hope they haven't been bought as Christmas presents. 

It looks like all the figures are in from the Walking Group members. It's nice to see familiar names, I'm pleased they have stuck with it. In no particular order, because it isn't a competition. 

Jeanneke  1514 km.

Vicki  1166 miles

Viv Country Cottage  1182 miles

Linda 650   miles.

Beachcomber Sue   740 miles

Patricia My Piece of Earth 545 miles

Ray   1000+ miles

Sheila  1582 miles

Nick  1145 miles

Joy2me  1236 miles

Allison  1483 miles

Hilogene  448 miles

Kay Harman  1104 miles. 

Pretty impressive eh! It wouldn't be fair to send out prizes to the highest numbers, because some members have had difficult conditions to hinder them. All have done very well, the reward will be the benefits of better health and fitness. You reap what you sow.

There are some new members joining us in 2021, and we welcome them. All you have to do is count your miles/km's, whichever is the best way for you. Write it down daily in a note book, put a X if you miss a day so it gets you into a routine. 

Check in on the first of every month. If you miss the actual day, you can go back to it at any time to add your update. I did 3 miles yesterday and 2 miles today. The target for the end of January is 84 miles. I find if I can stick to a monthly target then it makes it easier when I get to the 8th or 9th month. It gives me a boost knowing I am nearly there. Think of it as a Christmas Club Savings Account. Put away £25 a month and you have a tidy sum to buy presents. 

It is important now more than ever, to look after your health. Your body needs a good immune system to fight off anything you might catch. It is recommended to take a daily dose of vitamin D3 and vitamin C plus zinc. Ask your doctor if this is safe if you are taking any medication. 

That's me done. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.   ilona 

New Year, new start. Check in for the Walking Group.

 Good morning. Did I manage to stay awake to see the new year in? Yes, I was watching a documentary on yooootoooob which held my attention. Finally crawled into bed at 00.45. This morning I was surprised to find that Mayze had got up before me. She usually joins me under the covers about an hour or so before it's time to get up. This morning she was not there, possibly because she was fed up of me keep turning over. 

It's wet outside, still some ice about though not as cold as yesterday. It's melting. So today we start the 1000 mile walking challenge all over again. Can you hear me mother? Are you joining in? 

But first we want the final numbers from 2020. How did you all do? Did you start with us at the beginning of the year? Did you get lost along the way? Or did you battle on and reach the end of the road? 

As 2020 was a bit of a struggle to get motivated, what about a new start this year? Are you up for it? I am ready for my sixth year. Can't give up now, it is important to me to look after my health. 

Pictures from the archives. Healthy eating. Fill a jug and make a smoothie.

Smiley salady meals.

Scoff lots of veg. 

Steam your veg.

Grow your own. 

 

A quick note before I go. I notice that several readers have the user name Unknown. Why is this? Why are people reluctant to put their name, even though it may be a made up user name, to their words? I am thinking that this is no different from those who sent comments under Anonymous, which are no longer accepted. If you are Unknown, please add your name to the main text. Don't be shy. Thank you. 

Time for breakfast. Eggs today. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Happy New Year message.

Hello. Tis the last day of the year. It's been a bit of a bonkers year but we have got through it. It was a lovely sunny day today, too nice to stay indoors. I did my usual five mile walk around the fields, I haven't done this route for a few weeks because it's been very boggy. Today it was freezing so most of the ground was rock hard. Still difficult  walking but not so slippery. I took my walking pole to help me stay upright. I call it my third leg. 

I didn't check the battery in the cameras before I went, so this video is a bit hurried. 

I thought it would be fun to take some low sun shadow pictures. 

This is my favourite. The ground is frozen, the puddles have iced over. 

Thank you for your contributions on the previous post. I set it up as an alternative viewpoint, and thankfully there weren't many comments I had to delete. I did notice that people made a point about the nurse who had the jab who went on to catch the covid virus. They referred to the person as 'she', when in fact it was a male nurse. Proof that they didn't read the article and based their assumptions on the headline. This happens time and time again. 

One person told me to keep my opinions to myself. Deleted I'm afraid. I will not be told what I can and can't write about on my blog. I will publish differing points of view if the writer sets out their story in a clear and concise way, without using derogatory language. I have been appalled by some of the comments on other blogs which have been a no holds barred tirade of blasphemy. Up to the blogger of course if they want to allow it. 

I'm sorry but I am not going to reply to every comment. The short answer to Margie's questions is, everything she needs to know is on the internet. I spend hours researching it, I pick up links here there and everywhere. That's why they call it the rabbit hole. there's a lot to read. Some can be discarded, some can be filed for future reference. Information can be cross referenced. This story is going to run for a long time. Here's a clue. Check out the World Economic Forum. It is made up of leaders from all around the world, and, the richest people on earth. They usually meet in January in Davos, I believe it has been put back to April. Watch what they are planning. 

I have a couple of phone calls to make so I must wind it up. Thanks to the people who have emailed me, I do appreciate it. Thanks for visiting my blog in 2020. I hope you come back in 2021. Toodle pip.   ilona

Warning - Covid post.

 Jeez, this is just bonkers going off the scale. The hospitals are at breaking point, full to capacity. Some of them might be pretty busy, but not all of them. Emotive language to ramp up the fear. There are numerous historical reports that the situation at this moment in time mirrors exactly the reported situation in past years. It is flu season, and speaking of flu, has that been completely eradicated, because there is no reporting of winter flu being recorded. It has been wiped out by Covid. Take a look at old newspaper headlines. 

Hospitals race to combat toughest ever winter crisis for NHS.

The Guardian Dec 2018

NHS Hospitals facing toughest winter yet say health experts. 

The Guardian 2016

NHS Overwhelmed in Britain leaving patients to wait. 

NYT Jan 2018

Flu and cold weather contributed towards 50,000 excess winter deaths last year.

Pulse Dec 2018.

Numerous other reports, it happens every year. They don't have the staff, the Nightingale Hospitals are being dismantled, a massive waste of money. And they ask us to save the NHS because they, the Governments past and present, have been running it down. 

Scare people to death so they are desperate for a vaccine, start jabbing people when it hasn't been properly tested. A vaccine that does not prevent you from catching it, all it does is limit the symptoms. Masks, social distancing, and hand washing is still recommended, and will be the norm for a long time.  

ER nurse tests positive for Covid 19, eight days after receiving vaccine. ABC 10 News.

Notes. A more honest perspective. Dr Gary Null Phd. 

This post is a follow up to my usual message of, look after yourself because nobody else will. It is better to glean information from many different sources, than to put all your faith into one source. If you follow the long straight road ahead, not taking any diversions, you will eventually fall off the edge.   

That's it. All opinions welcome except offensive name calling, and trouble makers looking for a verbal punch up. Trolls will be deleted as usual. I will not be drawn into any discussions. I've said my piece here. 

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

A love lost.

I went into the wardrobe to get some albums out, I know there are photographs in there which need sorting. I came across some letters which I had forgotten about, from 50 years ago. How long are you supposed to keep them? 

I was 20 and went on holiday with a friend, and my boyfriend wrote to me at the hotel in Majorca. I was mad about him, and he was about about me. 

 We were together about 18 months I think. I had a flat and he had a house. He was eleven years older than me and divorced, and had a steady job, two jobs in fact. I met him at work, he worked part time at the same place as I worked full time. He asked me to go for a drink, I made an excuse and said no. Then a day or so later I regretted it and told him I had changed my mind, and hoped it wasn't too late. He said no it wasn't, so I met him for a drink. 

I liked him, he was good looking, mature, considerate, honest, and steady. I met his mother. Apparently she was a bit concerned because I was quite a bit younger than her son. I was 20 and he was 31. He treated me well, we went out dancing, on holiday, and were getting on great. He was pleased to see me when I arrived back from holiday. 

He loved playing snooker and was very good at it. He belonged to a snooker club and would often win tournaments. I accompanied him on many of these outings to play in other clubs in the area. I was proud to be his girlfriend. Dressing up in fashionable clothes so he would be proud of me. 

After a while, his passion for snooker meant that he was playing more often. I still accompanied him but I realised that we weren't doing much else. I was becoming a snooker widow. 

Then my attention was diverted by someone else who worked at my place, who just happened to be from my home town. We started chatting and he was a lot of fun. More fun than my boyfriend. He was exciting and spontaneous, would do things on the spur of the moment like lets go a ride out in the car. He had a big car. This was quite appealing to me. Life with the snooker player was becoming a bit too predictable. 

There was an overlap by about a month when I went out with both of them. Two timing it was called at the time. It couldn't go on, so I gently let my snooker player go, in the best way you can when you finish with someone. I was 20 and didn't want to be tied down. My snooker player proposed to me in the hope that I would stay with him, but it was too late. 

I chose the new relationship, it was more fun, exciting, crazy almost. He was crazy, a right Jack the lad type. He had an answer for everything, nothing bothered him. We moved in together in another town. I tried to make it work, we got a flat. A short time later I realised I had made a massive error of judgement. He worked a lot, and went out without me. I also got a job, but I was expected to do all the washing and cleaning, and have his dinner ready for him every night. Make endless cups of tea, then he would get dressed up and go out. I mostly went to bed on my own because he was always late back. I felt as if I had failed, but I knew I had to leave. I found a flatshare with a girl and moved out. 

Funny how things turn out, one decision can change everything. I had my life ahead of me, and at 20 I had very little experience of boyfriends. I threw away the love of a kind,  older man, and regret hurting him. If I had accepted his proposal I could have been a grandma by now. 

Karma caught up with me and I in turn was hurt. It served me right. I have no regrets, it's the way I played it. You win some you lose some. 

I hope my snooker player found someone nice to spend his life with. I hope he found happiness with her. I am ok, I hope he is. If he is still around. 

Time to go to bed I think. Toodle pip. Catch up soon.  ilona

I need to look after my health.

Hello. Blogger is being a bit awkward, this video is shunting up and down, so I'll be quick. 

It's another freezing night, there is a hard frost out there. I've done a quick walk. 

Does anyone like stollen cake? I've just eaten a piece. Maybe not good for my health, but it was a treat for Christmas. Aldi do a small one for £1.10, I like the one with marzipan in the centre. 

I'll say tatty byes for now. We'll catch up soon. Toodle pip.   ilona 

Truckin heck.

 I keep finding more photo's. I know there are some more in the wardrobe. Must be hundreds of them. I won't be photographing them all like this, too much work, and I don't need electronic copies of personal stuff. This is a test, how many to put in one photo. 16, 25, 30, or 42. I've got enough to paper my walls with them. 

Click on one to enlarge them. Must take a break now. I've just eaten lunch, and now I'm going to take Billy a walk. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Open wide.

No, I'm not having a covid test, someone is pouring wine down my throat. This young man has a good job, I bet he gets to eyeball lots of ladies knockers. I was on holiday in Majorca, I think I was about 19 ish. 

Sorting out my photo's is proving to be a mammoth task. This is only part of them. As well as those loose in envelopes, I have lots more in albums. I'm putting them into piles, and ditching the ones which are no use at all. Then when they are all in piles I will go through them again and sort into categories, probably ditching more as I check through them. I am beginning to regret starting this job, but it needs to be done. 

The weather has turned wet and windy, I haven't stepped outside the door today. Oscar has just gone out, I will call him back in before I go to bed. I've made another big pan of stew today. It's the easy option instead of making three separate meals. This one has got celery, yellow pepper, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and broccoli in it. I have got a bag of couscous so I am using it to thicken the stews. 

Surprisingly it's not that cold tonight. I've put the gas fire on in the living room, I don't need to put the central heating on. 

I'm going to watch some videos now. I was pleased to see that Scott O Connor has put another one out today. He has been quiet for a while. He made the most beautiful piece of wooden artwork. I've just watched Chrome, Vancity Vanlife. He has moved out of the back country and is now in the town because he needs to do some work in his van and needs an internet signal. 

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

A short walk on Christmas Day

 It was a fabulous sunset which prompted me to go out and take some photo's at 4pm. I stood in the churchyard for a while in the freezing cold. 

Strange how the sky is blue looking in the other direction. 

I love this house. It stands high on a hill with fabulous views over the river. It is surrounded by messy gardens, overgrown bushes, and gravel driveway. I spoke to the owners once asking if the inside was of similar character as the outside. They said they had modernised the kitchen and bathroom but kept some of the original features. 

Strangely there were a lot of people out for a walk. I suppose they were walking off their Christmas dinner. I think it's the tradition to walk off a big meal. 

Hope your day has been good. I'm now going to watch some videos. Toodle pip.   ilona

Simply joyful

Good morning on this bright and sunny Christmas morning. I have picked this delightful video out to share with you here. It is pure magic. I think we need some magic right now. It will melt your heart, tissues ready. 

Friends dropped by last night bearing a gift of home made banana and walnut cake. Eaten one, two more to go. Deeeeelishus. 

I will carry on sorting photo's out now. A bottle of scrumpy cider is opened, a glass or two of that with my deeelishus veggie stew for lunch. 

Mayze is still in bed. Oscar was in all night and has now gone out after his breakfast. No doubt he will be popping back several times during the day. I will open a tin of tuna fish for their Christmas dinner. 

Have a happy day, whatever you are doing. Toodle pip.   ilona

Christmas Eve.

 It was Christmas Eve twenty years ago. The first Christmas in my new house. It should have been our new house, it wasn't to be. He didn't turn up. I blew him out. 

After shedding tons of tears, the very next day I dressed up. For me, not for him. I put a smile on my face, took a photo, and got on with my life. 

I hope you are having a lovely time wherever you are in the world. Merry Christmas to all my readers. Thank you all for being there. Lots of love,   ilona   xxx