Easy peasy

 Free common sense advice. Delete the app. Delete the stress. 

Time for breakfast, what shall I have. Porridge and fruit? Bran Flakes and a banana? No. I fancy mushrooms and egg on toast. Perfect. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

Bimbling around Langold Country Park.

 Is Blyth a town or a village? According to Wiki it is a village in the county of Nottinghamshire. It certainly has a very big church. I have found this with a lot of  villages. Small village, big church. In Blyth it has a prominent position close to a busy junction where four roads meet. 

I walked out of the village along a track. It was getting hot so I had to adjust my clothing, getting rid of the long sleeve top for a short sleeved t shirt. Good job there was nobody about as I stripped off. Plenty of wide open fields. I saw that there was a Country Park at Langold so that's where I headed.  

I entered the park after crossing the main A60 trunk road. There is a board with a map just there, so I headed off in the general direction of the lake. It's one of those parks with lots of little sign posts guiding you around the different walks, according to your abilities. You can choose a short easy stroll, or combine several walks exploring the woods. There is probably a leaflet somewhere to help with finding the way, but I didn't see any. I just took a guess at which path to take. 

Eventually I could see a car park through a clearing in the trees, and I could hear excited chatter from children at the playground. And there was the lake. I decided to walk around the perimeter, first passing about a hundred Canada Geese. 

It was a pleasant walk, lovely to see families with children taking advantage of the sunshine. I stopped to look for a nice scene to photograph, and immediately attracted a family of swans coming towards me. In anticipation of food probably. 

Oh dear, I'm sorry, but I don't have anything. I am going to eat my sandwich myself, and I'm not going to give you my choc chip muffin. 

From that spot I took this photo. 

A bit further along I looked across to the other side. The geese were heading across the grass towards the waters edge. 

I found my way to the other entrance/exit next to the playground, and a kiosk selling snacks and drinks. I don't normally take any money with me on a day walk, I have everything I need so don't need to spend any. An ice cream sign on the side of the kiosk said they have Magnums, yum, my favourite. I remembered I had put three £1 coins in the pocket of my backpack, just in case. Yippeeeeee. I treated myself to a choc and mint version. There is a much wider choice now with different flavours. Hopefully I will get to try the newer ones when I am out and about during the summer. 

I left the park through the gate into Langold Village. and followed the main A60 through Costhorpe into Carlton in Lindrick. Luckily there was a footpath all the way, it was a busy road. 

I'll stop there. I've got a few more pics of this walk so I'll post them tomorrow. 

Looking like a sunny day again. I need to get the lawn mower out up the top end of the garden. Plenty to do outside. 

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Toodle pip.   ilona

A dilemma

The walk yesterday started at Blyth, not far from the A1M, in Nottinghamshire. I found easy parking on the wide main street, opposite the Village Green. As I normally do, if there is a church, that is where I look first. I like to walk around the whole perimeter of the churchyard to find the best angle for photographs. This church has only three sides, there is a wall on the other side separating it from private land. 

With some shots being discarded I finished up with these three acceptable pictures. The saying is, less is more, but I don't like to throw out anything which might be useful. 

The dilemma is, which are worthy of blog use, or should I prune further. Oh sod it, I'll put all three on. I personally like the first one best. I look for some low hanging tree branches to frame the main focus of the picture. It's a pity there isn't a bit more blue in the sky. I suppose I could have waited until some of the clouds have drifted away.  

It's a shame that the clock has been removed from the tower. 

Part of the church has been sacrificed to get the tree branches in shot, and to get a better view of the entrance. The bench adds a bit of detail. 

The same dilemma with this house next to the church. It has been divided into four cottages. The main focus are the flowers in the garden, which look splendid from this angle. 

From the other side the picket fence is a nice touch, but the wheelie bins spoil it. I have chopped off the attached house on the right as it does not match the other three. The flag is playing ball, I must have caught the breeze at the right time. 

On this web site it shows an old picture of these two buildings together. The cottages used to be the Rectory. 

It's going to be hot the next few days, maybe not good for walking longer distances, so I'll potter around the house, topping up my miles around the village. More pictures of the Blyth walk tomorrow. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

312 pages

 This is the first time ever that I have bought a book off the internet. I gave up buying any books a long time ago, and gave most of my books away. Occasionally I might keep one for reference, but most are discarded after being read once. Then I switched to borrowing them from the library. Now I don't have time to read books, too busy doing other things. But this one I will read cover to cover, and keep it. It comes under the category of Psychology/Politics. 

I wanted to buy it from a shop, but we haven't a branch in our town. I rang WH Smith, no they don't stock it. It's a new book recently published, they should get it in stock because it is going to go high in the best sellers list. I could have gone to Hull or Lincoln for it, a 30 mile drive each way, plus £3 for a bridge crossing if I was to go to Hull, plus the time it takes to park and walk to the shop. 

I gave in and bought it from Waterstones. A reputable book store I believe. It was an easy procedure to navigate, I will never buy anything from the Amazon site. 

I've edited the Research page but I'm having difficulty putting it back on the blog. They seem to have changed the format. Here is the link. You might be able to access it from here. 

Looking like a nice day, so I'm off for a walk. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Winners and losers.

 There will be a few sore heads this morning, it's a shame that England didn't win the cup. I stayed up until the end, reading Rachels blog post commentary, and catching the tweets that came in from various people watching the match. It would have been nice to see our team, and the whole country celebrate. But it wasn't to be. 

I feel for the brave young man who missed the penalty. No doubt that he will feel he let the side down. He should be very proud of himself for the fantastic achievement of getting into the team. He is an excellent role model for every aspiring young footballer who has dreams of making it big. 

When entering any competition it is hopeful that we have a chance to win, that's what drives us. To reach the top of our tree is something to aim for. Hopes and dreams are what keeps us going. It doesn't matter if we don't get to the top, but what does matter is that we tried. Yes, have targets, and aim high. The road can be long and hard, the journey can be fraught with difficulties, but if we can overcome the obstacles we can become the best version of ourselves. 

I personally would have liked to see the tournament stopped at the end of the extra time played. There was no need to go to penalties. A 1 - 1 draw would have been a perfect finish. The two teams could have embraced and congratulated each other, and agreed to become best friends. So much more could have been gained from that, a chance missed. There are no winners and losers in life, just people on a journey who are trying to do the best for themselves. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip,   ilona

Flashing the legs

I'll post a few pics from yesterday, while I scoff breakfast. The afternoon walk started off  well. Not much sun, but warm and dry. 

And then it happened again, down came the rain. Pictures from inside a bus shelter where I took refuge. Boy did it hammer it down. 

The owl sits through it all. Carved from a tree trunk.

I waited and waited. Thought it had almost stopped, then set off with my brolly. It began again so I took shelter in the church entrance. I thought I can't stand here forever, I'm going to have to go for it. It rained nearly all the way home. I squelched through muddy puddles, thankfully my best boots stood up to it and my feet were dry. I lifted my skirt so it was my legs that got wet, good job there was no one about. It eventually stopped as I came into my village. 

Today is off to a sunny start. I have plenty to do in the garden. Have a happy Sunday whatever you are doing. Toodle pip.  ilona

Messing about on the river.

The weather looked promising yesterday, time to get the boots on for a walk, but where to go. I have several maps within an hours drive from here, I chose to head off over into Yorkshire not far from Selby. There are some villages around there. A short trip up the M181, M18, and the M62 motorways. 

First off I paid a visit to Barmby on the Marsh, and the Barmby Barrage. It's a junction where two rivers meet, the River Ouse and the River Derwent. The Barrage regulates the flow of water between them. I passed this way once before. When I checked it was the last day of my first long distance walk, it was ten years ago. I remember it well. Blog post here. Time flies.  

I have found this blog with more information. Christine writes about the waterways of the Humber. 

It's a fascinating piece of engineering. I would love to see a boat going through the lock, but I suspect they are few and far between. 

Across the other side of the water is Drax Power Station. 

I saw a notice on the gate as I drove into the car park. It would have been a good place to park and go for a walk, but the gates close at 4.30pm, and I might be back later than that, I didn't want to risk getting locked in. I thought a village would be best for parking so I went off in search of a suitable spot. 

I struggled to find anywhere. Wrestle would have been a good place, but no suitable parking. Oh well, I will drive to Howden and have a look round there. I picked up fuel  and went to a car park in the town. I would have paid the £1.40, but I don't like the car being squashed in a slot with the chance that people might not be so careful as they shunt about. Don't want to get the bodywork scraped. 

Plan B didn't work for me, so onto plan C. 

I arrived at the Marina at Goole. I will have a look around here. 

It's a very big Marina, a few people about, working on repairing a boat, washing hanging on the twirly driers, a group of neighbours sitting having a natter in the sun. Plenty of doors open. Some of them are permanent residents here, they have built little gardens next to their boats. 

Training is available if anyone is thinking of buying a boat. 

After a look around the Marina I went off to the town, passing the main docks where the big boats come in to load/unload. 

Ah well, plan C wasn't so bad after all, plenty to look at. I took the scenic route back from Goole, along the A161. No rush to get back. 

A good start for today's weather. I have things to do in the garden. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Fantastic.

 

Picture source. 

It's lovely to see all the happy faces this morning on the screen. Well done England. Jumping for joy is much needed right now. Good luck in the final. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

How many balls!

For those of you who are not watching football tonight, enjoy the talents of this young lady with her balls. 

It's been raining on and off all day. I hope it is not quite so wet tomorrow. 

Toodle pip.   ilona

Coffee chat. New artwork.

I finished this yesterday. Very difficult to photograph pinks and reds for some reason, but this is pretty close to the real thing. The strands are DNA, the red Suffolk Puffs are red blood cells. Some of them have black dots, they are contaminated with spike protein.

It looks purple when I try to take a close up. 

The picture stretched over a board and laced at the back. I cut a piece of corrugated cardboard from the bottom of a box. 

The cardboard is covered with dark blue fabric and also laced at the back. Then it is screwed to the picture. I cut plastic washers to prevent the screw heads from biting into the cardboard. The screws must be just long enough to go into the board and not come out at the front. 

The back is now covered, wire to hang it, to finish it off. 

Now what to call it. I have two names, New Variant, or Mutation. 

Now looking for inspiration for the next project. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.  ilona

Blue to black, and back to blue.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon yesterday when I set off for a walk. A gentle breeze kept me cool. I kept my eyes open for new angles for the photographs. I think this long grass looks quite delicate as it wafts gently in the wind. The fluffy white clouds and blue sky are the perfect backdrop.  

I was more than half way round when the sky took a dramatic turn and menacing black clouds came rolling in. 

Then the thunder started and huge droplets of rain came down in an instant deluge. I made for the shelter of a tree as I fumbled in my rucksack to retrieve the brolly from the bottom. Oh my, did it come down heavily for ten minutes. I stood still and waited for the shower to pass. 

The thunder and lightening continued from somewhere over yonder. Eventually it eased, but by this time the waist high grass along the edge of the field was soaking wet. Nothing for it but to walk through it. Although the brolly kept the worst of it off my head and shoulders, my skirt was stuck to my legs and my boots and socks were soaked through to my feet. Squelch squelch.  

When I reached the edge of the village it was back to blue skies again. It became very hot and humid. 

Passing the allotments I saw a rainbow. 

By the time I got home my skirt was almost dry, but it will take a few days to dry out the boots. 

I've finished the new artwork and will post pictures tomorrow. It was nice having a couple of days off, I might do that more often. Thanks for popping in. Catch ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

Live Your Dreams

Blog land is a bit quiet at the weekends, so I'll post this and take the rest of the weekend off and away from the computer. My head is a little bit scrambled with all the information I am cramming into it. I need a break from the Research page so I will stop adding to that for a while. I might come back to it later. 

Much of what I read on the shit show, can I say that. or should I be posh and say current situation, coming from all parts of the world, is going round and round in circles. It all leads to the same outcome. Step by horrible step we are becoming robots. Individuality is frowned upon, anyone with a creative mind is supressed, anyone who questions the official narrative is silenced. Here is an article in The Independent which lays it out. The Government is launching a multi-front attack on freedom of expression in the name of national security. In a nutshell they want to cover up any secrets which may undermine their authority. I think they should be questioned every step of the way. Taxes pay for them, they are our servants. 

I have endeavoured to put together a lot of links to information which does not get reported in the main stream media. It's a bit of a push back if you like. Something else to think about. But my voice and that of many others like me are drowning in a sea of political correctness and negativity. Attempts to beat us into submission are working up to a point, but I am heartened to see that slowly people are waking up to what lies ahead. 

On a lighter note Rafi and Klee have just put out this video, Live Your Dreams. They have an exhibition on at the moment at Pensacola, at the Luna Fine Art Gallery. They are forever optimists and I love them for it. Have a look at his pictures and his profile. 

Garage news is that it is empty and ready to be taken down. My friend came round yesterday and helped with some of the work which needed more muscle power than I have got. Thank you Janet for the lend of your hubby. The date for removal is 4th of  August. I would like it gone before then and have said if they get a cancellation and can bring it forward to let me know. At least if they are busy they must be a reputable firm. 

I will say tatty byes for the weekend. Have a good one. Catch ya Monday. Toodle pip.   ilona

Joe Public

There seems to be more and more adverts popping up everywhere at the moment. twiiiiittering, inyourfacebook, and yoootooob are awash with them. Mostly I ignore them, sometimes I am nosey and have a look. They are usually advertising something that you never realised you needed, but they shove it in your face in the hope that you fall for their spin. This is one such item. I never knew I needed a mosquito catcher. 

There is a promotional video to view. Mozzies fly into it, and you unscrew the bottom and tip out a ton of little dead bodies. If you want to know if something works or not, best to read the comments from Joe Public, following the advert. I found hundreds saying no it does not work. A lot of people said it is cruel, and many more said insects are the food for birds, so you kill them as well. Cost of this is £21.76 for a small one, and £25.39 for the large one. 

There was another advert a while back offering adjustable specs. Twiddle a knob on the side to alter the tilt of the lens. Can be adjusted for near or long sight. I know someone who bought these, they said they are rubbish. It took them ages to get their money back. 

So beware. read up what other people are saying about the product that you are considering throwing your money at. Take no notice of the paid reviews that appear from influencers. Listen to Joe Public. 

The man came yesterday from Leeds to assess the work needed to remove the garage, and I have received the written quotation. Before he arrived I rang up two other companies for estimates. It's a pretty bog standard job, they must have removed quite a lot of similar structures. Years ago a lot of outhouses etc were constructed of asbestos. Anyway, The quote from Leeds was in between the other two prices. One was too cheap, the other too expensive, so I am going with the Leeds firm. 

He explained how it would be done. No need to break up the panels, they will saw through the wooden frame and lift each section out intact. The whole site has to be sprayed first to minimise dust. Now I need to shift things out of the way all around it and make a clear path from the road up the driveway. Waiting for a start date. 

Thanks to the Walking Group members for checking in yesterday. There is still time if you haven't done so. I am impressed with the effort everyone is putting into it. 

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

Calling all walkers.

 Hello and Good Morning. Nice to see ya, to see ya nice. How are we all getting on with the walking challenge? Once again it's time to check in. We are six months into the year, half of 1000 is 500 miles. Did you reach that, or are you struggling, or have you a different target. Wherever you're at on your exercise/keep fit journey, now is the time to celebrate that you have reached this point. Well done everyone, let's keep it up and go forward. 

My total is 518 miles. That will do nicely. I am not going to push myself to do do more, the 1000 miles suits me just fine. It means I can divide my time between all the other interests I have. Balance is what I am aiming for. Balance between my body and my mind. Walking is a total body workout. 

I'll dig out a few random pics from the archive. Nature is wonderful, what you might see when out on a walk. 

So now it's your turn. Send in a comment, let us know how you are getting on. Thanks for popping in. Sees ya later.   Toodle pip.    ilona