Bit more Canal - Weather v.changeable

Another 'canal shot' and this picture demonstrates that it is still an active 'working' canal with cranes for loading stuff etc. I could spend hours down there just sitting and am reminded of Bungus's dictum "One thing at a time, preferably less". He claims not to remember coining it but, he says, if he did he's quite proud of it.

This little old shop is about 20 yards from the canal towpath and Beryl remembers the people who ran a small general business there.

I went up to have a coffee with her this morning and she seems fairly sure that Karen has managed to kill the mice, or mouse, because there has been no further evidence. I explained that Y won't be calling in until she is absolutely positive that they have gone - such is her horror of the creatures.

Our 'maltese correspondent' has returned, picture-less, due to a 'craft' moment about cameras (see Jill's comment) and she charmed me by saying the earlier boat-picture was not garish but a welcome brightness - which we could do with more of. It is a good job that I have more than one reader of the Blog isn't it? And thanks to Pete (Manxislander) for diplomatically saying that he liked all the canal shots. He misses the canals from Birmingham days. One would have thought that Ramsay and The Lifeboat was enough boats. But I suppose that barges and narrow-boats are different.

The weather is so changeable with a very strong wind. We were in bright sun a few minutes ago and at the other side of the footie-field it was pouring. I made some of my signature Leek and Potato soup, which we had at lunchtime, with some part-baked rolls straight out of the oven and in a few minutes Y is going to griddle some tuna steaks for our main meal. The Leek and Potato recipe is the one which is best left to cool before re-heating. I once copied it for Debra and she loved the line "If a skin forms be glad. Just stir it in and the soup will taste better".

Still busy-ing myself with Photoshop and my new laptop and the computer shop rang this morning to tell me that the old one is refurbished and up-and-running. Y sensibly asked why I needed two laptops? But I strongly suspect that the old one will find a good home at Palmers Green, or with a grandchild somewhere.

Today's Matt cartoon as usual accurately fingers an important current issue. As my Blog is not a commercial venture I trust he won't mind my occasionally raiding his idea-bank. When I was sworn in as a Constable all those years ago (50 next year) I vividly remember my oath to enforce the law without fear, favour, malice, ill-will etc., to all of Her Majesty's subjects equally, and to keep the peace and to prevent offences. Those are not the exact words but that's the gist. And from that moment on I was an independent crown-officer drawing my authority from her good-self and not the government of the day.

Just a reminder that if you want to see a picture enlarged, put your mouse-arrow over it and left-click. An enlargement should then appear with a tiny icon of a magnifying glass in the middle. If you click again, and you will see an even bigger picture. The only circumstances in which this doesn't work is if the image is a very low pixel count due to cropping etc., or having been sent over the web.

Normal 'broadcasting' planned for tomorrow...................