A truly dramatic sunrise. Browning would have loved it. This colour only lasted for about 30 seconds and a minute earlier, which prompted the dash for the camera, it had been even more vivid. And it is unphotoshopped ! I am anti faked-skies anyway, they always look so false, however crafty the manipulater has been. My skill at recognising such is now approaching my erstwhile unerring eye for a Leica prime. If you zoomed in on the above, if it had been doctored, you would see fringing etc., down at pixel level, particularly round the foliage and the skyline.Enough of this frippery. Our house-viewers arrived promptly at 11am and had a good look round. They were younger than we had expected and with a young girl. All the right things were said but, as I noted yesterday, we aren't going to get excited. The we prepared lunch for Tracy's visit. At her request - sausage and mash, which we had with purple-sprouting brocolli (not my own unfortunately but delicious) carrots, and I mashed swede/turnip in with the potato. I also made my ever-popular onion sauce. Y and I worked together in the kitchen which was nice, because of time constraints. Simply followed by a cheese board and coffee.
David and I had a lovely chat and we are so pleased that Helen seems OK at the moment. Yesterday they went to White Post Farm and bought the girls mice as pets. When I rang Brooke had already cleaned hers out. Promises were made for them to be well hidden when Y visits because of her aversion to them. With girls they no doubt will be, if it were boys they would appear 'accidentally' to whoops of delight!.
The OAGs have been back. I tidied my room prior to the house-viewers and when I went back at mid-day the OAG had taken the opportunity to make off with my diary. Where can he/she have put it ?
Picture 2 is a carved-head by Bungus, which I have wanted to Blog for some time. His permission has been obtained. The head always reminds me of General de Gaulle and is I think impressive. Elisabeth Frink had better watch out !While on the subject it gives me pleasure to announce Bungus's invitation to a Notts C.C. Garden-Party (our local Buck House equiv.) for his services to the local community. He says he has only written a gossip column for the community newspaper - but I know he has done much more. He has made trouble for councillers, upset civic dignatories and been a thorn in the side of the pretentious for as long as I can remember - so his reward is fully justified.
The red sky this morning was quite right in its shepherd's warning. It has hissed down all day, as Ray would say. Before it really became heavy I managed to replenish the bird feeders and had hardly got back to the house before they were attacking them. The long-tailed tits which were so nervous now go straight for the fat-balls which I wouldn't have thought would suit them. Steven is off on is Rorke's Drift adventure tomorrow and I hope he comes back with some interesting photographs. TJ is still working 'all the hours G sends etc....' and I don't know about John. He was going to e-mail me with Philip's new address and phone number but they haven't arrived yet.
National Trust Committee meeting in the morning, and we really need to go down Nottingham. Books back to Brommers, stuff need from Jessops for prints on Thursday etc., etc.
...Hope everyone gets a little sun.....
Without doubting your integrity I still cannot believe that sky. I have certainly NEVER seen anything remotely approaching it even in the clear desert air of Libya!
ReplyDeleteWe had some delicious smoked salmon fillets, hot, for dinner, with calabrese and beautiful little organic carrots and new potatoes. I had a Hollandaise sauce (not homemade, but what the hell) and Sandra had a lemon to squeeze over hers; lovely.
My mother had a horror of mice. And I had a school friend who cycled around with one on his shoulder. I now greatly admire her for shaking his hand when introduced. After that I was allowed to keep them myself (but in the garden hut).
Sorry to hear that you have lost your diary. It is Monday tomorrow. Is there anything else you could possibly need to know?
It is nice of our Blogmaster to show my one and only carving and to big me up over the NCC garden party. But it doesn’t compare with his Buck House Garden Party or my Sandra’s honour. I’m still playing catch up, and anyway I suspect I have been invited as a representative of those who are brilliant at doing nowt – but I am happy to be considered an irritant to the pompous and pretentious (even though I suffer from those very faults myself, at times).
I had a bit of a go at our MP in the local paper a couple of weeks ago; sufficient to draw a response (not from him) which is great. He’s a populist, and that’s fine -provided he espouses the same causes as me!