Just had to put this one first. It's Lake Thun at 8.15am this morning and was taken on John's mobile phone which he sent to me around 8.30am.Amazing technology and it makes you wonder about the wisdom of expensive cameras. Incidentally they are having a super time in the Camper Van and Alannah is now old enough to be left at home by herself. Hope she doesn't do a 'girl in the papers type rave' which apparently caused £20,000 of damage. I don't think she is likely to do that though she is very sensible. Steve and family have returned from Northumberland, and Debra and family have returned from their New Forest hideaway which is reported to have been idyllic. Very basic but safe and the girls could be allowed to play out and build dens and things.
We've had a lovely day. For main meal I did Roast Chicken with apricot & chestnut stuffing, roast potatoes (King Edwards - loverly and crisp outers, fluffy inside) fresh carrots (just scrubbed not peeled, which kept them juicy) spring greens and Yorkshire puddings. Plus gravy of course. The we had cheese and biccies.
This afternoon with the weather being so great we decided on an outing. We went down to the Nottingham Canal at Langley Mill, only a mile and a half away, and I tackled a little walk along the towpath.
This beautiful scene hove into view but we daren't go any closer for fear of disturbing the nesting swan. It wouldn't have been easy anyway because, as you can tell from the bullrushes, their nest was surrounded by water.It was also nice to see families on their bicycles and teenage lads doing healthy things like fishing for pike and taking their shirts off and getting very red and sunburnt in the unexpectedly strong sun.
Two Canals, The Nottingham and The Erewash join at the Great Northern Boat Basin at Langley Mill. And unless I have more important pictures I shall regale you with a couple more tomorrow. I'm not sure if you can regale people with pictures. Ah Yes. Merriam-Webster reassures me :-
1 : to entertain sumptuously : feast with delicacies
2 : to give pleasure or amusement to <regaled us with tall tales>
intransitive verb : to feast oneself :
QM2 has arrived at Tortolla but seems to be moored about 2 miles off shore. Perhaps they have to wait for a propitious tide or something. They are in fact in 'The Offing' of which I spoke recently. No doubt Jill will cast some light......
I'm getting to grips with the 4ooGB external hard drive which I have acquired mainly to store photographs. It has a tendency to want to compress and encrypt everything but I have discovered a method.... If I 'drag and drop' instead of 'send to' it doesn't mess about with them. I've downloaded every photograph I have up to March 07 to it and it tells me there is 98% of its capacity still free. So I guess it will see me out as they say.
Must ring Renishaw Hall tomorrow to ask the state of the bluebells. A few locally are peeping through and we don't want to miss them at Renishaw. Y is Palmers Green bound on Tuesday, till Saturday morning, but they should still be OK the week after.
.........These were at Renishaw 2 years ago. don't see why I can't do me own smileys. Sleep tight everybody.
Probably as hot as yesterday but I spent less time in the car, I’m pleased to say.
ReplyDeleteJohn’s mobile phone ‘scape’ is remarkably good. 50 years ago one would have been delighted to achieve an effect ‘Leica’ this.
“I don't think she is likely to do that though she is very sensible.” I think you have missed out the word ‘because’!
I recall coming in after Simon’s 16th or 18th to find bodies all over the floor but only one cupboard door off its hinges. Result!
I was tempted the other day into buying so-called King Edwards again. Haven’t tried them yet. They look good enough spuds but I’m not convinced.
But NO! not Yorkshire with chicken!
We had fish (sea bass for Sandra, haddock for me) oven baked and served with new potatoes and carrots and, for me, peas & sweetcorn plus mushroom and lemon sauce. Very nice, Then I had a bit of Nestle’s fruit & nut chocolate which Ralph had been kind enough to open for me (and act as ‘taster’).
The other day I think you spoke of onion sauce with sausage. Not for me, thanks. I consider that onion sauce (like mint sauce) only goes with lean leg of lamb (esp cold in a sandwich).
Nice shot of the swan and horse(s) (before enlargement I thought it was just one, with a deformed mane/neck).
I think you would have found it difficult to disturb the swan. They tend to be very confident.
It has just occurred to me to wonder what is this strange enthusiasm for views of the Atlantic from the bridge of the QM2.
All it does for me is make the phases of the moon seem almost interesting!
Encore a chacun son gout.
We have bluebells in full flower in the garden but, although I checked them a year or two ago, I cannot remember whether they are native English or the dreaded Spanish interlopers.
I was informed yesterday that Staffies (and Boxers who also have a permanent cleft in the skull) are prone to suffering from epilepsy. So that probably accounts for Ralph’s ‘gazing into the fuschia’ and makes a nonsense of Sandra being on her hands and knees looking for magic mushrooms.