Collected Y from Sherwood around 11am, having taken a lot of glazed pots for Tracey which I doubt we shall use again. Y had packed two containers of yesterday's finger-food for our lunch, so when we got home we had that.Then we had potential purchasers to view the bungalow but we haven't much hope of it. They were only here 5 minutes and when the girl said "I bet the garden needs a lot of looking after" we realised we were on a loser.
For our walk we revisited the disused colliery railway line leading past the headstocks which I will photograph and blog one day. The walk is now bashed down hardcore and a fine walking surface, with attractive overhanging foliage and interesting wildflowers and birds.
After our official walk we went in the car to investigate footpaths leading off Hall Lane. We found lots. One in particular attracted us; leading down to the Erewash and it has gone to the top of our 'walks to be tackled' list. Picture 1 is a left-over from our last Cromford Canal walk and at the end of that bit of Canal you can see Boat-Cottage which is picturesque, standing as it does, at the foot of the bridge over.
Picture 2 is another left-over. This time from Renishaw Hall. It made me think of some giant monster's foot with lots of toes, with bluebells and bracken growing in-between them.I know my imagination is too vivid but there isn't much I can do about it.
Madeline's 'comment' that the blog gave her the idea to get Chris a quotation dictionary, for a surprise present, brought me pleasure. He will so enjoy the Oxford......... and will find it invaluable as an idea-generator for his writing. He has done unusually well to have 2 published short stories under his belt already. As Bungus and I both know from Writers Clubs, thousands of people write short-stories without ever achieving that much. In most cases 'thank god' because they can be dire. I used to 'judge' a short story competition for a large writers' club and while I remained hypocritical I was invited year after year. When I started telling the truth they stopped asking me.
I rang Churchill, my motor insurers, this morning about my crunched boot and bumper, and was delighted to learn that it is covered, even though it was 100% my own fault. My premium won't go up and I won't lose my 'no claim' bonus. Also, from their recommended body-repair garage, I shall have a free courtesy car for the duration. I still like their bulldog on the telly - "Oh Yes".
My problem with Centigrade and wind-speeds in kilometres per hour finally caused me to change it on my google homepage. It just needed the down arrow clicking to alter the settings, and after I had clicked the radio-button for Fahrenheit it automatically changed the wind-speed to mph as well. It must have thought "If this aged numptie wants Fahrenheit I guess he will want mph also" So at 7.45pm, this day of our lord, it is 57F with a North Easterly wind blowing at 17mph. i.e. warm in the sun but chilly out of it.
The llamas have returned to the field down the road. This year I will try to get a photograph without being spat at. "Peace be on your cooking pots"
2 comments:
I agree with Madeline (yesterday) on the matter of young people.
Apart from seeing grandchildren and their friends, I spend a fair bit of time on a Comp campus, some of it with ACE kids, (ie, Alternative Curriculum Education?). Most that I have contact with are friendly, polite and considerate (or at least one of the three). They do tend to use ‘foul’ language and spread litter, as do their parents. But discover what interests them and they are eager to learn.
On balance, I find them less self-centred and rude than many old fogeys like me (but not me, of course. I am just a stubborn opinionated old bogger with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and ale).
As RadioG has indicated, Madeline’s husband belongs to a select band of contributors / neo-contributors to this blog – three? Or more?
Perhaps I am less well practised at hypocrisy than our host because the ‘large writers' club’ only asked me to judge the monthly Prose Competition once. I told it as I saw it (a couple of decent attempts, several that needed a lot of work and a few that were truly awful). That said, I know that I am inclined to be very critical (my beloved says ‘picky’). My excuse is that it is something to do with my further education and the influence of some excellent influential tutors who were always caustically outspoken and often cruel. That and the fact that if you say something is acceptable you get more of the same, be it writing or food. As Oscar said, “If you cannot say anything bad, don’t say anything.” (That’s Oscar No Bacon, not Oscar Wilde).
I am all for Farenheit and mph and feet and inches (the money's OK as it is, apart from losing tanners, bobs, florins and guineas). Having used metric dimensions since 1957, I still prefer the Imperial sytem because it relates to human measurements and is so much easier to add up in one's head when surveying.
PS
What numpty would say 'influence of ... influential'?
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