National Trust Clumber - Envelope Stuffing

A dull day which turned to rain later - temperature around average for April. We were involved in stuffing envelopes for the National Trust at Clumber, from 10am to about 4pm and we had great fun. Picture 1 is the Avenue leading to the exit onto the A614. Often we get lost and can't find it. This time we found the exit OK but messed up going in. We turned left into the wrong driveway, went the wrong way over the bridge and arrived 10 minutes late. But we were forgiven. When Chairman Peter learns the story he will pull my leg all year.

The last envelope-stuffing I did was when I was young, for the SWP, and the switch to the National Trust in my 70s is, I suppose, only to be expected. There were six of us and I guess we did almost 3,000. Lots of laughs, reminiscences and childhood stories and everyone worked with a will. Apart from a sore thumb and both of us tired out we are fine.

Jill's link for 'yarnstorm' still produced a 404 error message but I took direct action and tracked it down via google. Please click here and, it is as Jill promised, extremely colourful. I just checked Old Faithful and actually saw it spout, or at least the immediate aftermath because it seemed like a large high mushroom cloud and the webcam lens was spattered. Having said that, it isn't as colourful as I expected.

Picture 2 is from yesterday's canal walk and perhaps one of our arboriculturalists could help with identification. It resembles a white buddleia which has gone feral, except that the leaf is not right. And more 'tree' than 'bush'. A mallard was swimming with six three-day old (?) chicks looking charming but my picture was so hopeless I deleted every version. I'll try again soon but by then they will be bigger.

Crossword nearly done and we've finally finished Sunday's papers. I need to catch up on some magazines and some radio.

Two recent radio highlights have been Rabbi Lionel Blue coming out of retirement to do a Thought for The Day slot and he was, as he always has been, delightful. He didn't tell the story this time, but how his famly name became 'Blue' is a hoot. His Jewish immigrant ancestors wished to adopt an anglicised name and knew that people were called Black, White, Brown, and Green etc., and thought 'Blue' should be OK. And why not? The second is Geoffrey Sachs doing the Reith Lectures. I won't even try to summarise, but he argues a strong case. Last night's came from Beijing University and it was reassuring to hear Chinese academics and students asking apparently uncensored questions, about hitherto no-no subjects like 'democracy'.

For me this quotation is a little close for comfort:-

He had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for wit.

- W. Somerset Maugham

Ho hum! as Ray says.

As I type, I notice that another multimedia message has arrived from John, who has reached Florence armed with his mobile phone camera. The picture is amazing again considering.

He says they reached Florence by train. I don't know yet whether they loaded the camper onto the train or have left it somewhere. They are obviously having an action-packed holiday and will need a rest when they return.

Apart from blood-test tomorrow I haven't got any commitments and if it continues to rain there isn't much point in venturing out. If the weather continues like this till Wednesday, I guess it will throw the photography walk out of kilter, unless some indoor location springs to mind.

Is it really 8.30pm already ??