Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Got the Civic back - Pleasant day

A quick blog only because I am ultra tired.

Picture 1 is Venus last night through my bedroom window. A long time exposure but the look of the sky is about right. I wasn't sure whether Venus would be visible or not as it is so tiny in the frame. The moon is one thing but a planet is more difficult and I couldn't be bothered to get out of bed to find a longer lens. The reddish tinge on the garage barge-board is from the street-lamp on the main road.

Y thinks I'm crackers anyway. But that isn't new.

It was a Karen day, and we went to Nottingham to collect the Civic. The Polo has been OK but it was bottom-of-the-range and felt like it. Our old car now looks like new, a complete new rear door cum tailgate, plus rear bumper. And washed, polished and valetted. That will keep it going for at least six months. We are not nature's car washers /polishers and the inside will soon look like the user-friendly tip we are used to. But it was a joy to be reunited with it. More power, the brakes and steering are more positive, the seats suit my back better and I was finding the narrow doors on the 4 door a problem. And worse. The Polo's radio was far too heavy 'bass' and I couldn't work out how to adjust it, and although it had under 3,000miles on the clock it had been used by a smoker and it lingered.

These flowers are currently out in the garden and the colour is nice. They come each year but a little like peonies they only seem to flower for a couple of days and it's "Goodbye till next year".

I can't remember their name and shall have to research the Collin's Wildlife book or our Hessayons. But if one of our flower-savvy correspondents can save me the trouble I would be most pleased. And a suitably sycophantic response to your 'comment' will be published.

We watched Gavin Stamp again this evening and it has been an excellent series. His outspokenness is a joy but he seems a very nice chap and isn't offensive.

I'm off out with my photographic chums tomorrow morning which will be fun. And Y is going to Nottingham again to go on a guided walk of 'hidden nooks and crannies' which also sounds fun. I hope she will agree to take the Casio.

I loved this quote :-

Willem de Kooning (1904-1997)

On his working method "I think I'm painting a picture of two women but it may turn out to be a landscape"

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T
hey have always seemed powerful works to me whatever they started out as.

Catch you tomorrow

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Venus has come out very strong – but it isn’t a bargeboard it is a fascia.

I certainly don’t think you’re crackers for photographing celestial bodies in the early hours. But Sandra would if I decided to tell her. She is not too impressed by my centipedes, slugs and desiccated frogs.

It takes all sorts. I am not easily impressed by cars but the Polo did it for me. I think it was the solid feel and the way the doors shut with such a satisfactory clunk. I only recall encountering that same sort of thing with pre-war Rovers and other VWs (esp the 7 Beetles and one Karmann Ghia I owned). I don’t switch the radio on anyway, so that wouldn’t bother me, and I like the smell of smoke (not that I detect it). But I’m with you on the valeting and polishing.

Our swans have deserted their nest as was feared. The eggs remain unhatched.
The centipedes are not all heading for the West Country this year, but moving in all different directions. Perhaps, like the bees, their SatNav has been upset by mobile phone signals?