Weather typical English late June - Raining

Our Cotinus or smoke-bush is doing well again. It obviously likes the spot where it lives and the evening sun makes it look really 'smoky'.

Fortunately, where it is isn't enclosed or from tomorrow it would prolly be illegal.

Neither Y nor I smoke but both feel that people's right to enjoy a cigarette and a drink in a pub should be inalienable. It was quite right to prevent smoking in restaurants because the 'waft' of fag-smoke drifting across while one is eating is not good. But Pubs? Oh dear oh dear.

We've had a pleasant day. A leedle Lidl followed by a little Morrisons and a little Eastwood. I cooked haddock in batter, with chips and peas for lunch and, phillistines that we are, we both preferred the haddock to the expensive sea-bass. I went to the Butcher this morning for our 6 weekly re-provisioning and saw David from Durban House there. "Pleased to see that you get you meat from a decent place!" I said. Mrs Redgate and Peter liked that. Tracy is coming for lunch tomorrow and will have her traditional lamb - in the form of Barnsley Chops. Peter says he wishes he could breed longer lambs because the barnsley chops always run out first. This the real advantage of ringing an order through midweek, to collect on Saturday morning.

Matt is at his 'priceless' best again this morning. It is so good and who else but Matt would have thought of it. I know it's cruel and the animal-liberation lobby won't find it at all amusing but the rest of us do.

The stances of the dogs is anthropomorphic 'in spades', but he has got them just right.

I felt I was tiring of my Radiogandy logos which I use on some forums so this morning I sorted out an additional 5.

This is one of them and I hope you like it

Quotes are a bit thin today. But when in doubt, have a look in Emerson:-

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail".

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Catch you tomorrow. Sleep tight. A note in my notebook yesterday morning reminded me "Do not trust jobs" - I thought "Fair enough, I won't".

Then I realised that what it actually said was "Do Nat. Trust jobs"

Mostly fine - Rest Day - 60F

Due to the excessive rain Karen has been unable to mow and the rear lawn looks quite attractive. Perhaps we ought to let it become a wild-flower meadow in front of our neo-woodland (which isn't on purpose but has overgrown our original intent).

Looks nice though, and a veritable haven for wildlife.

Y has been enjoying Wimbledon and has discovered the facility of 'interactive' , which means she can choose which match she wants to watch from a choice of around 7, I think. The BBC are, in my opinion, doing very well at the moment. And they are due to add a TV equivalent of BBc Radio's 'listen again' system. I have been a dedicated user for at least 2 years and consider that bbc.co.uk gives me value for the licence fee, even accounting for my minimal TV viewing.

Picture 2 I've decided is the best I can do with the campions. At least I've managed to retain the delicate tracery of the petal veins which previously have been blocked. But I don't seem to be able to capture their distinctive glowing magenta/blue/red whatever I do. And, as is often the case when one has to admit defeat, I ask myself "Is it important?" To which I invariably answer "No."

Steven is ill, with some sort of flu I think it is. He was sufficiently ill to return home from work and go to the doctor, which is unlike Steven. The Dr prescribed antibiotics and said if he hadn't been able to stop the infection Steven would have acquired fluid on his lungs. His sister has been over and says he really is poorly. But, on a good note, her new grading and promotion have now been confirmed by letter; in good old-fashioned hard copy which always seems more trustable !

Just spoken to David, and Helen seems a little better today, after a sort of rest-day. But rest-days are almost impossible when you are a young Mum with 2 girls and a working husband. And she always seems to do so much anyway. I've sent her a Jacqui Laswon 'get-well e-card' and it has balloons you need to 'click' to start it going. Sky and Brooke will enjoy that bit!. Which brings me to my first quote - Brooke speaks so fast I sometimes have difficulty but-

"What music is more enchanting than the voices of young people, when you can't hear what they say?"

- Logan Pearsall Smith

and rather harsher now, but he is right I'm afraid-

"It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious."

- Oscar Wilde

I enjoyed Bungus's 'comment' on the modern use of words. I just hope I retain the ability to tell whether I am having a 'slash' or a 'stroke' thougth. Seems crucial to me.

Shower >then coffee >then > then > early night. Sleep tight everybody.

A little sun for Mansfield - then rain - 55F

The beautiful Picture 1 is not mine, it belongs to Bungus and was photographed on one of his nature walks with Ralph. He feels, and I am sure that he is right, that it is a wild orchid.

What lovely understated colours !

It is difficult to tell but I am guessing that it is only a few inches high rather than delphinium size.

He aks what I mean by 'candy-floss' water. Many photographers take pictures of water using exposures of several seconds which gives the water a very blurred appearance. Next time I see such a picture I will attribute it and 'blog' it.

With regard to his occasional complaints of 'technical' language - it is impossible to please everyone. Several readers are both 'photographically' and 'computer-wise' far in front of me in their understanding and I try to make the blog of interest to them too. So - Sorry Bungus! - you will just have to grin and bear it !

Picture 2 shows the spot on one of our paths where the thrushes prepare their snail-fests. If I can be quick enough I shall try to catch one actually doing it. They hold the snail in their beak and bash it on the concrete till the shell breaks up. Having looked closely, in order to obtain this picture, it seems that, after eating the snail they carefully put the top of the empty shell back on the bottom.

Whatever their reason is for doing all this, we have no objection because they are welcome to as many snails as they can eat. Invite your friends and relations - the more the merrier.

My lunch in Mansfield with Bungus was, as always, very enjoyable although by the time I returned to base I was tired. I collected Y from the tram terminal around 6.30pm and she also reported feeling tired, but happy-tired. We are all getting older !

I had a late start on the blog (it's just after 10pm now) because I spent far too long messing about with some 'campion' pictures in which an accurate 'red' continues to elude me. When I've sorted it, I will publish.

David called last night which was lovely, but Helen isn't very well. Love her - she does so much, and I hope she soon feels better. Tomorrow I will send her a Jacqui Lawson e-card but, for the moment this 'ballerina' close-up is just for her.


I've got lots of notes I haven't used this evening but I want to listen to all the news about the new cabinet and things. I suppose bringing in talented people is OK provided he arranges for peerages for them where appropriate. At least that way they are a bit accountable. I certainly didn't and don't like the idea of people having power over us who haven't been elected. Most undemocratic!

Catch you tomorrow.

Derwent in spate - 57F - More rain forecast

Only Reg and I went WOW-ing this morning. The others were busy blocking roads with caravans and things. But we had an enjoyable morning having decided to go to the Derwent Visitor Centre at Belper to have a look at the river. It was swollen but not dangerously so and the level had gone down a lot since yesterday apparently.

Much debrís had been washed down and was collected near bridge-arches and things but everything looked under control. The light was changeable and both of us took 'record' shots, not works of art.

We had a mooch round and spoke to a local photographer who was on a similar mission and occupying the best spot on the bridge to get a good strong diagonal. There was plenty of room for us all and we had a good chat to him about camera-club matters, the NEMPF exhibition and such like.

Picture 2 was with my long lens and shows more clearly how the water was. Not attractive; muddy and no clear 'whites' without burning out the highlights. But I managed to avoid my pet hate - the 'candy-floss' effect and at least mine looks like water.

But people are entitled to have their water the way they choose. Once I would have said "It's a free country" but I'm not sure any more. It will be interesting to see how Brown fares.

Ray mentioned a Photography exhibition at Durban House, Eastwood so after leaving Belper we decided to give it a whirl. It featured the work of Nigel Vardy and there were many of snowy scenes from Alaska to Greenland and The Himalayas. He had suffered for his Art; losing fingers, toes and nose to frostbite. His chosen style was pale rather than vibrant colours, low on 'saturation' and, in our humble opinion 'lacking clout'. I'm no lover of over-photoshoppery or too much violent colour, but I considered that his work erred in the opposite direction.

After the Exhibition it was a bee-line to The Nelson for our chip-cob and very nice it was too. Smashing camera chat but also a little, very little, current affairs. Interestingly, The Nelson is a Wi-Fi hotspot and free too. If it is their internal system they really need it to be encrypted. But I didn't use it, and forgot to tell them.

I'm meeting Bungus in Mansfield tomorrow because it is of course, Burton Joyce grannying day for Y who is still on the verge of hay-fever. One would think that, with all this water there wouldn't be much pollen wafting about.

Brian has fixed my printer. But now I've got it back I've forgotten what it is I meant to print. Ho Hum as Ray says. I hope his floods are backing off rather than climbing. Apparently Saturday is going to be a bad day. Hope Jill and Ro are OK in The New Forest. This quote appeals:-

"What we call 'Progress' is the exchange of one nuisance for another nuisance."

- Havelock Ellis



Catch you all tomorrow. Sleep tight.

Better weather - serious floods - 53F

At Bungus's instigation I've tried Macro, and I'm not entirely happy. I wanted them sharper. Interesting though and I think manual focus is a better bet, certainly with the Tamron. But with the camera on a tripod, my nose gets in the way when I try to examine the viewfinder closely.

I'm sure that Picture 1 will not tax anyone's identification prowess. If it does - it's the middle of a cistus. And Picture 2 was even easier. But again, not sharp enough for my taste, and I shot it at f 22 so maybe a slight breeze messed the job up.

I'm going WOW-ing tomorrow so I shall consult with Reg.

Our National Trust 'outings sub committee' was, as I predicted good fun and we had a laugh. We met at Joan's house and Joan is great. She was in the Services during the War.

I had learnt earlier that she collects book-marks; always acquiring one from wherever she visits. So I had taken her one from our Brewhouse Yard Museum visit - and fortunately, she hadn't already got one! She showed us part of her collection and it was most interesting !

The purpose of the meeting was to float a few possibilities for 2008, to put before the full committee next week. And also to discuss the weekend away for 2008. We all felt that one extra day would be welcome and the Portsmouth area was favoured. Choc full of interesting places and, on the way down, Waddesden Manor seemed a good idea. Strangely enough Y and I had recently watched a Nat Trust DVD about the place and it sounds fascinating. Marvellous Art, great gardens, and everyone speaks highly of it. So we are looking forward already.

The floods I mentioned in the header have been really severe and Yorkshire and particularly the Sheffield area badly affected. The dam of a reservoir has developed a crack asnd people have been evacuated and the M1 closed. I e-mailed Ray because he lives so close, and it was a relief to get a favourable reply. Near him the River Don (which has already broken its banks) and the Dearne come together, and he reports that surrounding villages cannot be reached. And his local shops have been 'emptied' by panic-buyers. But Ray isn't a 'panicker' and feels they will survive on UHT Milk, the contents of the fridge/freezer and presumably they have tinned stuff.

Jill is off house-sitting tomorrow, for three weeks, and I hope they don't suffer weather problems in the New Forest. If they are short of food she will have to send Ro out to kill a Wild Boar or something.

Thanks Bungus, as ever, for the useful comment. But I would like to gently point out that 06.30am is not dawn. It was 2 hours ago ! My 'charity shop book' about farming through the ages makes much of Laxton - and I would like to put it on the list of places to visit. And you are correct that the proper description of my medieval-furrows, is 'ridge and furrow'. Don't we lead fascinating lives?

"Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent"

Goethe

What a nice man he must have been !!

I just sense it for tomorrow. And I'm ready for my chip-cob.

Weather - Arnold - Joans - Charity Shops

Picture 1 is the evening sky from my bedroom window at around 9.45pm last night. It only lasted like this for a matter of seconds. Often the best skies are before sunset and, at the other end, just before sunrise.

This one is not 'photoshopped' in any way, merely cropped to get rid of my window frame and the neighbours roofs etc. I've never been happy with 'roofs' and want it to be 'rooves' but I know it isn't.

At least it wasn't raining. There's been loads all over the country and an unfortunate death as a result of the flooding. In one place a month's rain fell in an hour. It must be global something or other.

This morning we nipped over to Joans and it took us ages to get there due to roads closed and the weather seemed to vary in 300 yard swathes, from downpour to sun to high wind. It was quite exciting. Then we did Arnold and I went on Charity Shop patrol while Y did important things. She needed a couple of cards and I drew her attention to The Cancer Research shop which has an excellent display of quality cards, very reasonably priced, and not suffering from the usual 'naffness'.

Picture 2 shows my National Trust 'jute' bag-for-life. They are the 'in thing' arent they? I bought it while we were away and its squareness and its ability to stand up unassisted appeal to me. In addition to the super-comfy handles.

I was lucky with the two books too. No poetry this time. The bottom one is The Times 'A Century in Photographs' and there's one photo for each year from 1900 to 1999. The top one is 'Farming through the Ages' and contains a chunk about Medieval furrows which have always fascinated me.

Both books together cost me £3 and when I'm through with them I shall donate them to another Charity Shop and get two more. Well, that's the theory. In fact I shall find shelf space for them somewhere; I always do.

Tomorrow we have a National Trust 'outings committee' meeting in Mansfield, which will be fun. Provided of course, that we haven't had to swim there. Bungus reports serious problems in the north of the County. But usually the A608 is OK.

I am more or less up-to-date with correspondence, forums, and reading in general so it must be bedtime.

"There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval"

George Santayana (1863 - 1952)

Can't really fault you there George !

Have a good night. See you tomorrow.

Still wet - worse elsewhere - forecast bad

This campion which grows in the hedgerow at the side of the drive is a unique and striking colour.

This is my best effort and started off RAW and finished as a TIFF, and it still isn't 100% accurate. I must consult Reg and WOW. One of whom I suspect is 'Annonymous' who left yesterday's 'comment' recommending a subject for a monthly competition.

I shall make enquiries !

Picture 2 is the Loosestrife which grows on the opposite side of the drive. Yellows just don't seem to be a problem.

We have had a quiet day; a little Lidl and Morrisons and then I griddled sirloin steak with sautéed potatoes and courgettes (just happened to have some cold jersey royals in the fridge) with a large mushroom each and steamed sugar-snaps and fine beans. Followed by sticky toffee pudding and custard. Then a kip.

I'm determined on a short blog this evening because we have a National Trust DVD to watch. We haven't been able to get our DVD player to work recently, just getting a blank screen filled with snow.

But, and this is hard to believe, Millicent (just over 2) had a fancy to watch a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD so she went and selected the one she wanted, put it in the appropriate letter-box, picked up the correct remote control and pressed the right buttons. And 'geronimo' the DVD player works. As she can't talk yet she couldn't actually explain to us her modus operandi but the thing now works which is what matters.

Eventually the weather will improve. I know the English are famous for talking about the weather all the time. But it is so interesting n'est ce pas?. If you live in Tuscany and it's sunny and warm most days, what is there to discuss?

Coffee, then Radio, then Catch you tomorrow, even if we have to man the boats.

Back from Carsington - chucked it down - but Great

Thanks for the 'comments' on the last blog; they always enhance. And thanks for the poem Jill, it is very good indeed. I haven't researched it yet but it has Wendy Cope written all over it.

My few days 'caravan-sitting' at Carsington were a resounding success. I arrived just after lunchtime, having found a pub which did chip cobs. Having been programmed by WOW to have such on a Wednesday it seemed right. And very nice it was too.

The food at the Visitors' Centre was a disappointment. The view from the Gallery Restaurant was excellent but the food D minus I'm afraid. And it wasn't just me; when I went for lunch on the second day it was busy and as I glanced round at other diners there were no oohs and aahhs of delight. Anyway I didn't go for the food and I soon mastered the gas oven, electric kettle and toaster in the caravan. Talk about 'mod cons' I had mains-electricity, a hot-water system. a shower, and even central heating. The days of popping half a tennis ball over the towing ball are long gone but obviously David's boyhood experiences haven't put him off caravanning. I decided against either of the bunk-beds and settled for a single just inside the door with lovely views through windows and a place to stand my essential within-reach overnight junk (clock, glasses, note-book, pen, radio, torch, peppermints - I know, I know !) It was an excellent choice because the narrowness of the bed meant that, without a big upheaval, I slept snuggly in one position. And I slept great and woke up comparitively pain-free.

After I woke, with the light filtering in around 4am I thought, as planned, sunrise photographs. Picture 1 was no more than 20 yards from the caravan door and is the view through the trees. As there was very little light it was a tripod job, and half a second at f11. I hope it captures the 'feel' and it wasn't me who hacked off the top of a conifer (quarter in from right) but it's absence substantially improved the view.

Picture 2 was as I was passing the water and these geese (?) amused me. They made me think of "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work we go" and were completely oblivious of me as they trudged past around 20 yards away.

The weather confirmed my unofficial theory that "it seldom rains at dawn". Which came about from years of observation in the days when policemen used to work 'nights' and outside on the beat, on foot. Ah well ! Such is progress.

Picture 3 was down one of the many lanes close to the water and I was very taken with the low sunlight bursting through the trees and illuminating little sections of the scene. Tripod again and nearly a full second at f8 - for the few who are interested in such techy details.

n.b. for occasional readers. To see an enlarged version, just left click on the picture itself.

After that it was back to the caravan for brekkie and a kip for a couple of hours plus of course a little radio. I had ordered a Telegraph, which duly arrived at The Warden's reception office at 9am each day and where one can buy bread, milk and eggs etc., and browse lots of leaflets about local 'things to do'.

As I predicted, I managed to arrive without something. Pyjamas ! But 'what the hell ?' I slept perfectly well in vest and pants. Yvonne and I kept in touch entirely by text which we both like. Not only is it so cheap, but a text doesn't put pressure on people as a live call does. Bungus texted me too which was pleasant.

When they arrived on Friday, Sky and Brooke brought me a little 'blue-tit' coat badge so this final picture is specially for them ! It isn't a Carsington Picture but one from home and is a very young blue-tit close to where they have been nesting in a thorn bush at the rear of the Silver Birch. I'm closing down now, not because I've run out of stuff to tell you, or photographs, but I think everyone has an attention span and I have probably already exceeded most people's.

Which brings me logically to my final quote :-

"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant"
- Robert McCloskey

I can't wait to go 'woodcraft folking' again. But David was absolutely right. I was far better in the Caravan than a tent. Sleep tight everyone.!

Blog before Carsington - Round up Weston

Picture 1 is the lily-pond at KnightsHayes and you can see the sort of rain we braved. Well worth it though.

I've spent the day being 'busy' I sawed off a fence-post stump which impeded the moving out/in of the greenlid bin. It was green recycling day today and it has needed doing for some time but I couldn't solve a problem which I perceived. We needed the stump leaving level with the concrete pathway but eventually I realised there was no requirement for the end to be at a right-angle to the stump, so I just sawed it off at around 45 degrees. Problem solved. Y always says that for an intelligent man I can be incredibly stupid, and this was a classic case.

For lunch I cooked egg & chips because we both had a fancy for it and then we finished off the gooseberries. Soon we shall have raspberries. Yummy yummy. And I spoke to Helen and more or less finalised the Carsington arrangements. I didn't want her to 'buy in' food supplies etc., because I aim to go fully equipped, also with bedding which I shall bring back with me.

I am sorting out camera stuff, tripod, chargers, lenses and filters, and all the necessary leads. Plus books, radios, tablets, clothing - but I'm sure to go without something. I always used to omit something, when work took me all over the place. Each time I would write down what I had forgotten and keep the list going for future commitments. My worst effort though was to go without my case, with everything in it - including list !

Picture 2 was at Snowhills Manor and was an attempt to get the photograph sharp, all the way from foreground to infinity.

It needed an aperture of f22 and a shutter-speed of a quarter of a second, but I managed to steady the camera on a fence-post. It looks as sharp as I could reasonably expect and it is a shame that the subject matter isn't interesting enough to justify the effort.

The national/international news continues to be depressing so I won't bore you with it. ArtDaily please click continues to delight. The link is republished in case we have any new readers who are interested in Art. When I have returned from Carsington and we have a 'window' I would love to travel to London by train to visit the Royal Academy to see the Hockney (big trees) and also the exhibition of Turner watercolours he is curating. Plus of course, The Summer Exhibition, which we always find a delight.

Two quotes appealed:-

"Beauty is God's handwriting"
Charles Kingsley
and

"Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes."
- Henry David Thoreau



If anything further occurs to me I shall return later this evening. But if not - tattah till Saturday.

Carsington here I come. I shall restrain myself from climbing trees. See you soon.

Splendid Weekend - But all this rain.

Looking left from our Weston super Mare Hotel bedroom. I think the rather weird light conveys the changeable weather. But we had a great time ! Our National Trust group are of a mind to enjoy it, whatever, and therefore we do. There are of course the inevitable moaning minnies but they are always with us.

On the way down we went to the National Trust HQ at Heelis, please click here and a remarkable building it is too. A truly 21st Century building and the above link will take you too it and more explicitly than me publishing a couple of pictures and trying to describe. The above mentioned 'mm s' complained that it wasn't a proper National Trust type 'old building'. Oh well ! We were split into three groups for guided tours and, if anyone is ever in the area, I would strongly recommend a visit. At one juncture a charming young lady thought I needed the lift and took charge of me, so I went down in it anyway ! She said it was a great place to be each day and she had never been happier at work. And she sounded convincing!

Each day was different and during the last evening we sat on the prom, in a wind-proof corner and watched the gulls hovering and playing in the thermals.

On the second day we visited KnightsHayes Court, when we did have some rain. But Y and I were pleased we decided to brave it and have a quick look at the gardens. They were rewarding and had probably the most attractive lily-pond I have seen.

On the last day we visited SnowHills Manor which Jill describes as one of her favourites. It certainly is different. It was the storehouse of an eccentric collector of most things. He lived in a cottage at the rear and, in the house itself, were hundreds of thousands of 'objects' from tiny ivory figures to samurai suits. He was definitely 'odd' shall we say and I don't think I would have been keen to number him among my close friends.

Picture 3 is merely 'basil rooting' and it was Saturday June 9th when I assured you that he would root, and this picture is just 9 days later. So, next time you buy basil remember to snip a bit off and pop it in a glass and a second generation plant will soon be yours.

I think I am now up-to-date with e-mails, but behind with my artdaily newspaper. Up-to-date with photographs because I took my lappy away on its holidays, so downloaded each day's pictures and did a preliminary sort out. I'm way way behind with my AmPhot and WebUser forums but that isn't really important.

And Yes David. We did remember to announce Morrisons, or Aldi, or Lidl etc., to each other, as the coach drove past an example ! And I have sent you an e-mail with a link to a 'pretty kettle of fish' page. What with this 'no alcohol' lifestyle and holding boring conversations in coaches, we really are turning into the sort of people we used to avoid.

I am excited about my chance to play 'woodcraft folk' when I go to caravan-sit for David on Wednesday till Friday of this week at Carsington Water. So, unless I chance upon a handy Wi-Fi spot whilst there, Radiogandy will be off the air - again ! But I have plans for endless tripod and nature photography, mucho messing-about, lots of reading and a little writing. And Y will enjoy the break from me.

Hope everybody is fine. Sleep tight. Catch you tomorrow.

Burton Joyce Day - Steady Rain - 59F

The rain has been non-stop since our thunder-storm and the pictures are both from yesterday.

This is the babbling-brook Y fancies a picnic beside and this is the view from the bridge. It reminds me very much of the upper reaches of Ashbourne's Henmore Brook where I learnt to swim and is of course part of the course of the famous Shrovetide Football game where the whole town can take part. If you are born on the north side you are an 'uppards' if on the south side you are a 'downards' - a much inferior type of person!

And by 'groundsquare' I meant a ground sheet or blanket or rug; just something to put on the grass and sit on. As you all know by now, babbling brooks and dappled shade and picnics are special loves of mine. But, in photographs, I do like the water to look like water, rather than candy-floss, which seems all the rage in photographic circles at the moment. I know how to achieve the effect, but choose not to. I can also play the piano accordian - but choose not to. When I saw the enormous chunk of driftwood in the water I thought for a momet that someone had really meant to win at pooh-sticks.

Picture 2 is of 2 of the dragonflies of which I spoke. They are no doubt the common type of dragonfly but I had not noticed their black wings before.

It isn't a good photograph and is published for information purposes. My long telephoto zoom was in the car. Where else? So what you see is a result of a close crop where sharpness etc., necessarily suffers. Anyway, if I had had a long lens, by the time I fitted it the dragonflies would have gone. Reg says he has a foolproof method of dealing with the problem of low-flying aircraft. He takes his long lens out of his camera bag and before he's attached it to the camera, the low-flying planes have gone and won't return.

Which reminds me. When we were at Ripley, negotiating about the exhibition pictures, the lady said "Cash is like gold here" I said "Ha Ha! Very witty!" and attracted strange looks. I should know by now that my sense of humour can be a little obscure. And further, on the matter of 'words', it occurred to me this morning that perhaps 'bedraggled' comes from having been 'raggled' in 'bed'. Those were the days. Getting into and out of bed is problem enough these days.

'Radiogandy' will be closed over the weekend for staff holidays. The occasion is our Mansfield Centre, National Trust, thrash to Weston super Mare and including a visit and tour of Headquarters at Heelis en route. And Snowshill Manor, Gloucestershire, on the return journey. However, the Radiogandy bike-sheds will be left unlocked should 'commenters' feel the need to exchange pleasantries.

It's the last Springwatch this evening on TV. They very briefly covered the 'Peregrines at Derby Cathedral' last night (see last Wednesday's blog).

As the weather is so awful I've decided to drive over to Burton Joyce to collect Y from her grannying duties and this evening I need to complete my packing.

Catch you on Monday most probably.

Looking forward to the coach trip and peeping into people's gardens.

Brinsley Gin and Erewash Meadows - Hot

Considering we had nothing planned it turned out a super day. Leisurely start, papers etc., little shopping, early lunch - chicken stir-fry 'cos we found some pak choy and for pudding the goosegogs from yesterday with greek yoghurt. A cosmopolitan meal and, apart from the yoghurt, carbon friendly.

After lunch we decided on an adventure and discovered a hitherto unexplored footpath, reached by a bridle-road which makes things easier for me. It was finger-posted to Brinsley Gin and examination revealed Erewash Meadows Nature Conservation Area. And we didn't know it was there!! Just a mile from our house and we were in deepest rural Nottinghamshire. It was really hot and the grasses were high and the seed-pollen count didn't worry Y. It was reminiscent of boyhood walks and it smelt gorgeous.

Picture 2 shows where we reached and there was a convenient stile, not for me to climb over but to sit on.

I managed to get some blurry photographs of some dragonflies with the customary shiny blue bodies but apparently each with 4 black wings. Pictures will follow.

The heat and the ominous clouds were telling us the truth and now at 7.45pm we are in the middle of a thunder-storm. But we had such fun. The Erewash at this point is particularly babbly and even Y, not a picnic fan, said how nice it would be to have a roll-out ground square and a picnic, so we could sit and listen to the brook.

OK to both Bungus and Jill - I accept that 'the geese flying across the rose' was a bad idea! And I shan't repeat it. You are quite right to point out that, just because something is possible isn't a necessary and sufficient reason for doing it. And Yes! Paraphenalia is a lovely word. And you shall have a separate caravan just for your knitting stuff. I feel sure that Bungus will invent a special word for such a facility.

And thanks for the 'expanding' nature of your comment Bungus. Kenneth would be delighted to have such austere support for his 'Sydney Opera House' position. But by the time I see him I shall have forgotten.

I may return, but at the moment I am off to watch Springwatch.

Probably catch you later. If not, sleep tight !

Nails Day - Hot and Humid

Picture 1 is a venture into another Picasa trick. Multiple-exposure. Obviously with practice one would become more expert. It's in the 'collage' set-up and this picture was made up of a white rose, a tree branch and swift against a grey sky, and a fly-past of geese. It looks pleasantly ethereal and I intend to make it my desktop image for a while so I can ponder.

Today was 'nails day' at Carlton. Hard to believe that 3 weeks has passed and unusually the weather was cloudy and humid. The sun didn't emerge fully until teatime although we had glimpses.

I loved the quote the other day which defined a barometer as :-

"An ingenious instrument which indicates what kind of weather we are having."

Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914),

We had lunch at our favourite Italian Restaurant and decided on Paninis. Different fillings but both were delicious. Completely different from Service area 'franchise' paninis. My customary trawl of the charity book shops resulted in not one solitary purchase !

Picture 2 is the emerging basil seedlings. Referring back, I set the seed on Friday and said they would germinate in 5 minutes. For them to be showing 2 leaves on the fifth day is proof that they are, as I said, speedy.

It is always my hope to set as few as 4 seeds because like Garrison Keillor I don't want the decisions over the spares. But more will come - I just know it.

No WoW photography outing tomorrow; everyone busy with other tasks. And I don't mind not going out because there is lots to do prior to our National Trust Weekend. If the weather is irresistable, Y and I might nip over to Wollaton Hall which is on our 'places to visit' list.

I told Y about Jill's comment that she feels she could live in a caravan. She said "Where would she put all her knitting wools and patterns?"

Sorted my blue badge application with photographs copy forms etc., it doesn't expire till 16th July but experience tells me they will need at least a month. Without it I would really suffer. Topped and tailed gooseberries; quicker because Y did more than me. They are rather like a cooked breakfast - preperation time much exceeds eating tim.

Till tomorrow then.

Arnold Library - 70F - Hair Cut

Made quite an early start and went to Arnold Library. It is a bit of a nuisance having the Eastwood Branch closed for refurbishment. I don't know what actually needs doing up; libraries can be fairly basic - walls with shelves that books are stacked on. But I suppose that's me being aged, because I remember when librarians used to 'shhh' people who dared more than a whisper. Still I won't have a closed mind and the 'mod' version may be great. We shall see.

That one can now borrow from any branch and return to any branch is a big improvement. Y dscovered this morning that you can have 24 items out at the same time. Well remember it being 4, then 4 novels and 2 non-fiction, etc., and so it has grown. I would still take to the streets to defend people's free access to written information. They could charge for novels without offending me and CDs and stuff but I remember in Sutton-in-Ashfield how proud people were of Sutton Free Library. What's all this to do with a picture of thorns on a rose-twig you ask. Nothing, I reply.

Picture 1 is itself a crop and while examining it to see of it was 'sharp', he he! I noticed the little fella who is the subject of Picture 2 apparently avoiding skewering himself while crawling round the twig. He must be 'white' as shown because I haven't messed about with the colour or anything. He also seems to be equipt with mandibles, which I don't think aphids are. I hereby enter it in the 'smallest bug' competition. As some wag once pointed out, could have been S. J. Perelman - however small the bug, it probably has smaller bugs infesting its armpits

Bungus seems to be our current bug-expert so perhaps he, or one of you could advise. Or perhaps it's a job for Sky and Helen.

David liked the 'computer fights back' smiley and asked for a copy. It came from the Smiley Xtra 4 'add-on' for Firefox that Madeline sorted for me. Unfortunately, it seems to be only available for Firefox, but I got over the problem by 'save as' (a GIF) and getting it a URL from Walagata, and then sending David the URL. He wants to use it at School with some students. A picture tells a thousand words and it makes an important point.

Pleased to hear that Jill also could live in a caravan, obviously better insulated than the one she experienced in a wet and miserable March. Personally I don't mind the effect of the 'rain on the roof'' it always sounds romantic. The David & Helen version actually has ducted central heating so the cold wouldn't be a problem. I suggested to Y that Jill could join Bungus and me and play at being woodcraft folk. Y immediately 'cut to the chase' and said "Do either of them realise how you snore?"

After Arnold it was home for a salad lunch and then this afternoon I had my hair cut prior to our Nat Trust to Weston Super Mare jaunt leaving on Friday. I want to look smartish for the weekend because Y says that, if I leave it, I look 'seedy'. The epigrammatic names for hairdressers are so cringe-making it is a relief to visit 'Ren and Matt' with a traditional red and white barber's pole outside. I suppose if I was a barber in Berlin I could call my shop 'Herr Kutz" - but I guess the joke would fall fairly flat in German.

Crossword finished except for a clue, the answer to which is going to be 'fishes' but neither of us can work out why. My charity book-shop yield was a 'Selected' Dylan Thomas always a favourite. I don't even need to look up the following to see if it's in, and if it isn't for 80p I don't care :-

"The force that through the green fuse drives the flower

drives my green age.

That blasts the roots of trees is my destroyer"

.............Dylan Thomas

Good news in the Telegraph that Delia is to make a comeback to TV with 'recipes that work, no 'f' words and no tantrums' - I can hardly wait.

See you all tomorrow. Have a good night.

Carsington Water - Warm but Overcast

We navigated our way to Carsington Water without getting lost, by a fairly direct route, and then we spotted the road up to the Caravan Club site. So David didn't have to turn out to find us.

The day was completely over cast, but our welcome was shining. The fir cones in Picture 1 say it all. This is the first time we have seen the new caravan and it's brilliant or 'wicked' as I'm sure Sky would tell us. Loads of space; bunk beds at one end, double at the other, a single in between. Fridge/freezer, telly, DVD player, loo, and a 4 hob cooker plus oven. I could live in it permanently without a problem. Especially situated as it is surrounded by trees with loads of room around each allocated spot, mains electric, shower-block and laundry facilities et al and one can buy milk and eggs and stuff from the warden's reception hut. They did seem a little grumpy in there though when we arrived - and David and Helen didn't seem surprised. One expects the wardens of caravan club sites to be a cheery lot, pleasant job that it is, but Ho Hum as Ray would say.

I've taken photographs of the caravan but this 'living illustration' (you can just see it top right of Picture 1) laid out just under the awning is ten times more successful at capturing the feel than my boring old pctures could possibly be.

My day had started pleasantly and there is no doubt that the neck (both inner and outer) is improving. I was awake for Garrison Keillor on BBC 7 at 6am though. It is almost worth setting the alarm for, if one doesn't use the bbc's 'listen again' facility which alone nearly justifies the licence fee to this radio-addict. This morning's show had been recorded around Easter-time and he mentioned the moral dilemmas one experiences when thinning out seedlings. Which shall live? I always salve my conscience by throwing the 'thinnings' onto the garden where, I reason they have a least a remote chance of survival. Probably a better 'bet' than winning the lottery! But it was reassuring to find at least one fellow sufferer. If you don't know about Lake Wobegone you ought. It is a fictional place he has been writing about for decades and where, as he says :-

Garrison Keillor, "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average".

When we left, David and family were going to pack everything up ready for the journey home, so we took our sandwiches and drinks down to the lake itself. Not much to see. Lots of swifts were darting about and I tried to get a snap, and also a majestic fly-past of canada geese. Eventually we found somewhere to park but, as always, there were many people in the blue-badge spots without blue-badges. What they don't realise is that it isn't so much for the space to be near something that's important, it's the space round the vehicle so you can open the door wide enough to get out. Y puts a curse on them by 'wishing that eventually they need a blue-badge'.

On our journey home the sun tried to come out and finally succeeded and now at 6.30pm we have a bright sunny evening. But the absence of sun earlier didn't diminish our day by one jot. This evening Y cooked and I sorted my pictures and started my blog. And then did a foolish thing, leaving it all switched on while we ate without checking the battery level. I had been on battery to save moving cables etc., and of course, it ran out. But 'god bless' google and 'blogger' because before the system closed down it 'autosaved a draft'. When I looked at the black screen my initial fear was that I'd lost all my work and would have to start again.

I'm going to stop there because I've lots to do. In the latest Web User magazine there is an interesting article about 'media convert' programmes where, amongst other things, one can manufacture icons. Well 'dabble-worthy' I think.

Hope I don't mess anything up. Sleep tight.

Hot Rest Day - Sea Bass - Sauce Vierge

A Rest Day - Carbon Footprint almost zero. Car stayed in garage. 76F and no wind. Wowee. June.

I decided to cook the sea bass, and Picture 1 is Anon 1's 'Sauce Vierge' being prepared. Had to use 'white instead of red wine vinegar' and 'chopped shallots instead of spring onions' but other than that it is kosher. Being a Delia graduate I have no problem in using whatever I've got. The well worn kitchen knife on the chopping board is ancient and non stainless steel i.e. it goes black and rusty but a few swizzles up and down the 'steel' and it is sharper than anything else I've got (except for Y that is). I can perfectly well understand that chefs take their own knives with them if cooking away from their own kitchen. The elegant sheet of paper is torn from my mouse-mat (see previous issue) and, the basil-cutting in the stem vase will root; trust me. Coriander we have in the garden. Y is good wth coriander and it always self-sets and there's plenty at the moment.

Regarding the actual meal. I can only give myself 5/10. Sea-bass fillets weren't available so I cooked the fish whole, confident that I would be able to separate top from bottom and remove the bone. My confidence was misplaced and I made a right balls-up. Bits of fish all over the baking sheet. My gnocchi was/were overcooked and gooey. The 'sauce vierge' however was 10/10 as were the mixed veg. Y, loyal soldier that she is, pronounced the flavour excellent and that the only thing wrong was I'd cooked too much gnocchi. I didn't allow for the swell-factor.

Picture 2 is some sort of bee. I don't think it is a honey-bee but who knows. It looks as if I've pulled its wings off but they were moving too quick even for the magic Nikon. I liked the critter's shadow on the cistus petal though.

Aren't 'cistus' lovely at the moment with their crumpled paper look. The effect isn't really apparent in this picture because the bee is sharp and not the flower.

Isn't this 'no smoking legislation' becoming incredible. I had read the other day that, if you have a 'study' at home to write in you are allowed to smoke therein. But, if you sell an article, it becomes a work-place and smoking is illegal. According to Sandra's paper it gets even more ridiculous. You may smoke in bed, unless you happen to be a prostitute !!

My throat continues to sound ( and feel ) as if someone has stuffed an old fashioned football rattle down it. I've tried several different bottles of jollop and they all say "non-drowsy" - I suspect that the drowse-inducing ingredient was the bit that did you good. Bring back Zubes and Codeine Linctus; at least you knew they had morphine in them.

Y is reading Richard Dawkins' 'The God Delusion' and says that, so far, she finds herself wholly in agreement.

Tomorrow we are going over to Carsington Water to see David and family and it is to be hoped that the weather is like this again.

It will be lovely to see them even if it pours. Sleep tight.

68F - No Wind - More or less a Rest Day

How could I resist such a delicately phrased suggestion that a Bungus 'collage' might grace the radiogandy pages? Especially of 'macropedes' and 'macrosnails' heading in different directions.

For the benefit of our general readership, Bungus has discovered a button on his camera marked 'macro' and apparently can't stop.

Joking apart, it is an excellent collage, and nowhere near as simple as it looks because Picasa can be quite wilful in the matter of its cropping decisions.

We are also looking forward Jill, to your 'New Forest' coverage and don't be over critical of your own work. I remember the St Petersburg shots and the bleeding something Cathedral and they were good. In this journal we veer towards 'record-shots' rather than 'high-art' and we are interested as to where you've been and what you have been up to. Thanks for the Peregrine info about Chichester Cathedral. Isn 't it strange that they favour cathedrals. An RSPB chap at Derby implied that such a building is a simulacram for a cliff. Don't believe a word of it myself. I think that Peregrines are religious - simple as that.

Picture 2 is a hang-over from our Brewhouse Yard visit and although bricked, this was in fact a tidied up cave.

They had on the wall these Word War 2 posters and we remembered them all except that Y couldn't recall the 'squander-bug'. (bottom-right with blue background). 'Is your journey really necessary?' and 'Dig for Victory' but we didn't find 'Careless talk costs lives.'

The display is mainly what they have been given and with those constraints it was excellent.

We had a lady come to view the house this morning and she actually seemed quite promising. She was quite young but needs to have her mum move in with her (due to failing health) and at the moment she only has two bedrooms. So she was quite taken with my room with its en suite loo and washbasin and the ample room at the back to extend. She asked all the right sort of important questions and was here ages. But her house isn't even on the market yet so we aren't getting too excited.

Y went to the hairdresser and learned the dreadful news that the girl who does here hair (37yrs) had fallen down the stairs at home and was dead. It has really unsettled Y.

We bought some sea-bass in Morrisons and plan to cook it over the weekend with gnocchi, mixed veg etc., and I shall have a go at Anon 1's 'sauce vierge' recipe. And I had to buy basil. Unheard of. So as soon as I got home I set some of our favourite 'minette' seed. It will germinate in 5 minutes and be potted-on in 10. A slight exageration perhaps but it is speedy, and once you've got it, rooting cuttings in a stem-vase of water, is a doddle. That's about it for today folks. We are going to Carsington Water to see David and family but arrangements need to be finalised. I had a nice chat with Steve yesterday afternoon via 'google chat' and I had forgotten how handy it is. TJ rang because she had heard I was suffering neck/back/throat etc,. but I was able to reassure her that, no matter, I am in good spirits.

Bit of a cold. Catch you tomorrow. Sleep tight.

Only 51F and Dull all day.

Picture 1 was taken yesterday when it was a little brighter. Today has been uniformly dull and quite chilly for June. All day it as looked as if it is about to start raining, but it hasn't, yet.

The bee in flight was captured by my Nikon being cunning. If you set it on 'sports' - in some magical way it detects movement and focuses on the moving object . So in fact clever camera, not me.

Just in passing, for the benefit of new readers, a left-click on a picture produces an enlargement. And, if you are moved to add a comment, scroll right down to the bottom of the page where it says 'comments' in orange. Click there and a 'comments' box will open for you to add whatever you want to. Anyone else who reads the blog will have access to your 'comments' so please stay the right side of the libel laws. Other than that we have fairly thick skins and anything goes.

Picture 2 is a collage of various versions of the 'Hannah' rose because I was having trouble getting the reds to be accurate. Centre of the top row is almost spot on.

David and family have returned from their caravan holiday and have had mixed weather. Some super sun , some dismal. But they seem to have had fun. Likewise Steve and family from Disneyworld and Paris.

Y had a nice Burton Joyce grannying day and Millicent actually said 'granny' and was able to say that Daddy was at work and Mummy was shopping and Hannah was at School. Also I received a lovely handmade card from Elli through the post and although Debra had written the address Elli had written "Grandad Graham" very clearly on the front. I rang her to say thankyou and we exchanged a few words.

Steve called me this afternoon on googletalk and we exchanged pleasantries.

David and family are taking their caravan to Carsington for the weeked and we are invited over which will be fun. Details to be arranged. Also, my 'bowls' are doing well on ebay and there 5 days remaining of the auction.

Thats about it really. Done lots of odd jobs today bt I seem to have developed a cold and bad throat. Andy tells me there are lots of them about and Debra is suffering. See you tomorrow.

WoW at Derby Cathedral - Peregrines

Pictures 1 and 2 will be dealt with in due course.

We had a great WoW day and although it was Wednesday little Walking was involved.

The first job was to go to Ripley Town Hall to talk about the pictures from our 'Hidden Ripley' exhibition which they had been so pleased with and want to use in tourist-guides and the like. Reg, Mike and I attended but not being a committee member I didn't have a real role. As chairman, Reg dealt with it extremely well and reached an agreement which reflects great kudos on Eastwood Photographic Society. There is a time for 'keeping one's mouth shut' and I did my best.

Then we decided to visit Derby Cathedral where an Exhibition of black & white pictures by Dave Butcher is hanging. He is a fine-art photographer and printer of fully justified renown as will immediately be apparent if you click here. In the flesh of course, they look even better.

While we were there we discovered that Derby Cathedral has Peregrine Falcons and several birdwatchers and people from the Peregrine Project were on hand to help. One was allowed a peep down a spotting scope. Picture 1 is Mike and Reg at their table while I took a photo. Another click here will take you to the project's blog and the webcam looking at the chicks.

I've put some text on the photo to help you understand Picture 2. (sorry I've misspelt peregrine, but to go back and change it now would be a faff).

I apologise for the lack of sharpness but my 300mm Tamron isn't that sharp anyway and I was hand-holding. The graininess is because, for the picture to tell the story, I had to crop in very close. I'd tried Reg's 300mm Sigma from the table-side of the building and although it was sharper the bird was looking in the wrong direction and just sitting there. We had been told that the male had gone off hunting an hour ago and should be back. He arrived on cue with a pigeon for lunch for his lady and her chicks. Their diet is almost 100% birds they catch on the wing. A lady twitcher took great delight in telling me that they don't bother to kill their prey before plucking it and tearing it apart. Ah well! Red in tooth and claw and all that. What really appealed to me is that these birds were utterly free. Not semi-tame ones in some sort of zoo. These could leave whenever they wanted to ! Which is as things should be.

After all that excitement the search for a suitable chip-butty pub began and we eventually found one, and a good one at that, at Morley Smithey. After that, home. I picked Y up from the tram around 4.30pm and she too had had a great time and visited lots of interesting alleyways and things. The walk lasted bnearly 2 hours and was interesting throughout. They walked up Standard Hill and down an alleyway and saw a tiny oval bit which was the actual spot where Charles 1st raised his Standard. She didn't take any photos, but not everyone is as obsessive as me.

I think that is quite enough waffle and, after an hour or two's messing about, I'm going to have an early night. Y is grannying at Burton Joyce and I've got lots of computer and photograph jobs to catch up.

See you tomorrow all being well.

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"

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

Catch you tomorrow

Brewhouse Yard Museum - Sunny periods

Our trip to Brewhouse Yard Museum was a resounding success. I had a google this morning and rang, and was allowed to drive up the drive and park in a blue-badge space in their admin Car Park.

A very good museum with very good exhibits and there were rooms from Victorian times onwards together with period shops, the contents of which were fascinating because we could remember so much. Sugar in blue-paper wraps, butter pats (made of sycamore we learnt because the wood doesn't transmit a smell or tsaste to the butter) Carter's little liver-pills, Zebo, Borax.................I could go on for another page at least. Y was thrilled to see a coach-built pram like she used to have and a TV like the ones we clustered round to watch the Coronation. We didn't have a TV at home at that time and some of us lads were invited up to 'Spag' Harris's house to watch his. 'Spag' taught us geography at the Grammar School and I simply can't remember the circumstances of his nickname. And the museum has it's own caves and this time they were on the same level so I was OK.

Just next door is The Trip to Jerusalem and we both realised it was about 20 years since we had been in.

It doesn't alter much. Well I don't suppose it could do so easily. If they were overcrowded they could perhaps excavate a couple more rooms into Castle Rock. We decided to have lunch there and I'd forgotten what fun it was to eat your meal in a cave. Sand dropping from the roof into your beer used to be a problem, but it didn't happen and I guess the rock surface has been sprayed to prevent it. Yet another tradition lost.

Currently it s a Hardy Hansons pub so I guess the food was their normal franchise catering. Very pleasant though and we had had a great day. Another item can be ticked off our list of things to visit locally. It is a mistake not to enjoy doing things of interest because they are on you doorstep.

Re Comments. This afternoon we watched the Dimbleby programme and both thought it superb after a perhaps rather silly start with the computer-generated buildings to spell Britian. But the hour whizzed by and we are looking forward to the 16th Century. Now to Brian Sewell. He is irritating and as Jill says, 'mesmerising' at the same time. The rather difficult bit is that he really knows his Art, and what he says is worth listening to if you can cope with how he says it. And Bungus is quite right that we don't need to know about Dali's distasteful deviances at least not in the broadcast media. If someone needed to know for serious research a scholarly biography would be the place.

Smoked Salmon on toast Jill. The salmon is cold and either served on a bed of scrambled egg on toast, or traditionally, by itself on 'cobblers'. Cobblers is made by toasting a slice of brown toast and then, carefully with a sharp knife, cutting the slice open horizontally. You finish up with a toasted bottom and an untoasted top which you butter liberally and then cover with thin slices of smoked salmon. Delicious. Just don't ask me why it's called 'cobblers'.

.Is it that time already? I'm off to watch Springwatch. Sleep tight.

Rest Day - Lie in and read - Afto Walk

There was beautiful light around 4.30am and this old shrub rose peeping out at me, appealed. After some mugs of tea and some toast I went back to bed and, half listening to the radio, dozed off again.

Then we had a leisurely morning and caught up on the papers. Really felt warm at 73F and no wind and we decided to resume our afternoon walk habit after lunch. Y went in the garden and I cooked bacon 'n egg, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and some thinly sliced potato baked in the oven. I use a Jamie Oliver method of slicing them around pound coin thickness, seasoning and laying them flat on a baking tray then baking at around 190C till they go crisp and look interesting. No oil is used because the baking tray I use is so well 'cured' by now that nothing sticks to it. If, post meal, we have kitchen helpers, we try to prevent them from immersing it in water and giving the detergent and scour-pad treatment. And now an admission to make - for pudding Y did Butterscotch Angel Delight ! Talk about second childhood !

One of my cookery books I treasure is Marcel Boulestin's 101 ways with potatoes published in 1932. It's hard to believe 101 potato recipes but each one I've tried has been good. He does the traditional 'Potatoes Anna' etc., but adds interesting dishes like 'Potatoes Ménagere' which I always wonder if it's about food eaten in ménage a trois or in a menagerie. He doesn't mess around specifying varieties and simply recommends potatoes of the 'waxy kind', or the 'floury kind', or even the 'yellow soapy kind'. One tip he feels strongly about is that the resourceful cook should always have some cold, boiled, potatoes in the fridge. So much you can do with them ! and quickly !

After lunch we decided on an afternoon walk and investigated a footpath from Hall Lane which, allegedly, leads to the Erewash. Didn't get very far before a fingerpost was down and it wasn't possible to work it out. We spoke to a resident later who said we had gone down the wrong side of a particular hedge. But we were out in the country and enjoyed the fresh air and the bird song.


This horse, as you can see, was happily in a field of buttercups and took absolutely no notice of us at all.

When we returned to the car we had a tour round the the area looking for a photogenic field of poppies but, a bit like evening primroses in gardens, they seem to move around the countryside at will. Last year there was a field on the side road leading to Bulwell with 253,642 poppies in it. This year, zero.

But poppies will be found. I like to keep the station topical !

I think I'm having smoked salmon on toast for tea and Y fancies cheese & biscuits. We try on Sundays not to be slaves to convention.

Tomorrow Y needs a Library and Eastwood is closed for 3 months. So it will be either Angel Row and Bromley House and pull in a long promised trip to the Brewhouse Yard Museum or Mansfield. Play it by ear tomorrow seems best. I'm so pleased the weather has held for our young people on holiday, in fact for everyone who wanted a little sun.

It's coffee, radio and book time. Y is going to watch Jericho and record the Gavin Stamp Architecture programme. It's been a good series. But at 9pm I've flagged, so record is better.
Catch you tomorrow.

Y returns - Another lovely day - over 70F

Picture 1 is from the NASA website courtesy of my igoogle homepage and doubtless is a nebula somewhere; from Hubble I guess unless there are earthbound telescopes more powerful than we have been told.

It seemed awesomely beautiful and I was just quick enough to right-click and 'save as' but not quick enough to read the title.

I have 3 image-based sites on my homepage and sometimes the pictures change in fairly quick succession and I miss out on information.

Picture 2 is much easier, being a snap of one of our overfed but contented Goldfinches. It probably looks suspiciously as if I've wired the poor bird to its feeding perch. But the circle of green covered wire is there to hold the feeder to the branch and stop it swaying around too alarmingly due to over-exuberant starlings.

I did the shopping this morning so we needn't rush out tomorrow. Often by the time we get to Morrisons they have sold out of Pain de Campagne so I telephoned quite early and asked the bakery department if they would save me one and slice it as they usually do and I would collect in about an hour. "Certainly" said the young lady "I know who it is, I recognise your voice". I was once told that my voice was my best feature. So at least one thing is still working OK.

It was good to see Y when I picked her up at the tram terminal. She was, as you would expect, tired but happy-tired because her 'grannying' is such a help to Debra. The trouble is that, now she's turned 70 the journey is tedious, involving as it does so many different stages. Palmers Green>Kings Cross>Nottingham>Tram to Phoenix Park>Car Journey. But she so much enjoys being able to 'make a valuable contribution'. And while she feels she can do it, I entirely agree that she should.

Thanks Anon 1 for your kind remarks about the garden. Again, it is Y who does 90% of it. She dreams of having a small low-maintenance garden where she can go out of a summer's evening in a loose long frock and wide-brimmed straw hat, holding a wooden trug and equipped with secateurs so she can dead-head the roses. One day darling, I promise !

I can't resist sharing this :-

"You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus."
- Mark Twain

And it isn't only about photographers is it?

...... I shall be glad when we get our own little vroom-vroom back. The Polo is OK, but no sunroof. And in this weather................ sleep tight.

Glorious June Day - Veritably Flaming

Having ended yesterday with 'evening light' through a rear window I felt I should begin today with 'morning light' through a front window.

It has been a beautiful day; no wonder poets have written ad infinitum about June. As promised I kept my 'carbon footprint' to a minimum. Can't claim zero because I have used a little electricity for radio, computer, and toast only, but no car usage.

And I suppose my camera used a millimillimillimilliamp which eventually will need to be recharged.

Picture 2, as you can see is , Love in the Mist or Nigella damascena and I can't quite make up my mind about it. It seems superficially to be the prettiest, daintiest little thing but when you look at it closely it becomes rather weird and spooky, as if something is crawling out of the centre to get you.

I suppose many flowers are abit like that though and my experience tells me that pretty, dainty little things can lead to disaster.

Many things have been ticked off my TBD list today. I've started researching London Trips for our National Trust group in 2008. Fastened back the big shrub-rose which was completely preventing the birds access to the bird bath. Sorted out loads of pictures and transferred them to my external hard-drive. Been on my forums a little. Finished the Telegraph Crossword, bar one clue, 15 across:- Supervise fool when entering wild area (7) So far I have *O**T*R.

Received my blood-book back and the level has stabilised to the extent I don't need another test until a week on Tuesday which I have enetered in diaries, on my phone etc.. I've also downloaded quite a few BBC programmes and transferred them to my MP3 player ready for our Weston super Mare trip which isn't far away. Not being a music buff I like to have plenty of 'talk' programmes stored just in case.

I may return to the blog later, but at the moment, due to neck-ache I need a lie down.

Have a good night everyone.