Picture 1 is Sky and Brooke's Anniversary Cake which they so kindly hand-made for us. And very delicious it is too. Moist, lovely soft icing and gooey filling - just my sort of cake in fact.The flower in the centre is to demonstrate Jill's collapsible flower-vase. Surprisingly easy to use once you've figured out how to open it. "Squeeze the base" said Jill. Eventually I managed it, and, as she says the water then holds it open. And it doesn't leak. Cunning device!
This morning we had a NT meeting at Mansfield about funding a School-visit to Hardwick Hall, The Workhouse at Southwell, or Clumber Park. Part of the fund-raising activities of our Centre is allocated for projects of which our local properties have a wish list. A useful meeting and some good ideas emerged. Much necessary correspondence for Y, our new Secretary. I was so glad she was there this morning. She carried me. Due to Magwitch I was a shadow of my true self. The community physiotherapist is coming in the morning to assess what I actually need in terms of walking aids etc., - in a way, I suppose it's best that I am currently going through a bad patch. It would be counter productive for her to see me at my best.
Picture 2 is of fungi, near a path in the front garden where the birds break open snail shells on the concrete. What interests me is the similarity of design and colour of the fungi and the snail shells.I know that some 'animals' particularly the chameleon can mimic their surroundings for camouflage purposes.
But I have never before encountered plants doing it !
Any ideas folks ?
Comments....Bungus.... I am looking forward eagerly to celebrating your and Sandra's 25th Anniversary when you are 90 ! A goal to aim for ! I did actually know about the greenhouse at Chatsworth/ Crystal Palace link but I am not as keen as you. It always looks crammed in as an afterthought. Space round it would make it more impressive.
I think we have gone as far as we need to with spic and span.
AnonymousRob..... As per previous, but thanks for the last word on spick and span. That 'phrases.org' looks a useful site. Yet more for my groaning bookmarks toolbar !
'Tadge' is interesting. Where I grew up it was 'tad' i.e "You are looking a tad peeky this morning'.
It was nice of AnonymousReg to ring to let me know that it was a hard-disc problem that caused his PC to crash and not the blog. He had had the experience of his computer freezing, going haywire, and finally crashing immediately after trying to access the blog. It seemed like a cause and effect job. He tried a 'system restore' etc., to no avail. Eventually a hard-disc problem was diagnosed. Nice man that he is, he rang me at once to let me know. So the blog was promptly released on bail.
Off to catch the midnight radio 4 news. Catch you tomorrow.
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I have put a curse on Magwitch....I do hope Someting Can Be Done to alleviate all this pain. And that the physio is helpful. I have been trying to get physio for my arm, which still can't straighten or bend fully - Sir said I didn't need one, and gave me exercises which I do, and GP says there is a four-month waiting lit. I have been recommended to a private one, if there is no improvement when I come back from this cruise in two weeks time I shall be there....
ReplyDeleteI have the larger size flower 'vase' which I think is more stable than the little one. Certainly very useful if you are taking flowers to someone in hospital etc. (are you still allowed to do this?)
We have a greenhouse in Chiswick House Grounds designed by Joseph Paxton - it is used solely for the growing of Camellias, and is open to the public for a couple of weeks a year, and they sell plants there too. Both my camellias came from there, and most gardens in Chiswick have at least one....
Off tonight to see grand-daughter play the heroine's friend in school production of 'Calamity Jane' - just as well because my tv has suddenly stopped working - I watch via Freeview, was happily watching 'New Tricks' last night and a click and a blank screen with no sound. Sky (which runs through the same tv) is fine though, so it isn't the tv, it must be the freeview box thing. Actually it isn't a box but a lump of ?metal which goes into back of tv. All the connections seem to be OK. I've had it three years, I wonder if it has just expired?
I am not convinced of the need for folding vases; cups, yes.
ReplyDeleteI hope the physio can do you some good. I certainly don’t like the thought of Yvonne carrying you!
But you are right about it being best for the physio to see you at your worst. How many times have you taken your car in for a fault that is no longer demonstrable but which returns as soon as you get home?
Based on your recent afflictions, the current Lidl catalogue seems designed specifically for you. They are offering:
A magnifying glass with light.
2’4” walking sticks (right or left handed).
Leg Pillow.
Neck Support Pillow.
Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor.
Wrist ditto.
Pill Dispenser (could it be a 5’4” Marilyn Monroe lookalike aged 35?).
Also, in case your prostate suddenly packs in,
Mattress Protector
Or Waterproof Protection Sheet
I do not recognise the fungus although it appears to be a variety of puffball. I shall look it up. I cannot think why it would want to look like a snail unless it wishes to be eaten by a thrush and thus propagated.
You are right about the Chatsworth greenhouse looking crammed in. That is largely due, I believe, to newer build such as the modern greenhouse.
You may think we have gone as far as we need to with spic and span. I couldn’t possibly comment.
AnonymousRob..... Not quite the last word! Span also means the width of an arch or bridge which seems as irrelevamt as most of the other meanings!
Jill:
I have just discovered how to watch TV (itv anyway) on my monitor. Not live but to catch up on programmes missed. That is useful because my video recorder is not currently usable. Go to ‘itv.com/nameofprogramme’ (I suspect ‘bbc.com/etc’ would be similar).
I have decide to title the 16/20 cat/dove picture ‘Springtime?’
Forgot to mention that I lost the usual tenner on the Grand National (although I did win a few bob last year). In spite of four of my five ew selections being in the 15 finishers, none were in the first four.
County have a difficult task tonight. It looks likely that either they or Stags will go out. My heart hopes it won’t be the Stags but it would be tragic to see the oldest (only extant founder member) league club disappear.
The 6lb chicken (actually some 5lb12 oz dressed weight) was 7½ weeks old (and very fat).
I always thought it was animals and birds that imitated plants to fool predators/camouflage themselves not the other way round. However, I'm no natural history expert so I could be entirely wrong. I was told many years ago that butterflies have a marking on their wings that, from a distance and to a bird, looks like an eye. This is to fool the bird into pecking at the wing, which isn't fatal, instead of the eye, which would be fatal. On that basis maybe the snail is trying to look like a fungus.
ReplyDeleteA mushroom goes into a pub and buys a drink for all the customers - he was a fun guy to be with.
"Tad" is in Word's Thesaurus whereas "tadge" isn't. Maybe tadge is a Lincs derivation of tad, or maybe I just got it wrong.
I'm pleased the blog has been released but why only on bail? Is it still under suspicion, is there any evidence against it or is the just the old police trick of guilty until proved innocent? Free the blog one!
I hope, RG, that you are able to cope with Magwitch (geddit?) and appear at EPS on Thursday. Elaine and I will be there with our 'theme out of the hat' pictures. Anyway, good luck with the physio.
Jill, sounds like the freeview has gone wrong. May be a case of built-in obsolecence. We have a freeview box which cost just under £20 from Tesco. Elaine's eldest son told us recently that you need to re-install or re-tune them every so often to maintain an up-to-date list of channels that are available. Apparently it doesn't happen automatically which is what I would have expected.
Bungus, tense days down at the bottom. They say it is tough at the top but the pressure on "Dutch" must be tremendous and for "Charlie" at Notts with all that history. As Tony B-liar might have said "The hand of history is upon us."
Rob