Bullfinch - Vodafone Gadget - Fair

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I feel I must open today with a snap from Bungus showing the rose growing in his Bramley apple tree down the garden. Quite amazing ! The apple tree in question is, as you can see, a fully mature specimen and high and wide. At a distance the rose looks like Rosa Rugosa of some ilk but I've never seen one take over like that. Hope the apples will be OK because I've been promised some.

Yesterday I promised you more about the arrival of the Fair for tomorrow's Carnival and the picture on the left shows some that has already arrived.

More are arriving but I guess with the brilliant weather, if the showmen are doing well wherever they now are, there's no point in coming till the last minute.

The Annual Brinsley Carnival is a big village event and until a few years ago we were on the carnival committee and Y used to organise the morning car-boot sale. Karen our cleaning lady is on a float of Egyptian Deity, we think as Anubis the jackal - we shall just have to sit on the front wall to see the floats go by and cheer. Well, we cheer them all anyway - but extra special for Karen.


My other morning activity was installing my Vodafone gadget to give me mobile broadband. A straightforward insert Sim card, plug in, let the system find the drivers, click 'connect' and away. As you can see from the picture, it is only a small thing which connects to a USB port and provides broadband anywhere in the country where a vodafone signal is receivable. And at £15 per month instead of the £25 we have been paying Virgin.

Mark my words. Mobile Broadband will really take off and become the way to access the internet. And I hope none of you has shares in Wi-Fi hotspot companies like Cloud.

And my thanks are due to anonymousrob for marking the path.

I call it my 'Vodafone Gadget' because Y doesn't like the word 'dongle' !!

OK, it is slightly slower than my cable driven wi-fi router, but only slightly so. So I had great pleasure this afternoon telling Virgin I didn't require their version anymore. And while I was in mid grumble the helpful Virgin lady reduced our TV and Phone package from £50 to £35 per month (with talk unlimited thrown in). A worthwhile hour's work.

Picture 4 is an amalgam of 2 snaps of the same 'starling-proof' bird feeder. And the picture on the left of the two is a grabbed shot with a short lens, published solely for identification purposes. No time for lens changes or tripods.

My guess had been that the first customer would be the Robin but no, an exotic looking chap who my Collins reference book persuades me is a male Bullfinch. Wow. What a thrill - I haven't seen one for years. When he had gone I nipped outside and took the other picture to show you what the feeder actually looks like.

I think that is enough excitement for one day !

Comments.....Bungus ..... So pleased to hear of your adventure to Radcliffe on Trent to see your old pal, and that it worked out so well.

I know from old that you don't get bored, and neither do I. Probably 'fed-up' with the nuisance of it would have been a better phrase. Particularly the dentistry problem.

You are quite right as to children's acceptance of death as a normal event. All ours have been the same. However, when Mr. Johnson (the cat) was run over at Mansfield he was buried with due ceremony in the garden.

Just harking back to a previous comment of yours and the future possible demise of Sandra's Workshop due to the lack of new blood willing to take over. It always seems the same these days, no matter how much people enjoy and use such a wonderful service, they just expect it to be done for them. They won't get off their butts and actually make a contribution of work to keep the venture going. Sad 'innit?

Thanks for the Chic Murray quote. No doubt from the same source, I liked this one:-

"I met this cowboy with a brown paper hat, paper waistcoat and paper trousers. He was wanted for rustling"

Re Jill's previous comment about cryptic crosswords and problems with the new compilers. Steadily we are becoming accustomed to their fresh aproach and, as you can see on the right, only one clue defeated us today. 20.down. Brilliant Bill leaves laughing (5)..... R-A-T. I suppose it's going to be 'react' but I'm way short of proving it. Ideas will be welcomed.

And I do apologise for the state of the paper. A mixture of ink-smudge, butter, and tea I think.

I would have a strong guess that anonymousrob and elaine are caravanning at Tansley. And we all hope Maureeen's arm isn't too painful.

n.b. Brian. You were going to send me some pictures.

Fish tank time I think................................

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