Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Still stormy - quiet day - Joanna Lumley

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Weather still fairly awful and we stayed at home. Y fetched bread and milk and a bar of chocolate from the little shop - what more do you need ?

Y had intended to meet Joan for lunch and visit The Castle Art Gallery for the Dame Laura Knight Exhibition but the weather was so threatening they called it off. The Exhibition is called Laura Knight at the Theatre and Helen has seen it and sounded very enthusiastic when I spoke to her on the 'phone.

This afternoon Reg and Maureen called to deliver a couple of pieces of 'the cake' and Reg also brought us some photographs of the wedding on a memory stick. Picture 1 was from some excellent pictures of excellent model aircraft at his Club (on the end of the same stick). To me, when photographed like this against the sky, they are indistinguishable from the real thing. His wedding pictures were of the evening 'do' and of people of indeterminate age, dancing. The 'aircraft' were a prettier sight.

Due to the weather and my current lack of mobility I have very few recent shots to share with you. So I decided on a couple from The Isle of Wight.

Deck Chairs with light shining through the fabric, looked good and this picture makes me think of two dour but sturdy men sitting on the left with their two elegant and attractive ladies sitting on the right.

Fortunately, apart from the model aircraft, I am not without guest pictures today. Jill sent me two shots of this plant. She wonders if is a sort of laveteria? In my opinion it is, but the Horticultural Desk may know better. Please click for google-images page 1.

If it is Laveteria, and I'm by now almost sure it is, you will need to keep it trimmed Jill. They quickly become rampant but are not a long term worry because after perhaps 7 years they collapse and die.

It looks lovely and healthy at the moment I think. Is it a little gift from heaven or did you plant it?

This evening, over a late tea, we watched Joanna Lumley's programme about her search for the Northern Lights. If anyone who missed it would like to see it, her name is a live link to the BBC iPlayer recording of the programme.

From a mere man's point of view she is absolutely fabulous. No make-up, frozen eye-lashes, and wrinkles and she looks terrific !

Comments

helen c ...... The Rob and Elaine snap is very good indeed and, if you read Incy Wincy you will see where the real credit lies for setting the scene.

Y is quite excited about her laptop. Not actually up-and-running yet but books are being read !...... Knowing my wife as I do, it won't be long before she is proficient +plus !

Sorry you can't WoW tomorrow but you are very valuable to them at Cromford and I know you enjoy your tour responsibilities. I hope that link best describes about Arkwright for readers.

incy wincy ...... when one looks at yesterday's Rob & Elaine picture one can see the skill and the eye which went into the structure of the setting. Congratulations. Looking forward to seeing the real McCoy.

Thanks for your good wishes re the legs etc., People shouldn't worry too much about me. I remain in good spirits, with objectives to reach and fun things to do.

My Gran used to say "A bit of pain is good for you. It lets you know you are still alive"..... So I have adopted her philosophy.

bungus ...... It seems I shall have little choice in the matter of not interfering with Y's laptop. She is reading a text book about Windows Vista and wants a 'new' password for her e-mail.....I don't think she realises - yet! that the whole laptop could be password protected. Bless her - I shall assist only, when called upon.

Thanks for your note to Jill about 'judging books by their cover'. Y had a similar experience on the London train last year. Her intended carriage was full of boisterous football hooligans. She slipped and fell on entering the coach whereupon two very solicitous lads helped her to her feet, picked up her luggage and guided her to a seat. They then resumed their role as football hooligans.

Jill .... I know full well that you are not a 'person who pre-judges people and I fully accept the acne & earrings as stage-setting description. Anyway I feel that, at our age, we have the knowledge and experience of the world, to reach such decisions, even if they may be critical.

Rob will be delighted to be described as 'debonair'. He is an extremely nice chap although, like Jenny, he doesn't suffer fools ..... He always gravitates to jobs where his caring skills can be used and has a real concern for people's welfare. It sounds rather as if I'm writing him a 'reference' doesn't it? Whereas he is looking forward eagerly to being able to retire !

The happy couple set off on their honeymoon tomorrow but Rob tells me he is taking his dongle, so we might hear from them, or even receive a couple of snaps.

Glad you enjoyed the Jack Benny quote. I remember him in a film where he played the part of God. Excellent role for him but I'm damned if I can remember the title.

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Hoping to WoW tomorrow. I have a Doctor's appointment for 9.25am but after that we can be off. ..... There is an Exhibition at The Brewhouse Yard Museum which we would all like to see...... I don't know what The Trip to Jerusalem next door is like for chip-cobs though !

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Quotation time :.............. Alan Coren is sadly missed by Radio 4 listeners, and in other journalistic places too ............

"Democracy consists of choosing your dictators, after they've told you what they think it is you would like to hear"


Can't fault you Alan 'owd lad !



Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow
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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tue Diary:
Had to turn round this morning on the new MARR (Mansfield Ashfield Regeneration Route, otherwise Rainwortrh Bypass)between Nottingham Road and the A38because of what looked like at least a mile long queue which did not seem to be caused by road works or temporary traffic lights. So I was perhaps 10 minutes late arriving at King’s Mill. I didn’t let that stop me doing the right thing and taking some snaps before signing in.
For once I actually saw the surgeon who cut me.
“Is it really a year since I operated on you?” were his first words.
He is really a very nice man – should be in the AA. He is to arrange for me to have a scan and then another consultation but he poked me about the belly a bit and everything seemed to be OK apart from a hernia on my scar which, as I have been totally unaware of it, he felt was best ignored. He did also mention that very little remains of my colon, not even a semi-colon, apparently.
I look forward eagerly to the time when my treatment is finished and (I quote from Corrie) I can once more ‘go out and paint the town magnolia’.
From King’s Mill to Lidl to buy gutter mesh (nothing to do with either ‘gutter the futter…’ or ‘sausage & mesh’) and the Bargain Shop to buy a variety of individual sponge puds (also on their shelves were Vesta Curries, Meltis New Berry Fruits and Payne’s Poppets – it was like a trip back in time).
On the way home we stopped at a pub, the Bold Forester, on Sutton Road that didn’t use to exist and I cannot think what the building was previously used for (on the corner of the side road across from Remploy-that-was). When I was in hospital, Sandra and Alan had called in there for a bite to eat on a couple of occasions, between afternoon and evening visiting, and said how pleasant and reasonable it was (it has a covered smoking area with heating -and TV!). I had never been before.
We each had a cup of decent coffee at a reasonable price in pleasant surroundings and, it being nearly 2.00 pm and each of us only having had a (real) muffin for breakfast, then decided to have lunch.
A very acceptable looking menu included a choice of several dishes at 2 for £8. Sandra had a good portion of fish, which she said was excellent, and chips and I had sausages (3) and mash which was more than adequate. Another coffee and a half of IPA and home for 3.00.
I thought that
(a) if you (and Yvonne) should be looking for a competitively priced meal in Mansfield you might be interested, and
(b) when we resume meeting in Mansfield it would be an acceptable alternative to Wetherspoon’s (better ambience but dearer coffee [c £1.25] and beer [c £2.50]).
I will send more details by email.

Most joyous story on Monday was of the 3 year old girl who disappeared down the lidless manhole of a storm drain while alliteratively paddling in a puddle on a playing field. Thankfully, her father had the presence of mind to run 70 metres to the river, arriving just in time to go in shoulder deep and pick her up, not breathing, from the outfall. She started breathing again as he struggled with her over his shoulder to the bank and she looked right as rain (!) on the Telly in the evening.

Big cats are topical again in Yorkshire. The film may be deceptive, sizewise. No-one has thought to give them 50p pieces.

I rather liked a Country & Western ditty heard on TV a few nights ago (possibly in the excellent film biopic of the late 1930’s World Heavyweight Champion James J Braddock’s life ‘The Cinderella Man, viz:
“Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life.”

Blog comment:
The weather we encountered today (Tue) was worse than anything we saw on Sunday or Monday although not as fierce as the downpour when we went to MacArthur Glen not so long ago.

The model aircraft is, as you say, indistinguishable from the real thing (you can’t see the stick it is on the end of, can you?) except, possibly, that it lacks any sense of movement. A fine photo anyway.

I have to go along with your view of dancers. Apart from Fred Astaire, Mick Jagger, and one or two others (a few jivers from the 50s for instance) only young people of European descent look good doing it.

I like the deck chairs.

As Lavetera is the Tree Mallow I am pretty sure you are right and, yes, it dies after seven years so needs propagating by cuttings before that time if you want to keep it going.

It isn’t just Joanna Lumley’s looks though, is it? She’s a great flirt.

My dad also used to say "A bit of pain is good for you”. Apart from beer he also drank other bitter potions, eg, wormwood tea. And one of HIS father’s favourite quotes (biblical I believe) was “Take hyssop for thy stomach’s sake.” (Google: “The leaves and flowering tops are antiseptic, antitussive, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, pectoral, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vasodilator… A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of flatulence, stomach-aches, upper respiratory tract infections, coughs in children etc.”)

You seem to be running with the hare and hunting with the hounds when it comes to avoiding offending your contributors.
But of course I don’t really think that Jill prejudges people. My comment was a bit of mischief although, as you acknowledge, it makes a serious point.

I have too much respect for Rob to get drawn into any coarse comment on what he chooses to take on his honeymoon.

I too am an Alan Coren fan although I am not all that taken by the quotation (not pithy enough, for him). His daughter seems to be a feisty lass too – spends most of her time in casinos playing poker but finds time to write a sharp column in the Observer.

Anonymous said...

I hope you & Y enjoyed "the cake" as it was made with a lot of luv, and decorated by "a man of many talents"
Just love your grans quote, sounds like she wouldn't stand any nonsence.
How doe's one contribute pictures to the blog?
Has reg used differential focusing or photoshopped the wire out to the plane?

Anonymous said...

No wires or sticks on this one, its a radio control semi scale jet model about 5 ft. wingspan, powered by an axial flow gas turbine, roughly the size of a large cocoa tin,running at approx 190,000 rpm yes 190,000 trust about 20lbs speed up to 200 m.p.h total cost £3,000+ picture taken on a low speed pass, note the extended flaps/airbrakes. These models with retracting undercarriages even have brakes in the wheels. these are real toys for the boys. A vast advance from the balsa and tissue rubber powered models of our youth. look at www.hucknall-mac.org for more model info.

Anonymous said...

Joanna Lumley not wearing make-up? Of course she was, but it was very skilfully applied...it takes a lot of time,make-up and skill to look as un-made up as that.....But I grant you, no wrinkles! We went to the place Longbearyarn (where she landed on a plane) but in the summer - it was cold then, but no snow. Did I not send you a photo of a road sign, saying in ?Norwegian, 'beware of polar bears' which was the nearest we got to seeing one. I thought the lights looked fantastic, three times we have been in areas where they can be seen, but we've never been there at the right time, curse it.

Lavateria, came in a packed of Cottage Garden Mix - I got French Marigolds, Pot Marigolds, cosmos, clarkia, straggly Virgnia Stock and two cornflowers - and of course, these two Lavateria. I thought both colours were coming off one stem, but no, they are separate.

Great deckchair picture. And the plane - somehow it didn;t look real though. Well, of course, it wasn't.

I think most people are judgemental, subconsciously possibly, you see someone who reminds you of someone else, and you remember how that person behaved and you mentally put this new person in the same category as the other one. But my opinions are not set in stone, I am always happy to be proved wrong!

Hope the Dr's appointment goes well, and you can go off WOWing with the rest of them.

I have been baby-sitting for Poppy (nearly 12) Rudi (6 next week)and Roxy (3 and a half) from 4.00 till nearly midnight, this involved supper, bath and bed. Poppy was invaluable, she cooked a very acceptable meal of pasta with a choice of bolognese sauce or cheese sauce (tin and packet) servied with fresh grated cheese, followed by stewed apples and blackberries and ice-cream she had done. She bathed Rudi and Roxy (I had taken bubblebath to make life easier...) while I washed up, then she put them in bed (top bunks) while I read stories, and then both went to sleep...... When I finally came to go home, car wouldn't start. Tried everything I could think of, rang R who was in bath - he said to ring RAC which I did - about an hour they said. R came over about 20 mins. later, and the b-----car started straight away.....Now I'm going to go and have a bath.......