Idle day - feeling rocky - leg ache

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I suppose I ought to start with the sunrise. Not being a good sleeper its never a hardship. In fact it was a relief when the papers arrived around 6am.

They are very reliable round at the Newsagents.

It was good the sun was semi-obscured behind the trees because I was able to capture just a hint of snowy lawn. If the sun had been brighter the foreground would have been completely blocked up (black and without any detail, for non photographers). I could have worked on it in Photoshop but at my level of proficiency you would have been able to see where I had been. Much better 'as taken' and then it never looks false.

I needed flash for the tulips, and as Jill says, yet more yellow flowers. I guess she is right that yellow is a spring colour. But in English gardens there always seem a lot of yellow anyway.


The third picture is following a 'thermos smashing event' I had in the middle of the night. It was almost like an Irish joke.

I picked up my flask to pour a coffee and noticed water dripping out of the bottom. So I unscrewed the bottom plate to pour out the water that had obviously entered when we washed it. While it was upside down I noticed coffee dripping out of the top pouring end which still had the stopper in. I instinctively turned the thing the right way up to stop this and crash, the inner thermos bit fell out and smashed into thousands of pieces on the floor.

With my warfarin intake as it is I daren't risk cutting myself even slightly, I bleed like a stuck pig, and for a long time.

So I managed to drag my slippers to me and I went and collected a brush and pan from the kitchen. There were shards everywhere, under the bed, in my loo and they had even got under the door into corridor. I had to collect them together because I didn't want Y to cut herself either. Over an hour it took me. And that was only a first run. Later we used the vacuum cleaner. But I still keep finding the odd slivver. Neither Y's nor my eyes are sharp enough and it will be a job for Karen in Tuesday.

Thanks Reg - the website you have sent me for 3am use will come in handy. I've got one of those steel unbreakable flasks in the garage to where it was consigned. The reason - it didn't seem to retain the heat as well as my old-fashioned Thermos.

This afternoon I listened to a great The Saturday Play by Nigel Planar called 'On the Ceiling'. The idea was that two of Michelangelo's artisan plasterer workmen are on the top of the scaffold for the Sistine Chapel. Whoever wrote the blurb obviously didn't hear the whole play from start to finish because, contrary to what the hack wrote, the two chaps Lapo and Loti finish up awestruck by the work of their boss. As did Pope Julius. There were lots of 'in' art-history jokes about fresco and spolvero methods but I won't bore you with links.

I know of Nigel Planar as an actor but I didn't realise what a talented playwright he is too.

My responses to your previous comments

KevinB ..... Many congratulations on your competition success - again !

You must be very well placed in the ongoing list that Trevor keeps of points scored.

I understand the 3rd position joke now Helen has explained it to me. If I can't produce prize-winners myself, being the model for other people's successes is an honour indeed.

Jill ..... It is good to be back. Like cooking I find writing my blog therapeutic ! I'm absolutely sure that your knitting does the same for you.

Re the witch hazel - I'm sure your grandfather was right - if he had the gnarled and twisted variety. As Bob said lower down there seems two distinct shapes and ours is as straight as a willow wand, to which they are related.

Our snow is going, but very very slowly and 'cold and raw' sums it up. We have a 9mph northerly wind which makes it feel much colder than the 35f shown on my weather page.

The Surbiton et al experience is common all over the country I fear. As you say more 'grit' is needed with a little 'determination'. And I've not seen the point made anywhere but motorists can't just blame the Councils and the Government - why not buy a set of skid-chains ? In the old days I would write to the Telegraph and the letter would probably be published. But I canna be bovvered !

Bob ..... Thanks for the BungusBlessing ! Are you sure it isn't like the GlasgowKiss ?

I can stand the criticism of my snowflake picture and, if it reminded you of third class rail travel, so much to the good.

Sorry to hear that Jack is ill. If I'm remembering the correct chap he certainly is a 'character' and satisfactorily eccentric to fit in.

This seems the right place to share you Survivor drawing with all our readers.

Putting my art critic hat on I must say that in my opinion it is quite excellent and yet again, an incredibly good likeness - facially anyway - I don't know about the rest, thank God. I trust Sandra didn't have to model for the lady in the foreground apparently with a stick !

Helen C ....... Thanks for the lowdown on the projected images panel and I'm pleased that my misty morning found favour. You did extremely well and, as Roy and others have said, your progress has been remarkable.

You will just have to save up for that macro lens ! Pity it won't be a Nikon 'cos then we could all have cadged it.

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I'm giving the quotation a miss this evening because I've rabbitted on far too long anyway.

"Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow"