Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Activity filled Day - 48F - Cloudy and Cool

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The pictures are from later in the day, and show where Y goes swimming. Today 6 lengths. Jacuzi, and walk home. The Hayley Centre is beautifully situated in pleasant parkland and everything looks in 'good order' - no litter, edges trimmed, grass neatly mown - that sort of thing .

Today we crammed a lot in. Took Library Books back, collected tablets, went over to Joan's for coffee and then to The TreeTops for lunch. Whilst at Joan's we booted-up Yvonne's laptop with the vodafone dongle so Joan could see some correspondence Y wanted her to see.

We had a good chat about wildflowers because Joan really does know the subject well. We identified several pictures from my Cromford shots and she put me right about my umbellifers, my ranuculaecea and my avens etc.. I have so much to learn but she lent me a good book.

After lunch I dropped Y off for her swim and she walked home via The Headstocks, all while I had a much needed lie-down. The chair in the Treetops hadn't suited me at all and eventually I had to give up and go and sit in the car. However, after getting home and taking pain-killers, I rallied enough to go out and de-weed part of the ring border in the front lawn (Y had already more-or-less cracked it) and then we planted some Geraniums, which have done well there before. Excellent, well-rooted plants, some from Aldi and some from Morrisons - they were all good. The we watched Springwatch and enjoyed it. I wish Kate Humble would do less gesticulating though - it must be contagious. Chris Packham the new presenter is good and knowledgeable and quite honestly, although I am sorry he is ill, we were ready for a change from Bill Oddie.

The third picture is from my Cromford collection and shows Viper's Bugloss. Now there is a name to conjure with. I shall have to research how it came to be thus named.

Sorry if the snap is a little dull but the flower was growing in a heavily shaded area and what you see is a fair representation of how it was.

I've decided to try and WoW tomorrow, unless I wake up feeling awful. Helen is turning out and when Reg rang me he said there was talk of going to Darley Abbey near Derby. It sounds like an interesting place and, if their website is any indication, it should be fun.

My responses to your previous comments

jbw ..... I have seen your 'mobile-phone cum sat/nav' up at EPS. I think the point was however that the satellites themselves, up there in the sky, might be reaching the end of their useful .......

Pete B ..... We are all loving this TT info. straight from where it is all happening. Please keep it coming.

Yvonne ..... Now you've mentioned it, bells rang, and I'm not sure if David and gang's invasion of Debra's was not post Le Mans rather than the IofM TT. No doubt when he returns from Holiday he will sort it out.

He sent me a holiday-picture on my mobile this afternoon but I'm unsure how to move it onto my computer because it looks like a video rather than a still.

Jill...... Glad you have sorted out your picture problem. I thought it was impossible to push a USB in the wrong way round. Hope you haven't caused any damage.

What an interesting piece about the Hebe and the bees and butterflies. I've never seen one that popular ! Must have been a memorable sight.

I already knew about sewage-works and tomato plants, and they always look so healthy. Am afraid I personally wouldn't be able to use it as a source though. Bob might !

Please give Jenny our best wishes !

Bob .... Re-introducing past species to this country always worries me. Why bother ? If they turn up of their own accord so be it and they should be cherished but there seems to be more important 'green' issues that need to be worked at.

The Poetry Archive is a very valuable resource and Andrew Motion is to be congratulated for his work on it. Little compares with a poet reading his/her own work. There are exceptions but they are rare.

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Sleep tight - Catch you tomorrow

This is one of Y's favourites - Good enough reason to use it


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4 comments:

Jill said...

The Hayley Centre looks almost as if it could be NT! Treetops - did you have the 'Golden Years' menu - would have done me nicely.

I'd begun to find Bill Oddie a bit tedious too, this new chap seems fine. I watched Simon Schama on John Donne (about whom I was very ignorant), I thought it was OK, not brilliant but I learned a lot.

Pete we have friends in Wimbledon who let out their house very lucratively for the fortnight. Local Council are very fussy about people camping, they won't let anyone pitch tents in front gardens either....

Bob, I'm happy to have beavers re-introduced, possibly wild boar, but not wolves or bears. I think you can take these things too far....hope your bacon butty was good (what's happened to your frying pan that you have to light a barbecue?)

We are finishing up things on the food front, we go to Bristol for five days on Thursday. Another Saga city break.....we are both sneezing our heads off and don't feel too bright, cannot decide whether this is hay-fever or a cold. I do get hay-fever, R doesn't.

Believe me, if there is a wrong way to put a USB cable in, I'll find it!

Unknown said...

Graham: Of course you're right re. Le Mans - geography was never my strong point: IOM to London to Nottingham would have been nonsensical!

I thought the John Donne programme last night was ruined by that strange Irish actress - the poetry should have been read by a man and the evaluation of it by another (preferably female) Oxford professor not somebody reading a script.

I was going swimming again today but it's pouring with rain ....... (I did share a jacuzzi yesterday with a loud business man (Eastwood Hall is a conference centre) but, after telling him how much I enjoyed the peace and quiet - his equally loud friend got out and so silence reigned!).

bob said...

Hayley Centre most beautifully situate (Estate Agents speak).

My inner-pedant applauds ‘de-weed’ (ordinary mortals may prefer ‘weed’, but that SHOULD imply planting).

I’m devotee of Viper's Bugloss, proliferous at Ollerton Pit Woods (old pit tip).

Re TT, following obviously not minor race that Paul and his driver WON.
Isle of Man TT 1969 Sidecar 750:
25th Fred Wallis & PN Liversidge
(same pair further down field in Sidecars 500).

Tomato squeamishness surprises.
Known to love pot-de-chambre contents, and manure well-regarded as fertiliser.

Don’t know your feelings about Andrew Motion but, although I like him, his stuff doesn’t thrill me (no fan of Ted Hughes either).
As for hearing poetry read (and who said ‘Two cassettes is no substitute for a book’?) for me, actors usually read poetry better than authors (certainly in case of Carol Ann and Larkin).
I aim to iplay John Donne.

Jill:
Wild beasts suggestion WAS half-jokey.
But I understand there’s no authenticated case of wolves serious harming and, Grylls says, bears (like most animals) prefer evasion to confrontation.

Rain stopped bacon barbecue (idea part ‘lovely day', part ‘prevent cooker splatter’).

Impossible to insert USB wrong way? I once buggered up Amstrad drive by brute-forcing connection.

Reg said...

I will bet the business mens cars were BMW's or Audi's and parked either on the double yellow lines or in a disabled space.