Y at Burton Joyce - Me = messing about

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Y insisted on making her own way to BJ today so I could have a rest. Thoughtful girl. And I've taken advantage of it. My new PC is ready and Jack installs it tomorrow around 11.15am.

I'm really looking forward to the better monitor and all the other improved features.

And then at 4pm, I need to go to the City Hospital Clinic for my ultra-sound scan.

I've not heard how John fared with his clinic. But, via e-mail from Reg, Maureen has had the 'scaffolding' removed and all is well.

Picture 1 is Bungus's "fancy grass". A lovely picture and I particularly like the silhouetted shadows on the ground. We have some similar grasses and the sparrows have been feasting on the ears of wheat near the bird-feeders.

I had a clean up, bird-feeder-wise and took longer than I had anticipated. But I enjoyed the fresh air and didn't have to rush to lie flat half an hour after starting.

Picture 2 is one of our juvenile thrushes. We know they are around because of the tap tap as they prepare their breakfast of snails. The shells are always within a square foot of the paving slab leading to the front lawn. This thrush however, was on the rear lawn. The quality isn't good but hand-held through the kitchen window?

Picture 3 is a polaroid by Daniel Boudinet in 1979 and it is published here because someone - I can't find the comment - was discussing early morning light creeping round the curtains.

I also remembered Larkin's poem "Audabe" where he writes :

"Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare/
In time the curtain-edges will grow light"

and I thought the snap went well with the words.

.............. I've had a temporary computer glitch involving a gorilla which took up residence on screen while I was doing something else, and he proved immovable (seriously ! - It was a 'clip art' image I was trying to be clever with - serves me right).

System Restore was necessary in the end, but thankfully he's gone now.

Comments

Roy ..... Thanks for the material about Sleetmoor Lane and I think that will be it ! My step-father's name was Sam Taylor and maybe you or Ann will know the name or the family, his brother was Owen. As I said, they had farmed there since time immemorial.

Maybe our 'yaffle' is the same family as the one you saw near Jacksdale. I've no idea of the size of a Woodpecker's normal territory. But we had a similar visit last year too.

You are certainly doing well with your new hip and I'm sure Peter will read your comments and draw them to Joan's attention. It will be reassuring for her to read a 'success story'.

Bungus ...... I think the Youth Hostel in Derbyshire that you hasve in mind is probably Ilam Hall - a beatiful setting and a 'well thought of ' place.

I don't know enough about Clematis to argue, so probably Jackmanii is right.

The 'Betty's' in Ilkley is no doubt the sister ship to the one in Harrogate, which we thought was the famous one. We have 'afternoon tea-ed' there and been slightly disappointed.

I'm sure Jill will sort out the families. It seems to me they are complicated as often as not.

Jill .... I did spend half a hour messing about in Photoshop, with the 'lava flow' picture but the result was awful. So I decided against inflicting my pictorial peccadillo on you all. The one I published was un-interfered with.

Glad that you too are a Matt fan ! He is always 'up to the minute' and even non-Telegraph readers admire his stance and his prodigious output. The stress of producing such work day after day must be enormous. Due to his topicality, he can't even stockpile a few in readiness.

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Quotation time ... seldom does your blogmeister find it necessary to flatly disagree with a quote. But this time I do..............

"A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits"

Robert Heinlein

Bungus and I and also Rob, and Mike to mention just a few, know some performance poets who are super people. In fact Bungus is no mean performer of his own stuff. And just think of Auden, Betjeman, Pam Ayres, Wendy Cope, Dylan Thomas, Carol Ann Duffy, John Hegley, Henry Normal ............... I could just go on and on. They may be eccentric - thank God - but 'nasty habits' is just gratuitously rude. I shan't be quoting him again.

Sleep tight and I hope to catch you tomorrow...........

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This is me listening to a good performance poet ................

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Karen mowed - Peter & Joan called

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No need for 'what-is-it"? - I'll tell you. It is a disintegrating aircraft vapour trail caught by the rays of the setting sun yesterday evening. If I have time tomorrow I may copy the file, flip one horizontally and merge them in Photoshop. It could look interesting.

My first job must be to clear up a typo from yesterday.

Re Hotels. I meant to say that we wouldn't even consider a multi-hotel holiday. Moving hotels in mid holiday is for young folks.

It was published as precisely the opposite. Sorry folks.

Nice surprise this morning as we returned from Lidl. Peter and Joan called and brought some magazines and chocolates. Unfortunately they had eaten lunch and had coffee so we were unable even to provide a drink. Lovely to see them though. Joan is to see the speclialist re her replacement hip. She needs one very much because her mobility is bad and she suffers so much pain.

They saw me walking as I got out of the car, and I didn't look at all well apparently. My pseudonym for the day is "Bear Lee Staggers". But, after frequent horizontal breaks and pain-killers, I've survived.

Picture 2 is yet more roses. Very old stock which my mother assured us was 'Mountbatten' but don't put money on it because my Mum was a great inventor of facts to suit the story. Bless her!

Picture 3 has a more reliable heritage. A very very old Clematis, name unknown.

My step father's ancestors had farmed near Riddings in Derbyshire since the middle-ages and I believe the farm was called Sleep Moor. A quick google though proved unsuccessful.

And this Clematis came from there. The blue is slightly more purply than shown and I've been unable to get it right. I may have to relent and photograph it in RAW tomorrow and see if I fare better.

I'm reluctant to raid Matt again so soon. But the brilliance of his work makes it difficult not to. His dagger goes straight to the point.

Comments.....

Bungus .......... 'Screwy' was common in my boyhood too. But, rather than 'defying convention' or 'showing off', it was used to mean 'slightly mad'. Also, "he's a 'screwpot'" had the same meaning.

Re birds. I think you are just going through a sparse period and it's nothing to do with early rising. My 'yaffle' snap was 3.20pm which would be a 'lie-in' even for you. From my recollection of your garden though, you can't really see the bottom portion of your rear garden very well, at least not from downstairs. Especially when everything is in leaf.

We agree with you about 'character-blackened' teenagers. In our experience they are polite, helpful and good natured. No doubt David encounters the other sort, at School, but even then he usually has good things to say.

Clever you. The lady in the tableau being Romanian, because of her Book-a-rest origin is good.

Jill ..... Next time Y and I are in town, and looking for a 'posh' tea, I guess it has to be Fortnums then. When we went to The Terracota Warriors and decided on the 'posh' tea on the top floor we were a little disappoointed.

However, we would love to visit The British Museum again starting later this month for the Hadrian Exhibition. We too watched the Timewatch programme and thoroughly enjoyed it. Oh how we enjoy a lecture with pictures. At the end, in the credits, we weren't abit suprised to see the OU logo. I much preferred the presenter to Tony Robinson whose image I can never distance enough from Baldrick.

It seems then that most folks can grow white Japanese Anemones easier than pink ones.

Lilies are not popular in our garden I'm afraid. They remind me of death and Y can't stand the aroma. Mind you 'dark red' sounds interesting. Remind your gardener that even things we propagate as bulbs all start off as seeds anyway and are therefore bird-scatterable. It just takes considerably longer before they flower.

AnonymousRob ..... You are probably right about Bonekickers becoming a cult. Y stuck it for ten minutes and I didn't bother at all.

You are also right about trying to get it right' in the camera rather than Photoshop. Also, and I know that most photographers whose opinions I respect, feel that images which have been photoshopped always 'look' that way whereas soemthing straight out of the camera 'looks' genuine. I accept that there are grey areas and a tweak to recover 'what you perceived' and a judicial crop are perfectly acceptable.

It must be left over indoctrination from film days I suppose. It's amazing how often when I go out with WoW I shoot 36 frames. I don't do it deliberately - it just seems natural. Sometimes it's 37 or even 38 but you always get extra frames at the end of a film don't you?

I'm surprised that any club 'took' against your judging. You always give satisfactory explanations for your markings and offer valuable suggestions for improvement.

So pleased to learn the real history behind Fish & Chip shops. And that it was your Irish forebears who deserve the credit. Am I correct in assuming that they would be the Portadown O'Palmers? There's such a lot in this genialology stuff that we don't know about.

You are right to reprimand the Sports Desk for missing stories. Re The Stags getting a team together for the new season. Is it true that, whenever a chum said he was going on Saturday afternoon, the done thing was to tell him to take his boots because he would probably get a game?

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Quotation time ...... I love this gem......

"Art is science made clear"

Jean Cocteau

It's worth opening the link behind his name, just for the Modigliani portrait. The other day I mentioned Roland Barthes and 'punctuum'- in the portrait above, the white handkerchief in the breast pocket hits you.

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........ Sleep tight. Hope to catch your tomorrow.

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Good Rest Day - Karen - Hannah's Birthday

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Couldn't sleep in the night and there, on the window sill was this stout lady with hairy armpits chasing this lay-figure away from her book-chair. He is preparing to kick over a floral display. I borrowed the general idea from a Bungus picture of his lay-figure being used as a head-phone stand.

Picture 2 is a pink Japanese Anemone which hitherto Y has been unable to grow in this garden. We can grow the white variety without any problem but not the pink. With Tracy it's vice versa.

Anyway. this one is growing strongly but Y has no recollection of planting it there. It's very close to the bird-bath so perhaps it is a little gift from nature.

Good luck to it anyway !

Picture 3 was also a stroke of luck. While I was in the kitchen cooking a spag/bol I went over to the sink and looked out of the window, there was this Green Woodpecker.

Jill has told us before they are called a 'Yaffle' which according to the link comes from their distinctive song.

I only managed 2 snaps before he/she flew away. The second one was a better pose but more evidence of camera shake.

A Nikkor VR lens, which reduces camera shake, beckons I think.

A quiet rest day has been enjoyable and Karen cheered us up. We still need frequent rests but I'm confident we shall be OK for the Isle of Wight. We are in the same hotel in Sandown, The Burlington Hotel, for the whole week and there are 2 full day and 2 half day excursions if we want them. But often we prefer to do our own thing as our interests and the rest of Tim Drapers customers don't necessarily coincide.

I really do appreciate Bungus's concern and I'm sure his approach is the common-sense one. Mine however is "if I'm going to be ill, or worse, I'd rather have my boots on etc..."

Comments..........

The tool is certainly a bradawl and not a gimlet. So Uncle Vince was right and my Dad was wrong. I'm not surprised because my Dad and tools weren't best suited and I've inherited the gene. Yet John and David are surprisingly handy. A gimlet has a little screw end while the bradawl is plain. By e-mail from Brian S, he used to use one all the time in the Shop to start off the screw holes in picture frames.

Bungus .... (who for some reason appeared as 'blogger')...... I am really glad that you managed to go, even if unsteadily, to the Presentation and that you heard Daniel play his bassoon solo. He has done very well to gain a place at such a prestigious School of Music.

Alex sounded very witty - has she inherited the gene? ..... And I love your 'chain gang' title for the civic dignitaries. I shall certainly 'clock' that one for future use.

As above, you are probably right about The Isle of Wight. I think the difference is that we both actually enjoy the coaching experience.

Jill ..... Since I stopped drinking completely I don't seem able to doze off on coaches.

I take your point about motorways but they traverse as much beautiful scenery as any other road. As you will see above we are in the same hotel throughout. About this aspect we agree completely and would even consider a holiday involving different hotels.

Very interesting about the polio scare. Fancy you being part of it.

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It was Hannah's birthday today. One of her presents is a mobile phone, so we have texted her. I'm sure we will hear all about it soon. And Ruby passed her ice-skating test. According to Debra she looked gorgeous in her skating dress and proper boots.

....... Hope I haven't forgotten anything. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow..................

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Things improving - a good day

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Picture 1 is from Reg and shows a beautifully curved path leading you up to, and then into, the grove of Silver Birch with its dappled shade.

One of my favourite childhood rhymes was -

"The Silver Birch is a dainty lady/
She wears a satin gown....."

by Edith Nesbit. She goes through all the common trees in order and says something nice about each.

Reg said he had taken the picture with his 500mm Nikkor lens. Thinking he must have re-mortgaged the house to buy it, I decided to check the metadata. What a relief - it was his 50mm Nikkor !

The Lavender bed in the right-hand corner is very attractive too. The blacks in the wood are black and the white trunks are white. 18 out of 20 territory I think.

Picture 2 is a what-do-you-call-it ? This very handy piece of kit has been in the family a long time. Very hard steel it is amazing what it will go through without demur. My Dad called it a 'gimlet' but my Uncle Vince said it was a 'bradawl' ? Your views would be welcomed. Again, I think Reg, as an engineer, can probably 'name that tool'.

Our day has been more active. Y spent ages down at the river with a load of washing, and had to wait for the stones to be available. Then she has been ironing. I had another 'go' at the pyracantha near the side garage door with the pruning saw and although I have been harsh, it will grow back again.

Comments......

Bungus ...... Ha Ha ! Roll-map herrings indeed. Well spotted.

Like you SoM is far too twee for me. Not that that always matters. I enjoyed Carousel and Oklahoma well enough. Couldn't find you a decent link to Oklahoma - they were all to some kids high school 2007 production.

The Isle of Wight holiday doesn't seem too much to us. As I said, they pick us up at the door, there's porterage at each end. And both Y and I actually enjoy coach travel. Relaxing and interesting, and sitting in a coach is as comfortable as sitting anywhere else. 'Tim Drapers' have put us just behind the driver so I can stick my leg down the aisle if I need to.

I feel sure that your agoraphobia is medical-condition based - and once you are up to it, you and I can do something stimulating. Rob would love to meet you, - must be near the top of the list. Thanks for the jersey/guernsey/gansey material.

AnonymousRob ...... Thanks for your continued good wishes Rob and is a pleasure to report that we are both measurably better.

Re 'the bellows' - I think I have metering but certainly not auto-focus. And YES please - tuition would be most welcome.

Re the 'sunset' - as you obviously realise, the sky is that dark becase I under-exposed by nearly 3 stops to keep some definition near the sun.

Re the 'roll-mop herrings' and the floor smelling fishy. The problems are a matter of scale !

Jill ..... I suspect that roll-mops are like Marmite - you either love it or hate it. There's no middle point.

I see what you mean about the 'quick' crossword. Looks v. interesting. Will have a go sometime during the week.

I'm sorry to say that the Colour Mag, including the yarnstorm stuff, is already in the bin. Probably wrongly, we both feel the magazine has an air of desperation about it and in consequence we bin it unread.

We no longer bake at all. David inherited the bread-making machine and I think they use it regularly. I think 'passing through' seems to be a way of life for long-tailed tits. They seem to 'pass through' here around 10.30am and one morning I am going to set up a tripod and tackle and sit in wait. But nearly everything except simple survival has been on hold for nearly a week.

I think the gap in your education about 'bellows' could well have remained unfilled - without detriment.

Y really loved your super 'proper' letter which arrived this morning - she will reply soon.

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Quotation time .................... I think I could do an anthology of US of A presidential quotes. But I just couldn't bring myself to publish a Bush-ism - however ridiculous. My keys would freeze !

"No man ever listened himself out of a job"

Calvin Coolidge

Sleep tight, catch you tomorrow ......................................

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A fairly normal Sunday - weather good

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Last night at sunset, looking through my bedroom window, I thought we were under attack from an alien space-ship with a very wide wing span. However, it soon transmogrified into clouds with the sun's rays shining through a gap. What a relief.

Our day has been more normal. We nipped out for essential shopping but, my own fault, I got up about an hour before going out. Hence, after we had just done Lidl I had to opt out and sit in the car while Y got a few items in Morrisons and put the 'glass' in the recycling skip. Then it was home and lie down flat again.

Around 10.30am the Long-tailed Tits visited. They are so camera shy I seldom saw one as clear of foliage as this one. Mostly they seems to flit about well within the canopy of leaves. This one seems to be only a chick and has probably yet to learn that 'furtiveness is a virtue' in his/her way of life.

I spoke to David and, as you will see from his comment, we now have translations of his 'family speak' phrases.

Can 't disagree that 'drawing windows' is delightful for the condensation you can draw in, but my favourite is ' ramstamin', for that unmistakable stomping around in displeasure that children do. Come to think about it, I've known adults do it too. They've been great David and thanks for sharing.

For lunch Y had a sandwich and I had 2 roll-map herrings with a slice of bread & butter. The roll-mops come in a jar, from Lidl, and are as good as any I've ever tasted. For fellow Lidl fans they are on a shelf at the deli counter.

For main meal I cooked Barnsley chops, with the necessary tracklements and not, Bungus will be relieved to hear, Yorkshire puddings.

A relief to hear from both Reg (e-mail) and Roy's comment, that the Workshop at Durban House was a success. Reg makes a good point when he asks "How many more members do we actually need ?" On a good club night, clichés about tins of sardines spring to mind.

Comments......

Jill ..... Congratulations on your 'Twitcher of The Day" award from Roy. It is a chaffinch then, and he knows his birds. And their song. Last but one WoW I asked what bird a particularly loud and vigorous song was emanating from. He told me it was a Wren ! I've gone all these years thinking that Wrens made music in keeping with their tiny bodies. But I've been wrong.

On the right is a picture of the 'bellows". They allow precise control in close-up photography. You can adjust with the knobs, the exact distance between lens and object and get precisely what you want sharply in focus. At least that's the theory ! This photographer is on a fairly steep learning curve in this area. When I have achieved some sort of 'result' I shall blog it.

There sounds more to 'quick' crosswords than I was giving them credit for. My stance will be reviewed.

David ..... Thanks, as above. If it had just been the 'runs', without John in front, I think we would all have got it. And the teddy called 'cappadoodle' is great.

Do you remember 'Mr. Johnson' ?

Bungus .... Thanks for the praise for the rose picture. It has also done well on Ephotozine a free online photo magazine I subscribe to. So far it has collected 11 votes, as against my usual 4.

Re Rum..... While doing my Nat. Srvce in BAOR we had ersatz Rum which is an inferior substitute for the real thing. I've never drunk Rum of any variety since, it was so awful.

"be some different specie" was a straightforward typo. I was caught midway between "by some different....." and "could be some different ......."

About your "another outstanding failure to add to your C.V" - please see quotation later.

Roy ..... You are fully entitled to your position on ABBA. And I am quite sure you are not alone.

I am so far from being a music-buff that simple tunes and monotonous beats are necessary to get my attention at all. Anything more subtle goes straight over my head.

My Dad also called a sleeveless cardigan a 'wescot' . A proper 'waistcoat' was dismissed as a 'fancy westcot'.

So pleased to hear about the Durban House Workshop. We are so lucky to have kept our two young ladies. I'm looking forward to their output this coming season.

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Quotation slot ..........................

"No one who cannot rejoice in the discovery of his own mistakes deserves to be called a scholar"

Donald Wayne Foster

n.b. It's worth opening the link because he sounds a very interesting chap. I've only skim-read his wiki-page but, if I can't sleep, I'll read it more carefully. Don't some people have some lovely jobs?

..... An old favourite for Jill and Bungus. Sleep tight. Catch you termorra !..............

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"Difficulty getting going" sort of day

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It has been a day when neither of us felt we had any energy and there's been, in my case, much lying down and in Y's case much old films on the telly. We are surviving though. I was hoping tomorrow to help Reg at theEPS 'Open Day' at Durban House but I don't think I shall be able to.

I tried for nearly an hour to succeed with some close-up bellows which Brian has lent me but had to give up. Back pain and sweating. So the above was taken conventionally, against my bedroom curtain.

The papers have been good and in the Telegraph 'Weekend' supplement an interesting article by Jonathon Ray about Cuba. If the link works, it will be of interest not only to Rob but those who followed his entertaining Cuba saga.

Picture 2 is a clip from the article and Cuba sounds just as Rob describes it.

It must certainly be added to our holiday list, if ever we both feel well enough to go ? A more modest hope is that we shall be OK for our coach holiday to The Isle of Wight at the end of the month. I guess we will be - the firm pick us up at the door and once we are on the bus there isn't much that's demanding is there ?

The weather has been interesting to say the least. At the moment we have the heating on because we were both cold. Perhaps it's because we aren't very well.

Picture 3 is - I think - a very juvenile Goldfinch, sitting on the trellis waiting to be taught about the niger-seed feeder. He/she will soon get the knack of it I feel sure.

I might be completely wrong and we have had a visit be some different specie.

Comments please if anyone actually knows. I bet Roy does.

Comments..... Bungus .... I'm not sure how we manage it, but we keep missing The Culture Show.

I would have liked to see the Architecture bit.

You are quite right about place names. Radio and TV people never say Munchen, they say Munich. But always Beijing and Mumbai wherever it is.

Thanks, to Jill as well for the compliments about the fridge. It looked like that of course because I had just sorted it our with the new storage boxes. It will soon deteriorate don't worry.

Are we becoming confused between Guernseys and Ganseys. Both have recently been mentioned and I would welcome clarification. Thanks for the Billy the Kid information. I didn't know any of that. Talking of DVDs, the other day I saw a newspaper banner on the front saying 'Free Michael Caine DVD' and immediately thought that the old lad had been incarcerated for something.

Jill ..... Please see above, re fridge. Yes, some of the plastic boxes do have 2 compartments not 4 under the single lid.

So much 'chat' about Mama Mia and Meryl Streep. The only solution I think is see it ourselves. It is on our list and will no doubt cheers us up more than the Dylan Thomas film, also newly released.

Glad your friend had a good Buck House day. Re heels. When we went Y was very impressed with HM's sensible flat shoes ! She obviously knows what is appropriate.

Very impressed with your Xword success. I never do the non-cryptic ones because one needs to know the factual answers to the clues, and I never do. You have obviously got to grips with the new compilers.

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Y's funny turn ............

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At breakfast this morning Y fainted and collapsed. I suspected a stroke due to her dizziness and subsequent unsteadiness.

Our super Dr saw her almost straight away and reassured us that she hadn't had a stroke but was suffering from an accumulation of stress. She prescribed some tablets but, more importantly, complete rest and taking it easy.

Dr. L remembered all about the failed house-move tension and my health etc. She really is a proper 'family doctor' and we appreciate her very much.

In consequence we have had a 'rest' day and, at the moment, Y seems better.

I promised info re fridge and this is it. The centre clear plastic shelf completely disintegrated. My good idea 6,330 was to throw away the broken shelf, measure the available space and buy removable storage containers. Result = the fridge's storage capacity is now more efficient than it was before.

Y had thought we maybe needed a new one but is pleased with the result.

Picture 2 is some Meadow Sweet from yesterday, just now flowering and one of my favourite hedgerow scents. So heady and exotic.

But, as a predictor of today's weather, covered in little black 'storm' flies.

Comments ..... Bungus ..... I must disagree with you, and Jill, about the qualities of denim. Although I have never worn jeans, I have a couple of well worn shirts which, along with my new bespoke jacket, are tops for comfort.

So people don't be confused re your right/left of the saloon picture comment - I corrected the error, post publication, after you had drawn my attention to it.

You have a supporter in Roy re the Leibowitz picture and cropping. And thanks for the hospital stories. Sorry to hear about the recorded delivery letter and what promises to be resumption of neighbourly hostilities. How stressful for you and Sandra.

Reg ..... No problem with the 'poppies' being on a black mount - but perhaps narrower margins ? Anyway, it's your picture and thank you for sending it. Always a pleasure to publish.


Jill ...... Y remembers very well her visits to you in hospital when you had TB and were 19yrs old. She says her 'done for' look was due to travelling halfway across London after a day at work. But that's what friends are for !

'Lolly stick' seems to be the consensus re Helen's picture.

There's a small pink-flowered member of the Salvia family which may be it. But apart from beginning with 'S', I can't remember its name.

Sartorially, I have never been able to achieve 'the bees knees' look. Whatever I wear always looks as if I've had it ten years. Even while trying something on in a shop Y once said "You could walk out the Shop in that - no-one would notice". Your 'knitted with denim yarn' sounds just great to me, after about 20 washes !

Roy .... I realise from our last WoW that you know your stuff re birds and bird-song and I'm happy with the kestrel ID.

My denim jacket is definitely a WoW garment but I couldn't possible wear the blue hat. That would be quite improper.

Thanks for the jokes and the Tommy Cooper card story.

You did well to plough through that much blog material.. Much skim-reading is called for I think.

anonymousrob ...... Thanks for putting us right about the saloon picture and as editor I must apologise for any unintended slur on your forbears.

It is good to hear 'the truth' after all these years.

I certainly like your 'reading' of the Nicole Kidman picture. There is so much to 'read' and one person's views are as valid as the next as, as in all great Art, you can go on and on seeing more if you are willing to look.

The philosopher Roland Barthes said in his book about photography 'Camera Lucida' there is, about a photograph, both 'punctum' i.e. that which hits you, and 'studium' i.e. that which you need to study.

As you correctly hint, there is little ground between an Art History degree and Pseuds' Corner.

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Quotation - .................. Relevant ? .........................

"The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority".

Ralph W Sockman

Not our usual sort of chap - but - as I've said before "If the line is good enough etc......" Mind you, on re-reading - perhaps a little pompous and definitely preachy !

Hope to catch you tomorrow. ........................................

Pottering Day - Y at Burton Joyce

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These poppies are courtesy of Reg, from WoW yesterday and very nice they are too. The depth-of-field tapering away into the distance works well.

The ears of wheat offer a pleasant setting. If I have a slight criticism it's the black border which is a little funereal. Rather like a condolence card - and I wasn't that bad even though it felt like it.

I love the poppy still in bud, bottom right - it pulls my eye to it each time I look at the picture.

Picture 2 is some more flowers from Helen. Identification not established and therefore suggestions, or even knowledge, would be most welcome.

The flowers are set against one of Helen's customary 'rocks', the main one being nicely situated in the frame. Again I have a slight criticism. A quarter in from top left, and a third down, there's a rather distracting long, light brown, oblong shape.

It would be a comparatively easy Photoshop job, to either clone it out, or tone it down abit. When you return from your singing weekend one of us will show you how, if you don't feel like tackling it yourself.

The last picture is one of my own. I wanted to share with you the brilliant job Joan has done on my extra, extra large denim shirt.

It was far too big, and bulky, but its main defect was that it was too long. And I really fancied it as a denim jacket, which I haven't got one of. (sorry about my English there - such an ugly sentence).

Joan is a star seamstress and handles a needle and thread, or a sewing-machine with equal panache.

Last time we were at her house she measured me and asked me how I wanted the garment to be. And this is the result. She shortened it considerably and cut off the flap at the rear. With the material she fashioned the side pockets, one with a chevron (I don't mind being a lance corporal) and a handy little pen-pocket near one of the breast-pockets.

Believe me - my bespoke denim jacket is extremely comfortable, and I wear it all the time. Denim is like that I think - you don't get uncomfortably hot/cold.

My day has been a pottering sort of day.

Made potato/leek soup.

Picked raspberries. We have lots and I hope Bungus and Dan have too.

Cooked evening meal.

Sorted out bird-feeders.

Solved fridge problem. I'll tell you tomorrow.

Comments..... Bungus .... Cousin Bernard, the Sheriff, was ambidextrous. Hence his gun-slinger reputation.

I also forgot to tell you that his lady Yanaha (she had some Navajo blood) ran the Saloon and looked a cracker in her Basque. She collected together his poetry and odd bits of prose - requests for samples therefore would have to have been addressed to her. Sorry I can't be of more help !

The snap on the right is one of the few remaining of the Saloon.

She should of course been in it. But she was operating the camera and couldn't trust either of the two idle sods standing behind the bar, to do it properly.

Thanks for the 'graveyard' jokes. Didn't we used to call it 'gallows humour' ?

Running vehicles on used chip oil sounds like a splendid idea. And thanks for your, as usual, witty later comment.

anonymousrob.... Glad you too enjoyed the Annie Leibowitz. I think you and I still see pictures in, broadly speaking, the same sort of way.

You are right about 'surgical wards' but I think the 'motor-bike lads' are in 'orthopedic wards' and they want the telly on till 1am minimum. These days though, with individual TV sets to each bed there isn't a problem. The card you need works out at £2.50 a day. In any case my DAB radio and MP3 player is plenty for me and I could have a couple of ripe melons instead.

I love the BSA superbug joke.

Lets just hope that you never need this information anyway.

I think the music with 5 flats is the 'D-flat major' scale - sounds most triumphal I understand.

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Quotation time...... He really was a wise old bird I think..............

"Health is not valued till sickness comes"

Dr Thomas Fuller 1732

We've not finished with the Train for ages.

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Dull then wet - Managed shopping

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It's always possible to find a snap, to show what you've been up to. So this is another view of Y' herbaceous border outside the big-room window. I ventured no further than the porch due to it pouring with rain and me being in my underpants and dressing-gown. The light wasn't good but here you go.

While I was speaking to Reg a few minutes ago I suggested a monthly competition title "Within 50 yards" which would tax folk's ingenuity and be interesting. Perhaps they have previously done it though.

Never a need to be short of a good photograph anyway. This magnificent portrait of Nicole Kidman by Annie Leibowitz was in my ArtDaily Newspaper yesterday as it is appearing in an Exhibition in the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. As it's on the net, courtesy of Vogue, I guess it's OK to blog it.

Whenever I see this superb example of 21st Century photography I wonder what a Camera Club judge would make of it. Assuming of course that it wasn't of Nicole Kidman, and he didn't know who the photographer was. He would want all that unnecessary clutter cropping from the sides for a start - the subject should have been looking into the picture not out of it - I could go on....... He would no doubt dismiss it as a 'record shot' ... But it jumps off the page and hits you.

We managed a shopping jaunt to Hucknall Tesco but I'd had enough by the time we got home. I was grumbling about a 'bogof' of 2 Melons for £2.50p but we had half of one as a starter and the quality was superb. Somebody once suggested a tip of pressing the stalk end in gently and sniff it. If it's fully ripe you will know. I did that with both and they are at their peak.

On my comparatively new bedroom digital radio there is a USB port. So, while at Tesco I bought a new 1GB memory-stick (all my existing ones have snaps on) and downloaded a few BBC Podcasts onto it. Stuck it in and it works perfectly. So if, in the middle of the night, the radio content is a little lightweight I've got plenty to listen to and catch up on.

Picture 3 is just a 'how to' for folks who are having difficulty accessing other people's blog-comments.

I hope this 'screen capture' of a blog-page is self- explanatory and I have included it because, from David's comment, I suspect he hadn't read Bungus's or AnonymousRob's.

And although Helen C did have trouble with it, I know she is up to speed now. All we need is a 'Helen Comment' that would be nice.

Comments ..... David ... I think that between them Bungus and AnonymousRob have offered suggestions for most of the 'family words'. I personally am not happy with 'roast lamb' or 'indefatigable sheep' for 'Ramstamin' though. Perhaps a little more could be disclosed please David.

Bungus ...... I like the sound of 'another great artist or composer or author' who worked from his bed. And he wasn't one of your forefathers, he was my second-cousin twice removed, Bernard Bedwelty McMarsden who was the single handed Sheriff of a small 'Edge of the Plains' town in Minnesota with a population of 435. He had two able-bodied deputies who did his bidding. He wrote poetry and 1,500 word essays in his spare time.

Your advice to Rob is sound. I've found that both 'reds' and 'whites' are OK under the bed but every so often you need to check they haven't started sprouting.

Reg ...... Glad you and Mike managed to get out. The derelict cottage sounds interesting and I would like to visit one day.

Nice Tommy Cooper joke and your telephone call bit about the memorabilia was fascinating.

I'm not completely anti the barrack-room principle in Hospitals. I was happy enough with it when I did my National Service but I guess it depends on the company and whether or not you feel up to it. Your last session sounds good fun. Once while on an early holiday in Jersey ((February) where everything seemed to be shut, we were rescued by 30 West Indian bus drivers from Hackney who were holidaying in the same hotel. We had a great time !

Jill ...... you have indeed been lucky that your Golden Anniversary roses have actually produced flowers this first season.

Lucky you with your Wrens. Occasionally we see one but they are so furtive I've never been anywhere near getting a snap.

Tough on your friend's visit to The Palace for the Garden Party in that weather. Dress was easy for me, I went in uniform. You are quite right in assuming that the Queen wouldn't invite her in. When we went, we wondered if we were supposed to invite her back for tea at our house in a couple of months?

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Quotation time ....... Another Sam Goldwyn gem >

"[A movie] should start with an earthquake and build to a climax"

Karen day - Y to Nottingham - John visited

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The Goldfinches have been loyal visitors. There's quite a large colony, if 6 to 8 qualifies as a 'colony' and obviously they nest nearby.

Further down the trellis and in the trees behind we are visited by Long-tailed Tits (rather reclusive and I haven't managed a snap, yet !) also I've seen lots of Great Tits and at least two Crested Tits.

The Bullfinches still visit and the Starling-proof feeder actually works. The tits and other small breeds are now quite accustomed to it and climb in without any trouble. The Starlings have admitted defeat and seldom go there.

Karen came this morning and was her usual breezy self and Y went down to Nottingham on the bus, for an outing and a break which she thoroughly enjoyed (and deserved). John came to see me this afternoon and Y had returned before he left. It was good to hear an update on family news. Having photo-printing problems he was very complimentary about some of mine, on the hall wall, and was very interested in Picasa 2 and I was able to demonstrate how straightforward it is.

Picture 2 is a close-up of the large rambling shrub rose which Jill thought might be Albertine. It fits the 'thorny, lovely perfume, pink' description and now you can see some detail you will probably know for sure. When it is not fully open the flowers have a shiny green centre, like a bud within a bud, but that vanishes as each bloom opens.

My day has been much the same. The sickness has passed and Y did a vegetarian quiche and salad for tea and so far I've kept it down. I still can't stay up for long without discomfort. Maybe I shall have to live my life from my bed.

Picture 3 is some of my get-well cards and people have been so nice and said such nice encouraging things.

Comments..... David .....Oh, what super 'head-scratchers' the special family words are ! They all sound great fun but so far I can only guess 'primula in a tube' and 'sheep which dash about'. I can't even approach a score of 4. Maybe I shall fare better after I have slept on them.

Just read Bungus's incoming comment. But I won't cheat. Looking forward to the exposé.

Bungus ..... Your 'mother and child' is truly beautiful. Congratulations ! Lovely stuff in your comment at the end about your ancestors. Particularly 'Tom Martyr' !

And well done with Davids constructed 'words'.

Glad you enjoyed the Matt cartoon, and point taken about women-bishops. But surely it is only men who are stupid enough to indulge in 'rutting'.

Thanks for the borage tips. I think I drew the potato point to your attention. It's the ethyl alcohol content that melts the frost on your windscreen if you rub it with a cut potato.

Which brings me to ...............

Jill ..... and today's Matt cartoon. It is good, but I don't like to 'raid' him too often.

I'm with you 100% about the food at the G8 summit. Gordon Brown has a singular gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. The 'nanny state' gone right OTTP. Prime Ministers should have weightier concerns than telling people what to do with their left-overs. In any case most ordinary people know much more than he does about supermarket shopping and feeding a family.

Your lunch at Fi's pub sounds splendid. Y is also keen on Summer Pudding but with lashings of custard rather than cream. By the way, a problem we have encountered eating outside in pub gardens is people smoking ! Strange isn't it?

And ...making shep. pie with cut-up lamb...... is preferable to using a whole lamb. That would be reminiscent of Desperate Dan's Cow Pie.

anonymousrob ..... Your comment just arrived and thanks.

I think you win 'the cup' (claret ?) in David's words competition. Your suggestions are first rate and completely outclass my feeble brain. Also I prefer yours to Bungus's, even where similar. Jill was probably wise to keep out of it even though she would have scored well.

All we need now are the solutions.

And keep going with the haikus. What's a syllable between friends ?

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Quotation time .....

"A Hospital is no place to be sick"

Samuel Goldwyn

Isn't he just right ? It seemed to me that you can cope with Hospital reasonably well when you are getting better. But by then, being at home is much preferable. I know Bungus enjoyed the 'barrack room' aspect, but I didn't and don't. Privacy plus newspaper, laptop, radio, view, and Y, suits me much better.

Much the same - changeable weather

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The picture on the left was sent by Bungus and he describes it as "concrete sculpture of mother and child" and didn't tell me any more. No 50p piece for scale etc., - were it be be tiny it looks very like a prehistoric piece which were carved out of limestone and polished. This example turned up in Italy and has been dated to around 5,300 BC.

Bungus right correct to say 'mother and child' because you can't really use the term 'madonna and child' before the start of the Christian period.

Healthwise today has been much the same as yesterday. If I stop up long, the pain comes back but at least I have not been sick.

Lara, my disability practitioner, visited this afternoon to sort out what I actually need in terms of a grab-rail to enable access to the bath. I didn't want to be rude and sat in the bath room to discuss it. Ten minutes passed, then 15 and in the end I had to opt out

The Sunday Telegraph was good, and Y and I both like the magazine bit Seven which has some v.good people writing for it. Andrew Graham Dixon, The Art Historian is particularly astute. His recent essay about that 'worker with light' James Turrell was first class. Bungus and I were fortunate enough to see his installation "The Deershelter" at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

The Matt cartoon is great ! I haven't borrowed one recently and, as I photographed rather than downloaded it, I hope Matt would consider it 'fair use'.

Comments...... Jill ..... You were right about Nadal, and I lost a £1. Relieved Ro got his supper though.

It's hard to know where M & S obtain blackberries in early July ? We all are becoming so cynical - I don't believe Cornwall for a minute.

I don't think the rose is an Albertine - it is quite ancient and has moved around with us. I'll take a snap tomorrow and publish it.

Thank you for the osteoporosis update and, as you say, good news/bad news. You did well to 'strong-arm' (sorry !) the Dr. into prescribing the most appropriate drug. Young doctors must dread the arrival of formidable ladies armed with their Internet search results.

We wish you well with them, and keep us informed !

Bungus ..... As you all say. An excellent final which John McEnroe described as the best he had ever seen. I had listened on 5 live and very good it was too. Thanks for the Lovage/Borage info but I am amazed that some people now consider Comfrey poisonous. In recent years the healthfood lobby have trumpeted its many virtues.

Re Bunions. Y had both of hers done in the 1980s, on separate occasions and was in intense pain on each occasion. I built a metal cage of strong wire to keep the bed-clothes away and she wasn't allowed to stand on it for 6 weeks. No doubt things have improved. However, her feet are fine now and she is pleased she had them sorted.

Nice to hear about your Uncle Bill, the Wimbledon Champion. I think you should also have told people about his protruding teeth which enabled him to chew an apple through the racket he had just knitted.

I certainly intend to set some Borage seed next year. It sounds most useful.

anonymousrob ..... I agree about the final. Many commentators consider it the best ever. My only suggested edit to your brilliant Nadal haiku is in the last line where 'your' would read better than 'his'. And his full first name 'Ra-fa-el' would provide the correct syllable count.

I might have thought he was favourite to win but the gambling system in this house is a little odd. Y selects the one she favours and puts her £1 on, whereupon I am allowed to put my £1 on the other one. In this case Federer. It's easy really !

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Quotation time ...... Very apt this .....

"Summer has set in with its usual severity"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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Posh Sunday lunch - Stormy - Wimbledon

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Perhaps the above should be entitled "Undecided over Bill's mother's". Timed around 5.30pm and certainly dramatic.

I have actually been up today - in bursts of around 30mins - as soon as a twinge arrives it's back to bed. In two such bursts I managed to prepare a fully ripe melon for starters followed by sausage, mashed potato with plenty of butter and chives, carrots, shredded sweetheart cabbage and battered onion rings. Might sound an odd combination but my customer described it as excellent. She then took over and did fresh strawberries and ice-cream for pud.

The weather has indeed been stormy and the Wimbledon men's final is not yet finished. It's 8.20pm at the moment and poor Ro must be starving for his tea ! My £1 is on Federer and apparently if he does it it will be the first time in 325years that someone has pulled back from a two set deficit. He obviously is concerned about my £1.

Picture 2 is the bird bath in the rear garden and an old fashioned shrub rose that rambles all over the place. Each year I try with strong garden wire to hold it to the trellis for support but in really rough weather it always loses the battle. Smells nice though.

I hesitate to say that I am much better today. Last time I said it I was admitted to hospital 2 days later.

But I'll take a chance. Because I am more or less OK re sickness and much less pain.

David rang this afternoon having returned home from Carsington where their weather had been mixed. There is much fuss locally about a plan for 4 wind turbines there. He says he isn't anti wind turbines, thinking in fact that they can be very impressive, but why choose a beauty spot where people go to enjoy the scenery and the water. My point would be choose a more remote spot (no shortage in Derbyshire) and why only 4 ? 4 turbines don't generate much electricity and seem to have little more than nuisance value. Why not 20 ?

Comments ......... Jill ..... The usual reason for Clematis refusing to perform is dryness and surface heat around the main stem. Try tucking some slate or bricks or whatever round where it comes out of the ground. Failing that, as already suggested, go and get a spade and hold it up threateningly near the plant.

Brief research tells me that the treatment of Osteoporosis has indeed improved recently. In one bit I read it appears the bone degeneration can to some extent be reversed. It goes without saying that our love and best wishes are with you.

That ridiculous Cabinet minister. whose name I can't be bothered to remember, assures everyone that mixed wards are no longer a problem. Everyone knows they ARE - especially for ladies. Most reasonable men feel that ladies should be accorded dignity and respect and not forced to share manly noises and smells and things. When I was admitted, I felt so ill I wasn't really aware of my surroundings. But my retching and thrashing about was simply unfair on the other patients, of whatever sex. I should have been put in a side-room for their benefit rather than mine.

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So. 9.20pm and it is Nadal ! What a match. I've been keeping up on 5 live while blogging and I've lost my £1

... I'm off now. Sleep tight and I'll catch you tomorrow.

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Stormy weather - Wimbledon triumph

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The pictures today are all flowers (not The Trent, Rhine, or Mississippi as cryptic xword puzzlers might expect). The first is one of Y's favourite borders and always looks good, no matter what time of year. 3 years ago the lavender (in left hand golden section) looked well past it and we said it must go. We forgot, and ever since the plant has flowered prolifically - it just needed the threat.

Picture 2 is a Hosta at Bungus's and, amazingly, showing signs of snail damage. I say amazingly because Sandra's method of growing in pots and wrapping copper-strip around the circumference of the pot is usually a 100% off-put to the varmints.

Y's slug pellet method hardly works at all. Debra says she finally felt grown-up when she first bought a canister of slug-pellets. Incidentally we only use the environment/bird friendly variety.

Some friends always take out the flower spikes, being interested only in the foliage. But we both think the flowers have a certain grace and majesty. Hosta la vista in fact !

Number 3 is another Helen picture and looks to me like Comfrey but I'm willing to be shouted down by someone who actually knows.

Whatever - I like the restricted depth-of-field. She will probably say her camera was on 'auto' and she didn't control the shot.

Good though. Again ! and I love the colours.

Comfrey makes an interesting green vegetable even though it 'goes down' abit, like spinach. Excellent soup ingredient too and very good for you.

Our 14yr old Laura Robson did wonderfully well at Wimbledon. She won the ladies Junior singles title and although I only listened on 5 Live radio I picked up the general picture very well. Her win means she gets a wild-card to next year's adult competition. Lets hope she can keep it up.

Many congratulations also to Venus Williams for her win. I heard her interviewed on Today programme and the interviewer asked if she and her sister would pre-decide the result over breakfast. She found the suggestion offensive and I agreed with her.

Comments...... blogger ... who is obviously Bungus pressing the wrong button, tells us that the Bill's mother sky was on his little old Premier rather than his posh Sony. As is always said ad infinitum it's the photographer that counts, not his/her equipment.

Re Hospital. I was treated in The City and my forthcoming hernia-healing clinic will be there. Received the letter this morning. I also was worried by the lack of a posterior rectus sheath but I'm not that sort of boy anyway. Witty old you about 'being choked at the risk of strangulation' and your neighbour dispute reaching a hiatus.

Jill .... I don't think it is ALMOST worse for the hand-holder - it is definitely worse. The medical staff give the patient drugs and stuff to control pain - but they give the carer nothing. A few stiff drinks ought to be prescribed and provided. They won't even supply a cup of tea.

My clinic appointment is 18th July, but I know in advance that my Warfarin will cause operation problems. We all hope that your discussion of management options on Monday is successful. Y remembers that your Mum had osteoporosis too.

I think we all understand your point about 'the unemployed' and their differences.

And communal living can be many different sorts of thing. Like Bungus I've spent time in barracks. I would much rather have a bedspace in a warm barrackroom with a view than a solitary, cold cell with no window.

I think Y will be rooting for Nadal tomorrow. We will probably wager our customary £1 coin on the outcome.

AnonymousRob ....... Glad you are still giving the caravan some hammer. I think Saga FM transmogrified into Heart, not Smooth but I could be wrong.

I liked your Mum's galloping horse saying. The one I grew up with was "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind man on a galloping horse". Obviously a similar source.

I wish I could claim that my embedded haiku was deliberate, but it wasn't.

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Sleep tight ! Catch you tomorrow.



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Saturday morning - first post hospital blog

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A Bungus - 'Bill's mother's sky' - and is good and dramatic. My only concern is its distance away. It seems around 10 miles away which would be Bill's Gran's I think ?

The events of the last few days are too painful to recount in detail; so, here is a summary. I developed severe abdominal pains just up from the navel, on the left, and forming a band around my tummy, 6 inches deep. The pain was making me jumpy because there was no comfortable position. It went through to the kidney area and was so bad I couldn't stop vomiting even when I had nothing left to vomit. Taken to Hospital and eventually I was given drips to control the sickness and dehydration, and morphine for the pain. Then they gave me some more and eventually I passed out - as in 'fainted' rather than 'graduated'.

Poor lovely Y stopped with me till this point and then got a taxi home, arriving around 1.30am only to be woken by a text from me at 8.35am telling her that the consultant had seen me. His best bet is a 'spigelian' hernia which he can fix as a day patient.

There was a dearth of porters and first Tracy and then David pushed me to X-Ray etc., because I was supposed to have 2 X-Rays and they only took one, so I had to go back etc., etc.,...

My most comfortable position now is recumbent but I can sit up and stand, but not for long. My routine back/leg ache has continued throughout. Yvonne is better today but has been in a state of adrenalin-induced shock.

This Rose is just for her.

Comments.... Bungus .... and Reg ... thanks for your updating 'comments' so everyone knew the position. Thank God it didn't reach the stage of playing solemn music.

You learn something everyday. I didn't know that Red Cabbage juice reacted to acid/alkali like litmus. Is Jessica sure ?

AnonymousRob ..... As a fellow Dennis Skinner fan I am fairly sure he did say something like that. My particular favourite was when Roy Jenkins was going to Europe and said "I am leaving the House without rancour' His trouble with his 'r's resulted in something like 'w..ker'. Dennis immediately shouted "I thought you were taking David Marquand with you". A great man !

I am sure Helen will be delighted with your assessment of her 'tent picture' and it would be great if it earned her a bob or two.

And thank you very much for my personalised Haiku. That's a first ! It will be treasured.

Jill ..... sorry your comment apparently vanished - but I seem to remember that one appeared out of sync. Good to hear about your Woolfest and that you enjoyed it so. I checked out the blog yarnstorm hoping they might have been there, but no mention. Some fun pictures again though.

And I think your bird ID of a swift is prolly correct. I only noticed it when I processed the picture so have no real idea of size. It also occurred to me that the apparent 'red' was most probably the rays of the setting sun.

Bungus ..... My entry for the xword clue is WREATHE. i.e. an anagram of 'weather' to mean 'wind'.

Pleased the clinic trip was 'best ever'. And that, although a cock-up, your dentistry stands a chance of being sorted.

Many congratulations to Jessica on her Award !

There's nothing constructive to say about your neighbour dispute - other than things I have already e-mailed.

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Thank you all for your kind messages. and I am sure we all wish Brian S well. He is now back at home, with a new knee and after some initial problems he is now getting on fine, but in quite considerable pain

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Quotation time ................................ A wise old bird Russell ! Good at Arithmetic too !

"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted"

Bertrand Russell

Hope to catch you tomorrow. Hope the weather is kind for those following outdoor pursuits.




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Brief Blog - Recovery halted - Can't WoW

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The picture is the best I can do with a rather crumpled leaflet about Pennytown Ponds. But it gives some idea of the location and the original cottages.

Of necessity a brief blog again because sitting up is difficult again. I took Y shopping this morning but didn't do to well and have spent the rest of the day laying down. Painful.

Please excuse my lack of response to comments.

I certainly don't feel up to WoW-ing tomorrow and will contact Reg and Helen in due course.

See you soon !

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