A very busy day but nothing wrong with that. The above are separate pictures and hence separately click-able
John rang - they are back from their euro-touring in the camper-van and had had a great time. The side roads over the Pyrenees sounded a challenge; as did the whitewater canoeing on the Ardèche River.. Although they had taken their own canoe they hired one for the 3 chevron 'adventurous' section of the rapids. Main reason was the return journey for the canoe back to their starting point. With the hired one, the hirers took care of it.
John and Yvonne managed to capsize at a point where spectators gather on the bank in anticipation.
I had rung David, got no reply and assumed they were off somewhere enjoying the weather. They were. Helen had managed to obtain a last-minute cancellation to their favourite Blackwall Plantation which overlooks Carsington Water and is a very attractive place to be.
But we also managed to be in a very attractive place. Attenborough Nature Reserve where Miles was having a small birthday party for his school chums. And how nice it was. They cater for small parties and had laid it on just right for the age group. Apart from the usual party food their hostess Elle had organised a nature-trail which involved 'finding things in the woods' and then sticking them on sticky note-boards. But the highlight I think was the 'pond dipping'. Each child had a net with which to drag a pond, and the contents were tipped out and examined under magnifying glass/cum microscope. Everyone succeeded in a haul of creepy-crawlies and Hannah found a leech, but I don't think it was used medically.
My Picture 1 is a coot who managed to get herself on the wrong side of the wire from her chicks.
And Picture 2 is an Egyptian Goose. (at the top) But I could be wrong ! Miles's Uncle Mark, who works on the Reserve, took us to see a fairly rare Garganey.I managed the snap on the right but unfortunately the bird was 200 yards away and I didn't have my long-lens with me ! I'd left it in the car of course.
A pleasant surprise was bumping into Dennis with his wife and Mum and we stayed for ages chatting. They are now back for the summer and looking very well indeed.
My 'wheels' were a marvellous help and I managed a distance roughly 4 times what I would have managed just with sticks. As previously noted I am well aware of the ' does he take sugar?' syndrome. But I've decided not to worry about it. The answer is 'Not in tea, but just the one in coffee!' by the way.
Sorry about all those live links folks. I must be in didactic mode again.
Comments...... Bungus ...... We shall just have to agree to disagree about vibrant colours. But you aren't alone, our EPS Secretary isn't too keen either !
I didn't mean that I have ever used wild garlic in the kitchen. Just that the smell makes me think of cooking. There is such alot around though I guess I could try a soup !
My guess is that Jill will be a little more organised than you, in the matter of Picasa folders. If one gives each folder a clear title, the title appears in the left hand column and things are not difficult to find. In fact Picasa's 'filing system' is one of the best around. And if you are searching for a picture, don't forget the 'search box' in the top right hand corner of the window. Type in a word and Picasa will find the picture 9 times out of 10.
Jill ..... I like 'domestic crise' as a plural of crisis. Is that what it is? Or did you coin it? Sympathies with you about the actual events though.
Fancy Cunard hiding a swimming pool ! How inconsiderate.
Quotation time ........
"I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good"
Seneca
Seneca
With you there old chap !
..... This is to be one of my own icons for future use whenever I pointedly disagree !
Have a good week. Sorry for those who have to go back to work - let us just hope that the sunshine continues.
By the way my google page-ranking seems to have gone back to zero and I miss that reassuring green bit. I shall have to research why ?
p.s. There was a happy ending to Picture 1. Mother Coot and chicks were eventually reunited.
..... This is to be one of my own icons for future use whenever I pointedly disagree !Have a good week. Sorry for those who have to go back to work - let us just hope that the sunshine continues.
By the way my google page-ranking seems to have gone back to zero and I miss that reassuring green bit. I shall have to research why ?
p.s. There was a happy ending to Picture 1. Mother Coot and chicks were eventually reunited.
oooooooooooooOooooooooooooo
3 comments:
Some readers may recall my mentioning that I had eaten squirrel.
According to a near half page article in this week’s Observer, it is now regarded as a delicacy in places as far apart as Cornwall and Northumberland.
Game Shops in both places say thay can sell as many as they can get and are struggling to meet the demand (one has sold over a thousand this year at £3.50 a go). They say two will feed 3 people; I’d say one each.
The 2 shopkeepers differ on flavour (I would say tough rabbit); one says ‘wild boar’ the other says ‘a cross between duck and lamb’ (imagine one of those walking down the street).
They reckon its appeal is partly due to ‘greenness’ (no road miles) and partly to protection of their red cousins. There is a plentiful supply (estimated 5 million in Britain).
Suggested recipes? Southern Fried Squirrel, Tandooried Squirrel, Squirrel with sausage meat and bacon, Squirrel fricaseed with Cornish cream and walnuts. But the favourite is Cornish Squirrel Pasty (for which a recipe is given).
I’ll certainly give it a go again.
Glad the coot was reunited with her chick. They always seem to manage it after many repetitive failed attempts.
At Ollerton Pit Woods (the old pit tip) we had a swan which was similarly on the wrong side of the wire for about a fortnight until it realised it had wings!
We visited Blackwall Plantation a couple of times when we had a van.
I remember exceptionally steep hills and no birds (it being in the middle of a gloomy pine forest but with nice little clearings for four to eight vans).
’Wheel him in’ will take over a whole new meaning. Pleased they are freeing you up. (‘But does he take milk?).
I am sure I have recipes for wild garlic if you want me to look.
Thanks for the info on finding snaps in Picasa. My problem is that I give files a name like ‘flowers’ when they also contain steam engines.
But I was unaware of 'search' and will give it a try.
I’ve done it and it worked!
’Crises’ is the plural but I see no reason to not accept ‘crise’ as an alternative
I like the quote. Wasn’t Seneca the chap who invented laxatives?
Your 'duck you' version of two fingers is lovely.
I recall seeing a duck do that and a moorhen nipped in and bit its bum before swiftly retiring. The duck swiftly surfaced and I will swear looked puzzled and affronted.
I once did a similar moorhen thing in the dinner queue at school. There was a second cousin of mine, Donald Renshaw (of whom I had previously been unaware) in the same Form. He was a morose, unfriendly lad with a chip on his shoulder (he did come from Skegby) and I didn’t like him. So, one day, I leaned forward in the dinner queue and smacked him on the back of the head before swiftly withdrawing and assuming an innocent pose.
I am glad I did, because some time later we started (unsupervised) boxing in the gym at dinner time (I had one bout against a close friend which ended up even). We gave encouragement to another friend who we thought would give Don a good hiding. But it transpired that Don was an amateur boxer of considerable skill and power (compared with the rest of us - he had a six-pack before anyone had heard of six-packs) and he took Mike apart ruthlessly.
What the hell is ‘google page-ranking’?
Do you make things up just to bother me?
Jill:
I thought your two different swimming pools were the same one. Are you sure you just didn’t come upon it from a different direction? Perhaps there was only one pool and they told you there were three just to make it sound better?
It sounds like Tesco. My dad always said that they moved things around weekly just to irritate him; a personal vendetta.
Things usually happen in threes.
Sometimes it works well.
In the week before we moved from the pub the microwave, the washing machine and the dishwasher all broke down so we didn’t have to take them with us.
One interesting thing about the move was that none of Sandra’s underwear arrived at the destination. So she had to borrow some knickers (those that appear to have little holes all over) from our neighbour who was and is twice her size. And, oddly enough, the same thing happened to my favourite aunt when she moved house (but she didn't borrow off our neighbour).
So, everyone, beware knicker-snatching removal men.
More mysogony
“And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke”.
(Kipling)
Some readers may recall my mentioning that I had eaten squirrel.
According to a near half page article in this week’s Observer, it is now regarded as a delicacy in places as far apart as Cornwall and Northumberland.
Game Shops in both places say thay can sell as many as they can get and are struggling to meet the demand (one has sold over a thousand this year at £3.50 a go). They say two will feed 3 people; I’d say one each.
The 2 shopkeepers differ on flavour (I would say tough rabbit); one says ‘wild boar’ the other says ‘a cross between duck and lamb’ (imagine one of those walking down the street).
They reckon its appeal is partly due to ‘greenness’ (no road miles) and partly to protection of their red cousins. There is a plentiful supply (estimated 5 million in Britain).
Suggested recipes? Southern Fried Squirrel, Tandooried Squirrel, Squirrel with sausage meat and bacon, Squirrel fricaseed with Cornish cream and walnuts. But the favourite is Cornish Squirrel Pasty (for which a recipe is given).
I’ll certainly give it a go again.
Glad the coot was reunited with her chick. They always seem to manage it after many repetitive failed attempts.
At Ollerton Pit Woods (the old pit tip) we had a swan which was similarly on the wrong side of the wire for about a fortnight until it realised it had wings!
We visited Blackwall Plantation a couple of times when we had a van.
I remember exceptionally steep hills and no birds (it being in the middle of a gloomy pine forest but with nice little clearings for four to eight vans).
’Wheel him in’ will take over a whole new meaning. Pleased they are freeing you up. (‘But does he take milk?).
I am sure I have recipes for wild garlic if you want me to look.
Thanks for the info on finding snaps in Picasa. My problem is that I give files a name like ‘flowers’ when they also contain steam engines.
But I was unaware of 'search' and will give it a try.
I’ve done it and it worked!
’Crises’ is the plural but I see no reason to not accept ‘crise’ as an alternative
I like the quote. Wasn’t Seneca the chap who invented laxatives?
Your 'duck you' version of two fingers is lovely.
I recall seeing a duck do that and a moorhen nipped in and bit its bum before swiftly retiring. The duck swiftly surfaced and I will swear looked puzzled and affronted.
I once did a similar moorhen thing in the dinner queue at school. There was a second cousin of mine, Donald Renshaw (of whom I had previously been unaware) in the same Form. He was a morose, unfriendly lad with a chip on his shoulder (he did come from Skegby) and I didn’t like him. So, one day, I leaned forward in the dinner queue and smacked him on the back of the head before swiftly withdrawing and assuming an innocent pose.
I am glad I did, because some time later we started (unsupervised) boxing in the gym at dinner time (I had one bout against a close friend which ended up even). We gave encouragement to another friend who we thought would give Don a good hiding. But it transpired that Don was an amateur boxer of considerable skill and power (compared with the rest of us - he had a six-pack before anyone had heard of six-packs) and he took Mike apart ruthlessly.
What the hell is ‘google page-ranking’?
Do you make things up just to bother me?
Jill:
I thought your two different swimming pools were the same one. Are you sure you just didn’t come upon it from a different direction? Perhaps there was only one pool and they told you there were three just to make it sound better?
It sounds like Tesco. My dad always said that they moved things around weekly just to irritate him; a personal vendetta.
Things usually happen in threes.
Sometimes it works well.
In the week before we moved from the pub the microwave, the washing machine and the dishwasher all broke down so we didn’t have to take them with us.
One interesting thing about the move was that none of Sandra’s underwear arrived at the destination. So she had to borrow some knickers (those that appear to have little holes all over) from our neighbour who was and is twice her size. And, oddly enough, the same thing happened to my favourite aunt when she moved house (but she didn't borrow off our neighbour).
So, everyone, beware knicker-snatching removal men.
More mysogony
“And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke”.
(Kipling)
We arrived back from our caravan yesterday lunchtime (Elaine had to go to work) after a glorious weekend in the sun. I took advantage of the weather yesterday to follow RG's lead and give the car a good 'bottoming'. After an hour and a quarter of
hoovering it out I decided it was worth 5 quid for the local Albanians to give it a hand wash.
I am on the verge of getting my new contract at work after my current employers eventually got it right and agreed to my request for leave of absence or a sabbatical as they choose to call it. It's a complicated situation but, basically, I have left their employment but have a right to go back on the same salary band but not to the same job. Anyway, I am gainfully employed on a good salary until 31 March 2009.
Yesterday I also watched, via my PC, the denouement to the Premiership season and am more than happy to offer my congratulations to ManU. Despite Wigan not getting a penalty they should have had, I think Utd were always the likely winners. Good for the romantics that Giggsy got the second goal to seal the victory.
I love the 'bottoms up' picture and am sure it will work well as a statement.
Wasn't Kipling a weird person? Has anyone seen My Son Jack?
Rob
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