Sunday 31 July 2011

Raindrops bring Rose Buds


You know how on my previous blog post (if you read it, and if you did, I love you to bits) I hit a bit of a low on how things can get a bit mundane and I was beginning to wonder what I was doing and why I was doing it  and what time the pub opens and all the meaning of life and that! Well, our 16year old grand daughter is staying with us for part of her holiday and  I was talking about it to her. Like most of the young generation she is cities ahead of me in computer savvy. Apparently the latest thing on the blogging scene is something called Tumblr - http://www.tumblr.com/explore  I'd never heard of it before. I had a browse through the site and have to say I really like what they've got to offer. I haven't signed up for anything yet, but it's worth a look. She did point out that only young people go on it and it's not for old grans like me! But if not - why not? What do you think?

Friday 29 July 2011

Blog Block



Maybe it's  the time of year or is anyone else having a touch of blogging fatigue! I like blogging. I like reading all your blogs out there. I started my first blog in 2009, but the things I did last year and the year before, I'm doing again this year.  How do you keep your blog posts sparkling and riveting? They're good, they are!

Conversation with Dearly Beloved tonight.
'You haven't put anything up since July 24th'.
'I never had any visitors today'.
'Not surprised - it's boring!'
'Oh!'
'I'm going to bed. Goodnight!'

Sunday 24 July 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday

We've had a week of windy, grey, wet weather, but today the sun is shining it is, it is!

Shadows of a rickety wrought iron gate.


Shadows of Crocosmia and Virginia Creeper on the wall.


Shadows on the washing basket - the washing will soon be dry!


It's so hot and I feel so lazy.

Have a cool Sunday!



















Friday 22 July 2011

When Dave met Jilly


A few blog posts back John was enquiring about the identity of Dave - http://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/2011/07/who-is-dave.html. The follow up comments were brilliantly funny. Thanks folks! Apparently Dave now has a new friend called Jilly
Jilly makes a comment on your post and then when you click a response, there she is trying to sell to the unsuspecting!

About fifteen years ago we went on holiday to Majorca. We were ambling along the main drag like you do when you're on holiday, when this youth struck up a conversation.
'How ya doing?'
'We're OK!'
'Enjoying your holiday?'
'Yes it's good.'
'I'm working over here until September - need to raise some money for when I go back to uni.' (grimaces)
'I've got this job inviting people to look over some new time share apartments. They're doing a presentation there today. Would you like to go and have a look? There's absolutely no obligation. No catch, honest! Well yeah, I do get a bit of commission for introducing you.'
With that he hailed a taxi and he did seem a nice hard working sort of a lad.
We found ourselves in strange territory and were escorted into the reception room of a sort of hotel. The over friendly receptionist asked us to wait a moment while she got us a drink and then would take all our details! Ah!! The seconds we were by ourselves my Other Half elbowed me and whispered, ' Quick. lets get out of here!' We bolted through a side entrance like rabbits down a rabbit hole! Not a clue where we were, we got out to the road and caught the nearest service bus wherever it happened to be going As luck happened it was actually going back the way we'd come!

Six years ago we went back on another holiday to Palma Nova in Majorca. We were approached by a young man in sunglasses - ' How would you like to win a bottle of wine? Are you a home owner blah, blah blah.'
The answer was 'No, definitely not!'
We watched as he and his blond pony tailed girlfriend targeted the obvious like us., They hailed a taxi and we watched the occupants disappear out of sight. Looks familiar! Not long before a stern faced policia el guardia arrived. He didn't seem to want to win a bottle of wine either and no amount of smiling and gesturing seem to sway him. The sunglasses hid the 'Oh Sh*t! expression in their eyes and then they disappeared out of sight as they went for a ride in a Policia taxi!





Tuesday 19 July 2011

Vegetating

When there's more week at the end of your money, what do you do with yourself all day?
Because of where we live and what we do, I often find myself in solitary confinement so to speak! Sometimes (not that there's anything wrong with that), but sometimes I wonder what city life would be like. Perhaps you just swap one loneliness for another! I was touched by John's latest post It's tough when friends have to leave!
My family and friends are my world! I think I started getting interested in gardening to fill a void. It was exciting when things actually started to grow. It's hard to feel down when when you're scrabbling around in the soil and you can see where you've been. Anyway here's a quick tour of what I've been up to today



I've been planting marrows up hoops. I planted a couple of asparagus corms I bought for 10p at an end of sale, passed their sell-by (tell me about it :( They grew :0) And a piece of root ginger I bought from the supermarket last year - it grew !!


Beetroot


Tomatoes


...... and cucumbers


..... and lawnmowers - but that's the other department!






Saturday 16 July 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday


  • Another Shadow Shot Sunday has collided with no posts in between! Busy Summer!


The Toll Bridge across the Mawddach estuary to Barmouth





Have a good weekend!













Saturday 9 July 2011

Old Rex



JCB Rex heyday 1964



International Tractor Rex heyday 1961

Shadow Shot Sunday










Tuesday 5 July 2011

The Wheels on the Bus ........


We went on a coach trip yesterday to Llandudno. The weather was fantastic. The coach was a little bit late in arriving but we followed the queue boarding and sat down three seats from the front on the offside. I sat next to the window and the passing traffic. Hubs sat on the inside seat.


We were heading up the A494 through Denbigh along the by-pass. The coach seemed to lose speed a little and I gave a sharp intake of breath. We were veering dangerously close towards a lorry along side the window where I was sitting. It seemed like little more than a coat of paint between us! Yikes! Hubs nudged my elbow and motioned towards the driver's mirror. We could see in the mirror, the driver's eyelids starting to droop and he seemed to be constantly leaning forward and then jolting back. The low babble of conversation of the other passengers droned on totally unaware. From time to time he was running his hand across his forehead to the back of his head and yawning every few minutes. By this time we were batting along about 50 mph. Anybody who drives anything, will easily recognise the signs.


We came to a sharpish bend and the coach started to shudder and jerk. The lady in the seat behind us mimicked it and laughed loudly. Hubs whispered to me, "I think the track rod end might have gone." Now my O/H worked on the mechanics of coaches and the like, for quite a few years in his younger days and knows a lot about them. He explained that the track rod end is a piece of equipment at the end of the steering track. When it goes wrong it causes the vehicle to shudder and veer. The vibration can very easily cause the steel around it to disintegrate. We got to our destination, thankfully. In these austere times, I wonder how many more of these companies are cutting back and taking risks. It doesn't bear thinking about! We were the lucky ones but what about the people who would be going out in the bus after us?

Sunday 3 July 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday

It seems like one Shadow Shot Sunday has collided with another! I quite like to post something in between them but it's been one of those weeks when although a lot of the usual happened during the week, it all seems mundane. And the way I look at it - if you've got nothing worth saying, you're better off saying nothing - so here we go!


I took my shadow shot today from the little wooden bridge about a mile from where we live. The railway line seems to run for ever, though in truth it only heads up as far as the little seaside town of Aberystwyth before diverting down along the west coast. The sun has been glorious today. I wish I could have been on the beach there!


But the country walk along the single track lane over the bridge is gorgeous too. I love the areas of dappled shade and the shadows of the trees splayed across the road, keeping you cool.



We had our annual village fete yesterday. It was great. All the usual things like Hoopla, seeing if you could make the bell ring with the sledge hammer (one for the boys, that one!) tombola, dancing around the May Pole (even if it was 2nd July) and different games for the village school children. Cake stalls and Produce stalls - I was helping out on the Plant Stall. And tables and chairs where you could sit down and have a cup of tea and a piece of cake,if you wanted to when it all got too much!
Just behind our stall, there was an art exhibition. About four or five years ago one of the local ladies contracted an illness which eventually confined her to a wheelchair. She has created some of the most amazingly beautiful pictures of local scenes and birds and animals. Truly inspiring.
It was such a lovely day.


Hope you've had a good weekend too!