Hot but not dry "Down Under"

I have just seen the pom's New Years Eve blog photo's,looks a bit warmer than here,I noticed that Sam thePom has started boozing and smoking before washing the paint off his hand,white emulsion I think.
I have an appointment to look at a sign job on monday but don't think I shall enjoy the same working weather as Toowoomba, its a cold frosty morning at O centigrade here,introducing thoughts of Florida into my noggin.
A small glass of whisky is probably the only New Year Celebration I shall indulge in,with maybe a glass of wine to precede it,speaking of wine I dont think the $5 bargain purchased by Mary Sue in Kansas will be top notch,though I would willingly share it with her if the occasion arose,just to pass judgement of course, Montana has been cycling and complains about strong headwinds , down here on the prairie they bring you to a halt even in easy pedalling gear.
The Le Blades are still not 100% after picking up the "Sheffield Virus"during their visits to Bramall Lane and Meadowhall, it seems the whole of Sheffield are suffering some kind of bronchial infection,and" Ozzie Geoff" the vicar sounded croakie on the phone when I spoke to him at the Chapel on Norfolk Street,and his dear wife is" suffering" in Darwin at the moment,he says the Ozzies only ring us up to torment us about the weather.
Sheila has gone out to the shops in Mablethorpe,though I think it is just a "stir crazy" outing rather than major shopping trip,as we have been a bit lonely after Gina left, and we don't see many people here other than vehicles passing on the road 40 yards away,and Paddy the tramp on his daily walkabout ,he now has a shopping trolley of the type old ladies take on the bus,so he is motorised at last,though still laden down on one arm with carrier bags .

"Mickie"

Mickey finn was a Chicago Irish bar owner who fixed drinks to knock out his customers and rob them,so it came into general use as a very strong drink,though i believe the original "mickies" were laced with drugs.
It seems Sonia has an allergy to shopping,bad news for Meadowhall but good news for Michael.
I have "found" the "lost" keys so the Christmas festivities were an astounding success,and all is well here on the prairie.

Mickey Finned

Yesterday was spent eating boozing and watching tv,Sheila mickey finned me and Gina with very large campari aperitivo's,and then we went on to Champagne,not the cheap imitation but real champagne.
Today Gina and me were thinking of going for a boxing day swim,but settled for a walk on the sea front,and then visited one of our neighbours and chatted for a while,then I caught the second half of the Stoke Man U game,the weather has been sunny but cold,which is forecast for Saturday as well,tonight will be soaps after dinner,and more champagne(cheap stuff this time) not visited Le Blades as they are all poorly with colds.
Spoke to Liam yesterday at Sonia's,on todays photo he looks like Bluto with the beard and "slight" stature.

Not Redington Beach

Monday was a lovely day ,unbroken sunshine and 56 fahrenheit, alas today its cloudy though still warm at 52f,I was envying the Poms their weather,and remembering me and Gina's traditional Christmas day swim in the gulf of Mexico,when we used to have our Christmases there,the water was around 65 f,and air temperature around 75 f. I am homesick.
The Montanas are off to Nebraska where no winter swimming will be possible, though no doubt it will be sunny and cold,with snow,we are having christmas here on the prairie,with Gina,not quite the same as redington beach on the pinellas coast,and we will not be swimming on Christmas day in the 40f. North Sea.
Sheila is stocking up enough grub to feed an army though no doubt she will deny this,and today she is threatening to make a game pie of gargantuan proportions! though much healthier than the Brazilian pie that Mike Montana unwisely purchased.
Mole traps have so far been ineffective,and Bob the goose has bought a couple to set ,though as yet no success there either.
Le blade was at Bramall Lane for the game on saturday,which we saw on sky tv the blades gave away a goal in the 5 minutes of extra time which for reasons known only to himself,the ref added on,The Millers won away at Accrington Stanley,which is the team covered by Gina's radio station,as Blackburn demanded thousands of pounds to allow them to cover their games.

Haybaling in Winter

Wednesday I had an early morning call from Bob the Goose at the goose farm,it seems he had purchased two large round bales of hay,and needed help to convert them to small bales,to sell on to local horsey types(,having sold all the produce of his own hayfield) this entailed loosening the big bales and feeding them into a machine to create small square bales,easy if the machine functions ok,this of course was not the case,and we spent two hours trying to unblock the thing hitting it with iron bars and poking out blocked up hay.
So once we were up and running it took 3 hours of pitchforking to complete the job,speaking to Le Blade on the phone later I offered to give him my voluntary job at Bob's but he declined to accept it,and gleefully informed me he had been for a stroll on the beach during my bout of hard labour,and probably was imbibing a little cider which is his favourite drink,madame Le Blade was recovering from her Rotterdam visit by undergoing coaching on her new laptop,by her daughter,which she confidently predicted she would have forgotten 5 minutes after her daughter left.
Le Grande Edward has loaned me a mole trap as the little bugger is creating hills at a rate of knots(notice the maritime reference a legacy of the north sea crossing), I had set it before my hard labour at Bob's,but Edward decided to visit just in case,and so Sheila enjoyed a chat with him and his dear wife,who doubles as president of the W I.
Poor Montana Mike is not fully recovered from his unwise purchase of a pasty in Brazil,and his blog is once again a tirade against the political establishment in America,and not helped much by having to remove snow from his drive and back porch,a job I carried out for him last february in a quarter of the time he has taken,and I also snowballed his two dogs at the same time.

Pride of Rotterdam

A life on the ocean wave is a bracing way to live,inside the ship it is nice and warm,and there is a gentle rocking motion to calm the nerves of the elderly,the "Pride of Rotterdam" is a nice enough ship,and during the crossing,cabaret and all you care to eat buffet is a way of passing the evening,Le Blade was obsessed by the young lady singer,while I watched football on television,the ladies played bingo,and we all had a few drinks.
Rotterdam is a lovely city,though the fresh north sea breeze can be a trial to the not so hardy visitor,I would recommend it to all the people who have done me a bad turn,with barely a second thought.
Doughnuts are a speciality of the street vendors,and fortunately they are much more sanitised than the Brazilian street vendors,and no one suffered upsets of the stomach.
Those looking for a change of scenery on a limited budget would be well advised not to visit the town as it is a little pricey,the journey from the ferry to the city is interesting,there are numerous oil storage tanks giving of the enervating smell of diesel and petrol,and various other noxious smells which it is not possible to place.
All in all it does require the visitor to have a good sense of humour,and travel with companions of a similar ilk,and treat it all as an adventure,do not be fooled by the similar spelling of Rotterdam and my home town Rotherham,the latter is a positive garden of eden if the two are compared.
P& O ferries have managed to hire a female announcer who would have made a good nazi prison camp guard,and I am sure she woke us with the words"outer shittu" and Le Blade agrees that these were her words.
We went bowling this afternoon and Le Blade released lots of methane gas very quietly,a result I think of his gorging at the buffet last night, I can only hope the other bowlers thought it was the farmers muckspreading outside,we lauded our trip to the skies and could not speak highly enough of holland,which on reflection is a bit naughty of us.

Pigs and Carols en Le Marsh

Last night I carried the collection tub at the village carol singing,no I did not sing,before Mike Montana asks,it was cold and showers of rain,but me and Le Blade had been told there was mulled wine at the end of it,turned out to be coffee and mince pies,you can't trust anybody these days.
We discussed pig farming with Farmer Ben who had been roped in on the promise that he could wear his new overalls,which were initially bought for Christmas ,he did well at the show of pigs in Skegness walking away with three prizes,at one stage of our perambulations he walked away saying we would get him into trouble,but came back to the fold when we assured him this would not happen.
I think a fair amount was raised for the lifeboat,which relies entirely on voluntary contributions,and recieves no funding at all from the government.
There seems to be a problem with the Poms blog,it is not allowing us to view,hope this is not delberate.

Missed opportunity

The trip to lincoln turned out to be a missed opportunity,we missed most of the stalls,as they were in the castle,and we were busy in a couple of pubs so next year we shall know where to look,and it could save us a few bob on booze.
Sheila will probably give a more detailed account,and so I will leave it at that.
Mike montana seems to have enjoyed his Brazil trip,though he does seem to have gone soft,and can't take the roughing it any more.
Lovely day today,cloudless skies and up to 7 c. I wired up some outside lights in yhe front garden,and raked up the fallen leaves,then watched football on tv.

I'm goin down to Lincoln Town...

Painted some posters for a London customer this morning, and despatched them this afternoon,now waiting for the trip to Lincoln City on the number 10 pensioners special friday morning,this could be hilarious as a number of us are going en bloc,and I have visions of false teeth,walking sticks and zimmer frames all sliding about on the upper deck,if our previous trip is anything to go on.
Cockney Lily is hoping to get the front seat butI think she may be club tripped ,it could be just like a bunch of schoolkids running riot,I shall give a full report of events on our return.

Sheffield weekend

Today is cheap labour day on behalf of the WI,I have done some small signs and along with Le Blade will be roped in to put out chairs at the village hall this afternoon,along with other menial tasks no doubt.
The weekend was a mixed event,starting with deliveries and calling in at meadowhall shopping centre,a penance at any time and more so as it was packed out with shoppers,so much for credit crunch talk.
Saturday was spent listening to the panto girls chattering,and my Rotherham informant told me that Sam thePom is still up to his old tricks bending the rules of golf,no doubt he will deny this but it was a very reliable source.
It is amazing how soon you get used to uncrowded living,the mall seemed like something going on in bedlam,and the traffic seemed horrendous,but was no doubt just the everyday normality,and I have no desire to return to the big city at all.
The skies are crowded with various avian types here on the prairie,yesterday I spotted a heron on its way to farmer joe's pond for its supper of fresh golden carp,and the kestrel is out and about looking for its prey,4 ducks are swimming around at Farmer joe's ,and thrushes,blackbirds ,sparrows,robins and wrens are sharing the hens food when they turn their backs.
I thought of my old pal Brian Thornton when I was up in Sheffield and sadly I can no longer call for a chat ,I always think of him when I am doing posters and remember the little private jokes we had,it would have been nice to call at his workshop for a game of darts.
Update PM,due to my painting the poster and putting it on my blog,there may be those who think I have got religion,I am a died in the wool Atheist and do not welcome e mails of ANY religious bent,and particularly those which exhort me to forward them to a number of others,they will not be forwarded so there is no point in sending them to my e mail address,as I would not wish others to feel they are duty bound to foist them on people.
This also goes for any type of e mail whatever the content which asks me to forward them to a specified number of people,I will forward humerous e mails to people who are selected by me .

A labour of love

This is for Montana Mike,to show that where money is concerned principle is out of the window,I painted it this morning for a church in Sheffield, but in the present climate who cares if I help to convert one or two of the residents of southey green,and I need the money.

He is a little mixed up at the moment politically,as he is confusing capitalism with socialism,different economic systems,though his confision is understandable in view of the United States governments adoption of nationalisation to help solve the crisis of capitalism,it's tantamount to an admission that capitalism is inferior to socialism.

Maybe this is what all the arguments were about in Casey's Bar Montana? I can imagine the local Palin (not michael),types getting all riled up about the relative merits of the two economic systems.

Weather here is sunny and windy,temperature around 10c,though light rain showers are forecast during the night.

Lots of football on tv this week and Liverpool won again in Europe last night, this coming sunday sees the Manchester derby,and Chelsea v Arsenal both on tv.

Ciao Graham

Castles in Yorkshire

Back home again on the prairie,the roads were a bit dicy after caenby corner so we were slow in getting home,the wedding of the millenium at the Castle in the Yorkshire countryside was a long drawn out affair,and the thought of how much it all cost brought a tear to my eye.
"Our" Gina looked very posh in her outfit,and Andrew was suitably attired in a suit,poor lad was lodged in a travelodge,and we took him to our posh hotel and made him a little jealous.
There were a lot of different ethnic groupings including Americans ,who were of course subjected to mickey taking by yours truly.
Now that its all over we can settle back into our semi comatose normal existance,I don't know what is planned in the village so more on that later.

Hun 1 Blighty 2

Last night our brave forces embarked on a mission to the heart of enemy territory,Berlin,on reaching their objective bombs were released on to the target,while trying to hold a steady course there was a misunderstanding between the captain and tail end charlie,the aircraft took slight damage,but the captain used his head ,and resolved the situation .
They have now plotted their return course cleverly mapped out by their navigator Fabulo Hair ,(a gentleman of latin origin),across a hostile continent,and are returning to an airfield "somewhere in England",to a tune on their bbc radio "the dambusters march" .
So well done to captain "jonny" and his crew from a grateful nation.

By our correspondent at an airfield somewhere in Lincolnshire

What the Dickens???

Today was a late start and after fetching a paper from the village,I painted some posters for Big Geoff in Sheffield,he is doing his Dickens reading in December which is very good as his former occupation was as an actor,he featured in a film with Mel Gibson when they were both very much younger in Australia,I think the date is 18th December in the evening,he usually gets some publicity for it in the Sheffield Star.
Sunny but windy here on the prairie today,and looking out to the west as I write ,the sunset is as good as the much vaunted Florida Sunset.
Tonight is the "friendly" football match with Germany,though it looks as though it could be a reserve team that Capello is fielding.
One of the posters I did is for a carol service for Sheffield Deaf Club! I honestly have not made that up, I had visions of the city centre nightclubs complaining about the noise,and before anyone takes me to task for mocking the deaf,its an affliction I suffer from myself,so no overly sensitive complaints thank you! does come in handy though when people ask for money.
Looking at the dog video on Mike Montana's blog,I wonder if he is insensitive to dog halitosis? as he did appear to kiss one of the dogs,and it looked rather a sloppy kiss to boot.
Breaking news is that Sonia has booked at a restaurant for a family meal for around 13 ,but unfortunately it's for tonight and the England game is on TV,dare they send in sick notes?

Deery me!

This morning I went up to the village for a paper,returning down" Maltby straight " a deer ran across the road in front of the car heading up towards the top of farmer joe's field where I spotted them before.
Just thought I would share that breaking news with you,as you may have gathered such things are big events here in the country.
News on the village street is that Madame Renee Le Blade has now got her bus pass,and is giving serious consideration to a trip to Lincoln City on the Number 10,I hope she is able to find space in the zimmer frame park and ride area at the bus stop,though I am told by Cockney Lily that she has the front upstairs seat reserved for her and her dearest! could be ructions on the pensioner special.
Having tried this particular voyage I can only refer you to a previous blog describing the event.
Weather was lovely and sunny yesterday and I did a little tidying up in the garden,and took a cutting she requested, to Anne our other neighbour, cleaned out the two blue tit nest boxes and will let them dry out for a day or so before replacing them,today has started a little cloudy and I think rain is forecast for later.
Montana Mike looks as if the fasting diet is over with and he is back cycling with his new chums
encountered on the road,stoked up on chocolate biscuits.
Thats it for now Graham

At last I'm found.

I was just watching Eddie Izzard on u tube denigrating religion,as recommended by Montana Mike,when a well dressed young man came up the drive and started to push a leaflet through the front door,I went out and confronted him,and it turns out the dreaded jehova's witnesses have found us out here on the prairie!after a short conversation the intruder left,and I wonder if it's a sign? the chickens were helpful in voicing their opinion as to his message,with their chorus of "CLUCK OFF" or at least thats what it sounded like to me.
The weather is bright and breezy today,and not a little free and easy I suppose,"chooks" are out enjoying it and Sheila has ventured out today to the shops,I am toying with the idea of placing a large sign on the gate to the effect that only atheists bearing gifts are welcome to place messages through our door.
Yesterday we were visited by Peggy and Mick who are 2 year immigrants from Rotherham,and for some reason do not miss their home town in the least,Mick and me solved all the political problems of the world over a small afternoon whisky,(one of the perks of being aged) and there were no differences of opinion as we are both of a similar political leaning,two old revolutionaries gloating at the failure of capitalsm,and wondering what will happen to our investments,and reflecting on the dumbing down of the financial times.

Montana mike is not sleeping after embarking on a fasting diet? could it be that we are meant to eat food and that he is a little mistaken in his eternal quest for the holy grail of the perfect way of life extension? who knows,maybe his solution lies with the Jehova's.
Thats all for now folks Graham

Sheffield Visit

Attended Brian's funeral at Sheffield not a happy day,but I did meet up with an old aquaintance and friend of Brian's,Graham the tidiest mechanic in the world,his workshop was immaculately tidy and orderly,we talked about old times with Brian,and though it was a sad event had a little laugh about them.
I came back through firvale and it all seemed very shabby and dreary,but I did see my poster on St Cuthberts notice board advertising their November Fete,it looked good even if I say so myself.
Sheffield is the home of speed humps,and as they force you to drive in low gear,I am sure they must increase traffic emissions,there seems no sense in them in that respect ,though they may reduce speeding,except for the car stealers who don't care and just drive like maniacs in someone's car they have pinched,the roads in south yorkshire are dreadful and surely the money spent on speed humps would be better spent repairing the roads.
Today is bright and sunny if a little cool,Sheila still has a cold and I have cleaned out the chicken hut,and shopped for a few essentials, a consummation devoutly to be wished.
Spoke to the Poms on the phone as they are over here on what Sam the pom says is an "all inclusive holiday"which Sandra's little boy is so kindly treating them to!!
I almost forgot,I called in Meadowhall to use the lavatorial facilities and can't see why Madame Le Blade is so enamoured of the place,it's full of people and you can't walk around for them,I briefly toyed with the idea of buying a cappucino,but there was'nt enough money in my account to afford it.
Anthony Montana is having a little deranged period over there in Kansas City, and his lates fad is fasting,though his day starts with a GARGANTUAN breakfast,and having encountered the Shoney Yankee breakfast,it's not possible to eat anything for a full day,so I think there is an element of self delusion involved in this fasting.


Called in at Asda off the parkway to look for a breadmaker,but did not find one,leaving there I called to see"our Joe"that bit is for Mary Sue,he seems in good humour and it seems they are now into cruises,and have already booked a mediterranean criuse for next may,they became hooked after a cruise to the canaries this year,all a bit of an upgrade from a week in a caravan atChapel St leonards,and he is adamant they have not won the lottery,left him half a dozen of Sheila's chook eggs,and drove sedately home to the little house on the prairie,which I think is a different world to the great metropolis of Sheffield.

Fowl Weather

It seems there has been some kind of election going on in America,people are all excited and emotional,I really must keep up with these things,at the risk of not becoming a high court judge.
To serious matters Arsenal are not playing at all well,and Liverpool scraped a draw with a gift penalty,Rotherham United are again winners in their cup quarter final,and have the best record of any of the teams playing in Sheffield.
It is raining this morning again,I suppose Anglian water will be imposing a hose pipe ban,and local farmers will be suicidal (again)
Le blade drove through a large puddle of water and it somehow soaked the rear interior of his car,so not a joyful chap at the moment.
The hens are being closely observed for any sign of growing webbed feet,local ducks are cheerful dicky birds you would think they had voted for Obama.

Eary day

This morning I had an appointment with the ear specialist,and all is ok no infections,so next appointment is one year away.
Weather is drizzle and misty,makes all that bright Kansas sunshine seem like a dream,though having to fight off the mormon kidnappers is not a problem here.
This afternoon is bowling at the village hall,with coffee and biscuits at half time,we know how to live it up down here.
Heard from Brian's wife ,and the funeral is next week in Sheffield at Grenoside,so we shall be motoring up for that,I shall have a whisky when I get back home for my old mate.
"Our Anthony" is home alone in Kansas City and it seems surviving on leek soup , chocolate biscuits, and self pity, poor lad.
British Telecom are over the moon as Sandra is back in Sheffield to boost their profits,with a few marathon phone calls,and hopefully she will be keeping a tight rein on that scally son of hers,not forgetting to enjoy the delights of firth park shopping,and of course meadow hall.
I seem to have mislaid my special wallet that Le Blade bought me,it's stitched up so you can't open it,and lettered" scrooges wallet",its a very economical accessory if one is out shopping or boozing.
That's all for now, keep smiling Graham

BRIAN THORNTON Signwriter and Artist

Last night we spent at the Halloween event at the village hall,the disco was not good for my hearing problem,and as a result I was not able to enjoy the event as much as I should,but it did seem a success .
This morning I received a phone call from my old friend Brian's wife to say he died yesterday in hospital,the funeral arrangements are to be decided.
I was associated with Brian for over 30 years,and when I first started to try my hand at signwriting, he was a great friend and teacher, as I was a novice at the trade and lucky in becoming aquainted with the best signwriter in Sheffield.
We worked on a number of projects together through the years,and had a lot of laughs , often I would drive to Brians workshop and Sheila would say"see you in a week then"as we always had tales to tell each other,and moan about customers who we agreed should not be given too much choice as to which colours and style of lettering should be used on their jobs,and there was the dart board on the workshop door which took up a little of our time.
I missed my little trips for a chat and interminable cups of coffee, after we moved here to Lincolnshire,by which time Brian was too incapacitated to pay us a visit,though we did manage to call and see him a couple of times on our Sheffield visits.

So a visit to Sheffield is on the cards sadly not for the most cheerfull of reasons.

Bombs,Booze,and Politics

Just been out for a paper to the co op in town,met up with "cockney Lil" after hearing a loud voice with a cockney accent shout,"too skinny to get it delivered then?" I told her the papershop are not going to send a lad on a bike three miles with one paper,she passes us daily in her car but turned down my offer of employment as a delivery girl.,this is the kind of silly banter we indulge in here in the sticks,with not a thought of imposing restrictions on speech.
Just heard of a story featured in the Telegraph,an Iraqi man sent a bomb in the post ,but failed to put a stamp on the parcel,the post office returned it to sender,and forgetting what it was he opened it,one bomber less!this is true.
I remember being told a similar tale during the Irish troubles,by a leading politician over there,two lads went into a bar ,one of them brandishing a pistol gave everyone two minutes to get out before the bomb went off,turned to his pal and said "place the bomb" the reply was "I haven't got it, I thought you were bringing it,"true story.
I noticed yesterday that one of the muslim countries have stoned a woman to death,this in the name of a medieval superstition masquerading as a philosophy on life, it amazes me that these religious bigots of all creeds and I include ALL religions ,are able to convince people that what they advocate is a reasonable way to live,with censorship of any and all opposing ideas.
On a sombre note,my old friend and former working partner Brian is in a bad way in hospital in Sheffield, we had a few laughs together as we collaborated on certain jobs,I remember one incident where a nameless individual,offered me cheap whisky,Brian and me being over partial to a drop of this precious fluid,I gave the go ahead to bring a case(6bottles)to a job I was helping Sam the pom on,opening the case I noticed that the bottles were labelled in the Cyrillic alphabet
(Russian) it was Latvian Whiskey,luckily I am able to read russian ,and pointed this out to Mr.O.
who said what do you expect for a fiver a bottle.
On presenting the booze to Brian at his workshop,I pointed out that it was probably a bit of a gamble if one were to imbibe the contents ,but we had a taste and it was a little like Jack Daniels,I decided not to avail myself of the offer but Brian took it ,I think to wash out his paint brushes.
I know Pauline reads the blog and send my regards to her and Brian,maybe if he is up to it she could remind him of the whiskey incident.

Deer x Four

Saturday night was the birthday party at the Crown pub in the village usual thing, buffet ,chatting and singing happy birthday to Mrs Broccoli.Sunday was spent mainly watching football,the first game was Chelsea v Liverpool,then West ham v Arsenal,Liverpool won and deserved the victory,west ham were well beaten .
Today I spotted some large animals about a mile across the field from our lounge window,looking through the binoculars I counted 4 deer,looked like two full grown an two young ones,not many of them running loose in Sheffield,though Chicken Al sent me a photo of a fox he took in his back garden which is a mile or so from the city centre,I used to see them all the time when I lived there and in the afternoons.
Called in at Farmer Joe's and they had just waved goodbye to their grandchildren,it seems with a little sigh of relief.
Sun is now going down around 4.30 pm so dark nights are upon us and the hens are retiring even earlier every day.

Mrs Broccoli's Birthday Party

Saturday I am looking forward to the local derby game at 12.45 Sunderland v Newcastle on sky tv,Le blade is on his way to Sheffield to see his beloved team at Bramall Lane,though he will be back for Mrs Broccoli's 60th birthday party at the crown pub tonight,I should mention that I found out that Le Blade lied on the dentist registration form, in the space for units per week of alcohol he entered a zero!presumably on the basis that if you are to tell a lie make it a whopper.
The new gate which I deliberated over for a couple of hours, is now in place ,I leave it to Sheila to photo and blog it,as she caught me on camera planning it,whilst taking the sun in the front garden,(yard to American readers).
The weather this am is partly hazy cloud with glimpses of sun,and rain forecast for this evening.
I watched the advertising video of Anthony Montana's and it looks ok to me all wording legible,though the "music" was a little loud, I wonder if the ball skills would be of any use against Mr. Morgan of Sheffield Utd? one feels the juggler would be in serious peril of bone fractures.
Not sure who the Mighty Millers play today but hoping for a win to send them up the table,which is where they would be apart from the points deduction at the start of the season.
I hope my old pal Brian the Signman is still reading the blog and I will give him a ring later.

A Toothsome Day

Sunday the Le Blades came over to watch the Sheffield derby,wearing their over 60's Utd. shirts,considerable amounts of "units" were imbibed and sadly the game was spoiled by an over officious refereee,my opinion is it would have finished as a draw but neither teams look world beaters. Monday we took Madame Le Blade to a masseur or some such quack in Louth,Sheila and me did some shopping and went back to pick up the Le Blades,we saw a bloke come out limping like a good un,then Madame followed complaining her neck hurt?????
Anyway we went from there to the dentist in Cleethorpes(home of the club trip)Anthony and his brothers should have a comment or two on that.
Arriving at the surgery we all filled in our details on the forms provided,Le Blade asked how many units of alcohol a week I had put and was not convinced I had told the truth(14) on presenting the forms to the secretary ,she informed us we were not really in their catchment area,but as I had been told on the phone we could register,she would make an exception,and we could make an appointment for a future date and bring in the forms ,which she initialled to confirm it was ok,so now we have the louth dentist,the Sheffield dentist,and Cleethorpes,spoilt for choice.
As it was raining(heavy showers) in Cleethorpes we decided to go to Morrisons Supermarket for our lunch,and no expense was spared.
Then a leisurely drive home over the Lincolnshire wolds which is a very picturesque part of the country.
Tonight I phoned my brother Joe as its his 76th birthday tomorrow,they are going for 5 days holiday to Rhyll in Wales,he seems ok and says he's put on weight since I last saw him he is now 11 stone,as opposed to under 10 stone when he was incapacitated with a broken hip.

Prolonged Fairground Ride helps the aged

Yesterday having some posters to deliver to Lincoln,we decided to try the bus service using our passes,one and a half hours each way, the trip can be described as akin to three hours in total on a roller coaster ride,the driver was a frustrated racing car driver,with amazing skills,the result for the passengers was probably not as exciting as for him,seating was basic a little like the old pit bus that used to take us to work around 1957.
We shall probably not avail ourselves of the service very much in the future,as we woke this morning to various lower back and leg aches,probably as a result of being thrown around and bracing against the next "exciting" surprise,the upper deck did however provide a good view of the lincolnshire countryside,which was a positive among much negative.
We left our car at Le Blades house as the bus only runs through the village ,on our return they were out but phoned to ask for a report on the day,which offered them some amusement and took their minds of the dental adventure (see my last blog).
We are thinking of offering ourselves as aged astronauts as we feel we are now fully able to accept the stresses of taking off in a spacecraft.
Lunch was taken in a restaurant straddling the river witham,which dates back to 1400 or thereabouts,pity the prices were not from that era.
On the dental front there is news,I rang up a dentist located in Cleethorpes who looked very professional on their website and was told to go up and we could register with them,so this will probably be on Monday,sadly leaving the Le Blades to the tender mercy of the Louth Germans.

League of Nations Dental Practice

Yesterday was bowling but a bit boring, Le Blade told me they had visted the new dentist we all registered at,and he had two fillings(no freezing) and his dear wife had one temporary filling renewed,during a later phone conversation with Madame Le Blade,I became hysterical with laughing as she related a tale of woe re the dental visit,she is not happy with the treatment or the set up,among other complaints were,the lady dentists gloves smelled of cigarettes,she could barely speak English,she replaced a temporary filling with the same,speaking later to Le Blade he told me he thought they had the cleaning lady by mistake!I must confess that I could not help laughing ,though it was in part hysteria at what we have let ourselves in for,maybe at my check up when the bloke told the assistant"tooth,gap,tooth,gap gap,it was a little different to previous dental speak,and should have alerted me to possible problems.
The Le blades grandson went to the same dentist and was obviously subjected to interrogation by Madam Le Blade,at which he recalled the lady dentist relaying numbers in French,which seems rather strange as she is polish(we think) the receptionist is a big German lady,who has a rather brusque manner,and seems a little eccentric,it all seems a bit manic on reflection,Le Blade says she is calling the NHS to confirm they are in fact bona fide,and not escapees from the former middlewood hospital.
We had a young lad with African origins who told me his name was Kenneth Rogers! and he was singing during the check up, he offered to make me a bridge but i told him we are ok on that score , as Le Blade's relative is a builder.
This saga may run for some time so perhaps more later.

Jolly Bowling Weather

The Photo on Sheila's blog was me doing a"to be or not to be"in reality I was designing a new garden gate in my head,before drawing it , but it shows that the camera does lie,because I am much younger than that picture would have you believe.
Tomorrow is bowling at the village hall,though le Grande Edward will not be there as he is caravanning in derbyshire, at the moment Le Blade is attending and I shall be egg vending for Sheila.
The weather has been exceptionally good for the last few days and the farmers are hard at it sowing winter wheat ,looking out of the window as I write it's dark and they are working away with head lights on.
The England game on Saturday was poor,more like a training game ,and the booing of Cole was I think disgruntled Arsenal fans holding a grudge over his move to Chelsea,though he does'nt endear himself to football fans in general with his monetary greed and arrogance.
Thats all for now Cheers

Rotherham 4 Leeds 2

Last night I watched the cup game Rotherham v Leeds on tv,it was played at don valley stadium,and the Millers were victors by 4 goals to 2 and one disallowed which would have been 5 to 2,Rotherham were by far the better side and if they had not been deducted points,would now be 3rd in their league.
Today I went with Bob the Goose to brigg auctions luckily Sheila stayed home or we probably would have two fancy chickens the breed are I think, white bantam silkies,in the end I came home with wood for a new gate and Bob bought a sack barrow and some ply.
The weather has been like summer and the view from the wolds on the journey was wonderful,if only we always had sun there is no finer landscape in the world.
At the moment I am relaxing with a glass of Oz chardonnay(Sandra please note) and looking forward to the monthly coffee morning at the village hall,it's so exciting an event the highlight of my month,in fact I can't sleep on friday nights with excitement.
Disturbing news from Kansas City,Anthony Montana is looking at the "Who killed baby jane house"which we viewed with him when we were over there,fortunately it is a non starter as he is not in the market at the momentPHEW!!!
Le Blade is entertaining his parents at the moment,who I met on Tuesday,I have to say his dad looks younger than him,yesterday they phoned to call in on their way to Cleethorpes? but Sheila informed them I was still asleep(9.50 am) the reason being I was awake most of the night wondering which bank to place all my funds in!Well thats as good an excuse as any,the reason I mention this is because the Le Blades are notoriously late risers,and suffer much ridicule from yours truly,so they are now able to respond in kind(BLOODY HELL).
Mary Sue I could have told you the wall was too dark,and suggest a nice brilliant white matt finish.

Found a dentist locally

Today we have a cold wind all the way from Norway,I just fixed a catch on the chicken bob hole,and my hands are frozen,though not as cold as they were in february in Topeka Kansas.
Heavy rain was forecast but so far it has'nt arrived,Le Blade is wending his way to Sheffield for a booze up and then a home game at bramall lane,so no one is playing out.
I viewed that "APalin" woman onAnthony Montana's blog,why do the Americans insist on electing cretins to positions of power,imagine if "young" Mc Cain dies in office and she takes over,what a showing up for the American people,and a disaster for the world.
She makes Bush look quite intelligent(well nearly).
I don't think Sam the Pom would have fallen for the soup trick played on "Anthony Montana",the secret is to act deaf at such times,and also when people make requests for money.
Surely this woman can't be a relative of the intelligent Sheffield lad Michael Palin?though they are both comedians even if she is not aware of it.
With this cold wind blowing ,thoughts of Florida start to come to mind!!
Farmers are trying to get winter wheat in the ground ,and we have rape seed oil planted next to us but it's a bit late going in ,i'm sure we shall be a blaze of yellow next april.
The Millers are still going strong in their new home at Don Valley,one more win and they will be up and running,having wiped away the points deduction handicap.
The good news is we have signed up with a dentist at Louth,I had an appointment in Sheffield for Friday(2 hour drive each way) i told Madame Le Blade on thursday about it,and she gave me a phone number to call in lincoln who passed me on to the dentist in louth,who signed us up and sheila had a filling,but I was told to carry on and come back if there were any problems,so now we dont have to drive to Sheffield. thats all for now, Graham

Meanwhile back at the prairie

After seeing the decorating at Gina's,I think the fuss about the paint was much ado about nothing.it looks good,as do the floor tiles now! the problem with the house is the height of the rooms,at least twelve feet,they were only nine at firshill,modern houses are much easier to decorate with their low roofs.
I am a little concerned to hear that the montanas are looking at houses without me there to steer them away from the "who killed baby jane" types,I think that the farm me and Sheila found, out near the bluberry farm would be ideal,especially for the dogs,loads of land ,and a swimming pool to boot.
The bristol is quite a good place to eat out,but not too often,you can buy a car for the price of a dinner there.
Bowling tomorrow or care in the community for the elderly as it could be descibed, coffee and biscuits at half time and a toilet stop,on the positive side it is a market for Sheila's eggs.
I hope Natasha has not lost all her student loan at the races, and Sam the pom has survived the two frocks incident, he is known to forget the combination to his wallet at times.
Good game on the television on sunday Chelsea and Man Utd,it actually lived up to its billing which is not always the case,however Berbatov the new signing looks a big waste of money up to now,I don't think he broke into a sweat.
,

news from deepdale

Here I am at preston north end,poppy the cat is miaowing in my ear,yesterday I replaced some damaged floor tiles in the kitchen,and fixed a new window blind in the spare bedroom,strangely for lancashire its a bright sunny day, I don't know what is planned for today so will have to sign out for now,more next preston guild. graham

Le Bowling

Today was bowling at the village hall,I called for Le blade,and we did our best to entertain the other bowlers,but were warned to be on best behaviour on Thursday as we are playing a friendly away game at Mablethorpe,it seems they take their bowling very seriously,and frivolity is frowned upon.
Le Blade asked if we had to wear a suit ,but was told no,so we shall probably wear bow ties and shirt sleeves.
Weather has been rainy with odd sunny periods, so indoor bowling seemed a good idea.
Montana has bought a racing bike and we look forward to his taking part in the Giro D'Italia.
Thats all folks. Ciao

Trekking the dunes

Sunday morning and a phone call from the Le Blades,asking us to go for a walk up the sand dunes to saltfleet,the weather was windy but not cold and lovely sunshine,the walk turned out to be quite lengthy,and we arrived back home around 4pm,this evening Alan rang from Sheffield and told us about his holiday in Ibiza,where they had red hot weather for 2 weeks,they arrived back at Alan Towers around midday,and had to put the heating on, global warming? here it has been approaching 78f this afternoon,it seems we missed most of the heavy rain which soaked the rest of the country recently.
Standing on top of the dunes we had a good view of Spurn Point lighthouse across the Humber estuary,and shortly the seals will be back in the area for their annual breeding.
Thats it for now Graham

Last of the summer wine

Yesterday le Blade phoned and asked Sheila if I could go out to play,when I got back from posting a parcel to Gina,she gave me the message and more importantly permission to go cycling,we left our place and down a track to the sea wall,then all the way south to anderby creek,,a little hamlet on the shore which has a row of houses actually built atop the dunes,it reminds me of florida just north of daytona,due to dehydration we felt compelled to call at a bar on the way home,and build up our energy with a pint of cider.

There are a lot of little tracks and out of way dwellings around the area we visited,some are just wood shacks and others substantial brick structures,a world away from the big cities as we kept reminding each other,it was just like last of the summer wine,two old codgers playing at being young.

Poor Montana,it looks like things are not joy inducing at the moment for him,shoddy workmen at his house and cold rainy weather,could be lincolnshire.

Haute ciusine at Maison Sonia and plaudits from Sandra the Pom,the copper haired Aussie, I hope Michael was saved a little of the cake.

Oh the hot sun of Olde Englande!

Monday morning ,bright sunshine after rain during the night,on Sheilas blog yesterday she published a photo of hens in the mist,two hours later it was a hot sunny day and temps in the 80f,not a bit like Ireland,we are along with Norfolk the driest area of England,though I would trade for the hot sun of Kansas.
Pink walls are the choice of Gina for the spare bedroom in deepest Preston,not a good colour,white is much better,pink looks like bare plaster.
Three draws last weekend for the Blades,Owls and Millers,all three teams now play home games in Sheffield,Rotherham are whittling away at the points penalty imposed by the FA,it is now minus 7 points,so 2 wins and a draw will start the season proper.
Nights are drawing in and it is dark at 8pm,the hens are roosting around this time with the two little uns going in first.
Wheat has been harvested and bales of straw are creating patterns in the fields,poor farmers have worked into the early hours with floodlights on to beat the rain.
Home alone tonight as it is WI committee meeting,so I shall be chicken sitting,ie locking them in out of harms way from Reynard.
Winter sun is looking interesting but no one is willing to make a decision as to destinations,for fear of being blamed if it is awful.
It seems that Sandra the pom actually pays for her copper streaks! you can do them yourself with Wilkinson's diy hair dye,my silver streaks are very realistic looking.

Bowling and Michelangelo

Today went bowling with Le Blade after which me and Sheila gave him a lift home,and chattered with the Le blades for quite a while,and ate nuts and stuff,while discussing holidays and local gossip.
The Montanas are in Ireland and enjoying the country but not the weather,which of course is wet,thats why its so green,and now MS wants to live there,it must be the breakfasts.
weather here was ok til around 5pm then a shower which has now passed over,Sexbomb sent us a brilliant e mail about Michelangelo's david statue,it has been passed on.
We are scheduled to go walking on Sunday with the Le Blades so I hope the weather is fine,not much else going on on the prairie so thats it.

Gyms and stuff

Heavy showers are order of the day today, not much happening on the prairie,the Montanas are on their way to Ireland,where it is sure to be raining,and the poms are suffering back trouble and bad moods according to Mr Montana.
This obsession with gymnasiums is not good,in general they are shysters who run them and medically unqualified,offering bad advice to the poor public,resulting in back injuries etc,if all you want to do is keep fit,running or cycling outdoors is far healthier than air conditioned buildings,and you can limit the stress you put on yourself better,I suppose now the gym fanatics will be up in arms at my tirade,but "quite frankly my dears I don't give a damn"is the quote that comes to mind. Graham

Weekly Bulletin

After a week of events including the funeral of George our neighbour,and the mini stroke Len our elderly friend on the caravan site suffered, he is home from hospital and improving daily,I realised I have gone a week without blogging.
Le Blade has almost completed the conservatory,and will tile the floor next week,he will be quite happy as he went up to Sheffield to watch the Blades and they won 3.0,an added bonus for him is the fact that Wednesday were trounced at Wolves,and I was rather pleased that the Millers won again,making 6 points from two games,leaving them bottom with 11 remaining deducted points to make up.
Heavy rain this morning but there is a little sunshine breaking through the clouds,hopefully it may clear up,the good old English summer!
The hens have been a nuisance coming through the conifer hedge into the front garden,I have now made it like a fortress with chicken wire,they only have six and a half acres at one side and about the same on the other,but the front garden seems to be more attractive.
Completed some posters for Aussie Geoff the Vicar in Sheffield and spent time looking at holiday options,Northern Mallorca is supposed to be very scenic and apparently a world away from the congested south of the island,but we can't decide what to do,and are waiting until later in the year,we had thought of finding the cheapest US destination flight and driving around the deep south,a trip we have made before but ran out of time around the new orleans area,we had hoped to travel into Texas ,the problem now is the hens,which need baby sitting.
Football season is under way, and I watched Arsenal v West Brom yesterday,not a great game,I am finding the old second division(now called the first) games more attractive to watch,as the premier is becoming like Italian football ,choreographed,and lots of theatrical shamming,the objective seems to be to stop any kind of physical contact which makes the whole thing a sham.
I see the Montanas are on a visit to Ireland,I hope they will BOTH try the guinness,and enjoy it,this must be one of the finest beverages in the world,and is the real thing not like imitations made in other countries,other nice things are ,bran bread,soda bread,and the Irish Breakfast,in the north known as the Ulster Fry,though I have only had the southern version,and can vouch for it,friday and saturday nights in the Dublin bars are an experience not to be missed,with the impromptu singing and dancing. ps buy guinness by the pint as they charge more for two halves.

Le Blade Blunted

Sunday morning is bright and breezy,scudding clouds and sun,temperature is 70f,in sea area humber,I dont know about rockall, shannon dogger etc,listeners to the shipping forecast will know what I mean.
Yesterday was village hall coffee morning,Sheila was selling stuff for the WI on a stall ,so I went down to check on Le Blades progress with the conservatory,it looks big enough to hold dances in,but he still has the floor to finish and mastic round the edges,I invited him and Norman his son in law round to watch The Blades on sky,but I think they were too busy with jobs on their respective abodes,it could have been an interesting few hours,as the Blades were robbed of a draw by Phillips with a brilliant goal,the type he used to score at Sunderland,and then the Owls went on to win 4-1 at Hillsbro,all in all not a good day for Le Blade.
Rotherham beat Lincoln 1-0 at Don Valley Stadium,where they now play home games,I think they have had points deducted again for financial midemeanours,it could be they will no longer exist as a league team,which will be a sad thing.

7 puddings

Here we are back on the prairie,after our visit to rainy lancashire,yesterday me Gina and Sheila went for lunch at a chinese all you can stuff down your gob buffet,Andrew was at work so he missed out,the meal ended with me and Gina having 7 desserts,which upset Andrew when we told him later,as he is the dessert king,and missed out on it all,in the evening we went out to a Bengali restaurant which is very good,and Andrew did his best to eat enough to alleviate the body blow of missing the lunch.
The weather here is fine and sunny as usual on this side of the pennines.
Thats all today Graham

Raining in Sheffield

I spoke to Al on the phone yesterday they are back at their city dwelling and it seems there was a torrential downpour which emptied millhouses park,we saw a few spots around 7pm,but had rain during the night and now its bright and sunny.
We sometimes meet up in Boston for window shopping and lunch at a little cafe with an outside area overlooking the river witham, and it seems in our absence on this accasion they had a roast beef dinner and treacle sponge,which he informed me was running in treacle,all lovers of this pudding will know this is the ideal to aim at,and all for around £5.
Harvesting is going on apace here, at the moment its barley but shortly it will be wheat,our chickens are looking fondly at the barley field next to the little house,it must be their equivalent of treacle sponge.

In memory of George Freeman

Wednesday we had sad news George our neighbour died in hospital at Lincoln,I used to give him an honorary title of Sir George and he was a great bloke,as well as a whisky drinking partner,as Hemingway put it ,"Ask not for whom the bell tolls,it tolls for thee".
The Le Blades brought three of their grandkids round and they fed the chickens and were then treated to Sheila's buns and bottles of pop,two are from Sheffield and one lives in the village,they had a scrounge round our garden and I think enjoyed the countryside a little.
We were on the beach with them a couple of days and enjoyed football and cricket on the sands,apart from a little difference Sheila had with a 14 year old grandkid ,he tangled with her splashing pop on her and she won the battle by pouring pop all over his head,Montana will know that it pays not to tangle with her.(cold baths come to mind)

Hay!

Two half days at the goose farm loading bales of hay have left me with tired muscles,I think next year I shall give it a miss,the weather was in the 80's both days which is a bit warm for working,though i used to run in half marathons in such heat and still would if I could,I missed out on Jean and Normans visit but Sheila fed them the "ulster fry" in my absence, which is a breakfast of gut busting dimensions,and organic free range eggs from Audrey and co.
The sea mist rolled in last night and is just starting to disperse a little ,so it could be another hot day,fence repairs will be continued,albeit at a much less energetic pace than humping bales of hay.
It seems that my little article re- Al,was taken literally by one reader,as my old friend Mos. the journalist used to say "don't believe anything you read" though I did only embellish the events a little in this case.
The Montana saga is drawing to a close,so no more mountains for another year,and back to billy and sofie as the main attractions.

Chicken Al Dundee

The bucolic bloke pictured is "Chicken Al Dundee"the poultry worlds equivalent to Crocodile Mick Dundee,he is fearless when faced by an outraged mother hen,and can wrestle a full grown cockerel to the ground in minutes, his main role is however chicken sexing,as some of you may know it is very difficult to determine a chickens sex when it is young,but if you ever have the need of his expertise,Al is ready and waiting,he can only be contacted through my blog,this is because he is plagued by groupies(of a non feathered nature)in fact in certain quarters he is known by the nom de plume "sexbomb".

He visited yesterday with his dear wife and we had a pleasant lunch at which we talked about all things avian,though his long suffering wife has a fear of feathered creatures,after a childhood scare with a feather duster,actually I made the feather duster bit up,in the afternoon we visited the goose farm and I stayed at the gate with Mrs Dundee while the other two looked at the goslings,Bob the goose then gave me the unwelcome news that the hay is ready for baling,yours truly is roped in to load them on and off the transport to the barn,I tried to pass myself off as my twin brother but he was not deceived,and it looks like I have got the job.

Earlier in the week Le Blade and me played golf on a nine hole course near the village,they were all par 3 holes but we decided that our respective golfing abilities meant fixing our own par ratings and we were regularly par or below on every newly rated par 9 hole,more talking than playing and chatting with other "golfers" who in general were equally as bad,though I was handicapped playing with an upside down walking stick,Le Boffin would not have been amused were he present,as he is a real golfer and takes such matters seriously,as indeed he does bowls.

It,s all a bit too much like a flatland version of last of the summer wine.but is I suppose part of reaching an advanced age and entering your second childhood,which reminds me ,at the bowling last week,we were doing our double act as the bootleg chuckle brothers whilst rolling up the bowls carpet,Le boffin was on the winding handle,me and Le Blade directing the carpet as he wound it in,so immersed in our "to me,to you" act were we that we neglected to control the carpets direction ,and the upshot was,Le Boffin went of in a huff tutting all the while,I visited the air museum with Le Boffin and others since and all seemed forgiven,but Le blade has yet to encounter him,luckily for us there is little in the way of psychiatric practitioners in this area,and so we remain(for the moment) at liberty.

Rocky Mountains,Alps, and Marshes.

Almost finished the chicken hut,it needs painting and maybe some roofing felt on the laying box cover,visited the two oldies on the caravan site,and we gave them some eggs,our first chicken to lay was named after Audrey,so it seemed only fair to take a few eggs.
The weather changed from a nice partly cloudy day with sunshine to raining, around 4pm this afternoon,it looks like an hour of Everybody loves Raymond at 5pm,and maybe a little glass of wine(Mary Sue please note),no food police here.
I like the look of the Amtrak train ,we did look at taking the train from chicago but I think it was a lengthy journey,we discounted it for some reason,Whitefish Montana seems to get the same weather as Pinerolo in the Italian Alpine foothills where a number of our friends live,thunderstorms I think caused by the mountains,and then sunshine.
Coffee morning at Le Marsh tomorrow,getting all the latest gossip,and feeling sorry for the poor farmers(I know you are reading this farmer joe).
At the bowling on tuesday Le Blade came up with the idea of a walking and camping escapade somewhere in England,Le Boffin was not entirely convinced by his arguments,my suggestion was to contact Channel 4 so they could film us and help defray the cost,"3 old chuffs soaked to the skin in a tent"as a possible title,though not feeling much pain due to alcohol induced insensibility.

Brigg again

Montana Mike is questioning my capacities for woodworking,he should know I am a very complex character,and multi skilled,quite apart from being one of the top 20% most intelligent Britons. Today I bought enough timber at brigg auctions to finish the little chicken hut,I almost bought 2 chickens for 50p but I thought they were a little over priced.
Bob the goose was forthcoming about his army service,and has seen active service overseas where he was wounded in action,he skirted round the regiment he served in,which is usually a sign that special services come into the picture.
Sheila is very happy now as all the chickens are laying,so its six a day from here on in.

Wet Day

Raining this morning,we had a visit from Jean and Norman on Saturday,they went on to their caravan down the coast,still trying to stop two new little chickens escaping,they are about small pigeon size so are able to get through the 3" mesh which keeps in the hens.
The little hut I am building should be ok for them,and one is possibly a cock so leaving the outside nest box till later,I am held up for wood,which I may get at the Brigg auction on Thursday if Bob the Goose is going with the pick up truck.

Not so great escape

This morning I had barely eaten my organic bacon sandwich,when a plaintive cry of"there is a chicken missing" reached my rather ornamental ears,so into the barley field i ventured intrepidly,no chicken hove into view,then "oh there you are" rang out,the offending bird had escaped to the field and returned to the garden ,this meant much bolstering of the perimeter fencing by yours truly,it is now secure.
The afternoon was spent convincing the Le Blades they should come strawberry picking on 3 bridge lane,Ian le blade said he did not like strawberries but was observed eating a quantity during the picking,we then drove back to the Le Blade mansion,and after a little bonhomie,we cadged a flagstone for our chicken run.
Arriving at the little chicken farm on the prairie we found one of the hens laying its first egg,which in view of its small size ,I suggested might be a Wren's egg,so now three of the ladies are laying.

Trumpet Voluntary

Thursday was a morning visit to the ear specialist,who had an Italian name which did not fill me with confidence,in the end he turned out to be very English with long distant Italian ancestors,very impressive he was and not averse to a little banter,eardrops are prescribed,and next visit is Tuesday,good thing is I can see him at the local health centre,2 miles each way.,hearing tests showed up poor,so he offered to fit me up with a hearing aid,when asked if it was state of the art ie.very small aid with a battery 12 inch square,he replied no,its a small battery but the hand held eartrumpet is about 2 feet long, one to him.
I knew he was not a "proper" Italian because he prefers tennis to football.
,and has never visited italy though as a boy he could have gone with his school,but he said his parents could'nt afford the cost.
Football yesterday was a victory to Spain ,who Sheila supported very vocally,I think she took against the Russians because they were crossing themselves in a religious manner,this after being brought up in an atheist state,makes you wonder about the sanity of the human race.
I remember a booze up with some Russian officers in Germany,and if it came to a boozing world cup there would only be one outcome Russia are unbeatable.
Cheers Graham

Postscipt; I think we are becoming the avian centre of Lincolnshire,two wood pigeons are now nesting in the willow tree in the front garden.

Calvados,Football,and Two Eggs

Today we had two eggs,another hen has laid it's first egg,I spoke to farmer joe this morning,on his return from holiday,and he had read on the blog about Audrey the first hen to lay,we have had good advice from Mrs farmer joe too.
Football last night,Holland were outplayed by the Russki's,and tonight will be the game where I will be rooting for Italy,whereas all previous games I have enjoyed from a neutral standpoint,I have not phoned Le Blade,because I am allowing Madame Le Blade time to get over the defeat of Holland,she has some Dutch ancestry so is probably a little upset.
Montana is now ensconced in his Whitefish retreat,after a two day journey,so we shall be getting reports of his activities,he will probably be out tonight at Caseys Bar,a rather genteel establishment,according to the Whitefish Police Report!
I have tried the Calvados(french apple brandy)which Monseur Le Boffin kindly brought me back from his trip to Normandy,it is very good sprinkled on French apple tart,which I first tasted in Boulogne,and Sheila made it on a few occasions,so if she can remember the recipe I will supply the calvados,this tart is made with dessert apples not cookers.
Ciao ,"Il Tifoso" Graham

Eggstra good news from Campo Dei Polli

Today Sheila was made a very happy lady,the first egg has been laid,I think a fanfare of trumpets is appropriate,the squawking that went on this morning was rather loud,with strange noises coming from the "palace" we went out to Louth and on our return,an egg was born,I thought it was a cock pheasant on the front garden making the noise but no,it was Audrey,the large dark hen,so now the others are under surveillance.
I may have helped with the egg laying as I shot a rat during the laying process so maybe I induced the egg! not made the eggs for sale sign just yet though.
"Uova" to you , Graham

Hen of a weekend

The visit of Gina and Andrew has just ended,they are traversing the pennines back to Lancashire,we left them alone for an hour on Saturday to attend the coffee morning,and luckily they had no disasters looking after the hens.
They are a little amused and there has been some mickey taking about the pampered life of the hens, and their haught cuisine diet,around 11pm last night we had a phone call from the le blades,it seems they were caretaking neighbours hens and asking Sheila for advice on how to entice them into the hut to bed,madame le blade was a little perturbed but Frango Sheila gave her good advice and ,we called at their palatial spread around midday to check if all was ok,the hens had finally gone to bed without any help so ended well.
I have some spice(another word for MS) which Gina brought and a card with Tommy Cooper on the front saying he was on a whisky diet,and had already lost 3 days.
Football is now down to one game per day,I notice on the poms blog Sandra is not attending matches how will Sam the pom know what formation to play ,and who will explain the offside rule to him,I like the coat Sandra,but from the back it looks as if you have sprouted wings.

Nbosto or Boston to give it its English name

Wednesday we went to Boston(a polish town) in Lincolnshire,met up with Alan Towers and Vicki,we had a scrounge round the shops,a labour of love for the two blokes,then to a little cafe for a roast beef dinner,and treacle sponge,these pensioners know how to live.
They left their country residence today ,to oversee bathroom work on their Yorkshire residence Alantowers,I have been out for a paper,and the weather has reverted to normal English summer,showers and sunny spells,it all makes for a green and pleasant land.
Chickens are" chucked out" of their palace for the cleaning lady to fettle the place out,by heck thats a good yorkshire word"fettle" I don't know how I remember them.
Called at the Le Blade residence on the way back from Boston to check on his extension ,but he was out,though I did have a cursory glimpse of the footings,quite a large project I feel.
The fireplace at the Montana's is changeable as the English weather,and in response to MS's request I suggest a nice Cabernet Red,or a Beak Yellow as in my painted cockerel photo,though North Sea Brown will probably be the final colour.
As I write the avian ladies are expelled from their palace by their "mam" who is shovelling certain residues from the floor,and replacing it with some nice clean sawdust,as yet no rewards for all the expense and labour,I am informed at this very moment that the ladies have clamoured to be let in out of the rain,but to no avail,such chicken capers must be a joy to read about.
Nice to see that Sonia is providing sustenance for Michael during the exhausting viewing of the football,its a penance we all share with him this event,I suggest a little Glenmorangie at half time as a pick me up,and a few nuts or other nibbles should you really want to please the lad.
I am told that Rotherham Utd. are to play in Sheffield at the Don Valley Stadium,but it could just be a malicious rumour emanating from Sheffield,more believable information would be welcome.
Ciao Graham

Dutchmen and a Terracotta Chicken.

This is a present from the Le blades for Sheila,it came as plain terracotta,which I painted up ,me and le blade went for a nice bike ride whilst the 8 girls stayed at the chicken house confabbing,so we now have seven hens,football is going on apace,we reached a point on the coast where a group of dutchmen were disembarking from a sand dredger,so comments were exchanged re the offside goal,a bit of friendly banter ensued all in good humour,now must leave off to watch the Greece Sweden game, Graham

Early bird

This morning I was up and about ,so I let the chickens out at 6.30,the secret is to open the door slightly and stand to one side before opening fully ,as they fly out like freed prisoners.
Cycled into Mablethorpe for a paper,in my sartorialy splendiferous fluorescent jacket, not many people about at that hour.
Thats about all ,not much happening today. Graham

The "Roy Cropper" Look

Here is my version of the well dressed cyclist,complete with "Roy Cropper" of Coronation Street ,all purpose shopping bag, note the well worn paint spattered trainers,scruffy jeans,and t'shirt advertising coaching seminars in America,the outstanding feature is the £1,dayglo vest purchased at the Todos(everything) £1.outlet inChapel St leonards,this affords the local maniac drivers an easier target to aim at,there are no drink bottles,or helmets as these are fripperies not really necessary,mileages and speed are not a consideration,the important thing is saving money on diesel fuel.
On a serious note our neighbour Sir George is home from hospital,and looks a little careworn ,we called at the Manor House to ask as to his welfare and were pleasantly surprised to be told he was home,and receiving visitors,nice to see him battling on,he offered chicken husbandry advice to Sheila ,and observed that the eggs will probably have cost around £45 each with the luxury foods they are fed,this is him getting back to normal and counting the coppers.

Everday story of country life

Yesterday was spent trying to catch chickens in order to clip their wings,they did not care for it and escaped except for two who we caught,one scarpered under the shed only to return later,we have given up on it,as sheila thinks they have fallen out with her over it.
Today was spent out and about scrounging for sawdust for the hen hut, I found a supplier at manby in a woodyard,he was happy to be rid of it,so left a bag for him to fill.
Bowling with Le Blade this afternoon at the village hall,much banter with the others and le Blade is displaying much affinity with the elderly bowlers,I think he may be reading the blog now at his daughters so truthfull recording of events will be the norm.
After bowling we had a chat along with Doreen Le Blade at their village residence,which is a splendiferous place of some magnitude and opulence.
I posted some chocolates to Montana Mike from Withern village as there is no post office no at Maltby Le Marsh,before losing my way on the minor little roads near Carlton,which is the local village where Patrick Mower the actor lives,i was forced to drive very slowly for a while to avoid running down a baby rabbit,I hope my reader finds this everyday story of country life exciting.

Frango da Sheila

Finally finished the chicken building work,today I fixed a lot of wire to keep out the foxes,and keep in the chickens,(chooks) to our Australian relo's, we are informed that the blue bush featured on Sheila's blog ,is American lilac according to Sonia Waterbutts.
Montana is dreaming of cool days and nights in his beloved state, 64 f. here today,and we had a visit from farmer joe and his beloved,they were given a guided tour of the "chook" farm.
I have a signwriting job this week i 'Barnsley so will have to brush up on my dialect,busy with posters all week,I don't know how I find time for the chicken stuff.
I think the title of todays blog will have to be in Portugese,to read it you need to know that chicken in Portugese is Frango,I know this because on one of our visits to Sonia's Portugese residence,we were directed to a chicken restaurant by an expatriate Glaswegian,his directions were,"youse want ter go ter Chicken Loui's "which fortunately we were able to find though it was signed as, Frango da Luis.
The chicken dinner was not bad but not as good as the two old ladies at the town of Silves.
,we are obliged to advisers on the chicken thing some of it was "Eggstra Special" ba boom!
Graham

Major construction project

Spent the day building the hen hut out of found wood,it looks like an allotment hut,now need some felt for the roof,no bowling today as I was too busy with the hut.
i understand that Le Blade's son in law is now blogging so fun times could be in prospect,If Norman is reading my blog ,let us have your blog address , I will keep you updated on the bowling and other local events.
Earlier this week I spotted some scrap angle iron dumped on stain lane,so today I cycled up to pick through it for bracing the shed,but it seems the local scrap men beat me to it,as it was all gone,a 4 mile bike ride for nowt.
Mary Sue is enamoured of our bbc plays,and rightly so,and seems to be emotionally involved ,but as I used to say to Gina,"it's only a play",it's not real.
Graham

Grandma Aggie

Today cycled to Mablethorpe for a paper4miles in total,then up Stain Lane for eggs another 8 miles and all on a non healthy diet, the bloke at the farm turned out to be a top notch Photographer,he showed me some of his stuff and it was impressive,another case of wasted working class talent,earning a living takes priority,if he was middle or upper class he would be able to pursue his true vocation with help from family and contacts.
I have made a start on building a chicken hut,but re using old timber is slowing me down,last night was the fish supper I think the cod must be organic because it' s from the north sea,but dont know about the taters.we were on a table with Madame and Monseur Boffin,who are convivial company and do like a drop of le vin,sadly we were not too successful with the quiz which was all about tv programmes which we sadly were not great afficionado's of.
Now to business re healthy eating,Montana Mike is unrelenting in his attempts to indoctrinate us,but does not practice what he preaches,biscuits , buns, chocolate etc.. all part of his diet,and to answer his claim that he only has an achilles problem because of surgery,why did he need surgery in the first place,with such a healthy diet it should not have been necessary.
The 94 year old bloke he holds up as a role model,makes lots of claims but who is to say he is not making it up? my grandmother Agnes Jeffrey who lived to be 93 ,never saw a doctor ,had no teeth,not even false teeth ,and could chew an apple with her gums, had a diet of offal ,pork(which she reared and killed herself) butter , cheese,ice cream ,cakes, and was an authority on herbal remedies,having a large collection of herbs in her house,which she collected herself,and was what we would call fat,on top of which she was a female pugilist of some notoriety in our village,and loved to slosh iodine on any cuts we suffered as kids,result of which was akin to nettle stings.
Another relative, my mothers sister Rose Wilks,died aged 93,after a life of hard work,smoked 60 players weights a day and could drink guinness faster than the speed of sound,many times we enjoyed a few in "The Goat" pub in enfield town,when I took paintings down to London for exhibition at Treadwell Gallery.
To quote one of my favourite poets Dylan Thomas"as we were young and easy,under the apple boughs"or in our case inside the pub door.
No doubt Montana will continue remorselessly with his religious like attempts to convert the non believers in cattle food cuisine,but evidence is not of a convincing nature.

WI Charades

Weather has been good for over a week but forecast is changeable,bowling on tuesday ,after which me ,le blade and le boffin were roped in to put out tables and chairs for the WI charades contest.
le blade came round in the evening to watch the play off on sky,between Bristol and Warnocks team ,Bristol won.
I have been busy painting posters all week so that kept me out of mischief,I cut the grass,and dug out some grass growing on the drive,its all riveting stuff.
Last night was the uefa cup final between Zenit and Rangers,I think Rangers on that showing would struggle in the Championship English league,in the end they lost 2 0.
Montana is back policing the world with his rigorous food instructions, I am not convinced about these alternative health fads,he is struggling to walk and yet eats only"healthy" food,it must be the chemicals keep us non healthy eaters upright and walking.
Sandra the pom now claims to be an authority on football matters and can probably fathom the offside rule,if she is wearing her lucky lipstick,and chow mein pinny.
" G'Day" Graham

Trouble at t' village

Saturday coffee morning at the village hall there was a lot of discussion about a proposed housing development,on a local disused airfield at strubby,the problems will be lack of medical services and dental treatment,plus the drainage systems are not up to extra use.
Sunday morning I did around 12 miles on the bike fetching paper and then up the lane for eggs,our neighbour George is in hospital in Hull and enduring surgery,so fingers crossed for him.
This afternoon we went to a barbecue on the caravan site and I missed the football on tv which was a little disappointing. Graham

Tea Break

These are my drain staff on a well earned tea break after a strenuous morning unblocking sewer pipes they built up a hearty 11am appetite,left to right are Msr. Le boffin and Msr.Le Blade with me taking the picture,and Sheila supplying the grub.
Our drains are now unblocked and cesspool sid is coming next week to empty the pit,tomorrow is coffee morning at the village hall so gossip will be exchanged.

Mrs Broccoli caught out

After breakfast the four of us went for a walk in Mablethorpe,and on to the sea front,Where the other three had beer but me being the driver,I had nothing,Its a bit like everybody eating kit kats in front of Montana Mike and him not having one,it takes lots of willpower.
The visitors were out in force as it has been a lovely sunny day,with temperatures around 70f
last night we stayed in and had a drink and watched rubbish on tv,
Mrs Broccoli was on duty at the sally army shop,and we caught her eating chips,so much for weightwatching,our visitors have now gone and the little house is once more sunk into isolation mode.
Montana's video of the dogs running riot after their beauty treatment gave us all a laugh,I think they dragged him across the car park toward the car.
Bowling day tomorrow so its once more into the breach dear friends, though I am expecting a call about a job in Doncaster,which seems another case of the truck builders giving unrealistic delivery dates,as the job should have been in April.
It is very difficult keeping up with Montana's latest food fad,so I think I may leave that job to others,its a little beyond my ken. Graham

Grey Power

It seems we have no elections here,they must only have one councillor in each ward so no vote for another 2 years,I talked to Mick on the phone and we are of the opinion its time for Grey Power to come to the fore,I am seriously considering contesting the next local election on that platform.
I propose to try to be elected to represent the ordinary folk who are totally neglected,high fuel prices are serious stuff in an area of restricted public transport,and the main sufferers are the elderly and less well off, who lack representation,the present government have no interest in the people who elected them,and the other two parties will do no better,whats needed is political power used in the interests of ordinary folk,and there are enough votes in the elderly community to elect such candidates,plans are afoot.
This is not to deny younger voters their rights,ALL will be represented.
Graham

Grass cutting day

Cut the grass ,mended a couple of fences ,had a sunbathe , now I am home alone watching football,Sheila is out at the WI up the road at theddlethorpe, Gina rang from Blackburn to tell me she had visited my old pal Moshe and he is standing for the local council, she claims he looks very respectable on his election address.
Bowling tomorrow at the village hall, its the weekly highlight here in the depths of Lincolnshire.
weather has been very nice for three whole days,hope its ok tomorrow as I have to Cycle up to the village hall and back,Sheila is using the car .
No blogging from the Poms in Brisbane probably busy leading the life of riley.

Today Spring has Sprung

Today we had a morning walk around farmer joe's land,some of it looks very waterlogged and especially the small area near the little house,which he will probably sell at a cut price.
Later we went to Mrs Broccoli's to finish the fencing and pick up Sheila's coat which she left there yesterday,all five of us went walking round the village ,looked at the unsafe church,and then on up to Le Blades daughters house up a track,but they were not at home,we think they were in Sheffield on football business.
Montana is opening up pandora's box again on his blog,he is taking Billy Gaham's name in vain,and comments will ensue from the zealots.
Weather has been very pleasant and hopefully Sunday will be nice.
Ciao Graham

Fenced in Le Marsh

Today i went to help the broccoli family,to erect some fencing,she lives in a semi,and is not too happy with the neighbour,so the fence will keep them private,reminds me of my sheffield days,
no problems here on the prairie with neighbours.
Not much else to report except to note that the religious zealots on Montana Mike's blog seem to have capitulated,just as I was about to convince them there are fairies at the bottom of our garden.
Weather is forecast good Saturday,today was much warmer with hazy sun,it will probably be busy in the town with daytrippers ,and on the roads,motor bike riders will be doing their best to break the sound barrier,and it should be noted they are not young men,but mainly in their 50's and upwards,it seems they are the only age group who can afford the bikes and insurance.
Thats it for now,a boring day really, Graham

St. George and the Swallow

Bowling day at the village hall yesterday,always a good biscuit to be had at coffee break,sadly not organic though(Montana please note) after bowling I had an hour at Le blades in the garden with a small glass of beer,and then home to the little house on the prairie.
I did earn the afternoon of entertainment by painting some posters for Big Geoff the Aussie Vicar in Sheffield, no scruples me! I even work for the religious fraternity,as long as the pay is good,and unlike poor old Michelangelo with the Popes,they pay the going rate.
This morning I spotted a Swallow from the kitchen window,could Summer be finally arriving,luckily we had two weeks of summer in the bastion of democracy during the winter.
Once again the Labour government is doing the dirty on the very people it was formed to protect,its whole history has been a catalogue of betrayal,they are elected on a socialist platform and then renege on all their promises, or was it a socialist platform?
Berlusconi the surgically enhanced Italian has won the election there,to the chagrin of many Italians of my aquaintance,could it have been a fix? on lines akin to the Florida fiasco with Bush?
meanwhile life goes on in the usual pleasant fashion for the super rich,the odd yacht here ,aeroplane there,football club,,...decisions decisions it must be difficult,but if all this is depressing there's always religion, and today is St. George's day the English patron saint.
Graham Il Rosso.

T'Puddin ,its a miracle

There are a group of people from a place named Yorkshire,who worship T'Puddin,this is a mixture of eggs flour water milk and a pinch of salt,or so I am informed, T'Puddin must always be written with a capital P in view of its special meaning,it is baked in a fiery furnace ,or oven and comes out miraculously as a big golden object ,which is eaten with onion gravy,and in Sheffield ,Hendersons relish, T' Puddin is often claimed by other regions and on occasions the nearby country of France, but these are false claims and of no consequence to true believers in the miracle of T'Puddin.
True believers in T'Puddin are very devout,and bear no malice to non believers,nor do they try to convert others through acts of violence or verbal entreaties,they are a very peacefull group and content to sit with a glass of dandelion and burdock and a plate of T'puddin,roast beef ,taters and cabbage,and convivial company.
More information will be posted at a future date.
T'Puddin preacher, Graham
PS the only true Puddin is a Yorkshire Puddin,do not be decieved by false prophets offering other inferior miracles.

Bracing ozone laden easterly

Yesterday we were walking around Gainsborough,when I spotted a face I knew,then I realised who it was,John Kettley the BBC weather man, I think he is now retired and living in the area,you would think he could have picked a more congenial climate with his meteorological background.
The wind is blowing in from the north sea at a steady 18mph and feels like winter,I have just been checking on the neighbours farm and it was a case of leaning into the wind,surely it must start to warm up soon,or is it going to be one of those Summers where we reach the longest day and are still in winter mode?
Le Blade is off up to Sheffield on Saturday to watch Utd.he was on the phone the other night telling me how many clothes his dearest has in her wardrobe,it seems she was sylphlike when they were married,and has saved all her clothes in the forlorn hope of turning back the clock.
He claims to have only a couple of pairs of torn jeans and all the rest is hers, the cycling tour of Italy is at the moment on hold and I feel may not re surface.
Mrs Broccoli is away for the weekend in a chalet at Filey,her little grandaughter who lives with them was quite excited when we visited early in the week,even though Le Blade in mischevious mode told her all the houses up there were falling into the sea as the coastline erodes,I assured her that theirs would be fine and was secure from the elements.
Montana is ranting again on his blog,this time picking on a poor elderly chap who is visiting America and can be seen walking around in what could be described as a white frock, he is visiting from his palazzo in Rome,and has even met the President of the USA,the aforementioned frock wearer has a chequered background,and as a young man was a member of the hitler youth,but now speaks to the sky and passes on percieved responses,seems a fairly harmless pursuit for a person to pursue in old age.
Ex" constabule" Dave was on the phone the other evening to regale me re the merits of Gibraltar as a shopping venue,it seems that booze is incredibly cheap as is petrol(gas) to US readers,he is as a result considering moving to live near his son in Spain's Costa Del Sol,which seems as good a reason as any, there was muted noise from the background which he said was his dear wife imbibing french brandy which was priced at a reasonable £2.50 per bottle in Gib.
My old protege Shaun has left Sheffield and moved on to pastures new nearby,it has to be said without leaving me a forwarding address,into which I shall read no ulterior motives.
His dear old Mam and Dad are merrily going about their business in Mablethorpe and not regreting in the least leaving Rotherham,he is recovering well from his hip joint replacment and when I called was polishing away at a leather footstool,before breakfast.
PS. May I recommend that students of Theology read the Old Testament by Terence Milligan,a tome of some consequence by the now sadly deceased Irish author.

Bikes and stuff

The news at the coffee morning is nothing much happening,I had a chat and not a little banter was exchanged with Edward le Boffin,and Ian le Blade,about accents ,football,and wine,le Boffin is off on a short but merry jaunt to la Belle France,with his touring van,orders have been placed for Calvados,and red wine ,but not much hope of either it seems as Edward is limited for space.
Mrs Broccoli was hugging everybody, and as she has just been to her sisters funeral was gaining lots of sympathy,meanwhile her husband was taking all the chocolate biscuits from the plates and eating them.
The three musketeers Le Boffin,Le Blade,and Le Miller,were discussing a cycling tour round Italy,the result of which will be nothing,all talk,quite apart from the fact that the wives of the aforementioned were not consulted.
Graham

Bowled over with tales of derring do in the Antipodes

At the bowling yesterday,I had a chat to this bloke who is 77 and just back from a winter sojourn of over 3 months in Malta,when asked about travel insurance he said he got it from norwich union,for only£170 which seems a good deal,but I think the problems arise with insurance for long haul destinations,he went backpacking solo in Australia 10 years ago,so he is no shrinking violet.
Last night was a drawn game in the Sheffield derby at bramall lane,and Utd only equalised in the 85th minute! good game at Liverpool and I was happy with Liverpool winning, bring on Chelski.
Just visited Bob the goose and it seems he wants me to prune his fruit trees,but I think its an autumn job so I need advice on that.
Coffee morning at the village hall on Saturday,so we shall get all the village gossip,big event of the month the coffee morning. Ciao graham

Still Life

Coal mining still life,Acrylic painting on paper,davy lamp,two coal sculptures,just to give you all a glimpse of an almost dead way of life here in the British Isles,even though there is enough coal under the ground for 300 years if it was extracted at the levels of mining in the 1980's,no need to import fuel when we have all this as a natural resource.
Graham

Cherry tree in blossom at the little house on the prairie.however Sleet showers are forecast at the weekend,spoken to the builder,and he is hoping to come and look at the drain job this weekend.
We had a short visit with Sir George and Lady Ann at the stately pile,Lady Ann was just home from a funeral tea at Maltby Le Marsh I believe the menu involved smoke salmon and various wines of a refined nature, Sheila failed to fathom the problem with his e mails,it receives them but will not allow him to download,any computer geeks who can help do contact us, and we will try to pass on the info.
Weather has been very nice today allowing me to paint Sheila's retirement bench which her colleagues bought her on her retirement,its gleaming white,and just out of the picture to the right, must go now kicking of in minutes, Graham
Big game on sky tonight Arsenal v Liverpool in the European cup,I shall be supporting Liverpool as my great grandma on Herberts side was born there into a Liverpool Irish family.

S**t for luck.

So after a mainly sleepless night,we cleared our pipes,on meeting Ian Le Blade at the bowling,it transpires that he has been involved in sewage clearing duties as well,after playing bowls we shook hands with the other players before telling them we had been handling items of a ripe nature,which was received with total disbelief by all ,little did they know.
The football was total domination by Man U. over Roma,the latest "wunderkind "Ronaldo scored a tremendous goal.
Tired out so off to bed ,no cocoa and no bottles,no fripperies here in the country.
Graham

Castles in Spain

Today I was looking at flights to Perth,Emirates looks reasonably priced,then I looked at carnarvon on google but the zoom in is not so good,after reaching Perth another flight of 2 hours and a half is needed to get to Carnarvon,the cost of going to Oz would be about the same as a month in Florida,with the added bonus of guaranteed sunshine,though three months in Sicily in winter would be a nice option.
Lot of work to do before any of these pipe dreams come to fruition,just sent of some posters to pedantic paddy in London,who is owing me money,horses heads come to mind.
Rained all day today,which is really uplifting,but forecast is fine on Saturday.
Graham

Ciao

Fed up with pedantic customers,and people in general,luckily here at the little house I can be free of them, so not much to say at all ,Ciao Graham

Wake up call from Crocodile Mick

This morning we were having a lay in as us oldies like to call a 7.30 am wake up,when Sheila heard the phone,Crocodile Mick was on the line from Australia,he likes to wake us up every couple of years,we put him on the speaker and listened to an interesting number of Australian words (which were of a colourful nature) emanating from the antipodes.
The upshot is he has sold his busines to live a bit,and is threatening us with a visit,along with his dear wife, it seems he has just been out on the boat fishing and moored up at his dockside workshop,so decided to rouse us from our slumbers,(around 6.30pm Oz time)
He is giving me plenty of notice so I can lay in a stock of beer!I am not sure if his wife knows of his plans so the beer purchase is temporarily suspended.
He invited us to Oz but says he will probably come here because I am a ***** ****!! and not likely to visit Oz,his vocabulary lends itself well to lively discourse.
Today the weather has changed completely and its glorious sunshine,washing is on the line and blowing gently in our version of a breeze.
Montana is on a rant on his blog,he is a little upset at the electoral system in place in the USA,but this is a good sign as it takes his mind off organic matters,and the eating of chocolate bars,checking how much Mary Sue has saved on purchases, and counting his money.
That's all for now Graham

our front garden

winter wonderland