going back in time

Found out that one of my on-line friends used to be a librarian we contrasted today's libraries with times past.


1905 erected by Andrew Carnegie...so reads the inscription in stone on the front of the Clitheroe (Free) Library.

© Copyright John S Turner and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence


I have no idea how old I was when I first crossed its threshold, but I went there numerous times. I dread to think what it has become! July 2011 marked the 21st year since the library was refurbished.
"Clitheroe Library was built in 1905, with money from the Carnegie Trust. The original gold key used for the opening is now in the Clitheroe Castle Museum. Previously a library had been run from the front room of a house in Parson Lane since 1838."

© Copyright Alexander P Kapp and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
I've cropped the image to focus on the upper storey which housed the Reading Room.


Oh the pleasurable hours spent in the Reading Room, first with my Dad and later on my own.


Eight O'clock by A. E. Houseman


He stood, and heard the steeple
Sprinkle the quarters on the morning town.
One, two, three, four, to market-place and people
It tossed them down.


She sat at a long oak reading desk, one of several spaced across the room from doorway to clock case.


On entering the room, she felt a
Silence so deep it held cobwebs of memories
She heard
The occasional flutter of a page turned carefully and quietly
She saw
Gleaming, lustrous carved woodwork
Magazines, each in their cases chained to the reading desks
Newspapers laid out carefully, to be perused, refolded and replaced as tho' no-one had touched them.


By one window, a glass-sided case containing an illuminated tome. Each day someone opened the case and turned to the next page. The passer-by could stop to read the illuminated script.


The quiet, steadily reassuring tick-tock from the Town Hall clock whose innards and workings stood revealed behind a huge glass case at the front of the room. Fascination as on each quarter and then on the hour...


The clock collected in the tower
  Its strength, and struck.

where angels fear to tread

Can't help thinking I ought to say my two penn'orth about recent events. My bent is towards Science... sociology and sociologists make me heave. I find their endless apologist ramblings nauseating to say the least.
In my early days of teaching (1970s) when the cane was in regular use, I thought 'if you can't get in thro' the head, get in thro' the hide'. Very Naive of me, but I was a lot younger then. With time comes experience, with experience growing maturity and hopefully some common sense.
When the cane was abolished from the classroom, people forecast anarchy in the classroom. Then I came to realise that talking was more important than issuing a threat. Here I must say that I never struck anyone, nor had any authority in the matter. 
Time moved on (1980s) and another government rolled into Parliament. This one had a new agenda...'divide and conquer'... 
Governments came and went and the EU brought out its 'Human rights Act'...they might as well have dubbed it 'human riot act'.


Did you notice Dear Reader that in Japan, after the tsunami, rioting and looting were conspicuous by their absence?


In Japanese culture it is 'the good of the many that is better than the good of the one'. Not the 'Devil take the hindmost'.


So where are my musings taking me? To Literacy and the idea of Talking and Communicating...of 'getting in thro' the mind instead of the hide'.


I'd like all those that appear in front of magistrates as a result of the disturbances to be tested for literacy and numeracy. To have their educational background investigated. To look for their shortfalls in learning and have them addressed.


As I heard Michael Morpurgo (children's author) say today 'Literacy is empowerment'. 

MJM

After our gallivanting by bus into 'town' the other week and M and I visiting the beautician; things have been rather quiet.
Then, this morning M rang to ask after OH and I seeing as no-one had met up for a while. She also invited us to go round and view her new bedroom.
When living in a bungalow it's a lot easier to re-designate rooms and their uses. M had been using the room in the rear as a bedroom because previous inhabitants had left built-in wardrobes. Then she realised that she was missing out on the lovely view of her garden. In the couple of years she's lived here, it has been transformed from patio, lawn wilderness into a productive garden. It'd take too long to list the things she is growing. Suffice it to say her shopping bills for fruit and veg have been whittled to almost nothing.
With help from OH one of her front rooms has become a pleasant, relaxing bedroom. In the next few months M intends to turn the former bedroom into a lounge to enjoy her garden vista.

 

not my words, but I had to borrow...

When my page is blank, you don’t know that earlier I was full of ideas.

When my house is a tip, you don’t know that yesterday I cleaned all day and that it looked nice for ten minutes.

When I say something stupid, you don’t know that the last time I opened my mouth I spoke insightful wisdom.

When I am quiet all day, you don’t know how I love and long to sing.

When I cry, you don’t know that this morning I smiled.

When I write badly, you don’t know that last week I wrote brilliantly.

When I burn the dinner, you don’t know that yesterday’s meal was delicious perfection...

When I seem weak and easily controlled, you don’t know that I have had a long fight and am tired.

When I am shallow, you don’t know that I am really deep.

When I am grumpy, you don’t know how patient I have been for so long.

When I ask stupid questions, you don’t know that tomorrow I will have all the clever answers.

A Voice Released [blog]

By Rachel Carter 

celebrations

2nd August our younger GSD was 3 years old. Time flying again! Goddaughter's aunt and uncle have had another child...10lb 10oz...that family always have large babies. Fortunately Mother and baby are well and doing fine. 

awol lol

Taking a hint from a lovely friend...here be me!
The two Ms and I plus OH went carpet hunting...OH bought a carpet remnant 80% wool. The two Ms kept on looking. That was last Wednesday and the carpet arrived on Thursday. Looking at the 6m x 4m roll dominating the hallway I wondered what we'd let ourselves in for.
It must be 10-15 years since we last fitted a carpet and tempus fugit has taken it toll. Things do get harder as you get older...
Suffice it to say the carpet battle commenced on Friday with clearing as much of the room as practical. By the evening a couple of worn out people were finally able to view their completed efforts. I warned OH that if he has a similar scheme planned in the future...I will not be fitting any carpets; but will pay someone else to do it!

when

someone has a driveway and front 'garden' and the road either side of their dwelling is empty of vehicles...
Why must they insist on parking on the pavement in front of the house across the road!

 The people over there have been keeping the local builders merchants busy for months; ever since they moved in. 

But they have also been dumping their large car outside our place when there's been lots of room on their side of the road.
OH opined that there's nothing to be done about it...but I wanted to do something.

So, when the vehicle reappeared this morning I took my camera and photographed it and the view of the opposite side of the road.

Later OH reported the vehicle was now parked on 'their' side of the road.

appt

Andale Vets
This is today's 'must do' as elder K9 needs to see Michelle because she's been holding her head lob-sided and shaking it from time to time. I blame z-dog probably because he's been too boisterous and may have done some  mischief.

Returned home from seeing Michelle, who greeted Lady like a long lost friend! She gave her a good check over and apart from an ear problem, a good bill of health.

Result, Lady has antibiotic tablets to take and some drops for her ear. She has an ear infection, but with antibiotic tabs and drops should be back to 100% soon.


As for z-dog it's no food for him after 8pm (Tuesday) and an appt at the vets on Wednesday morning!

best laid plans?

oft go awry...
Phonecall this evening and I did not recognise the caller's voice...
After a while it became clear that it was my theatre going friend's son. No wonder I didn't recognise the voice!
Bad news; my friend is in hospital resting having fallen/blackedout and no-one knows if it's an on-going problem.
He gave me her mobile number and I had a brief chat with her. Typically, she was concerned that we can't go to Manchester this Tuesday to visit the museum.

All I want is for her to be on the mend and back to her usual self.

and a lovely time

was had by all...

Goddaughter was technical manager for the performance and had reserved seats for us. So we had a good view of the performance.
The Kidz did a grand job...some were as young a 4 years old and a couple of them stole the show when they were on stage. Others were teenage/early twenties.
For an amateur set-up they did remarkably well.

Their aims include

•  to have fun, 
• grow in confidence, 
• stay out of trouble
• enjoy learning new skills
• form friendships
• raise money for local young people's charities

 I came home with 'Nemo' a large cuddly toy won in the raffle and now heading to raise more funds for another charity. I have no photos of the performances as it's not allowed in the theatre.

anticipation

Saturday I'm heading north to Rishton and then to Preston whilst OH remains behind to dog sit.

Kidz 4 Kidz Community Theatre Company put on shows twice a year at the Charter Theatre in Preston.

Tomorrow night they celebrate their tenth anniversary...

Kidz 4 Kidz present 'Ten' a celebration of their ten-year anniversary.

"For a night of audience participation, fun, laughter, drinks and being merry... (and possible BBC interest) please join us for our big 10 year show Saturday 9th July @ 730pm. xx "

A theatre/dance group my goddaughter helps out with.

wordless Wednesday (July)

OH idea of a note or list on whatever comes to hand!

We have roadworks with contra-flow and pipe-layers causing chaos

Kale fresh from the garden!

I love the way the colours change on hydrangeas

Tis variegated and pink but its name eludes me

At long last I too have them in flower

Campaign

misc

The past few days have seen me in grumpy mode; must be the weather!
Broadcasters have as the saying goes 'got my goat'.
How and why?
There was a news story from the area where I was brought up. The railway line crosses the valley on a majestic-looking viaduct.
In my youth I went over it by steam train. Later, after Mr. Marples had been an 'Ena Sharples' and closed the local stations my journey was by bus and I saw how impressive the viaduct looked.
(Ernest Marples was minister of Transport when the Beeching act closed railways).
Move on to another century, and it's in need of repair. The irritation came for me that several broadcasters couldn't pronounce the name 'Whalley' properly.
Okay, I know in Manchester they have an area called Whalley Range pronounced wally, and onother called Whaley Bridge, pronounced wail-ee.
But the one in Lancashire is pronounced wall-ee.

Earlier today on the radio, presenters did an item about rude/obscene language written on t-shirts worn by youngsters in Newquay.
The town becomes a 'hell-hole' this time of year as it's invaded by post exam students. Teenagers age 16+ going totally alcohol-fuelled dolally in sun, sea and surf...
To some, Newquay is the SW 'answer' to Blackpool; but to me it's a downmarket Blackpool, all slease.

Another summer of anti-social behaviour beckons in Newquay...

Pirate fm news (local radio)
"Lewd t-shirts are being banned too in the latest bid to clean up the resort."

The Independent...
"Newquay has tried to shed its image as the binge-drinking capital after two teenagers died as a result of drunken nights out two years ago. Around 20 drunk and incapable under-age holidaymakers were sent home last year and 1,000 cans and bottles of alcohol confiscated.

as Dylan Thomas once said...

"The sun declared war on the butter, and the butter ran".
And OH is out doing gardening! Experience might come with age; not not commonsense!
24C indoors, goodness knows what it is outside...but out I went to crop raspberries, not my fave to pick but nice to eat.

how different

today is from yesterday...
Yesterday I was volunteered by OH to go with neighbour H to help him buy ready-made, lined curtains and new curtain track. H is nearing 70 and as they'd say in the old days 'a confirmed batchelor'. This makes conversation difficult at the best of times. So trying to explain the ins and outs of curtains and window dressing didn't go down well. Eventually he agreed 72" drop and possibly 66" wide...
The only time I got anything approaching a conversation from him was when we saw Starlings in the car park. He then volunteered that sparrows were nesting under the eaves in his house. So, over an hour later I finally got him the buy some curtains.
On our travels I found out the hard way that he's a slow, methodical driver. He's had his secondhand car for 3 years and almost done 3000 miles! From time to time I had to ask hilm where he was going and even to tell him several times to change lanes so we could reach where we needed to go!

By contrast today MJM went shopping and what a laugh we had, taking the mickey out of each other and generally enjoying a good chat. We had sandwiches, coffee, tea and chocolate in the supermarket café. Browsing up and down the aisles of the various shops, stopping frequently to describe items to M so she could decide on what to purchase... Deciding whether to treat ourselves and what to buy.

wordless Wednesday

Apols to Sayre

since the Blogger 'outage' I've become an intermittent blogger. That and the increasing pressures on my time thro' OU studies. 3 hours 'wasted' today attempting to do an online exercise that uses a programme from last century, a most temperamental programme to put it mildly.
Eventually, in a vain attempt to save my sanity and make some progress, I resorted to inputting random answers so I could access the 'feedback'.

I've hit the wtf time in my present course, 3 assignments submitted out of 6, so 3 more to do. Awaiting the result for assignment 3, but not hopeful as it turned into a 'publish and be damned' exercise. One where having reached the end of my tether, I hit send...regardless of what I think of my efforts.

and tomorrow is

father's day...

how does your garden grow?

Fun Monday cookery

Sayre asks
What is your favorite cook-out food and/or recipe? OR What special dish are you known for at gatherings of family or friends?
First of all I needed to find out what a 'cook-out' might be! Then I realised it might be connected with what over here is known as a BBQ. Hm...haven't been near a BBQ for many a year. But...I do have a series of cookbooks from Australian Women's Weekly.
They are a 'mine' of useful inspirational recipes.
Better still, they can now be found online

Layered garden salad

1/2 lettuce
250g (2 cups) frozen peas
2 hard boiled eggs
250g mushrooms
125g tasty cheese
250ml (1 cup) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons French mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 shallots, sliced
1 tomato
4 rashers bacon
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place coarsely shredded lettuce in salad bowl. 

Sprinkle uncooked frozen peas over lettuce

Sieve eggs, combine with finely sliced mushrooms spread over peas and top with grated cheese. 

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice and shallots, pour over cheese. 

Cover, refrigerate several hours or overnight. Chop bacon finely, fry in pan until crisp, drain. Top with tomato wedges, bacon and parsley just before serving.

unavailable

error messages telling the Blogger is inaccessable again!
At least I've had fewer distractions for a day or two.
Our 'Summer' weather is more like Autumn; cool temps with heavy persistent rain. In these conditions it's good to have a microfibre towel for the dogs.

The hedgehog has put in an appearance several times lately; the big problem is to prevent younger dog from finding it and marching round with a prickly ball in his mouth. 

wordless Wednesday

changeable that's us

Yesterday Fun Monday's topic was about prolonged sunny Summers...
That's something which occurs rarely over the UK.

The Met Office charts help understand our mixed weather patterns.
without going into details...Low pressure in 'in charge' of our weather just now. Low pressure weather systems have winds circulating and they bring scattered showers.
There's a lovely area of high pressure just off Greenland; if it were to travel our way and deplace the showers we'd have some fine weather. Better still would be if the Azores high grew and came north; then we'd have Summer weather!

Fun Monday

The lovely Sayre has taken up the challenge of providing topics for June. She asks about coping with the heat!
Guess across the 'pond' the weather is a lot different...
Yes, here in England we had a couple of days of 'flaming June' weather...then as is often the case it changed.

It's true what they say about our changeable weather! Yes, we can appear to have all the seasons in one day; or in a week. We've gone from 70F to 61F in a few days; from glorious cloudless skies thro' overcast to sunny spells. Temperatures yo-yo from day to day.
Just occasionally, our fine weather 'sticks and stays' and then the good old pessimism begins again. Newspapers headline with stories about the weather. Guess that's what's good about here, we rarely get extremes.

To find out what others have to say, please visit Sayre smiles

toms are coming on

wordless Wednesday

mid week

and yet again we have been back to the quacks... OH received a phonecall asking him to come in to have a chat and BP check. So, we did our usual shopping, I left him at the surgery and went home put good away.
A short while later, I drove back to the surgery, parked up, got out a puzzle book and pen to pass the time.
Half an hour later OH joined me, none too happy with having been in 'there'. Now there's an acknowledged 'white coat syndrome' aka white coat hypertension... Both OH n I are prone to it...i.e. BP rises when in a white-coat environment.

If anything's guaranteed to raise BP it's this... Look at what neighbour was up to earlier!!!

Toms

Today's the day for gardening in the greenhouse.

 The tomato plants are in and on even has come into flower!

There was sunshine today...

so the mesembryanthemums opened their flowers (Livingstone daisies).

well it's Monday and

there's another Fun Monday topic...but...
It's many, many, many years since I watched the TV series Perry Mason and I've no idea I've never heard of Denny Crane.
That was option one set by Roger
Option two mason or crane, would I prefer to be a bricky or crane driver?
Neither!
However, tweaking the topic slightly, I know someone who as they say 'eats, drinks and lives cranes'.
So much so that if you are in his company you soon realise how involved he is. On a recent trip to Dublin we admired the various cranes dominating the skyline and bemoaned their inactivity.
They were certainly an impressive site.

Bricky? A most definite No! No! Why? It's a skill I wouldn't even attempt, as it's much more difficult than it appears. We built an extension a few years ago so I saw bricklaying done at firsthand.

imagine...

if you will the heady perfume of roses filling the air...
Both gardens are a delight with roses in bloom. Ramblers/climbers three in all wend their way along the side of the garage. Mrs blackbird has favoured us by nesting there.
Today and yesterday squabbling starlings arrived. I missed them yesterday but saw them today. They had discovered the mealworms (dried) and were vying with one another. There were four fledgelings adding their raucous calls to the din.

Now black clouds are overhead amd the wind is up. OH has left the greenhouse door ajar so robins can flit in and out. He had to take down the feeder that held the mealworms otherwise the starlings will guzzle them leaving nothing for the robins and blackbirds.

muddling thro'

Hayfever season is in full swing and today there's bright sunshine... At least MJM got together for coffee this afternoon. Lots of laughter and banter to do us all a world of good.
On a more serious note, just because someone can answer thw phone does not make them sighted. One of the Ms dislikes it so much when menus tell you to press such and such a button. Then there are call centre staff who even when told the person they are talking to is blind; carry on blithly as tho' talking to a sighted person. Okay, I'm a lot more aware now I've got to know M. But, the other M dislikes it when told someone will fax, email or text her because... well that's a no brainer.

mizzle

word made by putting together 'mist' and 'drizzle'. Locally, in Cornwall it's referred to as the 'Fret' which is such a good descriptive word for those weather conditions.
The air is still, cold and damp. Land's End airport cancels all flights, so too do BI helicopters. The Isles of Scilly loses all air transport links with the mainland.

What has set me musing?
News reports this morning from Land's End. Visibility restricted by mizzle and people standing and getting soaked whilst every so often the plaintive note of Longships lighthouse could be heard.

Then OH laughed at the presenter in the studio and I couldn't believe my ears cos the presenter talked about hearing bells in the background!!!

Another reason not to be in Cornwall now; especially as the days when the Fret is in can turn into weeks on end. More precisely, there have been times when it has stayed in for months...

A muppet Fun Monday

Roger
from a screed in time asks about Muppet characters... 
We're talking Muppets! Yes Muppets, those lovable furry creatures from Jim Henson's imagination, so what I'm looking for is which Muppet character is your favorite and why

Rowlf is one of my faves, but then I love canine companions. He's always cheerful and happy-go-lucky.
But with Muppets it's impossible to have only one 'like'.
 
Fozzie bear is another cutie...
I can see a theme here! Both characters are animations of some of my favourite animals.

Statler and Waldorf the two grumpy, funny curmugeons are my fave Muppet people.

stunned but in a good way

In a moment of 'madness' you might, like me have signed up to a site making connections with folk you might have known.
Sometimes connections are made and friendships renewed. Often the whole thing is a flop so you ignore it.
Recently I had an email saying there was a message, but I didn't recognise the name. Eventually curiousity got the better of me...

Stunned, I needed to read the email several times before it made sense.

Then memories of long ago came flooding...
Sunday afternoon walks across town to have tea with friends of my father. A vague memory that they had two children much older than me. The daughter trained as a teacher and her college uniform was purple and white.

Many years later, I too went to that college, but by now the purple and white was no longer a uniform but optional sweatshirt and scarf. It was no longer girls only, but co-ed.
So, who's the mysterious email correpondent? The grandson of the couple I had Sunday afternoon teas with so long ago!!!

let there be

blogging...
Until something you take for granted becomes inaccessible, you don't really miss it.
How I've missed being able to access the postings from my online friends!

We're still having sunshine and showers as tho' May is trying to be April 'with its showers sweet'.

This cooler weather is good for the roses, still mostly yellows with a few reds.
One of the Ms has a Blue Moon rose, and her front garden is becoming the rose garden again as more blooms appear.

gloomy

weather, more like April than May. Also, no sign of M after her visit to the hospital yesterday. I'm hoping for a phonecall from either M with an update.

It's been a long, anxious wait, but M's been on the phone. Yet more blood tests have been ordered, but at least her insurers have agreed to cover them and the next appointment. I know we have the NHS but quite a few people are now semi-private. NHS for most things, but private for others.

OH has promised to cut a few more scented roses to give to M tomorrow. I prefer my flowers in the garden, but with M's loss of sight it's good to let her have some roses to perfume her house.

mixed

That's what today's been - sunshine, showers, blustery winds, thunder and lightning.
There are more and more roses (flowers and buds).
Chatting with the M's over coffee this afternoon I found they've really been struck by the gardening 'bug'. In one garden there's some 20 different fruit and veg being grown. The other has a greenhouse 'stuffed' with seedlings and a well-stocked veg garden.

after the rain

showers have passed and we're back to sunshine; so there was an opportunity to do 'some of what seems like a 'mountain' of washing.
OH got busy next door with his chainsaw cutting wood for H next door.
Being a Sunday, there was no sign of one of the 'M's as this is her day for taking what she calls her horse tablets; which knock her for six.
I took advantage of the opportunity to shop online; nothing exciting, just food for the dogs and some sunflower seed hearts to put in the bird feeders.
Next week i.e. tomorrow sees the start of a data collection task for my OU course. Bird watching and noting down how many if 10 specific species you see.
Fine, but I do wish they'd update their course. Starlings are in decline, so too are greenfinches and of course house sparrows. Strike 3 off the list.
At least I know we have robins and blackbirds. But, all it'll take is a visit from our local sparrowhawks...and...go figure!

365

miles each way; plus all the getting sorted means I'm feeling tired today.
It's turned cooler and we have rain so no need to water the garden. More roses are opening daily. Have you noticed the yellows always seem to appear first, just like crocus.
One of the Ms has been busily organising her greenhouse...with growbags ready to take the tomato plants when they are big enough.
On the way home we picked up a copy of the local newspaper in the SW. It seems that whereas we've had lovely sunny weather throughout April and into May; the far SW has had rain and flooding!
So much for them having 'better' weather than us.

Another brief announcement made me re-read it with astonishment. I hadn't realised that scrapping aircraft carriers would impact on amyone I knew. The brief announcement had a photo so I recognised the person by their picture.
When we knew him he was an armaments artificer. I'd forgotten he'd been onboard an aircraft carrier. It must be 3-4 years since he'd conversed with OH in the local 'watering hole'. Now his picture's in the local weekly paper...why? He's attained a degree with the OU...BA(Hons) in....Health & social care management.
As the saying goes 'what a turn up for the books'.

for a few days

no blog posts!!!
Easy answer...I left all laptops et al at home whilst we went south and then south-west to the end of Cornwall, but not 'Land's End'.
One day to travel 365 miles (including a massive traffic jam because of a lorry fire.)
One day going to see someone who agreed to buy the caravan. Returning to the site to clear out, throw out and finally clean the caravan.
Lots of 'essentials' that had built up in the caravan were stowed in the tourer (car).

Several times we revisited and walked over the Carn with the dogs. But the weather was cold and the windy almost stormy.

Today, we finished emptying and cleaning; the guy collected the van and we began the journey home.

I've always disliked going on any journeys on a Friday and this one gave me ample reasons to dislike Fridays even more. A journey that usually takes  6 hours, lasted 7 1/2 hours!

At one point all northbound and southbound carriageways ground to a halt. Vehicle engines were switched off and some people even gathered along the centre reservation for a chat.
Emergency vehicles police, ambulance, paramedic, traffic agancy screamed along the hard shoulder. A single vehicle had an accident without involving others, but the car was a right-off.

Continuing North along the M5/M6 we became accustomed to overhead signs stating; queuing ahead, traffic congestion, delays and optimistic signs giving speeds of 50 mph.

I must say I am very glad to be home; especially as the roses are coming into bloom...

Fun Monday - recession bites

The lovely Sayre takes up the Fun Monday baton and says

'Let's us discuss what kind of plans we have for the summer season. With the economy, and gas prices being what they are, will you be traveling during the summer months or staying close to home?'

Good timing Sayre, as soon we need to sell the caravan we bought this time last year.

Sadly, Cornwall has become too far to travel, 365 miles each way and with fuel 140 per litre which is about £7 per gallon!!! Go figure! Still, we've had many years of holidaying in the far south-west of England and lots of memories (some happy and some sad).

OH with his practical head on worked out the pros and cons and I agree.

• 365 miles is too far to drive in a single journey
• folk we knew for many years and who were very good friends can now be found in the local churchyard not the pub. We lost the last of that group of friends in the past couple of years.
• We often listen to travel reports on the radio. There are now too many accident hotspots on the route we travel.
• Fuel prices rise and rise making the cost of living also rise.
• We have the two Ms and it's good to spend more time with them.
• Holidaying at Kerbstone Edge has more appeal.
• We have our memories and many, many photos. Too many places in the SW have become spoiled over the years. I prefer the SW I knew and loved.

Perhaps I'm setting into old age!!!

prozaic normality?

We have bright sunshine and blustery winds with an edge to them.
Today's Google-Doodle shows Victorian times, Crystal Palace and has included a magnifier to show details.
News here, continues to be dominated by Friday's events. Now the focus is on background 'insights' and faux pas. Such as a famous footballer wearing his 'gong' but in completely the wrong position and shock/horror showing neck tattoos.
Official photographs have been released and the photographer interviewed. Delightful snippets revealed, such as asides caught by lip-readers.
I gave in and bought a couple of newspapers, read what various columnists had to say and an interview with the royal photographer.