Mondays mutterings

Hello, my second visit of the day, did you like the doggy story, I've a pile of wet tissues here. 

On my way  to the chat and craft this morning I passed numerous plastic boxes full of  tins and glass awaiting the recycling collections, all left on the kerbside. I'm such a nosey sod I peer in to see what people have been eating and drinking. There was one box full of coca cola cans, full to overflowing . Either 25 people have two cans each, or one person has a serious addiction. Many of the sturdy plastic boxes look in a disgusting state, with sticky gunge splattered all over them because people can't be bothered to swill their empty containers out before they toss them in. Yuk, revolting. I pride myself in my clean box as I put it out on the front. Jars and tins are washed and separated to make the job easier for the operatives who travel in the back of the truck and have to sort them into the correct bins while the vehicle is moving. They must stink to high heaven when they get home from a shift, splashed by the gubbins which inevitably finds it's way onto their clothes. Well done to our bin men, they do a grand job.

Passing through the churchyard on my way to the village hall I came across an enormous dog turd next to the footpath. Yes even in our lovely village we have morons who think it's ok to watch their dog crap where ever it wants to, then walk away and leave it. I wanted to draw attention to this pile of poo so I picked up a few sticks that had blown down off the trees, and stuck them in the ground in a circle around it. I don't suppose it will make a blind bit of difference to the person who left it there, if they happen to be passing that point and see it, but it makes me feel better. I think I'm going to make some little flags and mark out all the piles of poop I see, and hope that those responsible will think again. Probably wont, I don't think there is much chance of that happening, unless pigs learn how to fly. 

After the crafty club I walked round to the mobile library which is parked next to the medical centre. Stan the man was on today. With all the council cut backs we are down to one van and one man, which is usually Stan unless he has a day off or is on holiday. At least they haven't cut down on our visits, we still get the van twice a day every Monday. 

Stan is a friendly sort, in fact he is a very nice man and if he wasn't already snapped up I might be interested. We always have a natter and a laugh. He talks to me while I am choosing my books. The non fiction section is not very big so I go along the rows reading titles out to him, and he tells me if it is new or not. There are always lots of cookery books, so we had a discussion about food. He said he doesn't eat out very much because of the small portions you get, he likes his plate full. I tend to agree with that. We have a very posh award winning restaurant not too far away and the portion sizes are minuscule. You've probably seen something similar, stack up a few bits of food in the centre like a balancing game, and leave a trail of drizzled red blood sauce swirling around the rest of the plate. I reckon that if the food is of the high calorie stodgy fattening type then that's all you should be eating anyway, but if it is the go straight through you in half an hour  vegetarian type, than you can eat as much of that as you like. Pile it high, that's what I say. Stan seems to be eating the right food anyway, he looks quite fit. 

Right, onto the pics. Four more small bowls I've made, for the crafty stall at our Christmas Fair. They are  covered in shimmery organza.  

 If anyone is making these, it is easier to get neat corners if you use felt for the backing.

This is a bigger one. The backing is a piece of red cotton sheet which needs a double hem.  

Going round and round in ever decreasing squares sometimes make the fabric pucker a little, it's important to try and keep it flat while sewing.

Hey, look at me, I've got an early Christmas prezzie. New fingerless gloves hand knitted by lovely reader Shabana. Thank you so much, they are perfect. I am mighty chuffed.

That's enough of my ramblings for one day. I am seeing some comments from new readers, or maybe you have been reading for a while but haven't commented very often. I try and remember names. Thank you to those who told me the name of the exotic fruit, I knew you would know the answer. Tonights dinner was the rest (5) of those chick pea patties, with steamed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and parsnips.
Toodle pip

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Jeremy Kyle, I'm only being honest. Book review.

Hiya, yes I do find time to read occasionally, not very often though. I've never been what you might call an avid reader, I can take them or leave them. As  a child I read The Famous Five, and The Secret Seven, after that I moved onto magazines. Jackie was my favourite. I remember a relative buying me Nicholas Nickleby, for Christmas once, I never did read it. 

Today I own hardly any books, I have given them all away. Except a few travel books, and I think I might have a cookbook somewhere. I think it's really strange that some people have hundreds of books all neatly lined up on bookshelves. I wonder if they ever read them more than once. These days the library is where I keep my books. If I want to keep them for longer than the allotted time I just renew them. 

My choice of reading is autobiographies, and non fiction.  I can't get into fiction, I can't bring myself to read stories that are made up. Strange really when I prefer modern and contemporary art, which is mostly the figment of someone's imagination. The mobile library has a very small non fiction section, so sometimes I am struggling to find something to read. I often take the same book out several times if it is a particularly interesting book. 

The Jeremy Kyle show on the tele may not be everyone's cup of tea, it definitely isn't mine. I have caught bits of  it on occasions, usually when I have been at someone's house and they have had it on. The whole thing makes me cringe. I probably think the same as everyone else, how can people go on there and tell the whole wide world what is wrong with their dysfunctional family. Shouting and swearing are the norm, as is throwing the odd punch now and then, though this behaviour is quickly defused. Fancy having big and burly security guards on duty in case it gets out of hand. Shocking really. 

Anyway, curiosity got the better of me when I spotted this book, I wondered whether it would give an insight as to what goes on behind the scenes. It does, Jeremy Kyle writes exactly how he speaks, direct and to the point. He has a bit of a colourful past himself, and draws on his own experiences to dish out advice. He is an agony uncle with balls, and tells it like it is. No pussyfooting around, he gives it to his guests straight and shoots from the hip. This style may not be to everyone's liking, but for me, I like a bit of common sense, and he has got plenty. 

He had a happy upbringing in a loving supportive family, and admits to being a recovering gambling addict. His daily struggles with OCD still affect him, and he has been twice married, he has four children.

In this book he takes a hard look at the social problems blighting modern Britain, and looks for solutions to repair what is damaged. He maps out an agenda for change, insisting that personal responsibility and a strong government is the key to the way forward.

His show is on the tv every weekday morning, and contrary to popular belief people are not cajoled into appearing on it, they are queuing to get in. Everyone appearing who wants to sort their lives out are offered support through relationship counselling, addiction counselling and detox. Sometimes the investment of months of work follow an appearance on the show for some of the guests.

Jeremy Kyle, although he has a direct and confrontational approach towards his guests, comes across as someone who genuinely cares in this book. Yes, he is a showman, but he has some good old fashioned down to earth common sense solutions to today's problems. I would suggest that some of the out of touch politicians who live in their ivory towers should read it. Jeremy Kyle for President I say. I enjoyed the book.
Toodle pip.

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The sweet smell of fresh air in the countryside

Hello, to my bloggerettes. Thank you all very much for the comments on yesterdays post, you are so kind. I agree that the picture should be exhibited somewhere, though that is easier said than done. I checked out the Ropewalk website, an arts centre near the Humber Bridge, and their application criteria is quite complex. Also there is a two year waiting list. I imagine most reputable galleries will have a similar selection process. Open exhibitions allow one off's to apply, but these usually only happen once a year. I'll have to make more pieces, then approach galleries with a collection of my work. I'm off to see Uncle tomorrow, to ask his opinion on framing it. An excuse for a day out.

So what did I do today? I fancied a walk but it looked like it might rain, and I couldn't find anywhere I wanted to go on the maps. I decided to walk the 5.25 miles into town, have a look round the 20 21 Arts Centre, read the magazines and newspapers in the library, and choose some books, and if I felt like it, walk back. I found six books which were a bit bulky to put in the rucksack so I got the bus back home. 

Most of the walk is quite pleasant, until you get to the industrial estates, then the built up areas on the outskirts of the town. This footpath was diverted about a year ago, it used to go diagonally across the field, now it goes in a straight line from the road to the edge of a wood. The field used to be left rough, now it has a crop, it's used to grow turf, as most of the fields around here are. The landowner is Mr Sheffield, the Prime Ministers father in law, he is not seen very often in these parts. 

The path now goes through the wood, whereas before it went around the edge.

Here is the diversion marked on a poster nailed to a fence.

This is what they use to water the turf when it hasn't rained.

There are underground water pipes all along this track, the machines come along, connect up, and then they are towed to the middle of the field.

I heard the buzz of a tractor and the wonderful smell of cut grass. That's one hell of a lawn he has got to mow there.

The tractor has got extra wide smooth tyres so it treads lightly and doesn't churn it up.

That field is done, so the driver folds up his cutting arms, and goes across the track in front of me into the next field. I love watching anything to do with machinery. I would love to have a play with that. 

There's acres of turf all around here, a smooth as a babies bottom, and very lush.

Hay a bit further on, and I passed a field of spuds as well. The bales are waiting to be collected, and the spuds are waiting to be dug up.

Getting towards town now, passing the industrial estate. The pond is looking like a nature reserve now. It's very popular with dog walkers.

Now I'm in town. This rough patch used to be a multistory car park, till they flattened it. Now there are a lot of wild flowers on it. Much more pleasant to look at. Every town should have a wild flower meadow.

Here are the books I picked up from the library. Going to settle down on the sofa and have a look through them in a bit. Ooooh, exciting, a great way to spend a Saturday night.

My dinner tonight was potatoes, courgettes, and runner beans from the garden. Mangetout peas and egg noodles from Tesco with a yellow sticker. The bits of shredded carrot you see was part of a mixed salad which I ate most of yesterday. I put them in the steamer with the rest of the veg to soften them up a bit. Very nice it was too, I scoffed the lot  :o)

That's about it folks. Heidi cat is still out so I'll go and find her, then I'll get my nose in those books. Have a nice Sunday.
Toodle pip

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The 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People by Patrick Holford. Book review.

We've had a lovely warm day up here in the sticks of North Lincolnshire. A good opportunity to tidy the garden, trim the hedges and mow the lawn. With a bit of luck that will be the last grass cutting I will have to do this year. I've been getting on with the patchwork again while watching catchup tv, I'm determined it's not going to take me forever to finish it. I did think about going to Tesco, I've got a �4 off voucher on a �30 spend, spose I could stock up on store cupboard essentials, seems daft to throw away �4. In the end I didn't go, the shop is too busy on a Saturday. Last chance tomorrow, I might go.

I haven't done a book review for ages, because I haven't been doing much reading. I still get books out of the library though, they lie around the house and I pick them up at random and read bits as and when I feel like it. Need to keep using the mobile library in case the council get the idea that we don't need it any more. We definitely do need it.

Anyway, I have read Patrick Holford before, he is a leading spokesman on nutrition and mental health issues, with a string of letters after his name. A lot of the book is about diet, it talks about a health road map, it explains what effects certain foods have on the body, and what happens if we get it wrong.

According to a survey of 55,000 people, only 6% were in the optimum health category, whereas 50% were in the moderate category, and 44% were in the poor or very poor category. He does offer a free health check on his web site, but due to site renovations it is temporarily not available. Patrick looked at the healthiest people in optimum health, and compared them with the unhealthiest people to see if there were any significant differences in their dietary habits.

He came up with these recommendations for achieving optimum health. Reduce wheat consumption to one serving a day. Stop eating sugar based snacks. Don't add salt to food, avoid salted snacks. Reduce intake of dairy to one serving a day. Reduce refined foods. Eat more fruit and veg, eight to ten servings a day. Limit tea and coffee to occasional use. Reduce red meat to two servings a week. Eat more oily fish. Eat more seeds and nuts. Drink eight glasses of water a day.

I think we have all heard about some or all of these recommendations, and I think we all probably fail to stick rigidly to it. But it's good to keep this guide in our minds.

Part three of the book is all about setting your health goals and targets. Refining your diet and taking control of your health. There is a lot in the book about supplements. I don't take any at all, so I am in two minds about that. The book advertises his web site, and of course he sells all the supplements he talks about.     

There are chapters about fitness and exercise, emotional health, and meditation. It deals with the mind as well as the body.

 

Overall a very informative book, useful to keep dipping into when you let your diet slip a bit and eat crap. I certainly need a reminder now and again. �12.99 to buy from a shop, free from the library.  

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