Keeping it clean

Howz your Saturday going? I've been out and done the Parkrun, but it isn't very warm out there, so I'm staying in for the time being. I'll get out into the garden later if it warms up. I want to re paint the side of the garage, and if I have enough paint I will do the doors as well.

I felt pretty good about the running this morning, wore my long shorts instead of trousers. Although I was a bit cold at the start, I felt more inclined to keep running for longer without the encumbrance of fabric flapping round my legs. The gloves are staying, it's nice to have warm hands. Another personal best today, knocked a minute and a bit off last weeks time. So, when I started it was 41 minutes, then 38, 36, and now 35.34. I am hoping to get it down to 30 minutes, it will take a bit of effort but it should be doable. I'm going to try some different trainers next week and see if that makes any difference. I could do with a bit more spring in my step.

I was rushing a bit this morning to get there. I am not a very good time keeper, don't like to be too early. If I have a deadline I try and get there on time, or a couple of minutes early. Most of the time I am late. On the way to town there is a 30mph speed limit through the village, then it goes to 60mph (limit for a single carriageway road), then back to 30 through the next village. After that it's 60mph for a long stretch, then there is a 40mph limit when you hit the Industrial Estates.

No matter how late I am, and how much of a rush I am in, as soon as I hit those signs I am driving at the correct speed. I can see the signs before I get there, so it is usually a matter of easing off the gas pedal and letting the car slow down by itself. By planning ahead I can reduce the wear and tear on my car, which will in the long run save me money. Even if I am driving in an unfamiliar area and I don't know where the limits change, I am always looking for the signs which tell me what speed I should be doing. It's easy to get distracted and not notice them.

During the whole time I have been driving, and over the years that has been a lot of miles, I have only been caught out three times exceeding the speed limit. That might seem quite a lot but when you think that I was driving up to 400 miles a day, that's not bad at all. I have been fined three times for speeding, and had three points on my licence each time, and all of them were when I was driving company vehicles.

The first time was not long after I passed my HGV test. I was in my first job. I was driving out of Swindon on a wide road, I thought I was out of the 30 limit, and I wasn't. A hidden speed trap got me. The second time was many years later, at 6.30 in the morning. I had just picked the empty lorry up and I was going to a depot to load it up. I was thinking about the long day ahead, the crappy lorry I was driving, and the rotten job that I didn't really want to do. I didn't slow down quick enough when I hit the 30 sign, and another hidden speed trap got me. I do think it's underhand of the police to hide behind bushes in someone's garden then jump out and order you to stop. I got done for doing 37 in a 30 limit, hardly any other traffic on the road, not a danger to other road users. Ah well, three points on my clean licence, the previous points were wiped off years before.

The third and last time was in 2008. I was driving a minibus, I had dropped my passengers off and was on my way back to base, through some roadworks on the A1. The overhead cameras got me, exceeding a 50 limit. Oh stuffin heck, not concentrating. Three points on my otherwise clean licence. They are gone now so my licence is once again clean, and I hope to keep it that way.

The moral of this story is that I can't afford to pay speeding fines now, I don't want to chuck money down the drain. I can't afford my insurance premiums to go up because I have points on my licence. So now I am extra vigilant when I am driving. I am constantly looking out for speed limit signs, always checking my speedometer on the dashboard, making sure that when I hit that 30mph sign I am indeed driving at 30mph, even lower if conditions are potentially dangerous.

I haven't passed an advanced driving test for many years, (I passed six tests altogether in cars and lorries), but most of what I learnt is still embedded in my brain. As my mind ages with my body I intend to increase concentration levels when behind the wheel. For my own safety and the safety of others, and also because it is a cheaper way of driving.

The sun has come out and I am off out into the garden. Toodle pip.    

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Free haircuts at the Back Door Salon

I look such a sight when my hair gets this long. It hangs around my face and annoys me, it looks straggly and unkempt, and adds another ten years to my age. There isn't much artificial colour left in it, the sun tends to bleach it, leaving the roots a little darker than the rest of it. I can't decide whether to colour it again, I'll think about it, maybe do it on a whim when I fancy a change. 

Anyway, it's time for a haircut, I go to the Back Door Salon to get this done, it costs me nothing. My hairdresser is a whiz with a brush and a pair of dressmaking scissors. 

Ten minutes later it's trimmed to my liking. No booking an appointment, no waiting in a queue, no time to sit down even. There you are Madam, all done, no you don't need to pay me, it's free.

Only one thing left to do, boil a kettle of water, and wash it. I wouldn't normally blow dry it, but as it is a pic for the blog I will make an effort. That's better, a bit shorter in the neck and some of the weight taken out of the top so it has more spring in it. Some of the bulk taken out at the back so it looks a bit layered, instead of a pudding basin cut. Next please, anyone else want a free hair cut?

I made too much dinner tonight and some has had to go in the fridge to be consumed tomorrow. Steamed cauliflower, frozen peas and beans, and fresh spinach, served on a bed of couscous. No sauce, no spices, no nothing added, just nude food, and I'm chuffin full.

It's the weekend, I hope you have a good one. Get off your backside and get out in the sunshine. I want to see you running, walking, gardening, cycling, roller skating, skateboarding, kicking a ball about, playing tennis, in fact anything that makes you move.  Toodle pip.

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Ten mile circular walk from Thorne.

Evening all, you're lucky I'm here tonight. I had a brush with death today and could have been laid out in a morgue. I was only two feet away from being bashed on the bonce by a golf ball hurtling through the air at 50 miles an hour. I didn't hear anyone shout, the two men who were playing were a good distance away from me. They must have hit it with such force, I was shocked when it landed at my feet and bounced a few times before disappearing into the undergrowth. The footpath went through the golf course but I couldn't find the way out and had stopped to get my binoculars out of my backpack. Anyway, I live to tell the tale, now where was I, oh yes, I went a walk today, only ten miles, because I kept stopping to chat to people. 

I parked at Thorne next to the canal. It's close to the M18 motorway and not too far away for a day walk.   

The main A614 road goes over the top of the canal, so I was able to walk along it and look down on the pub for a photo.

I had a little bimble round the town before I set off. Someone has found a new use for this Methodist Church. A timber yard and building materials supplier. The front still looks in pretty good shape, it's been fitted out with decking at the front door.

St Nicholas's Church was open so I had a look inside. 

The sun shining through the windows lights them up beautifully. 

I like the way you have to step through a little door to have access to the pews. Almost like a private box at the theatre.

This very unusual building is close to the church, but I don't know what it is. An old school maybe. It's a shame that it's empty.

There is a pedestrianised shopping street with lots of small independent traders. This greengrocery and fruit shop caught my eye, such vibrant colours. The displays were immaculate, clean and tidy, not an orange or a potato out of place. The ladies inside were happy to let me take photo's. I ended up staying for a chat, we had a great laugh. Julie and Janet were good fun, and guess what, Julie walks long distances with her hubby. 

I turned to leave and this stack of blue basket trays caught my eye. Free to a good home, now that's what I like something for nothing, giving them away, recycling at it's best. I don't need any at the moment, I have a garage full of them, ha ha.

I set off out of the town, through the woods, and picked up the Stainforth and Keadby Canal

It goes under the motorway and I followed it to Stainforth. I came across a black bin bag floating in the water. It looked like it might contain rubbish, but for one horrible moment I wondered if someone had dumped an animal in it. I couldn't reach it as it was too far away from the bank, so I watched it for a while. It was partly submerged and with the water flowing quite fast it started drifting towards the edge. I couldn't walk away from it without checking it out, so I found a large dead branch which easily broke away from the tree. I leaned over and could just reach it and pull it ashore. I was so pleased that I found only rubbish in it. Strange that it had some dirty cat litter in it though.

There wasn't a lot to look at in Stainforth. I stopped at the church and had a bite to eat on the bench outside. Then I came across the Cemetery. There were flowers everywhere, A lot of people these days put artificial flowers on graves, but I don't think that matters. The fact that someone has been to take care of it and visit their loved one is more important. There was a team of four gardeners busy cutting the grass, it looked very neat and tidy. 

I followed the road into Hatfield. This is the first view you get of the church. The front is hidden by the trees.

There is a much better view from the back.

I took the footpath at the back of the church. and came to a playing field and a park for young children, time for another sandwich. There was no one about, then five minutes later several cars pulled into the car park and all of a sudden there was lots of people about, with kids and dogs. I continued to follow the path, past the Water Park, then it joined a track and it went over the M18 close to Doncaster Services. You can see the slip road for the services as it goes off to the left. It's also the junction to get off at if you want the M180.

The track goes alongside the motorway for a while, and I was appalled at the amount of rubbish which had been chucked from vehicles and landed down the bank. You can't see it while you are driving along, but the view from the bottom reveals all. I did a little bit of road walking then after I had passed underneath the M180 I took a track to the left. I came across this horse chained to a tree. Further on there was a travelers camp, people who live in caravans and mobile homes. I suspect that the horse belongs to them, he didn't look malnourished in any way, and he had some water to drink in that blur container. The track goes through their camp. There was some building work going on, the whole camp had high walls on three sides. Why anyone would want to live there I do not know, the traffic noise was horrendous. If I was a traveler it would drive me nuts, I couldn't stay there. It was feeding time for about 6 or 7 horses, bales of hay were broken open and they were all tucking in.

All along that track, through the camp, and further along the place was strewn with rubbish. Disgusting filthy mess, that's all I can say.

At the end of the track I picked up the road back to Thorne. As I was passing the big Tesco on the way back, I stopped to pickup some things I was running out of, bran flakes, soya milk, peanut butter, and lemon curd, all Value labels.  Also found a few yellow stickers, not many though, I was too early for the final reductions. I had a �2 off voucher. Needed dry Whiskas cat food as well.

I've had a great day out, love getting into the countryside, and meeting people. I met another lady walker and we walked together for a while and had a natter, she likes to get out for a couple of hours every day.

Brenda asks if I am going to do another long walk. Yes I will be, not sure when, and I keep changing my mind about the route.
That's all for now. I'm going to get a mug of hot chocolate before I go to bed. Toodlepip.

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Those pesky cats

How do I keep those pesky cats off the raised beds? My answer is to buy some �1 plastic trellises and stretch them across the width of the bed supported by two pieces of wood underneath. This lifts the trellis by a few inches to give the plants room to grow underneath. Then scatter any odd bits of wood on top to hold it down, and make it more difficult for the cats to dig holes in the compost.  

So what's in this bed? I planted up some broad beans today. As they grow I will have to lift the trellis inch by inch and insert some thicker wood underneath to give more height. When the plants are about 6 inches I will take away the trellis because I don't want the plants to be growing through it. I will insert supporting canes next to each plant, and lay pieces of wood in between them to cover the bare ground. When they gain height and width they won't need so much wood because the foliage will be enough to keep the cats off. In my opinion physical barriers are the only way to keep cats off your freshly dug beds. Doesn't look very attractive but it works.

Household chores day today, so not a lot to talk about. A line full of washing dried in the sunshine, and all the other boring stuff one must do to keep things ticking over.

I had a lovely phone conversation tonight, I like a natter on the phone. I have been invited to a 'do' next month, at a posh hotel, I hope it's warm enough to wear a frock. My friend lives in Norfolk but is coming over this way for a family get together. It will be great to see her again, and at some point this summer I shall be holidaying in Norfolk, a village not far from Great Yarmouth. I shall look forward to that.

I'm hoping for a walk tomorrow. Might be lucky with the weather now that horrible fog has gone. I've printed a map, the start is at Thorne, not too far to drive to.

Off to bed, Goodnight.

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Watching the world go by

I've just seen something very sad. An elderly lady who lives up the street and round the corner, walked past my window. Why is that sad? She didn't have her dog with her. Every morning she has been walking past with her dog, I see her in the street and give the dog a treat, she has had him since he was a puppy. Three weeks ago she had to have him put to sleep, he was developing all sorts of ailments as older dogs do. It wasn't fair to keep him going. Last week I spoke to her, she shed a tear and so did I.

The lady herself has not been well, needing hospital treatment, but she is still a bit shaky on her legs. She walks quite slowly, but at least she is making the effort to get out, walking around the block for the exercise, even without her dog.

Sitting at my table I can glance up from what I am doing and see people passing my window. The same people pass every morning. B walks by, taking Scruff for a walk. A rather portly man goes to the shop for his newspaper. He used to have difficulty walking and was rather nervous about the possibility of falling down, but now he has one of those push along frames on wheels and it's given him a lot of confidence. There's no stopping him now. Mr Z from up the road goes to fetch his paper also. He uses a stick to steady himself, as does another elderly gentleman from across the road as he goes for his paper.

Sometimes a delivery van pulls up and the driver knocks on a neighbours door. I watch to see if anyone answers. If there is no one in I go out and offer to take the parcel in, it saves the driver having to take it back and try again another day. They have enough work to do as it is, with 100 deliveries and collections each day.

We have a man in the village who goes round with a mower cutting people's grass. It is a summer job for him and he has regular customers. Sometimes he walks by my window pushing his mower, sometimes he has it in a barrow if he has to carry other garden tools as well. When he is busy and the grass is growing like crazy he has someone to help him.

I see dog walkers passing my window, they look to see if I am around and give me a wave. Dexter is a beagle, and Bog is a big gangly dog like a wolfhound. Lulu and George come past, and if Charlie the spaniel is in his garden across the road he runs along the fence barking like crazy. Bog doesn't come past very often now. his owner says he doesn't want to walk very far now he is getting on a bit, and is happy to stay in his garden. When I am walking that way I call in and see how he is. Sometimes I see Bailey the poodle going past, or Lady dragging her owner along, ha ha.

On a school day the mums with their little ones pass my window on their way to school. Sometimes the kiddywinks are walking, sometimes they are on their scooters or bikes. All are safety conscious as they are clad in the latest helmets, gloves, and brightly coloured clothing. They rush along ahead of their mum's and are told to wait at the end of the road. The bigger kids walk to the end of the road and wait for the bus to take them to the big school two miles away. They always seem to have their shoulder bags dangling around their knees, must be very uncomfortable, it must be the fashion. I wonder if they have bruised knees. I remember having a satchel to carry my school books about. Mum couldn't afford a nice leather one, I had to have a cheap canvas bag.

I live a few house into a cul de sac, it's a dead end road, so everyone at the bottom end has to come past my house when they come and go. Ha ha, guess who has just come past, J the grass cutting man. He was pushing his mower with one hand and pulling his barrow with the other. He will be trying to get his cutting done while the sun is out, before the rain comes again.

In the afternoon the postman comes along, pulling his cart. We used to get a delivery every morning, but since they re jigged the rounds we get two men coming in a van and they do the whole village of about 1,000 houses. They move the van around and park in several different places, coming back to it to refill their carts.

Very occasionally I look up to see a huge 40 ton truck pass my window, and I know for a fact that the driver will have great difficulty getting out. The turning circle at the bottom end is not really big enough to get round, and they end up churning the grass verge up. Oh, I know their feelings of panic very well. It is usually foreign drivers who make the mistake of coming down here. They are usually following their sat nav. I always rush out to help, and if the driver does not understand the directions I am trying to give him I will get in my car and say follow me, then take them to where they want to be. Some of them are miles away from their delivery point, but as we are surrounded by weight limits it is a bit confusing for them.

There is a mix of all ages around me which is what I like. It's nice to pass the time of day with retired people like myself, and also chat to the young ones when I walk about with dogs or do a litter pick. I see we have some Chinese people recently moved into the village, I think they are relatives of the people who own the Chinese takeaway. They walk backwards and forwards past my house. I don't personally buy food from there, but it does seem quite popular at teatime.

So there is a snippet of village life, the view from my window.

I will sign off now, I have things to do. Before I go, someone asked about Welshcakes. They are made in Narbeth, South Wales, by Tan y Castell Foods, and have sultanas and currants in them. They may be eaten from the pack, or microwaved and served with butter of jam, or you could put cream or ice cream on them. They come six in a pack. Mine is priced at �1.75, I paid just 20p. Here is the link to more information.
Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip

Adding a PS to this post. On the way out today, in my car, I found the postman and gave him a packet of Welshcakes. I really shouldn't eat two packets anyway. He was chuffed, said he would share with the other postman when they stopped for their break. I was chuffed that he was chuffed.
   

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How do you like your coffee, white or black?

Howdy. Me again. You probably guessed it was me, not that there is anyone else here, and Nellie is no where to be seen. The camera came with me to the craft club this morning, and I took a few snaps of these lovely cushion covers. The lady who brought them made them quite a long time ago, she was looking through a book to find the instructions because she wants to make some more, and can't remember how she did them.  Aren't they just fabby. They look very complicated to make, I certainly couldn't work it out. 

Amazingly beautiful.

This afternoon I went to do a bit more gardening at Helen's house. Clearing rubble away and straightening some paving slabs up which were out of line. Heavy work, got me quite a sweat on. Afterwards I did my usual call in at Tesco, and Spar shop. Gave the Co op a miss, I've got plenty of food in at the moment. This yellow sticker hunt is becoming quite addictive. So what did I get. Greek yogurt down from �1.89 to 62p. Coleslaw, 67p reduced to 30p. Spinach �1 to 41p. Two packets of Welsh cakes were �1.75p each, reduced to 20p each. They are a bit like Eccles cakes. A cauliflower, was �1.16, now 60p. I am up to my eyeballs in yogurt now, got to get some eaten.

I had a nice surprise when I went in the Spar shop. As I handed my 40p over to pay for the Welsh cakes I mentioned that I like their reduced stickers. The young man at the till said, 'so do I', he said 'I try and live only on reduced food'. I was amazed, here is a young man with his head screwed on the right way. We then had a conversation about living within your means. Usually young people haven't got a clue what I am talking about, but this chappie was as enthusiastic about finding bargains as I am. He was like a younger version of me, ha ha.

I did an experiment, how many mugs of white coffee do I get out of  a 500grm carton of Coffee Mate? It says on the side that you should put two teaspoons in a mug, I say that is too much, I put one teaspoon in. Using this is by far one of the cheapest ways of whitening coffee. I counted out 118 teaspoons. And of course it has a long date on it so it will last ages.

I have been using this for many years. I tried the cheaper versions of dried milk but didn't like them, they go lumpy when you mix it with water. Coffee Mate has a nice taste and stirs in evenly with no lumps. I also put a  small spoonful in the water when I cook my porridge in the mornings, makes it creamy. Give it a try if your milk goes off before you get round to finishing the bottle.

I'm getting some very nice emails from my readers, thank you for taking the time to write to me. And thank you for the free coffee you sent. I'm chuffed.

Talking of spinach, howzabout a bit of Popeye. Rememmber him? From 1948, a year before I was born.



Catch you tomorrow.

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Add on to yesterdays post.

Hello. To save you time goooogleing Mount Athos here is a 30 minute video.



Back later. Toodle pip.

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