I have great respect for Eanswyth.... she made water flow uphill....
Ah these Saxon women were full of powers - Ethelflaeda, the saint local to daisydaisy-land, is famed for standing naked in the river chanting psalms, miraculously replacing some money that she’d rerouted to the poor after it had been given to her for safekeeping, and..... having fingers that glowed so she could read the bible from the pulpit after all the lights had been blown out.
Welcome home Piglet!
The ancient 4x4 has come into its own to get to shops, etc. If it gets any worse I may need to fit bigger tyres ...
@TheOrganist just a day or two ago there was an obituary on our ABC website honouring one of our great Aboriginal bushmen. Illustrating the piece was a photograph showing him fitting DC-3 wheels to his vehicle so that the rough country of Arnhem Land could be traversed. I thought of you!
I still have my two little bears, very tiny, which I had when I was 18 months old. They are very fragile now, and I have told my daughter that I want them buried?cremated with me, as I just couldn't bear to think of them thrown away!
Not sure what to do with my larger bear, very loved and tatty now, and still wearing a double breasted (!) coat my mother knitted for him!
Women have always been in advance of men on the scientific front, only no one acknowledged them owing to their gender!! Still happening, Methinks!
Clearing out the loft cupboard in "our own" house before the builders arrived, I rediscovered my favourite childhood teddy, who was called Wendy. He was looking rather flat and sad, and he subsequently spent some time in a fab Teddy Bear Hospital, where he was cleaned, restuffed and had his eyes replaced with safety eyes. He wasn't there on his own, Teddy Pig-Ears went with him to have his head reattached. (A Dreadful Seam Failure had occurred at some time in the past, and his head was not securely attached...his name came becasue he had truly enormous ears for a teddy bear.)
There are an awful lot of stuffed toys (mainly teddies) on the Lloyd Loom chair on the landing outside our bedroom door....but Wendy is (and always has been) The One...he was originally given to my little sister when she was born, but I didn't cope well with having a little sister and he very rapidly became "mine".
Teddy Blue-Eyes will be the next to go to the Bear Hospital. At some time in the past he lost one or both of his eyes, and my Mum embroidered new ones with pale blue wool. He looks very scary and is a little bit unloved as a consequence. I think that some nice new shiny bright bear-coloured eyes will improve his looks no end...
I suppose I ought to knit some clothes to keep the dust off their coats, but at the moment they are as the maker intended. The problem is that I don't knit.
I reckon Wesley hit it on the head when he said I'd "loved Teddy to bits" - I'm fairly sure that all his holes (from whence his stuffing escaped) were due to getting caught on the buttons of nightdresses!
I'm contemplating an amble into Balerno village today, although it may be dependent on meteorological factors: it's been alternating between Quite Nice and Pissing Down this morning. Looking out the back of the house suggests the latter, so perhaps I'll have a spot of lunch and then see what happens.
Meteorological update: it's absolutely chucking it down - including sn*w - amble postponed.
When I was a student nurse I was taught critical analysis using an article from a vetinary journal which presented research showing that impairments in teddy bears increased directly in proportion to the amount of love they had received
Apparently I initially rejected my teddy, as Dad got down on the floor behind it and growled at me - it wasn't one of those with an internal growl, but I adopted it later, and decided it was a she, and needed a long Greek name like mine. So she is, after the Child Education picture on my bedroom wall, Persephone. Who was only an unfortunate little girl to my knowledge at the time. She wore a blue knitted dress for a long time, until I went home from somewhere and found my mother had thrown it away leaving her a bare bear. I was very cross, and she now has a white crocheted dress. She also had a period of blindness with white wool eyes replacing lost glass ones, but now has proper eyes again, as I found a set of the right dark brown sort. I do wonder about having the Queen of Hades staring at me every night, but it's too late to change her name now.
The story of Persephone was quite useful at school, the way I told it. Up comes Hades in his flashy black chariot and says "I know where there are some really beautiful flowers for you to pick. Would you like me to take you there?" Chorus of gasps from the children, and "No. don't do it!"
And me wondering just how long that nasty little activity has been going on in human history. Why does the story take that form?
I have a cupboard full of loo roll, one full of tinned food, coffee etc and one with large water bottles. Plus I bought some power packs for charging phones (which I keep topped up) and two large water butts.
OH laughed at me. Less so now after the twin threats of the Coronavirus and flooding. We live on a hill but when the valley is flooded - which has happened before - the substations and water treatment works are at risk.
No panic buying here - just a good ex Girl Guide who still lives by the motto ‘ Be Prepared’.
Hello all. Need to bounce some ideas off people and maybe gain some inspiration. Am hoping to have time for a holiday this year. The only timeslot available is late May. Main likes: walking (but am not particularly fit at the moment). Main hates: hot weather (anything above 25 degrees) and sandy beaches.
My main 3 ideas at the moment are:
1) Walking in the south west. I had Worcester to Gloucester via the Malvern hills in mind. Though the current flooding around the Severn does worry me. I had in mind to maybe follow this up with a train trip to Taunton and carry on walking in the Quantocks - an area of the country I've never been close to.
2) Wander around central France. Maybe the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days, then onto Lyon and then...see where my feet take me. Maybe to Pilat National Park.
3) West Highland Way. Get the train to Edinburgh, stay overnight. Then go onwards, staying at B&Bs along the route.
With those serving as the idea seeds, what else might the collective wisdom of the ship offer? N.b. I don't drive, so anywhere has to be accessible by train/walking.
I reckon Wesley hit it on the head when he said I'd "loved Teddy to bits" - I'm fairly sure that all his holes (from whence his stuffing escaped) were due to getting caught on the buttons of nightdresses! [...]
No, that's probably because I have eaten too much, and ought to go on a diet. A timely pre-Lentian reminder indeed! Thank you!
My husband did the West Highland Way last year and enjoyed it @Sipech , but you probably need to get booking now . They had a bit of an odd itinerary due to lack of b&bs where they wanted to be.
We did a bit of the Pilgrim’s Way last November and enjoyed that. Not too arduous and a good choice of places to stay, at least for the bit (Aylesford to Canterbury) that we did.
I was a doll person. My favourite was one that I named Polyester. (Clearly I must have heard a Grownup™ use the word and thought it sounded pretty.) I also had a black doll, inherited from my mother, and which would be very politically incorrect indeed today. Clothes were knitted in liberal quantities by my grandmother.
@Sipech, if you want to go walking in France, the best thing to look for is the waymarked Grande Randonnée (GR) routes. There are lots of them, of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty. It shouldn’t be too hot in May. Do you want to take off into the wild by yourself or would you join an organised group holiday? That might be easier if you don’t drive.
Alternatively, if you fancy Scotland, a few years ago, I did the Great Glen Way with my parents, which we enjoyed very much. We flew to Glasgow, then got a bus to Fort William. It crosses Scotland from coast to coast, and is a bit easier that the West Highland Way (although I agree the latter sounds amazing if you’re up for it). We did the version where the tour company transfers your luggage from one location to the next every day, so you just set off with your day pack in the morning, and find all the rest of your stuff waiting for you when you get to your destination at the end of the day. You can do it with either hotels, B&Bs or youth hostels. We went for the middle option – B&B, which is worth it because it includes a hefty breakfast, which you need if you’re going to going to walk 10 miles or more every day. There are lots of companies that offer this kind of holiday, and it saves you having to look for all the different accommodation yourself. Also having it all arranged by a tour company makes meals easier – several places along the route are quite out of the way without a lot of dining options, and B&Bs will make you a packed lunch to take with you for the day.
@Sipech Have you thought of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path? I've only done very short bits, but it's lovely. There are several places you could stay on or near it (St David's, Fishguard, Tenby, Saundersfoot for instance) and several of these are get-atable by train (not St David's).
I reckon Wesley hit it on the head when he said I'd "loved Teddy to bits" - I'm fairly sure that all his holes (from whence his stuffing escaped) were due to getting caught on the buttons of nightdresses! [...]
No, that's probably because I have eaten too much, and ought to go on a diet. A timely pre-Lentian reminder indeed! Thank you!
Wesley dear, you're a master of Getting The Wrong End Of The Stick!
Ambling has happened, miraculously in between all the Torrential Showers and Blizzards. However, the purpose of the amble (getting contact lens solution from the local pharmacy) was not achieved as they don't stock it. When I suggested that this was Outrage (very politely - I've been living in Canada for 16 years ) the shop lady said, "we're only a small pharmacy".
@Sipech the West Highland Way is pretty strenuous, and there are stretches where you can’t just stop (unless you have a tent) as you are nowhere near anywhere. As @la vie en rouge suggests, the Great Glen way might be better for a first attempt. Or indeed the lesser known Speyside way, which, following the river, is not too hilly.
One of the snags with the West Highland way is (or was, my knowledge might be 5 years out of date) that if you want to give up (twisted ankle etc) there isn't much access to public transport which will take you back to civilisation.
I second Cathscats suggestion of the Speyside Way as being well worth considering.
Another possibility might be The Whithorn Way (Whithorn to Glasgow) which I think forms a section of the longer St. Ninian’s Way (Carlisle to South Queensferry) . Alternatively there’s St Cuthbert’s Way (Melrose to Lindisfarne).
Meanwhile, the w*nd is getting up again - Storm Ethelflaeda, perhaps, but I shall forgo standing nekkid in the river, chanting psalms.
Do TPTB that name Storms accept suggestions, I wonder?
So we no longer have to guess the Met Office list is available. The 'E' one is 'Ellen' and the 'F' one is 'Francis' so I am wondering what benefit to animals it will bring.
Ambling has happened, miraculously in between all the Torrential Showers and Blizzards. However, the purpose of the amble (getting contact lens solution from the local pharmacy) was not achieved as they don't stock it. When I suggested that this was Outrage (very politely - I've been living in Canada for 16 years ) the shop lady said, "we're only a small pharmacy".
Hmph.
Maybe the inhabitants of Blessed Alba have such good eyesight (it's all that clear air) that contact lenses are not needed?
Mind you, I'm sure I've seen Scotspersons wearing spectacles...
Meanwhile, the w*nd is getting up again - Storm Ethelflaeda, perhaps, but I shall forgo standing nekkid in the river, chanting psalms.
Do TPTB that name Storms accept suggestions, I wonder?
So we no longer have to guess the Met Office list is available. The 'E' one is 'Ellen' and the 'F' one is 'Francis' so I am wondering what benefit to animals it will bring.
R is for Roisin, which may be difficult for a TrueBlue Englishman™ to pronounce...
And I see there are some Dutch names, too - J for Jan, and P for Piet.
I'm afraid these are making me whimsically think of Raisins, Jam, and Pie.
I think the Germans allow for individualised naming of highs and lows, provided you cough up a certain amount of Euros (see e.g. here), and they've been giving their storms quite different names from the other Urpian countries for a while. It seems rather confusing!
[...] So we no longer have to guess the Met Office list is available. The 'E' one is 'Ellen' and the 'F' one is 'Francis' so I am wondering what benefit to animals it will bring.
Let's hope storm Noah will forego the proverbial flooding!
Meanwhile, the w*nd is getting up again - Storm Ethelflaeda, perhaps, but I shall forgo standing nekkid in the river, chanting psalms.
Do TPTB that name Storms accept suggestions, I wonder?
We’d be happy to have her give us a miss, we’ve had enough of standing in the river nekkid or otherwise. I’m not sure she featured in this true-but-not-accurate account (I do though, twice - blink and you miss me) which a friend created last summer.
Yup, the picture is of Marden church which was inundated after the Lugg burst its banks. There is a sizeable tributary (Wellington Brook) that joins the Lugg just south of the church and the whole area is marsh so ...
The rain and wind does seem to be relentless, and so much flooding 🕯
I’ve done my usual morning work and am now having a break before an afternoon of marking (this week’s topic is the policy-practice gap in end of life care).
It's been chucking it down here for some time, and it was blowing enough of a hoolie overnight to wake me up (and keep me awake for longer than I'd have wanted).
<votive> for the people of Marden, Herefordshire, whose flooded church is clearly by no means their only worry...
I bought a lawn repair kit today, which will do nicely to mend a worn patch near the front door of Our Place (the Small People of the pre-school nursery use it as a play area sometimes). The instructions on the box tell me to keep the ground moist before and after sowing the seed...not sure I'll need to do that...
It's a bit early yet, of course, as the Plan is to do the mendology during the Easter break, but I daresay we shall be up to Storm Vince, or Willow, by then. They'll have to come up with another list of names by about half-past April.
I came back here partly to escape from Silly Weather. Things are not going according to plan: today, once again, it appears to be oscillating between Quite Nice and Blowing A Blizzard - currently the latter. I think I want a refund.
Also, I appear to have picked up a dose of aeroplane flu, and am extremely snufflous.
Not at all, @Bishops Finger. Slightly less flooding because of the nature of the terrain - flatter land floods more. But the weather is still beastly now, as @Piglet says.
And just as much silly government, if not more, as the silly government takes every opportunity to play silly beggars with the sane(er) one.
Thanks, La Vie - and get well soon to Captain Pyjamas from his (virtual) auntie Piglet!
It looks like a really rather nice day here, which I hope will last, as I'm heading into town on the bus in about an hour to meet up with my brother, nephews and their partners for lunch - one of them gave everyone Groupon coupons for Christmas for a restaurant and today's the day we're going to spend them. I'm looking forward to it, as it's a place I haven't tried and I understand it's rather good.
Wind very strong along the coast this morning. Got to church in double quick time wth it at my back. The walk home was more difficult as the wind and horizontal rain were blowing in my face. I kept being blown sideways by the cross winds gusting along the roads coming up from the cliff top.
Sunny this afternoon, but stayed indoors as the wind was too strong for me to battle against just for the fun of it.
That was the wettest dog walk I’ve ever had. Showing my waterproofs are excellent. The coat, I’ve had nearly twenty five years. I tech wash it twice a year and it is still 100% waterproof. It’s a Páramo and very comfortable, it was extremely expensive.
The wellies are Aigle and still going strong after five years. The waterproof trousers - I forget the make, but a ‘good’ one.
Our cat went to the back door, asking to be let out. She was out for less than a minute, and came back in at a fast gallop. She then went to the front door, asking to be let out, clearly in the hope that the weather would be better in our front garden.
I am so pleased that cats don't needed to be walked.
It appears to have just finished snowing here, having been doing it since early morning. It's lain a bit, but you can still see blades of grass sticking up through it, so it's not really Proper Snow™. Thank heavens for that.
Lunch with the family (at No. 11, for those who know Edinburgh) was utterly lovely. The food was excellent: I had one of the nicest duck pâtés I've ever tasted, followed by confit of duck* with parsnips, carrots and a little pot of shepherd's pie, and then my brother and I shared a very good cheeseboard.
* I didn't really mean to have duck for both courses; my initial choice was venison, but they only had two portions of it left (they lost ten points for that), and four of us had ordered it, so I volunteered to change.
After that, we repaired to a pub run by friends of my s-i-l, and then my nephew and his girlfriend invited my sister and me round for wine, nibbles and a game of Yah-tzee, which I'd never played before but was really rather fun.
Over the course of the day there was rather a lot of wine consumed, and a small quantity of GIN, so I was a rather fragile piglet this morning ...
Comments
Not sure what to do with my larger bear, very loved and tatty now, and still wearing a double breasted (!) coat my mother knitted for him!
Women have always been in advance of men on the scientific front, only no one acknowledged them owing to their gender!! Still happening, Methinks!
The 4x4 is now in use as community bus, non-emergency ambulance and school transport.
Meanwhile, the w*nd is getting up again - Storm Ethelflaeda, perhaps, but I shall forgo standing nekkid in the river, chanting psalms.
Do TPTB that name Storms accept suggestions, I wonder?
There are an awful lot of stuffed toys (mainly teddies) on the Lloyd Loom chair on the landing outside our bedroom door....but Wendy is (and always has been) The One...he was originally given to my little sister when she was born, but I didn't cope well with having a little sister and he very rapidly became "mine".
Teddy Blue-Eyes will be the next to go to the Bear Hospital. At some time in the past he lost one or both of his eyes, and my Mum embroidered new ones with pale blue wool. He looks very scary and is a little bit unloved as a consequence. I think that some nice new shiny bright bear-coloured eyes will improve his looks no end...
I suppose I ought to knit some clothes to keep the dust off their coats, but at the moment they are as the maker intended. The problem is that I don't knit.
I'm contemplating an amble into Balerno village today, although it may be dependent on meteorological factors: it's been alternating between Quite Nice and Pissing Down this morning. Looking out the back of the house suggests the latter, so perhaps I'll have a spot of lunch and then see what happens.
Meteorological update: it's absolutely chucking it down - including sn*w - amble postponed.
And me wondering just how long that nasty little activity has been going on in human history. Why does the story take that form?
I have a cupboard full of loo roll, one full of tinned food, coffee etc and one with large water bottles. Plus I bought some power packs for charging phones (which I keep topped up) and two large water butts.
OH laughed at me. Less so now after the twin threats of the Coronavirus and flooding. We live on a hill but when the valley is flooded - which has happened before - the substations and water treatment works are at risk.
No panic buying here - just a good ex Girl Guide who still lives by the motto ‘ Be Prepared’.
My main 3 ideas at the moment are:
1) Walking in the south west. I had Worcester to Gloucester via the Malvern hills in mind. Though the current flooding around the Severn does worry me. I had in mind to maybe follow this up with a train trip to Taunton and carry on walking in the Quantocks - an area of the country I've never been close to.
2) Wander around central France. Maybe the Eurostar to Paris for a couple of days, then onto Lyon and then...see where my feet take me. Maybe to Pilat National Park.
3) West Highland Way. Get the train to Edinburgh, stay overnight. Then go onwards, staying at B&Bs along the route.
With those serving as the idea seeds, what else might the collective wisdom of the ship offer? N.b. I don't drive, so anywhere has to be accessible by train/walking.
We did a bit of the Pilgrim’s Way last November and enjoyed that. Not too arduous and a good choice of places to stay, at least for the bit (Aylesford to Canterbury) that we did.
@Sipech, if you want to go walking in France, the best thing to look for is the waymarked Grande Randonnée (GR) routes. There are lots of them, of varying lengths and degrees of difficulty. It shouldn’t be too hot in May. Do you want to take off into the wild by yourself or would you join an organised group holiday? That might be easier if you don’t drive.
Alternatively, if you fancy Scotland, a few years ago, I did the Great Glen Way with my parents, which we enjoyed very much. We flew to Glasgow, then got a bus to Fort William. It crosses Scotland from coast to coast, and is a bit easier that the West Highland Way (although I agree the latter sounds amazing if you’re up for it). We did the version where the tour company transfers your luggage from one location to the next every day, so you just set off with your day pack in the morning, and find all the rest of your stuff waiting for you when you get to your destination at the end of the day. You can do it with either hotels, B&Bs or youth hostels. We went for the middle option – B&B, which is worth it because it includes a hefty breakfast, which you need if you’re going to going to walk 10 miles or more every day. There are lots of companies that offer this kind of holiday, and it saves you having to look for all the different accommodation yourself. Also having it all arranged by a tour company makes meals easier – several places along the route are quite out of the way without a lot of dining options, and B&Bs will make you a packed lunch to take with you for the day.
Ambling has happened, miraculously in between all the Torrential Showers and Blizzards. However, the purpose of the amble (getting contact lens solution from the local pharmacy) was not achieved as they don't stock it. When I suggested that this was Outrage (very politely - I've been living in Canada for 16 years
Hmph.
I second Cathscats suggestion of the Speyside Way as being well worth considering.
So we no longer have to guess the Met Office list is available. The 'E' one is 'Ellen' and the 'F' one is 'Francis' so I am wondering what benefit to animals it will bring.
Maybe the inhabitants of Blessed Alba have such good eyesight (it's all that clear air) that contact lenses are not needed?
Mind you, I'm sure I've seen Scotspersons wearing spectacles...
R is for Roisin, which may be difficult for a TrueBlue Englishman™ to pronounce...
And I see there are some Dutch names, too - J for Jan, and P for Piet.
I'm afraid these are making me whimsically think of Raisins, Jam, and Pie.
I'll get me Burberry...
Let's hope storm Noah will forego the proverbial flooding!
Here's a video clip from Monday - can anyone identify the church?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7yYi9EYtwCE
I blame Bo*is for brainwashing me...
Ghastly situation and video, BF!
<votive> for all affected
I’ve done my usual morning work and am now having a break before an afternoon of marking (this week’s topic is the policy-practice gap in end of life care).
I bought a lawn repair kit today, which will do nicely to mend a worn patch near the front door of Our Place (the Small People of the pre-school nursery use it as a play area sometimes). The instructions on the box tell me to keep the ground moist before and after sowing the seed...not sure I'll need to do that...
It's a bit early yet, of course, as the Plan is to do the mendology during the Easter break, but I daresay we shall be up to Storm Vince, or Willow, by then. They'll have to come up with another list of names by about half-past April.
Also, I appear to have picked up a dose of aeroplane flu, and am extremely snufflous.
disgruntled piglet
And just as much silly government, if not more, as the silly government takes every opportunity to play silly beggars with the sane(er) one.
One fine day, if gods there be, Alba will have its own sane(r)* government actually running the country, without Wastemonster messing about with it...
(*your qualification is noted, but Your Lot could hardly be worse than Our Lot).
I think Captain Pyjamas has got the same snufflous complaint as you. He's a very snotty small person, and also quite a grumpy one.
This lunchtime we went out with husband en rouge's parents for his birthday. Scallop soup, roasted guinea fowl and chocolate fondant. Very pleasant.
It looks like a really rather nice day here, which I hope will last, as I'm heading into town on the bus in about an hour to meet up with my brother, nephews and their partners for lunch - one of them gave everyone Groupon coupons for Christmas for a restaurant and today's the day we're going to spend them. I'm looking forward to it, as it's a place I haven't tried and I understand it's rather good.
Sunny this afternoon, but stayed indoors as the wind was too strong for me to battle against just for the fun of it.
The wellies are Aigle and still going strong after five years. The waterproof trousers - I forget the make, but a ‘good’ one.
Proof that you get what you pay for!
Two soggy doggies now snoozing on towels.
☔️ ☔️ ☔️
Good for you Boogie! (And all other wet weather walkers)
I see it as a positive - I’d never go out in this without the dogs, it was cold too and had just finished snowing. 🌨
I am so pleased that cats don't needed to be walked.
Lunch with the family (at No. 11, for those who know Edinburgh) was utterly lovely. The food was excellent: I had one of the nicest duck pâtés I've ever tasted, followed by confit of duck* with parsnips, carrots and a little pot of shepherd's pie, and then my brother and I shared a very good cheeseboard.
* I didn't really mean to have duck for both courses; my initial choice was venison, but they only had two portions of it left (they lost ten points for that), and four of us had ordered it, so I volunteered to change.
After that, we repaired to a pub run by friends of my s-i-l, and then my nephew and his girlfriend invited my sister and me round for wine, nibbles and a game of Yah-tzee, which I'd never played before but was really rather fun.
Over the course of the day there was rather a lot of wine consumed, and a small quantity of GIN, so I was a rather fragile piglet this morning ...