All change at work! & some logging pics

I was working away this morning when I heard a voice say "Morning" looking behind me I noticed it was the shop manager, "lets call him Michael" who has been away looking after a "problem shop" for a while, "Hello Michael welcome back" I said.  I didn't get the usual reply and thought it a little odd.
 An hour or two later I was told he had left to be permanent manager of the problem shop and we were getting a replacement.  He's been at the shop before but more in a 2nd in command role, could be interesting!  A bit of "Same old balls different racket" I reckon.

I mentioned yesterday about moving the little tray around on the bird feeders and we are getting some interesting visitors now

Our resident squirrel seems to like it to sit on to attack the peanut container.  The jackdaws form yesterdays blog pic have now been joined by a crow!

I managed to get a bit of logging in yesterday even though the weather wasn't too sparkling

Heres one of the first 2 trees I cut down this year

Cutting them down is the easy bit

The tough bit is stacking up the branches to eventually burn them, especially if the trees are hawthorn because the thorns hold the branches together and pulling them apart is quite difficult.

We transport the larger cut pieces up to an all weather track and then chop them into firewood size bits and stack them up before covering them with plastic sheeting to dry out. This pic is the start of our latest stack.   The blue bit at the top of the pic is a large covered pile of wood that's been there for 2 years and will be used in winter 2014/15.

Enjoy the day

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Jesus is living in Australia & Everest anniversary 60 years on "Everest This way points the sign"

There's a bloke in Australia who says he's Jesus.  Not at all surprising really there have been a few people claiming this over the years.  What's really funny though he claims that his partner is Mary Magdalene, now there's a coincidence if I ever saw one!  Now these things nearly always end in tears and it looks like this one is headed right that way.  Hangers on always appear from nowhere and there then follows a familiar story which is mapped out in the article.
Whats sad is that some of the hangers on will be the victims in the end here's one, quote,  British woman Louise "Luli" Faver, 39, is a former neuroscientist who has given up her career to be closer to the couple.
"It's just nice to instead of being surrounded by people who think you are nuts to be surrounded by people who understand what you are going through and the difficulties of trying to deal with all the emotional stuff," she said. unquote!

Its 60 years ago today that Everest was climbed for the first time and there are a number of stories celebrating the fact.  This one from Sky news celebrates the historical facts.  While this one from the BBC has a video of a Russian extreme sports "star" doing a base jump off the north face from around 7220 metres!  Finally there's This one from the BBC'c Magazine shows the stark reality of how reaching the summit has almost become a procession.
One fact is that in 2012 on ONE day! 234 climbers reached the summit "my note here is that probably fewer in number made it up Ben Nevis on the same day"  There is although the sobering fact that since it was first climbed until 2011 5644 might have got to the summit but there were also 210 deaths!

It rained just about all day yesterday but at least we could keep saying "well its good for the garden".  All the rain though allowed me to finish another chapter in "my book" about my Army career.  Well almost, as I sat watching TV last night something triggered yet another funny story that must be added. I now just need to fit in the photographs before ploughing on to the next chapter.

Finally - - -We have had a number of Jackdaws on the bird feeders lately and this one yesterday took advantage of the fact I have moved the little food tray to a new spot to stand on it and have a go at just about everything on offer

   A squirrel who is a regular visitor and has a go at the peanut feeder also likes the new tray location and now sits on it to get at the nuts.
Fingers crossed today I might get in a bit of logging before the forecast rain arrives around lunchtime!
Back to the Fun Factory tomorrow for another round of 6 shifts hey ho!

Enjoy the day

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What that at the back of the freezer? & Help for Hero's rejects EDL cash?

You know what its like you're sitting out in the sunshine nothing planned for lunch but you are hungry.  There must be something in the freezer lurking in a darkened corner.  I remembered a day or so previously I had been stuffing in a couple of loaves and had to move a box of 50 something or others on skewers.  I thought then they must have been in there a while.
So Sally pops on the oven and retrieves the box from the freezer

Here it is then looking like it might have been bought from Tesco by the look of things.  we check the "use by date and its "only just out of date!!!!! 

Undeterred and after all we are made of sterner stuff we enjoy, and so does Tom the cat the "meaty" delicacies all the way from the "orient" to date i can report no ill effects! (thinks - it could have conceivably been bought in 2009!)

I see the Cheese rolling competition went off without any reported deaths so the old dear who makes the cheeses is off the police hook (reported in an earlier blog) I note in the story though that the organisers had swapped the original cheese for a lighter foam version.  Got to have your Health and Safety you know! 

I wondered at this story in Sky news and carried by others that the charity "Help for Hero's has returned money donated by the EDL.  If like me you know nothing of the EDL I suggest you read the story.  However the fact that the charity is refusing and returning the money i would suggest they are wrong!  For whatever your political beliefs I don't see why the charity should in effect "check the credentials" of supporters. Some of my facebook "friends" of an ex military bent, would also have their contributions returned if their comments are anything to go by.  I only hope a hero or 2 doesn't go short because of this sort of thing - - lets not forget what its meant to be for.  

The BBC carry an interesting set of pics showing how many plane flights are covering the the planet  scary! - - - worth a look.  

Finally - - - I take full blame for the current rain around Darley Dale today.  This is because noticing the pond level looked a little low yesterday we topped it up from the mains tap.  Don't tell Severn Trent Water! Also after deciding which trees would be felled this year at our logging site I dropped a couple and planned to cut them up today - - - wrong! Its looking like a book day then 

Enjoy the day

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You wont get me up in one of those! & Wall to wall sunshine

An interesting tale is told in this story about how councils who cut roadside verges more than twice a year are destroying some wildlife habitats. Another "nugget" is that councils who cut the verge but don't remove the cuttings which then rot down to make the soil to rich for wild flowers to grow.  I think around here there are so many miles of verges that maybe we are in the bunch that only cut in spring and autumn.

I read this story about a bloke who flies the shortest schedule flights up in Scotland of 1.7 miles between 2 islands up there.  The plane used is a Britten-Norman Islander and as soon as I saw the picture I thought "You wont get me up in one of those"  I was one of three passengers in one flying along the southern coast of the Oman in the 1970,s. 
As made an approach to land on a sandy airstrip it was caught in a freak side wind and turned almost upside down.  We observed people on the ground running out of the way and were convinced it was going to crash.  The pilot somehow managed to right the thing and suggested another try at landing - - - We dissuaded him and went back to RAF Salalah and made the trip in a chopper later in the day !  Never been near a Britten-Norman Islander since! 

After the very cold day on Friday, yesterday was wall to wall sunshine and today looks to be the same so far. 
Here's a pic of a buttercup meadow just across the road alongside the River Derwent taken yesterday morning

And Tom snoozes in the sunshine waiting for a tit bit from the BBQ in the garden in the afternoon

The gardens looking good in the sunshine as Sally takes food up to the top terrace for the BBQ

Enjoy the day

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200 Fungi on your feet & a cold day logging sees the wood store full

I never realised that as this story proclaims we have over 200 fungi living on our feet!  Mind you from the stink of some shoppers at work i think they might be a "willing host!"  There are 40 different types just living between your toes and 60 in your toe nail clippings! 

I finally finished bringing down firewood for our next winter period from the logging area yesterday.  The weather at first looked just to be windy and cool.  An hour later it turned into freezing rain and a bitterly cold North wind howling across the hills
Here's a pic of the 2 stacks I made in 2010 while cutting the trees down

And another from yesterday taken from the far side of left hand stack with Boris fully loaded and ready for the trip home.

The 2 bare patches show where the stacks were, the weather just looks a little dull but it was very cold.  When i got home Sally had fired up the log burner!

I had been working on my book the day before and was just coming to the end of a 3 hour stint and a dialogue box appeared on the screen(I must have hit a key or two!) . I didn't read it just pressed "return" and promptly lost all that periods work!.  Try as I might looking for temp files etc, I couldn't recover it so my rule now is to hit "save" at the foot of every page.
Here's a pic of me catching up yesterday and Tom is lending a hand!

He's snoozing even though I'm typing away.
Our other cat "Sainsbury" shot through the cat flap last night with the familiar site of a puffed up tail meaning he was being chased by another cat. It was an hour or so later that i noticed he has a nasty little wound near his right eye.  He hasn't been outside since!  definitely not a fighter like Tom. 

Finally - - - Today has dawned with a crystal clear sky and the sun is warming things up nicely. The BBQ is looking like it might be dusted off this afternoon

Enjoy the day

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The story unfolds & cheese is bad for you!

The news is full, and rightly so of the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich yesterday.  The incredible bravery shown by the woman who had first gone to help the soldier but realising he was dead then faced up to the 2 suspects has to be admired.  The suspects say they did it in the name of Allah but "clerics" are lining up to deny this.
One "cleric" said in an interview that, "this had nothing to do with Islam".   That's a bit "head in the sand" if you ask me.  There are a number of outspoken radical islamist preachers and their followers who must be well known to the "ordinary Muslim organisation" who should roundly condemn them but do not.  Its called protecting your own little world i fear!  The Sun newspaper has a good description for one of the suspects, "A drug taking waster born and bred in England!"

Cockroaches are learning not to take the poisoned bait put down for them according to a  BBC Story The sugary coated bait is being shunned by cockroaches because over time the sugar tastes bitter rather than sweet.  I remember spraying the kitchen of a Sergeants Mess in Germany to kill cockroaches.  We used to do it in the dark so as not to alert them to our presence.  When we switched on the lights there were literally hundreds of them in their death throe's.  No matter how many times we sprayed we never eradicated them!

Cheese it appears is is bad for you nespecially if you make it? In the category, "most ridiculous story" of the day the prize has to go to  the report that the Police are warning an old dear who makes cheeses for the "Coopers hill cheese rolling competition that she maybe liable if anyone is hurt while rolling one of her cheeses.  You would think the police had more pressing matters to attend to!

Finally - - - The weather has been a little chilly for the last 2 days after the warm stuff we had that kick started spring not long ago.  We had almost written off our very old apple tree at the top of the garden because it looked so scruffy without its leaves  earlier in the year.  Plans to chop it down in Autumn had been discussed which have now been put on hold.  Here's a pic of it in all its splendour covered in blossom

The garden as a whole is looking good as well

And it won't be long before i will need to put the time lapse project pics to work

Enjoy the day

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Dont go near the Donkey's & strange goings on at work

The online news and papers today are full of the graphic images and video footage of the aftermath of the murder in woolwich of what appears to be a soldier.  The full details are still emerging of why the attack happened so lets just leave it there for now.

I picked up on a story that will undoubtedly cost us millions and not end with a satisfactory  conclusion for the authorities.  The Hyde Park Bombing took place in 1982 and was an IRA attack on a The Household Cavalry procession. Casualties included horses as well as people.   What is surprising about the story is that an arrest was made at Gatwick last Sunday of a John Anthony Downey in connection with the bombing.
Due to the "good Friday Agreement" (explained in the story) it all looks like the action will be in vain.  There's a tragic twist at the end of the piece though.

Dont go near the Donkey's should have been the advice to people after 2 of them killed a pensioner in Hungary who was dragged from a mobility scooter and killed on a friends farmland. The attack however looks as if it could have been avoided because the farmers daughter had told him the animals were becoming more aggressive!

The Eurovision Song Contest looks not be over yet, in this story where Russia is angry over an alleged "vote theft" The Russian Foreign Minister is involved in the sorry tale promising that, "The incident would not go unanswered"  too stupid for words really!

A car driver who knocked a cyclist off his bike then stupidly went on to Twitter to tell the world about it - - pillock!  The tweet included references to "Bloody cyclists" and them not "paying road tax".  At the end of the piece there's a bit about there's no such thing as road tax its really Vehicle Excise duty!  So next time I'm stuck in a queue of traffic on the A6 behind a bunch of pedal pushers I'll understand they have as much right to be there as I do! - - - - even though they dont pay "Vehicle Exise Duty!"

Work has been "entertaining" the last few days.  Sunday I was asked by a colleague, "Lets call him Mat" if ! could put a load of cream cakes languishing in the warehouse chiller out on the shelves, not something I am generally tasked to do.  In the interest of one of our "core values" e.g. "Trusting each other and working together" I obliged. 
This meant that a couple of my tasks had to go by the board. When it came time for me to leave I asked him if he would work the bread as the shelves needed a bit of a replen.  In the interests of "Trusting each other and working together he said "No".   In an amazing piece of, "Well who gives a toss anyway" I calmly accepted his answer, understanding that maybe he was busy doing his job so i smiled and left. 

Yesterday i had a bloke come up to me and ask politely for Lobster Bisque, or as he said later Lobster Beast!  Forgetting completely that it was a soup. I asked him what it was and then we might be able to find it.  He didn't know?  We wandered around the tinned fish section with him feeding me information that it might be in a packet or a tin.  Further questioning from me established that he was a "restauranter!" and the chef had sent him out to buy this. 

Still no nearer the solution i asked a colleague manager type, "Lets call him Craig" about it? No idea.  I then  apologised to the bloke and went back to what i was doing.  I spotted him advancing on me 10 minutes later waving the "Tin of Lobster Beast!".  He'd had to phone the "chef"! I should have asked him the name of the "Restaurant" so i could put it "up in lights". 

A lady was being served by the boss, "lets call her TracEy" at the creamy cake counter and mentioned how cold it was in the store, which in truth it wasn't.  She however engaged me in conversation about how she thought it was and to prove it touched my arm with her "very cold fingers". 
Wearing gloves as i do at work i jokingly clasped one of her hands between mine to warm it up.  I then spotted the HR boss, "lets call her Hazel" advancing towards me with a quizzical look on her face at my antics.  So still clasping the womans hand I explained that i was taking "Customer service to a new level!"

Finally - - - After some consideration I have asked to be taken off the list for the change of job i have related in other blogs.  I might regret it later but at the moment Im thinking that its a case of, embracing the devil you know in a slightly, "different manner" shall I say rather than go wrestling with the devil's I dont!

Enjoy the day

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The old ones are the best ones! & MP's trotters in the trough again!

I thought it a bit odd when Rod Stewert brought out a "new Album" not long ago.  Well i mean come on he cant be short of a few bob even with all the Ex's he has tagging along.  So proving that the old ones are the best ones he's at the number 1 spot with it being 34 years since his last one. 

Another "oldie" has surfaced after a lot of people wondering where "it" was for years.  A watch given to James Bond by "Q" in Thunderball has turned up at a Car Boot Sale and been snapped up for £25 its expected to fetch between £40k and £60k at auction.  - - - Must visit the car boot this weekend lol!

A spine chilling story is told by a young Eritrean in this BBC Story   He was held hostage for 7 months and a picture shows burns on his back and he tells a tail of torture and horror.  Finally he is freed after his family pay a ransom but even then there's a twist to the story - - - worth as read.

The Daily Express has a headline telling us "House prices at record high" - - "cost of average home rises 5k in a month"  I'm not sure where they get their information from as nothing seems to be moving around here and a house close by has been valued at £30k less that what it was bought for 5 years ago!

The PM is facing a revolt over his "Gay Marriage" bill, the grass roots activists are annoyed at being called goggle eyed loons, what is a PM to do?  Well this Sky news story has the answer, they should all get a rise of between £10 and £20k!  Its all the idea of a group calling themselves "The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority" I wonder who's running that then?- - - - - - -

The "Fun Factory" was its usual Monday self today not really busy but enough customers to make it interesting.  We seem to be in one of those periods where lots of new items are being shipped in and others are being discontinued.  Over the next few weeks then we will get lots of "oh look they are doing these again" and on the other side of the coin, "Why have you stopped doing such and such"  hey ho.

Finally - - - The weather today was predicted to be thundery with hail and we have been scanning the sky hoping that we don't get either.  I'm hoping to finish off bringing wood down from our logging area in the next couple of trips.  We should then have plenty of time to cut down a few trees during the summer to replenish our run down stock. 

Tory Activists - "Mad swivel eyed loons" - sounds about right!

Saw this on sky news and lots of others covering it.  Some "senior conservative" is alleged to have upset a lot of "followers" by calling them "Mad swivel eyed loons"  It'll be interesting to see the outcome for the person in question!

I think I'll cancel any idea of visiting the Seychelles after reading this story from the BBC.  There's a prison there with  a load of Somali pirates !  lets hope they don't escape. 

I cant remember the last time i watched the Eurovision song contest but i always like to see the results to find out how dismally we have done.  I see Bonny Tyler managed to come 19th out of 20 beating handsomely Engleberts last place last year.  I don't know why we don't follow the Italians and just pack it in. 

The Jimmy Savile saga drags on with one of the Senior investigators who led and enquiry now being placed under investigation.  The whole sad tale looks to be dragging down anyone who has touched it and a few heads have still to roll I fear!

I liked the Matt cartoon on the front page of the Telegraph website this morning,  It shows a motorist in his car looking at a sign next to a petrol station pump.  Obviously a swipe at the price fixing allegations of Shell and BP.  "If you can find more expensive fuel locally, We'll charge you the difference" - - -

A story carried by the Telegraph about an Iranian warship shadowing a flotilla of ships on a mine hunting exercise in the gulf.  Nothing unusual I suppose but i cant believe that the Americans have a ship called The "Ponce" as reported in the text!

We have a miniature apple tree in the garden which has 2 types of apple growing on it.  The blosssom is prolific just now and we look forward to seeing the fruit! Here's a pic

Finally - - - So there we are a Sunday at the Salt Mine with the sun beating down outside shows that hopefully the weather has taken a turn for the better.  As half term is looming close at the end of the week i bet a lot of parents will be hoping it stays that way! 

Enjoy the day

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Please choose from the following options!

Trying to call almost any company nowadays generally means waiting for ages while being told your call "is important to us" or being directed to their website rather than them answering the phone.  You then get the automated voice giving you "options".  There can be multiple levels which are just designed to frustrate you.  A story from the BBC today promotes a retired IT manager who has website with a database of shortcuts to allow you to navigate through the menu levels quickly - - -great idea!

I remember in past blog entries when the US where having their presidential campaigns mentioning a candidate with the unlikely name of Mitt Romney.  He had, it was reported some odd ideas on how the world should be run and here's one hes connected with.  The Quiverfull a bunch of evangelical Christians who shun the idea of contraception in order to "Get married. Have a quiver full of kids if you can" says good old Mitt.  Mmmmmmm - - -

Watching the Giro d Italia yesterday on its longest stage, of over 150 miles Mark Cavendish made a brilliant solo sprint at the end to win the stage.  Once he's finished he stopped his bike and had to sit on the ground exhausted, what a fighter!  Unfortunately though Bradley Wiggins had to retire form the race on the orders of the team doctor due to a chest infection.  The idea is to hope that he recovers to defend his Tour de France crown next month.
Meanwhile in the Giro the dolomite mountains are waiting this week for the riders and there's Snow forecast! 

Most of the front pages cover "new evidence" in the hunt for Maddie McCann but the Portuguese don't look set to open an new investigation.  I guess the discovery of those 3 women in a house in the US makes you think there's a chance she could still be alive?

Back to work tomorrow after my surprise 3 days off with only 3 shifts to do to complete the shift pattern! I popped down to the shop yesterday but was turned away at the door due to a massive water leak in the warehouse spilling over onto the shop floor causing the store to be closed.  We had a similar problem a couple of years ago when a pipe burst but this time it appears it was just a joint that started to leak and b
eventually it was sopped by re-tightening it!

Enjoy the day

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A new credit card con & we do Tea at the Cavendish!

Once again the Daily Express is concerned with our health this morning as their headline urges us to heed the "Blood pressure risk from salt" "new warning to 16m Britons: Cut your intake"  There must be something in it i suppose because salt is normally one of the "ingredients" displayed on food packaging. 

I enjoyed the picture in the Telegraph of the UKIP "Leader"  Nigel Farage, looking less than comfortable after a "Scottish welcome" in Edinburgh.  I wonder that the "demonstrators" in the shot all look of "university" age and are clearly indicating they don't like him and he should "go back to England"  Maybe they will be the ones running that country when its cut free of the English shackle!

Theres a credit card Con described in the BBC story which leaves the "conned" feeling stupid but in some instances the con might be believable.  A very elaborate plan which ends with a face to face meeting with the "con - er" knocking on your door and you giving him all your debit and credit cards.  This is after already having "typed" the pins into the telephone keypad earlier!   worth a read - - -

After my "Faux pas" of turning up for work yesterday when i had booked 3 days off I enjoyed my first "free day!"  My vising friend and his wife were discovering the delights of Chatsworth House and its gardens and park.  A long time favourite of ours and we hoped it didn't disappoint them after we encouraged them to see it.

An added advantage for them was that being the 70th Anniversary of the Dam Busters raid in the Ruhr the planes would be flying past and our friends would be hopefully in the garden by then and see the spectacle.  "they were not disappointed!".

I walked in to the park and sat across the river from the house and got pics and vids of the display.  Here's a pic of the Lancaster flying over the house, Click the pic to enlarge it and get a better view.

We were invited to have Tea with them later at their hotel which was the rather swish Cavendish Hotel.  After wading through a mountain of sandwiches cakes and scones we left them to "walk it off" before their dinner. 

Here we are posing at the front door with Sally clutching the doggy bag with surplus cakes etc!

Strange that the weather forecast for their 3 day trip was to say the least "rainy and dull".  Once again the "met men" were wrong and yesterday was sunny with white fluffy clouds for most of the day.  Doom gloom and more rain is forecast for today and tomorrow i wonder what it will really bring!

Enjoy the day

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Note to self: Put days off in diary!

"What are you doing here?" enquired Dash around Dave, my team leader in the general office at work a couple of minutes after I had clocked in.  After a brief discussion I phone Sally to look at my holiday chart and sure enough I should be on "Days off!" 

Much laughter later from colleagues I slunk out of the shop laughing it off as "its an age thing"  So here I am with 3 days off in front of me that i didn't know I had.  The odd thing about it a mate from Hereford and his wife are up visiting the area,  and some time ago i checked, what now turns out to be last years chart! and proclaimed, "Pity I'll be at work"

They arrived yesterday and we ferried them around in Boris taking them to The Barrel Inn at Bretton and then a brief stroll around the The plague village at Eyam before visiting Bakewell then bringing them back to the cottage for a look round and a cuppa. 

Here they (and Sally) are wandering round a chilly church yard in Eyam village

We encountered a group of walkers when we were driving out of the Bakewell showground car park and incredibly recognised one of them as a former member of the regiment from our Hereford days!

Today the Daily Express is remembering the Dambusters 70th Anniversary on its front page, with my "New found days off" i might wander over to Chatsworth this afternoon to get some fly past pics!  The headline of the day though screams "Soaring energy bills scandal!"  "shocking 10% rise in prices to hit millions!  OK so whats new?

I noted the other day that everyone now has to pay some form of Community Charge, i suppose its only fair but there will be lots who find it a struggle to pay even a small amount.  Pity there's no way of just making the scroungers pay who have been getting away with paying nothing. Its prison now if you don't pay it but ironically you don't have to pay if you are in prison!  - - -

Finally - - - There's another people caught in avalanche story where a bloke survives through "swimming it"  I guess it shows great presence of mind in such a perilous situation! 

Enjoy the day

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Dont mess with mushrooms! & The price of success!

Lots of press coverage today about "us" getting ripped of by Shell & BP the fuel giants.  They have been accused of fixing the price of fuel for at least 10 years - - - Makes me wonder if the "government" knew all about it but just enjoyed raking in all that tax money! 

I almost missed this one tucked away in the Telegraph gardening section there are some very nice pics of "The 10 most poisonous mushrooms that might be in your garden" according to the author - - - only trouble is the first pic is meant to be a "Death Cap" when in truth its an "Amanita Citrina"  Just go's to show that you "Don't mess with mushrooms"

The Russians are making a big noise about capturing a "undercover CIA agent" there are a number of pics of the unfortunate bloke in what can only be described as a "very bad wig" or at best its on at a "jaunty angle".  The Russians are in the process of kicking him out back to the USA.  Micheal McFaul the US Ambassador to Russia was taking part in a Q & A session on twitter and refused to answer the tweet about the detention of the alleged spy as the news broke.  I'll bet - - -

The weather is being unkind again although we didn't see the forcasted snow yesterday, in fact it was just a pretty dull day with the rain sweeping in in the evening and hammering away during the night.  I have a mate & his wife from Hereford coming for a 3 day visit today and it looks as if wellies and brollies will be the dress for the trip!

There's a fly past by a Lancaster bomber tomorrow between 1300-1315 at Ladybower reservoir to commemorate the Dam  Buster raid on the Ruhr Dams in World War 2.  We should also get a view of it here as its completing a fly past of Chatsworth House around 1320. 

Finally - - - Success always comes at a price, although some will never be able to afford it, will they?  I guess Dan Brown will think of this when he is counting the royalty monies from his latest book "Inferno"  The readers love it as the number of copies sold suggest, the critics are having a field day rubbishing the content.  The article in the link above by Tom Chivers highlights "the 8 worst sentences" and has the smack of just a few "sour grapes".  Come on Tom try getting out a little more or maybe getting a proper job? - - -

Enjoy the day

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Note: The link from our website was incorrect in it description of the latest post for the last 13 hours (to 0715 today).  I had changed some of the website content and not updated the copy I posted - - sorry

We should eat bugs they tell us! & good pics from a walk yesterday

I read with a tinge of cynicism the story on sky news telling us Cameron was "seizing the initiative" and would propose laws to guarantee an "in out referendum" on our EU membership.  This feeling was born out when looking at the Daily Express headline of "The great EU revolt MP's mutiny to get early referendum".  Almost makes you believe it'll never happen!

Mention of the horsemeat scandal and the story from China about restaurants serving rats in yesterdays blog seem "small beer" compared to the BBC story about the UN urging people to eat more Bugs!  It seems "wasps beetles and other insects" are underutilised! Especially as they are "extremely efficient" at converting feed into edible meat. There's a handy little chart to show you the "insect nutritional value per 100g.  It might be looooong time though before i order "dung beetle grasshopper and Caterpillar on wholemeal, to go please!"  Mmmmmmm

Our (UK) fickle weather has truck again so to speak, it was only days ago that "the ones in the know!" were telling us it was going to be a "scorching May" when today Snow is predicted and temperatures could be 10c below normal.  Fingers crossed for all the plants just planted out in the garden.

I was going to pop in a pic of our garden but the upload server isn't working at the moment.  I decided yesterday that the shot would be the subject of my next time lapse project. 

Finally - - - With the threat of snow it makes yesterdays walk in the sunshine seem a long time ago, so without the pic upload facility not functioning just now click on this link  and you can see the Picasa web albumn shots.  We noticed also that the Morel mushrooms we spotted last year are again around in greater profusion if not a few weeks later so here's a Link for them with a few wild flowers thrown in for good measure. 

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Horsemeat would be a luxury in China! & Huhne and Pryce to be freed but at what cost?

A lovely morning here in Darley Dale but it looks to be rain for the rest of the day according to the weathermen, lets hope they are wrong

An 0630 pic across the river looking west! Only a couple of weeks of taking this pic and i can get on with my time lapse video!

We've had our horsemeat scandal and the aftermath according to some stories is that lots of people are now eating "healthier" food options!  Maybe it was all a government plot?  However, food scandals are a daily occurrence in China it would appear if this stomach churning story is to believed.  The test waxes lyrical about what you might be eating, with proof of Rat!, and there's a video of a police raid which shows some appalling food storage practises!

Another video worth watching is the one attached to the story of the capture in Spain of Andrew Moran a criminal who has been on the run since 2009 after escaping from a court appearance in connection with a mail van robbery.
Talking of criminals, Huhne and Pryce (has the ring of a comedy duo!) are set to be freed from prison today after serving the required portion of their sentences.  I don't quite get the point of giving criminals a "sentence period" and then letting them out early!  Anyway, their release is not the end of the Tale because they as yet don't know the amount of "costs" they will have to pay for their attempt to "get away with it".  I don't think we've heard the last of this one!

Finally - - - A "Chilling" story from Canada shows the power of the wind.  Ice floes on a lake were pushed by the wind on shore and destroyed a number of properties.  A video shows its slow progress near one house like a kind of cold magma flow!  worth a look - - - -

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No its not a moat! & a short Marathon of The North

Looking at the papers this morning the Sunday Express tells us, "Now we pull our own teeth" this is all to do with the cost of visiting the dentist.  I think this type of DIY dentistry has been around for a lot longer than the story implies!  One of our neighbours is going through the "all out" procedure just now and has had a top set of dentures fitted, it seems strange to see him with a full set of "Pearlie's!"

Theres a sky news story which is also on the front page of the Sunday People about the suicide of a woman in connection with the so called bedroom tax  The poor woman couldn't afford the £20 extra rent imposed by the scheme and ended her life, clearly blaming the government in a letter to her family.  Reading the whole story though it appears she could have been registered as disabled and received disability benefit - - -

Another story catching my eye was cone of a woman who contracted Lyme disease  while out walking her dog in 2003.  She picked up a tick the size of a poppy seed on her ankle and years of agony followed - - - worth a read.

I was busy, carefully spray painting our boundary the other day between our house number 4 and number 5 in the terrace.  The reason was an attempt to remedy a long standing damp problem on a wall in our "below ground" level" kitchen area.  I'm convinced the problem is exacerbated by the amount of run off from number 5's garage.  An earlier attempt at re-routing the run off water to one of his outside drains seemed not to have provided the solution.

The idea was then, to dig 2 drainage channels in our "owned" part of the "private right of way" in the hope of diverting the water to our outside drain.  The neighbour from number 3 enquired if the proposed channel  spray painted lines were "a moat!"

Here's a pic of what the problem might be

Originally the water from the roof ran from the drain pipe on the building and down the gully it had formed in the concrete straight to the top of our stairs where it eventually found its way onto the wall in question.  I diverted the flow with the extra bit of pipe which can be seen running almost to the garage door at floor level. This had the effect of sending most of the water to number 5's outside drain, but our wall remained damp.  An anomaly here is the dry patch to the right of a crack in the asphalt which points to something under that line channelling the water "our way". We hoped our excavation would remedy that.

So at 8:30 yesterday and with the help of a neighbour, "lets call him Alan" we set to with the excavating.  Alan had provided one of those impact drills and away we went!

Here we are about an hour later having got the first channel finished.  The concrete at the far end, right on our boundary, was only a thin skin but the near end took some hammering with the tool in the pic.
Unfortunately the impact drill gave up the ghost as we started the second channel!

So having got the outline done with the impact drill it was back to the old hammer and chisel to dig it out!  It soon became obvious this was going to take "some considerable time!"

A white knight then appeared over the horizon, "lets call him James" from number 3 and let us borrow his impact drill and we made very short work on the rest of the job.

The black line in the pic shows our boundary, its an odd angle which is repeated down most of the terrace.  The idea now is the lower channel catches any run off from next doors gully at the right of the picture and the upper channel stops the lower one being overwhelmed by any other surface run off. 

All we needed was some rain which the heavens duly supplied 2 hours later.  Viola! it worked, the channels soon had water in them.

This morning's shot of the same pic at the start of the "tale" seems to indicate a partial success, the "dry patch" of pic No1 is now, to some degree wet, indicating a diversion of run off water!.  Judging by today's weather forecast the project will be tested this afternoon!

Finally - - - Through some shoddy marshaling on the Marathon of The North only the bloke that won it went the right way.  He was so far in front of everyone else that the "chasing bunch" went the wrong way and cut off 264 metres of the course and were in effect disqualified.  The organisers infuriated some runners by offering a 25% discount on their next entry for the race in some form of misguided compensation.  I suppose it would have added insult to injury to divide the 264 metres into the whole distance and offer a refund for that portion! - - - - --

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MP's snouts in the expenses trough again! & its the Grand Tours time again.

There's a story carried by a few newspapers about our MP's "cashing in!" on the sale of their "second homes".  Second homes are one of the cracking fiddles we let them get away with for running our country, did i say running?  stupid boy!  Just another in the long line of stories about expense abuse really but i imagine they'll donate some if not all the money to charity - - - now they've been found out!   A squadron of pigs have just flown down the valley!

Talking of flying there's a good if not very short video of a paratrooper being sucked out of the back of a Hercules plane when his reserve chute deployed in error.  He's seen crouching right by the end of the open tail door then his reserve drops near his feet then appears to deploy behind him and over the edge of the ramp.  It looks as if hes unaware of whats happening as it is seen clearly deploying in the slipstream and pop! out he go's 30 miles from the intended DZ.  The funny bit really is if you watch the only other bloke in the shot, he shuffles back in apparent fear of following his mate!

A small girl was "apprehended" by Kent police for "Criminal damage" in Ramsgate for drawing a hopscotch grid outside her home.  "misguided zeal" or "Stupidity" on the part of the police - - - you decide!

I took advantage yesterday of the days early good weather before an afternoon of fairly heavy rain to do a bit of work up at the logging site.  I'm almost finished sawing and then "mauling" the last of the 2010's efforts at tree clearing.

 Here's a 2010 pic of the 2 piles I'm working on the one on, the right is no more and I'm down to those large bits of trunk alongside the other pile.  All the trees in the background came down eventually.  The site was an old council waste tip once, i found some interesting old glass bottles on the site



 

I had a visit from our friend Lisa and her pet lamb "Napkin"

 

 He seems determined to have a go at eating Boris's back step in this shot while below he's found a nice crunchy bit of wood from the pile waiting to be loaded into Boris.







  He's becoming quite a character but just like anything young he's trying to eat anything and everything!



Here's a story guaranteed to get me on my "soap box" "talk of hosepipe bans!"  why on earth can "we", well "they", "the Water companies" not stop blaming the wrong type of rain at the wrong time of year for our lack of sufficient water.  The fat cats that run the water companies still get bonuses for not supplying us with water?  Sorry that doesn't quite "gel" with me.  However, feast your eyes on this story in the Telegraph where "they" might be asking us to drink treated sewage  in the future.  "No wonder we lost an Empire!"  lol  

 

Finally - - - The grand cycle tours are in the news again.  I know they do actually go on for most of the year and can be seen on Eurosport if you spot them.  Various tours have already taken place but it wont be long before, what i consider the most spectacular one, The Tour de France" is with us.  Armstrong has pulled down the dark veil of drug assisted wins but you cant fail to admire the sheer spectacle of the thing.

Its the turn of the turn of the Giro d'Italia right now and young "Cavendish has just taken stage 6".  He won the first stage also so looks all set for a good Tour de France in his new team.  It was nice of him to dedicate his 6th stage win to a Belgian rider who was killed on the equivalent stage 2 years ago.  Sir Bradley Wiggins survived a puncture and being held up by a huge crash ahead of his efforts to get back to the front of the peleton and is in 6th place in the General Classification! 14 stages to go!

  

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Boris's incontinence cured! & some Everest pics from 1953

The ~Daily Express has discovered yet another "miracle cure" this time the headline reads "Miracle cure for back pain" - - - "Agony ended by daily antibiotics".  You don't have to be a "medical man" to realise the problems of taking antibiotics over a long period of time.  This concern is expressed in the same article carried by the BBC news.  Today's, Express  headline takes some believing though because its "from the government!".  "Better deal for decent Britons"  with a byline "Queen (from the Queens speech) announces immigration crackdown, boost for business and help for pensioners".  A fairy story if i ever heard one"

Boris, Sally's beloved Defender had a trip to the Garage today to fix a problem highlighted by a request from me to investigate a growing "stain" on the carport floor.  To be honest we had noticed a small amount of fluid coming from the "underneath" for ages and i had always thought it was from the sump gasket to the engine. 
The lack of any noticeable drop in the engine oil level made me think it was probably something else. The guys over the garage gave a "sharp intake of breath" explaining it was my Fuel pressure regulator that was leaking.  The sharp intake of breath also came from me on paying the bill for the new one!

I thought someone had died when a colleague at work, "lets call him Dave" rushed into the canteen and switched on the TV to "see the news" yesterday.  It finally turned out that Alex Ferguson had announced his retirement from Manchester United!  Good job its "only a game!"

The Daily Mail headline is worthy of note this morning "£90 fine if you're texting at the wheel" Its a pity there arn't enough police to enforce it.

There's an interesting twist to the Saville story and its witch hunt of ageing Celebs in the sky news story which reports the "protestations" of a leading lady barrister by the name of Barbara Hewson.  "Low level misdemeanours" mention of "Moral crusaders" producing "scapegoats on demand" for this "grotesque spectacle"  She is however "crusading" to have the age of consent lowered to 13!  No doubt if she was representing "these people" she would be trumpeting that this would just put "vulnerable children into the hands of these vile criminals at a younger age"  What a wonderful legal system we have!

Another story worthy of a read is by the BBC on the way the Police in Dhaka crushed a protest of Bagladeshi Islamist protesters.  Its reported that "tens of thousands of Islamists" had gathered to call for stronger Islamic policies".  It appears whoever is in charge in Bangladesh had other ideas and the police were "very aggressive" in clearing the demonstration.  Although it is reported that "stun grenades and rubber bullets" were used 27 people were killed!  Religion's a "funny old game" isn't it! Mind you one of the "chants" of the crowds was "Hang Atheists!" so i guess at least they're not leaving any stone unturned - - - lovely!

After the story about the fight the other day way up on the slopes of Everest i happened across this feature from the BBC about the first ascent in 1953 .  Just sit back and watch the video with its stunning pictures and marvel at the crude equipment they used in those days!

Finally - - - little Sainsbury caught his first bat of the year last night , it will be noted that last year he discovered the bats emerging from a neighbours garage roof and he seems to be perfecting his technique at grabbing them either as they emerge or return to their accommodation. 

Here's last nights victim which was deposited by Sally's easy chair this morning

 



This pic is from last years collection.  Here he's discovered where the bats emerge and is figuring out how to catch one!

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Another Bank holiday survived! & Other things

Our weather is amazing at the moment, gone are those chilly days of very early spring after one of the longest periods of cold weather we have seen for a long time.
We are now graced by the warm sunny aspect that is making all the plants and trees sparkle into life, lets hope we don't get a localised frosty surprise like last year that killed off all the fruit blossom!
Heres the latest across the river view from yesterday

It wont be long before all the trees are in leaf and it will be time to make up the time lapse vid!  

 

I spent most of the recent Bank Holiday beavering away at my part time job in the local Sainsbugs and as usual it brought along its host of "challenges".  Our part of the Peak District is known for being a tourist area and the shop has been full of tourists.  This always brings more than enough of people who are not familiar with its layout and therefore we get lots of "Can you tell me's?"  Its nice though to be able to help them out and send them on their way.

On the other side of the coin there's always at least 1 that gets under your skin.  I was attending to a lady customer and could see out of the corner of my eye a bloke stood behind her.  As i turned away he whistled to get my attention!  I said "please don't whistle of me i'm not a dog" to which he replied, "I beg your pardon?" I repeated my part and got no reaction apart from, "Where's the salt" "I'm glaring at him by this time when i say "at your feet!" realising the whole "contact could have been avoided if the twerp had only opened his eyes!  - - - hey ho.

 

There's a cute video i plucked from buzzfeed  showing a Rottweiler and a deer apparently enjoying running up and down either side of a fence separating them, i wonder what would have happened if the fence wasn't there?

 

Justin Bieber has been annoying fans again by keeping them waiting in his tour of the "gulf" but he got a bit of a shock at another venue when a male fan came up behind and grabbed him while he was performing!  At a venue in Turkey he stopped his performance so the local Muslims could attend the "call to prayer" - - - I sense a conversion maybe?  

 

Purely for the spectacle i do like to watch the odd "God botherer" programme on the TV especially a bloke called "Pastor Chris".  I'm gripped by the hold he has over the audience and wonder how he does it.  Mind you i picked up a nugget about religion that sums it up for me, "Atheism and religion are 2 sides of the same coin, one uses its head while the other relies on tales" - - -

 

The Daily Express has had its usual headlines of speculation,  the other day there was "Wonder oil to end arthritis agony" where experts, we are told, proclaimed, "long lasting relief for sufferers".  While today we are blessed with "House prices to soar by 30%" isn't that just another play on the headline of a few days ago where they gave an average price increase for the same thing? 

 

Finally - - - Closer to home, it was a joy yesterday to sit in the garden amongst all the sunshine and new plants sipping an ice cold beer and reflecting on the desolate picture it looked only a couple of months ago.  Our neighbour John on the other hand seems to have given up on his grandiose plans for his "garden" as he and his "clutch" squatted in front of his parked van and ate dinner in a small patch of sunshine. - - -  While his weeds grow higher and higher and higher.   There's talk of him leaving us by July? Mmmmmmmmmmm - - -  

I must apologise to him, "most sincerley folks", though as its been reported to me that he resents his inclusion in my blog So, John - - - your'e gone.    

 

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Wine carrier? & the loonies are in!

Ok its the tourist season as is obvious from the stream of "Can you tell me's" that we get in the shop! Its quite nice to help them along as they are mostly apologetic for not knowing where things are.  Its what keeps us going i suppose.  Then there's always the one that's going to get up your nose!!!!!

Wine carrier? says this man who has a rather Superior attitude.  You know the type they approach you and "get in your face" and then utter a phrase that lets you know they are "demanding".  "I beg your pardon?" I say fully understanding what he's after but trying to get the upper hand!

"I want a wine carrier" he says again, Considering,  I'm stood a good 25 metres from the wine and beer dept I say, "I don't think we have any but lets take  look" and wander along to the booze dept.  It takes only a couple of seconds to see we don't have any (we rarely have) and i point out we have a stack of empty wine boxes "here", that will be adequate for the job.  "I want a wine carrier" he insists!  Hackles raised i suggest he can go to the check out and buy a "fit for the purpose" sainsbury's wine bag with 6 compartments".

He looks at me with a, "what is this i have stood in" look and then announces "I'll leave it then!" and  flounces out of the shop.  I count to 10 and go back to the tourists!

The recent good weather really let me get into the logging work again and here a few pics from the latest bit of work

Here I am finishing off a pile of wood that has been drying off for a couple of years.  splitting the last bits are always hard! Boris is in the background ready to take the bits back home!

Lisa visits the site with "Napkin" her pet lamb! 

Finally - - - I like one of the newspaper headlines about the recent UKIP parties successes in the local elections.  "Fruit cakes, Loonies and Clowns send shock waves through the Tories" Its about time they realised that the electorate are sick and tired of the usual bullshit and will unfortunately vote for a "new kind if bullshit!  - - - - -

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Parallel parking a bit of an art nowadays & Get ready for the drought!

Once again a nugget from the Daily Express warns us "Britain heading for new drought" followed by "Get ready for the driest May on record" I cant see many people complaining about a dry hot May after the cold winter and late spring but it looks as if the hose pipe bans might not be too far away

I stumbled across this story about volunteer tourism and how its really not all that helpful to the people at the receiving end.  There's a particular phrase of "GapYah" that implies its only for upper class kids and some of the comments below the story reflect this - - - worth a read though.

An expedition to cross part of the ice sheet in Greenland has had a tragic ending with one person dieing and the other 2 having to be rescued by helicopter.  They were doing well to have travelled as far as they did in the first 2days of their trip but were caught out by a tremendous snow storm and their tent was blown away one night.  Unfortunately the rescue chopper could not reach them until the following day when it was all too late for one member. 

With all our "out of town" shopping centres and thier large car parks nowadays it would appear that parallel parking is an art that has almost been forgotten.  The story leads with a video of a "woman", sorry ladies, taking 30 minutes to get her car into a space between to other cars.  For those in need there's a handy little diagram of how its done. So get out there and practise

The lack of activity around our bird feeders lead us to put up an old feeder in a less exposed position the other day.  We reckoned it might be that there are fewer birds about due to the cold winter.  So far it looks as if we might be right.  We have only seen one or 2 blue tits having a go at the feeder high up in the apple tree.  Lets hope for a good nesting season then!

I did manage to get back into my book writing yesterday and now must keep up the momentum. Heres a pic to prove it.

 We sat out in the sunshine for a while yesterday between the banks of cloud and heres a pic of Tom enjoying a nap alongside one of Sally's tubs of seedlings.

 

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