The first plane hijack! & A woodpecker stealing the peanuts

When did the first airplane hijack take place? well if you look on Wikipedia theres a long list stretching back to 1932
But here's a story about one of the "earliest hijackings"

I think for the people involved it was good that the aircraft in question was a Dakota DC3! Being old enough to have flown in one! it was/is a fantastic little aircraft and the one in the story actually landed and then took off on a deserted beach! - - - definitely worth a read! - - -


A tragic tale, this one

An old lady died some six years ago and her body has only just been found.  Everyone around presumed she had left the flat because her car disappeared years ago but the poor old soul lay dead in her flat all that time! - - -



A simple question this! What would we call the UK if Scotland left the union ?

The vote for Scottish folks will be rushing along quite soon and I find it strange that we in "England" are not being asked to vote if we want them to split.  I was casually talking to a colleague at work and asked the pointed question, "what would we be called if Scotland left the union?"  His answer "a lot better off!"  - - -

The Star Newspaper appears to be trying to beat the Express for silly headlines

While the Express has yet another idea to battle dementia!












Closer to home 
We don't often see a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the bird feeders so as I was playing around with the camera yesterday and one started having a go at the peanuts i snapped a number of still pics
Below are 3 of the best ones

I have discovered a new extension to an old piece of software I have used before its called Webcam XP.  I fancy using it to host a number of IP cameras to watch the bird feeders as well as maybe one for the garden now that it is almost completely enclosed.
Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

E -Joints! & other bits

I suppose it had to happen after e cigarettes you can now get an e joint

a company in the Netherlands has introduced the product to its range of "fruity flavoured joints" Apparently the "blunt" is hollow and you put in your desired "tipple" and off you go! - - -


You wouldn't go walking on Aonach Moor close by Ben Nevis in flip flops would you?

The guy on the stretcher in the pic decided to do just that. Ok it has to be said he went up the mountain on the Gondola Bahn but talk about inappropriate foot wear.  I hope there were enough mountain rescue volunteers around to cope with more "deserving cases" at the time - - -

The daily Express is warning of a "Hayfever Hell" this summer and they might be correct as the pollen at the moment seems to be heavy
At least we have Wimbledon to keep us interested for a couple of weeks as our "football team" ended their less than glorious World Cup hopes with a goal less draw - - -







Closer to home 
The logging is going well and I finally reached a fence corner

Which will mean the trees/bushes are a little more consistently aligned and easier to clear.  There are a few reasonable sized trees as can be seen in the pic above so the wood pile will get larger quite quickly

The weather lately has been particularly kind but i need to get the wood up to the harder topped track well before Autumn or it might have to spend the winter where it is

Just a hint of a little mist this morning in the valley so its off logging soon! - - -
njoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Yo - hacked & Midsummer day

The unlikely sounding message app "Yo"

has been hacked by a group of students .  The app allows users to send a message to friends with just "Yo" as the content.  As the story says the app has been branded pointless but has already raised $1m in investments - - - nice money if you can get it! - - -



We used to have a fishing industry - - - before we joined the then "common Market"

The main thrust  of the story is about an old trawler man who's one pleasure has been taken from him.  He used to have a net pegged out on the mud flats between Grimsby and Cleethorpes and would wander out to it at low tide to catch maybe 1 or 2 dover sole.
A new "By Law" now has informed him that if he doesn't remove his net "the authorities" will.  As the old guy recounts, people have been fishing this way as long as he can remember without a problem, "so why now?" - - -




For once a "task force" that makes

some sense! In the US just last winter they have recorded a 23% decline in Bee population.  An interesting fact in the story is that 25% of the food Americans eat is reliant on Bee pollination for its well being.
Lets hope it has some success - - -


To bring us down to earth though the Express has its usual crop of miracle cures

first off here's one for Alzheimers

Another urges us to take a walk to stop us getting Arthritis

Finally - - - here's a "bad for you" story - - its red meat this time











Closer to home
The pond plants had a welcome addition yesterday as we finally bit the bullet and bought a replacement Arum Lily for the one we used to have.  Along with all the other plants it fell into the pond around the time of our Autumn winds.  A tiny portion survived and is just about recovering but we thought a new one was required anyway

here i am "lurking" in the foliage trying to get it in the best spot

Here's a pic from this Midsummer Morning lets hope it stays clear as we are planning a day in the garden

I here that England is out of the World Cup - - - "ah well s'only a game innit"

Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Beware cow on roof! & Champagne making time!

Now and again stories hit the news about animals getting onto roofs of buildings

This cow though  up on a roof in Switzerland might be a first! All the farmer seemed to worry about was the broken roof tiles







Greenpeace bosses are

Holding their heads in their hands  as an employee has managed to wipe out some £3 million off the books!
He was speculating on the currency market tracking the Euro.
Whilst a spokesman indicates that they have taken measures to make sure it never happens again it makes you wonder how tight a rein they have on the financial side of things.  - - - I feel sure they must be bending at least of of their principles speculating on currency anyway? - - -

The recent trouble in Iraq

Threaten to engulf the "West" in their conflict as the US sends 300 Military Advisers The President says that "US troops will not fight in Iraq" - - - Mmmmmm  




Closer to home
I managed a little logging the other day and had help from a work colleague and friend, "lets call her Debs"

Here she helps pile up some of the sawn logs from a hawthorn bush

I had earlier started to saw it up after felling it and dragging it to the foot of the hill with Boris.

Debs brought along her recently acquired Honda CRV to test out it off roading abilities

"Lets try Elderflower Champagne" said Sally after ordering the kit online,  unfortunately it didn't arrive in time for Sally to join us to pick the blooms.  Once it had arrived i was despatched to pick the flowers stalks and prepare them

Sally adds the white wine vinegar to the mix and a few minutes later all is done.  It only takes 2 weeks to ferment and mature!!!   - - -

Our weather has settled down into cloudy in the morning and some sun in the afternoon of late. Here's a pic from Finland where the snow came along to remind them how fickle thier weather can be, it turned to rain later

Our new peanut feeder is beating the squirrel at the moment so he has turned his attention to the sunflower seeds!

 Sitting in the garden yesterday I just managed to catch a C130 flying down the valley, Its normally a Friday routine! - - - another one came along a couple of hours later - - -

Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Lucky dog & Fun Factory woes!

This dog had a lucky escape

The story from New Zealand reports the dog rescued from a floating log after storms hit the area where it lived - - - The strange thing is though here are 2 different stories one from Sky News and one from the Metro newspaper
The sky story indicates the dog was picked up 30 miles out to see when clearly the picture (left) shows it only a few hundred metres form land.  The Metro story has the ring of truth about it because it shows the dog having been rescued by the Navy being transferred to a local boat to be taken back to the owners.  - - - The power of the press hey?  - - -

Hold onto your stomach for this one!

A Chinese woman had this tapeworm inside her and noticed odd secretions in her stools.  Traditional Chinese medicine managed to coax it out of her.  She caught it apparently through eating undercooked beef in January! - - -



Closer to home
This morning looks good for a bit of logging and its a lunch date as well so fingers crossed here's a view form the top of the garden looking South about 0600

Our older Cat Tom used to sit outside the kitchen window guarding his patch and Sainsbury seems to have taken up "his old post"

He was watching intently until he heard me in the kitchen!

At work its "all change" in the Bakery as one (former) colleague, "lets call him" Will gets his final final final warning interview and is asked to leave.  Never one for going quietly Wills then announced that he would not be sacked and announced his immediate notice and that he would not be working the usual 30 days and walked out. A number of colleagues wondered how long he might last when he first started - - - now we know

"There's more" though! another colleague, lets call him Danny who was Will's "Representative" at the meeting promptly hands in his notice although it looks like he might work his 30 day notice period - - - only time will tell - - -

Just to make things really difficult another colleague, lets call him Billy, turns up for work the day after the "England game" looking "really bad" and is sent home.   So we are 2 down right away and the situation is deemed dire enough to call into work the bakery boss,  "lets call him Craig" WHO IS ACTUALLY ON HOLIDAY!  I must admit to admiring his philosophical manner as I approached him singing "we're all going on a summer holiday" when I first saw him in.

The night shift continue to be "short" of people so its now "de rigueur" for me to have to work the night time delivery which leaves older stuff not "worked".  Eventually and inevitably older stuff will go out of date and be written off! - - -

The hours matching debacle rages on but looks to be nearing its end as a flock of bright eyed new colleagues are roaming the shop floor eager to please, there is also a large sign in the foyer of the shop indicating "this shop is recruiting" - - - I'm sure it'll all settle down for Christmas!- - -

Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Dont stand too near the edge! & Challenging times at the Fun Factory

Imagine coming home form the office one day and seeing your house Teetering on the edge of a cliff

A $700k house on the edge of a lake south of Fort Worth Texas looks to be about to fall into the lake!
The edge of the cliff started to disintigrate in Feb this year and it looks pretty "terminal" at the moment.
If your look at the video there appears to be a huge crack to the left of the house that looks as if a huge bit of land is about to plunge into the lake - - -
Love this one! its been discovered that Great tits

in the city have smaller "ties" than there country cousins!
Quite an amusing article! - - -





Here's an incredible rescue in a German cave system

Johann Westhauser who incredibly is 52 and discovered the Reisending Cave System back in 1955! was injured by a rock fall and now a huge rescue operation is under-way in an attempt to get him out - - -




Closer to home
 The weather has taken a turn for the better with some lovely sunshine, well I am back on my series of shifts aren't I!
However! I wandered in this morning to see the whole of our overnight delivery, 7 rollers! just sitting there with no-one approaching them.  They were still there when the shop opened and i was asked if i would help to remove them!
My boss, bless his cotton socks came in and worked most of them and I finished them off later.  It would appear we might have the same situation tomorrow so Saturday could be "challenging" as well

Sitting in the garden later however with a cider it all drifted away! lol - - -
Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

World Cup woes & A spot of lunch methinks

With the world cup starting Friday "there maybe trouble ahead" if England bid to stage it again

Gary Lineker no less! says that maybe we should sacrifice our world cup bid, by encouraging "officials" to stand up to the FIFA president over corruption claims.
Its all to do with Qatar being the World Cup venue for 2022 which Gregg Dyke in an interview with Sky Sports apparently hinted at corruption allegations

Mayor caught dumping dog poo

Great story  about the effectiveness of home CCTV.
The pic is from a video of the Mayor of San Marion California.  Dumping a bag of dog poo he found onto a neighbours property.
I cant imagine why if it wasn't his dogs poo why he picked it up in the first place although the story hints at there being bad blood between the neighbours.  Lots of people have home CCTV - - - a sign of troubled times I guess - - - not a fan myself - - -

Whenever I see poeple with elaborate "on display" tattoos i always wonder if they ever regretted having them done

Here is one such person Bidisha a Journalist writing in the Guardian describes her "Sleeve Tattoo" as "socially legitimised self harm".  Rather a colourful way of describing it.
Inspired some way no doubt by David Beckham and his tattoos many youngsters now "sport the sleeve tattoos"
Her description in the article of attending an NHS clinic at 80 may raise a smile though.
This is another story where the last line of the piece says it all.  Bidisha enquired about having it removed and the doctor said - - - - well click on the link and read it - - -


The weather still dominates the news media, well we are British after all and talk of nothing else! lol

Northern Europe though had a tremendous strom yesterday with hailstones as big as Golf balls although the ones in the accompanying video to this story look more like cricket balls! - - - worth a look at the vid




The Express can always be relied upon for a good headline

here's on form Tuesday claiming the "Tomato pill" can save your life

Although today the "wonder pill" of a few weeks ago is now being called into question.










Closer to home
The day looks fine so its off for a bit of logging before a spot of lunch at The Grouse

The murmurings from the Fun Factory (Matlock Sainsbugs) are still about the Labour Matching troubles! I had thought it was all cut and dried but there is still more "work to do" apparently.  This is short hand for doing someone elses job as well as your own I think! lol Ah well I shall see what is really going on when I start my shift pattern tomorrow

The blubells have been removed form the garden, - - - it only seems a couple of months ago we were pointing out there tiny shoots poking above the soil

Apart from a bit of weeding its now time to sit back and enjoy it all

Great view to the West from the Northern pergola yesterday

Although it wasn't long before this rain arrived from the South
Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Making water out of thin air! & A bit of a downpour

Making water out of thin air

It appears that the technology has been around for a while but was always labelled as being, "expensive and inefficient".  An Israeli company "water Gen" seems to have made it work efficiently.
The breakthrough is even recognised by "Fast Company" in its list of "The worlds most innovative companies of 2014" listing - - -



Converting a Boeing 727 into a house

Bruce Campbell a former electrical engineer had a spare 10 acre plot hanging around, as you do!  He first had the idea of building a home out of "freight vans" but then decided a plane would be better.
There's no explanation of how he got the plane to his land but it cost him £130k to turn it into a home which he lives in for 6 months of the year.
He plans to buy and convert a 747 next and move it to Japan where he spends the other 6 months of the year, as you do! - - -

Speeding fines of £10k

This is bound to be an unpopular move!  Justice Minister Jeremy Wright claims that financial penalties "set at the right level" are an effective punishment for offenders"
There's mention of extending the "high fines" to drivers without insurance which has a ring of the sensible about it. One line from the story though is about "selling alcohol to a drunk person".  The fine is set to increase from £1k to £4k Does this mean we might have to be breathalysed before we can buy booze in a Supermarket?! Till operators beware! - - -

Closer to home
Our fish numbers in the pond have recently been reduced by 2.  Both fish belong to the "new arrivals" recently introduced and both have died from fin rot.

We are currently dosing the pond in attempt to eradicate the problem - - -

It was rather warm yesterday and rain was forecast so we took the short walk option around 10:00am

This Chaffinch on the stile was chirruping away as we approached it.

After crossing the stile we turned South and could see the approaching clouds with rain falling on the horizon.  In 10 minutes the clouds overtook us and light rain began.  As we arrived home the heavens opened and we received 5.6mm of rain in a very short while.  Nearby Nottingham though received 20mm in an hour so I guess we were lucky! - - - 

Enjoy the day
Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam