Its a cold winter - no its not! & Back to the fun factory

The star newspaper had a headline yesterday that intimated we were going to have "The coldest winter in a 100 years" .  The Mirror agreed and so do lots of other media sources
The Metro  however carried a story from the Met Office saying this was just not true. The quote from there has a ring relating back to the 1987 Micheal Fish gaff, "And i can confidently predict  there will be no hurricane"  So here we go A Met Office spokesman says, "There are absolutely no signs of record breaking cold temperatures in the near future"   - - - -

Its Halloween and Sally has done her usual bit of pumpkin carving

The only problem is that Little man is scared of it so we have had to blow out the candle and turn the face to the wall! - - -

Down at the fun factory there was a prize for the "best dressed Halloween colleague".  Some were a little half hearted but a small number quite good and must have took ages to "put on"
Last year we had everything set up to entertain the "kiddies" and only managed 1 visit which was from next door! So this year we are "BEING MEAN FOR HALLOWEEN! it is just an American idea after all! - - -

I think however thats it more subtle than a photo a friend has just e mailed me

Mmmmmmmmmmm! - - -

The stats look good for the kiddies on their Halloween ventures tonight!

Back at work now for 2 days and its amazing how "nothing's changed" the place still has a "firefighting" air about it rather than a well oiled hum feel to it.  The new bakery boss, "lets call her Jenny" is a cool character though.  Nothing seems to phase her and she just "gets on with it"

Enjoy the day

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2015 Tour de France route & wind and rain today?

The 2015 Tour de France route has been published and as usual has some riders taking to the media to air their views.  Chris Froome "allegedly" might not take in "The Tour" preferring instead to tackle the Giro and Vuelta.  It will be up to Team Sky bosses I'm sure - - -

Great video here  showing all the routes in animation 4mins 52 secs.  Go on! grab a coffee sit back and take a look

Another great article by the Mail's Max Hastings about the UK forces departing Afghanistan  - - - enough said! - - -

The Met Office look to have a new toy for weather forecasting!

A super computer will be fired up next year according to the Sky story as big as 11 double decker busses, well you would want it to be that big costing £97m wouldn't you?

reportedly able to predict the weather for areas as small as 300m - - - Mmmmmmm - - -

The Express reports the EU's displeasure at the UK not wanting to fork out our "doing well" extra revenue.  The P.M.' and bodyguard also feature on the front page when a "jogger" nearly ran into the PM yesterday.  If you watch any of the plentiful video's of the incident the bodyguards look set for a "refresher course!"  - - -

 Cadbury's chocolate excec's look to have blundered on "Ratner esc" proportions by announcing 2 months before xmas that they will not be making any gold wrapped chocolate money! - - - Christmas is doooomed - - -

The logging continue's apace with not much left in the current stand of "small stuff" to be felled.  I don't think i'm going to get it all cleared before I go back to work Thursday but not to worry.

Who says we let our cats rule our lives!  Little Man settles down after a hard nights hunting

A pleasant enough set of stats this morning but the forecasters will have us believe this is the "calm before the storm"  Strong wind and heavy rain later!

The weathercam sky pic looks nice enough just now but i notice the breeze is just arriving and making its presence felt.

Enjoy the day

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Top job! & a little logging

Climb Helvellyn every day  sounds like a top job to me.  You would be taking on the job of a "fell top assessor" throughout the winter months to assess the conditions on the mountain - - -

I see a couple more base jumpers have been killed in the French Alps - - - the attraction of doing it is obvious and i don't suppose it could be banned effectively.  I should imagine there are plenty locals who think its not good for tourism - - -

So thats it then the flag's lowered in Camp Bastion Afghanistan and they are even dismantling the memorial to the 453 soldiers who have been killed in the conflict.  Already we have had politicians telling us that in some way the sacrifice has been justified because Afghanistan is "a safer place" - - -  you would like to think so  - - - Mmmmmm

Afghanistan at least makes the front page of the Express 

but its a cup of cocoa at bedtime which is the answer to beat memory loss  that takes centre stage - - - 

The weather was kind yesterday so i took myself off for a little logging 

I'm gradually clearing the remaining small stuff out of the way. the small group at the left of this pic had a huge wild rose growing up inside it 

11 small boughs had to be cut before it would fall over and even then it took me a good half hour to get the rose untangled, thankfully i dint think there are any more on the remaining stretch 

I'm having another stint in the kitchen garden polytunnel today so the rather heavy looking clouds out of shot in the pic below won't interfere

Another pretty good temp to start with today but the wind is set to increase through the day and the forecasters are predicting heavy rain late p.m. tomorrow 

Enjoy the day

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Fish for dinner? no thanks! & sheep try to eat my chainsaw

11 people from the same family are in hospital after cooking and eating a Puffer fish
It has a toxin which is 1200 more lethal than cyanide says the story although it also mentions the Japanese eat it but the chef has to take a 3 year course to qualify to prepare it!
The fish was given to the unfortunate people by a "family friend" who caught it on a fishing trip - - -

Another front page headline that looks as if its wishful thinking - - - only works on people who are renting unfortunately - - -

OK applause applause! a Google executive seen here in the pic suspended below a helium balloon sets a record for the highest parachute jump at 135,000 feet
Hes in a self contained space suit during the four and a half minute freefall he reached speeds of more than 800 mph.
The cost of the project isnt mentioned but it must have been mega dollars!
As usual the last line of the story bears some scrutiny.  "This has opened up endless possibilities for humans to explore previously seldom visited parts of our atmosphere" - - -  Mmmmm - - - mind you the previous paragraph in the story is an even bigger load of twaddle - - -  

I managed a couple of hours logging yesterday in the chilly weather.  Not taking Boris and therefore not having any biscuits for Bertie and Napkin they tried to eat my chainsaw when i put it down to take a pic of them.  Napkin (on the right) has a good collection of thistle heads stuck to his fleece, very becoming

We realised after we had put up our pergolas that we didn't really have an area for "stuff" in the garden.  So yesterday we put up this little bit of fencing.  The idea here is to move the dwarf apple tree and the rose on the trellis and have the area behind the fence for empty plant pots bags of peat etc. The growth from the Buddleia will hid the fence for most of the year.

  The breeze indicated on the stats just now is set to strengthen during the day and on into tonight

Almost a completely clouded over sky at the moment and forecast to stay like that but with little chance of any rain today

Enjoy the day

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Wine IS! good for over 60's & a damp day in the garden

A daily glass of wine aids memory  if you are over 60 according to this story.  Its an American research project which studied more than 660 people - - - sounds good to me - - -

Benefits scrounger  with 26 kids gets £1000 compensation because his house is too small.  Its another one of "those" stories where our benefits system  seems a little "over generous"

No doubt Mr Rolfe a few people could suggest an appropriate place for you to shove your walking stick - - -

There are some great pics in this article about a Parisian Time Capsule .  An apartment has not been opened since the 40's when the owner fled the city in 1942 to the south of France.  Continuing to pay the rent the "treasure trove" wasnt discovered until she died not long ago - - -

Another of those must see videos.  Hurricane Odile rips out part of a hotel lobby wall the ensuing "destruction" is incredible to see - - -

The Express reports the bill we have been given from the EU for "doing so well" with a suggestion that Britain is closer to quitting the EU - - - lets hope it isn't just wishful thinking - - -

Yesterday turned out to be rather a damp one with very fine rain falling every time i ventured out.  The pond filters and pumps had a clean and I extended the times when the pumps are off in prep for the winter - - - There's a noticeable lean on next doors Berlin Wall fence after Gonzalo's attentions the other day, which appears to have gone unnoticed so far - - -  

I ventured out at 05:30 to take a look at a lovely starry sky, the downside though is that it was decidedly chilly.  

A little cloud has moved in but its still relatively clear and the weathermen are predicting sunshine later! - - - 

Enjoy the day

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Time to leave the lame duck

The EU want us to fork out £1.7bn because our economy is supposedly doing well.

The look on Camerons face in the pic says it all  Its time to leave the lame duck - - -

GCHQ employees remind everyone its time to "remember" and buy you poppy again - - -

No Hope for this Dope  rather a play on words there if you care to read the story - - -

Poor Alvin Cross - - -

Another Express exclusive tells us sunlight is the key to fighting diabetes Mmmmmm - - -

With Boris having returned from Sally's lunchtime jaunt yesterday its time for Little Man to have a quick wash and settle down on the warm bonnet for a nap - - -

The stats this morning show that its quite warm just now but the Bar Trend is down so it might rain today

Still a bit dark outside but the sky looks to be completely clouded over.  Clocks go back this Saturday - - - don't forget

Enjoy the day

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Face of the future & nine ladies walk

What will humans look like in 100,000 years  asks the article from "Mother Nature Network" - - - Mmmmmm! - - -  I just really noticed the eyes especially on the girl, to me they are saying "OMG! where's my phone?!!!"  - - -

This is "Trinity Groves" daughter of roofer Phillip who has been landed with a mobile phone bill from his daughter watching "loom band" videos.
£1792 she spent because their house wifi was down for at least 2 weeks and the phone started using the premium internet rate .
You have to feel sorry for Philip but i think most people would know if the wifi had been down for 2 weeks! - - - Her reaction? Well she's "very sad" having to stop watching the video's - - -

The pic at left is Sir Richard Broadbent and he's quitting his job at Tesco, no he doesn't stack bread  like me but maybe he should If you fancy employing him i should read This first
Deloitte have been rummaging around the Tesco books for some while now and have dug up a catalogue of what can only be described by me  as "cock ups" of enormous proportions.  8 senior execs are now suspended and the former finance bod had still not been paid his bonus more than 6 months after he "resigned" - - - oh dear - - - I bet a few other supermarkets have started to look under the table though at their book keeping methods - - -

I decided it was time I visited the Nine Ladies stone circle yesterday

it was a bit of grey day but here it is in all its glory.  It had been some time since i tackled the 200 metre difference in height and 2 hour time frame.  Its telling this morning on my aching muscles but the pics make it worth the effort. (click in the pics to see enlarged versions)

the River Derwent looks pretty good with my goal off in the distant hills

we don't get Swans on this stretch of the river very often so this pair got some attention

leaving the River the route starts its climb with the sky looking good.  It wouldnt last though

this tree had lost a couple of very large branches one of which looked like it had fallen onto the small road by the chain saw debris lying around

This logging operation looks almost complete as a loaded lorry had just departed.  It looks to be a thinning operation rather than a clearing one because theres no sign of a bare patch at all.  I had noticed the track being put in across the field and up into the wood a good 18 months ago.  The "new build" houses are visible on what used to be Cobb Slater factory site.  Fingers crossed they don't start creeping up the valley

Ah the good old days,abandoned millstones in the overgrown quarry - - - manufacture of these went to China (where else) years ago.

click to enlarge this pic to see the initials CB scratched into the sandstone 40 ft above the quarry floor.  There's a date underneath looks like 1912 if i play around with the contrast and colours but i cant be too sure

Thats  it then, I have "scaled the heights" and i retrace my steps back down the footpaths.  This view is looking North towards the hills to the East of  Chatsworth House which is not far out of shot.

 Slightly fuzzy this pic but I collected these Sweet Chestnuts on the way down, the Gonzalo winds looked to have dislodged them and the Squirrels were working over time collecting them and scurrying off to hide them

Sally and her "big sis" are off for lunch today so, being "abandoned" to my own devices for Lunch its looking like Pitzza and beer,"oh dear what a shame never mind"

dull stats - - - cant wait for it to get windy rainy snowy & cold! 

grey cotton wool sky as well! 

Enjoy the day

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