Your day (apart from gardening) what took place ? 2024

I joined an art group in a local town a few weeks ago, and on my first day I took along a few things I'd painted, just to show people really, and one of the things I took along to show them was a painting of two daffodils that I'd done last year.

Now every month they have a little competition - there's no pressure and you don't have to join in, it's just a bit of fun.
The competition theme for March was 'something Welsh' and one of the members said I should enter my daffodil painting.

I didn't think it was that good, but I did enter it ... and it came 2nd !
I missed last week's group so was only told about it today
Funny how people seem to like a not very good painting ...

By the way there were no prizes, you just got the place

 

I think it’s beautiful @Michael Hewett. Well done.

 

@CanadianLori we watched via the BBC the amazing sight as being in the UK not possible to see the full eclipse. We were looking at going to Bali to see the full eclipse with Patrick Moore over 40 years ago and then we found son number one on the way so Bali didn't happen.

 

Thank you .

 

RANT !
There's a man here putting a new bath in for me and he's getting on my nerves. He asked where the stop tap was but there isn't one. You have to turn the water off at the hole in the pavement outside and it controls the two semis.
The man kept saying there must be one here somewhere but over the years several people have looked for it but it has not been found.

My parents' house was the same - stop tap on the pavement outside and controlled the two semis.
In the 60s my uncle who was a plumber put one in for my dad because it was a nuisance stopping the water for two houses if only one house needed work done.

But this man keeps repeating over and over "there's one here somewhere, you just haven't found it" ... but there bloody isn't !!
That's why I've had isolating valves put on all the taps, toilet and washing machine.

And if he calls me Buddy once more I'll send him home ! I've had enough of him.
He's going to be here tomorrow again with his long face ... really had enough of him now

 

It will soon be done, @Michael Hewett, and then the annoyance will be over and you will have a lovely new bath!

 

Oh dear @Michael Hewett what a palaver. Just try to grin and bear it and relish the thought that it should be over by this time tomorrow. OH and I find having workmen in the house very stressful too. Chin up!!

 

Thank you @ViewAhead and @Brenda
He left about an hour ago. It's nice without him, but I have been thinking of forgiving him - he made sure the front door was always shut so that Bella didn't run out to the road, and when she wandered into the bathroom I could hear him talking to her very nicely

The bath is a walk-in bath with a hoist and will be much better for me. I think it will be worth the money because I just can't use the old one any more.

 

Well, there you are! He can't be all bad if he is kind to pets. (I'm assuming Bella is a furry companion and not a wayward toddler! )

 

Yes @ViewAhead Bella is a cat and I don't want her going out the front because a family up the road have big dogs, and they sometimes 'escape'.
Last year they chased Bella down the road and she didn't come back for 3 hours. I let her go out the back and she hunts mice in the fields but the front is out of bounds

 

What a lovely coat she has!

 

Sounds wonderful Michael. J would never change ours to that so he has to be there when I get in and out.

 

Little walk up in the Trossachs

 

We spent the morning in Jesmond Dene which is just 20 mins walk from our house. It has been impassable for a while as the heavy rains converted the steep paths into mud slides and several trees were in danger of falling.

Jesmond Dene is a natural dene that was enhanced in 1860s into a park. Paths, bridges and even waterfalls were created for the enjoyment of Newcastle folks.

First invasive Rhododendrons are in flower. They are forgiven for being invasive at this time of the year, what a wonderful sight! Also saw a Treecreeper so close I could have touched it.

No Kingfishers, but at least 50 pieces of blue plastic. It should be illegal to dump anything blue near Kingfishers' hunting rivers.

For some reason all the older trees closer to the town side have small metal labels with numbers on. No idea why- it's not like they migrate or are frequently stolen.






Groups of unsuccessful male mallards pretended they much prefer hanging about with the lads than nest with the girls. Perhaps next year, boys






On our way home we popped into Lidl to get some olive oil and fresh bread. The inevitable happened. When you visit Lidl after several hours of walking, double pepperoni pizza it is.

Plus a wee Kalanchoe

 

My day started off well with an electric power cut, and since it still hadn't come back on by 10.30 I decided to go out ... I thought I'd catch a bus to Carmarthen.
However I had not realized the time tables have all changed and the buses now run 25 mins later than they used to, so I had a longer wait than I thought.

The bus eventually arrived, and went along it's windy way around many villages, to Carmarthen ... but half way there the thing broke down didn't it everyone had to get off because there was smoke coming from the back of it and water leaking from under it, and we had to wait for a replacement bus, which arrived 25 mins later so good job it was dry.

While we were all standing around on the roadside and complaining about the cold weather, a lady from a near-by cottage came out and asked if anyone wanted a coffee, she would have been quite willing to make them. Now wasn't that kind

Nobody wanted a coffee and we all thanked the lady, and then the replacement bus arrived shortly afterwards,
and to make up time I'm sure the driver went about 50 mph down Nantycaws hill

Well we eventually got to Carmarthen, only for me to find the return bus was due to leave the bus station 25 mins earlier than it used to ... which meant I had little time to spend there,
so I dashed to the GC behind the market and bought vermiculite, dashed to a caffe for a toastie and coffee, and then back to catch the early bus home.

Next time I go to Carmarthen I shall drive ... and add to the pollution and congestion they're trying so desperately to get rid of

Oh, and in the caffe, their till had broken down and they had a job to open it

I was glad to get home to see Bella and my weedy garden, and I think I'll go to bed early and lock the world out,
and hope tomorrow will be a better day