Category: Pic of the week

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Coldplay

Pic of the week 21/8/22

On Tuesday we all went to London to watch Coldplay.

We had bought the tickets way back in October (whilst in Palma) but at last the day had come and we headed up to the capital for the show.  And what a show it was.  A magnificent fusion of music an lights, in a sea of humanity at Wembley stadium. We had great seats – 7 rows from the “edge of the pitch”, on about the half way line.  For once, I could see the stars and not have to solely rely on the big screen for my view.

They banged out the belters, and we all had a wristband which lit up in various colours to produce a visual effect that matched the music. A great evening, a great show.

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Hot, hot, hot!

Pic of the week 14/8/22

This week has been hot!

The temperature started building last Sunday, and it has been wall to wall sunshine all week, but it was Thursday through to today that the mercury really began to soar, being mid thirties everyday and not really getting out of the twenties at night.

Although I would say it has been too hot, I have enjoyed it and, weather-wise, it has been a summer to remember, a summer to enjoy – certainly preferable to grey skies and showers. The landscape has taken on an arid beauty, everywhere is a parched brown. On Friday evening Becky & I went for a walk on the Poldens at circa 8.15 pm – the temparature was lovely, a few degrees lower than at home, probably because it lacked the retained, radiated heat from builidngs, and a gentle breeze lightly brushed past the skin. The grassland was as dry as a bone (the pic above is from that evening) but the grass swishing and swashing in a gentle rhythm with the breeze.

The heat is due to break tomorrow – we are all looking forward to a much cooler 26 degrees (!) and the possibility of rain showers.

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Disculpe!

It has been sometime since I posted – I have gotten out of the habit of my Sunday evening round up.  A lot has happened since my last post, here is a quick summary:

First there was 10 wonderful days in Kefaloni,  starting in Argostoli where we found this taverna in the trees

Fabulous Fiskardo – even if I did get stung by a jellyfish when we spent the day on Emplisi beach,

and the incomparable Assos. This pick was taken as we walked down from the fort on our first day there. We had arrived to somewhat cloudy skies – and quite strong winds – so trekked to the top of the hill.  By the time we were descending the skies had cleared and we enjoyed a wonderful few days in the beautiful village.

For a much better write up of the holiday, read the posts on Becky’s blog

Then it was home, and up to Reading on the hottest day of the year for Sophie’s graduation. Very proud parents!

The 3rd August was our 26th Anniversary, and we returned to Farrington Gurney to pick sunflowers and visit the church where we got married. In a very dry, hot summer, it was one of the few days that saw any rain, but not enough to dampen our love!

and last Sunday was Sam’s birthday – we are no longer parents to teenagers! How did the time pass so quickly.

So forgive me for falling into bad habits – a quick skim through the last few weeks. I must start blogging weekly once again.

 

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Wedding

Pic of the week 3/7/22

Yesterday we went to Chippenham to celebrate Rod & Lisa’s wedding.

They had got married about a month a go – just the two of them at the ceremony – but yesterday they invited all and sundry to celebrate the day, and what a great day it was.  Despite the rain! We arrived in the rain, and all crammed, damp and dripping, into their house, but as the afternoon wore on, the rain moved on and we all enjoyed some blue sky outside. Then, though, during the speeches, the rain came back, with a vengeance, and for about twenty minutes it poured. But the rain stopped, the speeches restarted and then the sun came out to bathe us in glorious early evening sunshine.  It was a lovely day.

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Glastonbury

Pic of the week 26/6/22

On Sunday I went to Glastonbury. It was brilliant. Met up with Sam, who had been in since Wednesday , we walked up to the top of the hill, to the iconic Glastonbury letters and chilled out eating lunch looking down on the festival sight below.

I, along with about 100,000 others, watched Diana Ross which culminated with a joyous 15 minutes of Aint no mountain high enough, and I will survive,  before I headed home.

It was a dry Glastonbury – there had been no more than a couple of showers all week, the ground was parched hard and on Sunday the sun shone bright (by 3pm I was regretting forgetting my suntan cream)

A great day, a life affirming day, I day I shall long remember.

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Father’s Day

Pic of the week 19/6/22

Today is Father’s day and I have had a pleasent day with both children home, and Sophie making me a tea of Chicken Kyiv and chips – v nice!

I’ve spent the day pottering, as I like to do, a bit in the garden, planting up the last of the geraniums and lobelia and some pumpkin plants from a neighbour.  I mowed the path in the lawn (I love the pic above from earlier in the week), I was going to strim the long grass down, but my strimmer has now strimming wire, so that will have to wait.  I intend to strim it once and then let it grow again for the rest of the summer.

The chicks are certainly growing, it doesn’t look like there is much space left in the nest. Its been about a week since they hatched, I wonder when they will leave the nest?

A sad day – the Micra Dci got taken away yesterday, got about £240 for it.  I liked that car, and shall miss it. But I did fire up the pug today and “drove” it around our drive whilst there was space.  Just trying to stop things seizing up before I can give it some proper attention in the hols.

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Cars and chicks

Pic of the week 12/6/22

So, we finally got round to getting Becky a new car.  In the end, she hasgone for a 2010 Ford Ka in a rather nice shade of blue.  The equipment level is quite limited (no central locking, wind down windows etc) but its low mileage, looks good and is hers.

I have spent a happy day examining the Pug (as I shall now call the Peugeot 205).  Had it up on sticks, took the wheels of, had a good look at the suspension and steering.  Think it does need some work – mainly where rubber boots etc. have perished, and I still think the heavy steering is not just because there is now power steering: I suspect the grease in the rack and pinion has dried up and degraded, and I think the strut mounts may need replacing.  But I spent a bit of time cleaning everything up, and working out what each bit does.  I think I have a fun couple of months ahead.

Chicks

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a nest in the ivy hedge on the back wall, near where I hang the washing line.  Normally, a rather beaky bird has been sat on it, but occasionally they’ve not been there and I peeked in to see a few blue eggs.  Today, as I hung the washing up, I took a little peek: mum wasn’t sat on the nest and I could see a few small, and very helpless looking baby birds.  Pleased to say that by later today, the beaky bird was once again sat on her nest.

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Cars and teeth

Pic of the week 5/6/22

So half term draws to a close, and what a busy (and enjoyable ) week it has been. Although today has been wet, on the whole the weather has been good this half term.

I went to the dentist and hygienist for the first time since Covid – I felt sorry for the hygienist as she scrapped away years of debris that had built up on my teeth – and the dentist booked me in for a couple of fillings – one upper and one lower on my left hand side. It does feel good to have ones teeth checked over and sorted out.

I also spent quite a while mucking about with cars – first changing a rear suspension strut on the Corsa )could only get one (LHS) out, RHS one bolt stubbornly rusted fixed) and then changing the water pump as it had sprung a major leak and was pouring water when the engine was running.  This was a fairly major job – not because of the pump itself: 9 bolts, several hoses and one electrical connector, but because of what had to come out to gain access to it.  I needed to remove the engine mount (supporting it on a jack first), the pulley and belt and all this needed the engine moving up and down and then up again.  But I did it, and not only did I do it, I enjoyed myself whilst doing it.

So, today, I bought myself a 1991 Peugeot 205 1.8 diesel. Welcome to my mid-life crisis! The interior is pretty immaculate, the exterior less so: the bonnet, at least, will need a respray. Its only done 58,000 miles and mechanically is pretty sound – I drove it from Curry Rivel without incident, but the steering is heavy, v heavy and I don’t think this is just due to a lack of power steering, and its not as “gutsy” as I though it might be, but I think a thorough service will see it return to its former glory. At £820 (bought sight unseen of eBay) I think it will make a good summer project car and I am looking forward to getting started on it.

Becky went to Italy (without me!) in the week – she and Jo reliving her inter-railing days from 30 years ago (so its not only me that’s having a nostalgia fest!) She enjoyed it. A cock up with EasyJet allocating her seats to someone else on the outbound flight, and my complaint to EasyJet rumbles on (at least their flights flew, many, many flights have been cancelled this week – lack of staffing at airports and airlines)

On Saturday we were visited by her Scottish cousins (and aunt & uncle) on route to Cornwall – hence the picture – and in the afternoon we (B, J & Sophie) went to see Top Gun: Maverick – the nostalgia trip just continues to roll on!

Back to school tomorrow for the final half term of the year. 4 weeks to the summer holidays: now that’s doable!

 

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Killers

Pic of the week 29/5/22

So two years later than originally planned, on Thursday Becky and I went to see the Killers at Ashton Gate.

It was a cold May night and we were up at the very top row of the highest stand, as far away from the stage as you could possibly be, yet it was still great to go. And one point, i looked down on to the crowd below – a seething mass of humanity – and thought: “yes, the pandemic is over”.

The Manic Street Preachers were the support act, and were very good (I particularly enjoyed their cover of the Cult’s Sanctuary) but it was when, about four songs into their set, that the Killers launched into Mr Brightside that the stadium really erupted into life. Human, their encore, was similarly brilliant.

Back home, the wasps have continued to build their nest in my shed, and it has (had) grown to a reasonable size (golf ball?) – quite a feet of engineering, But now there were always a few wasps buzzing around my head as I went into my shed, so the decision was made to destroy it.  So donning long sleeves, a pair of gloves and my safety specs, I gave it a whack with a pole, and fled.  I returned to it a while later to find a fair few grubs wriggling on the floor, so I took them outside for the birds.  The inside of the nest was pretty impressive, I do feel a little bad about destroying it, but I fear it may have got huge by the end of the summer.

The inside of the nest.

And, in the ivy covering the back wall, I have discovered a birds nest. Much of the time you see a beady eye and painful looking beak poking out at you when you look closely, but this evening there was nothing sat on the nest so I had a closer peak and saw at least one blue egg.  I look forward to the new arrivals …

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Wasp nest

Pic of the week 22/5/22

I first spotted this a week or two ago when I noticed a wasp flying into my shed, and I’ve watched it develop and grow (I also spotted an old nest about 50cm away from this new one)

I must admit, I am conflicted. On the one hand, I don’t want a load of wasps buzzing around me, particularly as I go in and out of my shed, but I do think it is a thing of beauty and I can’t (yet!) bring myself to destroy it. It would, after all, go against my recent policy of making the garden as wildlife friendly as possible (I think its an age thing, but I am increasingly enjoying “nature”!) Today, I did tell Becky my secret (that we have a wasps nest) – she was interested, to the photo, but then suggested I get rid of it. Still not sure what to do.

I’ve been busy today in the garden, and have planted out my pumpkins that I grew from seed.  All 6 germinated, but on looked weak and deformed, so I binned that one and planted out the other 5. If they all establish  into good plants, that will be more than enough to provide the foliage for back drop & weed suppression that I want, and also, hopefully, a few pumpkins to nurture an watch over the summer months.