Today is Wednesday16th June

I am sitting here listening to a running commentary from Hubby about the dogs and security for the Biden / Putin meeting today. A guy took a bite out of a sausage roll and sneezed, and the dogs are being exercised (or sniffing out said sausage roll).
The media are in full force, and a crow has been pecking at the grass (after crumbs?). Someone has been out with the vacuum cleaner, a grey Henry, to sweep the red carpet and can now advertise her services ‘as seen on TV’.
There are lovely shots of the Geneva fountain, something I have actually seen and took pictures of when I went there on business when I worked for the bank.
This is an internet picture.

Meanwhile here in the UK, the day has started warm but breezy.
Both of us had a good night as it was a lot cooler. The RAF started their midnight runs bang on time, and were probably back at base by 1 am.

Usual things on a Wednesday with meter readings, and despite our Rug Doctor usage, we were not that much over the norm, so it equates to around 60p. Can’t complain at that.
As there has been no rain, our water butts were almost depleted, so I filled them up last night from mains. This has increased our consumption by point 2 of a cubic meter, so again only pence.

I don’t know what to do with myself today, apart from listen to the somewhat inane witterings of my beloved husband observing what’s going on with a muted screen. It’s probably better and more entertaining actually, especially with doughnut runs, coffee breaks and farting pigeons.

I’ll close this post with a couple of pictures of the Ancient Mariner I took this morning. Some of the blooms are shedding their petals now, but it is still glorious and will continue to be so for some considerable time.
Keep safe everyone and take care.

 

Three Things Challenge #631

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
Below are three things that may, or may not, be related. Simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you.
You can use one, two or all three words in your post, there are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and my logo if you wish.
Invite us along by creating a pingback to this post, then leave your link in the comments so that other people can read your writings and I’ll see it to respond to you directly. You might like to check out some of the other contributions while you’re there.

I schedule the challenge to go out around 6.30 am UK time, but pingbacks have to be approved manually so might not show immediately. This could be because I’m late accessing my blog or due to time differences, but I will get there, I promise!
I look forward to reading your responses, and as always thank you all for your continued support.

Your three things today are:
PERSON
DANGLE
HOPELESS

Cards today

With not much else to do, and ideas still bouncing around in my head, I got the kit out this afternoon and set to with pencil and ruler.
My idea of cutting out half squares/circles a bit like a maze was going great guns, until I put on a coloured strip of paper which was far from straight and I couldn’t remove or disguise it. It looked awful.
Used to the occasional cock up, I try not to waste materials and managed to salvage most of it only to cock it up a second time by putting it on a new card the wrong way round.
I could only save the coloured part, but ripped up the rest and binned it.
The idea has promise though.

A neighbour in the next road is 60 next week, so I thought I’d make a special card today rather than utilise one I already had. I had some trimmings from received cards given to me and was able to use those to make that one and another birthday card.

I also experimented with some leaves I bought the other week. I thought they were paper, Hubby thought they were real, but they are actually fabric of some description.

Four leaves were too cramped on the smaller 6 inch cards, but worked well on the 7 x 7.

This is what I did with the coloured part of my aborted attempt:
Again three leaves worked better than four, and I have room to put something on the bottom right hand corner.

5 Things Tuesday — Food Aromas

Dr Tanya is our host for the Five Things series.

Some food aromas are even better than the food itself.
What aromas get your mouth to water? Dr Tanya would love to know.

In no particular order,

Fried bacon

Fresh bread

Liver and onions

Freshly baked pasties and sausage rolls

One of my curries

 

Truthful Tuesday: June 15th, 2021

Frank aka PCGuyIV is our host for Truthful Tuesdays. You can find out more and join in here
Frank’s question this week is:
Aside from those with physical limitations that would impair their ability to actually read, does listening to audio books count as actually reading in your mind? Why or why not?

Having never purchased or listened to an audio book, I can’t really say. However, I do remember occasional classes at junior school when a radio broadcast would be turned on and we would be ‘read to’, then the topic discussed.
I was never read a bedtime story as a child, but I did make up a couple for my nephews when they were small, so this was probably the nearest I got.
I know of a friend who listened to audio tapes in the car to learn a foreign language, and other friends who prefer audio books simply because they take up less space and they can listen to them practically anywhere.
For me though, I prefer to have a printed book in my hand.

Photo Challenge #370

Click here to join in the MLMM Tuesday Photo Challenge set by Nekneeraj.
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Pexels.com
It had been left on the laboratory steps with a scrawled note ‘ Grow me.’
They watched as the seed developed.
First it extended tendrils and they thought it was a bean of some kind, but in the heat its growth escalated and within a month it was larger than any vegetable they had ever encountered.
It began to take the shape of a human form, the green skin texture hard and crisp.
The scientists began to get excited, though some had reservations and grew twitchy.
In two months, it was the size of a man, full grown, but bent double, his arms dangling at ninety degrees to his knees.
It was in the tenth week that it began to unfold. It stood tall and erect, eyes closed, but alert and seemingly aware of its surroundings.
The head pivoted seamlessly in a full arc and it walked towards the enclosure glass.
The eyes snapped open, the glass melted under their rays and it reached out to the lone guard on duty.
In panic, he drew his weapon, and shot it.
As it fell, a single word escaped its jellied lips……….. ‘Father?’

Today is Tuesday 15th June

It’s another scorcher. I was awake at 5.30. but managed to get back to sleep after a restless night watching the clock at 45 minute intervals until around 3. The heat is too much for me, and I am flagging within a couple of hours.

I did the washing this morning, then after breakfast and putting it out, went up the road to do a little shopping………….. and wish I hadn’t.
Just gone 9.30 and it was manic, drivers coming at you from all directions, and nobody giving an inch. Nowhere to park, though I was lucky and as I was waiting for a car to pass me coming the other way, someone moved out. Couldn’t get what I wanted in that shop though.

On to the supermarket, and they had three deliveries in. Again nowhere to park, and I had to go round twice before I found somewhere, then nearly got carved up in the process.
Inside it was bedlam. The foyer and shop floor were filthy, and stocks already depleted. They are doing their usual summer trick by only stocking the more expensive packs of dry goods like pasta and rice. I got the last two yogurts I like, the fresh fruit was going fast, though I did get strawberries, grapes, 2 kiwis and bananas. I also got some tomatoes to go with my prawns today. My neighbour brought round a little gem lettuce this morning, nothing like freshly picked and fond memories of picking apples for crumbles and sauce, and lemons in NZ for G&Ts.

Hubby is still resting up, and getting more crotchety by the hour. He hates being ‘idle’, even more so as I have to do most of the work at the moment, not that I mind.
So, we’re in for another quiet day of sweating it out and hoping for rain.
Hope you’re all having a good day though. Take care and keep safe.

Three Things Challenge #630

Welcome to The Three Things Challenge.
Below are three things that may, or may not, be related. Simply read the prompt and see where your creativity takes you.
You can use one, two or all three words in your post, there are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre apart from keeping it family friendly.
You can use 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC as a tag and my logo if you wish.
Invite us along by creating a pingback to this post, then leave your link in the comments so that other people can read your writings and I’ll see it to respond to you directly. You might like to check out some of the other contributions while you’re there.

I schedule the challenge to go out around 6.30 am UK time, but pingbacks have to be approved manually so might not show immediately. This could be because I’m late accessing my blog or due to time differences, but I will get there, I promise!
I look forward to reading your responses, and as always thank you all for your continued support.

Your three things today are:
TRIAL
TREND
ITEM

Blogging Insights — Unusual Inspo

This is Dr Tanya’s third outing of a proposed four. You can add your own thoughts here

TODAY’S QUESTION

What are some unusual or out of the way sources of inspiration that get you writing? What unusual places, things or events inspire you to write ?

Ah, it depends what you’d call ‘unusual’.
I am an avid people watcher, or I was before Covid hit and we stopped having so many field trips for over a year.
People these days fall into two categories, those who wear masks and socially distance, and those who don’t.  So easy to spot the visitor as they are nearly always in the second.

Animals and birds also amuse me and provide thought for blogger fodder, as are diets, good, bad, success or failure!

Observations in the park or garden can provide inspiration, and at the moment our roses are doing splendidly.

Unusual places though……….. hm.
At school, I used to write some of my better poetry in the loo. I always had a pencil in my pocket and could write on the toilet paper which was that shiny hard stuff, not soft tissue LOL
I’ve had inspiration in bed at night and now keep a pad and pencil in my bedside drawer.

Of course the very best place for inspiration was when we were up river on the boat.
Such peace and tranquility, it was another world.

Both pictures are mine.

JSW Prompt 6-14-2021

The JSW Challenge is open to anybody who wishes to participate. Using the writing prompt, write a flash fiction no longer than 500 words and post it to your page. The Challenge starts on Monday and runs through Sunday each week. Please remember to link your story back to this post (not mine) so everyone can read your entry.
Like sentinels, they lined the pathway.
Not exactly a welcoming committee, but if they could talk, oh what tales they’d have to tell.
The expanse of water is a passageway, for ships, small craft and ocean life alike.
What their predecessors have seen over the years and decades has been passed down in their roots and their seeds. Blown to the wind, their legacy is scattered, as are their secrets.
They have borne witness to human trafficking, smuggling, disposal of suspicious waste, profiteering, deceit, birth and death.
The elements are not a curse or a threat to them. They can survive in the driest and hottest of environments, which is what makes them so perfect for this line of duty.
Like sentinels, they line the pathway……… watching and recording…… ready to report.