Angelic Weekend

20Cm tall Angel

The weekend has gone - all too quickly. I've seen a great film, had a good time with friends, relaxed at home, shopped and done a bit of domestic stuff around the house. The weather's not been too bad either although it's been a bit chilly in a brisk stiff breeze which has just taken the edge off the temperatures.

The film (I'm not going to do a review like I used to) was Dark Shadows, a Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and a delightfully evil portrayal by Eva Green. Briefly, Depp is a vampire who was condemned to lie for eternity in the 1700s in a grave. He was accidentally released by some workmen and went back to his ancestral home to reclaim his heritage. The film is both funny, dark and cleverly done by Burton with a decent storyline and apparently adapted from an American TV series of the 1960s which I can't remember ever seeing in the UK. 

25Cm tall Angel

This is a 12A and needs to be and you can imagine how difficult it is for this 18th century vampire to adapt to modern day America hence the comedy aspect to the film. If you like Burton's films then you'll like this one.

I've done the usual shopping bits and pieces over the weekend including some Arthur Bowers multi-purpose compost which was on good offer at the local DIY store and some paraffin for the greenhouse to ward off the effect of late frosts.

Glass Oil/Essence burner

The healing group I normally attend as a healer to every other Thursday night in Hull which offers healing using Reiki and Angelic healing was cancelled last week because the owner of the large house we use wasn't very well. Instead we held a meditation evening at my business partners home and what a fabulous night we had with our group of clients using two lovely meditations. I thoroughly recommend meditation as a relaxation tool and if any of you want to know about how to do it, let me know (by e-mail) and I'll point you in the right direction.

Wind Chime

You may recall I occasionally run a stall selling Angel related things (Touched by Angels) and I set up my dining table today to take some photographs of some of the new bits of stock that arrived recently and I've put some examples on here. You can click on them to enlarge them. It's the first time I've done this and I'm quite proud of the results and I aim to photograph the rest of the stock samples next weekend. I'm currently constructing a website and some of the pictures will go on there.  I had lots of offers of help before Christmas from blogger friends which I was eternally grateful for, but decided to get a grip and do it myself, both for the experience and for the purpose of getting off my backside and doing things.

My profile picture has changed too. An English portrait painter called George Dawes (1781-1829) bizarrely painted a host of Russian generals during Napoleon's invasion of Russia and they have all survived intact. They are very good portraits and my son John adapted one using Adobe Photoshop by putting his own face over that of a general in full regalia. I was so impressed, I asked him to do one of me and here is the result. The original uniform belonged to the man that was airbrushed out - General Konstantin M Poltoratsky (1782-1858) - but I respect his memory by mentioning him here. Clever eh?

'General' Rarelesserspotted

Have a great week.

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Glorious Montana

Clematis Montana

 

The picture above was taken whist I was hanging out of the bathroom window (not literally you understand), but I thought it gave a better view of the Clematis Montana, one of the most prolific and pretty early flowering hardy Clematis around.

I was reading the Met Office (UK) blog today and a guest blogger gave this valuable warning 

Charlotte Fionda of the Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity wrote:

"Last week was Sun Awareness Week, even though the sun did not appear to be aware of it in many places. This weekend, however, the sun is set to return and most of us will want to get out and make the most of the good weather. It is important to remember that although it may not feel that warm despite the sunshine, the sun is very strong at this time of year."

Goof advice although I guess most of us require treatment for rust. It is interesting to note that East Yorkshire - my part of the UK is no longer considered in drought conditions as all the rain we have had over the least few weeks has filled all the water boreholes which were 20% low.

I hope you've all had a good week, wherever you are.

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Technology, Friend or Foe

The weather today (7 May) has stayed dry enough for me to cut the grass. The weather is unseasonably cold for the time of year, but as the old adage suggests: 'ne'er cast a clout till May is out.' In other words expect cold weather snaps and over the last few nights, although we seemed to have avoided them, there have been rural frosts not too far away.

I've been in a contemplative mood these last few days hence why no blog and I'm doing lots of reading at the moment and a bit of tidying up. I'm thinking about a new computer to replace this ageing beast and I'll give this model to my son but looking for a new one is not so easy. Looking for reliability and sustainability and trying to future proof myself by making this new machine last a few years is the stuff of nightmares as technology rumbles ever on. 

Do I go over to the dark side and get an Apple Mac or do I stick with Windows? The trouble is they are all now so interlinked as I discovered when I decided to move into the modern world and get an Android smart phone. The Android stuff is not compatible with Apple and vice versa. My e-mails, Twitter, Facebook, G-Mail account are all synchronised neatly through my phone and on the move, I don't really need a computer - I have the phone. Okay, it doesn't have any Office stuff on it and writing a lengthy report or memo on a phone would be a pain in the ass and a strain on the eyes. 

I was looking at the iPad the other day (on the computer, not physically), smallish, light, simple and clever but no Microsoft Office (or so I'm told) and frankly not too robust looking for someone who is clumsy and has fingers like sausages.

Oh what to do - continue with Dell or move to something like HP; move from a desktop to a laptop; go from Windows to Apple? Decisions, decisions.

In an act of necessity and economic sense, I have decided not to pursue a new camera but to stick with the Canon 40D I have which is a lovely piece of kit and does what it says on the tin. I just need to use it more but it's not exactly the sort of thing you slip in your pocket which is why I am still in love with my Panasonic Lumix which goes with me everywhere. Even my Samsung phone has an 8mp phone on it although it is a little limited - for example on a bright day, it's virtually impossible to see the screen to set up and take shots; cameras are much preferred.

With the help of my son John, I managed to update my phones software last evening which seems to make it run much quicker and smoother and it looks slightly better too. Oh how we rely on technology to help us on a day to day basis. Banking is done on line, I rarely write personal letters any more, "what's your e-mail address?" I don't publish letters, I write a blog, I don't advertise in the newspaper, I am constructing a web site. I talk to my friends and relatives on Facebook (other social sites are available) and if anything exciting happens (no it hasn't) I Twitter it.

All good fun, but a little limiting. It doesn't cut the grass, paint the house, feed me, give me love and  affection, etc. Not that I would want it to.

I'm not complaining really, I have been using computers for over twenty years and the truth is that although they are a pain, I do enjoy them by and large.

You know I don't normally do much in the way of politics, except when I'm in rant mode (another technical term) but have been fascinated by a distinct move to the left of politics with resounding defeats for the Conservatives in this months local elections in the United Kingdom, a socialist President in France (congratulations Sir) and Greece turning away from centre/right politics. Ye the Chancellor in the UK says we must trundle on on our current course, (and presumably ignore the message they have received from the electorate - not very democratic is it?)

I've had a week off work on a bit of a break, back tomorrow - shame. I've rather enjoyed this start of the journey to rediscover myself again.

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Hands in the Soil

The resident (male) fox in the grounds at my place of work

Just finished a mixed week this week and ended up by yesterday (Friday) not feeling too good at all, mentally or physically. However having just completed four and a half hours in the garden including giving the grass its first cut in a month, I feel invigorated and energised and back to my normal self. I've taken a week off work next week to do some 'me' stuff.

Despite continuous rain and showers, the grass was dry due to quite a strong breeze last night yet the ground underneath is still fairly wet. Often, grass can go yellow with too much water, yet the grass has remained green and lush and looks good for a cut. 

I've potted up the last of the plants, some cactus dahlias and trailing begonias. A mixture of ground cover and medium tall perennials are now potted up outside. Lily 'Stainless Steel' and dahlia tubers are in pots along with some other begonia corms. Petunias and geraniums I planted up three weeks ago are looking well and are growing in the shelter of the greenhouse overseen by my lovely green man. Some trailing begonias I've ordered are not due to arrive on time, I think the late frosts a couple of weeks ago may have delayed them at the nurseries.

Being fortunate enough to be able bodied and reasonably fit for my age, I count myself lucky that I can get into the garden and do the things I enjoy. Being with nature is a wonderful experience even though in the domestic garden environment it tends to be a manufactured one. Nonetheless, to get  my hands in the soil brings me closer to Mother Nature and keeps me grounded. To be able to touch and admire trees, watch the wildlife and breath fresh air is so important to me and today I bought a small portable radio to take to my greenhouse to listen to when I use the warmth and shelter of the glass as a bolt hole, safe from being interrupted or being molested by domesticity.

I have a lovely family around me and some friends who I admire and adore but there's just something about my own company which attracts me. Is that being selfish or arrogant? 

American author Alice Koller (bn 1925) who spent many years deliberately living away from other human beings said, "Being solitary is being alone well: being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your won presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement."

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Mushrooms in the Grass

Mushrooms in the grass - in April!

We prayed for rain and it's been raining ever since. Good on Mother Nature. I have heard loads of people whinging about it, but frankly, there's no point. April traditionally is the month of showers - live with it!

I haven't been able to get on my grass for a fortnight so it is getting long, but it looks great and green and it'll stay dry long enough for it to get cut before long I'm sure. I saw a farmer on the local TV news who was talking about the devastating effect of no rain and having driven past a few fields lately, the new crops are looking good, in fact the yellow rape-seed oil plants are in full flower in places.

Dicentra, love's bleeding heart

I went to the greenhouse to turn the paraffin heater off this morning and noticed mushrooms growing in the grass - another sign of the damp weather. The sun stayed out for just a few mintues, long enough for me to take these snaps.

Pieris Japonica, 'Forest Flame'

The London Marathon is on this morning and it looks like they've got good weather. My mother, as is her tradition will be sat in front of the TV in her dressing gown watching the spectacle and privately cheering on all those brave souls who run for charity. A colleague of mine, Ian ran the Hull marathon a couple of weeks ago and he raised several hundred quid for Macmillan nurses who care for people who are desperately ill with cancer. It was his first marathon but sadly, it seems the event was poorly organised and the course was too short so it doesn't officially count, but in my mind, he's a star anyway.

I've never ran successfully in my entire life, I guess my body was never made for it (I can hear the groans about that excuse) but I admire those who can and do run and who look after themselves. The added bonus of giving to charity for the effort is such a good idea and they have my congratulations.

I ran my first Reiki first degree class yesterday and had two successful students who I know will go on to use Reiki healing for the benefit of others. Congratulations to Ian, Nick and thanks to Linda for supporting the event. 

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Spring Forces Way into UK

I hope this week has been fruitful and peaceful no matter where in the world you are. 

There are signs, despite a late surge in chill north atlantic weather, that spring is trying to force its way into our lives in the UK. Bring it on! The rain has helped of course and as the country in largely in a drought situation, every last drop is welcome even though my tan is rust rather then from the sun! The grass is green, the fresh green leaves in the hawthorn are very evident now and the tulips are abundent alongside the fading daffodils.

The marsh marigold in my fish pond is well and truly out and will last well into the early summer with flowering after flowering.

Today I potted fifty petunia palnts that I received in the form of tiny plugs from a famous seed company. So I turned this:

Into this:

 

In their latest catalogue, they enclose a small sachet of Tomato Powerfood with a  50 pence off voucher for a bigger packet of the stuff. The only problem is the voucher is only valid until 30 September 2009. Cheers.

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Postcard from Cuba

Just a quick post today. I always encourage postcards from friends when they disappear to far flung fields. Most say they 'don't do postcards,' but even those that do more often than not take the effort. Friends Ken and Linda went to Cuba in the New Year and their postcard arrived today, 10 April. The postmark in Cuba - 13 February 2012. The price of postage of the card (0. 75 Cuban peso) at today's conversion rate is about 47 pence.

In the UK, Royal Mail has announced that from April 30 2012, the price of a First Class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 46p to 60p. The price of a Second Class stamp for a standard letter will increase from 36p to 50p. Even with my donkey maths, that's an increase of 30% and 39% respectively.

If I send 60 Christmas cards by post every year, mostly but not all second class, that will be £30 at the cheapest rate to send them. I have a decision to make and its not going to be favourable I don't think.

I hope you enjoyed your Easter break if you had one, this week is forecast sunshine and showers with cold nights. 

Chat soon

Ta-ra.

Mad as Hatters

Normanby Hall

Good morning blogging friends one and all to this Easter Sunday. In 725, the Venerable Bede (a famous English monk) apparently wrote, "The Sunday following the full Moon which falls on or after the equinox will give the lawful Easter." Also known as Resurrection Day, this day celebrates the rising of Christ after the third day following his execution. This should be a joyous day for without the resurrection, there is no Christianity as we know it today. There are Christian religions and cults that treat this as a solemn memorial day without celebration. This is a real shame, for not to celebrate it if you are a Christian seems to ignore what sacrifice was done for us.

Anyway, moving away from this religious theme, I am a prisoner in my own home today. That's not as dramatic as it sounds, I simply can't get my car out because the local roads are closed for the Hull Marathon. 'Good on them' I say, mad as hatters*, but I secretly admire them for their fitness and courage to run the length of a Marathon. I've sponsored a couple of people at work who are running it so I am delighted that charities benefit from their perspiration and efforts (or in the ladies case - glow and effort.)

Yesterday I went to Normanby Hall which is a few miles north of Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire, a short journey across the Humber Bridge and along pleasant meandering roads through the pretty countryside, occasionally with magnificent views along the Humber basin. Normanby Hall was once the home of the Sheffield family, Dukes of Buckingham. The hall is a square Regency style building surrounded by lovely grounds, a deer park, a Victorian walled garden (with hot houses), small museums of life in the hall at various times, camping grounds and good facilities with good toilets and a nice cafe.

The hall and grounds are now in the hands of the local authority since the family moved out in 1963. Briefly, there has been some sort of family home there since 1530s and the current hall, built in the 1820s replaced a 17th century building. Now here's something I didn't know until yesterday, Samantha Cameron (wife of the current Prime Minister) grew up in the grounds of the Normanby Hall Estate.   

Just a fraction of the extensive park surrounding the hall

The grounds are beautifully kept and cost £5.50 to go in with which includes parking and access to everything including the hall. The hall itself is warm and homely (you may remember this is one of my tests - does it feel like a home.) There are many rooms on two floors which we roamed around although there was a wedding there so one wing was cut off from us. The rooms are roped off but contain wonderful furniture, musical instruments, paintings and there are silk wall hangings in the music room. The bathroom was opulent to say the least and there was a nursery and a four poster bed in one of the many bedrooms remain in situ. 

One of two male peacocks I saw, this one meandering in the walled garden

This isn't necessarily a full days visit, unless you have children and you could picnic and play (as many do) in the extensive grounds, but I was there for four and a half hours and it was just about right. There is easy access to motorways and there are some disabled facilities although you should check with the local authority' website, www.northlincs.gov.uk/normanby for more details.   

Normanby Hall Country Park is a pleasant distraction on a nice day and worth while visiting.

Finally, apparently someone attempted to use my debit card to spend 19,000 rupees in India yesterday (worth around £235). Needless to say I now have a cancelled bank card which won't be replaced for seven days but at least there are two silver linings to this cloud, a) I can't spend anything for the time being and b) the bank's anti-fraud processes actually work.

I hope you are enjoying your Easter break and if you don't celebrate it, enjoy the time off courtesy of Christianity!

Chat soon

Ta-ra
*"Mad as a hatter" is a colloquial phrase used in conversation to refer to a crazy person. In 18th and 19th century England mercury was used in the production of felt, which was used in the manufacturing of hats common of the time. People who worked in these hat factories were exposed daily to trace amounts of the metal, which accumulated within their bodies over time, causing some workers to develop dementia caused by mercury poisoning. Thus the phrase "Mad as a Hatter" became popular as a way to refer to someone who was perceived as insane. Courtesy Wikipedia

Bank Holiday Blues

Happy Easter. It's Bank Holiday weekend in the UK and the start of a short holiday for me. The last couple of weeks has been really busy both at home and at work and rather tiring hence no blog. I've done another Angel stall with my business partner Linda; and her and I have given free Reiki treatments on behalf of Hull and East Riding Breast Friends (HER Breast Friends) a group dedicated to supporting women who have or have had breast cancer. So weekends have become a bit of a premium. My son is home from University and it's a pleasure to have him back and today, we sat and painted with oil paints together which was really nice and relaxing. 

Now I'm sure you've noticed if you are in the UK that the weather has returned to what can only be described as wintry again. I was in Leeds on business on Wednesday. I set off from Hull in driving rain and sleet and the spray on the roads was terrible. There was gale force winds during the night, several trees had been blown down near us and in the north of England, 50,000 homes were without electricity due to power lines being brought down. Bear in mind this is the first substantial rain for several weeks, there was much in the way of standing water on the roads.

I had driven about 35 miles when all of a sudden, the verges and the hedges began to take on a white hue and as I reached the A1, there was snow as far as the eye could see. Just another 30 miles up the road, roads were blocked because of snow. It's April for goodness sake! Still, I made nice patterns in the car park.

Although winter is only recently demised, we need the rain and the water because in Yorkshire there is an official drought order in place. They haven't banned hosepipes yet, but it's only a matter of time I guess. Much of the south east of England have drought orders in place and they have hosepipe bans already and we're just into spring.

We're losing our electricity for a day next week whilst the local power company connect some new houses across the road. Time to spend a day in the garden, but the long term forecast doesn't look very inspiring. I do hope this late snow and ice didn't damage any crops or buds on the bushes and trees. I do recall having snow on Easter Friday when I was about 16 and that was in April too so it's not unheard of.

Forgive the language, but here's a little moral story for the festive season:

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realise how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story:

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy;
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend;
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

Have a great weekend of Easter bunny frolics, and if you don't believe in the Easter celebrations because you think it's all Pagan stuff, well just enjoy the weekend.

Chat soon

Ta-ra

Where There's Brasso, There's Polishing

My mother had, in fact still has, proudly displayed on her mantle piece, two large polished brass candlesticks accompanied by four tiny candle sticks (to hold a candle you might find on a birthday cake). One of my jobs as a child was to polish them. Carefully togged out in old clothes with old rags for the polish, I would get the Brasso out (other brass cleaners may be available) and cover the sticks in polish.  The sticks were them gently polished with a dry clean rag until they shone. 

The pungent smell - the unique chemical smell of the polish was something that I had forgotten until tonight. I have a brass singing bowl and I've had it a while and have never polished it so I thought I'd do the business and be a good boy and clean it up. Polish bought, a clean duster cloth acquired (no rags) and polishing began and hey presto after ten minutes and black hands and nose assaulted with the Brasso smell - a shiny singing bowl. What a great experience, something I've not done for about 40 years.

Early in my marriage I remember having brass ornamental horse shoes and a brass fireside companion set, but they were lacquered, so no need to polish.

Spring is well and truly here and whilst its not set to last with normal temperature returning by the weekend, most of the UK is basking in sun under a high pressure system which is reluctant to clear away. By day temperatures are reaching 20 degrees but by night, fogs appear and this morning, the cars were covered in frost. It's difficult to forget its only March.

The clocks went forward early on Sunday morning just gone and the extra hour on a night is welcome as the grass has had its first cut, the edging has been done, the last of the leaves picked up that have been hiding in the nooks and crannies and the main weeds are now ready for composting.

Now back to the singing bowl. It doesn't play top twenty tunes or hum the Marseilles. It just hums with a most beautiful tone when stroked on the outside rim with the wooden baton, bizarrely called a mallet although it looks nothing like a traditional mallet. The bowl is made of brass. They come in a whole range of sizes and originally were used as bells. They can come the size of a small car down to the size of a small toy car.

Originally from Asia and with a history of around 3,000 years, singing bowls are used to produce a pleasant frequency (they are all different) with which to meditate or simply relax. They are used in many therapies including cancer therapies, stress relief and for post traumatic stress disorder. Musicians use them and in the east, they are used in classrooms. Apparently every Japanese temple has one.

I use mine simply for the pleasure of listening to the sound.

I hope you are enjoying your week so far now the dreaded Monday is now out of the way.

Chat soon

Ta-ra.