Coots feet

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Padded paddle feet on a Coot. Their feet actually look bluer than this in real life, their legs are yellow. I’m posting this because an American friend wrote about their Coots which have similar feet, but yellow coloured.

I’m always getting Coots and Moorhens mixed up. But Coots have a white blob on their forehead and their beaks are white too, Moorhens have a red blob in the same place plus the top of their bills are red, and they have similar feet and legs to Coots, but they are yellow. Maybe they are related?

My friends photo

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I was out with my friend and wanted to take some photos of the birds in an aviary, but my phone camera was playing up. My friend sent me a few of her pictures. I like this photo she took of a pheasant? Mostly I like the composition, it reminds me of a Mondrian painting and although the bird is not square or oblong shaped the red black and white add a pop of interest in response to the more muted colours in the background.

Taken when we were having tea and scones at the Brampton museum and art gallery in Newcastle under Lyme a couple of weeks ago.

Sunlight over bluebells, a year ago

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An innocent day, a year ago. We were out at a Rode Hall, walking through the bluebell woods. No sign of the troubles ahead.

I wish I could hold the hand I held for 43 years, so firm and strong, walking into sunlight with you. Taking each step carefully along the path. You leading the way, supporting me.

I heard the birds singing and felt a gentle breeze that shook the bluebell heads. Nodding in the dappled shade. All ready for some fairy parade when we were gone.

I drew this later from a photo, I wish I could go back in time.

My Molly Leigh mural

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I painted this mural several years ago on the wall in the Arnold Bennett suite in the Leopard Hotel in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The building sadly burnt down on 22nd January 2023 and remains a burned out husk of the former historical hotel.

It represents the Burslem witch Molly Leigh.

Margaret ‘Molly’ Leigh was an English property owner in the Staffordshire town of Burslem who, in her will, left substantial sums to charity. She was also accused of witchcraft, and, after her death, her grave was disturbed following claims she was haunting the town. Wikipedia

Born 1685, died 1746.

Her grave is in a Burslem church yard and is set at 90° to the other graves to indicate witchcraft.

My painting shows her old cottage and medicinal plants such as foxgloves. It’s a moonlit night and I painted a ring of icy cloud around the moon to make it more spooky. The ancient woman depicted is actually based on a French peasant woman by Theodore Gericault.

Gobbledegook

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Confused, muddled, incoherent. Gobbledegook.

Like double-dutch it’s a word that tries to describe the kind of word salad some people talk rather than a measured and clear explanation.

If you have ever seen “Sir Humphrey”, the political private secretary in “Yes, Minister”, and “Yes, Prime Minister”, the BBC series from the 1980s and 90s, you will know he would used gobbledegook or flimflam (another lovely word) to blag his way through telling the Minister important information without telling him clearly. It’s  in this case a method of obfuscation, using a long tangle of incomprehensible words that is sneaky and makes the story he is trying to tell virtually impossible to understand.

It’s an informal noun and according to Google it is defined as :

language that is meaningless or is made unintelligible by excessive use of technical terms.

“reams of financial gobbledygook”

I hope you enjoyed this word!

Apple tree blossom

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Last year we got some blossom on our apple tree but very few fruit. This year despite cold wet and windy weather the tree is absolutely covered in blossom.

The tree is bent over and trained against our fence so our neighbours actually have more of the tree in their garden. I’m hoping the blossom gets pollenated but again I’ve seen very few insects because of the weather. Fingers are definitely crossed on this.

Yes!

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Do you vote in political elections?

I’ve voted in every election I could. The first time I voted following my families choice, I was young and I hadn’t really thought through my voting intentions, we had always voted one way so I followed suit.

Then I left home, my situation changed. Many conversations followed and I realised I no longer agreed with my family. Much to their surprise I changed allegance. Why? The reality of life was not as I’d imagined it as a child.

I think the important thing to do when voting is to really consider what’s on offer, not just to you, but to your neighbours and friends. Bad policies should not be selected. That means any party that is not bothered about the needs of the population should be discarded. Perhaps we could have more accurate measurement of whether parties have kept their promises?

As a woman I’m proud to vote. I remember all the women 100 years ago who fought for women’s suffrage. If you can find the song on the Internet have a listen to the song “Nana was a Sufferagette”. I think it gives a good idea of how I feel.

Peony tree

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I’d love to have one of these, I have normal peony plants, but this is a shrub with bright yellow, flowers. Maybe I will treat myself to one as an early birthday present.  I need to maintain my garden but it’s not easy to look after. It’s on a slope and the ivy is taking over, great ground cover but it’s smothering other plants. I need to do some serious pruning if I have the strength. What’s putting me off? I’m scared of slipping and falling. I always take a walking stick out there now to give me a bit more stability. I might offer friends a gardening and cake day to get some work done? Is that a good idea. I don’t know.

My moral compass

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What gives you direction in life?

I’ve always tried to be kind, I hope I care for people. I’ve decided to always try and be pleasant with people if I can. I still react to bad behaviour and think it should be dealt with, but we should have more consideration.

I sat in the pharmacy today waiting for some medication. The shop has had a new computer system and they are still trying to get up to speed with it. The shop was very busy and there were people queuing all the time I was there. Some people were fine, others demanding, and some complained. One woman behind the counter was trying to deal with all of them. She remained patient and helpful despite the pressure. When she came over to get something off the shelf near where I was sitting I thanked her and said I appreciated their help. I told her how I had noticed how hard they were working. She said some people think they are doing nothing. She was pleased that I had thanked her.

It costs nothing to be polite, and a few kind  words can go a long way to making people feel better.