One tiny, curly, cucumber

Posted on August 6, 2019August 6, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged A small offering, Cucumber, Cucumber plant, Food, Gardening, Life, Plant, Taste4 Comments

We planted lots of cucumber and squash plants this year. But this was all I managed to grow.

It’s about 7 or 8 centimetres long and curled round with a thin stalk end and a bulbous end where the initial flower grew.

What to do? It’s come loose from the stem so it’s now in the fridge. I’m going to peel off the rough bits and chop it up finely. I might add it to some spicy tomato chutney I’ve got in. Then I will add that as an accompaniment to some cheese sandwiches on fresh brown bread. I hope that is a suitable use of my little friend.

PS… It was very tasty!

His hair turning white

Posted on August 5, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Age, Life, Poem, Poetry, Salt and pepper hair, silver, Time, WhiteLeave a comment

Suddenly, snow is on his head,

frost is in his hair.

Life is here still, strong and steady

but time has sprinkled white, dead hair into the brown.

Salt and pepper, they say.

Distinguished temples silvered by age.

No wish for dyes to cover it,

no need to hide it.

Only a realisation that winter is on its way.

Rose bowl

Posted on August 5, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Blogging, Ceramics, Gladstone Pottery, Life, Longton, Pottery, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent4 Comments

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This is my kind of pottery. The beautiful contrasting colours and patterns really appeal to me. This was in the Gladstone pottery museum last year, in the bathroom display section.

If I had it at home I would use it as a fruit bowl. There seems to be a bird or a parrot in the centre of the bowl. Beautiful piece.

Caught his cold.

Posted on August 5, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Cold, Cough, Grumpy, Illness, Life, Tired, VentingLeave a comment

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Don’t read if you want to be cheered up! He’s been coughing and spluttering for a week now. He never takes medicine for colds and usually throws things off in a couple of days. He’s had flu twice in his life. He won’t rest and recover. He’s hardly eating. So I’ve tried to help, got him some cough medicine, but he won’t take it. I’m fed up with him because he doesn’t seem to realise he’s spreading germs, a virus or whatever it is.

Now I ache and have started coughing. So I’m trying to stay healthy while I run round after him. In the meantime he can’t stop. His anxieties for e him to keep doing things, keep checking things, so yeah, I’m a bit fed up and grumpy. Sorry to vent!

Electric

Posted on August 5, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Electric, Electricity, Fun, Humour, Life, Monster, Poem, Poetry, SparkLeave a comment

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The spark of life

Shocked through its body

Sparks gleamed in its eyes

Blue flame shot from its fingers and toes.

Electricity crackled in its ears.

As the power lever swung upwards

The body slowly rose.

Bending jerkily at its waist,

Then it swivelled

Feet sizzling as they touched

The metal floor

The Poetry Monster was born.

Pinch pot

Posted on August 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bored, Ceramic, Irregular shape, Life, Pinch pot, Pot, Pottery, Thin walls1 Comment

Sitting at the exhibition yesterday I was starting to get bored. There was some clay available and as I didn’t feel like actually throwing a pot I decided to do a pinch pot instead.

What is a pinch pot? You just hollow out a small lump of clay then pinch it so it gets thinner and thinner walls. I didn’t use any water, so as I stretched and pinched the pot it started to split and crack. I used a broken pencil to make tiny indentations all over the surface, making larger dents around the rim.

It turned into an irregular, ugly little pot. But I might get it fired and glaze it with oxides. I might do more to go with it.

A strange call

Posted on August 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Car, Car accident, Confused, Life, Mystery, Phone scam, Scam, Travel, Wing mirror6 Comments

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Someone just phoned. I never answer unknown numbers, but then a text message came through saying I had hit someone’s wing mirror when I was driving and that I had then stopped and left my number on a note on the persons car. He said his car was not damaged and I could forget trying to claim for my wing mirror off him?

I texted back saying I did not know anything about it, and that I would ring the police.

The caller responded by admitting that the number he had contained 12 digits, one of which was blurry but he had tried my number anyway.

The whole thing is very strange. My wing mirror was damaged last week while my car was parked up. It was parked with the drivers side wing mirror against the pavement. I have not hit anyone and certainly if I had I would have stopped and sorted it out. I have never left a note on a car as I have never needed to.

What bothers me is it seems strange that a wing mirror is involved. It sounds like a scam. I’m considering blocking the number. I will keep the texts and report it to the police if there is any other strange communications.

Any thoughts?

Chimney

Posted on August 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Central heating, Chimney, Environment, Fire, Heating, Life, WeatherLeave a comment

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Redundant, no longer used

Chimney up high. Reflected in the surface of a picture. Once these were so important in heating the home. People had ranges to cook on, heat water and heat the house. Coal was the main fuel, with wood if you were not able to afford it.

When I think about it I can remember my grandmother having a gas fire installed. The old hearth was sealed off so that only the exhaust fumes from the fire went up the chimney. The World changed again and suddenly heating was from gas central heating, then combo boilers. Some homes had chimney breasts and chimneys removed to make more space. But with gas prices increasing people are now converting to wood burning stoves. They need the chimneys again. But beware. Legislation may be brought in to stop people using them as the particulates they expel are causing breathing problems in places like London. And chimneys? The juries out on whether they will continue architecturally.

High on a hill

Posted on August 4, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Environment, Great Orme, Homelessness, Life, Llandudno, Mountain, North Wales, Travel, Wales, Weather2 Comments

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I think I need a longer holiday. One whole day by the sea plus travelling there and back makes for a tiring schedule. Maybe we should have taken the train to Llandudno. I will have to find out what the service is like. It is so muggy inland, I miss the cool sea breeze.

Up on the Great Orme mountain it was lovely. With views out over the sea and looking into a misty sky.

The town itself seems to be much improved since we visited about ten years ago. More things to do. We did bump into a homeless man selling the big issue magazine. He is trying to raise enough money to buy a motor home to live in. At least he has a job selling the magazine that he can help to support himself.

I have to think there but for the grace of God.

Gone fishing

Posted on August 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Car accident, Car Fire, Driving, Fishing, Fun, Hot, Life, TravelLeave a comment

We came home yesterday through North Wales. Llangollen to St Asaph, along the A55 where we witnessed a car fire right in front of us. There was a sudden cloud of white smoke, then flames from a tyre. A man and a young girl jumped out onto the hard shoulder while I slalomed to get around cars and a van who pulled up sharply. I checked the Internet last night and it mentioned the resulting tailback of traffic was miles long. I’m glad they seemed to be safe. But on with the trip. From St Asaph there are lots of winding roads and eventually – a steep winding hill and stopping off at a cafe at Llandegla fishery. There we had trout salad and strawberry and cream. Afterwards we decided to have a go at fishing. Not something either of us do. I was happy we were using a rod with a barb less hook and sweetcorn for bait.

Thankfully no fish were harmed. We both got a nibble but gladly neither of us caught anything.

We then drove back via Wrexham and Nantwich. As we got into the Midlands the clouds gathered and the humidity increased.

Neither of us wanted to do anything today but we went out and put up a little exhibition for the day. Now my skin is burning, still feeling the hot sun from our short break.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Life