My Ten Honest Things

Janet has asked me to respond to her current post ‘10 honest things‘.

Here are the rules to which I had to agree to when accepting this award:

“When you receive the prize, you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in their content or design. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing that they were prized with ‘Honest Weblog’. List [if you can and/or dare] at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!“

Here are my ten honest things

1. I am a hoarder. I have a tin full of things from my army days (35 years ago) that serve no purpose at all.

This small board I have kept, I don’t know why. It still has the Radio Frequencies that the Army Radios (I doubled as a Company Signaler as well as a bugler) were tuned to on my last military exercise – in 1972!

2. This little toy train I bought for my children to play with. But I liked it so much I never let them. Sorry girls!

3. I love Brussels Spouts. I will always leave one on the plate to eat last of all. Peas are next.
4. I always carry two hankies. I was a ’snotty’ little boy and was always embarrassed that I could only keep my nose clean by using the sleeve of my shirt.
5. My name is David, not Dave!
6. I dislike being cold. Two examples of how bad it is. I had an old wreck of a car that needed a strut (or something like that) replacing. A friendly garage owner let me use his lot to affect repairs. It was cold, windy. I was miserable. I got fed up. I walked away from the car and never returned to it. It may still be a rusting heap behind a garage somewhere. I was digging a flower bed in the garden one autumn. It was cold, drizzling. I looked into the house. Mae was watching TV. Fire on. Nice and warm. I thought ‘what am I doing?’ I put the fork away. The bed was put to grass.
7. Which brings me on to my next topic. I hate gardening.
8. ‘Any fool can be uncomfortable’. Feet especially so. I take a long time choosing a pair of shoes (ask Janet) and will even buy one pair of each colour.

9. Jelly Babies – eaten head first! Yum!
10. I like to be the first one in the house to read the newspaper.

There, ten honest things.

If you would like to join in then send me a link to your blog (I need 7) and I will publish it for all to read.

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Visitors To Our Garden – Weekending 23rd Nov.2008

I am missing some birds!

I have had lots of Sparrows in the garden for many weeks now but they have all but disappeared.

Could it be the Magpies?

They have been squabbling over this year’s nest – about four of them in all, and since then my garden has quietened significantly. I am a bit miffed.
Here are the images from the past week anyway:

The black birds have not disappointed and are regular foragers in the garden. We seem to have a couple of males and females visiting.
‘Cyril’ the Squirrel has been busy looking for food and burying it around the garden, he now has so many ‘plots’ I hope he can remember them all!
The Magpie nest is dominating the tree now most of the leaves have gone. So have the birds and maybe that is why.
The Feral Pigeons hog the feeder tray.
The black cat took up it’s regular spot. I try to discourage it but it always returns. The only good thing about it’s presence is that it keeps the Pigeons away!
The Blue Tit was a delight to watch as it hung from the nut feeder.
Finally, the Polyanthus is in flower and adds a nice bit of colour.

Click on an image to see a larger version.

I think I am going to cease this particular topic on my blog for a while. It is getting a bit ’samey’ and it is getting too cold to stand outdoors for long periods and not good economically to warm the house up then open a window and heat the garden instead!

I will do the occasional post on visitors to our garden though.
I trust you have enjoyed sharing with me the antics of our wild life.
Thanks for looking.

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Pfizer Wind Orchestra Concert – Rave Reviews!

I hope you didn’t miss the Pfizer Wind Orchestra Gala Concert on Saturday.

The Theatre Royal is a fantastic building and is reported to be Southern England’s most haunted Theatre. It was opened in 1787 and so has over 200 years of theatrical tradition. It can seat slightly under two thousand patrons. The Theatre Staff are mainly volunteers and they did a fantastic job helping us ’set-up’ and looking after the ‘behind the scenes’ things. So, a big thanks to them.

I managed a couple of ’shots’ before the Concert. (I am hoping to get some images from the Orchestra’s Official Photographer which I will post in due course).

Here are some of the comments we received:

‘best concert ever’
‘played really well’
‘best yet’
‘Training Band played very well’
‘I thought the playing was very good’

Pfizer Wind Orchestra will be playing at the Deal Bandstand on the 6th December 2008 for the Annual Christmas Carol Concert.

Come along and join in the Carols.

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Pfizer Wind Orchestra Gala Concert – This Saturday!

I trust you have your tickets for this event!

The Pfizer Wind Orchestra Gala Concert on Saturday – this Saturday – at the Theatre Royal, Margate, promises to be one of the best.

On previous posts I have shown you the Advertisement Poster………..

…..and what the Theatre looks like………

……and I promised I would give directions to the Theatre:

By Car
From London and Whitstable:
Follow the A299 towards Margate and Ramsgate and then take the A28 signposted to Margate. Continue through Birchington and Westgate until you reach the clocktower on Margate seafront. At the clocktower roundabout take the second exit into the town centre. At the traffic lights in Cecil Square turn right and then take the second left into Hawley Square (following the brown Theatre Royal sign). The theatre is at the far end of Hawley Square, with the entrance round the corner to the left on Addington Street.

From Dover, Deal and Ramsgate:
Follow the A256 into Margate where you need to follow signs to the town centre. As you pass the fire station bear left, and you will see Hawley Square soon afterwards on your right. Turn right into Hawley Square. The theatre is at the far end of Hawley Square, with the entrance round the corner to the left on Addington Street

On foot from Margate train station:
Turn right out of the train station and walk along the seafront. At the clocktower roundabout continue straight ahead into the town instead of following the coast road. Climb the hill into Cecil Square. At the end of the square turn right and then take the second left into Hawley Square. The theatre is at the far end of Hawley Square, with the entrance round the corner to the left on Addington Street.

Tickets can be obtained from:
Box Office Phone number
0845 130 1786 or 01227 787787
Admin: 01843 293397
admin@theatreroyalmargate.com

Myself and the Orchestra look forward to seeing you there.

Thanks for reading this – now check to ensure you have your tickets!!!

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Visitors To Our Garden – Weekending 16 Nov 2008

The weather was better last week than the week before but this time it was me that didn’t have the time to spend watching what was occurring in our garden.

The couple of hours I spent on Thursday morning was interesting. The antics of the visitors never cease to entertain me.

Here is my selection for last week.

I tried hard this week to get some shots of the birds hiding in the trees. The Collared Dove was spotted amongst the branches but the sun was breaking through the branches and I just waited until the Dove moved into the sunny spot.
The usual bunch were active. The Robin sang his heart out again. He has now begun to appear in the tree top opposite where I sit. He knows I am there but that doesn’t put him off. Maybe he is singing just for me! The Green Finch appeared briefly and, of course, the squirrel hogged the feeder for a while and the Sparrows twittered away amongst the branches. The Thrush in the tree shows how the markings of our garden birds assist them in hiding.
The sequence of shots of the Thrush eating the berries was fortuitous. It sat in full view and took his pick of the berries. These are, as you would expect, my favourite shots.

The one that ‘got away’ though was a Jay!. It landed in the tree top near me as I was watching the antics of the Thrush but by the time I had swung round (a bit too hastily and carelessly to my shame) he was away.
Oh well, better luck next time.

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Kitchen Door Gallery

Our Grandchildren, Callum, Joseph and Henry are always drawing or painting pictures for us. They have to be displayed, and not just when they are visiting!

We have utilized the kitchen door as the ‘Art Gallery’.

As you can see, we have a good selection. They stay in the Gallery until replaced by the latest picture.

All the boys are ‘budding artists’ and the pictures produced by them for us are treasured (until – see above).

The pictures give us pleasure every day and although the boys live some distance from us they are never far away.

We are seeing Joseph and Henry this weekend.

I wonder what will be the next work of art ?

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Visitors To Our Garden – Weekending 9th Nov. ‘08

Another quiet week in the garden after very wet and windy weather. It is not worth setting up in strong wind and rain – and Mae doesn’t like the curtains getting soaked!

It is still fascinating watching what occurs (which is quite a lot) though. Some visitors are not well placed to photograph. (Maybe a sign saying “Stand here and smile – you’re on camera” might assist!). Somethings happen too quickly for me to react.

Take the squirrel. I was watching him hopping round the garden when he went to one of our plant pots on the patio and buried something. He disappeared in the shrubbery only to re-appear on the neighbour’s shed roof. I spun round and snapped but he was off like a shot so all I managed was an empty roof but a second later this cat appeared on the roof (Tim’s friend). My focal point was where the squirrel had been but I took a quick shot before the cat was off fairly sharpish in the same direction as the squirrel. Tim’s friend is blurred as a result. Cyril the Squirrel (we have named him Cyril as our Grandson Callum thought he should have a name) re-appeared about ten minutes later on another shed roof eating a carrot.

A Blackbird, Robin and Wood Pigeon were the only birds I managed to photograph. The Blue Tits and Sparrows were active but kept hidden in the trees.

The Metal Dragon-Fly caught my attention as it is developing a nice colour on it’s head.

Click on an image to see it full size.

Next week is forecast to be much of the same.

Oh well, the dusting and ironing will get done.

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Fireworks and Vikings

Saturday was Pfizer’s Firework display.
Sharon and Callum came to stay to see it with us.
Callum drew this picture for me:

It is a block of flats. I do like it when our Grandchildren take the time and effort to create a drawing or painting for us. This is a nice one from Callum, so, thanks Callum.

As ever the Firework display at Pfizer’s was well organized and a great display of Fireworks was put on.

I took my Canon Power shot and snapped away. I tried to photograph the various stalls and Merry-Go Round and, of course, the fireworks with very mediocre results. The rain didn’t help!
Here are some of the ones I think are reasonably acceptable.

On Sunday, as Callum has been studying the Vikings at school, we went to the Viking Long Ship at Pegwell Bay and Callum snapped away with my Powershot camera.

His photographs can be seen by scrolling to the previous post.

Callum’s photographs are good so I have not included any of mine – I think Callum’s are better!

A nice weekend.

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Callum’s Viking Adventure

On Sunday we (Callum and Gramps) went to the Viking Long Ship in Pegwell Bay, Ramsgate to take photographs of the Viking Long Ship for Callum’s School Project on the Vikings.

Callum took lots of Photographs of the Viking Long Ship. Here are some of them.

This Viking Long Ship is an exact replica of a real Viking Long Ship and was rowed in 1949 by 53 men from Geeksland (now Sweden) to Kent.

It was really good seeing the Viking Long Ship.

Callum dictated this post as I typed.

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Autumn Leaves and ‘Falling Leaf’

The trees are a brilliant colour in our garden this year.

Need I say any more!

In an earlier post I showed this photograph that I entitled ‘Falling Leaf’. It was not what it seemed though and I posed a question whether anyone could tell how I achieved it.

Well, It was just hanging there really – on the end of spider’s web thread! I just waited for it to spin round and snapped.

Thanks to all those who responded. Only one correct answer and that was Janet (my daughter).
Well done Janet

PS Janet has asked “What is the prize”.
The winner can have a copy of this amazing photograph – in JPeg or Tiff!!
David – (added Fri.)

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