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Saw my first cygnets of the year this morning.
Got a nice bunch of wild garlic on my dog walk at lunch, used some in my omelette.
Lovely big crop locally this year.
Back to back with an evening and a day ride at the weekend. Pretty much brain fog free since January and a general upward path out of long Covid. Fancy a new bike which probably a good sign.
I gave my saw bench away yesterday to my best mates neighbour. He’s a builder but a builder who doesn’t overcharge so not flush. He was so chuffed. My new saw bench folds and has wheels so easier to store and move about - my Megasack winnings paid for it, I was hoping for enough for a new bike but hey, I’ve been spreading the STW love!
The cherry blossom was falling like snowflakes yesterday. Beautiful.
While ago to be fair, but it pleased me.
One sunny day out with the mrs walking round the quieter town footpaths, tearing towards us a couple of nippers on bikes, so we moved to the grass verge to let them pass, huge smiles and thanks shouts as they tore past on a mission, then just a few minutes later as we came round the bottom of the hill path, rolling down from the top was a topless teenagerish, tattoos everywhere, shirt tied round waist, fag on bottom lip, shades on, we moved over and as he swept down the hill past us, up the thumb came up, the head nodded, cheers was the shout. If only all cyclists could say thanks when you work with them.
Having a rest from gardening this afternoon so walked up to the woodland at the top. Bluebells in full flower mixed with the pink of the first campion. Down at ground level vivid purple violets and pink herb robert, birds singing very loudly, including a warbler I’m still trying to identify. I’m going to record it to play for my Dad in the care home - he’ll know what it is.
Been idly looking at a new bike for LittleMissMC as she is not so Little anymore and has outgrown the Commencal that the classifieds built a few years ago.
Lady in the cycle club posted up a Boardman HT this morning, just been round to have a look, bank transfer done and she has an immaculate £700 bike for £300, and is planning on Tuesday nights being bike night.
Winning!
I had a bike fit yesterday and I'm not as twisted and broken as I thought I was. I'm just a bit crap and getting old.
I went for a nice walk and lunch with a good mate today and it was sunny
😎
Got sunburnt though 🤦
I spent most of the day helping my mate with his old landrover. He thought it funny when I got sprayed with brake fluid, I thought it funny when I sprayed brake cleaner down the back of his jeans, a good shriek and lots of laughter!
@the-muffin-man has it for me for today or in fact, a few days!
A good feeling.
I've noticed how nice the air is this week - between smell of bluebells and blossom, and just nice clean air off North Atlantic.
Take a deep breath folks.
Full year now since I finished chemo. Had to wait a wee while before surgery as it had filled my lungs with blood clots, but I'm 6 months after the final surgery now and Trevor the bowel tumour is starting to become a fading bad memory.
Heading down to the Lakes next weekend with my biking buddies. I'm stupidly, stupidly excited!
👍👍👍
I mean you don't get more positive that beagles post but just to keep adding...
I went for a walk with our new rescue dog and we saw an otter swimming about in peebles, ther air smells great as MAtt says, I had a coffee and gave a big old post walk belly rub.
I also stood on my glasses.
peaks and troughs innnit
After leaving some different areas of grass even longer than usual at this times of year (a lot is left until autumn or longer) I’ve spotted some Ladysmock, a food source for orangetip butterflies. A result for my light touch gardening!
Got knocked off my bike at a roundabout. Car hit rear wheel span me round 180 and ended up in a pile in the road. Stood up, brushed myself off,bike ok, got back on rode home. Winning!
Won a tenner on Post Code Lottery!
😎😎😎
Really thankful for our garden at the moment.
We ate tea out there tonight - slow cooker curry ftw.
We've got (I think) tree bumblebees in one of our nest boxes. 😃
They're a tad defensive, but lovely up see.
And although early, the flowers in our North facing garden are looking great this year.
We've even a few Azalea that have flowered for the first time this year.
Is that a cheeky bhaji trying to escape?
It didn't for long.
Ashington mining museum, Newbiggin by the sea for walkies and excellent fish and chips, Druridge Bay (nothing there, absolutely stunning), pint in Morpeth's Office. Perfect day and not much spent.
A walk to the excellent Flying Childers at Stanton with my mate and our dogs. EXCELLENT beer and food, over Stanton Moor to the Red Lion at Birchover, lots of bird song and the trees bursting into life. Good beer brewed on site then a walk down the dale to Darley Bridge for a mediocre pint and then along to The Plough at Two Dales for more excellent beer. A bit busy, I prefer winter and bad weather for walks out here but I shouldn’t object to people enjoying themselves, even if they insist on chanting football songs and running about in replica kit. I’m over it, I did enjoy myself!
Listen to the birdsong!!
Sorry, some sort of double post with error message, trying to dampen my positivity!
wheelsonfire1 is clearly located closer to me than I realised....
@MoreCashThanDash be very afraid! You might be dragged into the depressed owd mens dog pub crawl. Growling at Air BNB, second home owners and people enjoying themselves..
Stuff growing, hawthorn blossom smelling great, ladysmock back in the garden, buttercups and the random orchid that appeared on the front lawn doing well. Neighbour resisted cutting the shared front lawn whilst we’ve been away - I’m trying to educate him! A positive result?
Took my dad to the eye clinic to get his cataract checked, the "good" news is that it's now so bad they will fo the operation in 4 weeks time.
When he can see properly he might stop being so grumpy and making my mum grumpy who moans at me about it. Circle of Life eh? 🤣
Not a drink since the start of September 2021 and lost 25kg weight and my latest medical tests have improved from YOU ARE DEAD to just YOU ARE DYING but more slowly than before and with some bits showing signs of recovery. Great result.
On the way out of the house this morning I noticed one of the kids bikes had a piece of cardboard from the recycling box taped on to make a motorbike noise. I remember doing that and made me smile. Anyone else remember doing that?
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Used to keep the card in place with a clothes peg
Watched the film “Pride” last night on BBC 2. A cracking film and cracking soundtrack! Catch it if you want a lift.
A challenging few days mentally, went out on a solo road ride this morning into a bugger of a headwind, but brightened no end 2 miles in when I came across a big tree down across the cycle path - easy enough to get an 8kg road bike over/through it, took two of us to get an old boys 30kg Haibike over, then the two of us helped an older lady get her three dogs across without them getting loose.
After 25 miles of headwind, rocked up at the cafe and randomly bumped into someone I've not seen since pre-Covid, had a lovely chat over coffee and bacon cobs
Just catching up on this thread so...
- beagleboy, great news
- bill, please stop making northumberland sound like a great place; it really isn't - if you know what I mean...
For me - digging for wiggly worms in garden with grandson followed by boat trip and then more digging; house purchase late 2020 came with hot tub, new cover and wooden gazebo - not for me but near neighbour (over the road) wanted one so today we've taken down the gazebo and moved it, drained the tub, worked out how to lift and move the now empty tub.
Watched robins and swifts searching for food in freshly turned over ground - and they're still going at it; listening to craig charles.
Grandson's 3rd birthday party tomorrow.
That all feels good to me.
Moving the hot tub - Can you make a low trolly, basically a large plank with a couple of wheels under it? If so, tip the empty tub onto its side on the trolley and roll it over to your neighbour.
I sat up the garden this afternoon after a thrilling TT, me and Dennis the dog on limited exercise. Lola, the other dog doing enough for both of us beetling around in the long grass and looking for small mammals. The hawthorn blossom has finished now and there’s going to be a good crop of berries, elder is in flower smelling wonderful and the two types of honeysuckle that have gone mad through the pear tree and other trees (and rather overwhelmed it) are just beginning to blossom. We’re going to have some lovely evenings up there with a beer or two watching the bats and breathing in the scent. The birds love the mix of trees and the protection they give, lots of gold and greenfinches singing away, dunnocks, robins, blackbirds, blue and great tits, thrushes, house sparrows, chiff chaffs and today I’m pretty sure a willow tit. It’s amazing what turns up if you let a certain wildness develop. We have swift’s overhead and also buzzards and kestrels eying up our terrier’s that probably look like rabbits from up there! My mate came and cut the paths into the long grass yesterday so it all looks intentional again, and so I can get about. The gooseberries in the fruit cage are getting a bit swamped with goosegrass, but, recognising that sometimes you can’t do everything I’ll probably open it up when they’re ripe and let the birds and the foxes have them.
Yes, a positive day for me, I’ve managed to beat the frustration!
It might be the last of my posts on here.
Trying to be positive, the first sweet pea flower of the season (we were late putting them in), the scent is amazing. Also on the front lawn I kept a strip after no mow May (much of our garden doesn’t get cut until late August, but it’s a shared front), and tonight I noticed an Orchid had popped up! We had one appear several years ago and Im careful to not mow it until late, they’re not supposed to like acid soil like ours but still come back.
Another positive on STW is the freedom people feel to talk about their mental health and problems, very refreshing.
I’m trying to keep positive, please post your positive experiences.
First day back at work after 3 months signed off with mental health.
After a bit of a panicky tizzy fit in the car on the way in, I appear to have survived.
Still hoping Boris carries out his threat to make 20% of the Civil Service, make me an offer.
I've just had a dozen 16-17 year olds sat around our fire pit for the evening. They've inhaled pizza and s'mores, played music and chased each other around the garden. They all cleared up after themselves, even said thank you when they left.
It's reminded me what our kids have missed for the last two years, and how lovely most teenage kids are. 👍👍👍
@MoreCashThanDash and @matt_outandabout you’ve picked me back up again, I’ll keep on trying to help someone in trouble.
We went out for a pub dinner with a mate and had 2 cheeky pints... On a school night !!