Tidying

 There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from tidying up. Whether it is because you make an even worse mess which then gets neatly arranged or the surprise when you find a long lost item it is a job well done.

Meddling about

 A bumper crop of apples this year and a bumper crop of medlars.

Not many people seem to have heard about medlars and fewer have tasted them.

They cannot be eaten until they are bletted.

It is an unusual fruit and a different taste, if you get an opportunity to try one it is well worth it.

Step back in time

 The Clifton train station always seems to be a throwback to calmer times. The library nearby has very helpful staff, always much appreciated.

I don't mean to plug a particular company but the Everyman theatre is marvellous and to be able to watch a film in elegant comfort.

Apple bobbing

 I decided to prepare, cook then sieve the last bowls of apples this year. There were rather more than I gauged and by the end of the day I don't want to see another apple again for a while!

With the nights starting earlier and dark overcast days we decided to get the fire going again, particularly as it is not worth or necessary to put the central heating on. It still fascinates me to watch how wood glows and seems to light up from within.

Harvest

 As the days get gloomier and the weather get worse, what a delightful counter to that is to watch the children in their Harvest Festival. There were some lovely songs and it always amazes me how confident some of the children are.

A lovely traditionn and one that I hope will carry on.

Service duty.

 Modern cars are extremely complex but so much more reliable than of old and quite remarkable feats of engineering.

I am always astonished how well they cope with the British weather, especially those cars that aren't garaged. Years ago cars seemed to be held together by rust. Does anyone remember driving along whilst watching the road by peering through a hole on the floor? 

So taking the car in for a service wasn't the trepidation it used to be. Coupled with a fantastic local garage meant a good fair bill for an honest thorough service. 

Do you remember?

 Can you remember your first day at school?

Some children have a phased start at school and may do part days so it might be difficult for them to fix their first day.

I don't remember my first day at primary, junior or grammar school. 

But how exciting it seems to be for the little ones today and so happy in their uniform.

We'd like to know

What is it about weeds that makes them such tough, grow anywhere plants? Despite it being so dry recently, weeds continue to grow and thrive. 

Although one definition of a weed is a plant growing in the wrong place, weeds seem to have little value to ourselves or even bees and other helpful insects. But what if they could be adapted or crossed with crops to give them resistance to drought? I have no understanding of plants but I am sure that work must have been done in the past to establish whether they could be used. 

One weed that is used is the dandelion, that deep rooted terror. Though I couuldn't tolerate it myself different parts of this weed is used and consumed by some. In its own way it is an attractive plant but does tend to grow in the wrong place so perhaps it really does qualify for the original definition of a weed.

Wooden you know

 The Works, and some other shops have plain wooden boxes, hearts and various shapes at very reasonable prices. These are quite nice in their unpainted or unvarnished form. But they can be painted in any design and can look very different and can be in a way a 3D painting.

Water, water nowhere

 My goodness another day, another day of watering around the garden. Some plants that are well established have to take pot luck but others need to be watered very frequently

I am surprised that our small fig tree keeps looking wilted and needs an almost daily supply of water. I had considered it an exotic plant so it would be used to drier conditions, but no.

Going through the motions

 It is amazing how popular marine lake in Clevedon has become. 

A lot of work and effort along with money raised meant that the wall and structure was made more secure. But a real push came during lockdown when being an open air pool it wasn't subjected to the insane restrictions that were delivered by a ridiculous government. 

Since then it has become increasingly popular as could be witnessed this sunny evening when lots of families sat around the perimeter with some even bathing.

It is such a shame that there are still people with dogs walking around despite polite signs and of course there are always the most entitled and arrogant bunch, cyclists. Why do they have to wear such ridiculous clothing covered in adverts? They are not in the tour de France despite their wild fantasies.

Uniformed memories

 Can you remember your first day at school?

I don't think that they had induction sessions when I was a youngster. But I don't think this counts as a full first day.

The school day sounds very exciting - and tiring. I wonder if it is something that they will remember?

Decoration

 Out of the jobs around the home that I enjoy the most has to be decorating. Some people employ professional painters and decorators but I have always got a great deal of satisfaction out of wallpapering, painting emulsion or gloss.

It's harder work than most realise and a lot of time and effort is put into the preparation. But the sense of achievement when completed makes it worthwhile.

Seeds and weeds.

 We are still sowing some flower seeds and repotting others. The tomato plants are growing well too. Although it has been sunny and they have been watered regularly, the sunflowers are not as big as I would have imagined.

A real disappointment has been the green bean seeds, all grown in the same soil, in the same tray with good conditions and only one out of twenty four has grown.

Elect diesel

 Have you been seduced by electric cars? 

They seem to me nothing more than another item for those who like to show how much money they have rather than those who think they are saving the planet.

The cost and energy used to make these cars is colossal. With them being made in China they are surely using coal fired power stations to make them.

We went on an all electric double decker bus recently. They look very clean and modern but riding on the top deck was a queasy experience. The buses weigh fifteen tons empty and so the suspension has to cope with quite a lot to start with. Apparently they cost £250,000.

Have you noticed that some people get on a bus and immediately open a window letting a gale blow at the people behind, never themselves. (

The electric buses windows are locked as they have air conditioning (as most buses do) but why have small windows that can be opened anyway?

Playtime

A washing up bowl half filled with water, some junk modelling and tinfoil to keep the cardboard boats dry, what more does any little chap need?

It is so fascinating to watch children discovering the world and how things work.

What are your earliest memories of making things? For example do you remember making a 'tank' with a wooden cotton bobbin, matchsticks and an elastic band?

Play well

Do you have the opportunity to put Lego together? It seems wrong to write do you play with Lego as the modern kits are quite amazing and there is such a huge variety.

It has certainly changed from the early days when the emphasis seemed to be on creating miniature houses and similar. The variety of colours shapes and kits is staggering. Whilst the kits are fantastic, the pick'n'mix in a Lego shop is fun in itself. I saw a young couple ardently putting pieces together before putting them in the box, thereby maximising the number of pieces. They were there a long while.

Hey aye

 Have you got your head around AI yet? It does seem to be everywhere. Can we be sure what we see or read or hear is real or computer generated.

I started listening to an audio book but it was immediately obvious that it was not a real person reading it, though the voice may have been synthesised from a real voice. What gave it away was the phrasing. I persisted for a few minutes to see if it would improve but it didn't and was very irritating and unnatural.

If you haven't seen Count Arthur Strong - Doctor Two, please look for it and the part where he delivers his lines in Doctor Who - "it's outside my..." and you will get an understanding of the AI phrasing of the story.

But who knows where AI will get to? Does AI know?

Shingled out

 There is a lot of chicken pox going around the local schoolchildren at the moment, on top of which I had a second shingles jab.

My goodness the next day I had a bad reaction and felt quite poorly and for a couple of days after. I can only imagine that if I had got shingles proper, I would have got it very badly so despite all the bad press about vaccines I am grateful that I should now be protected.

All this time on from the COVID lockdowns etc and the world does seem to have gone downhill very rapidly in so many ways. If it is part of a masterplan, it needs to be scrapped but it is probably too late.

Triple and more, glazing

 I thought that I would try a different technique with acrylic paints. Firstly I painted the scene that I wanted then set about overpainting with thinned down paint layers on top. 

It's the first time that I have tried this method. I am unsure if it makes a real and improved difference, perhaps I am being too impatient before putting the next layer on. 

I think that I will paint another scene and do half glazed and leave the other half. I suspect that it would be more effective with oil paints.