Bouncing back

 One of the dispiriting things that I think that councils always do wrong is spending on the future. And for me that is children. Our local parks are barely adequate and really do need much more investment. It would be wonderful to see great play equipment and plenty for children to do rather than the money wasted on yet another idiotic scheme for cyclists.

Stone me

 I previously painted some stones and put the names of the trees/bushes/plants on. I used exterior primer/undercoat then gloss paint but unless they were very sheltered, they have not weathered very well at all.

So now I am trying with acrylic paint and covering with PVA. there is some PVA on the sandstones and it has not come off since it was spilt there quite a few years ago, so let's see.

It's a wind up

 One of the annoying things about living on the coast is the winds, often very strong. They do seem to be almost continual. Too strong to be of any use for drying washing but always irritating. Anything above 5mph is a nuisance.

Eating out

 Having a restricted diet means that eating out can be very difficult. But fortunately many restaurants/cafes/pubs are well aware and cater extremely successfully for us.

But it is also great to see that they are fully able to alter their menus with minimum fuss.

Topped off with generous proportions means that eating out locally is a pleasure not a chore.

Hands up

 I do think that there is something rather satisfying about volunteering. It makes one feel part of a community and puts something back as well.

Some volunteering is done because the local council is simply spending too much money on diversity officers and training as well as gold plated pensions.

Often the volunteering relates to an interest and may help support a local club by drastically reducing any cost.

However someone volunteers, I genuinely believe that not only does it help mental wellbeing but also physically. 

Feathered friends

 We have always fed the birds during winter when their food is scarce.

Loose seeds/suet etc. is not so good as it attracted wood pigeons, grey squirrels and probably other unwelcome vermin.

We tried a block of suet/seeds and grains in a special metal holder. That was okay but we think we have found the best and most popular idea - it is a half coconut packed with suet/fat/seeds/ etc.

Cheap to buy and it attracts the local blue tits, great tits and robins and because of its location on a bendy branch there is no chance for the larger birds to gobble it all, nor any possible rodents. I don't think that the grey squirrel has bothered either. So all in all a great success.

Viruses, what are they?

 A month of wet, damp weather doesn't help get rid of viruses/colds etc but encourages them surely.

I read about the amount of viruses there are in the oceans. So it is no surprise that the evaporation. clouds and precipitation may contribute to the continual bombardment of viruses.

Viruses like computer viruses are destructive and simply replicate. Again I have read that viruses are not alive but are a halfway between inorganic and organic and that they can never make that transition to a life form.

Suffice to say that we have the lurgy, it is not Covid but a bad, very bad cold type virus.