Cherry Tree - Bank Holiday Monday 4.5.15

Rather stupidly I arranged to begin my summer gardening schedule today.

I hadn't clocked the fact that today is a national holiday.

Not just any holiday, it's  

MAY DAY

This is the day that us workers could have a day off (Christmas day and May Day was your lot) and go to the fair to find a new employer and move jobs.

As we drove through a deserted Nailsworth, the sun shone bright and the Cherry blossom caught my eye.

 I pulled over and ran back to the tree that had begun to shed its petals.

 SWEET SERENDIPITY!

This very obliging woman strolled through and sat down. 

Did she choose her jacket especially for me?

Thank You Stranger.

: ) 

Summer's On Its' Way - 9.2.15

What a lovely day we've just had here in sunny

NAILSWORTH.

For the first time this year it felt as if summer was just around the corner,
beckoning  me to cast a clout,
and find something pretty to wear 
(yes, ME, in something PRETTY)

I did the next best thing and found this jaunty shot of my summer bag which joined me as I partook of one of my favourite things:

DRINKING TEA IN A CAFE

The summer can't come soon enough for me.

First Frost - 24.11.14

I love my job!

I get to enjoy the start of our English winter.

BRING IT ON!!!!!

: )

Silver Service

Here in sunny Nailsworth we like to look after our wrinklies in right royal fashion, and at Concorde, independent living for the over 55's (that's me then), they take the matter very seriously.

You couldn't make it up.

Well, OK, somebody did, but

you get what I mean.

: )

Ring My Bell Big Daddy - a couple of weekends ago

You couldn't make it up.

Here in Sunny Nailsworth, we like to lay on the Best of British entertainment and Saturday was no exception.

Take a look.

It was a town criers competition - South West Region,

 I guess.

Make the most of this Town crier, she's the most modern one you'll see on this blog.

The most modern one I saw on the day!!

She turns a lovely ankle, mu-dear, done-chu-know?

 In tow each 'Crier' seemed to have a 'moll', 

or as I like to call them,

a 'Moppet'.  

They were all of a type.

Oh heck, is this how I'll be in a year or two??????

Penis/plume envy?

Oh yeh, 

and that reminds me,

what is it about men and medals?

OK, OK, KEEP YOUR FEATHERS UP: ONLY ASKING.

"Hmm, nice swig-o-gin."

"Well really, did you see that?"

"Yes."

"He didn't offer me a drop."

"Too late now, he's tucking away the bottle."

"S'empty anyway."

"Shame."

'Yeh."

Don't get the wrong impression, it was a good morning out AND that was only 

WATER.

It is fun to fantasize sometimes.

: )

Horsing Around The Bounds

One of the reasons we like living here in Nailsworth is that, from our house, we can hear what's happening in the middle of town. Usually this is inane, sometimes it's annoying, and sometimes it's intriguing.

This falls into the the intriguing category, folk tunes, bells and the clatter of sticks.

We wandered down to the noise, only to find they were leaving for 'The George".

We followed them to the pub as they danced their way around the Parish Boundary.

Click here to see more of this strange English tradition.

Build Me Up Buttercup

What can be better on a hot bank holiday Sunday, than a local stroll?

Ruskin Mill, the start and end of our walk.

Even better, I was strolling with this man, seen here, in a buttercup meadow.

Click HERE for a nose at our glorious day out on our home patch.

Pimp My Ride

If a hippy was to 'pimp their ride', how might they go about it?

Oh, yeh,

Flowers, that's how.

Everyone likes a well dressed car.

Sooo Hippy.

Sooo Nailsworth.

Sooo nice to live in such a knitted spaghetti style town.

: )

Williams Kitchen

I'm so ashamed. 

"Why?" I hear you ask.

It's that claim by Williams Kitchen (local shop-and-a-half)

that our local competitive sport is 

BOOZING.

William may be right, but to put out a sign declaring it, is, simply, 

NOT CRICKET.

He'll be on a sticky wicket if he keeps up this level of abuse.

Don't know what a sticky wicket is?

You'll have to googly it.

LOL!!

Hungry Horse

Bramleys, the towns greengrocer has a huge customer base, and why not? 

It's a small, local, business right in the middle of town, it's cheaper than the supermarket next door, has lovely, friendly staff and enough fruit and veg in stock to feed a horse.

Nice to see the horse demonstrating some age old sayings:-

1. What comes around goes around
2. "INCOMING! Move right along the bus please"
3. Better out than in
4. It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good
5. Easy come, easy go
6. She who smelt it dealt it
7. "Scuse me madam, is them yer grapes?"
8. Where there's muck there's horses

Ok, I admit it, I made up a few of them.

; )

Sporty Model

I was stopped in my tracks by this sight.

Most garages put a flash car out front, it helps pull in the punters.

The best our local guy could do was to display that little mobility scooter!

IT MAKES YOU PROUD TO BE A NAILSWORTHIAN

: )

Hunkypunky Junky and Boozy Boy

Gerry and I were in Green Spirit a little while ago, before Hanna was served with her ASBO (anti-social behaviour order, break it and you go to jail), broke it, and went to jail, then got out and settled into a life of obscurity

......AND BREATHE!

All we wanted was a drink and in Gerry's case, some delicious cake.

 We got more than we bargained for.

Debbie (my good chum and oft time dinner guest) was working in the shop that day and was, at the moment we wanted to place our order, on the phone to a supplier, which meant she couldn't serve us for a few minutes.

 So we hovered at the counter,

waiting, waiting, waiting. 

Enter Hanna and boyfriend. 

We nodded acknowledgements and continued to wait, with them hovering insistently behind us, becoming more and more agitated.

Gerry, ever the diplomat, engaged Hanna's boyfriend in conversation. 

Considering the lads state of apparent inebriation, things went really rather well, I thought. 

But it was a knife edge exchange.

They ran out of things to say.

SILENCE ENSUED.

Nothing else to say.

INTIMIDATING SILENCE.

Gerry, rather distractedly, picked up the Nailsworth News and flicked through it, eventually coming to rest at an article about creating a series of view-points of our pretty little town from the 'W', a steep Alpine style, switch-back road that abruptly leads down from the Cotswold Plateau into Nailsworth.

Volunteers have been busily cutting down brash and trees in order to open up the view - I need you to understand that!

"Oh look," Said Gerry, as he pointed at the article which I'd already read.

I laughed at the title, which he read out loud, "COMMON SCRUBBERS."

I attempted to tell Gerry what it was about, as far as I could, amidst his titters, only to be cut short by Hanna's very irate boyfriend, who, prodding Gerry in the chest, asked, 

"DID YOU JUST CALL MY GIRLFRIEND A COMMON SCRUBBER?"

Now, Gerry's a big chap, but he's not aggressive, luckily for this overly drunk and diminutive young chap, which led to the simple, kindly response, " No, I was talking about this article."

The Young-Drink-Meister was having none of it, his woman had been insulted and he demanded retribution. 

Well, I asked Debbie to get of the phone and bail us out - which she did.

The moment she asked, "Who's first in the queue?"  She got an urgent response,

"US!!! We're first in the queue," Said El-Pisso.

Great idea, we thought. Just buy what-ever you want and f... O.. . 

Even that was beyond them, due to lack of funds. After a verbal tussle, they left. 

A few days later they were barred.

The rest, they say, is history.

MY AMBITION IS TO BE BARRED FROM SOME NAILSWORTH BUSINESS,

ANY NAILSWORTH BUSINESS!

; )

Overkill - Friday 13.7.12

Today it's Friday the 13th and I risked all by attempting to bump this new Wheelie Bin down our steps without breaking my neck.

Before today, we put out 2 boxes of recycling, one with paper in it and one with cans and bottles in it. We did this every couple of weeks.

Now we have to put out all this!

AND

 then we must pick up all the empty boxes and the Wheelie bin from the pavement where the recyclers leave it in scattered disarray.

How can this possibly be an improvement?

How are walkers supposed to negotiate the blocked pavement? 

Here, in the bottom of our wheelie bin, are our few cans and bottles.

I've been assured that this will save time and money!

REALLY??????

And Breathe - 30.3.12

They're running the lunch time offer again at Egypt Mill and as a result, 

we decided it was a great place to eat today.

It's a lovely spot.

MeWally, Judy and I watched this little Mallard from the bridge.

It makes me smile when I view it.

Lovely day.

What's not to like?

Tidy Town - 30.3.12

Heading into Town with our friend Judy we came across this arresting sight.

This bag of rubbish had been dumped here last week and the bin team had left it behind. In the meantime a passing banana eater plonked down their peel on top of it. 

We are a truly tidy little town.

SPECIAL!

Lovely Lunch

After all that fun at the Nailsworth Farmers Market today, Derek came over and had a bite of lunch with us:

He brought the pudding!

CRUMBLE!!!

YUM!!!!

: )

Then MeWally cracked a JOKE as he scraped the last of the custard from, the less than elegant, jug. I moaned about the GERMS on his well licked  spoon. He said:

"It's OK, the doctor says I'm sterile, so it's perfectly safe for me to put my spoon in here",

WHAT DID HE MEAN?

All I know is that he and Derek had silly grins on their faces!

Merry Christmas

Ahh, it's Christmas Day.

Christmas Day; what does that mean? 

I guess if you're religious and a Christian, this is a big day. If you're a non believer, or a non Christian, it's a chance to make a day to suit 

yourselves.

Naturally, it can be a religious day that you make your own.

It's always been a day we spend any way we wish, sometimes in remote places with like minded friends, or more recently at home.

It's a great chance to head out for a truly lone walk. Even in a town like ours, folks are indoors, cooking, chatting and generally making merry. For us, this is a sad waste of our limited daylight. 

Gotta get out, breathe, move, affirm that life is indeed sweet.

As we hit the high top of the Cotswolds, I checked with MeWally that one of us had a coat hanger in our jacket. He said he hadn't. Sadly, I had to admit that I hadn't either.

It was the weather, you see, it was relatively mild, blasting us with a gusty, fine, grey, drizzle; perfect Dartmoor walking weather.  As a youngster, I often walked about on Dartmoor, being, as I was, a Devon girly. 

One weekend, when I was about 14, I was out on the moor, on a day just like today, with my two absolutely best friends in the whole wide world; Sal-n-Sylv. Sally kept whinging about how uncomfortable her rucksack was that day.

After 4 or 5 miles of battling, heads grimly down, through the gorgeous wide, open terrain, we found a wall to huddle behind. It was time for food. Stowing maps, compasses and frowns, we took out our flasks, cake and butties. 

There was no peace though as the wind whistled over the top of the low wall, and Sally kept wailing about her bloody shoulders. 

Up Sylv and I jumped, no thought to food and shelter, and dragging Sal to her feet (all three of us were evenly matched in size - hefty), stripped Sal of her cagoule. She wasn't happy, but you have to understand that it was for her own good. She was a chipper mate. This low mood was a new and annoying departure for her. The drizzle whetted her, we could see no problem causing her pain, so we redressed her.

Without a thought to our sensibilities, she began muttering and fidgeting again. We hadn't even sat back down! 

The cag was off once more, but this time it was not cast aside, no, it was inspected.

Guess what, when she put it on, the silly mare had left the coat hanger inside. 

Man that must have hurt! 

Todays weather will always remind me of that day, my bestest school chums and the laughter that coat hanger caused. 

MeWally and I rolled home from our walk and had tea and MeWallys JAMMIE DODGERS to dunk. 

Now, I wonder who loves MeWally enough to buy him JAMMIE DODGERS for CHRISTMAS?

Revittled, we trotted up to Debbie and Alans place in time to see them set fire to their CHRISTMAS PUDDING. It took a LOT OF BRANDY to get it going!

Now it's time for Me and MeWally to get our act together and cook something suitably festive. 

Now, let me see, what's in the fridge!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

The photos are of our walk around the Nailsworth hills and valleys today

Newmarket Christmas Do

NEWMARKET, one of the tiny hamlets that forms our little town of NAILSWORTH is tucked away at the end of a pretty valley.

Last night they held an after dark Christmas market outside the GEORGE PUB. The local band turned out,

and played a number of Christmas favourites to us beer drinking revellers.

It was a very festive evening, though sadly the promise that the pub was going to lay on CURRY was not to be. We headed home and made our own.

The house still smells of it this morning.!

Rhonas' Oh So Wrong Trousers

Any one who knows the wonderful Rhona, knows that she isn't known for her snazzy clothing,

but these trousers take the cake .... as it were.

We all had a good laugh over them;

or was that just me?

 : P

Nailsworth Christdkindle Night

Here we are again, another year older and probably no wiser.

We have become an oasis of light for one night only.

We have SNOW and FATHER CHRISTMAS!

Its a chance to shop - how about these little felt bootees - filled with sweets!

Old cars bedazzle

and the old church takes a dim view of the brash incomers.

It all adds up to the sweetest of evenings.

Click HERE to take a look at last years Christkindle