Sunday 22 March 2015

Partial Eclipse - 20th March 2015

I decided to walk into Heswall on Friday morning when the eclipse was due.  If the weather were clear there could have been a good view across the fields on the way.    The weather was not clear when I set off at 8.45 - just as the moon started its trip across the sun.


By the time I got into Heswall at 9.25 the clouds were thinning ever so slightly and one could just about tell there was something strange happening.


From then on I spent a quarter of an hour sitting on a wall in Heswall and Hey Presto.  Just as the eclipse reached its peak the clouds thinned enough to see it perfectly.



The best eclipse I have ever seen.

Thursday 19 March 2015

Odds and ends



Mothers’ Day

How is the best way to spend Mothering Sunday in the UK?  At sixes and sevens, of course.





Partner-who-loves-tea didn’t get these!



 But she did get home with four new pair!  


I should point out that she hasn't bought any shoes for ages - she isn't quite Imelda Marcos!

Mac and Annabel

As I write there is a scratching noise coming from under the bed in the study.   It's Annabel but heaven alone knows what she is up to.  Mac, meanwhile, is downstairs playing with his favourite toy.



You lick my head, I'll lick yours...


 Spring

The air temperature is still cold but we have had a day or two of sunshine and a day or two of clouds combined with a day or two of rain – typical British weather really.  But Spring is most decidedly on the way – the Daffodils are out and everywhere is sea of yellow.



Monday 9 March 2015

A Monday Meander



Chronic Pain


 I wish I had thought of this reply when arguing with the Dept. of Work and Pensions before I retired. 

If the drier goes can the toaster be far behind? 
A couple of years ago I upset the Gods of Gadgets and everything went belly up within a short space of time.  One of those things was the boiler.  Fortunately a nice little man fixed it.  Now, however, it has packed up again – this time for good.  (He did warn us his fixing would only keep it going twelve months or so).  Yesterday the tumble drier groaned to a halt as well.  No heating and no tumble dryer and cold rainy weather.  Not a good recipe for getting clothes dry.  What concerns me even more is that this could be the start of another spate of gadget deaths.  I wonder how I offended the Gadget Gods this time – it certainly wasn’t consciously done.


Pensby
I live in Pensby on The Wirral peninsula in Cheshire, England, the UK.  Pensby is non-place in that it has few facilities and little history (having in the 18th Century simply been a scattering of a few houses, farms and a Hall). Its two main facilities are the Library and the Post Office.   


This month the library opening hours have been reduced by 50% so that it is now closed on a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday afternoon and Sunday.    

The number of books available is also being gradually reduced.

 
When Partner-who-loves-tea and I went into the Post Office this morning there was a questionnaire on the counter asking for views on changes to Post Office opening hours.  To my amazement they are planning to increase the number of hours the Post Office is open.  Having checked that the Postmaster is happy with the proposed changes of hours I shall give them my support.   


However, one of the main things I get from the Post Office is special commemorative stamps.  If the changes go ahead as planned they will no longer be available from our Pensby Post Office.  The counters will also be open and no longer screened.   Whilst I like that idea in theory I worry that the large amounts of cash in a Post Office could invite the sort of armed robbery that has occurred in our local off-licence.  People are rarely physically hurt in these robberies but the mental and emotional anguish they cause the staff is considerable.  Ah well, perhaps I’m just being an old fogey and worrying too much.  I hope so.




A Parcel from Li
A student from China, Dai Li, has become a friend of mine over the past year or so and she is kind enough to remember to write me postcards even when on top of Mt Fujiyama on her holidays.  In December she sent me a parcel which arrived yesterday.   



It had a photo of her, taken on Christmas Eve, some lovely postcards (including a wooden Giant Panda), pretty envelopes (also featuring Giant Pandas) and two stuffed toy Giant Pandas.  Part of the delay in it arriving was caused by it having been opened by the Chinese customs.  Perhaps they took the ‘Contents – Giant Pandas’ literally!  

It makes you :-)



 I'm Watching You!


Saturday 7 March 2015

Some more of Mac and Annabel



Mac on a rug in front of the fire with a hand to stroke him.  What more could a cat want?



 
It’s the Year of the Sheep so Annabel is meeting the sheep that belongs to Partner-who-loves-tea.  (I can’t get used to calling her Partner-who-tends-minds).



Oh goody!  Mice!!



Helping write the blog…



...and helping send postcards.


Now this is one serious selfie!


"If I get up this close am I still in focus?"


"No - but you still look sweet".

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