Bit of this

Duke the great dane from the pub rushes over and leaps on whippets best friend, an ever-so noble workman leaps from his van and hauls him off.

The was not a drop of blood anywhere.

I remember I have a box of Hero chocks and leave them on his van, specially for the hero of the hour.

Bit of that

Bit of this

The starling sounds slightly disappointed and miffed as it scolds me from it's breakfast bar that is the bedroom window sill. I hop out of bed and shake nut mix, only to be entertained by a gang of teens squabbling for best peckings. Gawd I hope the noise hasn't woken the neighbors.

She breezes in trailing my grumpy son, and presents me with her smiley one. He has great fun testing his muscles bouncing on a contraption that hangs from the door frame and he spreads good cheer all around.

Man about the house is encouraged on a bike ride. This is quite a novelty these days as the motor bike has taken president over absolutely everything. We manage the hills too.

Bit of that

The first bike I ever had was a much loved second hand red 3 wheeler. I spent hours peddling up and down the path in-front of the church. I later went on to learn to ride a two wheeler job on this bit of path and then ran up and down behind lots of children in latter years helping them perfect their balancing skills. Good friend J arrived at my door a life time latter with her daughters bike, "Here you borrow it for the summer." And that small act of kindness was the relationship with my own adult bike that has beens great therapy for gloomy days and was responsible, in a roundabout way, for the whippet joining the house hold. Who would have thought the act of learning to ride a bike could have rippled so far and wide over time.

Bit of this

Friday

Power to the cause one of the mums offers to do a poster encouraging tidy litter habits, to go with my collage of dropped litter that I am hell bent on sicking up. Even better she proves to be a governor. Perhaps she will motivate the whole school. An army of one has suddenly become 2. (I refused to be daunted when one little girl sensing I am on a mission diplomatically tells me the litter looks "all sparkly" and she likes it). Someone has the last laugh though, because on my way out, there floating in the wind is a newly deposited sparkly crisp packet. Arggggg.

Saturday

Pain is unconcerned with either place or position, so no point in taking to the sofa then. The back ends up at a delightful exhibition of automaton.

Sunday

She is a blessing and is feeding all four grandparents in waiting a tasty lunch. I simply cannot believe my luck. The son maybe aloof but she is fizzing and friendly.

Bit of that

Saturdays trip sets me on a trail.

Bit of this

Lord of the manor has a cunning plan to stop the hoy poloy from using the back road as a short cut. Densely packed spiky shrubs have been planted close to the edge of the road, to inflict nasty scratches on to passing cars.

In fact them that do the work hadn't done it properly and woz spotted muttering and digging 200 hundred of the buggers up and re siting them a foot nearer the road.

Whippet too is muttering because I have gone off in one, gazing at the tiger stripes cast by the shrubs shadows receding into the distance. A dark blob disrupts my vibes, and when I look up to see what bit of caught litter is responsible, there is my lost glove that someone has thoughtfully stuck on a twig. What luck, the last time I trod this path was 2 weeks past.

Bit of that

Bit of this

A rare soul this one he doesn't hold grudges for only minutes earlier we had had words. He grabs my hand "come and look at flowers growing, come on". We run up the field to his discovery of sleek hooded daffs that have just avoided being trampled on by the crew.

Swinging around in response to the sound of her voice into a bear hug and unexpected lunch.

It doesn't work but the smell of musk oil fills the kitchen and cheers me. Failure sends me hunting for the instructions thus becoming sidetracked in acres of black and white photo's.

Bit of that

Friendship

I've discovered a way to stay friends forever

There really is nothing to it.

I simply tell you what to do

And you do it!

Shel Siverstein

Bit of this

Saturday

Breathtakingly beautiful Malvern Hills cloaked in snow. Beat of the swans wings flying low up river. Tasty lunch in a quaint tea shop bedecked by ornamental bells. Passing the time of day with lakeland terrier and his friend breaks the trek back to the car.

Sunday

It is delicious, and he gets creative instead of stroppy when some of the indigents are not to be found. It seems man about the house has taken over sunday lunch duty as long as he can fling cream and calories in.

Monday

Whippet and I slip into Spring house garden discovering hidden delights of snow drops, crocuses and witch hazel. Someone has thoughtfully placed a sign warning of slippery steps.

I wander under mature trees and suddenly feel peaceful. Bless you Mrs S C for allowing us to share your garden.

Bit of that

She gives me a book that makes me realize I should buy more recycled paper products. To provide a market for all the paper that goes in the green bin. But buying recycled loo paper is not as simple as I thought.

Avoiding the paper trap

Consider these simple actions to help reduce your paper use and make better buying choices.

Buy recycled. Tissue products, such as toilet paper, handkerchiefs, napkins and kitchen towels cannot be recycled after use, which is why it is important to ensure that the tissue products you buy contain a high level of recycled content.

Is this product necessary? Don’t use paper products when you can use cloth. Reserve your paper purchases for essentials only.

It doesn’t need to be white. The whiter it is, the more it has been bleached. To reduce chemical exposures, don’t choose the whitest product.

Ask for recycled. If you local store doesn’t stock recycled toilet tissue, ask them to start stocking it.

Read the label. Make sure the claims make sense to you. What is your toilet tissue made from, waste paper or pulp? What percentage of the total is recycled material and is it from a sustainable source? Does it make any claims for safe bleaching processes, such as ‘chlorine free’? If the label isn’t clear, don’t buy the product.

Support ethical companies. The Ethical Consumer recommends brands such as Naturelle or Co-op’s recycled toilet tissue range. Other good choices include products from the Natural Collection, Traidraft, Ecotopia, Essential and Suma.

This article first appeared in the Ecologist December 2007

Previous Articles...

Bit of this

The dogs for the disabled are having a day out in town. The curly coated retriever is such at handsome boy.

The hands over the mouth and wide eyes conceal mirth. The trips back and forth to the loo was not to wash paint from hands but rather reapplying paint to continue the decoration of toilet doors and walls with hand prints. I like it but feel the cleaner will not, a valuable lesson in washing paint work follows, and they agree it would have been hard work for said cleaner and paper will be used in future. We shall see!

The workmen at the church on top of the hill assure me they will be on hand tomorrow should I get accidently locked in. And that their connivence is available for the asking.

Bit of that

A principle of early childhood education that seems to have got smothered in the paper work.

Childhood is seen as valid in itself. It is a stage of life and not simply a preparation for the future.

Bit of this

Tight yellow buds of winter aconites and graceful heads of snow drops bursting into life under Ronnie's tree.

A gang of long tailed tits dart along following the saunter of the the river. Am heartened to think that they all survived the deep freeze of recent weeks.

The postie touches base with Mrs T even though she has no post today.

Bit of that

I love Martha Madigan's creativity.

Bit of this

Two minutes latter and there would have been no more parking spaces left.

3 young people sit with a lady in her 50's. They are making such a fuss of her going out of their way to entertain. "My aunty brought me a coloring book for christmas. I did one and me mum put it on the fridge. I put by Gary age 22".

She shows me neat piles of baby clothes laid out on the floor. Whites and creams no hint of blue or pink.. It will really be a surprise then.

Bit of that

Boum Boum

Bit of this

I get into work and find our tactful comments about rearranging the space have been acted upon. No more children fighting over the box boat at circle time. Now it's, how many can hide under the table. At least there they think we can't see so keep quiet. Bless. You have got to marvel at their resourcefulness.

Now I have finally conquered the video, I record all sorts of wonderful things that delight while I eat lunch.

Sat having a heart to heart at the doc's and she gets a message via computer asking would she would like a drink? Slug of gin for me please I think.

Bit of that

432. Tunnel Vision
Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas, and oil, as well as the rollercoaster market conditions and the continued decline of the U.S. economy, The Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off. At least it is no longer a train headed our way. (04-01-09)

Bit of this

She lands lightly, flops down and with small movements melds us into one. Purring at last her chin comes to rest on my leg. I feel all the tension flow first from her body and then from my own. What a lovely way to start the day.

A large brown envelop waits on the matt. There is a sick and dividend society rule book that cost threepence with no date on. A report on the funds raised in 1901 to restore the church. 2 photographs, one from 1901 and another 1903 showing the difference the revamp has made. 2 ancient cookery books, various scraps of paper, an old letter dated 1955. From someone in Scotland lamenting the fact that Emily wasn't at home when they called. The last item, a photograph, takes my breath away. She is beautiful. Is it Emily?

She rings me up to make sure I have not forgotten the Library van. When I get there I find out from veteran mobile man of 33 years standing, that they stopped visiting the estate, last year because someone told them not to bother now that all the workers were Polish. I think they could have added a few Polish books. He just shrugged.

Bit of that

Emily?

Bit of this

Freeda's wheels (pink bike) are good to go and she gets wheeled out of hibernation. The sun is shinning and we are off. 10 yards from the house the thighs start to moan.

Intending to turn around at the bridge I come across a horse box unloading 2 horses and their riders. Curiosity spurs me on. I stop by the stables to watch a horse charge around his confined space in a temper yelling. Why I wonder doesn't he jump the fence? He surely could. Then I spot 2 specks at the bottom of a drag of a hill and realize the horses have been shipped in to exercise on the gallops.

Acts of kindness have a ripple effect. Because J knocked on my door weeks after Andrews death and offered me the loan of a bike. Freeda entered my life. Cheaper and better than any therapist, she has been used in my darkest hours. Man about the house was encouraged into limited exercise. She is a bonus on our camper-van excursions. And in a round about way whippet would never have become part of the family if I hadn't been bawling my eyes out on her. And all because of a knock at the door. Bless you J.

Bit of this

Birth of the bicycle.

Bit of this

Water seeping through red bricks, forming icicles that hang from the arch of Marston Doles canal bridge. What a lovely name Marston Doles.

He brings me a bowl of christmas pud and the jug of cream, upstairs, to temp me away from trying hard but getting nowhere.

Christmas has been boxed, and put away for now. Within the actions, are shards of memories from past and present.

Flashes of red punched through the blues. Small crimson baubles, given by Y, galvanized me from lethargy, into action on christmas eve. They decorated twigs, adorned with ivy, 3 glowing red glass triangular kings, and fairy lights. As their brilliance of color sparkles, I begin to notice dashes of red every where. On cards, dotting 2 miniature ornaments, inherited from beloved nanny. A bright red vase filled with matching silk flowers, brought long ago on a whim, to celebrate Christmastime. Garish maybe but a jolt of joy when I glimpse them warming their dark corner. A tiny red bow on the boys card. I catch all that redness, and with it I see the merest whispers echoed within the snaps of the children. I receive unexpected surges of happiness here and there. (Ironic considering red was the color that has caused me many a panic attack, with the taking, giving, poisoning a body to get it to behave, and that heart stopping moment before a result. For all his tenaciousness and punching above his weight it wouldn't be tamed). Bit like me really, push this Champaign cork down and eventually I will bounce back up with a fizz.

Bless you Y for the small box that held within more than tiny crimson baubles. I start the new year, actually looking forward.

Bit of that

One of our national treasures.

Chris Watson's water song

work

Bit of this

Unexpected knock at the door. Farmer Rex clutching a walking stick adorned with a whippet's head, that Len unexpectedly made for man about house.

Len, one wonderful workman who befriended me and whippet, when he and his gang were tarting up the parish church.

They are throwing sand indiscriminately around, I invite them to shovel it into the largest bucket I can find instead, so they decide to make a birthday cake, it takes ages to fill and they forget about throwing sand and sore eyes are avoided. The rest of the morning is spent scooping it all out again. All our totally absorbed and chat together while they work.

Bit of that

carving

Friday saturday and sunday

Bit of this

Friday.

Village hall hosts the church players or Barbara's band as I call them. Who have been taking the village by yawns and storms for over 18 years. This show was a hugely entertaining array of war time bits and skits. Added interest provided by noting how body shapes have changed over the years. I am desperate to capture these costumes on film especally B H in her old fashioned wheel chair.

Saturday

He wants to go to Hunstanton for the day and sulks terribly when I stick out for somewhere nearer. Upton Upon Servern is settled on. I must be looking particularly ghastly because one man tells me to smile shortly followed by one who actually stops and asks if I am alright. He however can be forgiven because I am sat on the kerb littering up the pavement. Cheer comes in the form of lunch in an old fashioned cafe with hundres of ornimental bells adorning the joint. You have guessed it was called the bell.

Half way home and I am ready to shoot myself. But perk up no end when we pour over our newly acquired map and decide we really would like to explore the severn estuary. Diversion and chocolate are a help where pain killers fail.

Sunday

Mork and Mindy are anxious that their second brood will be hail and hearty enough to travel to the winter resort, latter on in the month.

Bit of that

Anonymous
If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance.

Action taken unpredictable results

Bit of this

I am early so I trace the footsteps of my teenage self. My walk takes me through the park. Where a toddler in a red T-shirt is exploring, holding on to his mother fingers, slaps me in the face with a memory of Andrew walking around the living room, agitated and high stepping with uncoordinated and unfocussed movements. Gripping on to my fingers just before he crashed for the last time. His words from a few weeks before echo over and over "It's not fun any more mum". This memory had been polished to a smooth dark brightness that shines out at unexpected moments.

He pulls and pushes my body into more shapes and worries that his son hasn't phoned with his exam results. An A in maths is a must for dad. I say if he has failed he will be in shock. "Not as much shock as I will be in" he replies. His antics part me from my cash but not the pain. He has my knees bent and chin brought up to nearly touch them. I get an attack of giggles as for a minute I think he is going to pick up like a child.

I take cheer me up action. Calling in with a hug of thanks. Her advice has had a liberating effect. Then it is off for lunch. Slurping my frothy cappuccino and reading provides me with a surreal experience as one eye absorbs the words the other registers colorful movement as people below drift past.

I am right opposite the museum so in I go and come out energized with an idea for a scrap book.

Mr Tesco arrives at the house shortly after me clutching a bonnio for a woofing whippet which he hesitantly drops on the mat, whippet only barks louder the bugger. I am grateful for his kindness even if whippet isn't.

Bit of that

Who let the dogs out. Well it makes me smile anyway.

He does his best to no avail

Bit of this

B T really does excel at inefficiency. When I finally manage to get through her with the syrupy voice tells me "this service is not available at the moment". Well that's one way to avoid dealing with wingers like me who have faulty telephones I suppose. I am so astonished by this that I now have a sick grin on my face

It only takes me half an hour to get to India. But bless his heart he tries his very best. Helping me follow telephone wire back to it's important little place. Coming upstairs with me while I find relevant bits and eventually assuring me that he will find someone else who can help. I am not hopeful but appreciate his effort. She can only offer a hundred and twenty five quid man that possibly can, if I am prepared to throw in a few more pounds he may even fix it.

I unplug the dam phone, grab the dogs lead, and call for a mate to come out to play. Silently praying the said phone hasn't been costing me mega bucks as it has insisted it has busy for hours.

Bit of that

Not getting anywhere fast

Invitations, exhibition, one lucky bird

Bit of this

She said "come anytime" so we did, wandering down an old path to the bog garden to visit the the green man. This surely then would have been part of the monks fish ponds in the way back.

It is an astonishing surprise. Beams of light travel though 4 layers of net hung floor to ceiling, the whole thing has a peace and tranquility that is accidently enhanced from the over flow music coming from another exhibit.

The only thing that saved the boy blackbird from obliteration was the bike shifting black cats trajectory slightly.

Bit of that

I knew that it just hazardous for the local bird population.

It has been scientifically proven that owning cats can have a positive effect on our health - they can decrease the occurrence of high blood pressure and other similar illnesses.

Stroking a cat can relieve stress (this also refers to other furry animals) and the purring feeling can have a secure and comforting effect on a person.

Gift of jewelry children and togetherness

Bit of this

There is a note and a tiny piece of indian jewelry for me on the side at work.

"Crocosmia thats bootiful" he says peering at the tightly closed buds.

Love hasn't realized that it stopped raining ten minutes ago.

Bit of that

Mighty Max

tokens of love

Bit of this

She shows me 3 poppies and 3 crimson cherries and then spends all morning perfecting her labour of love. Adding a pot on a beautifully decorated lid. Next she makes and alter affair with leaves and stones around it outside and arranges a long line of milk crates leading up to it. The creation morphs several times as the wind plays havoc and she takes evasive action. Eventually ending back indoors.

It is a true thing of beauty and as luck would have it I spot the dinner lady that inspired it and tip her the wink. She says "I'll stick my head around the door before I go home".

If he takes those under pants and them jammies to live with her he will back within the week.

It seems important he leaves the way he arrived though the front door. I sit fleetingly beside him conjuring the boy that was, I manage and it knocks me off my feet. He takes his anger and reality with him not even looking back.

And no I am not having me mother to stay with me for more than a week at a time. Her television viewing habits are worse than his.

Bit of that

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm on your face,

May your God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Child of our flesh

Bone of our bone

Remember the love that travels with you from our home.

(pick and mix, celtic prayer, sands, me)