The Canary Dave

Morning all. Bright blue sky and another pleasantly warm day ahead. I did have a chuckle at the BBC weather man who had a chart with most of western Europe looking as though it was on fire. The caption attached to it said be prepared for "extreme warmth". I can associate with extreme heat or extreme cold, but don't think I am quite sure what extreme warmth is. Never mind, it looks as though it will be a good time to do some more weeding. Have a good day whatever the weather.

 

Morning all. Very overcast, but dry and there has been a big drop in the temperature. Seems that we have to go out again to buy a birthday present for our granddaughters birthday. She will be sixteen on Monday and would like some more materials for her art work. I am hoping that the large supermarket in town has what is wanted because if not it means a much longer journey to Limoges. In normal times we would have gone south and made a worthwhile trip of it, including some lunch in a bar, but these are not normal times. Never mind, one day things will get better. Have a good day whatever you are doing.

 

Just booked my flights for the summer

Was going to play it safe but can't face being in London and my poor Mum is bored out of her mind. Can't wait!!

 

We have three holidays already booked. We think the first will not survive this year but it can be moved; the second is near the end of the year but is still a high risk area so that will be put back; the third is to a country that has thus far got it right and next year which is as safe as it can be, flights notwithstanding. Already had four trips away cancelled.

 

Once you're vaccinated things should get easier. I doubt any country will refuse tourists this summer (unless there's a new killer variant) so it's looking good!

I booked tickets to my favourite beer festival for the end of May, I think they knew someone 'on the inside' as it starts a few days after they've allowed outdoor events

 

Morning all. Bright and sunny this morning, but a chilly wind from the east makes it feel cold again. The blossom is out on the plum and cherry trees now, so it really looks Spring like. A crow flew over with a twig in its beak, so it must be nest building somewhere. Despite the signs of the seasons moving on, the weather can change quickly. A couple of days ago it was 20°C and now down to 10°C. The thought of long summer days by the sea are wonderful, but for the time being I have put such ideas on hold. One day I might be able to pack up the car and head south, but meanwhile I will wait and try to produce a great vegetable plot. Have a good day everyone.

 

Am I the only one on here who is thoroughly pissed off with the standards the BBC has fallen to ? Is the kidnapping of Lady Gaga's dogs really newsworthy ? Unfortunately the British media have become so obsessed with the lives of so called celebrities that other, more important, news slips under the radar. I know this sounds hard but I couldn't give a monkeys about her dogs (which have been given more publicity than her dog walker - who was actually shot). Rant over.....

 

It's a useful distraction for the Tories. The Great British Public love dogs, and this takes their attention away from the corrupt goings-on in Westminster.

 

The BBC has fallen badly into a tabloid news outlet in my opinion. It is now controlled by government with the top jobs going to "friends". Lots of headlines about what is happening in Scotland which is very handy timing with so many questions being asked about what is happening in London. Lots of the local reporters have been removed to save money, so with local newspaper suffering badly proper news is more difficult to find.

 

Yey they still fund 'local journalists' around the UK - ensuring, no doubt, that the messages the government deem important are spread to all corners...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/local-news-partnerships

 

Morning all. A lovely Spring morning, but the sun hasn't warmed things up very much as yet. Looks as though I am being sent to get a beetroot from the field. They over winter well and there are still a few left. Off this afternoon to see the granddaughter who will be 16 tomorrow. In past years we would have had dinner and tea with the family, but not currently. Safer to keep a distance with the girls at school. Have a good day whatever you are doing.

 

Moved into our new home in Roundhay N. Leeds on Weds.....

The removal company I had carefully researched..... arrived three hours late... knocked down a concrete gate post whilst trying to get their van up the drive.... and finally left us in our new home at 23.15 in the evening.... farcical..... and shows me that choosing price over reputation isnt all... or is it ...believing internet reviews is foolish???

 

That's shocking - I hope they're going to pay to fix the damage?
Maybe we're just lucky here - the only removal company in the area are well established, well known, reliable and quite cheap. As well as removalists, they run a second hand/new furniture store out of an old school that they bought years ago and the whole business is well regarded in the area. For the first six years here after coming back from Australia, we moved five times and used them each time - the owner and the workers are like old friends now. I doubt we'll be moving again, but they are our go-to place for furniture.

 

Well.. put it like this.. We haven't paid for the removal yet.. And they haven't repaired the gate post...

 

Morning all. A beautiful sunny and warm day with not a cloud in the sky or any wind to knock the temperature back. A perfect day for gardening. The mystery of the missing Christmas and birthday presents was solved last night when talking to the in-laws. It seems the parcel sat in Dover for over six weeks before being returned to them. It was not a pleasant experience for them when they opened it as it contained a selection of English cheeses, and the Stilton was in full on smell mode. I think they have the message now that sending such things over here is a definite no no. Their business is also suffering, as what took four to five days to receive an order placed in Turkey is now taking six weeks to arrive and their customers are not prepared to wait so long. All round they are not happy. Have a good trouble free day.

 

I forgot some cheeses I'd bought to bring back to the UK one summer, my Mum decided to pack them up for me and post them. I can still remember the unimpressed look on the postman's face when he handed me a stinking parcel of cheeses that had been travelling for 5 days in peak summer

 

I tried to sneak a round of Blue Stilton into Australia years ago - customs officials wouldn't let me - I guess they enjoyed their sandwiches that day. They also tried to confiscate the two eight-pint cans of Youngs Best Bitter I had too - on the grounds that they constitued liquor. My sarcasm won the day on that one...

 

*THE ITALIAN WEDDING TEST*

I was a very happy man.

My wonderful Italian girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married.

There was only one little thing bothering me....It was her beautiful younger sister.

My prospective sister-in-law was twenty-two, wore very tight mini skirts, and generally was bra-less.

She would regularly bend down when she was near me, and I always got more than a nice view.

It had to be deliberate.

Because she never did it when she was near anyone else.

One day her 'little' sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations.

She was alone when I arrived, and she whispered to me that she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome.

She told me that she wanted me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister.

Well, I was in total shock, and couldn't say a word.

She said, 'I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want one last wild fling, just come up and get me.'

I was stunned and frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs.

I stood there for a moment, then turned and made a beeline straight to the front door.

I opened the door, and headed straight towards my car.

Lo... And behold, my entire future family was standing outside, all clapping!

With tears in his eyes, my father-in-law put down his shotgun and hugged me and said, 'We are very happy that you have passed our little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family.'

And the moral of this story is:

Always keep your condoms in your car !

 

Morning all. Another warm and sunny day ahead so more work on the veggie plot required. Just got back yesterday and slumped in a chair when Mme. said that she thought someone was calling out for help. She went to investigate and found our 94 year old neighbour sat on the ground. She had been in her front garden, supported by her zimmer frame, hoeing. She had lost her balance, fallen over and couldn't get back up. She had a fall a couple of years ago and broke her hip, but recovered and is very independent. She is quite a weight and it took me some effort to get her back up, but no real damage done apart from her being very shaken by the experience. She has a very thick regional accent that it difficult to follow, so we left her in the hands of Josiane who seems to understand most of what she is saying. No more drama today thank you! Have a good day.

 

Morning all. A warm morning with hazy sunshine at the moment. A garden table that we have blew over in the wind and broke the glass top. It was a useful size, just right for us to have a meal from when we wanted to eat outside. Toughened glass, so it shattered just like a car windscreen. I thought that I would replace the broken glass until I found out that it would cost more than buying a new table. This is all a part of our throwaway society. The metal frame is fine, so now it is likely to get a different less expensive top. Another job when I have time. Have a good day, and three points this evening would be very acceptable.