Irish Garden Recliners

Homebase is having a sale of Irish Garden Recliners!

Just think. I've been using mine wrong all these years!

What a Waste of Time!

This one by Frank Lampard was disallowed! WHY?

The pictures say it all!

Miroslav Klose's first goal

Upsons goal for England score now 2 - 1 to Germany

Lampard's disallowed goal. WHY?


I am no football pundit. Truth to tell I have no interest in the game, but it being the world cup I felt it might just be the right time to show a little bit of interest in the game.


I watched the two opening matches between England & USA and England & Algeria, and concluded that I could have seen a more interesting and skilful game played by the local under 10's team.


However as our team had struggled through to the last 16 I thought I would at least give it another try. In all honesty, all I can really say is "What a waste of time!" I saw an English side who were totally outplayed and outclassed by a German side. Apart from the goal scored by Upson, and a disallowed goal from Frank Lampard, there was little to raise the spirits from the English team.


On the other hand the German side seemed to run rings around the English defence. (Was there any English defence I am asking myself?) It was a wonder that the final score wasn't more like 6 - 1. It was only the work of the England goalkeeper David James who kept the German score as low as it was!

Nostalgia

It was a lovely warm evening yesterday and the local farmer was in the fields behind our house collecting the hay into bales. The thing that particularly caught my eye was that the baling machine was one of the older type which bound the bales into brick shapes - not the current trend, which is to roll the hay into huge cylinders and then wrap them in polythene.

I am long enough in the tooth to just about remember the days when a lot of farmers still used horses as the main motive power to pull the machinery on their farms, and the machinery they used was very basic and simple.

The picture above shows a horse drawn hay rake. Notice that the farmhand walking behind also has a hand hay rake.



Once the hay had been cut it was collected and piled into stooks similar to the ones in the photo above, and left to dry in the warm sunshine. Then along would come a flat cart pulled by two Clydedale horses, and the hay would be piled high on the back of the cart and taken to the farm, where it would be stored in the farm barns.

Sadly, today, mechanisation has taken over, and the magnificent Clydesdales have been replaced by deisel powered tractors, with power take offs so that the cutting machine, the woofler (to turn the hay) and the baler can all operate behind the tractor.

The Sky at Night

It was a lovely sunny day yesterday. The sort we used to get many years ago, and then they seemed to stretch endlessly on throughout the whole of the Summer! Let's just hope we are set for a spell of the same, although I already hear rumblings that the water supply is "getting low."

Having got home after collecting the good lady from work I went up into the back bedroom to admire the sky, and took a few photos of the huge moon.

It was noticable that looking eastwards from the back of the house you had a huge moon hanging low in the sky, whilst looking westwards there was a glorious sunset.

Looking Westwards from the front of the house

Looking Westwards from the rear of the house

Looking eastwards from the rear of the house

And There Was a Third!

You may remember I told you yesterday of the two mishaps, and concluded by saying that I would have to call a locksmith so I could get into the garage.

Well, this morning at just after nine o'clock I phoned one of the locksmiths listed in the phone book, and a nice young lady took all my details and promised me that the locksmith would be with me within the hour. About thirty minutes later she phoned me back to say that the locksmith had been involved in a road traffic accident and he wouldn't be able to be with me.

Hopefully that concludes the run of mishaps!

I phoned another locksmith and he said he would rush over, just as soon as he had finished the job he was on in Shipley. I asked him to take his time and recounted what had happened to the previous locksmith!

He duly arrived and some forty minutes later I was able to gain access to the garage, which now has a new lock fitted.

Then Along Come Three All At Once

It's a bit like waiting for a bus. None come for ages and ages, then along come three! Except I wasn't waiting for a bus and only two of what I wasn't waiting for came along!

Let me explain!

Things seemed to be proceeding smoothly. Nana is back home and making excellent progress. The wedding plans are moving foward a pace. The weather has been kind. I got some lovely presents for Fathers day, and then...........

Saturday evening the good lady was cooking some chips in the oven, and switched them off whilst she took a phone call. I was upstairs on the computer, when I was summoned urgently. "The oven's not working" was the cry. I suggested that it maybe wasn't switched on - but it was. I suggested it was maybe on the timer setting - but it wasn't. Everything else on the oven appeared to be in full working order - the fan was blowing, the grill was working, the time light was on etc, but no heat for the oven.

I had to take the other half over to Ilkley first thing on Sunday morning, and then had two days on my own. By a simple process of deduction it seemed obvious that the element must have burned out, and this proved to be the case. A new element was fitted and the oven is back in full working order!

Then tonight I went to lock up the garage door and found that the key was badly bent. I turned the key to lock the door, and it broke off in the lock mechanism - unfortunately after I had locked the door! Luckily I had got Ruby's food out for tomorrow, but there is no way I can get the remains of the yale key out of the lock. So tomorrow morning it will be a call for a locksmith to come and do his breaking and entering!

I wonder if, like the buses, there will be a third.................

Father's Day

It was Fathers Day today, and like the Three Wise Men (although they are the wrong sex, so shall I call them the Three Wise Daughters?) I was contacted and various gifts were brought. There was no gold, frankinsence or myrrh, but the first thing I discovered when I came out of church this morning, was a notice stuck under the windscreen wipers of the car, inviting me to attend the Phillips' at 4.30 for tea.

Sarah arrrived at our house first with a bottle of red wine and a super book on Formula 1 Racing. I'm already on page 29!

I duly presented myself at the Phillips' house where I was presented with a gift voucher for i-tunes. I had had an i-pod bought by the Phillips family last year, and Gary had kindly downloaded a load of classical music on to it for me. Now I can afford to make my own selections! There was a delicious spread laid out for us, including the now world famous home made sunflower seed bread!

Hannah and Ben duly arrived at the Phillips household and they had bought me some Banana Bread Beer, which I recollect them getting me some sometime last year and I really enjoyed it.

We then moved on to the Phillips allotment to inspect the newly acquired garden hut, which has been installed on a paving stone base. The Phillips are into market gardening in a big way. I saw gooseberry bushes, carrots, red currants, cucumbers, onions, beetroots, tomatoes and lots of other goodies. I'm looking forward to them having a market garden stall in Bingley market now!!

So if the weather keeps fine I plan to sit out in the garden quaffing red wine, banana bread beer, listening to i-tunes on my i-pod and reading my formula 1 book!

Thanks girls!

Sunny Day Threesome

It being a lovely hot sunny day yesterday, Hannah brought her two dogs, (Pixie and Macey) round to our house so that they could have a run round in our garden whilst she was busy dog grooming. Ruby of course, was delighted to see them, as they are all great pals. Much of the time was spent lazing on the grass and drinking cool water, as you can see from the photos below.....

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Hannah's Hen Do - York Races

On Saturday 12th June a group of spectacularly bedecked young ladies departed from Bingley, heading to York for a day at the races. This was a celebration for Hannah's Hen Do.

Rachel, Hannah & Sarah Caulfield outside 6 Fox Street

The party of spectacularly bedecked ladies at Bingley Railway station

The mother of the Bride to be setting a bad example

The Pimms is beginning to flow like water......

At the Race Course (don't know who the man on the left is - he just joined the group for the photo)

Selling spare tickets to a race tout

Carefully studying form

Winning tickets!

Standing for the National Anthem in Foundry Hill

In the Beer Garden in the Old White Horse after the day at the races. (I was invited to join the ladies!)

Barbecue at East Marton

We spent a convivial evening up at East Marton yesterday. We had been invted by Chris Simpson (of Magna Carta fame, who is a friend from times past) to join him for a barbecue. When Chris arrived he had brought his black labrador dog, Harvey, with him, and as we had taken Ruby up too they soon became great pals.

They romped up and down the towpath like a pair of demented spring lambs, and finished up carrying a stick between them.

Ruby managed to get into the canal about half a dozen times, and at one point was trying to chase some of the ducks, who soon learnt that by taking off they could rapidly outpace her!

Harvey looking for Chris

We'll just investiGATE this

Chris, Harvey & Ruby

A romp with a stick always goes down well

except when someone throws it and it finishes up in the canal between a narrowboat and the bank!

We spent ages searching for it!

Harvey posing for his photo

All the latest from the Bentley Family

The matriach of the family (ie Nana) is due out of Airedale General Hospital sometime tomorrow. She has been working with the physio department learning how to descend stairs, and then how to climb them. She managed the descent OK but had a bit of difficuty with the ascent (there were eight stairs), so the hospital have decided to send her home in an ambulance with two crew to see how she manages the stairs at home.

Nana's godchild (Catherine) is taking duty as carer when Nana arrives home, but she already assists a lady in Bradley on Sundays and Mondays, so it will fall to us to be responsible for Nana on these days.

One of Hannah's friends from University has driven down from Barrow in Furness (Walney Island to be exact) to join the celebrations tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the "Hen Do", and the bride-to-be, her sisters, mum and various other friends are going to York Races for the day. Fascinators, feathers, buttons, beads, bows etc are in great profusion at the moment, as the ladies are busy preparing their headgear. I just hope that the ancient City of York can survive the onslaught as this motley crew descend on the city!

Hannah tells me that the last of the kittens (Lenny by name!) has gone to its new home, so now the houseshold is looking a little depleted. From four kittens, a cat and two dogs, they are now down to two dogs and a cat.


Replies are beginning to come through the letterbox from those who will be attending the "Wedding of the Year."

I suppose it's time I got round to thinking about preparing a Brides Fathers Speech now!

An Irish Tale

An Irish daughter had not been home for over five years. When she returned home her father cussed her.

Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mother through?

The girl, crying, sniff, sniff, replied "I became a prostitute"

"Ye WHAT? Out of here ye shameless harlot! Sinner. You're a disgrace to this Catholic family!"

"Oh dad....as ye wish. I just came back to give mum thus luxurious fur coat, title deeds to a ten bedroom mansion plus $10 million savings certificate. For me little brother this solid gold Rolex watch, and for you Daddy the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible sports car thats parked outside plus membership to the country club (she takes a breath) and an invitation for ye all to spend New Years Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera and ........

"Now what was you said you had become?" says Dad.

Girl crying again "Sniff Sniff.....a prostitute Daddy! Sniff Sniff. A prostitute!"

Oh be Jesus ye scared me half to death girl. I thought you said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old dad a hug!"

Update on Life in the Billatbingley Household

Family blog readers will know that life in this household has become rather busy at the moment. The matriarch on the maternal side of the family has been incapacitated and hospitalised due to a fall and a broken hip, so the first priority has been regular hospital visiting, along with the cancellation of papers, milk etc. Then there has been arrangements put in place for collection of the mail, drawing of curtains etc.

In and among all this there is the little matter of a wedding to arrange. Printed invitations duly arrived, and they have all been written, envelopes addressed, stamps affixed and posted.

I spent most of yesterday sorting out the "batting order" for the actual service itself, and it is now beginning to take shape.

Without giving anything away, this is more or less the "batting order".......

Entrance of the Bride

Music.....

Welcome

Opening Prayers

Hymn

The Preface and Declarations

Will you the families and friends of Benjamin & Hannah

support and uphold them in their marriage

now and in the years to come?

Response We Will

The Marriage

The Vows

The Giving of the Rings

The Proclamation

The Blessing of the Marriage

The Registration of the Marriage

Music.......

Hymn

The Collect

A Reading from.......

Caroline Townsend

Address

Prayers

The Lords Prayer

Blessing

Recession of the Bridal Party

Music........

Now all we need is a matriarch with a mended hip, some guests, and a sunny day on the 14th August! Oh! and just a few other things to finalise like flowers, photographer, taxis, menu choices, seating arrangements, etc. (Thank Goodness all the mens suits have been ordered - that's one less thing to worry about!)

On a completely different subject, we were talking to Michael & Amanda Craven yesterday. (They were up visiting Maurice), and I understand from their kind comments that they enjoy reading my blog and particularly looking at the photographs in and around home.

Austwick Cuckoo Fair

Hello there all you blog readers. It's Ruby here slaving over a hot keyboard today! I thought you would all like to know what I have been up to.

Well it was Bank Holiday Monday yesterday, so we (that is Him 'n' Her and Olivia and Mollie) spent the day at Austwick, where they have a Cuckoo Fair. It consists of lots of stalls along the village green and the streets in the centre of the village. There were crowds of people there. The road we go down to the village on was chock a block with parked cars. We were lucky to find a spot nearly in the village!

The picture below was taken long before all the crowds had arrived.



We saw lots of decorated cuckoos, and I liked this one which was called Albird Einstein.




I'll bet you all know about the cuckoo laying its eggs in other birds nests, so the other birds have to bring up the young cuckoos!

This one had a sign on the van which said "This is an ex Cuckoo!"

The press were there in force and I thought that they had heard about my success in the Waggiest Tail competition and come to photograph me!

It was a warm sunny day, and someone had very kindly put out a large bowl of water so that we dogs could have a cool drink of water.

I saw some amazing animals on show. These were some alpacas.

This was one of the baby ones, which had been shorn.

There was a selection of vintage cars, and I thought that this one would be ideal for Hannah for her wedding car!

We had a super day!

See you all soon.

Lots of love,

Ruby.