25 November 2018

A dull start to the day but it brightened up around lunchtime inspiring me to go for a walk. By the time I'd done some shopping it had clouded over again and was gloomy so couldn't be bothered - I wanted to get some sunny winter photos and maybe capture the sunset.

So here is a picture of my latest reading. Very good but a little depressing. It documents the appalling treatment of PoC in the USA post the abolition of slavery when racist legislators worked hard to keep blacks poor, in wage slavery and deny them an education. I knew it was bad - but not quite how bad. A hard read but well worth it. The USA must be the most racist country on the planet.

24 November 2018

These are the only flowers in our garden at the moment.

23 November 2018

Recovering from Yesterday. Not so much the beer but the wine I drank when I got home. Good curry in the evening from the Greenbank Balti. Had a coffee in Waitrose and a skim through a free copy of the Guardian. I never buy it these days - too right wing for me. Pity, because My Dad used to read the Manchester Guardian, and I began reading it in about 1969.

22 November 2018

Great day out. Much anticipated. Met up with Adrian and Peter to record our first GOBSHITE video. Cold but sunny spells. Visited the art gallery to see an exhibition of very good photos by Martin Parr. Thence to the City Arms followed by Peveril of the Peak and the Britons Protection - all iconic Manchester pubs with good beer.

21 November 2018

Busy day. So busy I missed the CA in the afternoon. However, I did remember to take some cat food to the foodbank.

20 November 2018

Strange weather at the moment. Seems to vary between about 9 to 4 degrees. Not really cold enough for the time of year. We've had bits of rain but it's still been relatively dry since the long hot summer which now seems about 10 years ago! I'm posting this not very good picture of Rio to illustrate the fact that whenever he looks up at you, and you try to take a photo, he moves grrrrr 😡

19 November 2018

Monday. Today I cooked a really warming Chicken broth - OK not strictly speaking a 'broth'. Just what's needed on a gloomy Winter's day. And to go with it some fresh bread. Simple but tasty and filling.

18 November 2018

Beautiful sunny day but cold. Brrrrr. WEnt for another walk by the Weaver and saw some amazing clouds that look like flying saucers. Aliens anyone?

Viaduct

17 November 2018

Saturday. Got up early for a trip to Manchester to meet Adrian and Peter only to find that trains had been cancelled due to a strike. So that was that. Since I support the strike by Northern Rail staff I can't complain but it was a disappointment.

Today, in London, 6,000 people took part in peaceful direct action blocking bridges as part of the Extinction Rebellion. At least 50 were arrested. I support this action and intend to get involved.

In the afternoon I went for a walk in Carey Park. We have one of the few town centres where you can walk straight into the countryside. Carey Park is a restored landfill and you can see some of the vents that release methane. Why was there a landfill right next to the town centre? It was a good walk by the Weaver up to the Anderton Boat Lift.

Carey Park cattle.

View down the Weaver. This part of the river is dominated by the chemical works which was once the home of ICI.

Anderton Boat Lift.

Swans on the Weaver

16 November 2018

Friday. A very dull and gloomy day. We did a bit of shopping and I spent most of the afternoon reading. I finished 21st Century Yokel by Tom Cox. I enjoyed this book but I found it a mixed bag. It consists of a series of extended essays about his life and walks in the Norfolk and South Devon and also tales from his family life. The chapter on his Nan is very good. I hope I can write as well about my family.

Cold cat? It's actually quite a mild evening.

15 November 2018

Better day. Bright and sunny. Went for a walk in the afternoon along a footpath that skirts Moulton. I was annoyed to find that the end of the path had been 'blocked' by an electric fence. The field contained a very nice friendly horse though.

Three trees on the footpath.

Tree near the centre of the village.

14 November 2018

A dull day with a bit of rain. Brightened up later. Off to the foodbank in the morning. Citizens Advice in the afternoon, a frustrating session because I couldn't get the new email system to work. Left early. Tried to take a picture of the crescent moon in the evening and that didn't come out very well!

13 November 2018

Cool, but dry and sunny. Finally managed to get out into the garden to start sorting out the mess. I'd let things slide since we came back from holiday in early September. That's about 10 weeks!

I used to be naive enough to believe that weeds stopped growing in the late Autumn/Winter. Not in my garden they don't!

If you think this looks a mess you should have seen it before I started!

Spot the wheelbarrow.

12 November 2018

Mixed weather.
Some sunny spells.
Windy.
New book arrived.
Exposing the media propaganda machine.

11 Novermber 2018

Peace.

10 November 2018

Saturday. A much brighter day. Good thing too as we had arranged a Let Communities Decide in the town centre. LCD is an anti-fracking protest and was organised by members of FrackFree Northwich and Transition Northwich.

9 November 2018

Still gloomy. Today I began the epic task of scanning old family documents and photos. These came from a collection from the old family home at 49, Park Road, Sale. I have set up a family archive on Facebook.

James & Ethel Thorp - my Grandparents

8 November 2018

Today its still gloomy but the gloom was lifted slightly by a trip into Knutsford and a crafty pint in the Lord Eldon.

Moorhen, Knutsford Moor

The Lord Eldon

7 November 2018

Another dull day
Showers
Wet washing is on the line
And some people can't park
At Sainsburys

I saw a cat
On a cold slate roof
On my way home
From the pharmacy

Good bit of parking

Cat on a cold slate roof

6 November 2018

Cool and cloudy with some rain. My exercise routine has gone to pot since I came back from holiday and I need to sort it out. Took the van to Waitrose and did some shopping. Quiet day.

The High Street. You can see from the brightness of the trasffic light how gloomy it is.

5 November 2018

Monday. Grey cloudy day, dry and cool. Had to be off early to Wythenshawe hospital to get my CPAP machine fixed. Arrived at about 9.15 am to be told - as expected - that I should have rung for an appointment - which I couldn't have done because they were closed! Anyway, they saw me really quickly. The problem was resolved straightforwardly as the power lead had failed.

I really like the hospital, and the Sleep Service and, I'm lucky to live as close as I do, I got talking to a guy in there who had had a two-hour journey from Birmingham.

On the return journey I stopped off at Aldi in Knutsford - yes they do have one. Glad I did because I saw the WW1 'tableau' in Lower Peover on the way home.

I love the NHS

Lower Peover

4 November 2018

Bit of a hangover and my CPAP machine stopped working. The latter is a bit of a crisis because it means I'll have to go to Wythenshawe Hospital first thing on Monday morning.

Just a small part of the wreckage from last night. Managed to overflow the glass bin.

3 November 2018

Had our friends Cath, Lee, Pete and Anthea over for dinner and a quick pub crawl of the village. Good food and good company.

2 November 2018

Clear skies, bright and sunny. A very fine day. Drove the van to Derby to have some minor fixes done. A pain of a journey of 140 miles but it needed to be done. Had a look around the centre of Derby while I was waiting.

St Peter's church in the centre of Derby. I didn't make it as far as the cathedral.

1 November 2018

Another fine day. Took the van for a spin, got a haircut and did a bit of shopping. Went for a walk up to the Odeon to see if Peterloo was on and guess what? - It wasn't! 😡

The Odeon cinema

Barons Quay. Most of the shops are still empty.

31 October 2018

Wednesday: A bright sunny day. Back to work at the foodbank and a team meeting at the CA in the afternoon where the Trustees updated us on the strategy. We have 100 volunteers in our area at the moment and we need 200!

30 October 2018

Another day of sort stuff out. Bright and sunny but cold. Here's a sad little shrew I found on my walk home.