Caroline

Hands, touching hands

Reaching out, touching me, touching you

The simple picture at the top of  Thursday's  blogpost struck a chord with several visitors. Let me thank you for your "likes". It's always nice to be encouraged.

I took a second picture of that window, looking down the valley known as Oyster Clough. In my opinion, the second picture does not work quite as well. What do you think?

This is a lazy blogpost on a Saturday morning in which I have woken up far too early. I thought I would sleep like a log but the log next to me has, in her early sixties, decided that deep sleep should sometimes have audible accompaniment. It's a bit like trying to sleep in the engine room of an ocean liner.

England waits for Sunday evening with eager anticipation mingled with nervous trepidation. Our national football team has reached the final of the European Championship. This tournament normally takes place every four years but COVID-19 scuppered last year's schedule.

We scraped past Denmark in the semi-finals and now we 're to play Italy in the final at Wembley Stadium in London. Beating them to the trophy will be a big ask. Italy have shown themselves to be a splendid team with talent all over the pitch. However, I could say just the same of England.

I recall our last major final in 1966. I was a young lad of twelve and I followed the World Cup tournament of that summer with passion for I was quite obsessed with football. I guess I still am but not quite so much. For example I no longer stick newspaper clippings in scrapbooks and I don't wear a bobble hat with a "World Cup Willie" badge in the middle.

Bizarrely, at Wembley tomorrow night, the England fans will join together for a loud and uplifting rendition of "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. It has become our third national anthem after "God Save The Queen" and "Three Lions (It's Coming Home)". And if we beat Italy, they will sing it again even louder than before... "Good times never seemed so good".

Be still my beating heart! I need to calm down. The biggest match in more than fifty years is still thirty six hours away! Let me finish this lazy blogpost with three more calming pictures from Thursday's moorland ramble:-

Bog cotton

Oyster Clough Cabin

Guardian of Oyster Clough

from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/3yJrLSo

More to go

Weight loss now 8.3kgs

I can bend over without farting

I can fit into my uniform without Matron frowning and pulling down the front

I’m feeling better about myself

from Going Gently https://ift.tt/3r7gMPV

No Provenance

Mrs Trellis remarked how well my old fashioned rose in the front garden was doing this morning as I was dead heading it.I told her its name ( Ice Cream) and said it has  a fragrance to it that reminds me of when I was a boy at home and she took the time to sink her nose into the nearest bloom and inhaled deeply

“ lovely !” She said then asked, pointing to an emerging bloom nearby

“What’s the little yellow rose called? “ 

I checked and smiled when I saw it

“ That’s a new rose, a gift from a friend,” I replied, it’s called Winnie” 

And indeed it has a species name of Golden Winnie and was a kind gift from my friend Colin after the old girl had died.

This was its first flowering

“Flowers like this one should have a plaque saying just how important they are” Mrs Trellis mused “ The next tenant of your cottage will look after it accordingly “

She looked thoughtful 

So many things we keep have the  same personal resonance. A drawn postcard of me dog walking from a friend, a hand made hand painted cheese board, a crocheted blanket, a Spanish lamp, a framed piece of an OS map, a rainbow heart….things without formal provenance… 

….just things……

We talked about this for a while,  and Mrs Trellis said and laughed that she was being overly philosophical today.

She pointed to a poppy head, in the flower bed near to my  front door

“What does any of this stuff really matter? Look at the poppy, beautiful and delicate and it will gone tomorrow” 

I looked at the poppy

And realised she was right.

from Going Gently https://ift.tt/3hRBOhk

Berries

 A nice bowl

Of oats and berries

With some almond milk

In my coffee

To get my day

Started on

A bright note

from R's rue https://ift.tt/3AJM9V6