Time for what? You’ll have to wait. I never advertise my imminent whereabouts on here or on social media. Who knows who might take notice… Anyway, thought I’d have a quick catch-up on the things I have been doing apart from hovering round on doorsteps for the Labour Party. Look at how very nice our side garden is looking now – do you remember it was newly done for us last year? Look back at this, same time last year! Oh, and btw, Vote Labour!
Have done at least one other canvassing session since I last wrote. Was a bit fed up about my last post – which I took a good deal of care about – WordPress decided to go beserk and put no paragraph spaces in, making it much harder to read. But it is worth it, I think… read it if you haven’t. Anyway, my most recent canvass was with our candidate, Helena Dollimore, her very self. We went along Winchelsea Road on the outskirts of Ore – has some very nice houses on it. Also in the same crew as Jim Breeds – what a nice chap he is, and Julian Whatsit from the Piano Competition business. (did I ever say, one time I was at work, I asked one of the team to write a letter for me to someone at one of our customer housing associations. ‘Send this to Lynn Whatsit,’ sez I. A few days later I get an outraged letter from this person – guess what, the letter had been sent to ‘Lynn Whatsit’… Staff eh, who needed ’em.)
Anyway, as I said in the last post, Helena is clearly a sharp and together young woman. I think she’ll be an excellent MP. Clearly, she is running herself ragged at the moment. Let’s just pray she wins… I think she will (famous last words… oh, don’t tempt fate….)

Another domestic/garden excitement – we have got a little pond! It is big part of my birthday present. It is 1 metre across. It is called a Blagdon Liberty Nature Pond – made especially for wildlife. You can get one from Amazon, if you so wish. It has a little built-in beach for creatures to get out, and even a ladder for them to climb up the side. So far there is nothing living in it apart from 5 snails we bought when we bought the plants.
Talking of gardens, yesterday I organised a garden visit for the WI. An enormous garden with these incredible koi carp, the biggest I have ever seen. Some of them were nearly a metre long… honest. I thought they were very creepy, to be truthful. The chap said he has taken them to fish shows – who knew there even were such things. I asked him how he transported such huge fish. ‘In a plastic bag’ sez he. We thought he was joking (think goldfish at the fair) but no, they make huge, specially reinforced plastic sacks to carry these creatures in. They have to go into two bags, one inside the other, then in a box – for the largest fish the resulting enormous pack has to go on a trolley into a van… Of course, things that size are worth an absolute fortune. Am deliberately not saying where the garden was in case koi carp thieves descend on it (one gathers there are plenty of such thieves about.) Don’t worry, I am not getting any fish for my llittle pond. They wouldn’t last two minutes with the gulls round here. Too much hassle, anyway.
What else? A wee while ago now I joined WI friend to do the annual Cancer Research Race for Life in Alexandra Park. We have done it for years, now, all dressed up in pink. We do the 5k – largely walking. It is not remotely strenuous or challenging – if I really wanted to attract sponsorship etc I need to do much more running. Anyway, here we all are.
Have been to London a couple of times. One time, visiting friends Pete and Penny who live up near the Angel, we walked all the way from London Bridge via Finsbury Square. Many, many moons ago Battleaxe used to work in what was then Royal London House at a shipping agents called Schenkers – here is a history post about it – I clearly enjoyed writing such things during Covid lock-downs. My old office is now a posh restaurant. There is Battleaxe outside the door we used to use. I’d just got that mac – Michael Kors – from a posh vintage place at London Bridge Station. Needed it, it was a freezing cold day.Also walked through Bunhill Fields – happened on William Blake’s grave. Still much visited, clearly.
And finally, hooray, I have my Irish passport! It has only taken since February. Every time I hassled them, I’d get ‘No worries, no hurry, you still have your UK passport – you can use that.’ Grrr…
How great to have an Irish passport… your garden looks splendid! and btw I agree 110% with all you say in your last post – keeping fingers x’d…
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Great!