Busy, Busy, Busy

That's why I haven't posted.

Been one of those weeks - gets to Friday and you wonder "Where'd it go?"

In summary...

Tuesday evening - took the Duchess to her League Meeting

Wednesday evening - nipped down to Meadowhall to look for a gift for a mate who's getting married.

Thursday - can't honestly remember!

Friday took a day off and went to Bempton cliffs - album of seabird pics follows (along with the promised Edale and Rutland Water images.... honestly!)

Saturday - nipped down to the Town Hall to see my work colleague get married. On the way back to Nortoner Towers, called at John Lewis and bought a nice frame, selected a photo from the ones I took at the wedding, edited it then nipped down to Sainsbury's to get it printed. Mounted it in the frame and presented the happy couple with the finished result at the evening "do".

One o'clock  Sunday morning we got home! We had a grand evening but it was way past my bedtime when we got back!

Lie in this morning and since it is now absolutely pouring with rain, I'm editing and sorting out pictures and albums....

More follows...... at some point!

"I shouldn't have been prosecuted cos it wasn't just me!" - Local MP

From the Sheffield Star:

Disgraced former Barnsley MP Eric Illsley was paid more than £6,500 in the 4 weeks that he clung on to his seat after admitting fiddling his expenses.

Illsley, who was jailed for a year in February for making fraudulent expenses claims worth £14,500, admitted his guilt on January 11th but refused to resign his parliamentary seat until February 8th - 2 days before he was sent to prison.

During that period he claimed £6,766 in expenses including £2,253 for photocopier hire.

Details of his claims were released by the expenses watchdog in charge of the tough new system of parliamentary allowances introduced in the wake of last year's scandal. They said Illsley had still been entitled to claim because he was an MP until he resigned. There is no provision in the law to claw the cash back.

Last month The Star revealed Illsley claimed almost £2,000 in taxpayer-funded allowances in the two months before he admitted fraud.

The £1,965 he received in November and December included more than £1,000 for hiring a photocopier and £48.53 for renting a mobile phone.

Illsley was jailed for a year after admitting three counts of expense fraud relating to his second home in London. He was released after 3 months and is now serving the rest of his sentence under a home detention curfew.

On his release from jail he said he should never have been prosecuted, claiming he was not alone in making his expenses claims.

"What a lot of people don't know is that only a handful of MPs were ever investigated." he said. " Anyone thinking 'he's a wrong 'un' is not aware that lots of other MPS were in the same situation."

So not only does this arrogant liar and cheat hang on to his job for another month (and therefore get another months salary after pleading guilty), but he is let out after 3 months and then has the cheek to say - "I shouldn't be prosecuted cos it wasn't just me." I also wonder what the hell he was photocopying btw - you can buy a bloody machine for what he spent on renting them!

So next time a car thief gets taken to court can he plead immunity because he isn't the only one who nicks cars.

Every day, you come across someone who confirms that "Tosser" is spelled with a double "S".

We just met today's candidiate.

Decided to make more than one album -

Here's the first - after the rain on Bank Holiday Monday...

http://nortoner09.jalbum.net/2011%2005%2030%20Redmires/

and our day at Fairburn Ings.....

http://nortoner09.jalbum.net/2011%2005%2031%20Fairburn%20Ings/

and Wednesday evening at Bakewell...

http://nortoner09.jalbum.net/2011%2006%2001%20Bakewell/

Right - still working on Thursday at Edale and Friday at Rutland Water - but I don't want to bore you (or give you too much of a good thing maybe?) so I'll post those two albums a little later.

If you looked at these three albums - Thanks for looking!

A Hectic (But Very Enjoyable) week

After the Bank Holiday Monday rain eventually stopped, and after shooting a few pics of "residue rain drops" around the garden, we ventured out to Redmires Dam, a quiet spot just 20 minutes or so from Nortoner Towers. Got some more "big sky" shots (there's a surprise!) and took a few pics of alpacas at a small farm at Ringinglow.

Still trying to get a "great" shot of the bullfinch!

 An old friend made a rare appearance - Great Spotted Woodpecker

 Big Redmires Sky!

 Alpaca at Ringinglow

Sheffield City Centre in the background!

Tuesday - took a trip to Fairburn Ings, near Knottingley for a wander around the RSPB Reserve. Didn't see as much (in terms of birdlife) as at some other reserves but it was a pleasant enough day.

We walked about 3.1/2 miles altogether. Not a dramatic distance by some standards but for a lady with an artifical hip and an old giffer who is so out of shape it ain't funny, it wasn't a bad effort! Stopped off at Meadowhall on the way back for something to eat and got home in time for Britain's Got Talent (the show which proves, on an annual basis - that we have very little talent in fact!)

Wednesday - something different - a train ride to Barnsley (the free National Travel Pass comes in very handy!) and a look around the town centre and the fabulous market they have there.

On the way to the station - Sheffield's tallest building. The 32-storey City Lofts

Turn thru 180 degrees and you see this - which I think I prefer!

Ventured back to Sheffield on the 2:01 p.m. train (which was packed generally with younger folk who almost all got off at Meadowhall. Maybe something good on at the cinema!) and had a short wander around Sheffield (I bought a new Canoscan 9000 film scanner cos my present one has died) then back home for a cuppa. Out to Bakewell about 5 pm-ish for Fish and Chips before getting back home to see BGT.

Fisherman and his catch at Bakewell - he put the fish back to live to fight another day!

Thursday - highlight of the week. The Duchess' birthday and at about 9:15 a.m., our son phoned to wish her Happy Birthday. As she was talking to him, there was a knock on the back door. She went to answer it and was gobsmacked to see him and his wife standing there! They had driven over from Holland on Wednesday and stayed overnight at a hotel. I knew they were going to make a surprise visit and managed to keep the secret very well I thought!

In the afternoon we went to Hathersage and Edale

Edale Parish Church

We didn't venture all the way up there! But it looks beautiful!

Came back via Mam Tor where we watched some hang gliders (crazy people!) and then Calver bridge

The river at Calver - needs some water - as low as I've ever seen it

For the Duchess' birthday dinner, we met up with the family and an old friend at TGI Friday. A cracking day all round apart from the fact that on the way back from dinner, I developed a sore throat which over Friday and Saturday, matured into a full blown head cold with laryngitis thrown in as well! But you know me - not one to complain.......

Friday - Our son had a business meeting in the morning and they wanted to go to The Trafford Centre in the afternoon so we went our separate ways. The Duchess and I drove down to Rutland Water, near Stamford,

An absolutely fabulous day - weather wise

and after a good wander around, we drove back home "across country" rather than back up the A1, stopping off at George's Fish and Chip Restaurant in Belper for tea!

Saturday - after the supermarket run in the morning, I got stuck into the hedges and what passes for a lawn at the back of the house. Caught most of the second half of England v Switzerland and have to say - if those are our best eleven players, we are in deep do-do's!

Sunday - just waved our son and daughter-in-law off as they start the long drive back to Rotterdam. Missed the start of the Archers Omnibus so will have to listen later today via iPlayer. I also have to tackle the front garden... if it doesn't rain.

And I've decided as I was typing this that, since we crammed so much into my week off, I'll put together a "Spring Bank Holiday Album" and post a link later today (hopefully) but for now:

Tarra

It's Bank Holiday Monday.....

... how can you tell?

S'easy! (Views from our bedroom window!)

A week off next week!

So been very busy getting everything sorted before the break.

Wednesday - went to the Under-15s Presentation Night as planned. Another local referee did the honours. Uriah Rennie this time. He's had major surgery on his knee but hopes to be back reffing soon. (Although to be fair - after he described - in detail - the surgery he's had, I was surprised he was even walking!)

Thursday/Friday - Busy days at work. Head down, stuck in time!

Saturday - not the best of days weather wise but after lunch, we decided to have a drive out to the High Peak Garden Centre at Bamford to get a cup of tea and a scone. Bought some bits for the garden and came back via Hucklow.

Spent an hour or so watching the gliders (on a VERY windy day - I was surprised they were up there!) and took a few pics:

http://nortoner09.jalbum.net/2011%2005%2028%20Derbyshire%20afternoon%20out/

When we got back - took a few shots of a pair of bullfinches on the feeders in the garden. They aren't the best - taken through the bedroom window and at the full extension of a 300mm zoom lens. (That's two of my excuses anyway!)

Hopefully better efforts will follow of these rare visitors to our garden.

Finally, what a fantastic performance by Barcelona last night. I actually watched a recording this morning and after the first 10 minutes, there was only ever going to be one winner. I liked Mark Lawrenson's comment on the radio - during the game when it was still 0-0 and United were coming under increasing pressure. He said "It's like sitting in your house watching the clouds start to build - you know sooner or later - its going to pour down on you."

Anyway - that'll do for now. Got to start thinking about the week off and making the most of it. It's the Duchess' birthday on Thursday (June 2nd) and we want to try and cram in some "days out" although the forecast ain't great! We'll see.

I'll let you know how it went!

Howard Webb - Top Bloke!

Monday night -, accompanied The Duchess to the Sheffield & District Junior Sunday League Under-10s Presentation Night at Barnsley Metrodome. And a good night was had by all - or so it seemed to me!!

Trophies were presented by Howard Webb - a really nice guy!

Our son had heard Webb would be doing the honours and asked if I would mind getting him to sign an autograph addressed to his mate Yuri. Thing is - Yuri is a Dutchman and our lad wanted to "wind him up" since Howard is not totally forgiven, by some people anyway,  in Holland for the World Cup Final defeat!

He obliged .....

 Howard saw the joke! After I'd texted the above photo to our lad - I got a reply:

"Oh that's Awesome! Please tell him he's made a Yorkshireman away from home very very happy!"

After the presentation - I showed Mr Webb the text and he said "Brilliant! Tell him to keep fighting the England cause over there!"

As I said - really nice bloke - arrived at about 8 pm and presented somewhere in the region of 400 to 500 trophies and hung around afterwards chatting to the players and parents and signing autographs. 

He tries to do at least one of the Presentation Nights every year (well he is a "local lad" - comes from Rotherham) and this year, the Junior League presented him with a commemorative trophy to mark his 2010 World Cup Final performance:

I didn't take the big camera. The League have an "official" photographer, who is a pro, and I didn't want to tread on his toes! (Had a lively debate with him re Canon v Nikon tho - he's a Nikon man - and not for budging!!) Aside from that, although I knew there would be dozens of parents taking pics of the kids, there could well be CRB issues if I'd started firing off at all angles!

However, took The Duchess' Canon Ixus - but I don't know what I did wrong because most of the shots are rubbish. But here's a couple anyway...

BTW - These blokes are one of the Management Teams from one of the winning teams - we don't really have Under-10s that big in our local league!

There's another Presentation Night tonight - this time the Under-15s. Me and The Duchess will attend again and I'll report ASAP!