no more new blogger for me

please refer to snaps one or snaps two in the side bar

It is a disgrace that this portrait image bug has not been fixed
very much still in beta as far as I am concerned

lunch in leamington spa

I had a long wait for my friend because I got there first


Oscars Bistro is a little bit of France in the middle of Leamington Spa.
We are an unashamedly French Bistro with a great bustly atmosphere.

As far as the food is concerned if you wouldn't find it in France it won't be on our menu.
Rustic Bistro classics include, Onion soup French Country Pate, Moules Mariniere, Duck Confit, Steak Frites, with a French Cheese board or Lemon Tart to follow. http://www.oscarsfrenchbistro.co.uk/index.html


Oscar's Bistro, Leamington Spa | Travel | Guardian Unlimited

oscar's leamington - Google Search

and then on the way home very much later, I enjoyed once more the 1930ies chrome window frames and doors at GWR built Leamingon Spa station






one of the old windows at Leamington Spa Station

a small and crowded London train

and I caught the Virgin train to Manchester but got off at the next stop Birmingham New Street

on platform 4a at Birmingham New Street station - ROTUNDA and I hope they restore the ODEON cinema soon to its original art deco state
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odeon_Cinemas

and the next train to Lea Hall and the 97 bus

portrait test failed

but the latest BETA version of Parallels is real cool

past Kingshurst into Castle Bromwich

the trash was still blocked so I dropped it off directly into the bins
to be greeted by music







it was this thrown away toy switched on by the drop







The first bus to come by was a 94 so I dropped the idea of a return visit to the BIG ASDA

when I got off on the edge of Castle Bromwich I was greeted by theses brave flags for sale.

so I dropped in to MORRISONS instead of ASDA


and got my RADIO TIMES for next week

72 p for one green pepper - I paid 10p at the market

fishmonger pretending to be an independant outlet

this deep throated tricycle passed by - with a chrome plated helmet like a 1950ies US army bandsman or honor guard.

and in to ALDI in a box pretending to have a gable.

Aldi meets St Valentine

opposite ALDI a pub to the left - and a fine parade of shops now mostly services like estate agents.
I like the look of the tree to the left and the 1930ies houses, and note the security camera to guard this limousine.
Walking on Ijumped on a 54 bus tosee where it went

Kingshurst - exactly as seen from my kitchen

at the end of the route for bus 54 and me

this lake is in the dead ground (as seen from my kitchen window) and a big male swan, a cob, was agressively driving off a young couple of swans at the start of the spring territorial battles.


now what blossom is this?

I am always charmed by these elegant footbridges in the Kingfisher project.


long shadows on the bridge

seen from the bridge the river Cole was running darkly deep but not too fast

experiments with the apperture control from - f2 to + f2


looking back from the other side of the river Cole valley and I was quite breathless
after walking briskly up the hill


two clumps of bluebells growing well
I hopped ona 94 bus for a couple of stops

walking briskly down hill towards Merton House I ws surprised how good I felt.

gas main renewal in the clay subsoil

"Hullo Santa"
"What will I get for Christmas?" cames the shouts from behind me

"Wait and see*" I replied with big smile and waved back.

I am short sighted

I am so short sighted that I like to have a big office clock in my bedroom because I can still read the dial with no glasses.

I am late out the St Martins market official closes at 4:00 pm

and in the kitchen is this power house with which I charge mobile phone and the handcam batteries and amplify the TV signal.

the Merton House lift came while I checked the trash chute - still blocked.

when I got off the 97 bus in Birmingham - the market looked as if it was nearly over

a funny time of year for chestnuts

the owner of the stall showed me the sack - fresh from China
later I got four bags of these apples and plums for my last £1

Coilin AKA Kal had nearly sold out - luckily he still had all I needed including
5 lbs onion and 5 lbs carrots for £1 - usually 3 + 3 lbs for the same price


I don't eat lettuce when it is out of season in England and I was not tempted by the last one.

my flat is full of these blue bags

all done and the sky looked even greyer

I was surprised to see proper paveur work being done on sand
http://www.marshalls.co.uk/

Mistral aggregate granite setts google search



a slight widening of the pavement


There was only one floor left of the Rotunda without new windwos,
I am standng with my back to the 97 bus stop

It was beginning to spot with rain
I had a great conversation with an 80 year old in the bus
as a 15 year old in the Home Guard he had service 116z AA battery on the top of the hill at Kents Moat B33 8NF United Kingdom and when he was 17 he joined the army in 1944

Each projector could fire two 3" anti-aircraft rockets having a maximum altitude of 19,000 ft. and a ground range of 10,000 Yards (5.7 Miles).
The heavy finned rockets were about six feet long and each had an adjustable nose fuse to be set to explode the warhead at the correct altitude.
Two men manned each projector. The commands for altitude, bearing, elevation, loading, etc. came over a sound-powered intercom from the operations room to a headphone worn by No.1, who relayed the orders to No.2. Each man set a fuse, No.2 loaded the rockets onto their guide rails and pulled them down onto the electrical firing pins and then set the elevation wheel.
The firing pins were connected via safety switches to a firing handle and a 6v. dry battery. No.1 set the bearing and reported "Charlie 5 ready" etc.; on the command "Fire", he depressed the firing handle.
If the rockets misfired, we had to wait 20 minutes before unloading. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/11/a4432411.shtml

and I alighted in Bosworth Drive in a light drizzle

I still had the auto flash on the videophone
you can see the whiteness of my hall walls for once


one hour fifty minutes round trip
and this flat is so warm the hot water bottles are never needed.

I needed to fill up my empty fridge


above the lamp is a battery driven fire alarm which was squeaking and demanding to be recharged

still not unpacked after 5 years

that will keep me for about 10 days

and I cleaned and cooked this lot - but not the green peppers being washed in the yellow bowl

The rice takes 50 minutes to steam to perfection
I added the vegetables a little later

the top most tomato was a bit squashed so I will eat that at supper time


I drained the green peppers and began to cut out the bad bits whilst I watched Deal or no Deal


and I realised I had forgotten to buy next weeks RADIO TIMES and will need to go out again tomorrow