Diana Was Due Home Today,

so a visit into town,

to pick up a few bits & pieces, then home to play with my new tripod, and that is when the problems started, I must have somehow switched the camera on, and in trying to mount it hit a number of buttons, anyway, the camera seemed locked into just the aperture ring working, I could not alter the shutter or ISO speed, I played with a few buttons, I even looked on the Internet to see if there was anything I could unlock, but with no success, so today this will be a short post as I go to London and visit the Fujifilm House of Photography, back to yesterday, when Diana arrived home her cold was at least a little better, but it was a miserable holiday for her, after our evening meal and the usual Outback Opal Hunters Diana decided on a film, 

Chinatown, this for myself is one of those 'if you have not seen it, buy, borrow or steal a copy' films, beautifully set, every actor just right for this film, John Huston a tour de force, after which Diana was off to bed, for myself a Bangers & Cash before I too was off to bed.

First Thing,

as I started the blog,

we had a couple of guests in the garden, I have a feeling it is a mother and one of her cubs, normally when there are 2 or more foxes there is normally an almighty great squabble if they get too close to one another, but these two do not seem to mind each other and just concentrate on eating, 

I spent the day fine tunning some of my photographs, a shelduck, (Tadorna tadorna),

a couple, 

of a young heron trying its wings,

one of the most spectacular ducks in the UK a mandarin, (Aix galericulata), 

and a couple of Egyptian geese goslings, (Alopochen aegyptiaca), during the day I had a few chats with Jay about the web page I started, but it was all way too much for me, so he is helping, I say helping, I should say totally making it again, as I had made a complete pigs ear of it, I am amazed at how talented he is, all of this brought me up to my evening meal and a Outback Opal Hunters followed by a Deadliest Catch, at 8.00 in the evening a 2 hour Midsomer Murder followed by a Have I Got A Bit More News For You, after which a Bangers & Cash and I was off to bed.

Sunday Again,

as Diana was still in Kraków,

I decided on a Sunday lunch in town, so out past the snail mail box,

and the side garden to Foxgrove Lodge, 

the red rhododendron looking so nice, 

this one with a busy bee in attendance, 

as I approached the bridge, an incident, earlier this morning a police helicopter was circling over the town,

and this I guess is it, no idea what had happened, 

past the green,

and the graveyard, 

still in need of a haircut!

down the slope, 

and into Papilio, 

a table for one by the window, 

I arrived early, 

I had the place almost to myself, but other dinners soon started to arrive,

a look out of the window, 

my drink arrived, I went with that and the 3 course Sunday lunch menu, 

I started with the smoked salmon, 

crispy pork belly for my main course, 

I was so full I went with just the mango sorbet dessert, 

with my wine the bill was £57.15 including service charge, if you fancy a delicious Sunday lunch out the menu is above,

as I made my move for home, other restaurants were spilling out onto the pavement, 

into the park, and past Foxgrove Lodge, 

lots of people going in and out of the park today, I spent the afternoon watching a few documentaries, in the evening a few photographs from Diana, 

the girls had organized a day excursion for one day, 

looking at the sights,

another day to the top of a local mountain, part way in a funicular railway, 

to admire the view, 

over the valley, just a shame about the mist and rain!

another trip, to a food and drinks day out, 

sampling local delicacies, 

Diana also sent a few videos, in town with the weather, 

and of a local stream, well all of that rain has to go somewhere!

and a food and drink sampling, with a fact about vodka that many may not know, back to the UK after a snack in the evening there were a few Midsomer Murders showing back to back, so 2 of those brought me nicely up to the late night edition of Have I Got News For You, before I was off to bed.

I Had A Message From Diana,

could I pop into town to pick up a package for her?

no sooner said than done, so out past the snail mail box into a grey overcast day, 

the flowers on the bottom half of the chestnut tree looking good, 

in the side garden of Foxgrove Lodge, 

the other rhododendron bush starting to flower,

the ones on the second bush,

really starting to open up now, 

at the rear of Waitrose there was this machine, I had never been here before, only yesterday I mentioned I had not used a code thing before, but I now remember I did this once before at a similar pick up box at Beckenham Junction, and guess what? unlike the last time, this time it worked! I was amazed,

the car park, except for disabled bays, was packed, 

looking at the plants on offer, 

I do not think Cooling's or Polhill will have anything to worry about,

as I passed Foxgrove Lodge, 

the peonies look like they will be opening soon,

the chestnut on this side packed with lower limb flowers, arriving home Diana had sent me some photographs from Kraków,

well Auschwitz actually as they had gone to visit there, 

Diana mention although it was interesting is was also a sad place to be, 

much like our visit to Choeung Genocidal Center, or the killing fields back in September 2015, Diana said the same ominous, dark atmosphere was here as well, it was now time for my evening read and sherry, 

one of the many things I like about Private Eye, is an occasional box titled 'Number Crunching',

it just publishes 2 accurate and factual figures, 

which can sometimes be a bit of a eye opener, especially if you have only read about the lowest figure,

'Cheers!', for tonight Diana had left me a plate of bangers & mash, 

and also sent me some photographs, 

of her stay in Kraków, 

I am not sure of the names of the places they visited, 

but this one looked nice, 

a local restaurant, 

and a walk around town after their meal, there is some bad news, the cold that Diana had before she left was getting worse, it is such a shame that this is happening on her days off, for myself after my meal it was feet up for a couple of films, firstly, 

 Gattaca, a film set in the future, to travel to the stars you have to be 100% fit, but a menial worker assumes the identity of a fit person to travel, a good film, well worth watching, but I could not help thinking the futuristic cars were in fact 1960's Rover 2000 models with some of the chrome and badges taken off, next one about the merry men of Sherwood forest, well how they came about, 

 Robin Hood, great fun to watch, but totally implausible, but then that is what films like this are all about, after which I was off to bed.