trim the tree

This is something that Ian likes to do each year. I've been told to keep next Friday clear, so I will try to get the tree out of the cupboard and find the transformer and extension lead sometime before he gets here. In the meantime I'd like to know what happened to the picture that was here? Of course I have been told to check my cookie and scripting settings again as blogger can't work without them. Anyway I've done that and they are enabled so I don't know where the picture went.

Remember, Remember

.....the Firework Code. There are always too many accidents on bon fire night, usually involving children. The government has passed various pieces of legislation regarding who can sell fireworks and to whom, and when they can be set off. This particular advertisement shows a rocket being lit quite close to a boy bending over a box of fireworks and a young girl holding the hands of two toddlers, all standing in front of the fireworks. Well, it is an old advertisement.

spooky

Mention Hallowe'en and E.T. comes to mind and his walk in the film through the people who were in various weird costumes. In some places in America the grown ups seem to take a much bigger part in Hallowe'en than they do in this country. Here it is mostly the children dressing up and knocking on doors saying "Trick or Treat".

There have been some very large pumpkins for sale, but after they have been hollowed out to make lanterns, I don't think much use is made of the flesh. It is sweet, orange coloured and can be used in soups, meat and savoury dishes and in the popular American dish, pumpkin pie. The best method of cooking it is to peel, cut up (removing seeds) and roast it round the joint like potatoes, but I have never eaten any.

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Why do we change the clocks?

Various reasons have been given for changing the clocks and it's not, as some people thought many years ago, in order to save candles. I think the best reason for advancing the clocks in March is so that during the summer months we can enjoy the longer hours of daylight, but now we are at the end of October so we have to change them back again. I alter my clocks before I go to bed on the Saturday evening. It takes me a little while to do them all as I have to get out the instructions for some of the things. Usually I change everything except the telephone. I always forget the telephone. When everything else is done, then I have to change me.

nazgul

I wonder which of the nine Ringwraiths this is? I think it must be the Lord of the Nazgul as he has had me wandering around the Encyclopedia of Arda reading up on all sorts of things and ignoring any jobs that I should be doing. I now know that Tolkien only named one of the nazgul himself, Khamul the second in rank after the lord of the nazgul. The name Sauron is pronounced Sowron, as in "now" and quite a few other things. That's the trouble, I start off with one thing and get in a word chase hopping from one to another.
I think this picture is really good with the fire behind the figure and the moon shining through the smoke. He is very powerful, but not for good.

My Photo

I wonder why my hair turned out yellow?

Spent the day at Elizabeth's. John was visiting Geraldine and Ian and David were at football in the morning. Later I had a battle with Ian and Elizabeth over trying to protect a precious statue of one of the old kings of Middle Earth. I had men of Rohan and Elizabeth's force was the enemy, Ian was the referee. I kept forgetting the names of my men. I hadn't given them very inspired names (Bard, Grey, Gloin, Fletch, you get the idea) . Elizabeth had much better names, but even she had to resort to calling one bronze helmet as she couldn't distinguish which one he was. I won the battle and one of my men was promoted and got a horse, but that was only the first battle. It's an on-going thing. It's a good job we each have sheets to put down the names of the men and a little description so that we know who they are.

raincoat

It was pointed out to me recently how dirty my summer raincoat had become. I hadn't noticed, but when I did take a good look I felt really ashamed. Goodness knows what my neighbours must have thought. There was dirt on the cuffs and the lapels were badly stained. I put it in the washing machine and next year I will have to look around for another light one as the shops have gone over to winter clothes now.

Upminster 002

It's sometime since I was last on Upminster station. I've taken the bus when I have gone into Romford and I haven't been to London by train at all this year.

Autumn at Arge - Claude Monet

The window boxes are looking very forlorn. I shall have to take out the plants and pot up the geraniums to keep inside for the winter. It feels quite chilly some mornings so I have switched on the heater in the hallway on the lowest setting.

fog

Today we had the first thick grey mist of the season. The cars parked along the streets were all very wet and most of the drivers were keeping to a sensible speed. It gradually cleared and had gone by mid'day.