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Current Mood: sleepy

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Just a photo, really

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293/365: Flood barrier removal, Bewdley
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A couple of online services I use aren't working properly for me at the moment, which is annoying but at least Dreamwidth seems to be available! The flood barriers were being brought down today, as you can see from this truly useless photo I took from the bridge. :P

Current Music: Harbinger Complex

(no subject)

I have a really bad cold or some sort of flu. (I know it's not covid.) I have been drinking Yorkshire Gold tea for it and I took some cold medicine for it which helped somewhat but I ran out of the daytime stuff and don't feel up to walking to the drugstore to get more. Still have plenty of the nighttime stuff. This is part of what sucks about not having a boyfriend. At least it should be over with by Thanksgiving next week. I'm not having my first Thanksgiving with other people in several years ruined by flu. In the meantime I have to put up with the usual phone scammers but today they have started ramming their religion down my throat or accusing me of not speaking English. I'm about ready to throw the phone across the room.

(no subject)

Today would have been the birthday of one of my journal friends.

So I am sending heavenly birthday wishes to my friend,

babybluejay.

You are remembered Colleen.

Disney 5

Be Kind.....

Political Rant.....

Masked Gestapo agents sprayed Minnesota protesters with pepper spray at point blank range.....

Watch on YouTube

Current Mood: awake

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Wolves!

Public

292/365: Wolverhampton Pillar
No larger version available
It's not that often I get to Wolverhampton – I think the last time was February – but I was there today. There's not a lot to it for a city, especially now the Marks & Spencer in the high street has closed and is just sitting there empty, but I have a soft spot for it nevertheless. It didn't hurt that I had a nice deal from the Sunbeam (part of the Hungry Horse pub chain) that got me a cheeseburger, chips, onion rings and lemonade for £6.00 in total. I didn't do much in the way of sightseeing (to the extent that's possible in Wolvo anyway!) but here's one of the few sights that you don't have to get out of the centre for. The Wolverhampton Pillar, what remains of a cross dating from late Saxon times, possibly around the year 1000.

Current Music: the Strangeloves

(no subject)

They're doing another apt inspection Monday, this one is apparently to make sure no doors are blocked. Why they have to go barging into everybody's apt to do this again I don't know but I'll have to stay in all day Monday because I really don't like people (especially people I don't know) poking around in my apt when I'm not there but at least they're not running the damn fire alarms all day this time because the notice didn't say anything about fire alarms.

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Bloch MB.152

Finished. The Heller 1/72 kit of the Bloch MB.152 fighter from early WW2. An ancient kit - I built one as a kid. Not too bad though, and I completely scratchbuilt a cockpit for it. It was quite a struggle researching the colours; it seems there was very little consistency at the time. The decals were old and yellowed, so I carefully trimmed them first. The Bloch engine was slightly pointed to the left to counter torque.

Full build album here

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Whirlwind

Another old kit finished: the Airfix 1/72 Westland Whirlwind. I built one of these in 1981 in boarding school. A nice neat kit of a pretty WW2 plane. It's relaxing to build these old kits; they lack detail, but they're quick, easy builds.

Full build album here

Current Mood: tired

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Staying in my lane

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291/365: Dry Mill Lane in autumn sunshine
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A chilly day today, but one with a reasonable amount of sunshine at times. I was able to get out for a couple of short walks, and this is a photo from one of them. I like the country lanes within walking distance of where I live, and this one looks especially nice when the sun's out. Unfortunately it's rather steep and the only easy way to get home is to slog back up the hill before going the rest of the way on more-or-less flat roads!

Current Music: the Leaves

(no subject)

God, Hugh, why get involved with that bigoted bitch's work?

Current Mood: silly

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To the Edwardian Tearoom, Batman!

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290/365: Edwardian Tearoom, Birmingham Museum
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Yes, I'm being silly. What do you expect around here? Anyway, today I was in Birmingham – for once, not for boring reasons but just because I had a free day and I felt like it. The German Christmas Market is in full swing, but in all honesty it's not what it used to be. It's overwhelmingly food nowadays, which is fine but I really miss the craft stalls they used to have that are now reduced to a handful. Still, I managed to buy my annual Berliner. This year's was Rafaello flavour, of all things. Lots of white chocolate all over the place. Very, very sweet, but as a one-off I'll accept it!

Thence to Birmingham Museum to have a potter. I deeply dislike the way they've got the "Free entry but please donate £5!!" thing set up now. Not only a stand inside the entrance but a person standing there as well. I wish some of these places would get it through their head that many of us – including me – are less likely to donate if we feel ambushed or otherwise pressured. This seemed to be the prevailing view, as the large majority of the people coming in with me didn't donate either. Still, I did go for a drink in the Edwardian Tearoom, which is one of the museum's highlights.

I.M.H.O......

I really hate to be a pessimist, but...

Tomorrow the house is voting to release the Epstein Files...
The got the signatures needed after they PedoProtector finally swore in the new Democrat Rep from Arizona.
They had the numbers needed thanks to a handful of Republicans also signing.

Here comes my pessimism...
Does anybody really think those Republicans are going to stand by their initial call for the release of the files?

I just have this sinking feeling that somebody will chicken out and the files are going to remain hidden.

The vote is tomorrow.....

Current Music: Henri Dikongue

(no subject)

I had a terrific time at the party last night and had a nice phone call with my dad this morning wishing him a happy birthday.

A Little Good News.....

Dog being rescued from house fire insists police officer put him on a leash first

Maybe there's such a thing as being too good of a boy.

Annie Reneau

https://www.upworthy.com/dog-rescued-from-house-fire-insisted-officer-leash-him-first

Political Rant.....

Current Mood: thirsty

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A rather damp forest

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289/365: Log pile, Wyre Forest
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It wasn't raining this morning, so I pottered down to Coppice Gate, on the edge of the Wyre Forest. It was too muddy to go off the surfaced track, so I wasn't able to go for a proper forest walk. As I hadn't expected to be able to do that anyway, it didn't matter too much! I did make sure to get a photo for the 365 series, though, and here it is. Some felled trees, which I somehow managed to get in shot without the 357 warning signs about forestry lorries, brash¹ clearance and the like. I certainly obeyed the "No climbing" signs, since large log piles can be a lot more dangerous than they look – though probably this pile would have been safer than most!
¹ Brash is the stuff like twigs and foliage that's left on the ground after the trunks and large branches have been cleared.

Current Music: Samba Ngo

(no subject)

Had some Pride of the Port tea. Waiting till it's time to go to my friend's party.

Current Mood: relaxed

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Over the river I go

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288/365: Wribbenhall flood defences
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As it finally stopped raining today, I was able to get out and have a look at the new flood defences on the Wribbenhall side of the river. You can see part of them here; these work very similarly to those on the other bank, with aluminium slats slotted in between pillars that are placed in ready-made holes in the ground. Further down, in Stourport Road (just visible in the distance) the end of the road is blocked by several large pumping machines, which stop water from backing up via the drains. It wasn't a particularly serious flood this time, with water not getting into actual houses, but so far so good!

Current Mood: sore
Current Music: Hairspray soundtrack (the original!)

(no subject)

My legs really bloody hurt now but I have lots of groceries and plenty of time to rest before I go to my friend's birthday party tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to! I walk right past Trader Joe to get to my friend's mom's house where the party is so I can pick up goodies on the way for everybody. I make it a habit not to go to parties empty handed.