A busy day ahead needs sufficient fuel to be successful. My favourite Cornish eggs, scrambled, on toast with some bonza tomato sauce.

Recently my Member of Parliament stood up during Prime Minister's Questions to complain about the state of our roads being "like the surface of the Moon." While the government has allocated a sizeable chunk of money to the council for road repairs across the county, a significant amount is likely to be spent in the Grand Départ section of this year's Tour de France, running through Morecambe.

For the moment, I would suggested cyclists avoid this section of Moorgate.

You might remember a similar shot with a bee foraging on this lupin. Well the visit worked and the plant is now happily going to seed. Job done 👍

Drinking coffee in the pouring rain having decided not to stay in a packed concert room. To be fair there was an umbrella. It was so peaceful here, too.

When i asked the barista what blend she was using, she replied that she did not know. She just opened the bag and filled the grinder. I salute her honesty.

Apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan.

These are the pups I removed last year. They seem to be thriving on benign neglect.

Not ball, tracer and AP.

In 1764 Richard Gillow designed and constructed the Lancaster Custom House. Boatmen would ferry the 'Revenue Men' out to the ships to inspect the cargo and collect duties payable.

The gang wishes you all a merry Christmas and a peaceful new year.

Thank you for all your visits, faves and comments.

Life is an astonishment, and it behoves us to be astonished.

John Donne

The cherry tree is about to burst into flower again. Its season is brief but glorious.

I saw this interesting mobility scooter this morning.

High altitude ice crystals refract the light from the moon, making this pretty effect.

After the hullabaloo of Halloween, take a moment to reflect on the lives of the saints and martyrs, both ancient and modern. That's the purpose of prayer in front of relics.

Sliced red skin potatoes

Sliced red onion

Grated red Leicester cheese

1/2 cup water

Aromat

Garlic

in an oblongs 8 inch dish

cover

20 mins in the microwave on full

enough for 5 or 6 servings

nice with a salad and glass of wine 😁

📷 Google Pixel 8 Pro - Main Sensor (50MP) - Charlestown Harbour, Cornwall - Throwback August 2024

St Peter's Church at Heysham has been a place of Christian worship for over 1000 years. The oldest parts of the current building date from the 900s.

This carved stone appears to have been re-used from a previous building. I wonder what the design signifies.

The low risers make it easier to take the horse up and over the bridge to the towpath on the opposite bank.

Confetti on the town hall steps.

A friend liked my bread and wanted to learn to make his own. So I shared my limited knowledge via Zap. Here's his second loaf. Very tidy, I thought.

Not everything has to be profound or meaningful.

I don't often see much in the sky above me but it was unusually busy today.

The wind had brought down these fruits. some were ripe enough to be gathered.

An iron staple, or joggle, where the stone block in which it is seated has split and partially fallen away. It's possible to see how the joggle sits in a chiselled recess which is filled with lead.

The bailiffs have been to a local hotel, which is now closed. 14 days to remove their property before it's disposed of.

A nice new lock on the door. I hope the locksmith was paid.

Charles Dickens stayed here once and remarked that with every meal they served "bride cake".

My kind of bookshop. Organized chaos.

Some mornings need a pair of coffees. Bracing, as Simon might say. He's a punny guy.

I went shopping for storage boxes the other day. I'm trying to organize better. Having visited three similar stores and been overwhelmed by the choices and hideous presentation, I realized it would be more sensible to thin out my stuff rather than organizing it.

Paintwork like a piano's.

Refined sound like a bear growling.

Unintended consequences when an alien species is introduced into the local ecology:

"The Harlequin Ladybird has been described as the fastest spreading invasive insect in Europe. It is a relatively recent addition to the United Kingdom’s fauna, first reported in 2003 from the south coast. This species originates from eastern Asia, but its route into the UK actually came from eastern North America, where it is equally invasive and is now recognised as the most abundant species of ladybird on that continent. Originally introduced into the states as early as 1916 as a means of biological control, specifically on soybean aphids, the species spread rapidly across the continent and indeed across much of the world wherever suitable climate and conditions occur."

www.fbog.org.uk/portfolio-items/the-harlequin-ladybird/

This, and one other, as far as I can see, has moved in to my apartment for the winter. At least there won't be any aphids on my plants in the spring!

This crest was in the ground near Levens Hall - presumably it belongs to the Bellingham family. I will have to do a bit more research.

Abandoned brewery

Plate and add more chopped parsley for that lovely freshness.

Enjoy!

Creeping thistle spreads its seeds to the four winds.