But you aint got a dime, theres no time for the phone

I've heard of ouija boards and unconscious writing, but never receiving messages via the bath. Someone or something has left, in hair, the word 'Iran' by the plughole. Now I need to know what was the question, and who asked it.



*can't wait till the bathroom's updated*

Friday night and the lights are low

Abba was one of those bands whose music everybody liked, even though at the height of their fame it was terribly unfashionable in certain musical circles to admit to it. The songs were crafted with stereotypical Scandinavian professionalism, which although it sometimes made them slightly clinical they never seemed to fall into the 'churned-out soul-lessness' trap that other successful bands have succumbed to. So when friends suggested getting a gang of us together and going to an open-air performance of Abba music at Warwick Castle, performed by the English National Orchestra and cast from the stage production of Mamma Mia, (bring a picnic) we thought it'd be great fun.

They certainly wrote some great songs; we just hadn't realised just how badly they could be performed! If those singers were more than understudies it made us very glad we've never travelled to Town to see the stage show. Still, the picnic was good and we met some nice people there, some of whom had decided to get totally into the spirit of the thing and dressed up as Abba members (several OS Agnethas!)

The driver of the minibus that took us there was extraordinary. He didn't really know where he was going, he didn't get out of 2nd gear (but didn't go fast enough to strain the engine) and every time someone spoke to him he slowed down to reply. Not a natural multi-tasker! We were pleased that it was a different driver for the return journey ... but I'm not sure he was thrilled because by then we were well into singing. Not Abba stuff - Beach Boys, Monkees and rugby songs. It was difficult singing the harmonies because of the challenge of working out what key the melody was being sung in. All of them, I think! It was great fun going out as a group so it wasn't a totally wasted evening.

This indecision's bugging me

Tuesday Challenge #22
The challenge this week is to go through your archive and pick out your best picture so far.

Aaarrrrggghhhh! Define 'best picture'! Some of them required spot-on timing but could be reproduced (and haven't transferred well to digital) whereas others are precious memories, and irreplaceable.

This one is moody:



This one makes me laugh:



This one reminds me of a very happy day:



Poohsticks: innocent childhood pleasures:



The timing needed to catch the flame coming from the barrel of the cannon wasn't as easy as you might think:



An iconic image from a particular place:



And finally this one for the shapes and colours.

Sometimes you picture me

This week's Tuesday Challenge theme is Fairy Tales. "Interpret this in any way you wish."

So, as all good fairy tales begin ...



(I got some very strange looks from people at the garden centre as I lurked by the pots of thyme.)

Always believe in your soul

Have I mentioned that for ages I've wanted to get rid of the ponds in our garden? Although they were originally nice I'd got fed up with providing the local herons with a well-stocked larder, and having to get covered in filthy sticking sludge when I cleaned them each year. So when the heron had made a final visit I'd periodically start baling out, but no sooner would I nearly empty one than it'd pour with rain and fill it up again. Anyway, this went on all last year and I abandoned all attempts until the warmer weather arrived. As it duly did. The water was bucketed out and the sludge taken across the field to a natural pond so that any wildlife would have a new home.

This left me with two large holes - one in the lawn, one in the patio.The largest, deepest hole was given a basic infilling with any broken bricks and other rubble lying around in the garden. Then I took sacks down the road to collect subsoil from where the ditches had been cleared (first checking for Civil War relics because it's the site of the battle of Edgehill in 1642). That left holes only a foot deep - perfect for topsoil.

Being careful with cash, I didn't want to actually buy soil, oh dear me no! I've been going out with my spade and barrow, clearing the neighbours' fields of molehills (the most beautiful topsoil you can imagine, all finely riddled and weed-free), but also getting some soil and turf from a house in the village who were getting rid of their front lawn and were only too delighted for me to take some of it away. I think that was the source of my buried treasure:



I felt a real thrill of excitement when I picked this little brooch off the surface of my new lawn! I took it indoors and carefully washed the mud off it; quite pretty! I know how Life works; I know that only other people find really valuable things at random like that - it's probably just cheap costume jewellery, not worth tuppence. But ... you can never be quite certain, so I took it to a jeweller for a professional check, and guess what?!!
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I was right.

Take the long way home

There are some irate motorists in the village; a 200 yard section of Warwick Road (B4086) has been closed for repair and resurfacing. Unfortunately this is right by the industrial estate, so if lorries need to get from one end of the roadworks to the other they need to go 2 miles up the B4086 to the crossroads, turn right up the Fosse Way (B4455) for about 5 miles, turn right down the B4100 to Gaydon (about 3 miles), then turn right again past Chadshunt to get back to Kineton. About 12 or 13 miles in all.

Depending on how much work is needed on the old bridge, this could go on for 18 months.

And walk together down an English lane

Stu's latest Tuesday Challenge involves not using the viewfinder of the camera to set up the shots; basically, return (if you have a camera that ever left!) to the days of point-and-click.

So there’s your challenge. Take a bunch of photos without using any kind of viewfinder or checking the images on the rear screen afterwards. Post your best one of the week!

I can't decide which of these I prefer; the straightforward view


the catch-it-as-it-happens with an unco-operative subject (which would have been great if I hadn't cut off the end of his tongue)


or the worm's eye view.