Marty

Thanks, Albert. That's actually on my bucket list.

Hi, all. Been a bit of a busy day, hence my quietness for most of it. Indeed there's less than twenty minutes of Friday left here... But, being Friday, I thought I should share this week's black and white photograph (22/52):

Greetings, young Albert!

I think he''s giving me that "Come to bed" look...

So you're not working outside because of the heat; and I'm not working outside because of the rain... Have a good day, anyway, bro.

Good morning, all. Coolish (14°C/52°F) day here for the time of year. No sign of sun, and persistent light rain. Looks like it's indoors work again for me today. Hope you all have a good Thursday (or is it Friday, already, in Bucket-land? )

You could always have asked the Swedish Chef to cook for you....

A birthday wish for Page:

Many happy returns of the day, Page!

And the same right bakatya, bro!

Greetings, young Albert!

Ah sure now, bro. It's never felt like work to me. Reconnecting with nature is hardly work.

Greetings, young Albert!

Same to you, Gary! You've just reminded me of my slight fetish for pit hair.

Oh, They are! Some Most of the time, at least. I wasn't really upset when they decided to kick a ball in my garden during a break yesterday, and managed to flatten one of my calendula plants with it. Actually, they were more upset about it than I was.

That's a little bit up in the air at the moment... They're starting back at school next week, for the first time since Covid forced the Government to close the schools back on 12th March. As much as I have enjoyed having them come down (especially because their presence actually motivates me to get on with the jobs that need doing in, and on, the house), I would hate that the reason for them coming down might be because the Government is forced to close the schools again because of spikes in the pandemic. As much as neither of them is really looking forward to heading back to school after a five and a half month enforced break, they both accept that they need to get back for the sake of their futures. The older one is about to start the final year of high school, and the younger one his penultimate year.

I mentioned earlier that Met Éireann had issued a Satus Yellow rainfall warning for tomorrow. They have now upgraded that to Status Orange for certain parts of the country, including my county. Furthermore, The National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Crisis Management Team met this morning to assess the updated forecast regarding the storm. In a statement this afternoon, it warned that trees are in full leaf, with the potential for a number of trees to fall, blocking roads and damaging power lines. NDFEM issued the following safety messages this afternoon: This is an unusual storm for August – people should take account of Met Éireann weather warnings affecting their location. People are on holidays at coastal locations. Stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the warnings. All road users should be aware of the hazardous travelling conditions. Motorists should slow down and be aware of the dangers of fallen trees and debris. High sided vehicles are particularly vulnerable during this time. As conditions will vary, people need to take account of the local conditions and advice from their local authority. And ESB Networks ((Ireland's Electricity Supply Network) say they are "preparing for power outages, with staff on standby to repair faults in all areas." ------ Looks like no gardening tomorrow. So I shall try to get on with jobs in the house.

Because sometimes a picture really can tell a thousand words. Here's another way of 'saying' what Gary advised:

Blessed be!

The weather was only nice on the patio?

I'm going to assume you meant monochrome there, bro... Interestingly, when the camera club first announced this new 52/52 challenge at the meeting back in early March this year, I decided I would try to do 52 monochrome images, even though it is not actually necessary to work to any sort of theme at all. I had all sorts of ideas in my head, which did include landscapes.I was also thinking of the possibility of architectural shots, and portraits. Unfortunately, by the time the first image was due to taken and posted in the week leading up to Friday, 3rd April, the lockdown was already in force. For the next few months I was not supposed to travel more than 5 km (3 miles) from home, and I was expected to socially distance from non-family members (none of whom I live close to, anyway). Indeed, at one stage (lasting about 3 weeks) I was advised, because I am over 70, to cocoon, which meant I was not supposed to leave the confines of my house and garden, and not to allow anybody into the house or garden. That really limited the type of photographs I could take. Certainly no landscapes: as I wasn't supposed to travel. And no portraits: as I wasn't supposed to meet and socialise with people. So for at least the first twelve weeks all I could photograph was what was in the the house or the garden. That's changed slightly now. If I wanted to, I could start adding landscapes and portraits to the 52 images. But I've decided that, having got so far, I will continue on only taking images of the house and garden for the rest of this challenge. I suppose that just makes it more of a challenge.

Belated greetings back at you, young Albert.

I actually left the pair of them going at it in the bedroom by themselves for the first few hours... But that was only because there's a Status Yellow rain warning for tomorrow, so I took the opportunity to mow the lawns before the rain arrives. The walls are effectively bare now. I'm thinking I'll strip the paint from the woodwork, and stain and varnish it, before repainting the walls...

My understanding was that it is illegal to name a commercial sparkling wine as champagne unless it is made in the Champagne region of northern France.

Well, certainly don't go stroking young Albert, Mr B. That could very likely give him a heart attack....