“Not giving up”

Nature is rather amazing sometimes!

People With No Brains …

… do this kind of thing (repeatedly); without a thought to how it might affect others (for example those using wheelchairs or walkers, or having bad eyesight, or just not constantly expecting traps behind every door).

Sorry. Not knowing exactly who to yell at, I just felt like shouting it out loud to the world in general! (+ I just emailed the picture to the landlord’s office)

“Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense.” [Wikipedia]

FMTSO: Let the Bells Ring

Even though no bells were actually ringing, seeing the church tower and the old phone booth in town today reminded me that it was Friday and My Town Shoot Out time:

 

 There’s not even a phone in the booth any more… It is just there to remind us of Old Times.

But you do remember who is given credit for the invention of the telephone in the first place , don’t you?
That’s right … Alexander Graham Bell …

While there weren’t any bells ringing, there were other sounds to liven up the marketplace today:

The jazzy music also brought out two girls from a nearby toy store to give this little performance:

Can you tell we’re all really happy to celebrate Spring?
(We’ve had beautiful sunny weather all week.)

(Oh, and there are actually bells ringing in the Town House every day at noon, I think. It’s just that I’m very rarely in town just around noon…)

Easter Weekend Summary

This Easter weekend, my brother and I got a good start on not just one, but several of the projects we still need to get sorted out before we finally sell The House (=originally the home of our paternal grandparents, and then of our parents in their retirement years).

1. On Good Friday we met with a local antiques/second hand dealer who seemed willing to take on the job of clearing out all the remaining furniture and stuff in the house and outhouse. (We showed him around the place, and he will get back to us with an estimate.) He also cooperates with a cleaning firm.

2. The gardener who used to mow the lawns for us has retired. We asked the antiques guy if he knew of someone else locally who does that sort of thing? He said he can do it for us this summer himself, as he lives nearby and has the equipment needed.

3. The neighbour who started a road project last year, involving some tree-felling between our properties, is getting on with that job. A huge fir tree on our land that was left standing last year is now down too. Per met this guy outside a couple of times this weekend and got to discuss with him what still remains to be done on that front. An additonal decision was made to take down the huge birch tree in our front yard too – as just now there is space to fell in a direction where it will do no damage. This will probably be done next week.

The outhouse with the birch tree still in front. The high fir tree used to be between the mound and the car. (The mound will be removed as well.)

4. The tree-felling guy will also give the facade of our house a pressure-wash in a couple of weeks (he’s in the construction business).

5. Either Per alone or both of us also got to talk to the owners of the other three neighbouring properties this weekend. So everyone is now informed of our plans and no one has to wonder what’s up.

6. Before Per went back home, he also got to show the house to one couple who might be interested in buying (we’ll let them know when we put it up for sale).

Besides all this, we had a gloriously sunny and warm Saturday. We were able sit outside in the garden and eat our lunch (salads conveniently bought in the grocery shop in the village). Before lunch we also visited the graves of our parents and grandparents in the village churchyard; and in the afternoon we went for a walk to the old mill and nature reserve meadow behind it, where the hepaticas and wood anemones were in full bloom.

In the summer when there is cattle grazing in the meadow, there is an electric fence. Just now there is just the gate!

Mornings are still chilly, but in the afternoon sun on Easter Eve it got a bit hot wearing a winter jacket.

Blue Hepaticas and white Wood Anemones.
The wildflower essence of spring!

On Sunday I stayed in town, and went to an Easter church service.

Through the cherry blossom tree in the foreground, you can see a glimpse of the church up on the hill behind.

Sitting in my pew, I just had to sneak my camera up our of my bag, put it discreetly on “silent” and take this shot, with the light coming in through the window and hitting the boquet of daffodils next to the candle holder with all the prayer candels burning.

In the main square, the Easter Tree stood in all its glory against a clear blue sky.

In a grocery shop I bought a lunch salad again, and decided to stop in the park and eat it sitting on a bench overlooking the river. (I did also buy a a plastic knife&fork set, and bottle of sparkling water.) I was far from the only one who had my lunch in the park that day – there were several more picknicks going on.

Panorama view from my park bench.

Friday My Town: Museums

Over the past 1½ years or so, our Textile Museum has been in the process of moving across town, from this building …

… to the new Textile Fashion Center, where it will also be in easy access for the students at the Textile College, which has already moved in.

The museum has not yet been re-opened. Moving it was a really gigantic job, considering all the heavy machinery.

Three photos from the old museum, just to give you an idea… There are lots more old machines of similar size.

A few weeks ago, I went round the back of the ‘new’ premises and tried to peep in through the windows… My  attempts to take photos was not very successful, though. Too many reflections!

I’ll be back to post more about it after the official re-opening; which will take place at the end of May.