Bananas

Our weather has been gorgeous these past few days. I was drawn out into our garden where I made a little patio area next to the greenhouse. We had several stone slabs from our across-the-road neighbours - Janet and Phil who were having their own garden professionally upgraded. It was nice to repurpose some of their stone.

I also used some smaller slabs to reposition one of our garden benches in a sunny spot further along the hedgerow,

Both of these jobs were made tricky because of the sloping nature of our garden. The little patio needed to be flat and so did the stone footings for the bench. Levelling out was a bit of a challenge so I needed my spirit levels, a bag of sand and a bag of 10mm gravel but I got there in the end and it was nice to be outside working.

After our evening meal I was out again, repairing an old wooden bench that I bought Shirley for her fiftieth birthday. It had become wonky partly because of its age and continuous exposure to the elements and partly because I have often moved it on my own when cutting grass or sweeping up its regular position.

We were going to dispose of that bench but one day I thought to myself - "We can get a few more years out of that old seat if I can just address the wonkiness."

With wood glue, my electric drill, screws and small L-shaped brackets, I think I have made it stable once more. The glue is still drying right now so tomorrow I will hopefully confirm that my repair work has been successful.

The next job will be to paint it. I bought some good quality garden wood paint when I was last in our B&Q superstore. B&Q is the biggest D.I.Y. chain in Great Britain. I guess it's very similar to Home Depot outlets in America or Bunnings Warehouse in Australia.

Maybe I'll do some of the painting tomorrow but I rather fancy the idea of a country walk with my camera - making sure that I capitalise on this good weather.

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In Yorkshire Pudding health news:-

1.  Recent bowel screening - clear!

2.  Recent diabetic eye screening test - "No signs of diabetic retinopathy."

3. New dental appointment made for Monday. For weeks I have been managing pain and the replacement filling I had last month has clearly not solved the problem. The issue must be with another tooth and there is now some gum swelling in that area. 

4. Efforts to reduce my weight with the aid of "Mounjaro" have been reasonably successful. I have lost over two stones - about thirty pounds since last August - but I want to go lower before I come off "Mounjaro" and instead start to rely on my own will power along with  better awareness of ups and downs in my weight. Previously I never ever  weighed myself. 

5. My high blood pressure - discovered via a general health check in the autumn of 2024 - is now being effectively addressed with a stable cocktail of anti-hypertensive medication. Thankfully, my  numbers are now within the normal range.

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Almost finally - about the image at the top. Discovered today in our fruit bowl - two small bananas that are conjoined like siamese twins. I cannot remember ever seeing such a thing before. As Louis Armstrong sang, "And I think to myself/What a wonderful world!"

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A week ago - our Ian appeared on the front page of the London "Standard".  He is on 

the right, helping to advertise a start-up competition sponsored by AXA Insurance. 

Wife

 

That's my missus - Shirley. We got married in the same year as Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer - 1981 - so we will be celebrating our forty fifth wedding anniversary in October.

She was a young nurse when I first met her and I was a slightly older young teacher. We have stuck together through thick and thin, including health and money issues, raising two wonderful children and now jointly experiencing the special joys of grandparenthood.

Let me say this about Shirley. She was a brilliant, devoted mother and is now a wonderful grandmother. The little ones love her completely. She is practical and attentive when it comes to their toileting, laundry and emotional needs. Partly because of her own rural upbringing with a mother who was a stay-at-home farmer's wife and partly because of her old-fashioned nurse training, she is unflappable, pragmatic and naturally caring.

All of our married life, she has taken charge of the laundry - the washing, the drying, the ironing, the folding, the putting away. She would not have had it any other way, considering it to be a wife, mother and grandmother's duty.

More than once she has said to me that if she hadn't been a nurse, she would have loved to run a launderette. It's not that I was ever against doing my fair share of the laundering but Shirley would have been very resistant to such an arrangement. She needed to do it all herself and as well as recognising my good fortune in that regard, I am enormously grateful for all she has done for me.

John Wesley, the co-founder of Methodism, is credited with the observation that  "cleanliness is next to godliness". In that respect he would have approved of Shirley's personal habits. He might also have admired the fact that she grew up just four miles from where he was born and raised in Epworth, North Lincolnshire. In fact, that is where she went to school.

Through almost forty five years of marriage, her personal hygiene has been remarkable. No foul odours or evidence of bodily processes - ever. Showers or baths every day. No smelly socks or noxious armpits. I wish I could claim the same about me. I have tested her tolerance at times. 

One morning, about ten years ago, as daylight was filtering into our bedroom and I was stirring from my slumber, she said, "I think I am going to start a new Women's Institute... There are plenty of women around my age who would get a lot from it."

Ten years later, that Women's Institute group meets monthly in Banner Cross Methodist Church. It has forty regular members and there is a waiting list for others who might wish to join it. They have enjoyed so much fun together, so many educational evenings and they have raised a lot of money for worthy local charities. However, I wonder how many of those women realise that their thriving W.I. branch began with an idea that was hatched in a lightening bedroom a decade ago.

Shirley is a special woman with many friends. Last month, she celebrated her sixty seventh birthday and received more than forty birthday cards.  She has "been there" for many of those friends, standing by them in times of personal crisis, providing a kind, listening ear.

The other man's grass may always be greener but I know that I was lucky to have found Shirley back in December 1979, lucky that she agreed to marry me, lucky that she gave birth to our children, lucky that she stood by me through the years in the full knowledge that I am not not the easiest man to live with. I have many  faults but she understands I cannot stop being who I am.  And these are the principal reasons why I still love her.

Quiztime

 

Today's quiz requires contestants to look at the profile pictures of ten members of the blogging community. I guess we all develop our own favourites and regular visiting habits so it could be argued that this quiz is a little unfair but as an awkward teenager might say - I'm not bothered! Who are these people? Either give the blogger's name or the name of their blog. As usual, answers will appear in the comments section.  

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1) This mature woman lives in Berkshire and was 

last year's "Blogger of the Year"

2) This jolly fellow lives in North Wales with his dogs and cats.

3) This German lady has a better command of 

English than most native speakers.

4) This Isle of Man resident looks like a Japanese anime character.

5) A mature Canadian blogger from Red Deer, 

Alberta - though he hasn't always lived there.

6) Mostly famous for owning a parrot called Marco, this school 

bursar lives in Florence, South Carolina with her husband 

Gregg who also serves Marco.

7) A resident of The Isle of Lewis, Scotland and a true gentleman blogger.

8) What a great writer this woman is - creating intimate 

blogposts in a small settlement called Lloyd in Florida.

9) This gourmet, artist and dog lover splits his year between 

Brighton in Sussex, England and a hamlet in south-western France

10) Like me this chap is a Yorkshire pudding and he also 

resides in Sheffield - though I have never met him.

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That's all folks! How did you do?

Peace

 

The title of this blogpost is "Peace" but not that soothing, tranquil state that is the opposite of war. No indeedy, the "Peace" that the title refers to is Charles Peace, a criminal,  who is associated with this Sheffield suburb - Banner Cross - where I have lived for the past thirty seven years.

I was reminded of this notorious man's past existence when we visited The Emergency Services Museum near the city centre on April 5th. In that old building there are Victorian prison cells and in one of them Charles Peace was once detained. On the tiled wall there was a picture of him - "The Banner Cross Murderer" and "The Notorious Burglar". There was also a "Wanted " poster from the 1870s.

Peace was no hero. He was a violent scumbag. An habitual burglar who brought misery to many people's lives. He also preyed on women he fancied and frequently carried a gun.

His crimes were not just limited to this city of his birth for he got up to his tricks in other places - including Liverpool, Manchester, Hull and South London. He may have imagined that his life was charmed and that he could get away with anything like some sort of superhero.

In the early 1870's he became obsessed with a woman called Katherine Dyson whose devoted husband was a civil engineer called Arthur Dyson. Peace's constant harassment became so unbearable that the couple moved to a new home here at Banner Cross, hoping that Peace would not find them.

They were sadly wrong because soon after arriving Peace appeared one evening. It was July 1st 1876.  He confronted Katherine  by the outside toilets and upon hearing the commotion Arthur Dyson followed Peace down a nearby alleyway. Peace took out his gun and shot his pursuer dead. Then he fled to Hull where his wife lived.

Peace threatening Mrs Dyson at Banner Cross

It took a good while for the forces of law to track Charles Peace down but he was discovered in Peckham, London and brought back to Sheffield.

Following his trial in  February 1879 he was hanged in Armley Jail in Leeds. He was forty six years old. He had also killed a Manchester policeman during an attempted  burglary just a month after he had killed Arthur Dyson.

Oh yes, Charles Peace was a bad man  who earned his execution. If anyone ever asks you to "give Peace a chance", please think of him.  Why on earth he ever gained legendary status in some ballads, books and films is beyond my reckoning. He was no Robin Hood, that's for sure.

Sunday

Pictures of Sheffield I gathered today - Sunday - after catching a bus into the city centre. I walked the 2.5 miles home home principally for the exercise. I will add some extra words tomorrow to explain these images and respond to any comments that may have been left in the interim.

Waiting for an 88 bus at Hunter's Bar. The Sunday timetable 

provides a reduced service as I am sure it does in most cities.

A colourful kiosk at the bottom of The Moor which is the 

biggest shopping street in Sheffield city centre.

This abstract sculpture sits outside the now redundant Manpower 

Services building. It is called The Crucible and was commissioned in 

1979 at a cost of £30,000. The artist was Judith Bluck and at first 

it was known as The Crucible Fountain. It sat in a pool and water 

cascaded down it. At night it was colourfully illuminated,

Not far from The Crucible sculpture, I spotted this section 

of construction site fencing that I have photographed 

before but yesterday it was interestingly illuminated 

by sunshine reflected from plate glass.

This corner street art references a Sheffield musician called 

Richard Hawley. Perhaps his most memorable self-penned 

song is "Tonight the Streets Are Ours".

Further along Ecclesall Road, I spotted this damaged plate 

glass window. Presumably it evidences an act of wanton 

vandalism but I thought that the pattern left behind 

was quite appealing - like a glass cobweb or something.

A corner shop is being redeveloped and  on the construction 

fencing, I spotted this piece of art which presumably refers to 

Melania Trump's main source of income. My apologies 

to any Melania Trump fans out there in the blogosphere 

- such as Bob Slatten in Camden, South Carolina.

More street art. This time on Snuff Mill Lane. The slightly 

unconvincing image is of the Sheffield musician Jarvis Cocker. 

His song "Common People" with his band Pulp became 

a significant hit in  1995/96.

I returned to the Hunter's Bar suburb where there was a street 

market in progress on Sharrowvale Road. I used to live close 

to Neill Road and have always wondered why they added an 

extra "l" to my name. The cat says "Miaow!"

Here's the busy street market on Sharrowvale Road. The 

event happens four or five times a year and as you can 

see is pretty popular with Sheffielders.

A Salvation Army silver band were playing well-known tunes and I 

thought that Kylie Tai in Sydney, Australia might like this image 

because of her long association with The Salvation Army. It is 

an organisation  that does a lot of good work in different guises.

Before climbing up the long hill back home, I called in at The 

Buddhist Meditation Centre cafe for a hearty bowl of leek and 

potato soup. Across the road I got an unusual view of the 

old park keeper's house by the entrance to Endcliffe Park.

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And then it was back home to prepare the Sunday dinner. Roast pork this time.

And oh, here's an update on the Skote Outdoors story. Matty and heavily pregnant Kelly have now packed up and left their remote island with their two dogs. They are staying in a small house just outside the city of St John's. Although they still plan a "home birth", they now have quick access to maternity services. This comes as a huge relief to their many online followers - and not a moment too soon.

Expecting

This is Matty and Kelly Clarke, They are expecting their first baby together. How lovely! What can be more delightful, more special, more heart-warming than the birth of baby - especially a baby that is wanted  and will be very loved and cared for. They are expecting a little boy.

But this is where they live - a remote corner of southern Newfoundland in Canada:-

There are no roads to St Joseph's Island and the only way out is by boat. Confusingly, there is another St Joseph's Island over in Ontario and I thank Gillian in Canada for correcting me about this.

This is Kelly and Matty's house. They have been working on it for the past fourteen months - making improvements, adding rooms, insulating it. They have even created a small solar facility to satisfy their electricity needs.

Every week they vlog about their life on a heart-warming channel called "Skote Outdoors" . I have blogged about them before.

Currently, they are all alone on the island. Kelly is nine months pregnant and even as I write this blogpost the baby boy may have already been born. However, he was not with us last Sunday and like many other followers of "Skote Outdoors" I look forward to tomorrow's video in the fervent hope that an uncomplicated, healthy birth will have occurred and all will be just dandy.

But the new parents-to-be are far from assistance by medical professionals, including midwives and they are seventy miles from expert hospital care in St John's - the capital of Newfoundland.

Most of their vlog followers have been urging them to change their minds and seek modern medical care for the birth - hoping that nothing goes wrong but knowing for sure that tragedy could so easily happen in these circumstances.

Below, these comments are typical of what "Skote Outdoors" visitors have been saying for the last two or three weeks. You might recognise the author of the third comment:-

@worldtravelerxoxo1201  6 days ago

Kelly if you read this, from woman to woman, Virginian to Virginian, if you haven’t delivered by 42 weeks 0 days please go see a doctor and get checked out. Placenta failure / big baby (possible c section may be needed). I’m a mama of 3 and I tell you the first baby there is so much unknowns and with each pregnancy it can be completely different. I’m looking out for you and the baby. sending love and prayers

@gillyquilly 5 days ago

Kelly, when my water broke, and I went into labor with my firstborn 39 years ago, I thought it was going to go smoothly as my husband sped me to the hospital in the middle of the night. The doctor told us immediately that my daughter's blood pressure was dangerously low and that I needed an emergency C-section. I didn't get to see her until the next day in the nursery. She had an IV on the side of her head and was diagnosed with jaundice. Anything can go wrong; you just don't know, and you should be prepared. Love and prayers to you and Matty for a smooth and happy delivery.

@yorkshire pudding4431 4 days ago

I hope with all my heart that everything works out fine - a healthy little baby boy and happy, contented new parents. But-but-but it could all go so terribly wrong. There's no coming back from death and you owe it to that little boy to give him the best possible chance of life. People who take out fire insurance rarely have to cope with a fire but they know that it could happen and that is why they pay up.

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I am not a praying person myself but if you are a praying person, may I request that you pray for Kelly Clarke, her husband and their baby boy. Dear God - May all be well - Amen.

Caution

 

Who is that woman? Why - it's Beverly Macklin of course - the famous travel writer that nobody had ever heard of. Or is it?

Before we visited Egypt, I thought it would be helpful to purchase a guide book that dealt specifically with the stretch of The Nile between Luxor and Aswan. On Amazon Books, I thought I had struck lucky when I located "Nile River Cruise Travel Guide 2026" by Beverly Macklin. It was quite expensive for a thin volume - costing me £13 or $17US but I thought - what the hell - we'll only be in Egypt once and if the book helpfully informs our visit then it will be money well-spent.

And so the book arrived at our house. I read the 141 pages in two days and it was quite a pleasant publication to read. The style, like the typeface  was fluent and easy. However it kept repeating itself and what is  more it only gave me a broad brushstroke sense of what our Nile cruise might be like. There were no nitty gritty details about accessing ancient sites such as Edfu temple, particular things to look out for in The Valley of the Kings, potential issues with mosquitoes, the best places to buy souvenirs, cuisine highlights  - that sort of thing. In other words  the very kind of helpful information one would customarily find in a a guidebook worth its salt.

In "About the Author" at the front of the book it says, "Beverly Macklin is a travel writer, storyteller, and keen observer of culture, drawn to hidden paths and the untold stories that linger behind every winding road, quiet village and bustling street. With a deep respect for local traditions and an attentive eye for practical advice, Beverly creates travel guides that transcend mere itineraries - they invite readers into a journey of understanding, connection and shared curiosity."

But where was this "practical advice" and how come the great Beverly Macklin has left no other traces of her life within the world wide web?  

I am almost certain that "Nile River Cruise Travel Guide 2026" was created with the aid of A.I. and equally certain that I, along with many others, have been duped by "people" like "Beverly Macklin". The book was "Printed in the United States of America"  but no publishing house is mentioned. After the index, there's a very basic map of the Egyptian Nile but the trouble is - with my copy anyway - that that map is upside down!

But what about the picture of Beverly Macklin at the top of this blogpost?  It can be found in "her" Amazon author details. Out of curiosity, I ran a Google image search over it and discovered that this very same woman appears in several publications, websites  and nooks and crannies within the internet.

Here she is in the banner of a Brazilian  plastic surgery unit in Sao Paulo - Hospital de Olhos...

And here she is an an Arabic lifestyle  magazine where there was an acknowledgement that the picture had been taken from a well-known image library called "Freepix"...

The book is no longer available via Amazon but surprise, surprise there are several new books listed under the very same title - "Nile River Cruise Travel Guide 2026"- but by different "authors" such as the previously never known Harriet Binsky, Gladys Kirk, George Bartholomew and Noel P. Greene. All of these travel "writers" are as elusive as Beverly Macklin.

In short, it's all a scam so be warned my friends. I might become George Bartholomew myself and ask ChatGPT to create several 140 page travel guides about places as varied as Red Deer in Canada, Trelawnyd in Wales and Melbourne in Australia. They should all be  spewed out in five minutes flat thanks to A.I..