Mickey fez's most read articles

I was late starting this Internet lark,2008 I began on 360. an Q&A, I have met some nice people and some nasty people. 360 was all hustle and bustle, flying around like a blue arsed fly. I moved to Multiply and settled in, some 360 pals came over some didn't. Then on to here with fewer still from 360. Now there is only Jenny and Jean left from my early days. Although I am still in contact with a few mostly through messenger. Life is quieter here and I like the people who I am in regular contact…

I decided on a walk up to pebble beach this morning with the aim of strolling south through Thorney Nook to the village and cutting back along the channel side. This plan depended on the recent floods subsiding but alas they hadn't. When I got half way down Thorney there was standing water as large as life. I let the cavalry go ahead in the shape of a young girl with her pony. The pony didn't appear too keen to be led through it and by the time they had reached the corner it was obvious I would…

Today we await the first real storm of the Autumn,it is already battering some areas like Devon where Jenny lives and Northern Ireland so Jean reports. Today is a lot cooler and when I woke up I found the central heating had kicked in which it does at 14c about 58f to wrinklies like me. I had to go to town sometime in the next couple of days and as today looked the best bet weather wise I donned my wet gear and flashed the pass. It looks as though the light summer jacket can be stowed until n…

I have just about finished the big clearance one or two more little things to ditch and I'm done. My son Stephen came round to help me move the divan beds and chest of drawers out ready for collection and I have the stuff ready for the scrap man so all is under control. Now I await the whirlwind that is Ellen and her two crazed moggies. As you know Jenny is staying with her daughter for a few days but we still have our late night telephone conversations. The latest news is she spent some tim…

I had a text message from Jenny they are having a grand time and to my surprise she told me it is hot there. That's amazing for Turkey in August don't you think? No me neither I think she has been too long in the sun or supping a lot of the falling down water. I had another text this morning from my daughter Ellen wanting to know if I had eggs which I have of course,she appeared an hour or so later with bacon sausage and tomatoes. Not only did she bring the stuff she cooked our lunch,pretty…

We have more snow to replace the stuff that melted yesterday which doesn't please the cats. They they are so disgusted with it they have gone back to bed We are lucky it is only a little covering a lot of the county is in a terrible condition. I got myself layered up and went to call on a couple of neighbours who are not too clever on their feet just to make sure all was well. They had a visit from their son yesterday and he got them sorted but they did want a couple of Tesco Cornish pasties…

After a long hard battle trying to beat back trouble caused by years of fixing farm machinery in fields and barns in all weathers and sports injuries I am waving he white flag. This means changes in my lifestyle I knew would happen sometime. My GP has told me what not to do ,what to do less and what to carry on with. The list isn't good but I have no choice if I want to stay mobile. No more lugging heavy shopping, no more ladders not even stepladders,the latter because the back spasms are…

I have managed to get the front grass cut and trimmed hard work though it was. I couldn't prune the miniature roses they are still flowering. I have a small bush with about 8 red blooms and another 2 with white blooms. I had just finished and about to have a brew and a chew when I had a back spasm that sent me staggering. So that put a stop to all work for the day. I lowered myself carefully onto the settee and got my feet on foot stool until my back started to behave itself again. My daughter…

Another fine morning here so a wander off into the sunshine seemed a perfect way to spend a little time as I have been cabined up a lot this year with the rain.I needed to get some bird fodder so I thought that will be part of the walk and a slow trawl to see if I could spot a bargain or two. When I was filling the bird feeders earlier I spotted one or two blooms defying the odds and flowering again,the Sweet Williams are very persistent and have made a third comeback. I took a few snaps they a…

I had a couple of scares this afternoon in the form of power cuts luckily they only lasted around 10 minutes each. The snow has about gone although we are promised more.This is the scene at breakfast in the starling camp. I have a couple of photos on the photo theme subject cushions, The first is Sooty leading against one of the cushions Jenny made for me. The second is a pool table which has cushions of course,table modeled by Vikki…

You may remember in the years BC ( before cats) I had a bird bath and feeder on a pedestal.Well that had to go and I bought the high rise version,this works fine but of course there is only a dish big enough for drinking water. The birds really need a bath not only in this warm weather but all year round to keep their feathers in trim. This problem has been bugging me for a while and yesterday I found a solution. My rotary clothes dryer is just about shot after 20 years with our storms etc. So…

Today looked a little iffy with rain in the air early on but it quickly brightened up so time to buckle down to some work. I did some laundry and had it out on the whirly before nine and with a stiff breeze it was getting a good blow. The main job of the day was to be grass cutting.The front is ok and could wait a couple of days if needed,the back however needed attention if it wasn't to get away from me.With the planters on the right hand side I started on the left and had it cut and strimmed…

After an iffy start to the day the afternoon brought sunshine.I sat in the garden for a while before getting restless as always so I decided to do a bit of clearing. Slowly but surely I am getting the patch at the side of the house cleared and today I managed to reach the wall at the front of the house. There is still a lot of rubbish to clear but today I made big inroads getting the large garden waste wheelie half full before my back called full time. Having learned harsh lessons over the ye…

I had a little stroll this morning before the promised rain returned but first I had dinner to start. I had some braising steak in a beer and herb marinade overnight so I diced an onion and added that with the meat some carrots and peas all to the slow cooker and left it to do it's work. Dumplings can be added near the end of cooking after I check the liquid,it may need thickening or more flavour added. A short trip along the beach was the plan today. I had just set off when a picture of loveli…

I have a pal who used to be a fellow walker once but dodgy knees and arthritic hips put paid to his days of hiking a few years ago. I call on him when I pass his home,sometimes a few of us wrinkles gather there for a few beers and tell tales of daring do from our younger days. John has the name Old John although he is only my age he seemed to age very quickly in his 50s. He rang me earlier and wanted to know if I could do with some company knowing I would be cabined up in this foul weather and…

Today is the third dry day running which has been rare of late,the sun is still fighting some stubborn clouds but I think it's got the upper hand. I'm just messing about on here reving myself up to make the move and get the boots on and garden tools out. Once I start I will be fine but the initial push is not coming easily this morning. I think that is because the weather has wrecked the garden this year and any enthusiasm has been knocked out of me. Still this may be the last chance of at gett…

This year has to have been the wettest on record,certainly it is the wettest I can remember. The impact on industry has been huge. The building trade have laid off men in their thousands and the farmers have taken a battering. One group of people have carried on through all the wind and rain, the humble posties. The man who delivers on this round has just dropped a small package off for me and the term drowned rat comes to mind. He is dripping from head to foot as he has been many time…

Today is Jenny's birthday ,I first met Jenny on Q&A when I was new to this computer lark and we have developed a firm friendship since then. She rings me every night around eleven for 56 or 57 minutes. I have an alarm on to tell us because we get one hour free chat then start paying. I was lucky enough to get down to see Jenny and her delightful children in 2011 and hope to return this year,if the funds stretch that is. This is a snap of us in Jenny's lounge. Happy Birth…

The day started dry but with a wicked easterly wind that could cut through steel,no walk today for me besides I had the kitchen to sort out. The old washing machine was cluttering the middle of the kitchen and with a kitchen 12x9 ft and work surfaces, cooker,sink etc to either side plus a glass dining table at one end this didn't leave much room.I sought extra muscle to move the machine,it weights around 140lb and has no wheels or easy places to get a grip of it. My favourites for helping were…

The best weather so far this year,or last for that matter.We have sunshine all the way and no breeze to speak of I spent time in the garden attacking the bad guysand sat awhile.Ilittle white cloud cover forecast for tomorrow the sunshine all the way for the next few days. The poor kitties are brozened trying to finda shady spot to lay in. I got a new voile curtain for the front window,the other was getting on a bit and slight;y too long. The new one looks a lot better. When I took the old cur…