Lots Going On Today

An odd photo to start with today - this is what I managed to photograph of the heavy rain last night in the beam of my camping torch. It looked better to the naked eye, but was a bit of a challenge for the iPhone's camera!

In contrast to yesterday, this morning looked quite promising weather-wise. Just as well, seeing as I was up earlier than I would have liked after watching the film "Eagle Eye" on the TV late last night in order to be ready for the heating engineer to service our boiler.

Dropped Su off in town before driving off to Midsomer Norton to get my glasses fixed (the optician's I bought them at has moved there). Saw this most unusual bumper sticker on a wheelie bin - I was impressed by the vocabulary used!

More word play in evidence on Midsomer Norton High Street - this chalkboard notice for a newly opened tattoo parlour.

The weather had turned a bit grey and threatened rain, not for the last time today.

Came home and about to get stuck into Round 2 of emulsion painting, when our neighbour came round with his new-to-them MacBook with a few questions that needed sorting out. I decide to have some lunch before tackling painting, then the phone went. It was a neighbour on holiday asking me to let a delivery person collect something from their house round the corner. So, Bella got an unexpected early afternoon stroll (avoiding another potential shower in the process). Saw another garage that is used for storing a vehicle and not "stuff"!

This is new graffiti, but it looks aged - must not have used the right brand!

After that, I finally managed to reacquaint myself with the joys of emulsion paint. We are using the favourite brand of cats - cosy matt:-)!

Painted until the tin ran out (Su bought more when she was out) - admired our ripening grapes as I took Bella out for her proper walk.

Saw this old hinge support on the way.

Flowers overhanging the path.

This graffiti looked a bit hammer-and-sickle-like at first glance, but I wouldn't think the artist is a Marxist somehow…

Abandoned baby's bottle on the overgrown grass of the football pitch.

Bella played in the stream and then we climbed up the hill through the field of umbellifers. The weather had brightened up by now, and the temperature was going up as well.

I noticed lots of fine detail in the plants today - maybe because I am wearing glasses with my old prescription while the others get fixed?

These umbellifers keep on giving - this is their post-flower, pre-seed phase.

Not to be outdone, the thistles are still hanging on in there too.

On Charlcombe Lane, more building works - here railway sleepers holding back the hillside while they work on a parking area/garage.

Lovers carve each others' initials into tree trunks, BT engineers carve obscure numbering conventions into telegraph poles (or is it code for "I love ISDN"?).

The stolen egg container has been replaced with a more modest enamelled bread bin - not on full display like the other one used to be.

This day a year ago was Bank Holiday Sunday. We had been off to an event in Alice Park, but diverted to Victoria Park when the skies opened - I braved the rain with Bella while Su stayed dry in the car and took this photograph of us contemplating quite how we were going to get soaked on our walk.