A Good Read

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

After a long and eventful life Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his final destination, but he is still enjoying good health and isn’t remotely interested in the big celebration being organised for his 100th birthday, so he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey. It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has led a mercurial existence, with a larger-than-life backstory.    

The first stop as he leaves the home is the railway station, intending to travel as far as his available cash will allow. There he meets an angry young man who asks Allan to look after his case while he goes to the toilet. The train arrives before the man returns so Allan just takes the case with him. He leaves the train at a remote abandoned station and starts walking until he reaches a cabin in the woods lived in by an old man similar to himself. Meanwhile the young man asks the whereabouts of the old man and leaves the train at the same stop. He then guesses where Allan has gone and finds the cabin. He is even more angry by now and demands the return of his case. A fight ensues, the old boys overpower him and lock him in a fridge. They drink a lot of alcohol and forget about him.

He was a bad man anyway.
There then follows an unlikely but very amusing story of Allan getting mixed up with drug dealers, a motley crew of flawed but interesting characters, and an elephant! The story is also interspersed with flashbacks of Allan’s life and how he inadvertently managed to be in the right place at the wrong time and helped influence a number of events that changed the course of twentieth century history.

Quirky and ludicrous, this is a fun read.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Another Year Older

No one wants to get old, there aren't many consolations associated with old age, but I have stopped bemoaning the passing years and instead I celebrate getting this far intact - 77, yes I know I don't look it 😄 

My daughter treated me to breakfast at a lovely local tea room

followed by a bit of retail therapy

and back home these gorgeous flowers and chocs had arrived from my Aussie daughter. Another lovely birthday.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

Riverdance

Myself and friends thoroughly enjoyed the 30th anniversary of Riverdance

The performance was fantastic, brilliant dancing, singing, music,

amazing special effects and set design

I was surprised and pleased at how well some of my photos came out

Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

A (Fairly) Nice Day Out

It would have been a lovely day out if we had gone a day earlier, but that's life, you can plan a trip to the nth degree BUT you can't plan the weather, it rained, it poured.

M and I had a day trip with our local coach company to Shaftesbury and Lulworth Cove in Dorset. Shaftesbury is a historic hilltop market town in North Dorset, England, famous for Gold Hill, cobbled streets, views of the Blackmore Vale, and its founding by King Alfred the Great in the 9th century.

Gold Hill is a steep, cobbled street lined with picturesque thatched cottages that famously featured in a 1970s Hovis bread commercial directed by Ridley Scott and titled "The Bike Ride" or "Boy on the Bike." It aired in 1973 and featured a young boy pushing a bike loaded with Hovis bread up a steep, cobblestone street. The nostalgic advert, set to the music of Dvořák's New World Symphony, concluded with the boy freewheeling back down the hill, showcasing the brand's traditional, heart-warming image and cementing it as one of Britain's most iconic commercials.

The cat obliged for a photo but sensed what was coming. A few seconds after snapping the scene the rain started pouring down and the cat ran for shelter, and we headed for shelter in a cafe for some lunch, after which the rain had eased off and we strolled around.

St Peter's Church

Nice little park area

with lovely views over the Blackmore Vale

Shaftesbury Abbey museum and gardens.

The Abbey was founded as a Benedictine Nunnery by Alfred the Great in AD888. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit the abbey or the museum.

Alfred the Great

Next stop Lulworth Cove

Formed by the combined forces of the sea and a river swollen by melting ice at the end of the last Ice Age, Lulworth Cove is world famous for its unique geology and landforms including the Lulworth Crumple and Stair Hole.

Lulworth is considered one of the best places in the world to study geology with its amazing landforms and five types of rock.

We were considering walking round to that headland until a woman fell over after slipping on some wet seaweed!

So I walked up there instead

I was disappointed that we weren't taken closer to the famous Durdle Door rock. It was within walking distance, but we didn't have time to get there and back before the coach was due to leave

It was an enjoyable day but having spent more time on the coach than at our destinations we both agreed that we wouldn't do any more long trips

Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

Cream Teas

Every year from June to September, on the first Sunday of the month we have cream teas on our church lawn. On offer are scones, with jam and clotted cream, a plethora of home made cakes, and very nice cups of tea or coffee. 

It's always well attended but today saw a bumper crop of  customers. I think it was a combination of it being the last one and lovely warm weather.

oOo

Here in the UK at 3pm we received an emergency alert test on our mobile phones. I think it's the first time we've had one of these. It's an important step in keeping people safe during national emergencies. I think it's a good idea.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x