Scarecrows

A scarecrow is a human shaped figure, usually made of straw and dressed in old clothes and placed in a field to frighten birds away from growing crops. The first part of the word 'scare' is self-explanatory, the second part 'crow' is so called because the Crow has an insatiable appetite for seeds in growing crops.

Scarecrows are used around the world by farmers and are a notable symbol of farms and the countryside. The English word dates back to the 1550s. Before people made straw-stuffed figures, an actual person would run through the fields and shout at birds. What an arduous job!

We had a Scarecrow Trail around the village this weekend with lots of participants.

These two look a bit scary. The face of the one on the left reminds me a bit of Beetlejuice. They can't be too scary though with this cute puppy in the pocket! 

The Primary School

Homage to Team GB Equestrian Olympic achievements

brilliant use of lots of materials

This is just too cute to be scary

Very scary

Gingerbread Man

Harry Potter

Brownies

Fred - A - Straw & Ginger - Rumbas

Made by a lady who runs a dance group

Very clever

Gone Fishing

Another one with brilliant use of lots of materials

Love the ball and chain!

David Attenborough

This won the Funniest Scarecrow

The Greatest Shoo Man

a great play on words

and 

Where's that pesky crow - on top of his hat!

I don't know if there were other winners in other categories.

Lots of people had lots of fun making their scarecrows,

and I think most of the village turned out to view them.

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

A Good Read

The 6.20 Man by David Baldacci
Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm. His journey takes him past the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, and as he gazes out of the train window he dreams about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance.
Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: "She is dead".
Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building - presumably a suicide, prompting the NYPD to come calling. If that wasn’t enough, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the Army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.
This treacherous role will take Travis from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda.

It's a good plot, I enjoyed it.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Pride & Prejudice

Some friends and I went to see Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) on Saturday. 

It was a triumph in the West End where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy and the Evening Standard Award. It's a unique and very funny retelling of  Jane Austen’s most iconic love story. Men, money and microphones are fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance. It's not billed as a musical but it does include a few pop classics including 'Young Hearts Run Free', 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' and the unforgettable classic by Carly Simon 'You’re So Vain'.

It’s the 1800s

It's party time

Let the ruthless matchmaking begin!

It was brilliant

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

A Good Read

I Remember Paris by Lucy Diamond

Jess Bright, single mum and journalist, feels her life has stalled, so when she is offered a writing job in Paris for the summer, she leaps at the chance to go. She always felt that she left a piece of her heart in the city years before.
Her subject is the iconic artist Adelaide Fox, whose personal life has been steeped in scandal and intrigue. Now approaching eighty, Adelaide is ready to tell her side of the story - and serve up some scalding-hot revenge in the process. Amidst a stormy working relationship, Jess and Adelaide must face up to their pasts. As passionate affairs, terrible betrayals and life-changing secrets surface, there may be more surprises in store than either of them dared imagine.

I thought this would be yet another twee romance but I was wrong. I enjoyed it, reading about Adelaide’s life, and about how Jess turns her life around.

    

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Bonjour Mes Amis

On Friday we held a French themed evening in the village church. 

Myself and lovely friends planned it, set it up, dressed tables, served food and entertained our guests who entered into the spirit of the theme and dressed in all things French, including a Marcel Marceau.

The Brownies made the pretty table decorations. 

Platters of assorted meats, accompaniments and French bread were served, red and white wine were on each table and a bar was available for other drinks

including a delicious mocktail

There were quizzes including French picture bingo, oui or non, téte or derrière, we had singing and roll a euro towards a bottle of brandy, the closest won the brandy. That was very popular.

The evening ended with the raffle.

I was hoping to win the meal for two at our village pub.

Everyone had a great time.

The proceeds will be donated between the village Pre-School and the Brownies.

🇫🇷 Be safe and well 🇫🇷 

Polly x 

A Good Read

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.
The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live her life as it would have been had she done things differently, and to undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out the perfect life.

But life isn't always what she imagined it to be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in danger. Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

I enjoyed this. How many of us have wondered "What if ..... how would life have turned out"? Nora had the chance to experience that.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Weekend

My weekend has been very quiet but productive. I did a bit of tidying in the garden yesterday morning, then, after a sit down I planned to mow the lawn, however as I approached the back door this is what I saw  

two wood pigeons

preening, resting and gleaning

I took the photos from indoors because they would have flown away if I had opened the door. I didn't have the heart to disturb them, they looked so content! so I decided to put lawn mowing on hold and start some quilting. I haven't done any for ages and really enjoyed it.

   

They were there for over an hour then eventually they wandered off but by that time I was well into the quilting and didn't want to stop. I mowed the lawn this morning.

That gnome is my favourite, it's a man and his dog,

my daughter bought it for me.

This afternoon was the last of the summer cream teas on the church lawn, and once again it was well attended and the cakes were delicious. 

   
I had the toffee fudge on the left, it was scrumptious. The lady that baked it makes excellent cakes. I was late taking photos, too busy talking and eating cake!! 

Lovely countryside from a recent walk

I hope you've had a good weekend dear reader

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x 

An OK Read

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. When she meets Ryle Kincaid, a gorgeous neurosurgeon she feels a spark, she can’t get him out of her head. Everything in Lily’s life seems too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector, and when Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

It was ok, I didn't like the first half but then it improved. I wouldn't say go out and buy it though.

∼ Happy Reading∼ 

Polly x

Magpies

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

Regional variations have been added to it, or changed completely,

but this is the most widely known version of the Magpie rhyme.

The rhyme comes from traditional British and Irish pagan folklore that predicts good or bad luck based on the number of magpies you see. Magpies have long been viewed in Britain and Ireland as mystical or ominous birds.

The exact origin of the rhyme is unclear, but it almost certainly stems from ornithomancy, the ancient practice of divination and fortune-telling by observing the behavior, flight patterns, songs, and appearance of birds.

The Magpie Superstition:

It's thought that seeing a single solitary magpie is believed to bring bad luck or sorrow. If you address the bird politely by asking "Good morning Mr. Magpie, how's your wife?" you show respect and acknowledge its monogamous nature, which helps cancel out the misfortune of seeing just one. Also people often pair this verbal greeting with a polite nod, a tip of the hat, or a military-style salute.

A couple of days ago I opened my bedroom curtains and saw these 

I didn't have much time to catch the images, it's difficult to see but there were five. They were flitting about on the lounger, on the ground and back again. There had been some rain during the night and I think they were drinking from the cushion.

We have had a lot of Magpies in the village and our garden this year,

I think these were youngsters, they had a sense of joy about them.

I'm pretty sure this was the same crew the next day

in my neighbour's garden enjoying their swing chair.

I opened the window to get a better angle but they flew away.

I like Magpies.

So, am I about to recieve some silver?

∼ Be safe and well∼ 

Polly x