Wed 24th Feb 2021 - GG Virtual Session # 035.

 Those attending today were...

I was a little late logging on and had to leave almost immediately thereafter but the discussion I did hear involved how the new Covid regulations will impact upon our regular Wednesday morning sessions. It is very much as before... as the regulations are somewhat unclear then we will wait for further guidance. Even if we as a group decide that it is safe and legal for us to start up again, the groups that we work with might have different ideas. As they say "Watch this space!"😊

The eagled eyed ones of you might have noticed that the landscaping of St Mary's interchange is finally underway. Various trees, including  alder, beech, horse chestnut, lime, maple, horn beam etc have started to appear and there is even a couple of hedges. Not sure how much my campaign has influenced any of this but there is certainly some progress. I am now pushing for some seating and litter bins 👍. Once the area has dried out a bit I will be sprinkling wild flower seeds around during my daily dog walks, wanting to try and get them established before the grass and weeds crowd them out.

Be careful and stay safe... hopefully we will soon all be meeting up in person on a Wednesday morning.

Wed 17th Feb 2021 - GG Virtual Session # 034.

 What a happy, smiling bunch.....

Last week it was the cold that made us thankful we were inside, this week it was the rain... it was bucketing it down on Wednesday..! 

The session started with a quick roll call of people who do not log on to our Zoom sessions but were given a telephone call to check on them, apparently all doing 👌. We decided that one of the (few) advantages of becoming a little forgetful in old age is that you can't remember the endings of TV programs, which means you can watch them time and time again and the ending is still a surprise. Sub titles are a distinct advantage when your hearing isn't quite as sharp as it once was but when the lyrics of songs appear they aren't necessarily the words you have been singing all these years..!

One person had received their Covid vaccination at the Riverside Centre and reported it all went very well. Good news if you manage to get yourself an on line booking there but be aware if you are directed to the blue badge parking area that you still have to enter your car registration number at the reception desk to avoid a fine..!

The gardening club section report that the legumes are thriving in Carisbrooke but failed miserably in Ventnor, due to frost. So much for the theory that Ventnor has a year round sub tropical micro-climate 😀

We all enjoyed a few minutes of what was supposed to have been an off screen conversation, which only highlights knowing where the Zoom mute icon is on the screen (AND remembering to USE IT..!) This followed with the recent news story about the kitten filter on the American lawyer but as nobody in our group is technically minded enough to work out how to turn such a thing on, it is hardly going to be an issue for us.

One person experienced ongoing broadband problems throughout the session ad I struggled towards the end due to Zoom wanting me to update my software during the meeting. Don't you just love technology..???

Remember the rumour I gave you last week about more road "improvements" in Newport..? Well, apparently it is TRUE, see this link

works-to-make-st-georges-way-3-lanes-wide-to-begin-shortly 😏

The detour for the duration of this work looks "interesting" - think I will be avoiding the south side of Newport for a while.

That's about all for this week folks, remember to stay safe and try to get along to next week's Zoom session.

Wed 10th Feb 2021 - GG Virtual Session # 033.

 This was the baker's dozen that managed to make it through the blizzard....

Nice to see one new (old!) face...welcome back 👍. With the weather as cold as it is, really sad that we weren't out at One Horse Field today....it would have been just perfect 😏. As is becoming the norm, the opening topic was Covid and who had managed to get the vaccine. Someone suggested we should watch the 2011 film called Contagion, apparently the plot has a striking resemblance to what is happening in real life right now. For those who have Amazon Prime, here is a link should you wish to view it..

Contagion (2011) - IMDbwww.imdb.com › title 

If you do watch it please do NOT tell us the ending next week...!

The covid theme continued into a discussion about top up jabs and if Virus Passports are a good or bad idea. A few people remarked how difficult it is getting up in the morning during a winter lockdown, I find that walking the dog on a freezing morning is a great way of starting the day.

There was then a discussion about the tip and re-cycling. Apparently Lynnbottom tip is still operating a pre booking system but you can only book once every two weeks. It is difficult to get rid of things like rechargeable batteries and microwaves without doing a tip run, so what do you do if you're not a car owner?) Two GGmers remarked what good value the council garden waste collection service was even though it involves an additional cost.

Various people mentioned getting their central heating boiler serviced recently with most opting to use local contractors rather than British Gas, who apparently are on strike at the moment.

Those living to the south side of the Island seem to be somewhat isolated due to various roadworks being carried out. I am pleased to announce that all the road works at the St Mary's interchange are now completed, although it's rumoured that new work is about to start south of Coppins Bridge 😕.

Last weekend I tried to do a litter pick on the traffic island at the bottom of my road but was thwarted by the mud...

Perhaps it will be frozen solid by next weekend..?

That's about all for this week. Please stay safe 😷.

Wed 3rd Feb 2021 - GG Virtual Session # 032.

 Those attending were....

Over the last year there have been many comments on this blog about "wish we were outside working, rather than having a Zoom session" well today was the sort of day when you would be glad to be indoors..it is tipping it down with rain. I can only imagine what the venues we usually attend along the Eastern Yar are like at the moment, we would need to trade in the wellies in for flippers😀.

Needless to say, the first topic of conversation was about who had managed to get their first Covid vaccination. A quick show of hands indicated that the majority have succeeded in navigating the plethora of information being generated by the local surgeries and NHS booking system with nobody taking up the offer of attending a mainland vaccination centre..! Please note that if you are going to get yours at the Riverside then there is a one way system in operation, coming in from the Fairlee Road end (carpark fees have been suspended for a short duration whilst "getting the jab".

Things then got a bit muddled (NOT unusual) with Mark and Bob trading bragging rights about various certificates, a quick discussion about part of the crown of Henry VIII being found by a metal detectorist in Norfolk and then a swift comment about a frozen penis..!!!!

Apparently several GGmers attended a recent video session for the Cafe Scientifique, not something that I am familiar with but here is a link Cafe Scientifiquecafescientifique.org

Then the conversation turned to an old favourite, Island roads and driving standards. Various suggestions were made about the need to change traffic lane markings, road signage and accident black spots. As a matter of interest, the men that have been working on the St Mary's Interchange inform me that they will be moving on to the construction of a new traffic lane between Coppins Bridge and the Matalan Roundabout....that should cause some chaos so BE WARNED 👎.

Now the St Mary's scheme is finally coming to a close, I have decided to "adopt" the largest remaining island. See area outlined in photo below...

The construction work has left some of this rather bare with large areas of thinly spread top soil. At the planning meetings we were told that it would be landscaped on completion...time will tell. Using the guidance given in the following link, https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk I am hoping to try and sow some wild flower seeds before the grass and weeds takes hold. Planning to use this seed but it is rather costly...

As of this morning, the area looks like this...

Wish me luck!!!