The trick is shaving foam

Slowly clearing the rubbish after two more trips to the tip today.  Unfortunately I came away with very green fingers after a bottle of grass nutrient - that my husband got from the head greenkeeper - had leaked everywhere. Everything I picked up was bright green and soaked through my gloves. I had hands like The Hulk!

I washed my hands 4 times as soon as I got home and nothing removed it.  Then I remembered an old trick for getting rid of red wine stains out of carpet and I wondered if it would work! I rubbed some of my husbands shaving foam into my hands and - hey presto - the green completely disappeared. Worth remembering if you drop a glass of merlot!

This sculpture was something else I had seen on my way to the tip and is called 'standstill'. It is a large steel cog topped with two bronze 'runner' forms and embedded with three stainless steel teardrop shapes.  It was created by artist Ian Randall and reflects the area's historical link with the textile and foundry industries.

I think fireworks are getting louder every year!  My dad almost died after a firework accident when he was a little boy and they've always made me nervous.  I would much rather watch them through the window instead!

In other news, my mum and dad flew to Madeira this morning.  They were supposed to land at 1 pm but the airport was closed because of high winds.  They are currently sat on the plane in Tenerife - at 8 pm - waiting for Madeira to open!  An awful start to their holiday.

Quote for today:
Delay is preferable to error.
- Thomas Jefferson