ENTHUSIASTIC PROOF!

On a dull and rainy day, when you know it's not going to be that good for blipping, you seize your opportunity when you can - so when Mr. HCB told me at 7.55 a.m. that he was going out to start loading up the car to take the rubbish to the tip, I was out there like a shot!

As I stood there with my phone camera poised, he looked at me in disbelief when I said he may be my blip for today - but having been married to me for 46 years, I don't think much that I do surprises him!

I happily clicked away and he did all the work - bless him! I did say at one point that it would be good if he could give me a smile and his response was "I don't smile this early in the morning!" So I had to blip him in an unsmiling state and sadly no amount of processing can change that.

He was a good sport though and was determined to get ALL the rubbish in the car, and he did, so top marks to him. I just hope that the slugs and snails that are in the bags and perhaps even in the old plant pots don't creep out and make a mess in the car. They are being taken far enough way though NOT to come back, I hope.

While I was taking photographs, Chris, one of our neighbours came out and was using a dustpan and brush on his lawn - I said I knew that Sandra swept her new paving, but didn't realise he swept his lawn! He said that he finds at least 20 slugs and snails on there every morning, so he sweeps them up and throws them over his back fence, so that they can chomp on the Council's grass and not his. I mentioned to him what BowBelle had told me about them coming back, so he said perhaps he should find somewhere else to throw them! A good chance to catch up with him, as we don't see him and his wife very often.

As well as Mr. HCB moving the rubbish, I have put a photograph of the fence that started all this - Alan, the fence man, did an excellent job - he was here at 8.30 yesterday and was finished by 2.30 p.m. having erected a 13 metre fence - only trouble is, we can't see our next door neighbours now - so perhaps we should invite them in for coffee and cake!

Nobody grows old
by merely living
a number of years.
People grow old
only by deserting their ideals.
Years wrinkle the face,
but to give up enthusiasm
wrinkles the soul.
Watterson

In my eyes, Mr. HCB will never grow old, because he is always enthusiastic about everything he does - he may do it more slowly now than he did when he was younger, but he gets there in the end and for that, I am thankful, although I'm not sure he is equally thankful to be the subject of my blip!

P.S. Mr. HCB got back at about 10.00 a.m. and said I would have "freaked out" if I had been with him because he found a toad in the car - makes me shudder just to think about it!