Author: Mark
Big Boys off to school
IMAG0163.jpg, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We have 2 big boys in the Riley household now. This is the first day they go off together.
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Bluebells, Walk in the Woods and a picnic
IMAG0031.jpg, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Great day on Saturday. We walked from Snowshill to Blockley past this bluebell wood. Had a picnic near the bowls club in Blockley, and all was well with the world.
Read MoreIs this a Banksy?
I took this pic on the Evesham bypass where it joins the Cheltenham Road. Is it a Banksy?
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Willersey Stream Team
Willersey Stream Team, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We made it into the papers when digging the ditches in Willersey to prevent flooding.see Cotswold Journal WillerseyThe photographer caught my best side and Barney’s backside.
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bullnose backcover
bullnose, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. See Grandad and the kids on the backcover of the Bullnose Morris magazine.
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Sams bantams
Sams bantams, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We got 2 Wyandotte and 2 light Sussex bantams, and I went to buy some layers pellets and got a sample bag for free which should last for a week or 2.
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Sams new chicken coop
Chicken Coop2, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. The deluxe penthouse chicken coop for Sams new pets. They might arrive on Saturday if we buy some at Moreton agricultural show, if we see some nice ones. It has room for 8-10 birds but we are looking to start with 4.
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wendy n mark
wendy n mark, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. At the Russells staff party. We are technically not staff, but do some odd jobs. Had a lovely time.
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Trugs from an old tyre
Trugs from an old tyre, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. I made these trugs from an old tyre I found dumped by the road. Good for carrying tools around and Wendy has used one already when harvesting some of the rhubarb.I followed the steps I read here http://www.instructables.com/id/Tired-and-True-Trugs/ Click the image above to see more pics…
Read MoreIt was a great ‘find’ and we all were terribly excited. Monty went history mad, found a 12 inch deep black mud puddle and covered himself in wode like an ancient Briton.
Read MoreRoman villa discovery
Bill Bryson, in ‘Notes From A Small Island’, wrote about exploring the remains of a Roman villa in the woods near Winchcombe, so on Mothers Day we went for a ramble in the woods and did a bit of archaeology ourselves. In this pic Wendy is pulling back the plastic sheet to reveal a mosaic…
Read MoreDown the pub with the lads.
In the New Inn, Willersey, and getting drunk with this couple of old geezers.
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Prescott Hill Climb
Prescott 049, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Wendy’s dream car – an AC Cobra. Sam took this one at Prescott Hill Climb.
Read MoreCould open source replace Google adwords/adsense?
I love Google. The search tool is terrific, and I have yet to see a better one, and I also use Gmail, Google docs, Google Analytics and plenty of other groovy Google stuff. Oh and this blog is published with Blogger so thanks again Google. The problem I have is with Google Adwords and Adsense,…
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Dad helping me put the posters on the trailer
Dad helping me put the posters on the trailer, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
Read MoreI’m so conflicted
I want to run my car on pure vegetable oil, which apparently will be OK, but take a look at this…….
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2 new sites added to the UsedUk fold
I have added 2 more towns to the UsedUK familywww.UsedCheltenham.co.uk and www.UsedGloucester.co.uk Anyone out there in Gloucestershire with ideas for promoting the sites locally, please get in touch.
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Ingenious recycling bin
An engineering student friend of mine, Robin Marks, made this recycling when doing a school project. It is now in his parents kitchen, and doubles as a work surface. What you do is revolve the dark green circular cover until the smaller circle is above one of the 4 internal recycle bins, then drop the…
Read MoreWolves game 9th Feb 2008 – Balloons
Wolves game 9th Feb 2008 – Balloons, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Nick and his family, with Wendy and Sam helped to hand out 7500 balloons before the Wolves game on Feb 9th. We were a bit nervous about the reception we might get, but it all turned out to be a lot of fun.
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We have a fan page for UsedBlackCountry on Facebook
We have a fan page on Facebook and there are 8 fans already. Click the picture to join and send us some love, thanks.
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Daily Telegraph Jan08
Telegraph Jan08, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. I got a mention on the Telegraph website, business section.
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UsedWolverhampton.co.uk
UsedWolverhampton.co.uk, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. A car boot sale near Wolverhampton. I parked the trailer near the entrance the public drove past.
Read MoreAngels in Dudley
Here I am handing out flyers in Dudley town centre in the rain. My halo has drooped a bit.A man from the council market which you can see in the background moved us on as he said he had had a complaint !Wendy and I gave away 40 helium filled balloons to little kids too.
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www.useddudley.co.uk launched
dudley, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. My new website business starts soon. The website has been created and is now being tested. Feel free to have a play with it.www.useddudley.co.ukwww.usedwolverhampton.co.ukwww.usedwalsall.co.ukwww.usedblackcountry.co.uk
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lamb tangled
lamb tangled 001, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. This lamb had been tangled up in this bramble for quite a while and someone knocked on our door to let us know as they were thinking we owned it. (we are renting a house from the farmer) The farmer was away at a sale in Wales, when…
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Snowshill
Snowshill 005, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Snowshill in the evening sun, having cycled there via Buckland with Dave Malley. Boy oh boy I was knackered getting there. He says my bike is too small for me but he is just jealous because I only paid 84 quid for it on eBay and he paid 500…
Read MoreVillage Fete
So we are back in the UK and living in Willersey in Gloucestershire. We moved into a great little house and just in time to take part in the village fete and craft show activities. My date and walnut cake didn’t win a prize in the men only baking section, (there were 22 entries) Our…
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Malley House
Image(499), originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. click on the pic to see more
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Lake Cowichan camping trip
Lake Cowichan camping trip, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Gordan Bay camp site on our last trip in Canada. Everything fitted in or on the Tracker which has turned out to be a fantastic car. We drove for 75 Km down logging roads and 75 Km back to get to Nitnat village. (took 5-6 hours)
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Polecat lodge party
Polecat lodge party, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. There was a neighbourhood party in Merle’s workshop, where we got to say goodbye to lots of friends. Click on the pic of Barney for more …..
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Zack & Sam
Zack & Sam, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Sam was asked if he would ride a llama as an experiment, as Bruce wanted to know if Zack would do it.It turned out that he doesnt like it and he bucked Sam off !
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Sam and Goat, and Barney is goat trampoline in movie
Sam and Goat, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
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Quails spotted in the garden
Quails spotted in the garden, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
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Whiffen Spit
Whiffen Spit, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. In Trevor’s fishing boat rounding Whiffen Spit. No fish were caught again though. It is a beautiful boat and a beautiful place to zoom about. Press the green arrow to see the video below. and see the seal get fed some salmon roe after.
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Barney and James
Barney and James, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We were invited to a bbq at Tony & Nancy’s house. They have quad bikes :o)
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Survivorman (behind the house)
Barney, Sam and I built a shelter out of a tarp behind the house, about 50yards into the forest. We had a fire and cooked wieners and Merle and Tom, from next door came over, and we drank wine and beer and told ghost stories. After dark the kids got cold feet and went inside…
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gold kalashnikov
2 pictures of me. The first a lamp designed by Philipe Starck, gold kalashnikov, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. This is a gold plated kalashnikov machine gun looking table lamp. $1600 and we actually sold one on the website !! Jeez there are some stoopid folks out there. This is a picture of me taken in the…
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Angus does the dangerous work
Angus does the dangerous work, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. I am making a bench and I’m not allowed to do the dangerous work with the big sharp tools as I would get tangled up in them, and that would blunt the blades. This is Angus who is helping me with the dangerous bits. he is…
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Big tree smashed
Big tree smashed, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. This is the biggest of the trees that was wrecked in the recent storms.It makes our car look like it is toy sized.
Read MoreIt’s snowing hard
Saturday evening and it is snowing hard here. It doesnt snow that often this far South except on the mountains. :o)
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Bruce the fishing master
img_1640, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Barney & Sam have caught their first fish thanks to Bruce the fishing teacher. They have to call him Sir ! I scoffed the fish.
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See all the road trip pics
Palm Springs 036, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. click on the Joshua Tree photo and link to Flickr where all of the road trip pics are stored
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View Palm Springs from the mountain
Road Trip to Palm Springs 031, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
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Richard’s House
Road Trip to Palm Springs 024, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. So we drove for 1365 miles (2200 Km) to deliver this patio furniture which is made in Belgium. Richard saved $10K for his trouble and it does look fantastic.
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Palm Springs Aerial Tram
Road Trip to Palm Springs 028, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. There is a mountain overlloking the city and you can take this cable car to the top – 8500 ftAs you ascend the floor revolves so you get to see a 360 degree view – takes 10 minutes too.
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Mojave Desert Plane storage
Road Trip to Palm Springs 018, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
Read MorePropositioned by a fag hag
In Sacremento we were propositioned by a Fag Hag who assumed Richard and I were both gay and she wanted to go to a gay night club in Palm Springs with us that night.Sacremento is a gold rush town, very interesting, with a paddle steamer that brought the prospectors inland from San Francisco.
Read MoreLucky 33 Black at the Native Casino
So we were travelling along the highway in the dark looking for a motel to stay and zoomed past an Indian casino with a full carpark – 4 tiered multistory in the middle of nowhere and FULL of cars.So we did a u-turn and booked in, and it was brilliant. Very nice new room, excellent…
Read MoreWe did 740 miles today in pouring rain half of the time and it took 14 hours. We did have time on the way to visit an outlet Mall in Oregon, where I bought loads of clothes, and have a late lunch in Oakfield which was a town that seemed to consist of nothing but…
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A Jack O Lantern
012, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Halloween is a big deal here. Much bigger than the UK.
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Wicked old man
011, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. A wicked old man tries to beat our Monty with a big stick.
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Barney in the distance
001, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Barney popped the button on his trousers so they kept falling down, which slowed his pace.
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Great Uncle David and Aunty Mary
005, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We went for a hike up to the Sooke potholes, and Dave explained why the geology was like it was and how it had all been miles under sea at some point.
Read MoreSomething that made me smile
As I got home from work today I caught Wendy at the tail end of telling Sam off as she said “….. and put that lizard away as well !”I bet she never thought those words would ever pass her lips.
Read MoreQuite an evening so far
On the way home I saw a black bear near our house. It was really small and cute and was gambolling along the middle of the road so I followed it until it nipped into the forest. I’m not sure if I should be reporting this to someone? 2 days ago a black bear sighting…
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Llama trekking in East Sooke – Great day
What a fantastic day we had with Sandy and Bruce and their Llamas in East Sooke Park. We trekked from their log cabin, each of us leading a llama, through the forest, up and over rocks and logs, to the coast. We lunched at the trap shack, which is a cabin on the coast trail…
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East Sooke Soap Box Derby
IMGP2557Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Sam was great in the soap box derby – he didnt win the trophy ( which was as tall as he is) but he did win some races.Thanks to the East Sooke fire brigade for organizing it. This a movie of Sam driving the cart but watch the other kid he…
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Merles woodshed
IMGP2556 Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. Merle is making a woodshed out of old pallets saved from a shopping centre building site – it took him all day to collect the good timber.The roof is covered from red cedar shingles which he splits from round tree sections he pinches, er I mean, finds in the forest.…
Read MoreThe flippin’ deck is finished at last
The Riley family visit of August 2006 was the deadline for finishing the deck and steps to the top of the rock which should give us a glimpse of the sea – a glimpse you understand, not a view and it is of Sooke Basin not really the sea. But still it was worth it,…
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Sasquatch House
IMGP2528, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. We found a great Sasquatch house on the beach at Whiffen Spit – they are made by Bigfoot type creatures, probably at night. There was no sign of the owner on this occasion.We saw a Cougar the other night returning from a Shamrock’s Lacrosse game, but we have yet to…
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Muir Beach
IMGP2544, originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. From the back – Jack, Grace, Bonzo, Sputnik and Kitty
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Fossils at Muir Creek
Fossils at Muir Creek Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. on the beach at Muir Creek there is this giant wall of sandstone and mussel shells fossilised from mllions of years ago.
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Raccoons raid the bird table
Raccoons raid the bird table Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass.
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Barney made dinner
IMGP2440 Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. what a great meal he made too !It was chicken and peppers in a garlic and sweet chilli sauce on a bed of rice.Sam and he made yoghurt and fruit dessert with smarties in it.Scrumptious.
Read MoreThe temperature has been in the thirties recently but the snow on the mountains is still there. How is this possible? how? come on someone, tell me.
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The new shelves
The new shelves Originally uploaded by thesnodgrass. It was a bit like an Amish barn raising. Barney and I built these shelves but we needed help from Tom and Merle to get them erected. The Amish might have frowned on all the beer drinking though.
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