Today I've mostly bin...

[Wulfruna]

Sparkout, we do note your distress calls from time to time and are ready, like Bunny, with the virtual hugs and encouragement. Stay in touch......

[SparkOut]

I love this community. Thank you all.

[Bunnylump]

I've just got back from the annual "girls' weekend" in Herefordshire. Had a great time, and called in at Bourton on the Water on the way back. Remembered our fun Puzzlebrains day there, and realised we really should have gone in the Kit Williams maze back then! I did it with my friends just for fun, and enjoyed it (again.)

We must all meet up again sometime!

[Wulfruna]

In Berlin for the amazing Church Gathering called the Kirchentag . Angela Merkel always gives a speech at it but this time her partner in dialogue was Barak Obama - to a crowd of 70,000 at the Brandenburg gate. It was quite something and the welcome was rousing!
For us however it was moving when they were joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury to receive expressions of solidarity for the victims of Manchester - with flags at half mast on public buildings all over the city. Justin Welby is here to give a Bible study, by coincidence.
Ironically, Angela Merkel then flew straight off to Brussels for the meeting of NATO leaders with Donald Trump....... The headline in Die Welt newspaper was "From heaven to hell"

[LAT]

How odd! Wasn't Merkel at the G7 summit meeting in Sicily? I'm sure I read that Trump and May met there today.

[LAT]

We've just got back from a couple of days in the Cotswolds. We definitely picked a good time weatherwise!

While there we visited Snowshill Manor which was amazing - full of all sorts of fascinating things and with lovely gardens too. We also did a car quiz trail from Stow on the Wold to Burford via several small villages with interesting things to spot in each.

And the weirdest thing was that a Spanish waiter at the hotel knows the village where we live! He asked us if we knew it when we said we came from the Surrey/Hampshire borders!

[Scurra]

How odd! Wasn't Merkel at the G7 summit meeting in Sicily? I'm sure I read that Trump and May met there today.

The event with Merkel and Obama was on Thursday morning. She then went to the NATO meeting on Thursday afternoon, and today was at the G7 in Sicily. At least, that's how I understand the timeline.
(It must be quite exhausting to be a world leader sometimes!)

[LAT]

That makes more sense - I got a bit confused by W seeming to say it had happened today.
Besides which I saw something about Obama playing golf at St Andrews today. They do get about don't they?

[Wulfruna]

My problem is that the Kirchentag day is very long! A choice of events from 9 am to 10pm over 3days in locations all over the city. Obama was here on Thursday but we didn't get back to the hotel until rather late and a quick beer was the first priority...
Then out early this morning so it was only this evening that I thought I would report in.

[LAT]

Spotted in Ledbury. I had to take a pic!

Noddy.jpg (38.58 KiB) Viewed 1326 times

[Wulfruna]

What a good likeness!
Though I do like the way you wave at us when driving...

[Biscuit]

I'm back on the forum. Life has been a bit hectic and I've really missed you all. So excited that there were new puzzles too.

[Bunnylump]

Aw, we missed you too!

[LAT]

Oh good! Welcome back!

[Bunnylump]

Went to the O2 yesterday to see the ACTUAL Steely Dan (as opposed to all of the Stanley Dee members who went as audience!) I was slightly filled with trepidation, as Walter Becker passed away recently, the only original member was Donald Fagen, who apparently has been unwell recently and has been cancelling gigs. I had visions of them asking "are there any Steely Dan tribute acts in the audience who could stand in, please?" However, none of this happened. In fact, it was a very enjoyable evening, especially as the Doobie Brothers were the support act.

I must say that row U (RIGHT at the top) was not that brilliant for someone who experiences vertigo, but hey.

[Bunnylump]

...Organising a charity craft evening. Lots of glass paint, lolly sticks, wood burning and glitter, accompanied by mince pies and mulled wine. I'm totally knackered, but it was worthwhile, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Money raised will be going to a cancer charity in memory of a friend who died this week.

[SparkOut]

Well done Bunny, love to you

[LAT]

Sounds good. Well done Bunny!

[eirian]

I'm currently helping out in Manchester Council's legal records section as they prepare to be decanted from the Town Hall in preparation for the much needed refurbishment of that building.

Today, whilst checking we haven't missed anything, I spotted a red box with a seal on the front and figured it might contain something interesting. Unfortunately it was locked and we couldn't find any of our keys (and we have a lot of odd keys) to fit it.
Our boss took the box away and managed to get it open (ok, so he used a screwdriver to force the lock). Inside there was the original letter from Gladstone confirming that the then Mayor would become a Lord Mayor.

Ok, so it wasn't written by Gladstone himself, but he certainly signed it.

One of the best discoveries we've made during the clear out - which sort of makes up for breathing in 150 year old dust..

It's amazing what's down here - looks like whenever they didn't know what to do with something, they put it down here.
As well as the above, we've found some sketches of the Town Hall from 1977, but more interestingly, a book containing signed photographs of all the members of the 1966 Bulgarian football team who were based in the City.

[Bunnylump]

Wow, that really was quite a find. Strikes me you've had a far more interesting day than I have, which has mainly consisted of taking down Christmas cards and dismantling all the ribbons, lights and bells from my hallway (with the "help" of my cat! Mind you, I am just about to go and see Paddington 2 as a consolation prize.