Tag Archives: elephants

Reflections on Spilt Drawing Pins

I found a drawing pin yesterday, which was a bit of a surprise as I didn’t know I’d lost one.

They say that an elephant’s foot is so sensitive it can tread on a stick without breaking it. This may not be true – I’ve never checked it out in person. However, it may well be true, and it makes a good opening.

Just like an elephant, and despite my age and size, I can still detect a drawing pin underfoot if I tread on it with the front end of my foot in normal walking, and I can normally stop myself putting my full weight on it. After a major spillage of pins last week I had a couple of near misses and went round the floor with a magnet to clear the area.

Well, to be accurate, I thought I’d cleared the area.

The situation when planting your heel on a drawing pin is slightly different to the front of foot scenario.

By the time you realise there’s a pin under your heel you’ve already put your weight on it.

Fortunately Number One Son was on hand to lever it out for me. I’d have been able to get it out without help, but it would probably have hurt more.

The moral of this?

Buy the biggest magnet you can afford.

An embarrassment of riches

Despite what I said yesterday I sometimes have far too much to cover in a single post. Today is one of those days.

We arrived early at the farm to set up for the session and I skived off for a moment to look at the buddleia. I’m glad I did, because I spotted my first Painted Lady of the year and got some great shots. Julia saw one a couple of months ago but only managed a blurred shot before it got away. Last year I saw two but didn’t have my camera with me either time.

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Painted Lady

At that point the kids started to arrive. First of all they made cheese straws then spent the afternoon making a variety of things from plastic milk containers. I say variety – elephants, baskets and scoops.

 

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Cheesy biscuity goodness

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Elephant

 

Meanwhile I had to make plastic bottle wasp traps as several of the visitors weren’t keen on wasps. I’m not sure I achieved much but it showed willing, and because it was only wasps none of the veggies complained. Would have been different if I’d built a kitten trap…

The scoops, which I had thought were a bit boring,  were surprisingly popular, thanks to Julia making a sandpit on the new patio/BBQ area.  Just goes to show what I know.

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Sandpit and Scoop. Kids have such strange name these days.

Finally it was time for a meeting…