Pear Tree Log - Access Denied....?

Looking for Pear Tree Log or A Woodland Journal?

Apologies to anyone who has tried to read my original Pear Tree Log blogspot and has been hit with a message to the effect that they haven't been invited to the party!;)    This is Blogger's message, not mine.

I don't want to delete the whole blog because the posts are important to me, but neither do I want to lose any more to those pesky scrapers and thieves so I have mothballed it, while I decide what to do.
A Woodland Journal is also mostly mothballed, for the same reason.

Thanks for all your supportive comments on my previous posts, they were all appreciated.


Elaine

Update:  I have taken my posts out of storage to let some fresh air blow through.  What has gone has gone and can't be undone.  
I have now moved over to oldcooks.blogspot.co.uk and flissandmax.blogspot.co.uk where I continue the saga of life.  I am also exploring some old recipe books and cooking cakes and puddings from Victorian times and earlier.

Progress on Plagiarised Posts

You can probably imagine my surprise/shock when I stumbled across one of my posts, complete with a very old photograph of George and I,  on someone else's blog,  no permission requested, no acknowledgement of where the words and photographs had been taken from.

I began to dig a little deeper and it got worse, much worse.   There are many dozens of my posts which have been used by (to date) six other blogs.   There may be more.    They seem to be part of a ring of approx 30 blogs, connected in some way and which have advertisements linked to them.

It galls me that while I dig and delve through their contents, checking for my original posts,  they are probably raking up a profit!

It is impossible for me to say whether there is any genuine content on the blogs; they may be entirely composed of work stolen from other, genuine, blogspots.

To date I have not seen any of your posts in there, I would immediately inform you if I came across one.

Time-lines have been messed about, events which I posted about sometimes show up in these other blogs as having occurred several years previously - say, 2007, which is before I even thought of having a blog.  

I am attempting to go through formal channels right now, so I won't name and shame at this point.  Should the formal complaints not work, then I will post the blog names here.
Meantime, I may have to republish some of my old posts (currently in draft form) in order to establish that they are mine...so you may wish to remove all my blogs from your reading lists, it could get messy if they show up as newly published.

Thanks to all of you for your support and comments through the years.    I have delighted in 'meeting' so many wonderful people.

xxx

ps  I posted my first formal complaints yesterday and have already received confirmation that the contents will be removed.   Now to work through the rest.

Blog Post Theft

I was about to do some more work on a post about a former

Belleau resident.

In the course of my research

I found that someone 

had taken several of my old Pear Tree Log posts 

complete with words and pictures 

and had posted them as their own.

I am easy-going

but some things make me cross.

This is one of them.

You (and I) know who you are

please check with me before you take any more posts.

Boy's New Trick

'Boy', in Shanghai, has been in training.

(sorry, any ads which appear are nothing to do with me.
I think the second video is free of them.)

A few days later...

Somehow I don't think that Sparky and Millie would be up for this.

Double trouble!


They'd rather be outside hunting defenceless little critters
they work as a pair
although Sparky gets first choice of which bits to eat...

A Gate Post

Gates in

Gates out

Harvest gates,

Dog gates,

Hen gates,

Child containment gates

(who are we kidding?)

Gates used rarely,

locked and bolted,

Busy gates

One of my favourite gates is the one near the bird bath (second collage)

 we use it after the barley has been harvested

when

 the enormous barley field becomes our playground

as

Harry uses his metal detector, hoping for treasure

while I walk the dog

and

play ball with him.

The holiday air lasts

until

 Farmer T the younger comes along

 with the plough.

Then the gate gets locked for another year.

Talking Boots

A couple of months ago I developed a stress fracture in my foot

and was completely unable to do more than hobble a short distance.

As you can imagine, after a couple of months 

I was getting pretty desperate and wondered whether I would

ever get back onto the lanes and tracks which I love so much.

Then I remembered these old boots.

I wondered whether I could support my still painful foot with the boot

and perhaps

get out and about a short way

without causing more damage.

I gave it a try.

The boot were comfortable, supportive, reassuring.

The first few walks were short, scary, and a little painful,

but so exhilarating!  

Now I am almost back to normal

the pace is a little slower to accommodate the damaged foot,

but each walk is a cause for celebration.

My boots led me past the watermill and through the lanes to Belleau

(fields are off limits at the moment)

as I walked through the farmyard I could see some sheep had

been penned up and were about to be sheared.

They looked very hot and a bit stressed

so I didn't stop to photograph them

but continued on my way.

The reason they were hot is admirably demonstrated by this big girl.

Ming Ming, I know how much you love the sight of these flowers growing wild and free

so specially for you...

I called in for Arnold, met Old John, and had a chat.

He is busy with his bee keeping

and has just taken delivery of a new honey extractor.

He is, perhaps, a little frailer

and

feeling the heat a bit more,

but what a man!

Ninety-eight and still going strong and showing an interest in so many things.

Arnold was nowhere to be seen.

I checked his paddock,

the stable - no sign of him.

Finally I noticed a slight movement in the small barn

across from his stable.

He was taking shelter from those pesky flies which make life so difficult in the warm weather.

He wouldn't budge,

so I went to him

and got the loveliest surprise

as a big and beautiful Barn Owl flew past me and out the other door.

Arnold enjoyed his treats and a bit of a fuss,

then I went to chat with John again and tell him about the owl.

He was every bit as excited as I was

and hadn't realised that it was 

living in the little barn.

A red letter day.

The reason I called this post 'Talking Boots' is because

no matter how well they are polished with dubbin 

these boots creak and seem to keep up

a running commentary.

Signs of the Times

In the last few months our small village has acquired several new signs.

Two decorative name signs,

one at either end of the village.

They are immense and impressive.

Brick and cobble bases, surrounding a very chunky post,

which is topped with decorative wrought iron work.

This is farming land, so agriculture is represented

by the horse and plough.

The train is there because we used to have our own railway station,

just down the road, until it was closed, thanks to Dr Beeching.

The other horse and man is a reminder that until very recently

we had a working village smithy.

The second sign is a cautionary one 

stating that the road under the old railway bridge

is liable to flooding.

Of course it warns you about this at exactly the spot which floods,

no advance warning!

The third was brought about after a long campaign by George.

He succeeded in getting the 30mph stretch altered to include the lane

outside our property.

The parish council had tried and failed.

George persisted.

It took a lot of patience

but we got there in the end 

 and most people comply.

Harry has been taking his driving test this weekend.

His little electric car has a top speed of 5mph 

so

Grandpa insisted on a written test,

a sight test

and a practical test...

much to Harry's delight,

before he was allowed to drive it around the Owl Wood.

He passed with flying colours

and even had a short drive around the little woodland.

The two younger cousins were both thrilled to have the opportunity to sit in the car.

Ming Ming, I'll email you some more photographs.

x