Just a puzzle for a Monday morning. replace the numbers by letters to complete the grid.

We had a lovely walk around Cocken Woods and Finchale Priory on Saturday.
Along the riverside there was lots of bird life - and the most exciting sighting was two kingfishers flying up the river.
All I could do was point and go "oo, oo, ooo!" like a demented gibbon. So no photos - you'll just have to believe me.

This article about the LITTLE COUNT was sent to me - I thought it might interest others.
From the Geordie Diary Facebook page:

5 September 1837
‘Died, at Bank Cottage, near Durham, in the 99th year of his age, Count Joseph Boruwlaski, the celebrated Polish dwarf, a native of the province of Pokucia, in Polish Russia.

This extraordinary person, though only thirty-six inches in height, was perfectly symmetrical in figure, and he enjoyed excellent health to a very late period in life. His lively genius and engaging manners caused him to be much noticed when he arrived in this country, and having been seen by some of the prebendaries of Durham, he was prevailed upon by that body to take up his abode in the above cottage, they engaging to allow him a handsome income, which he enjoyed up to his death.’

There is an image of an engraving of our very own Polish Count standing next to Patrick Cotter O’Brien, who was known as the Bristol Giant or the Irish Giant.  Patrick was approximately 8’ 1”. (He was the tallest person alive at that time.)  Estimates of Joseph Boruwlaski’s height vary; one of his friends believed he continued to grow as an adult, even into old age. Whatever the truth, it is likely that he would have been over 36” tall by the time of any meeting shown in the drawing so the difference in their heights as shown is more than a tad exaggerated.

I hope everyone is managing with the further restrictions that have been imposed.
It seems as if it is going to be a very long hard Autumn/Winter.
Please keep in contact with each other to help everyone’s sanity. 
Main thing is to look after yourselves & stay safe. 

Val x

Jessica Louise Gilberg was born to our daughter Deborah and husband Pete 10th September 8lb 11oz   
We're very proud grandparents.
Judith x

Can you work out the words/phrases? N.B. the spaces between letter groups are arbitrary.
Imperial measurements

1. N TC LML
   
2. C R
3. FLD NC
4. BR LYN RN
   

Items collected in 'Blue Peter' appeals

1. C MP CTDS CS
   
2. LM NMC NS
3. S DC LTH NG
4. JN KM L
   

Things served cold

1. GZ PCH
   
2. MRC NBR
3. R VN G
4. CCR M

Pairs of words that look like they rhyme

1. C GHN DBG H
   
2. DR GHT NDTH GHT
3. LGH TRN DSL GH TR
4. P LGH RND R GHR
   

…. Dozens more are available from onlyconnect.tv

I was sort of spurred by the photos of a walk around Washington to respond with a couple of pictures from a bike ride around Bolton!! First confession is that I now have an e-bike which makes tackling the hills around here much less of an effort. Every option from our place is either an uphill start or an uphill finish. so a bit of help is great. Bank Holiday Monday was fine with not too much breeze so I took the opportunity to have a run out of about 20 miles as part of my 'how to stop adding pounds' regime(failed). You may recall that in other messages I've referred to being  'from Lancashire' - well this is confession two as our bit of Bolton is (just) inside the administrative boundary of Greater Manchester BUT is still in the pre-boundary change traditional area of Lancs. As a penance, then, a couple of fairly poor shots (and distant ones to boot) from my phone of two of Lancashire landmarks. For those with good eyesight, then Blackpool tower is just visible on the horizon right of centre of the pic shown as Tower 2 with Preston sprawled to the right centre and Southport just creeping into the distance on the left hand side.  Pendle Hill  is seen in the Pendle1 shot taken looking over Blackburn but I'm not mentioning the witchcraft connection for the hill with Pam around :)

Hope to see you all soon

Richard.

So here we are September upon us and no signs of getting back to singing, I do miss the choir and fellowship singing at home is not the same. 
On the bright side we've had some good days out. We were going to Leeds for Anne's 70th birthday to stay in a house all the family but it got cancelled last minute due to maintenance issues, so we all went to Lindisfarne for a picnic and had a great time. We then went back to Marie's for an Italian meal from Sambuca’s Ch-le -St  so it was a brilliant day anyway. 
I am starting back to lollipopping on Wednesday. It will be strange because I am not allowed to keep my uniform and stick in school and must clean it all after every shift - oh joy this covid has a lot to answer for. 
Anne is going in for cataracts on the 11th Sept so we have to self-isolate till then, then things we can't do is really silly: no shopping, no going out etc. We will be staying safe and going for walks and car rides to the coast, keeping a safe distance from others, then we will see what the next instructions are.
Hope everyone is safe and well, take care, we will meet again one day.
Anne & Ron