Friday, March 11, 2016

Friday Smiles 161: The plastic bag in the tree


I'm joining Annie at Friday Smiles for a smile to start the weekend off right.  I'm not sure how many smiles this post will bring, but I'm hoping you will at least smile at the flower bed.

The tulips are still not showing any signs of blooms,

but the hyacinths

have bloomed nicely.

However, that is not why I am posting today.  Last Friday I visited Elizabeth's blog (The Silver Scrapper) where she talked about her daughter searching for a bag in her bag.  According to Elizabeth:
Here in Scotland, since the bag charge was introduced in 2014, we're well practiced at carrying a stash of bags wherever we go, just in case, but it can be quite a struggle to release them from captivity :)
In my comment I noted:
I've never heard of the bag charge, but I think it's probably a good idea. When I got home yesterday, I noticed a plastic bag had gotten caught in a high branch of the tree in my front yard. I commend you for carrying bags.

As of yesterday (Thursday, March 10), that plastic bag is/was still there.  So while I was out admiring my blooms, 

I took a few pictures of this plastic bag blowing in the wind.  This is the view from my driveway

and this is the view from my front porch.

Now that I've shown you this errant bag, I hope you smile and pick up your plastic bags before they find their way to my tree, too. 

And of course, I hope you visit Annie at A Stitch in Time to start your weekend off with a smile.

20 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

Your bag in the tree looks like a flag of peace. Bags cost money here, so I always have a foldable nylon bag in my pocket for when I need to go shopping.Plastic bags are not good for the environment. Hope the white bag soon flies off to spread he message somewhere else. Hugs, Valerie

pearshapedcrafting said...

I agree with Valerie - it does look like a peace flag - just imagine what colour might have found it's way there! I have carried a cloth bag for a while for smaller purchases but since the bag charge came in I have to be sure to take more! For food shops usually we have strong 'bags for life'that we have been using for years and they are still in good condition! I hope that bag flies off soon - can't have you climbing the tree to get it down!! Hugs, Chrisx

froebelsternchen said...

Lol.... we really have to do something against the plastic everywhere - I try to buy unpacked things and have my shopping bags and trays with me ..but nevertheless there is so much plastic trash at the end of the month.

Annie said...

I'm happy to carry my bags in my bag because although I do agree with the others that yours does look rather like a peace flag it won't be easy to fetch down for you and may be up there a while.....just don't get climbing up for it in case you fall.
Have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x

Annie said...

I had no idea at all that you were so didi...it made me smile cos at just 5 foot it's rare to find someone smaller than me :-) As the saying goes...All good things come in little parcels [but I usually add yes but so does poison ;-)....I will let you decide which I am :-)].
Hugs,
Annie x

My name is Erika. said...

You have so many signs of spring at your house. I love seeing that green. We are definitely behind you, still all browns and greys here, but luckily no snow, which we often still have a lot of in March, and can get a lot of in March too (though it never lasts). Enjoy your green. And Friday too! Hugs.

JoZart Designs said...

I adore hyacinths and their fragrance.
Now what about that flying bag.... I thought you'd hung your washing extra high. You need to make a cake first, then find a very tall person, give them a ladder and garden rake and a promise of coffee and cake if they bring the bag down then leave them to it. Hee hee! I know how it is being short in stature.. but at 5 feet tall, I can give you 1 inch and sometimes I am glad of that inch
Have a good weekend.
Jo x

Barb said...

I'd have had that one down by now. Since hubby now uses bags for life when he does the shopping I'm running out of plastic bags for the bin under the sink!

I have a very pretty tote bag send last Christmas by a blog buddy. It lives in my handbag so it's handy for when I happen to PASS a craft shop. We've never met but Joanne and I have been friends since we met in an ATC swap about seven years ago. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing - most of the time, anyway.

I'm sure the rest will come up but your hyacinths look lovely. I find their smell intoxicating. Have a lovely weekend. Barbxx

Lisca said...

Yes, here in Europe the shops charge for plastic bags if you have forgotten your shopping bag. In England they have always been free of charge so nobody bothers to bring their own bag. Now finally they are charging too and it will encourage people to bring their own, as the plastic bags don´t disintegrate or burn. So they are very bad for the environment.
Your bag looks like a flag in the tree. I hope someone collects it soon.
Your hyacinths are gorgeous. Do they smell nice? Spring is coming!
Have a good week,
Lisca

Elizabeth said...

Hi Elizabeth, ah, the horror that is the loose plastic bag! As it's estimated that the time it takes a bag to decompose ranges from 20 to 1000 years so yours could be up that tree for some time to come. Your hyacinths, in contrast, are simply beautiful:) Have an enjoyable weekend. Elizabeth xx

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Elizabeth and Bleubeard of course, BP here. I think it took a while for people in the UK to get used to carrying a bag but now I think they are quite good and there are many companies producing lovely fold up bags, I know this because Angela has lots of them because she loves to shop with her mother. It is very kind of you to visit me but you must keep quiet about what you see as I should still be on my shelf. They are back tomorrow so I need to get back up there soon. Have a great weekend, BP Mini Me and friends xXx

Meggymay said...

Loved this post and your super photo's. I thought it looked like one of the wind socks they fly near smaller airfields, to show the wind directions. Maybe you might corner the market for plastic wind vanes. Anyway I hope it blows away soon.
Yvonne xx

mamapez5 said...

An errant bag can be very stubborn at times.
On my recent visit to UK I found they were really strict about enforcing the bag charge. It is a great idea as we use far too much plastic. I have a huge array of jute, and cotton bags, I just have to remember to take them with me when I shop.
The charge has just been introduced over here in Spain too, but lots of shopkeepers don't enforce it. I hope your bag blows down soon. Hugs Kate x
PS The hyacinths are beautiful. I love their scent.

Robyn Oliver said...

Hi Elizabeth, yes you sure got a few big smiles from me with you tree bag - like a wind sock blowing away there...so that's a good sign that you have lovely breezes - our new extension windows are all placed so we can catch the breezes through the house. We have some bag charges in Australia and some states have banned plastic ones altogether - a great idea, so many nices ones about these days and that all brings back memories of mum with her wicker basket off shopping. LOOOVE your hyacinths, have a wonderful weekend Robyn

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

In SF, plastic bags like that are banned so we don't find them on our trees! LOL. Have a good weekend.

Divers and Sundry said...

I have a hoard of plastic bags here that I use for trash, but I have lots less garbage than I do bags. It's a shame when you're trying to take a photo and keep getting plastic or trash of some kind in the shot. I saw a short film once that was a tale of a plastic bag's journey in search of its maker. Those bags _travel_ :( 18 minutes long: http://divers-and-sundry.blogspot.com/2010/06/plastic-bag.html

Twiglet said...

Your bag story reminded me of when my daughter was about 5. A white bin sack got caught in a tree in the town park. We called it the Selby ghost and it was up there for years!!

Darla said...

Here by the Bay plastic bags are banned as Pamela said. You even have to pay for paper bags at the grocery store - I think 10 cents each. Clothing stores still give a free paper bag (with their ad of course). I have a stack of reusable bags that I keep in the trunk of the car.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see some blooms. We have some violas, no tulips here, too many deer. Plastic love it or hate it. We usually see those blasted mylar balloons caught in trees. Hope it blows down soon so you can whisk it away. xox

Jeanie said...

You are reminding me to check the back garden for hyacinth blooms -- always early ones. My daffs are beginning to pop and the tulips budding but no flowering on anything yet -- I think there's a bit of a way to go here and we're just hoping not to get much of a freeze now that the buds have started!