I Like Cheese

Models on the Runway

2012-01-30T17:02:00.000Z

Models on the Runway - sounds dangerous ! Can someone tell me why when displaying the latest fashions the models have to walk in such a silly fashion ? It looks ridiculous ! Have you ever seen any normal person walk like they do ? It doesn't make the clothes look any better, so perhaps they are asked to walk like they do so as to distract the attention of the buyers. It is all so stupid ! I haven't noticed the male models doing it !!

Really, California !

2012-01-02T08:18:00.000Z

There is currently an ad running on commercial TV here in the UK, advertising the wonders of California in an attempt to attract visitors. A young lady appears in the ad, and states that there are "many misconceptions about California, most of which aren't true". Do I need to write more ? Think about it ! I'd like to know how a misconception can be true !
I presume the state has a large publicity department, so how on earth can they let such a howler get into an ad, even if it was produced by an agency ? Disgraceful !

Social Networking Sites

2011-10-12T11:39:00.000+01:00

I don't know about you but I find some of these terribly confusing. Perhaps it's because I'm getting older, but Facebook in particular confuses me. I can't seem to work out what is happening or how to use it. There seem to be lots of chances to do stuff but I find navigating around the site a nightmare, and also I don't trust them to secure my information. So I only use it at a minimum - actually I don't know why I bother, but perhaps it's in the hope that one day I will find the time to learn more about how to use it.
Twitter is amusing - perhaps because of the silly name - and although I only use it to advertise my website, it is easier to understand, even it doesn't really explain how to use it very well.
Squidoo is a sort of social network/miniblog site which I started using recently, again to advertise my website. It has lots on it but is mainly USA based so it tends to be all very nice and proper and patriotic...you know, lets make some cakes and a pumpkin pie and have a coffee morning sort of stuff.
I've also just started using Pinterest which is a site where you can "pin" pictures of whatever you want to a board or boards and also look at other peoples' boards and if you want pin their pictures to your board and comment and "like" things. Quite fun, and again quite good for advertising - I use it to publicize my Zazzle stores.
No doubt there are a lot more - just thought I'd write a bit about those I know.

The Demise of bin Laden

2011-05-04T19:25:00.003+01:00

The following comments are based on the assumption that Osama bin Laden was actually killed by US forces last weekend.

First of all the fact that this man is dead is probably welcomed by the great majority of the world's population who view with horror the crimes he apparently engineered, and although someone's death is always sad and always mourned by someone, I must say I feel the world is a better place without him.

However, the circumstances of his death are most disturbing and cause me great concern. The US "invaded" another sovereign state without so much as telling that state that it intended to carry out this operation. They've made a lot of excuses about not being able to trust the Pakistani government, but imagine if the boot were on the other foot and a covert mission was instigated by, say, Canada, into the USA in order to kill or capture one of their public enemies. The US would not be happy ! Supposing the Pakistani air force had intercepted the helicopters and shot them down. What then ? No matter how much of a threat there is perceived to be - and in this case there was no threat - one country cannot just send its troops into another, particularly when that country is supposed to be a friend !

It has also become fairly obvious that the US wanted bin Laden dead. They've made a lot of show about him "resisting", but they are fooling no-one, they wanted revenge and they wanted him dead, thus avoiding a trial and the adverse publicity this would bring. But this then raises the point that no government has the right - legal or moral - to act as judge, jury and executioner. Everyone believes that bin Laden organised the attack on New York in 2001, but where is the evidence ? Has anyone seen any ? Has the US Government made any of it public ? No matter how evil the perpetrator, under civilized law he or she is entitled to a fair trial, and this should have been the case here, as it was with S Hussain, no matter what you may think of that trial.

There is no doubt that the US forces carried out a very clever mission. I'm a great admirer of Obama which makes it very difficult to understand why he allowed it to be carried out in the way that it was. If, as has been reported, bin Laden had been living in this compound for six years, then surely it would have been possible to do things differently without arousing his suspicion, and capture him alive. He could then have been passed over to the International Criminal Court for trial. This would have relieved the US of the problem of trying him in a US Court and would also have shown the world that, no matter how heinous the crime, they wanted to see this man have a fair trial. America is a democracy and as such MUST live by - and be seen to live by - fair, democratic law. This is where the previous administration made such a big mistake, a mistake which cost the US many friends all around the world whilst achieving nothing.

I hope we will soon be able to draw a line under this unfortunate affair.

Memories of a Warwickshire Orchard

2011-03-05T17:36:00.001Z

I grew up in a Warwickshire village, a few miles outside Stratford-upon-Avon. My parents kept the local pub, which was a large, rambling building with several outbuildings and quite a lot of land including a field with a disused stone quarry, several vegetable gardens, a bowling green and an orchard. I was recently reminded of the orchard whilst watching a TV programme about fruit growing and how it changed in the second half of the 20th Century.
The orchard had -"had" because I believe the trees have all but disappeared now - a variety of apple, pear and plum trees, something quite magic to a young lad who had been brought up in the town and suddenly found himself in the countryside. There were several varieties of apple - at least two cooking apple trees, one of which must have been a Bramley as I remember enormous green apples which my mother used to make apple pies. There was another cooker too - it grew by the edge of the bowling green, and had grown at quite an angle as I could easily walk up the trunk and into the tree where I had a sort of perch on a convenient branch. I used to spend hours up there, but of course the apples were too bitter to eat without cooking. Our old dog used to get angry when I went up as she couldn't climb the damned tree ! Then there was my favourite apple - a Blenheim ! The tree was huge, must have been fifty feet, or is this memory making things seem bigger ? Anyway it was too high for us to put a ladder up and pick them, so we had to throw sticks at them or wait for windfalls, which were inevitably bruised - but we found the bruised parts were always sweeter than the rest. These apples were much sought after by the pub's customers as they had such a delicious flavour, so we kids used to collect as many as we could before the pub opened !
There were two pear trees, and these were most unusual in that they each bore two distinct varieties of pear - presumably some clever horticulturalist had somehow grafted them. One was a very tall tree which had small, sweet pears on one side, and lovely, large yellow fruit on the other. We used to collect the little pears and sell them to the customers, although the regulars just used to help themselves. The other pear tree had one variety which were medium sized and like bullets, so we used to throw them at each other until my mother found they stewed well and made us collect them instead. The second variety on this tree were medium sized and took a long time to ripen, so although they were worth the wait, we had already gnawed at most of them before they had the chance !
And then the plums. As far as I can remember there was one Victoria plum which never bore much fruit in the 18 years I was there, and also several smaller trees which had delicious, yellow plums. The trouble with these trees was that by the time the plums were ripe most of them had grubs in them, so we had to eat them carefully. But they were good, wish I could get them now !
It's so sad that so many of these old varieties have all but disappeared. They all had so much more flavour than the commercially successful fruit available today.
Oh there was one other delight in the pub grounds - a huge old walnut tree, now long since gone, which only ever produced one crop of walnuts in all my time there. The nuts would often drop off in their green casings and were delicious pickled, when they turned black.

"Laying" and "Lying"

2011-01-16T11:26:00.000Z

Bloody Hell ! WHEN are people going to learn the difference ? I've just seen a picture of someone "laying" on the beach - for fuck's sake, she's not a bloody chicken ! She's LYING on the bloody beach !

Is this driving anyone else mad too ?

Aynuk and Ayli Jokes

2010-09-03T10:38:00.002+01:00

This one cracked me up !

Aynuk was being interviewed for a job in the local stables.

The boss asked "Have you ever shoe'd a horse ?"

"Not a hoss, no" said Aynuk, "but I once told a donkey to bugger off".
You have to come from the Black Country to appreciate and understand just how funny this can be !

Why We Drive on the Left !

2010-08-14T08:43:00.000+01:00

We drive on the left (in the UK) so that it is easier to protect ourselves from on-coming riders - at least that was what we did several hundred years ago ! The assumption was that the majority of people were right-handed and therefore would use their sword in their right hand. Thus any rider who approached would be easier to fend off successfully - picture it for yourselves. Since then we have seen no reason to change !

I Like Cheese !

2010-08-14T08:38:00.000+01:00

A second blog with this title has appeared - you may like to go there and read it ! Follow this link.

Windmills and the Environment

2010-08-06T09:41:00.000+01:00

I live in a small town in the centre of England. Over the past few months, several 500 ft high windmills have been erected about half a mile outside the town. These will soon be generating electricity which will be fed into the national grid. The opposition to these windmills was extraordinary. A group of local - and not so local - individuals decided that they didn't want them there and went to great lengths to stop them being built. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and personally I love them. It gives me great comfort to look out of my bedroom window and see them turning - every revolution they make saves a few drops of oil or lumps of coal from being burned. Far from spoiling the landscape, I think they enhance it. So why are there not more of them round the country ? Go to southern Spain and see the arrays there ! Together with solar panels we have two marvellous ways of getting what is in effect free energy, and yet governments don't seem to be encouraging this advance enough.
We could, for example, do the following (for all I know it already is being done !) :-
(1) All new industrial and retail developments should be required to generate their own power, either from windmills or from solar panels. It would be so simple to include a couple of these windmills in or near any out of town shopping centre. Existing retail and industrial estates would be required to catch up within a defined period.
(2) All new housing developments would also be required to do the same.
(3) Government should give small communities, with a population up to a certain number, encouragement and grants to build their own, local wind-farms. The community would own the windmills and power generated sold to the national grid. The money made from this sale could go either to individual families or to the local council - either way, bills would be reduced. I am aware that this is not a new idea and at least one village in the UK is already doing this.
(4) For exisiting houses, the problem is expense. Solar panels, although paying for themselves over a few years, aren't cheap and it is difficult for the average householder to afford them. So, either grants or interest free loans would be required. I understand that there are also mini-windmills available which can be attached to your roof, and the same would apply.

This all seems to me to be so easy, but I'm sure there are a few difficulties to be overcome. But we have the ability and the technology to do all this, so let's get on with it !

Wimbledon, Sue Barker and the Queen

2010-06-26T09:42:00.000+01:00

This is a moan !
Now I love to watch Wimbledon. I'm not a big tennis fan but I look forward to this annual feast. I'd love to go there and experience it for myself, but it's too expensive and too far to travel.
On Thursday, the Queen went and sat in the Royal box to watch that Scottish lad Murray play. OK I don't mind that, although the old bat obviously doesn't give a damn for tennis as this was her first visit for 33 years. But what really got on my nerves was bloody Sue Barker waffling on about what a great occasion it was, how wonderful it was, how marvellous it was, what a special day etc etc, ad nauseam. Do we really have to be subjected to this nonsense ? Someone persuaded the queen to go, no doubt against her will as she sat there looking pissed off for a couple of hours - probably needed a pee after her free lunch. So what was so bloody marvellous about it all ? That Sue Barker is so annoying, she should have married Cliff Richard, they would make a good pair of obnoxious......oh shut up Dave and write something else !

Leap Years

2010-06-06T13:13:00.000+01:00

A friend asked me the other day why we have to have an extra day in Leap Years, and why does it have to be in February ? "Why can't we have it in June when the weather's warmer ?" Think about it.

Found in an Easter Cracker

2010-04-11T10:02:00.000+01:00

One of our British Christmas traditions is the Christmas Cracker - (if you don't know what it is, follow this link). The retail industry has recently tried to increase its profits by introducing Easter Crackers, which are the same but in Easter colours. My partner in her wisdom decided to buy some, and we got the usual silly hats etc. One of the "gifts" in the crackers was a small netting bag of half a dozen coloured glass marbles - with a label attached with the following. "WARNING ! Not suitable for children under 3 years due to small balls". What about the girls then ?

The British Sense of Humour

2010-03-19T23:20:00.003Z

I was reminded recently of a couple of nick-names which I think reflect the British sense of humour and our love of plays on words.

The first was appended to a lady with whom I used to work. Her name is - or was, before she married - Julie Andrews. She was known in the company as Hilsa. Worked it out yet ? Sound of Music ! The Hills are alive with the.....

The second was also a young lady, this one called Yvonne. Her friends used to call her Yerdraws. Bit more tricky this...... it comes from " 'eave on yer drawers, yer mother's coming !"

Well they made me laugh. Do you know any like this ?

Personal Pronouns

2010-03-03T09:26:00.004Z

Yesterday a company left a message on my telephone answering machine, asking me to call them. The caller stated "This message is for Mr Joe Bloggs - it is urgent that they call us immediately on......etc".

So I called them and asked who they are. There is after all only one of me (that's more than enough, I hear you say !) The person who answered could not understand what I was talking about, which didn't really surprise me. I hung up and they lost a customer.

The reason I get annoyed about this sort of thing is that correct grammar helps communication and comprehension. The use of "they" as a substitute for "he" or "she" has grown because of people not wishing to appear to discriminate between the sexes, and whilst a "neutral" third person singular pronoun would be useful, "they" is certainly not appropriate as it is already in use as a plural pronoun, whilst "it" implies a non-human object. "He or she" has been used for goodness knows how long and serves its purpose even if rather clumsy.

The person who left me the message referred to me as "Mister" and so knew my sex, so there was absolutely no excuse for his error.

I'm all for language changing and evolving over time, with new words and phrases etc. But there is a need for a basic structure, otherwise we will find communication becoming more difficult.

Those people who draft laws and write legal documents will know how careful they have to be in what they write so that there are no ambiguities which could give lawyers a field-day in court.

I hope I'm not alone in this - leave me a comment and cheer me up !

Rewriting History

2010-02-27T08:08:00.004Z

Over the years I have developed the habit of putting newspaper clippings inside my books. They usually have some relevance to the particular book's subject matter or author, but last night I found the following in a book of Sherlock Holmes stories. I've no idea which newspaper I clipped it from or how old it is. It's entitled "Rewriting History".

"From St Michael and All Angels Parish News, Bramhall, Stockport: The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat by Robert Fulton caused a network of rivers to spring up. Thomas Edison invented the pornograph, and Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick Raper, which did the work of 100 men."

Obama/Haiti - a Comparison

2010-01-22T10:55:00.005Z

Lots of aid going to Haiti, which is great - but getting it to the people is proving to be a problem. The intentions are good but there are practical difficulties.

President Obama has the right ideas - universal health care, closing Guantanamo, bringing the troops home, controlling the banks and big business - but delivering these is proving to be a problem.

In Haiti the problem is the lack of infrastructure and governmental control.

In the USA, the problem is the extreme right and the money banks and businesses are able to pour into anti-Obama propaganda.

Don't lose hope, either in Haiti or the USA ! And well done Obama and America for being so quick to help Haiti - pity Bush didn't do it for New Orleans ! And you might try helping your president instead of opposing everything he does.

The Village Tooth-Puller

2010-01-13T12:56:00.003Z

I went to see the dentist yesterday and we got chatting about dentistry in the past, all of which reminded me of our village tooth-puller. In the 1940s I lived in a village in Warwickshire. My grandparents lived with us, and granddad got a toothache. So of course the village tooth-puller was called. You couldn't call him a dentist, he wasn't qualified in any way ! Granddad had half a bottle of brandy and then had the tooth yanked out. I didn't witness any of the extraction. All I know is that the poor old man bled profusely and had to go to bed in our attic where no-one could see what had happened (don't ask me why !). Dad made him drink port, which was thought to replace the blood he had lost ! He got better eventually. Life was different in those days !

We also had a village pig-killer, but that's another story - he only had one arm.

The Religious Right in the USA

2009-11-05T11:38:00.004Z

I've been looking at a website this morning which gives some quotations from the religious right in the USA. What appals me is the positions of power that some of those quoted hold. For instance:-

On the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, quotes from Congressmen !
"It's part of God's plan for the future of mankind," -- Rep. John Carter of Texas
"We best not be messing with His plan." -- Rep. Bob Beauprez of Colorado
"It wasn't our idea, it was God's." -- Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana
"I think God has spoken very clearly on this issue." -- Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia

Or
"All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus. All for Jesus,"
-- Republican Candidate Sam Brownback's stump speech in Iowa.

"Between science and God, I'll stick with God if the two are in conflict."
-- Republican Candidate Mike Huckabee

"Freedom requires religion."
-- Republican Candidate Mitt Romney

"I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."
-- John McCain

"Our national leaders, are sending soldiers out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
--Sarah Palin, on the Iraq war

Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.
-- D. James Kennedy, Coral Ridge Ministries and Bush advisor.

We’re being guided by God.
-- Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson

George Bush was not elected by a majority of the voters in the United States. He was appointed by God.
-- Lt. Gen. William Boykin, the defense undersecretary in charge of hunting down top terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan

No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God.
-- George Bush Sr., to a reporter in 1988

He [God] is using me, all the time, everywhere, to stand up for a biblical worldview in everything that I do and everywhere I am.
-- House Majority Leader Tom DeLay

"Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. Why is he there? And I tell you this morning that he's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
--Lt Gen William Boykin, speaking of G. W. Bush, New York Times, 17 October 2003

"He [Rumsfeld] leads in a way that the Good Lord tells him is best for our country."
-- Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

The "wall of separation between church and state" is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
-- William Rehnquist, Supreme Court

Get the few liberals out. If you don't do it, it ain't gonna be done. You will be doing the Lord's work, and he will richly bless you for it.
--Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, Christian Coalition's Road to Victory Conference, 2002, Washington D.C

I just hope Obama is aware of the uphill battle he has against these idiots and their supporters. How can people be so bloody ignorant ?
Follow this link to see the website.

Polish Your Shoes with a Banana Skin !

2009-10-20T10:14:00.002+01:00

Here's a useful tip ! A few days ago I read somewhere that you could save yourself money on shoe polish by polishing your shoes with a banana skin. So I've just tried it - and it works ! Use the inside of the skin. Go on, try it ! Then put the used skin in your compost bin !

Another Common Error

2009-10-17T13:07:00.001+01:00

I've also just heard this one on the TV ! The word "pronunciation" is not pronounced "pronounciation" but as it is spelt !

Another Common Spelling Error

2009-10-17T13:00:00.002+01:00

This word is mispronounced so much that the incorrect spelling has no doubt arisen this way. There is no such word as "momento" ! It should be "memento", meaning a souvenir or reminder, not to be confused with "momentum". I saw the phrase "Momento Mori" this morning !

Third Dinner Guest

2009-09-16T10:08:00.001+01:00

My third guest would be Michael Moore. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and would certainly get on well with me and the other two.
Should I be inviting people with opposing views I wonder ?

The Desperation of the American Right-Wing

2009-09-16T09:35:00.004+01:00

Poor old Barack Obama ! I'm sure he was anticipating the republicans and the extreme right getting all riled up when he got into power, and no doubt he was having a quiet chuckle at their discomfort ! But they have rather gone over the top ! This Wilson idiot calling him a liar in Congress was very naughty, and I'm sure his career will suffer as a result. Jimmy Carter is quite right when he calls the attack racist. Many Americans do object to having a black man as President. Well tough ! You've got one and he represents the majority of Americans. You want a democracy and you've got one, so live with it. Your current President is probably the most intelligent you've ever had - read his books if you don't believe me - and certainly makes the Bushes and Reagan look like the fools they were. So let him get on with the job.
The recent parade in Washington showed them up for what they are - ignorant bigots. They had to recruit people from all over the country to get a decent crowd. Must have cost them a few dollars !
As for opposing the health care measures, I've never heard anything so silly in my life. The USA is just about the only country in the western world which fails to care for its citizens - and should be embarrassed because of this - and when someone tries to rectify the situation, the right wing and big business don't like it - which proves to me it's the right thing to do !
Just what is wrong with the government running health care ? The argument that it goes against American principles is crap ! Who runs your police forces ? Schools ? Fire Departments ? Do you have to take out insurance so that the firemen will put out your house fire ? Who runs the armed forces ? What about public libraries ? And yet health care has to be private. Why for fuck's sake ? Do you want to continue the situation where the Health Insurance companies question every claim you make and try to reject them ? They pay people to do this ! This is immoral and disgusting. Get rid of your Kaiser Permanentes and their dirty tricks. Is it right that they should make a profit out of your illness ? Why have insurance in the first place ? Just have a Health Service which is free to everyone and get on with your lives. How to pay for it ? Easy - repeal the tax cuts Bush gave the rich.
Have a good day - and don't catch any diseases !

Dinner Party (2)

2009-08-25T10:12:00.002+01:00

Second male guest - Tony Benn, a man I have always admired and one of the few politicians who talks sense ! A good, old fashioned socialist and no doubt great company and a great conversationalist.

Dinner Party (1)

2009-08-24T19:00:00.001+01:00

Who would you invite to dinner if you could choose any living person or persons - assuming of course that they would want to come, which is another question entirely ! Let's make it three men and three women, just to make it more difficult ! You don't have to invite those who you think will get along, just those who you would like to meet, chat to and spend a few hours with.
Sounds quite easy really, but is it ?

My first choice is Desmond Tutu, who has always seemed to me to be such a nice man and who I'm sure would be excellent company. Not that I'm in any way religious, so I suppose we would have a good old debate about that subject !

Other choices later - but who would you invite ?

The National Health Service

2009-08-15T12:00:00.005+01:00

President Obama is, quite rightly, trying to fulfil his promise of universal health care in the USA, but, as expected, he is finding that there is opposition to his proposals, most of it ill-founded and from those on the right of American politics who only care about themselves and their profits and who resent government becoming involved in the provision of medical treatment.
Unfortunately, Britain's National Health Service is becoming involved in the debate, and is being used by the oppositon in what appears to be an orchestrated campaign of misinformation with outright lies about the service being spread. As an example, someone has said that, were Ted Kennedy in the UK he would not receive treatment for his brain tumour under the NHS because of his age. This is utter rubbish, as we all know in this country.
So to put things straight, the NHS is something of which we in the UK are rightly proud. We provide free health care for everyone regardless of age, colour, sex or anything else. It costs nothing to go to hospital, other than the cost of your daily newspaper. Not only is it free but if you cannot afford to get to hospital, the NHS provides free transport so that you can get your treatment.
OK I agree the service has some faults. It is a huge organisation - it has to be to cater for 60 million people - and suffers from some organisational problems, as would any business of this size. There are some waiting lists, and in general the more minor your complaint, the longer you will have to wait to see a consultant, with urgent cases being given priority - urgent cases, not patients with the most money ! The waiting lists are coming down, however, as more money is injected into the NHS by a Labour Government which puts people first.
Seeing your GP is now by appointment, and you are usually seen within a few days. If your case is urgent, you are seen the same day.
You might well ask who pays for all this, and the answer is that we all do - through our taxes. There is a direct tax on your earnings and a tax on what we all spend (VAT). The money has to come from somewhere, but at least this is a fair way of raising it.
Britain spends less per head on healthcare than the USA, but life expectancy is longer. The WHO places Britain 18th as against the USA's 37th in provision of quality healthcare.
Having spent some time in the USA I am aware that the concept of "socialised medicine" is anathema to the right-wing. Well, tough. It's time they realised that a fair and just society is more important than profits. Is it just that the top 5 percent own 95 percent of the wealth of the country ? Is it fair that, because you are rich and can afford decent health insurance, you can be looked after and given priority over the poor ? If you think this is the case, think again. Maybe you should be ashamed of yourself. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate your principles. I hope Barrack Obama will be like our famous outlaw, Robin Hood, and rob the rich to give to the poor. At least he is in a position to do it legally !

Rats on the Move

2009-07-05T22:51:00.005+01:00

Having just seen a film in which there were a large number of rats, I was reminded of a story my mother told me several times. When she was a young girl, in Snitterfield, Warwickshire, she was lucky enough to have a bicycle and used to ride all round the nearby countryside. One day whilst crossing Yarningdale Common in about 1920, she saw what appeared to be a brown carpet across the road, several feet wide. As she drew closer, she saw movement, and being a young girl and a bit nervous, she stopped, got off her bike and slowly approached. Then she realised that it was rats, hundreds of rats, crossing the road and moving off across the common. She didn't stick around to see what happened and cycled home in a hurry. Of course everyone in the village soon learned of her experience and several other people told her and my grandfather - who was the local blacksmith - of similar experiences of "rats on the move", both in Warwickshire and elsewhere. Has anyone else heard similar tales ? Tell us about them !

Michael Jackson - Read This !!

2009-06-29T11:19:00.003+01:00

There is a great article about Jackson in the Observer for 28th June 2009 - follow this link to read it. The funeral should be interesting !

This is Getting Silly !

2009-06-27T10:40:00.003+01:00

Anyone would think the world has come to an end just because some pop "idol" has snuffed it. Come on, let's get a sense of proportion here. OK so this Jackson person was a great entertainer, and no doubt had a lot of fans, but there are far more important matters in the world than his untimely demise. Yet there has been nothing else on the news for 36 hours now, with documentaries and "specials" sprouting up all over the bloody place. It's just like when that Diana woman was killed, and it's driving me nuts. Can someone please let me know when it will all be over so I can turn the TV on again ? Am I the only one who thinks like this, or is the media trying to convince me that I should really care about a person whom I only knew about because of his silly publicity stunts ? Not everyone likes pop music. Farrah Fawcett died a few days ago and was making the headlines until M Jackson died - is her passing to be mourned less now ? And what about the sixty poor devils killed by a car bomb in Iraq the other day ? Doesn't anyone care about them and their families ? This idolization of pop stars, film stars, footballers etc makes me sick. When will the world grow up ?

Death of an Idol

2009-06-26T08:32:00.002+01:00

Michael Jackson is dead. Many will mourn, a few will rejoice and the vast majority, whilst intrigued by the news and saddened as by any death, will be completely indifferent. He was a strange person, unable to deal with the pressures of fame and wealth, nor able to control his own perversions. He had undoubted talent and leaves a musical legacy to the pop music world which would be the envy of any so-called "star". He did some very silly, immature things - trying to whiten his face, dangling his baby over a Berlin hotel balcony and, worst of all, entertaining young boys in his house for what many believe was for his own sexual gratification. But he also gave pleasure to millions with his music, and this once again raises the old question of how much we should support and admire a talented artist who lives a life of which we do not approve. Should we, for example, buy a book by an author who has been to prison for fraud, even if the book is entertaining and well-written ? Or watch the great films made by a director who has a relationship with his wife's adopted daughter ? This is of course purely an individual decision. Most will not have bothered about Jackson's private life when they bought his music, and I suspect that in years to come he will be remembered for his artistic achievements whilst his private life will fade into obscurity.

Prince Charles - Architect ?

2009-06-16T09:33:00.004+01:00

Prince Charles recently used his influence to persuade developers to drop a plan to transform Chelsea Barracks in London, apparently because he thought it "unsympathetic". This is not the first time that this man has expressed his opinion on architecture, and unfortunately there are people who take notice of his opinions. Let's be clear - he is NOT an architect and as far as I'm aware has no qualifications in that field. Whilst everyone is entitled to an opinion, and is entitled to express that opinion, a person in his position must learn to keep his mouth shut, simply because of the influence he can wield. Some people are so sycophantic that a royal has only to mention that, for example, they like chocolate, and boxes of the stuff will appear. Charles is in his sixties and has enough experience as a royal to be aware of this - all the more reason to shut up. It may be tough to have to keep quiet, but he is after all living a life of luxury at our expense - unlike my partner and I he doesn't have to worry where his next meal is coming from.

This also sets a dangerous precedent. The British royals are only where they are because the people of Great Britain apparently want them to be there. One of the reasons they are tolerated is because, whilst at the "head" of the country, they have no influence on the government, and "rise above" political involvement, (although it is obvious to everyone that they prefer the conservatives). This detachment applies to all walks of life where there is potential disagreement, but this particular instance is disturbing simply because it demonstrates just how much influence they can have if they don't draw in their horns. Time to get rid of the lot of them and elect a president instead. Click here to read the Guardian on this matter.

Another Grammatical Oddity

2009-06-09T23:18:00.003+01:00

Watching an American TV programme this afternoon, I was struck by an expression used in the USA, viz "I could care less", when what is meant is "I could NOT care less". Why is this ?

There's another one too which I have noticed a lot of late, to do with stressing a particular word. Americans say - and the capital letters indicate the stress - "It's not your FAULT". This indicates that it may not be your fault but it is your something else, whereas what they really mean is "It's not YOUR fault", ie it's someone else's.

Two countries separated by a common language !

Tesco and the Missing Apostrophe

2009-06-04T11:01:00.002+01:00

Why cannot Tesco, one of the country's largest retailers, employ people who can write proper English ? In our local "Superstore" are signs which read, for example, "Womens Clothes", or "Childrens Books". Come on, Tesco, get it right and set our children a good example ! And don't come up with the excuse that the apostrophe is becoming redundant, because that is far from the truth.
Kingsley Amis was asked to come up with a sentence which illustrates the need for the apostrophe. He wrote "Those things over there are my husband's" and "Those things over there are my husbands". In case you can't see the difference (and I hate to patronise), the first phrase means that those things over there belong to my husband, whilst without the apostrophe it means that I am married to those things over there !

The Electric Car

2009-04-01T08:23:00.004+01:00

Last night we watched a documentary about the demise of GM's electric car, the EV1, in California. It made me very angry, and proved once again how much power big business, and the oil companies in particular, can bring into play when they feel threatened. For those who are not aware of what happened, here is a brief summary.
In 1990 the California government passed a law which required two percent of all new cars sold in the state to be electric by 1998 and ten percent by 2003. GM produced about 1000 EV1s but then claimed that there was no demand and stopped making them. It seems from the documentary that in fact the public either did want the car or were not aware of its existence and that GM, together with the oil companies, deliberately sabotaged its own sales programme. They saw the car as a threat to the existing market, in particular the spares and servicing aspect, andd of course to oil profits. As an example of the dirty tricks employed, certain environmental groups opposed the setting up of recharging stations for electric vehicles - but on closer examination it turned out that these were groups funded and supported by oil companies.
In the end, California was forced into changing its laws and GM - and other companies - began reclaiming and destroying electric vehicles.
This is an absolute disgrace and the management of GM responsible for this should be locked up. Today the company is in deep financial trouble and is receiving funding from the US Government just to stay alive. Perhaps had they continued with the electric car this would not have been so necessary. For them to claim there was no demand is nonsense - advertisers create demand and had there been the will to do so, the car would almost certainly have been a success. In fact it was a success for those who had one - fast, quiet, zero emissions, low servicing costs (just rotate the tyres, fill the washer bottle and that's it ! No plugs, no oil change, no oil filter, no transmission or clutch to worry about - and the battery was good enough to last longer than the car !)
Except for the fact that so many people would lose their jobs, GM should be left to go bust. It would serve them right. Unfortunately a company is more than a corporate entity, there are good, hard-working, innocent people involved. Nationalization is the answer today - let the state run the company and let the tax-payer reap the profits - and punish those responsible for this disgraceful episode.

Cheese and Jam (again !)

2009-02-28T23:32:00.004Z

We bought some Stilton yesterday from a farm shop near Bedford, and very nice it is too ! I've just had some on a few crackers, with raspberry jam. Absolutely delicious. Cheese always goes well with sweet things - I must try it with honey one of these days. The tang of the Stilton goes beautifully with the sweetness of the jam. If you think I'm mad, just try it ! Apple and cheddar make a nice sandwich too !

Google Earth

2009-02-27T18:25:00.001Z

Whilst messing about on Google Earth this afternoon, and having had a laugh at the discovery of Atlantis ha ha, I found something strange in Lake Baikal - looks like a circuit board. It's at 51 46 30.86N, 104 10 59.13E. Anybody know what it is ?

Obama's Inauguration

2009-01-20T21:30:00.003Z

Like most people I spent today in front of the telly watching events unfold in Washington. I was impressed - with the huge crowds, the pomp and circumstance mixed with informality and with the new president himself. His inaugural speech was exactly what people needed to hear, blunt but full of hope. I'm three quarters of the way through Obama's first book, "Dreams from My Father", and feel that I know a little about him and what makes him tick. Reading the book I was struck by the utter and complete contrast between him and Bush - here we have an educated, intelligent and compassionate man with I hope the strength to do his job the way he wants to do it, whereas in Bush......well you all know what he was like.
There was one thing that marred the proceedings though. This was having an "invocation" given by a religious gentleman. As an atheist I found it offensive - not of course that it is any of my business, not being an American. But had I been an American, I would have found it annoying. First of all, the man was a christian, and christianity is not the only religion in the USA. Secondly one of the new president's aims is to promote unity in the country, and I suspect that to many this was divisive. But maybe not. Americans seem by their very nature to be religious people, one people under god etc, so perhaps they just accepted this. Nevertheless about 15 percent of the US population are atheists and have to put up with a lot of discrimination as a result. Their voices need to be heard too.

Stolen Blogs

2009-01-04T11:04:00.004Z

There is a certain pathetic little man who is stealing blogs and passing them off as his own work. He may not be the only one, but nevertheless he has come to my notice and made me very angry. Whilst browsing, I came across his blog and noticed a recipe which I had previously seen elsewhere. He had lifted the entire blog, including a photograph, and installed it as his own.
If you have a blog, you might like to see if he has stolen your work. His URL is http://www.blogger.com/profile/17484393676754624047
If he has stolen one, no doubt he will have stolen most of them. We would like to hear from anyone who has had a similar misfortune.

"Fewer" and "Less" - Do You Know When to Use These Words ?

2009-01-02T15:16:00.003Z

I've probably had a moan about this somewhere in my past blogs, but it's really getting on my nerves - even a BBC reporter got it wrong recently ! It's really quite simple - fewer in number, less in quantity. So for example, less sugar but fewer lumps of sugar. You can't say "less people did this" - well you can but it's grammatically incorrect. And if by chance you hear "lesser people", this implies that they somehow lack something, they are not as good as they might be. It is fewer people ! I could go on, but I'm sure you get the picture, and anyway if you are reading this you probably feel the same as I do !
The popular press could help here. The "heavies" such as the Guardian, Independent, Times, Telegraph, all set a good example with their written English, but the tabloids sometimes leave a lot to be desired. And as they are read by far more people (or perhaps fewer haha), then correct grammar might just become the norm and we would all understand each other more easily ! In your dreams, as they say !

Oh All Right - Here's One More !

2008-12-23T10:29:00.002Z

There once was an artist called Saint
Who swallowed some samples of paint.
All the shades of the spectrum
Flowed out of his rectum
With a colourful lack of restraint.

A Limerick - Merry Xmas !

2008-12-23T10:09:00.003Z

There once was a Scot named McTavish
Who attempted an anthropoid ravish.
But the object of rape
Was the wrong sex of ape,
And the anthropoid ravished McTavish.

Stilton

2008-12-20T12:23:00.006Z

As it's almost Christmas, and as I haven't written about cheese lately, here's a bit about Stilton, which is one of the traditional English Christmas treats and is a cheese which has been made for almost 300 years.
There is a village in Huntingdonshire ( a vanished county, now part of Cambridgeshire) called Stilton, after which the cheese seems too have been named, although apparently no Stilton has ever been made there !
It's a tangy blue cheese, goes well with some fresh bread and a pint, or after a meal with a glass of port. Its manufacture is strictly controlled so that it can only be produced in six dairies in the English midlands - and there is an "official" website with lots of information, so I won't write any more. Visit the website here ! And eat large quantities of it - it makes an excellent Christmas present, so drop hints !!

Is This a Rip-off ?

2008-12-20T12:08:00.003Z

1 bottle sparkling water, 1 orange juice and lemonade, 1 packet of crisps - £8.20 !
Am I getting out of touch with prices or is this a rip-off ?
This was at the London Coliseum yesterday.

Shoe Throwing Part 2

2008-12-16T08:49:00.004Z

This shoe-throwing business intrigues me. Think about it. Did the bloke who did it plan it in advance ? Because if not, did he throw his best shoes at Bush ? If he had planned it in advance, he would have worn an old pair of gardening shoes on the assumption he wasn't going to get them back. But if it was a spur of the moment thing, he might easily have thrown away a £90 pair of Clarke's. OK, it was in a good cause, but men's shoes aren't cheap nowadays. And if it was an impulse thing, would he have done it if he had been wearing wellies ? Or Doc Marten's ? All those laces to undo. Someone would have twigged he was up to something and perhaps beaten him to it. And another thing - what is happening to his shoes ? Did he get them back ? I bet the bloody CIA has got them, testing them for explosives or the Ebola virus. Watch out for them on eBay - "The Very Shoes Thrown at George Bush", they'll make a fortune. But watch out for fakers too, there will be hundreds of pairs "similar to those throw at the President". This could develop into a whole industry, making reproductions of the corset thrown at Britney Spears, or the bra thrown at Madonna.....any ideas ?

My Hero of the Week.....

2008-12-15T15:57:00.003Z

...is the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush ! What a wonderful way to express your opinion ! It reminds me of Kruschev when he took his shoe off and banged it on the table when Harold MacMillan upset him, at the United Nations, in 1960 I think it was. Poor old George, didn't have the vaguest idea of what was happening, and as for that silly joke about the shoe size...... Pity the man missed though !

Guantanamo

2008-12-10T10:07:00.004Z

I hope that one of the first things Mr Obama will do when he gets to the White House is to order the immediate closure of Guantanamo. This prison camp is one of the most unpleasant things the Bush regime has done. It is criminal to hold suspects without a fair trial and goes against democracy and everything the US stands for. The detainees can be taken to the USA and either released - with an apology and compensation - or given a fair trial by US courts, NOT the military. And if found "Not Guilty", then they will of course have to be given fair compensation - and perhaps Bush and Cheney would like to contribute. Then perhaps the US will start to make friends instead of enemies.

I had a little snigger.....

2008-11-25T11:48:00.001Z

....when I heard that the US Government is helping the Citibank Group and is taking shares in the company. As a life-long socialist I have to smile to myself when the capitalist system fails and governments have to turn to socialism - will they ever learn ?

At Last !!

2008-11-05T12:17:00.003Z

At last America has seen sense ! At last they have disposed of the Republican criminals in the White House ! Bush will soon be gone ! A time to celebrate !

The world is changing - countries and peoples are realising that they don't have to be slaves to the rich west. China, India and other far eastern lands are growing economically more powerful. The west can help, or it can do nothing and find its own standards falling, its economic power fading. America needs a strong but sympathetic leader who will work with the rest of the world, not fight them - I think it has found one in Obama.

Well done America !

US Presidential Election

2008-11-04T17:46:00.002Z

I was astounded to see the huge lines of Americans waiting to vote over the last few days. Why is this allowed to happen ? Surely in a democratic society such as the USA claims to be, ensuring not only the right to vote but also the opportunity are both equally paramount. I am over 70 and have voted many times in British elections at all levels, and yet have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes. Why is this not the case in the USA ? Is it because it discourages those most likely to vote democrat ? The Labour party in the UK has always had the same problem - the Tories love it when it rains on election day ! Should voting be made compulsory as in many countries in Europe ? Lots to think about here !

Why Can't Fashion Models Walk properly ?

2008-09-16T18:46:00.002+01:00

There must be a reason why the fashion industry hires models who have a walking defect. I hope it's because they are doing their bit for the disabled, but I suspect it's more likely to be because they don't have to pay them so much.

Yes I know, they are deliberately taught to walk in this silly way, no doubt because of John Cleese and his Ministry of Silly Walks, but they really do look so stupid, strutting along the catwalk (why "catwalk ? - is someone being rude about the girls ?). They don't walk like that in the street so why there ? Ridiculous !!

Another silly way of walking is "power walking" - what's wrong with walking like everyone else instead of trying to say "Look at me, I'm exercising, aren't I clever !!" Just get off your arse and walk like everyone else, and if you want some good exercise, walk faster !

And another silly walk is that adopted by some brides walking down the aisle, you know, when they push out one foot, hesitate and then continue - how bloody silly they look, and on the most important day of their lives too.

Miserable old bugger aren't I ???

Crossing the Atlantic - Again !

2008-07-27T10:56:00.003+01:00

Two more reasons for going by sea.

No jet lag - the clocks on board ship are either put forward or back one hour a day - depending in which direction you are travelling. So no horrible jet lag, and no arriving at an airport in the early morning having had hardly any sleep and feeling like crap.

And sea travel is safer - if anything goes wrong with your plane at 35,000 feet, you are, quite frankly, fucked ! But on a ship there are life boats and a good chance your can survive, even if your ship hits an iceberg !

"Like" !!

2008-07-25T11:42:00.002+01:00

Whilst watching an American television programme about young people in California, I was struck by the number of times they all use the word "like". One of them said - and this is really what she said ! - "I don't, like, really, like, like him, like". Hey ho !!

Crossing the Atlantic

2008-07-23T17:29:00.007+01:00

Many thousands of Europeans have friends and relatives in Canada and the United States - and vice versa of course. Until the 1960s, visiting each other was the preserve of the relatively wealthy who could afford to travel by sea on the great ocean liners. However, with the introduction and development of jet aircraft, visits back and forth have become the norm rather than the exception. There are two reasons for this, viz the price and the short time involved in flying across the Atlantic. But with flying getting more expensive and with all the hassle of security and the worry in the back of peoples' minds that someone might want to blow up or shoot down their aircraft, this experience is becoming more stressful and unpleasant, and perhaps now is the time for a return to the more leisurely days of the Atlantic Liners.

As a young man in the early 1960s I had the opportunity to go to the USA and stay with a cousin and her family. I jumped at the chance, saved up the fare (£68 minimum tourist rate) and enjoyed a five-day crossing on board Cunard's Queen Mary. It may have been 45 years ago but I still remember the experience, particularly sailing into New York on a cold January day and seeing the Statue of Liberty and then the Manhattan Skyline emerge from the mist. So when a few days ago my partner and I decided to go to the US for a few months to visit her family, the thought occurred that perhaps we could go by sea and looked into what was involved.

The results of our enquiries and research were pleasantly surprising. The crossing on, for example the Queen Mary 2, still takes five or six days as you might expect. The fare was a bit of a shock. OK you can pay thousands of pounds if you want to travel in total luxury - and it appears that there are plenty who can afford this - but the minimum fares start at around £900. This can be either a one-way fare, which is what we were looking for - or it can include a return flight. A bit more expensive than BA or Virgin I agree, but if you fly Club Class, the sea crossing is comparable in cost, or even cheaper depending on what deals you can find. There are two other points to consider too. First of all your sea crossing is five or six days and the price includes all meals - and Cunard give you more than enough to eat - so in effect you are getting the equivalent of five days in a luxury hotel for your money ! Secondly there is no restriction on the amount of luggage you can take - within reason. I was chatting with the Cunard rep on the phone about this and he told me that one lady turned up at Southampton followed by a van which contained her suitcases - all 84 of them ! I remember that when I crossed on the Queen Mary we had to label our luggage as either Cabin Baggage or Not Wanted on Voyage but I understand that nowadays you are expected to have all your luggage in your cabin. But what a good deal this is when you remember that airlines are now limiting everyone to one suitcase and charging extra for the rest.

So we are now shopping round the travel agents looking for the best deal. We are lucky in that we don't have any time restrictions and can afford to spend a week on a ship. On top of this, the thoughts of not having to go through an "Airport Day" make the whole idea very appealing ! All we have to do is get someone to drive us and our eight suitcases to Southampton, check in and go through security and into our cabin for five days rest and relaxation. No hanging about waiting for a delayed flight, no cramped seats with someone in front trying to shove his seat back in my face, no smelly loos, no screaming kids - just fresh sea air and hopefully no sea-sickness !! And no lost luggage if we have to keep it in the cabin.

This all seems very nice, so there must be some disadvantages. As far as we can make out, life on board ship seems to be a bit too formal for our liking. We don't want to have to dress for dinner - I don't own a tuxedo and the only suit I have is about ten years old. I think I have a tie somewhere though. And we don't want to have to sit at a table with other people, which it seems is what most of the passengers want to do. But no doubt we shall find a way round this. My point here is that, if the cruise ship owners want to increase their share of the Transatlantic business, they must consider making the ships a bit less formal and cater for ordinary people like us. We don't have a lot of money and will have to borrow to make this trip, so we don't want to spend loads on board or gamble in the casino. We just like to sit around in jeans and t-shirts, read, relax, have a drink and some food, go to the pictures, have a walk on deck. We're not ballroom dancers and the thought of having dinner at the Captain's Table puts me off the whole idea ! But that's just us and no doubt there are plenty who enjoy putting on airs and graces.

One other point - we have two small dogs who we are taking with us. There is an extra charge for them, but it is a lot less than the airlines charge and certainly a lot less stressful for the dogs. They won't be stuffed in the hold in small cages but will enjoy being in kennels with other pets and being visited by us several times a day.

So next time you are thinking of going to visit your American cousins, do a bit of homework and see if the option of a sea crossing suits you !

The Masons' Arms, Wilmcote

2008-06-29T18:57:00.003+01:00

When we moved to the Masons in 1944, there was a huge walnut tree behind the pub - you can see it in the postcard. But it hardly ever had a decent crop of walnuts - as far as I can remember only two in all the years my family lived there. It was never very safe either. Several of the branches had chains to hold them to the main trunk, and I remember one night in a gale when a branch came down on to the roof of what was then the ladies' loo. That cowl on the tall chimney used to vibrate a lot in a gale, I used to expect the whole lot to come crashing through the roof into my bedroom, the window of which is the farthest right in the postcard. The chimney on the far left of the roof has disappeared - wonder what happened to that.

The lawn at the back was a bowling green. My dad bought a petrol mower and for many years I had to mow it - quite a task as it was a big lawn. There was a gutter at either end to catch the bowls. The green was never flat so you really had to know it in order to bowl well. The pub team beat Flower's Brewery one night in the 1950s - I was in the team and knew the green better than anyone else because I mowed it ! Unfair advantage ha ha !!

At the side of the lawn was the orchard, full of apple trees and plum trees, and a couple of pear trees. My favourite apple was the Blenheim - there was a huge Blenheim tree, so tall that you needed a very long ladder to pick them, so usually we had to wait until they blew off, or chuck sticks to knock them off. But what delicious apples, you never see them for sale nowadays. Wonder if the tree is still there. There were always loads of pears of several varieties but the wasps used to get them as soon as they were ripe. The plums were all yellow plums, great if you could find one without a grub in it !

Opposite the lawn was the shed - a wooden building which we used for storage and then for catering for a while. Dad bought a huge range which we put in a section at the back, and we used to cater for weddings etc. The local women used to come and help - Nell Wareing and Beattie Monroe are two names I can recall - and I used to get in everyone's way. I think my cousin Rene had her reception there, not sure though.

Wilmcote

2008-06-19T17:31:00.007+01:00

Wilmcote is a village in Warwickshire about 4 miles north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon. I moved there in 1944 when my parents took over the pub, the "Masons Arms", at the request of the now defunct Flowers Brewery who owned the building. The previous landlord had recently died and his wife was unable to keep the business running, so the brewery approached my father and he agreed to take on the tenancy. At the time we were living in Stratford at R M Birds, the wine merchants, at 32 Bridge Street, where mum and dad ran the pub side of that business.
Moving to the country was great for a seven-year old boy. Stratford was a good place to live, and we were near the river and the Bancroft Gardens, so I suppose I was lucky compared with many, but to move to Wilmcote in the days of almost no traffic was magic ! I have many memories of the village, and I hope to be able to write a lot more about it all, so watch this space if you are at all interested !

Friday the Thirteenth

2008-06-13T12:29:00.005+01:00

Why are people superstitious ? Why do we avoid walking under ladders, crossing knives, putting shoes on the table, painting our front doors green and a thousand other quite silly habits ? Personally I always walk under a ladder if I can, although I don't kick black cats ! I always consider myself to be not in the least bit superstitious, but I'm always aware when it's Friday 13th, so why do I care ? And why do I deliberately do things like walking under ladders ? I must be subconsciously trying to prove that it's all nonsense, but why, when I know it's rubbish ??

I suppose that it's like religion, something that people have always sort of believed in without quite knowing why. Doubtless we avoid these things just in case they bring bad luck, but then what is bad luck ? I could no doubt write a long article on that, but not today - it's Friday the Thirteenth and I want to find a ladder to walk under !

Do you have any odd superstitions ? Tell us about them !

Bedford

2008-06-09T17:57:00.004+01:00

I worked in Bedford for four years in the 1980s and always thought what a pleasant town it was. We seem to have been visiting it quite a lot of late, and I'm becoming more and more attached to the place. Yesterday we took the dogs for a walk by the river and then sat outside the Embankment Hotel and had a drink. The barmaid was very kind and brought the dogs a bowl of water. We had a very pleasant few hours - and so did the dogs. Back there again today, to our favourite Minimarket which sells Italian food and which is so cheap. Last week we spent £60 at Tesco's, and today £53 at this shop and got far more for our money. This just shows that the big supermarkets could easily reduce their prices as they have better purchasing power than this little place. Italian sausage in sauce tonight ! And it's warm enough to eat outside !!

US Presidency

2008-06-07T17:54:00.005+01:00

I'm getting a bit worried about the next US President. I'm hoping like hell that Obama gets elected and not McBush, but I keep asking myself if the "silent majority" of "middle" Americans will vote for a black man. And would they have voted for a woman if Hillary had got the nomination ? I hope I'm wrong but I have my doubts. And, if Obama gets elected, how long will it be before someone decides to get rid of him. It happened with JFK and it can happen again. It's all very worrying and very scary. The combination of the religious right and the big corporations can make just about anything happen in today's United States, and with the price of oil soaring, there may well be a big incentive for these people to do whatever they think necessary. And if McBush gets in, look out ! We in the UK knew what would happen with Bush and we know what McCain is like. The next six months will be very interesting.

Another Limerick

2008-06-07T17:38:00.005+01:00

There was a young girl from Australia
Who tattooed her arse with a dahlia.
The tattoo was fine
And the colour divine
But the smell, on the whole, was a failure.

Fractals and Mandelbrot Sets

2008-06-07T17:29:00.003+01:00

Don't ask me what these things are, but instead visit this link - MANDELBROT
and play around with what you find - quite fascinating !!

Today's Limerick

2008-06-02T12:20:00.003+01:00

There was a young gaucho named Bruno
Who said "Fucking is one thing I do know.
A woman is fine,
And a sheep is divine,
But a llama is Numero Uno".

Well ??

2008-06-01T11:11:00.001+01:00

Well if it's not made of cheese, what is it made of then ? Answer that one !!

The Moon

2008-05-31T17:04:00.006+01:00

Let's be quite clear about this, once and for all ! The moon is made of cheese. No arguments, no debates, just accept it as a fact - it's just a big cheese in earth orbit. You know it's true - deep down. After all it looks like cheese, Neil Armstrong said it smells like cheese - and it has a load of craters (ie mouse-holes) all over it. Ignore what NASA says, they are just trying to keep it all for themselves and we have it on good authority that they are secretly sending space-craft to the moon with those digger things to bring loads back so that they can corner the cheese market. The only thing we don't know is what sort of cheese it's made of. From the colour, it looks like a bit of Red Leicester with a bit of mould on it (see the pic), and considering the time it's been in orbit you might expect it to be a bit stale. But if NASA are so keen to bring some back, it must be some good stuff and not quite so mouldy as we might think. Could be a bit of blue cheese I suppose, but I'm not too sure about that, the colour isn't quite right. And when are they going to market it ? Why are they saving it up ? What bothers me is that, once people really get a taste for it, the moon will slowly disappear and then we will really be in the shit as there won't be any tides - global warming will be nothing compared with this. And the earth will be heavier because the entire moon will have been effectively brought to earth. So if we are heavier, then the earth will not be able to sustain its solar orbit and will get closer to the sun, thus toasting all the cheese. Then there won't be enough bread to put the cheese on and we will all be in a right pickle. And talking of pickle, this glut of cheese will probably mean that Branston won't be able to make enough to supply everyone. Life just gets worse.

The Internet is for Porn !!

2008-05-21T13:57:00.005+01:00

This is the title - roughly - of a song from "Avenue Q" which we saw in New York a couple of years ago. Now I've just read an article about blogs and it appears that if you want to increase the number of visitors to your blog, you should write about or review a porn site, as the number of people using Google to search for porn is enormous ! This would of course mean admitting that you have been looking at such a site ! Or more !! OK I confess, I have looked at a few - purely for research purposes of course ! Most are pretty boring, many downright disgusting, a few are very erotic and some are very funny !
I suppose I should be trying to include a few words for which people search so that Google will find me, so the trick will be to include naughty words without being blatantly obvious. I could, for example, mention that, having been woken by the cock crowing and, having shaved, looked at the birds in the garden and saw some Great Tits on the feeder and heard the donkey - known in the USA as an ass - braying in the field. My pussy came in soaking wet, having had a night out in the rain, and had her breakfast. Meanwhile, the builders began constructing this enormous erection on the building site nearby.
How silly ! Actually I will recommend one porn site, which is Adult Friend Finder - you can find it via this link - which enables you to meet people from all over the world for erotic exchanges and even to meet if you so wish - but be careful ! They have a section where you can watch people on their webcams and chat to them - what fun !!
Right then ! Now I shall sit back and count the number of visitors in the next few days and see if this works ! Have fun !!

Funny Letters...

2008-05-19T19:18:00.003+01:00

My late father-in-law was always quoting from funny letters from sons who had left home.
"Dear Mother, I am sending you ten dollars but not this week......."
"Dear Mother, I have hurt my hand so my friend is writing this for me...."
"Dear Mother, Since I have been away I have grown another foot." "Dear Son, I enclose another sock which I have knitted for you..."
I'm sure there were more, he was always at it !!

Birds.

2008-05-18T07:59:00.005+01:00

I woke up early this morning and, as we had the window open, I heard the "Dawn Chorus" - not the girl across the road yelling at her husband, but the sound of the birds singing as it starts to get light. This reminded me of when I was a child. We lived in a village called Wilmcote, near Stratford-upon-Avon, and in the summer months I was woken almost every morning by the din of the birds singing. How different now - the number of birds has decreased alarmingly. Even here in Olney, there used to be very many birds in our garden, but now we are reduced to a couple of pigeons and the occasional starling and sparrow. I recall, too, that in the autumn we used to see huge flocks of starlings wheeling around in the sky - so many that they were like a fast-moving cloud - we never see these now. Swallows, swifts and martins were also to be seen in huge numbers - now there are but a few. They used to nest in the eaves of our house, but not any more.
What has happened to the birds ? Intensive farming seems to be one reason, but there must be others. Shortage of food has also been cited. The RSPB does reports and censuses from time to time but they never seem to do comparisons with, say, 50 years ago. I wonder just how much the reduction in bird numbers will affect us all.

Cheddar Cheese !!

2008-05-14T16:21:00.008+01:00

Right, let's get down to something important. We English all know that the very best Cheddar causes one's tongue to tingle and one's cheeks to be sucked in - this is nothing new to us cheese lovers. But where to get such a delight ?? Do you have a source you would like to share with us ? Come on, don't keep it to yourself, spread the word !
Let's make this two parts. Tell us which is :-
(a) the very best cheddar ever, and
(b) the best cheddar you can get all over the country ie in supermarkets etc.
We are quite lucky in the UK in that our supermarkets generally supply some quite acceptable (non-cheddar) cheeses - albeit mass produced - although of course not as good as in, say, France. However, the supermarket cheddar is seldom up to scratch.
So tell us where we can find the best - and send a one kilo sample for evaluation purposes !!!
Right, now I'm off to have a cup of tea and a slice of fruit cake with jam and cheddar on it !!

PS Visit this site for details of an exciting new sport for cheese-lovers.

What is wrong with being left-wing ???

2008-05-14T11:38:00.004+01:00

I've just had a rant on another blog - the Huffington Post - about the attitude of Americans to "liberals", "lefties", "commies" etc, or whatever else they may choose to call us socialists. What is wrong with being a socialist ? We don't wish anyone any harm - unlike some right-wing religious extremists - and are only looking for social justice, equal treatment for all, which is I believe what the christian god's so-called son preached a couple of thousand years ago. How can a nation which calls itself christian hold such un-christian views ? Makes you think !!! As the man said, thank god I'm an atheist !

King Edward VI Grammar School, Stratford-upon-Avon

2008-05-09T17:12:00.006+01:00

This image is an old postcard of the 1907 Shakespeare's Birthday Parade passing King Edward VI Grammar School and the almshouses in Stratford-upon-Avon. One of the traditions of the parade is that, when it reaches the school, the staff and pupils come out and lead the procession to the church where Shakespeare is buried. I was a pupil at KES from 1948 to 1955 and took part in the procession several times, clutching a small bunch of flowers and trying not to be seen by children from the other local schools who would take the mickey mercilessly.
It's a great school and I was privileged to go there, although at the time I didn't appreciate it fully. The staff were excellent and I can still recall most of them, some with trepidation but most with a great deal of pleasure.

Today's Cheese Recommendation

2008-05-08T10:29:00.006+01:00

Vieux Lille.
Also know as Gris de Lille, Puant de Lille and Puant Macere, this is one of my favourites which I always look for in the supermarkets in Calais or Boulogne. "Puant" means it niffs a lot - and it certainly does ! The book says it is soaked for three months in brine to give it a salty taste, and that the stronger it smells the more the locals like it - certainly true of me, even though I'm not a local. Mind you, it would be worth moving to Lille just to be able to get this more easily !! If you are brave and don't mind a pungent aroma in the house, try it !!

"French Cheeses" - Book Review

2008-05-08T10:15:00.004+01:00

May I recommend "French Cheeses", written by Kazuko Masui and Tomoko Yamada and published by Dorling Kindersley (ISBN 1 4053 0666 1) in 2004. This was a Xmas present a few years ago and has now become my bible. It contains descriptions and illustrations of about 350 of the most delicious of the French cheeses, plus hints on how to store them etc.
Obviously you don't want to carry a book around with you when shopping, so I suggest a small notebook in which you record the names of those cheeses which interest you most. I already do this with books - stops me buying the same book twice which I've done before now !!
If you like cheese, get this book - and no, I'm not on commission, this is a genuine recommendation !!

Cheese and Jam Sandwiches.

2008-05-08T10:00:00.004+01:00

I've been enjoying cheese and jam sandwiches for more than 60 years now, and intend to continue doing so for the next 60 ! Having read a few other comments about this delightful mix of flavours, I see that there is some debate as to which cheese to use. As far as I am concerned, any cheese is OK - and any jam too - but NOT marmalade. And don't forget to butter the bread. You can also spread jam on toasted cheese sandwiches. Why don't restaurants serve this I wonder - are people so narrow-minded as to be put off by the thought of such a combination ?

I also love jam on cake, especially fruit-cake. I used to get yelled at when I was a kid and tried to spread it on my Xmas cake !

What has happened to Adverbs ?

2008-05-07T06:57:00.003+01:00

This is the latest of my grumbles about the awful grammar which is prevalent today. The adverb seems to have disappeared ! An example:- "He did real good !" This phrase is commonly heard and in most cases the speaker or writer intends to convey the message that the person about whom they are talking or writing had a successful time. My response when hearing that phrase is "Really ? To whom ?" What they should say of course is "He did really well", but I'm sure I need hardly point that out if you are taking time to read this ! I'll have more to write about this later as my breakfast (cheese on toast of course) is ready.

The Apostrophe.

2008-05-04T11:58:00.007+01:00

I was going to have a go about the misuse of apostrophes, but instead I'm putting in a link to "The Apostrophe Protection Society" which has an excellent explanatory website - go there !!

The difference between "your" and "you're" is also interesting - there are lots of examples on the website, some very amusing !!

"Less" and "Fewer" - another grammar lesson !

2008-05-04T10:50:00.004+01:00

This is another very common fault nowadays. The simple rule is to remember "fewer in number, less in quantity". Thus for example "less sugar" but "fewer lumps of sugar" - you would not, after all, say "fewer sugar", although some might say "less lumps of sugar" ! Try to get it right !! Otherwise you will get detention and a hundred lines.

Meatball Sandwiches

2008-05-03T17:34:00.007+01:00

When I lived in Rhode Island in the 1960s, we used to frequent a little take-away restaurant in, I think, Cranston, which made the best Boston Submarine Sandwiches ever. They were basically a nine-inch bread roll filled with meatballs and gravy, and were very moorish - we used to sit in the car and eat them. I recall one night stopping there in a snowstorm and being told by a policeman that we could only stop in an emergency. We told him it was an emergency because we didn't have anything to eat, so he laughed and buggered off !
In recent years I have visited Philadelphia and can recommend a little place in the bottom of the Bellevue Hotel at Broad and Walnut - can't remember the name but it's easy to find, and they do very good meatball sandwiches !
And next time you have one, don't forget the CHEESE !!!

Time to go to Calais

2008-04-30T10:12:00.006+01:00

We are running out of wine, so it's time for a trip across the channel. It's usually too long for a day trip - about 400 miles driving - so the last couple of times we have been we stayed overnight. I remember a little hotel in Gravelines where we stayed a few years ago - great hot chocolate for breakfast. And then there was the day we parked, went and had a great meal and then found our car had been broken into and half the stuff we bought stolen. This was no fun, and ruined the day out - especially when the car broke down just outside the Channel Tunnel in Kent.
But all in all I have enjoyed the many day and two-day trips we have taken over the last 20 years. We used to stay near St Omer, at Tilques, and in Boulogne - go to Chez Jules for a good meal. (If Jeff ever reads this, he will remember the slugs !!) Cite Europe is OK, and convenient for shopping, but go into Calais or Boulogne and enjoy the local shops and restaurants as well. And don't forget to buy tons of cheese - try Vieux Lille if you can find it - stinks like hell but great taste !!

"A Lifelong Passion" - a book review.

2008-04-28T16:37:00.003+01:00

"A Lifelong Passion - Nicholas and Alexandra - Their Own Story", by Andrei Maylunas and Sergei Mironenko. Published in the UK in paperback by Phoenix Giant in 1996.
I have just finished reading this book and found it one of the most fascinating reads I've had for a long time. The book consists of a series of extracts from letters, diaries and memoirs by the last tsar of Russia and his family and acquaintances, plus some formal reports and documents from the period. These cover the years from 1881 to 1918 when the Romanov family was executed - some will say murdered - by the Bolsheviks at Ekaterinburg.
The tsar and his family seemed on the surface to be such nice people - and no doubt were in their own way - and yet the extracts show only too clearly their opposition to any form of democracy and their anti-semitism. Nicholas and Alexandra were also very vulnerable in that they were easily influenced by almost everyone around them, not only by the notorious Rasputin but by almost anyone. The tsar had the reputation of having the opinion of the last person to whom he spoke.
The book reflects the deep love between Nicholas and his wife, their love for their children and the terrible suffering of their son Alexei, who had haemophilia. There are some funny moments, and also some events which reflect the social structure of the time and yet seem inexplicable to us today - for example the tsar banned his brother from entering Russia when he married a divorced commoner and considered that the family had been disgraced by this episode !
This particular edition has been shortened by the publishers, which is a shame as I would like it to go on and on - a thoroughly good and entertaining read !!

Cameras

2008-04-27T11:05:00.005+01:00

I've been a very amateur photographer ever since I was a child when my mother let me use her Kodak box camera - which by the way produced excellent results until the light began to get in. I still have many old black and white negatives which produce excellent prints, even after 60 years.

Are you like me ? Do you have a cupboard full of old cameras ? I have a Kodak Instamatic among others - this one is about 45 years old and no doubt still works. I took thousands of slides with it in the 1960s and 70s.

How photography has been transformed in the last few years with the widespread introduction of digital cameras. The whole philosophy behind taking photos has changed - whereas formerly one had to think twice before clicking because of the limited number of shots available and the cost of processing, now one may click away without thinking and then select and edit only those photos one really likes. I still find it difficult to adjust to this mentally, but I'm slowly changing !

I have two cameras now - a Nikon D40 and a Fujifilm S5500, both of which produce first class images. I recommend either and both to anyone thinking of buying a new camera. The Nikon is more of a professional camera (not that I'm a professional in any way, it was given to me !) - it's a digital SLR and you need to buy a selection of lenses to benefit fully from it. This of course can prove expensive. The Fujifilm on the other hand has a great zoom and is just the job for everyday and holiday use.

Enjoy taking pix !!

Today's Limerick

2008-04-27T08:32:00.004+01:00

I just came across this one in my book of limericks:

There once was a young girl from Norway
Who hung by her feet from the doorway.
This worked out quite well,
'Cos when you rang her bell,
It actually turned out to be foreplay!

Send me your favourite limerick !

Old Postcards Wanted.

2008-04-27T08:26:00.005+01:00

We are currently looking for old postcards for our website "Postcards of the Past". Do you have any that you would like to see on our web pages ? If so, please get in touch. Good quality images will be fine, preferably in jpeg format. All contributions will be acknowledged on the website - unless you don't want us to of course ! Thanks !

Who was that girl singing at the Pope ?

2008-04-26T18:37:00.006+01:00

Now I'm the first to confess that I don't know a lot about pop singers and even less about religion, but by chance I came across a video on YouTube of some girl singing the Ave Maria to the Pope in - of all places - Yankee Stadium (what on earth was he doing there ?). Now I know the Pope is getting on a bit and probably doesn't really appreciate pop music, but he must have been as embarrassed as hell to hear this poor girl sing - she was AWFUL ! How on earth could the organisers let someone like that try to sing this song ? They must have been nuts. And then, when I read the comments, everyone said how wonderful she was ! Good heavens, don't you Americans know anything about singing ? This girl was dreadful ! I can't remember her name but I'm sure you will all know it - and I'm sure she can belt out a pop song as well as anyone else - but this was terrible. And then I see a note from the person who posted the video saying that any more negative comments will be deleted. Now this made me very annoyed. I was under the impression that America was a democracy and protected freedom of speech - even under that prat G Bush - so to act as censor and ban criticism is appalling. I hope this silly person is ashamed of himself or herself !

PS I've just been told that the poor girl's name is Carly Smithson - sorry Carly, never heard of you, but it seems plenty of people have, so good luck - and stick to what you do best !

PPS Blush blush - apparently the girl was Kelly Clarkson - never heard of her either - sorry girls !

Silly me !

2008-04-26T10:39:00.002+01:00

The freezer door wouldn't close last night, so I had a look and the inside was coated with ice. So I started chipping away instead of defrosting the thing properly, stuck a knife into a pipe and out came the gas ! So now we have to buy a new fridge, which we can ill afford at the moment. My own stupid fault.
But on the positive side, it's a lovely morning, and quite warm too - already 65F and only 10.30am.

I've just ordered an Indesit fridge - if anyone would like me to review it, please get in touch !

"Laying" and "Lying" - Use the Correct Word !!!!

2008-04-24T14:26:00.002+01:00

This is one misuse of the English language which - for some reason unknown to me - annoys me intensely ! Just to be clear, "to lay" is a transitive verb which requires a direct object - thus chickens "lay" eggs - and if you say your are going to "lay down" then you must say what it is you are going to lay down - eg your pen or - to quote the song - your arms. "Lie" (which of course can also mean to tell an untruth) is an intransitive verb and is used in the sense of placing oneself horizontally, ie "I am going to lie down". Get it right and stop annoying me !!

Limericks

2008-04-24T14:09:00.005+01:00

Having just created a page of old postcards of Limerick, I was reminded of many old "Limericks" which caused us great amusement in our younger days - and which still do !! Edward Lear started things off, but his always lacked a decent punch line, simply repeating the opening line. I remember a Jerry Colonna - probably spelt that incorrectly - record from the 1950s which included:
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do ?
"Let us fly" said the flea,
"Let us flee" said the fly,
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

Also in the song was:
That bottle of perfume that Willie sent
Was highly insulting to Millicent.
Her thanks were so cold
That they quarrelled, I'm told,
Through that silly scent Willie sent Millicent.

And then there are the dirty ones. In fact, the majority of Limericks have a sexual content - I'm pleased to say. Some are downright filthy and most are hilarious - to me anyway !
If anyone reads this, please add your favourite !

Postcards of the Past

2008-04-22T12:15:00.006+01:00

We are currently updating our New York City pages, so please bear with us for a few days ! If you haven't already seen our old postcards of the Big Apple, please go to www.oldstratforduponavon.com/nyc and have a look.

We have also just created some pages for postcards of Ireland. We don't have too many postcards yet, so if you can help, please get in touch ! Thanks !! Click here to see these pages - www.oldstratforduponavon.com/irelandhome

Postcards of the Past

2008-04-19T16:05:00.007+01:00

Visit our newly designed website to see some lovely old postcards of many towns and villages in Europe and North America. The link is www.oldstratforduponavon.com
Above are a couple of samples of the almost 4000 old postcards on view. Postcards are added daily, so keep coming back ! And if you have any postcards you would like to contribute - good quality scans will be fine - please get in touch. You can email us on gregoryolney@aol.com.

God Hates America Dot Com

2007-04-03T13:16:00.000+01:00

We watched a documentary on TV the other night about this strange religious bunch who run the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, in the USA. Louis Theroux made the programme and as usual he did it very well - just the chap for this kind of documentary. On the face of it, most of the church members seemed to be very nice people, although their aged leader, Fred W Phelps Sr, was a silly old sod with no manners and obviously unable to respond sensibly to any questions put to him. If you get the chance, have a look at their website - www.godhatesamerica.com - it is very amusing as long as you don't take them seriously (hopefully, no-one will !!) In particular, their reasons for hating Sweden gave me hysterics !! They appear to believe that homosexuals - whom they rudely refer to as "fags" - are evil, although they don't say why, other than the bible doesn't like them. The church members seem to spend most of their time and energy in demonstrating at funerals of soldiers who were killed in Iraq, so it's hardly surprising that they are not the most popular people in the USA ! This is yet another example of how religious belief warps people's minds and causes trouble and strife throughout civilisation - but it also makes one ask why there are so many fundamentalist groups like this one in the USA.

Noel Gallagher...and others.

2007-03-28T08:25:00.001+01:00

We went to see Noel Gallagher at the Albert Hall last night, and this reminded me of other rock/pop concerts I've seen.

The first was in 1964, August 23 I believe, when I saw the Beatles in their famous Shea Stadium concert. "Saw" is the right word, because you couldn't hear much. The sound system was crap and the crowd was full of screaming girls wetting themselves. Quite a few people walked out because it was rather a waste of money - but just being there and seeing them, admittedly in the distance, was worth the effort. There was no large screen TV either, so all you got was four small lads on a stage in the middle of this large stadium. No idea what they sang, you really could not hear a thing !! It all began with the Goodyear Airship (or "blimp" as the Americans call it) flying over the stadium flashing "Help" (the movie had just been released), followed by a helicopter which deposited the lads just outside the stadium. The doors opened and they ran in to a crescendo of screams which scarcely abated for the whole of the concert. And that was it - no warm up acts, just the Beatles for an hour or so. I remember we got stopped by the police on the way home to Rhode Island, checking up on why we were out so late and having to explain where we'd been !!

Then there was Pink Floyd in 1977. The boyfriend of a girl who we knew in Hampton Hill was their business manager or something. They (she and him, not the band !) turned up at our house in Hartwell in a Lamborghini one afternoon out of the blue and said they were off to Stafford for a concert, and if we would like to go we could meet them there and get in for free - so we did ! We got badges and were able to go anywhere. We watched the concert from the top back of the arena, looking down on the crowd and the haze of sweet-smelling smoke rising gently upwards. We were on a level with the flying pigs and stuff. Don't remember much of the concert - again the sound was pretty crap compared with today. Afterwards we went backstage and sat with the band, their guests and the crew. Brian May was there - towering above everyone else. We sat drinking beer at a large table. We didn't know anyone and just chatted to whoever was there. After a while the bloke next to me got up and left, and our friend asked me if I knew who he was. She said it was Freddy Mercury. My response was "Who the fuck is Freddy Mercury ?" Well it was 1977, and I wasn't really into rock in those days - I'd never heard of him ! Funny I recognised Brian May though. Queen are still the top band ever !!
Noel Gallagher was great last night. There were two other warm up groups, the first of which was rubbish - a lot of people walked out. There was some drunken idiot in the crowd who stood up and tried to sing and dance, must have been their fan ! Then after the interval and a brandy we saw Choral who were very good. They got a good reception, and the hall began to fill up, so that by the time Noel came on there wasn't a seat anywhere. He got a great reception. The crowd was amazing, very entertaining to watch them. Everyone joined in and sang - there was one very annoying lad behind us who was overly enthusiastic with his "singing" but other than that everyone was fine, singing and dancing - and filming the whole show. Dia had her cell-phone cam and got told by a man in a red coat that she mustn't take photos !! But no-one took any notice, they had no chance of enforcing that, everyone was taking pics. Looking round when the lights were low was hilarious, cell-phone glows everywhere. Technically everything was amazing. The sound system was just right - not overly loud. There was a big screen behind the band with quite amazing resolution, and superb camera-work. Three or four "static" cameras and another small cam on a boom. The producer must have had fun switching between them - he certainly produced a great show which will no doubt be available on video soon. Meanwhile look on YouTube !! Noel put on a great show, almost 90 minutes non-stop. He did a couple of songs with Paul Weller but other than that he was on his own - well with a couple of other blokes on guitars and keyboard, and a dozen blondes playing the violin and cello behind him ! It was nice to see so many people enjoying themselves.

Why the World Hates America !

2007-02-25T15:16:00.000Z

I hope the title seized your attention !

Let's be quite clear. The world does NOT hate America ! As an Englishman I am sure that most of us and most Europeans love America and it's people, and that the same is true for the greater part of the world. Mind you, when some US restaurants substituted "Freedom Fries" for "French Fries" we did have our doubts for a while !!

What we DO hate is the current US regime which seems bent on world domination - or at least domination of those regions which can supply oil and gas. Why can't they just leave everybody else alone and concentrate on their domestic problems - health care, general welfare, eradication of poverty. If they really want to have friends around the world, spend money on providing the necessities of life for the millions who are in dire need. Don't squander US tax-payers' hard-earned money on killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Think how the money spent on the Iraq slaughter could have helped the needy in other countries - I'm sure Halliburton could have diversified and "won" the contacts !! Stop stirring up hatred of other religions. Stop American big businesses exploiting cheap labour in poor countries.Then perhaps the Muslim world would not be so devoted to harming US interests - and would no doubt happily sell oil to the US as well.

I'm not for one moment approving Muslim extremism. Like other religions, what they preach and how they act in the name of their god is abominable and an insult to the ordinary Muslim, but so is what US right-wing Christian organisations preach - and Bush is a member of one of these churches - so the USA should put its own house in order before condemning the Taliban or Iran. The Iranian people are lovely people - unfortunately, like so many Americans, they have been indoctrinated by clever, garrulous preachers all their lives, and do not question what they have been taught.

So why doesn't America elect a president who will do away with the corruption in government, who will stop all these needless military actions against innocent peoples and who stretch out the hand of friendship to everyone, not just to those who will help turn a profit ? A friend commented that if a politician were brave enough to try to do this, his life would be in danger, and I have to agree. Sad.

The United States establishment has a long way to go if it wants to win the hearts and minds of the rest of the world. Fortunately, the USA is a great country and I have every hope that it's people will throw off the shackles of religious extremism and corporate profiteering, rein in its military and the CIA and set an example to the rest of the world of how its much-trumpetted democracy can force its establishment to behave in a civilized manner.

What's in a Name ?

2007-02-25T15:13:00.000Z

I was reminded this morning of the well-known tale of the young college student who told her parents that she didn't believe in god. They were faintly amused and didn't take a lot of notice. However, when she subsequently told them that she was an atheist, they were outraged !!

UFOs and God

2007-02-25T15:04:00.002Z

An acquaintance asked me the other day if I believed in UFOs. "What a strange question" I thought. Of course I believe in UFOs, or at least in what I mean by UFOs, which is simply "Unidentified Flying Objects". I see them regularly - things in the sky which I can't identify, and I'm sure there are lots of similar objects which even the experts can't identify. This does not, of course, mean that they are alien space craft, which is what my friend meant. So the lesson from his question is, be sure you know what you mean when you use an expression such as "UFO", as it apparently means different things to different people. Be sure you can explain what you mean. As we shall see, the same applies to "God".

In the 1940s and 50s there was a weekly Radio Programme called “The Brains Trust” which was broadcast on the BBC Home Service. Listeners sent in questions, some of which were answered by the distinguished panel, one of whom was a Professor CEM Joad. He became famous for his “catchphrase”, which was “It all depends what you mean by……….”.

Much later in life I began to understand what he was getting at. When discussing science or mathematics, for instance, it is nearly always quite apparent “what you mean by” a particular word or phrase, for scientific and mathematical terms are nearly always well-defined and understood by expert and student alike.

However, when it comes to other, less well-defined matters, the situation is very different. Take for example the current “war” in Iraq. Both in the United States and here in Great Britain we are regularly exhorted to “support our troops” – but what exactly does this mean ? Are we supposed to approve of them being there ? If we don’t approve, in what way are we required to support them ? Certainly no-one wants to see them killed or injured, but how is wanting this supporting them ? Moral support would no doubt help them but how should we do this ? Should we bake them a cake, knit them socks, send them money ? I can’t pray for them, I’m an atheist - and by the way there is some scientific evidence that prayer can be harmful if the "beneficiary" of the prayer is aware that he or she is being prayed for ! We can encourage our elected representatives to ensure that they are well-looked after and supplied with the necessities to do their job, but I suspect this is not quite what the opinion pollsters are getting at. I think they don’t really know, haven’t really thought about their question, and just used words without thinking about their meaning. It all depends what you mean by ‘support’ !

So then to religion. When asked “Do you believe in God ?” my response is “What do you mean by ‘God’ ?” Few can answer other than with some mumbo-jumbo about a supernatural being, and to date no-one has answered convincingly. There is also the question, of course, of what you mean by “believe” ! I have come to assume a definition of this word (in this context) as “to hold something to be true for which you have no firm evidence”.

However, it is the term “God” which is the more important of the two. So, if you are a believer, try to answer the question “What do you mean by God ?” Think about it. Try to come up with a definition that doesn’t use woolly language. Don’t be like George Bush or a southern Baptist preacher and waffle on using meaningless words and phrases. Make sure you know what the words in your definition mean. Write it down. Talk to someone about it. Don’t use words like “spiritual” unless you are quite clear as to their meaning, and can explain them clearly and unambiguously to others. In other words, make sense.

Enough for now - if you have any thoughts I'd be pleased to hear them ! As long, of course as you think about what you mean by.......

Back again.

2005-06-15T07:20:00.000+01:00

Haven't written anything for ages - I must try harder as my school reports used to say ! I see Bush is trying to get the Patriot Act renewed or confirmed or whatever - he and his regime really are the most evil government the USA has ever had - and the silly "Middle Americans" just can't see what he's doing. Even that awful Rumsfeld admitted on TV last night that Guantanamo is a bit of a problem, so it's about time you Americans started protesting a bit louder - OK you're stuck with him, but at least make his life a bit more uncomfortable.
More soon I hope.

April Fool !!

2005-04-01T18:50:00.000+01:00

I caught Dia this morning - told her it was snowing !! Ha ha !! Still a child at heart. Then we went out and bought ourselves expensive digital cameras, more toys to play with. I suppose we ought to sell our old 35mm ones but I don't suppose they will fetch very much now everyone wants digital stuff.
Haven't written on here for ages - forgot all about it actually !! At least the winter is over and we can look forward to some decent weather, though no doubt G Bush will do his best to control it. Go on George, dig up Alaska, you've got nothing better to do !! What did he say yesterday about wanting to create a society where all Americans feel valued and protected ? - what about those trying to live on SSI - he doesn't seem to give shit about them - I bet he wouldn't feel very valued on $500 a month. Watch out America - you'll soon be a third world country if you listen to your politicians and the redneck, neo-conservative, religious extremists. And Bush and co have the cheek to complain about Al-Qaida - who are the real extremists ?
We shall have a General Election soon - at least Labour will get back in comfortably. That prat who "leads" the Tories has really fucked things up for them. And then we have a wedding coming up soon. The other prat who will one day be king made a right idiot of himself yesterday - although I must admit I would get very pissed off with the press. Charles should have learnt from his missus - she knew how to use them and never hesitated to take advantage of them.
All for now ! I had a good moan, I'll try to be a bit more positive next time !!

...and another thing...

2005-02-15T23:17:00.000Z

...why are large objects always measured in football pitch sizes ? The latest is a giant asteroid the size of 3 football pitches hurtling towards earth etc etc....well football pitches have a minimum and a maximum size for a start....and what sort of football ? English, American Rugby Union, Rugby League ? And football pitches are flat, so do they mean a large very thin asteroid ? Silly buggers ! Journalists lack imagination. Why not say a fucking great big ball of rock is headingthis way so look out !!

Sometimes I get angry !

2004-12-05T11:09:00.000Z

The poor sods caught in floods in the Phillippines need urgent help, and international aid agencies need a few million dollars to provide this help. Why don't they have the money imediately available ? If that fucker Bush can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on killing people, why can't he spend a few million saving them ? No profit in it, that's why !!
There should be an international disaster agency, working under UN auspices, that can respond rapidly anywhere in the world it is needed. The rich western countries should fund it, especially the USA and Europe. Then maybe people would begin to see us in a different light, and instead of stirring up hatred by exploiting them we might make a few friends by helping them, with no strings attached.

GET RID OF BUSH !!!!!!!

2004-11-01T07:58:00.000Z

Bloody hell, it's November already ! And the Americans have to vote tomorrow ! If any Americans read this, for goodness sake don't vote for Bush - do anything to get rid of him and his evil crew. The man is despised in the rest of the world, especially Europe and most especially in the UK. We all know what he's like because we get decent news coverage, whereas your press and TV are controlled by the neo-conservatives and the religious extremists from the south - I know, I've just got back from NYC, and was appalled by what I saw on TV. We are all worried sick about what will happen in the world if he gets re-elected, so come on, for you own sakes as well as for the rest of us, listen to Michael Moore and GET RID OF BUSH !!!

Home again !!

2004-10-21T07:03:00.000+01:00

Just got back from New York City, where we spent a very pleasant week in general, although our plans didn't work out as we expected so that we are - temporarily - apart. We're not happy about that ! And in spite of eating like New Yorkers, I only put on one pound !! Am I mistaken or are New Yorkers more health conscious than most Americans ? There don't seem to be so many fat people there as for example in Philadelphia, and I was amazed at the numbers exercising in Central Park on Sunday morning, running, jogging and cycling. My hip is much better - we did a lot of walking in New York and the exercise must have helped. I stopped taking the ibuprofen too. My doc says jogging is not good for you as it jars the bones, cycling is much better, a smoother way to exercise.
We also had the most expensive meal I have ever had the privilege to pay for - at the Rock Center restaurant in the Rockefeller Centre. $120 for two - no doubt there are a lot more expensive places than that, but even Harrods is not quite that bad !! The food was excellent though, as was the service. The following night we spent $60 for 4 in the Village. Then we ate at Hard Rock on 57th Street - terrible really. We were lucky to have a great waitress, but the food was mediocre and we had to wait 30 minutes for puddings ! The waitress was so embarrassed, and didn't charge us for them.
I had a decent flight back, aisle seat on a bulkhead so I could stretch my legs out. I had too much to drink though, and slept most of the way.

Thanks to those who have left comments - anyone who would like to email me, please do !!!

Eating Meat

2004-10-09T13:45:00.000+01:00

Most people do not, I suspect, associate the steak on their plate with the cow lazily chewing grass in the field, otherwise we would doubtless all be vegetarians. Visit a slaughter-house and then go and have a pork-chop. I eat meat - I like it - I was brought up to eat it - I was raised in the country. We used to keep pigs - I loved those pigs and had my own, Sam, whom we raised from a piglet. Then one day the pig-killer came and I helped him kill Sam - and I was quite happy to eat him. (Sam not the pig-killer) I love poached pig-brains on toast. Pig-killing was a regular Saturday morning treat just after the war - but now I couldn't bear to watch it. But I still eat meat - I know I shouldn't but I'm used to it and I like it. I had a friend - now long deceased - who couldn't bear to walk past a butcher's shop, and had to cross the road to pass it. It's barbaric to slaughter poor animals, but we do it. Why ?
I used to love going to a bull-fight when we were in Spain, but now watching it on TV turns my stomach. Humans are an enigma - we're quite happy to slaughter each other, so why don't we eat each other too ?
Have a jolly day !!