I am not sure if my campaign to remove Trump had any effect but he’s gone and i am happy to take the credit. Now I must persevere against the other blond idiot and get him gone. It will be harder because of the large majority in Parliament and there is no election for another 4 years. I hope, that even the Conservative party, will come to it senses (what little they have) and get rid of him? Surely he has become an embarrassment to them? It is odd that we are living in age when eccentricity has become a currency in high office that enough people seem to favour! I shan’t repeat  my well worn comments on his integrity or complete lack of it. We have heard people say that they know he’s liar and a cheat but it’s okay it’s Boris! What ever he may have achieved and it is precious little he is not fit to be PM. He may take credit for the vaccine rollout but in truth it had little to do with him as indeed has anything else. What seems to be obvious to many of us is completely oblivious to others. My darling wife has members at her place of work (women) who seem reasonable in every way but won’t hear a word said against him! I’m perfectly willing to admit to being proved wrong about anything but in his case nothing would persuade me to believe I have misjudged him! I will not apologise for taking up more space to rant about our PM, he is such an abomination that not enough words could be written in order to help in his demise.

I made the mistake of inviting a representative of a replacement door and window company to come round and give us an estimate. We have used them before and they did a good job. He was a pleasant enough guy who was just doing his job. He gave us the quote (which was a substantial amount) and then told us that if place the order then and there he could make it a £1000 less? Naturally I asked how and was given some bullshit about time and travel etc. Not my problem. I stood firm in the face of his pressure sales pitch but then of course I’m me. I know it’s his job to get the order but you can only say no so many times and I was beginning to get irritated by the time he eventually left. We sometimes give certain “professions” reputations that we know are often exaggerated but these guys live up to their’s, never rude but bloody persistent!

Stay well

 It is very difficult not to write about Boris and his courtiers each day. The lies, deceit, film-flam, bluster, nonsense and unbridled waste of public money should makes us ashamed to have elected such a wanker! However it seems that the prevailing attitude of the majority of the public is blinded by the speed of the vaccine rollout and there fore it matters not what he does or says because thats alright! I have written to my new local MP Philip Hollobone expressing my unhappiness with the reports of corruption and confusion about the money allegedly being spent and asked him to comment without the usual politicians reply. Admittedly I was not expecting any form of actual opinion and i was not disappointed here is the content of his email:

Thank you Paul very much indeed for your e-mail and for being kind enough to take the time and trouble to let me know of your concerns.  

 

Like you I hope that all allegations of impropriety are properly investigated by the appropriate authorities.

 

Thank you again for letting me know your concerns. I appreciate you contacting me.

 

Best wishes,

 

Philip Hollobone 

My reply was brief and said “Oh Philip your a hoot”

A typical political reply and no more than one would expect. It will be interesting to see what his response will be should impropriety be found?

Stay well

 Word of the day SNOLLYGOSTER (19th century) a person guided by personal gain rather than principles

Should the rich and I mean the very rich pay more in tax to subsidise those less well of and by less I mean poor? I suppose if you are very rich you are entitled to say in a capitalist world that you should keep whatever you’ve got and the poor be damned. I know there are many many wealthy people (and many who don’t have so much) who are generous both with their time and their money. Personally I think they should be tax more if they earn more. However I would want proof positive that the additional tax is actually directed to those most in need or other social services that require funding? And therein is the problem, we have no actual control over where our taxes are spent. We all know where the large sums are spent NHS etc but huge amounts are wasted on all sorts of projects, contracts and supposed great schemes, which I’m sure if we were more involved would go to support and fund all those hard pressed services that help people. It is true there is only so much money (though you would not think so at present) and priorities have to be decided. Naturally you would expect me to write that this government (all Conservative governments?) are “spaffing money up the wall” all over the place with little regard for the consequences of their misguided corruption! Money can be the “root of all evil” but money itself is only as good as those who use it. There has to be some form of exchange for goods and money is easy to understand. Unfortunately those who have none want some, those who have plenty want more and then there are those who will steal, gamble, kill, just to get some! I have some, enough probably but if more came my way I would not turn it down. I’ve said this before but once you have more than you need surely it is then how you can help society, friends and others that really counts and not for your own ego (though it gives a warm feeling to be a giver) but because it’s the right thing to do!

Stay well

The sayings there is no smoke without fire seems particularly apt this morning. The smoke is pouring in thick clouds from under the door of No 10. Teflon Johnston will probably walk out unharmed, he cares little for any fire burning around him and will piss all over it. I have just read that 4 out 10 people don’t trust the Tories and as the writer said how is it the other 6 do? We seem to be sleepwalking and oblivious to the mess they are making, I cannot believe that this country once so full of righteous indignation and anger at any injustice, are so complacent about our government? The European Super League is announced and there (rightly) are howls of protests, supporters of all rival teams united in their condemnation of the plan but our government makes monumental bad decisions everyday and we do nothing or very little. The majority of us are far too comfortable and consumed with trivialities and the current conditions are not exactly conducive to huge protests (and the law has just been tightened to make it more difficult anyway) 

I have moved from the constituency of Michael Ellis and he is no longer my MP, so I cannot as his constituent question him about the governments behaviour or their policies. My good friend Peter sent him an email questioning a bill that went through on the nod asking how such a law could be passed. He got a 5000 word reply, which he worked out had been cut and pasted as the font changed several times! Philip Holobone is now our MP, as you would expect in Northamptonshire he is a Conservative. I shall be writing to him as soon as there is something I feel strongly about other then a the fact that they are in power in the first place! I hope the younger generations are sufficiently engaged to hold these shady politicians to account. I see precious little evidence of such engagement but I would be the first to admit that I am woefully out of touch when it comes to the understanding of younger people. 

I urge you to question your representative of which ever stripe. We must hold them all to account! And just so as you don’t think I am a miserable git please enjoy your life and have fun it’s not all doom and gloom even if it feels like it sometimes!!

Stay well

Today I’m going to visit an old subject which has not gone away and is the worse mistake we have made politically for many a long year (and we’ve made a f**king lot!) Brexit. Can anyone tell me one advantage we have gained from leaving the EU? I can tell you some of the many disadvantages that business is suffering. Businesses have given up exporting to the EU, the paperwork involved is too onerous and costly. What was the easiest thing has now become almost impossible. The Northern Ireland problem that our wonderful PM told us would be alright on the night is a joke! As individual we have lost our EU citizenship and if we want to stay for more than 90 days in any member state we either have to apply for residency or just come back to the UK. All those ex-pats in Spain who voted to leave now find themselves having to come back and can’t understand what they did wrong. Your no longer subject to the European Court of Human Rights. Slowly our hard won rights of equality and protection under EU law are being repealed and disappearing. 

The irony is that as a member the UK had more power than almost any other member. We could veto anything we did not wish to join. We resisted the Euro. Our contribution was subject to rebates. Unlike France we are a nation of who follow the rules of any club we belong to even when it doesn’t suit us but we did not have to. The EU made many ridiculous decisions, nobody would deny that but from the inside we had a say in how it developed now we have no say, no control, no influence. This will last for years and years, it is not a temporary glitch while we adjust, the impact of Brexit will cast it’s shadow across the UK for a long time. The big plus is supposedly sovereignty? What a load of bollocks! We controlled our own borders, we had control over all our own laws, we were always and always have been a sovereign nation regardless of which “club” we belonged to! All those EU subsidies that helped our farmers and many other projects has now disappeared and do you really think this the Conservatives will take up the slack amid the already stretched financial position we are in because of Covid and leaving the EU in the first place? What a waste of time and energy the last 5 years has been, uncertainty, needless hardship, businesses, incurring additional expense and all for no good reason, other than those who supported Brexit either for their own ambition or because they could used the fear factor and lies to push their own agenda. Okay no one expected a pandemic and that has put a huge kink in all economies but only hides a fraction of the damage leaving the EU has caused.

Get over it I hear many say, it’s done, stop bleating and get on with it. Well to those who do why should I? If it had all gone smoothly and trade deals etc were blossoming all over the world and “sovereignty” had given us all the advantages we were promised, I would be the first to say I was wrong (actually I probably would still say we should have remained!). I am willing to bet that many of those who voted leave, may be keeping quiet but secretly know they made an error in judgement?

The EU is far far from perfect and has much that needs to be reformed, does not treat all members equally in spite of it’s stated intentions and charters. They are our  closest neighbours and markets so why not remain inside as Sun Tzu said in The Art of War “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” We just shut the door in their face!

Stay well

 Oh dear do dear it’s almost too good to miss out on, Cummings turns on his old mate Johnson! It was surely only a matter of time before he got his knife out and firmly stabbed Boris. Cummings was never going to go quietly, frankly it’s amazing he waited this long? We all know by now how corrupt Boris is and as if we needed further proof along comes Dominic to add fuel to the fire. You can’t like him and he has a lot to answer for himself but revenge is a dish best served cold! Boris much like Trump had, must have advisors who shrug their collective shoulders in despair at some of the things he says and suggests! You can hear them telling him “No Boris you cant do that” to which he probably replies “Hrrummph why not, really, err, surely I can I’m the PM?” I suspect under that bumbling man of the people persona he tries so hard to promote (fails!) he is a absolute bastard with a foul temper, who wants his own way and will try to get away with anything he thinks he won’t get caught for (or in his case even if he does)! We know he is a liar and a cheat and tries to brush criticism off with a wave of his hand as if swatting an errant fly! The inner squabbling of our government are proof positive of how unstable and hopeless they are and yet they close ranks and defend each other as though no wrong could possibly be of their doing. Cummings has exposed the seedy underbelly of the PM’s dealings and how behind the curtain he is a just like the Wizard of Oz all show and no real substance.

We have recently started to watch Australian cop shows from the early 2000’s. They are very good, gritty, pull no punches and have characters that have questionable political correctness. If you don’t have Prime you won’t be able to watch but if you have may I recommend two City Homicide and Young Lions. On the same channel End Game is also worth a watch. Australian TV has a number of series that are well worth watching Harrow is another which again if you have it is on Alibi.

Stay well

 It is strange the way the world works or should I say doesn’t. So many different views, opinions, theories, laws, rules, capitalism, communism and every variant in between. The human condition is one run by what we know is right and we trust everyone to accept it and abide by it. Yet we know that there are unjust laws and rules, that discriminate against all sorts of things. Lines have to be drawn but all to often they are in the wrong place. No matter how enlightened we become there are countries where inequality, prejudice, ethnic cleansing, religious bigotry and other horrendous ideals are carried out. 

Science should be relied on most of it is provable, absolute, the Earth is not flat, Earth revolves around the sun, gravity, light  etc etc etc and yet there are many who dispute these facts. Science has not proved everything and there is still a massive amount to understand. I need not reiterate the madness of those who have absolute belief in the Bible! We know more than at any time in our history and yet seem unable to agree on so much. Countries follow their own agenda and if the current thinking does not suit them or is too expensive they either don’t comply or provide some mitigating reason why they can’t. It is understandable that the economies of many are fragile and not able to support the urgent need to save our planet. Some are simply ruled by religious laws or ideologies that cannot accept the common view? Surely there is enough money sloshing about that none of theses problems are insurmountable? The trouble is that we collectively don’t have the will or care sufficiently to really do anything meaningful! I was discussing this with my very good friend Peter, the other day and we concluded no matter how “green” we try to be the little we do makes no difference. And before you shout and say if everybody thought that nothing will change, neither of us will actually stop behaving as responsibly as we can. It is easy to sit back and say it is someone else’s problem and frankly for me heading toward my final years, it is even easier! Humans will eventually be wiped out just like the dinosaurs, it is inevitable and our hubris in thinking we are here for ever is pitiful!

Stay well (and happy!😃)

 Went to Ikea yesterday and wandered round. I know it is a huge place but why does the car park always look fuller of cars than it appears there are people inside? This is something that seems to happen wherever a large car park with large premises like Supermarkets etc strange! I’m sure there must be some theory of diminishing returns or something that explains it?

We bought some shelving and a couple of small tables but managed to avoid buying any of the massive amount of stuff they put in front of you at every turn. It was interesting to be out and about and shop at a large store, apart from masks it was no different that at any other times, though naturally there was one way in and one way out and signs everywhere plus regular announcements but all in in all no real difference.

Stay well

 Two words from our Susie today.

SNACCIDENT the inadvertent eating of an entire packet of biscuits/tube of crisps when you only meant to have a few

HUGGER-MUGGERY secret clandestine behaviour for the purpose of deception

And so the English clubs have withdrawn from the ESL, after the furore it caused it comes as no surprise. Common sense has prevailed but did you notice not one owner came out and faced the press to explain themselves? Inevitably the future will hold some form of European League, it will happen but this format was doomed from the start and was nothing more than money grabbing madness!

I like having money and all the advantages it allows. I have reached a time in my life when I have never been as well off. (No hand outs, thank you, so don’t ask😜) Having said that money does to a large degree seem to be the root of all evil. I know there are lots of wealthy people who support worthy causes and are philanthropic but I fail to understand the continued accumulation of wealth when many have so much to begin with. I admire people who through sheer determination and hard work make their fortune. I have no problem if you are skilful at something and that allows big earnings. If you give back and spread your good fortune, marvellous. When money is the only motivation and it affords you power then there is something disturbingly wrong with your values! When your in power and already well off, to then line your pockets simply because you are in a position to do so is simply wrong. The public have become largely apathetic to all the double dealings and shady deals that go on, indeed generally they are apathetic about most of the things that go on, unless of course it affects them directly!

I rant about many things and am no lover of our government and the despicable con that has been perpetrated on the British people over the last four or five years. I hate deceit and corruption and knowing that those in power lie more blatantly than at any other time? My biggest disappointment is not that they are behaving so recklessly but that we are letting them. There are many who are trying to hold them to account and point out the miserable unjust way we have been governed but they are too few and it’s like banging your head against a wall with a government that brushes of any criticism and ignores it! I will continue to point out what I believe is unfair and injustice. Let’s be honest no one reads this anyway and it is my way of getting these things off my chest!

Stay well

 Susie Dents word of the day sum up everything I wrote yesterday and all I want to say today. INGORDIGIOUNESS extreme greed an insatiable desire for wealth

Stay well

 Well it seems a little pointless joining the condemnation of the 6 Premier League clubs saying they will join this European competition but I might as well get my 2 penny’s worth in. It will come as no surprise that this is about money, pure and simple. I believe I’m right in saying everyone all these 6 clubs are owned by foreign investors. I can’t think of a single football fan (or even those with little interest?) who would support this league. There will be more details to be revealed and the initial reaction is obviously one of outrage and until we have all the detail it will naturally be vitriolic. If it goes ahead that is the end of football as we know it, simple as that. It is not a new idea, it has been around for many years and often suggested but it is nothing more than pure greed. It does nothing for the structure of the game, no matter what the chairman of the clubs say. There is some merit in restructuring European competition and the way revenue filters down and naturally the game has to change but this is not the way forward for so many reasons. Don’t get me wrong I don’t feel sorry for any of theses clubs or their players they earn millions already. Think how you would feel if you are the other 14 clubs that make up the Premier division whether your about to be relegated or promoted? They acknowledge the status of these clubs but not for one minute do they think they are inferior or unable on any given day to beat them as has often been the case. Arsenal and Tottenham aren’t even in the Champions league are are unlikely to be next season! If you are a Leicester or West Ham fan, currently in the top 4,(or player, manager etc.) what would you say? The strong reaction from the football authorities is understandable they are not going to sanction a competition that they have no control over. Players and Managers will I am sure without exception condemn this breakaway and that includes the ones at the clubs involved. Progress is inevitable in many spheres but sometimes a bad idea is just that a bad idea!

Stay well

 It is strange to me that during this period with all the restrictions we have laboured under that professional sport has continued almost undisturbed. I get that they are kept in “bubbles” and tested regularly but it seems disproportionate in relation to what the “ordinary” population have had to endure. Don’t get me wrong I have enjoyed the Premier League and with West Ham fourth in the table I am getting a nose bleed! Now the cycling season has got under way in earnest, it is good to watch the races. It does give one pause that there are two standards, one for the wealthy sports and another for everyone else! Perhaps we should have learnt the lesson and could have controlled our lives smarter during this pandemic? Whilst it is difficult to control a large population and we have seen how the rules have been flouted and frankly at times been out of control. Businesses have had to spend in order to comply with the Covid requirements and access has been restricted make it difficult. With a little more thought and effort, they could have opened earlier. Supermarkets and other “essential” shops and businesses have never closed. The “rules” quickly broke down and now we play “lip service” to the 6 foot rule has largely been ignored except at the checkout or queuing to get in! We have to learn to adapt and live with the consequences of this virus and at present we need to be even more innovative than we currently are! The initial “rush’ will inevitably die down. I am no scientist and certainly no expert on infectious viruses but if we are to get back to attending theatres, cinemas (although in my experience cinemas are so poorly attended each time I have been, social distancing seems to have been the norm anyway!)  gigs etc innovation has to be the way forward and before anyone shouts at me, I know that these venues have made strenuous efforts to be ready to open and have been inventive in presenting plays, concerts and other events. 

In 50 or hundred years historians will write and talk about the great pandemic of the early 2020’s and how life changed for the whole planet. We will become those people we often see documentaries on who were alive in a time of great peril! I’m sure none of us would have believed that we would be exposed to a pandemic in our so called modern lives, which just proves how nature is dead set on wiping us out! (Quite rightly so!) Just think of the stuff nature has thrown at us in the last 60 years, it is almost as though it resents what the damage humans have rent upon her!

Stay well

 It’s the weekend and with the lockdown having been eased, what are you going to do? Most shops are open, unfortunately food places only for takeaway. I am not sure why we get so excited about the pubs opening, although obviously that’s good for the publicans. Let’s be clear there was never a time when we could not get a drink. I like a pint now and then but I could care less whether I go to a pub! 

Masks, necessary? I think not! I am not sure other than for medical purposes or where people are vulnerable they have ever been necessary? I will wear one as required but I think we are long passed the point where the protection they supposedly give will make the slightest difference?  Unfortunately humans being human, it will become another item that will litter and pollute the environment. Frankly breathing in my own expelled air and droplets is not my idea of a healthy way to live. Things change, they always do, pandemic or no pandemic but the mask cannot be a permanent change it will make little difference!

Now here is a subject I have not written about much but another shooting in America, what a shock! As somebody wrote, another shooting is no surprise in a country that view it as normal because their love affair with the gun is all consuming and they can’t give it up. 358,000 people were killed by guns in the States last year (a year in which there were lockdowns and restrictions) so perhaps they should just view it as one way of culling the population! By comparison in the UK 50 people died from shootings and that is 50 too many! You may wonder why I care about a country I don’t live in and have no intention of visiting and actually I don’t really but the all embracing worship of the gun by still the most powerful nation on Earth is something you cannot ignore!

Here is a question for you. Why do the websites of most large organisations like energy suppliers refuse to give you any realistic contact details where you can actually send them an inquiry? They send you round in circles giving you answers to what they call frequently asked questions, which usually have no bearing on the issue you want resolved or an answer too? Calling them these days is a fruitless experience as they either send you back to the website or tell you they experiencing high call volumes and there is a long wait? Now not all of them are bad, kudos  to Anglia Water who you can get through to quite quickly. I have no objection to using websites, indeed if I can resolve my query without a phone call, so much the better. I have found using Messenger can be quite an effective way of contacting. I understand these large organisations have to deal with thousands of queries everyday and if they have an email address or a contact form they could easily become overwhelmed with the amount of traffic but frankly as the customer that is not my problem and after all we are paying them for their services. I have said this before but as the internet has become mature and more sophisticated, websites have become more and more unfathomable and difficult to navigate. I understand that there are new features appearing all the time and you want your site to be noticed but sometimes the fussiness of them just puts you off and you end up not looking at them which defeats the purpose of all the technology to start with.

Stay well

Should any further evidence be required that our ministers are corrupt, self-serving, sleazy and basically criminals! You only have to read the piece about Matt Hancock and his sister to understand the depth of their depravity. Every time the one of them is accused the government says they acted “entirely properly”. So no conflict of interest there then. The horse has bolted and is so far in the distance that there is no chance of it ever being caught! 

So its the weekend and we have already been in the new home for over a week! It feels like we have lived here for a lot longer! 

That’s it today I am not inspired to write about anything else

Stay well

 Short today as I’m off out. 

Aren’t you proud of this government, don’t you feel a warm glow as everyday they govern with such fairness and compassion? The joy of having the international reputation of a such prestige, that it’s almost like the days of empire! A PM that is a statesman of such stature, we can be assured will lead us into the promised bright future? Each day we are further impressed by their resourcefulness and resolute stance that makes this country what it is today! Hoorah for the spendthrift ways these minsters protect our spending and wisely use our funds for the common good! My heart soars at the though of another 4 years of their undoubted good governance.

Stay well

 I’m sure we can agree that America is a strange land full of strange and deranged people. Well you say, no more than many other places and you’d be right but in America they have lots and lots and lots of weapons and in light of recent times, carried openly. The police are armed and again you will say they are not the only country where the police are armed. Indeed you could argue that Britain is an exception and we are lucky that ours are only armed when necessary. Yet America is the only country where it is regularly reported that the police have shot a suspect/ innocent citizen. (Yes it happens elsewhere but not like in the States) Now call me foolish but how does a “trained” officer mistake a taser for gun and instead of electrocuting a suspect they shoot them! I mean what the fuck! It is one of the most pathetic, insulting excuses you could hear. Think how the victims family must feel? America is a very large continent and for the most part I’m sure the majority of it is peaceful and little happens of note. The incidences of shootings of every kind is disproportionate and there can only be one reason and that is the easy access to guns. Perhaps in spite of all the good intentions over the years to curb the purchase of guns and restrict there use, the simple truth is that they are so used these terrible events that they have come to except it as normal. I started by saying there are many strange people in America and to a degree that is disingenuous, obviously there are many many good people who live in horror of the shootings and want something done. From the outside it appears the lessons are never learnt?

We have now been in our apartment for a week and it feels like we have lived here for much longer. We are very happy here and it was “meant” to be.

Stay well

Monday 12th April and some semblance of opening has returned. Wendy went off to  work this morning for the first time since December. It is odd sitting here without her. We have been together for most days,  most of the time and while I will admit the has been the odd fractious moment, we are best friends and love each other, so we get on 99% of the time. I guess after almost 41 years of marriage we have learnt to tolerate our idiosyncratic ways and even if we find them annoying have learnt to say nothing. Having said that there are times when a good shout clears the air and frustration, sometimes we bicker simply because we want to!

Yesterday Wendy decided to apply for a local job online. As most of you are aware I am very computer literate and understand most formats.Firstly I had to write a new CV for her as she has not needed one for almost 22 years of the same employment. It was easy and brief. Getting the document uploaded on the website was a different matter, it took nearly over an hour of trying to get the application to accept the document and involved a writing it again on a laptop. I hate windows and how slow it is, not to mention all its quirks and other windows that popped up as I was trying to type the document again. Lesson learnt, Apple and normal .doc formats are not easily compatible. I will confess that when the submission finally got sent we did high five and whoop!

I am going to go for my first ride in Kettering today and explore. It will interesting to find fresh roads to pedal after years of the same routes in Northampton, of course I might get lost, who knows! I went for a walk yesterday and to my surprise around the corner is a Classic Car and Motorcycle showroom and workshop. They specialise in Scimitar cars and I have never seen so many in one place or at all for many years. They also had a number of classic motorcycles and scooters. I spoke to the owner and he said that they export parts all over the world for the Scimitar and have been in business for 40 years. There is always a treasure hidden away you stumble upon.

Stay well

 I make no apology for going back to a familiar theme but the depth of corruption within the ex-PM’s and current minsters of the Tory government is depressingly familiar and has been a constant through out the last 11 years. It come as no surprise that Cameron is implicated in the Greensill fiasco and now it is alleged that Hancock is also involved. Two slimier, smooth already rich privileged men you could not wish not to meet! I understand the temptation to line your own pocket when in a position of power but that is all the more reason why you should not! Greed cannot be the only motivation in profiting from this corruption, it is all to easy to lay the blame on that. No there seems to be something in ingrained the culture of ministerial privilege and Tories in particular (they are not alone) that they award those who either donate or are close to them and if they profit along the way well that’s alright. We should not be surprised, it would be naive in the extreme to think in that position we would not be tempted to do the same. I am depressed that the British people are constantly fooled and duped into electing these buffoons, perhaps most just don’t care, I suspect that is the case? The media reports on these scandals but no longer really has the will or righteous indignation to pursue the story and keep the pressure on. No matter how tired or apathetic we are, it cannot be acceptable. These days the government no longer cares what we think, they just ride it out and change the story, ignoring any damage that has been done. We have had numerous examples of this during Johnson leadership, Cummings and Patel to name just two.

Day five of the new abode and things are coming together. Each day the pile gets less and the amount of stuff packing that needs disposing of grows and grows!

Stay well

It will come as no surprise to anyone that I am no great supporter of the Royal family. I could care less whether they exist or not. Having said that, when it comes to loyalty, honesty, support and duty, there is no doubt that the late Prince Philip could teach our government and particularly Boris a thing or two about how to behave! As someone else wrote on Twitter once the Queen and David Attenborough go, we say goodbye to the adults! Naturally the outpouring of tributes, obituaries and the many other pages of print that has already appeared is a bonanza for the media. It is a rare occurrence when somebody of this stature dies and we will be swamped! I will confess I had a sneaky admiration for Philip, he spoke his mind and as a man of his generation, it could not have been any picnic being a consort. The royal family are privilege personified, not one of them have any real idea of the lives of the people. They can’t help their birth or that privilege it gives them. Which is why the Harry and Megan situation is such a joke. They certainly have a somewhat hypocritical way of avoiding the spotlight as they profess to want to do! 

The end of an era and from a purely human perspective your sympathy must go out to them but nearly 100 is not a bad innings!

Day four in the new place and it is coming on in well if not leaps and bounds, it is progressing. Already we’ve realised that we should have thrown more stuff out before the move and that it needs further culling. Lot unpacked and still quite a few boxes left to go. 

Stay well

 

And we are in. Moving was not as stressful as we might have imagined. We started at 8am and were in the new place before 3pm. We had the good sense to request a key undertaking and it allowed us to get the keys long before the completion. We felt sorry for the others in the chain that had to wait until after 4.15pm before they could get access. For future reference if you are moving in this area I can recommend Northampton Removals they were brilliant.

We already have most stuff sorted, though naturally it is a mess here and there and a huge thank you to son Adam whose help was invaluable. We already feel very much at home and are delighted to be out of our previous house. It needed it a lot of renovation and the contrast of the new apartment is huge change.

I was conned by my wife when we transported the cats. She took the male cat Pudding who I thought would be the noisy one. I took the female Madame Roxallana who I mistakingly thought would be the calmer one? She screamed the whole way like a banshee, it was like driving with a howling pack of wolves! When I went to pick up the keys the woman at the estate agency asked what the noise was coming from the car and I told her it was our cat! They seemed to have settled in and have had one quick wander outside. Wendy later laughing admitted she knew how loud Roxallana could be which is why she rushed off with the other one and drove off!

I am currently sitting in my bay window typing this looking out over the gardens and am as happy as a I’ve been all year, now it is finally over.

Stay well

 Moving day has arrived and away we will go. Moved some stuff into the new place yesterday and bloody hell it was cold outside!

Ready to go and just about all packed. Moving company arrives at 8am.

Confused, bewildered, frustrated, helpless, angry, pessimistic, not about the move but about the world. I know we are in the grip of this nasty virus and it’s variants but the planet is a mess. Leaders on all sides are ineffective, corrupt or plainly unsuitable for the position they are in. People seem diametrically opposed to each other, each firmly entrenched in their position without any common ground. Chaos reigns, the fundamental tenants of laws are trampled over and often those enforcing the rules are as bad as those who would break them. Right wing politics are gaining ground in more and more European countries and is a frightening reminder of the past. Those with extreme views, religious, political, moral, anarchism are more prominent than ever. The world has never been at peace or uncomplicated but at present it is at an all time low. It says something, I suppose for how far we have progressed since WW2 that conflict and wars have not started more often. I suppose the threat of the massive arsenals of destruction does keep some order however much of an abomination they are. 

I have given up trying to explain or understand because I don’t anymore! Perhaps it is best to be ignorant and have no interest in the world? I try to stop myself from caring but it is part of my DNA and it is unlikely I can ever disengage!

Oh well off to pastures new.

Stay well

 Well this is our last day in our current home for almost 35 years. Tomorrow we leave it for our new apartment in Kettering. Whilst we are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives, we will shed a tear or two as we go. 

Whilst we are both reasonably fit, we are getting older and have to accept that we are no longer willing to maintain the house or the garden. Wendy has a debilitating condition and has just had a further diagnosis about her shoulder which will eventually lead to surgery. No more stairs which as far as I’m concerned is good. One has to accept your limitations when one gets older and before howls of protest are shouted that age should be no barrier, your right it should not but wear and tear, like it or not (and I don’t) take there toll.

Having said that it was time to move on the house is too big for the two of us and as a family home we the new owners will enjoy it as we have (not always!) The house needs a lot of TLC and we are not prepared to spend the money doing it, so we leave it to the younger generation. 

We will miss our immediate neighbours, we have been lucky, both are lovely and have said how much they will miss us, which is all one can ask. We are not gone forever or far and will pass by from time to time. 

The process of moving has been a frustrating one with many false dawns and a almost glacial speed by mortgage companies in providing the required paperwork. The lack of constant communications advising of progress is sadly lacking and my biggest complaint. I would not be happy with bad news but I was pissed off with no news. Right up until the day we were supposed to exchange we had to wait a further day because one solicitor could not hold on the phone after 3.45pm! Still we have exchanged and we got there at last. 

Kettering town (which neither of us had been too for a long time) to our surprise has a very pleasant centre, with some very interesting buildings and well laid out. Okay it has the usual rubbish selection of shops like most towns these days and it has more takeaway eating and other places to eat or drink than you can shake a stick at but still a nice little town centre. We are within walking distance of all the shops including the big supermarkets, roll out the shopping trolley!

I had never considered Kettering as a location and had we not seen the apartment online I would never have considered moving there. Some things are meant to be and as soon as we saw the property we both knew it was for us.

The property market is very busy at present, it seems the lack of activity has prompted people to consider moving or accelerating plans that they already may have had? We had been discussing a move for some time and Wendy’s deteriorating physical condition and a desire to stop working as much finally made the decision to up sticks. 

Here’s to a new future, new people, new town, new routes on the bike and a new way of living.

Stay well

 

 Good morning and how are we after the Easter weekend?

So to have a vaccine passport or not to? Personally I am ambivalent about it, I’ve had my first jab so I can prove I’ve been vaccinated. Amongst all the other passports, tickets and other paperwork one has show one more makes little difference.

Naturally reader you don’t expect me to just leave it at that and I won’t. Firstly having had the vaccine is not guarantee that you won’t get the virus or be a carrier of it! I suppose combined with tests it would be more reassuring but being vaccinated is not 100% protection. Secondly, what of those who for whatever reason can’t have the vaccine or choose not to, should they be restricted simply because they are unable or exercising choice? Admittedly this is a unique and dangerous situation and it could be argued that under these circumstances those who are not vaccinated must be restricted. To a degree this is a mute point. This vaccine has been rolled out faster than any in our history and in many ways has actually done a disservice, in so far, as we will not develop a herd immunity as quickly! We must understand that the vaccines was rolled out this quickly, as much to dampen down the publics fears and to give us hope that there was light at the end of the tunnel! 

I have written a number of times in the past that the underlying causes of ill health and the ability to resist all sorts of conditions and diseases is poor diet, lack of fitness or exercise and numerous other factors. I will acknowledge that no matter how fit or how good your dietary habits are this is no guarantee that you won’t catch Covid or any other affliction but surely it you have a greater chance of resistance?

It is easy to focus on a single factor when faced with a pandemic and I am not alone in highlighting the underlying health issues that face our population whether we had faced a pandemic or not. I hope that a crisis of this magnitude will open our eyes to the many avoidable health issues that beset out nation. It is ironic that at a time when we have so many issues to tackle, out health service is overwhelmed and unable to cope even without the added responsibility of dealing with a pandemic. I have already written that radical reform is required to address 21st century problems, we currently have a system that was struggling to cope with 20th century ones! 

As is always the case prevention is better than cure and yet even with the best of intentions, we are seemingly unable to learn, in spite of the overwhelming evidence supporting how we could become healthier. I know there are many good people out there who are trying to promote a healthier way to live and there are many people who are adopting or have always lived that way. Sometimes the method can be controversial and we will not always agree and there are some crackpots out there whose extreme views are just plain nuts (no pun intended) but whatever the advice one thing is certain more power to them, if it promotes and highlights the dire need to improve our health. 

We will all have our differing opinions on this subject and there will be those who just don’t care or can’t be bothered. Humans suffer from a huge variation of health and mental issues and as we progress we we are developing greater understanding of more and more of them but there cannot be any argument that trying to maintain your health can only be positive!

Stay well

 

 Well well well for those of you who believe in that sort of thing today is the day him, you know, him, is supposed to have risen. I don’t know about rising from the dead I have enough trouble getting up and I’m still alive (I think)!

I noticed the pictures of the police surrounding Churchill’s statue during that demo! I’m sure if Churchill had seen them he would of told them to fuck off and find something better to do!

I was asked by good friend yesterday if I wanted to join the demo in Northampton against the current law being passed to increase police powers for protests. Firstly let me say that I support such the protest against this specific issue and just because it has been brought in because of Covid, don’t think for one second it will be repealed after we are supposedly back to “normal”! It is yet another of this governments deliberate policies designed to use the excuse of the pandemic to bring in legislation to limit our freedoms! 

I did not go for a number of reasons. firstly I did not want to be a hypocrite and join a crowd under the current Covid restrictions (I don’t believe even with the best of intentions there would be social distancing) Secondly it seems there is always one group or another who infiltrate any demo these days with their own agenda or simply to cause trouble! I would not risk, however small, being caught up in any violence! Whilst I applaud those who protest peacefully against what they believe to be injustice and it is a our democratic right to do so, recent events have shown that no matter how good the intention there are always those who want confrontation with the police. The police are not blameless and have often acted in a heavy handed manner and overreacted. I have some sympathy for them it is an unenviable task and of course if all protests were genuinely peaceful their presence would not even be required?

Wendy and I were discussing yesterday how we have never had a government of any party who have actually cared about the people of this country and indeed there is no likelihood of any government being there for all the people. The haves always survive and the have nots get very little. I am all for the individual improving their own lives but not everyone can and it is up to our elected bodies to find ways of helping. The world is not a fair place and never will be but if our representatives can’t be part of the solution then there is no chance. This government has proved time and time again it only cares for their cronies and those who have. They will sell off our NHS and for the younger generations within the next 10 years you will find yourselves paying huge amounts for health insurance as we steadily transfer into the same system as America and in spite of Boris’s denials they sell off large chunks to private health care and big pharma! 

Do not misunderstand me, there is no doubt that the current structure of the NHS is unfit for purpose (though naturally this pandemic has been and continues to be a massive strain on the system) It is in need of massive reform but then it was never designed to cope with the health issues and the spread of population that we have today! It is probably impossible for any system free at the point of entry, to cope with our contemporary health issues and I have no objection for some parts to be privatised, especially if they take precious resources away from the other more important areas! Rightly our NHS has been the envy of the world and considering the strain it has been under for many years it is remarkable how well it actually functions. It behoves me to mention, once more, that without them I would not be sitting here typing this! Change is always going to happen, nothing stays the same, health issues come and go, some we get under control but then another rears it’s head and this pandemic is the ultimate example of that. I don’t have the answer, I wish after this moan I could tell you of a solution or give you hope for the future but I fear that it will only get worse and if it isn’t broken already it is only held together by sticky plaster and ragged bandages!

Stay well!

PS Before anyone objects to my opinion let me say I have nothing but admiration and support for ALL the staff who work within the healthcare system. They do a tough unrelenting job and should rightly be lauded for their dedication.

Hello I’m back.

I seem to have picked up the gauntlet again and have started to post on Facebook  far too much. Therefore I have decided to rant on this medium once again!

I read that The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has published their report. Well now to start with there is one hell of title for a commission in the first place? It’s brief was to report on whether Britain has systemic racism and apparently it’s conclusion is we no longer do. Now there were a number of caveats and they acknowledge there is still a long way to go. I hope they are right but somehow I doubt it. Call me a cynic, most do! In my experience people I am close to are not racists (it is a catch all label and difficult to pin down). Yet I still hear from time to time that famous prefix “I’m not prejudiced but........” which for me means your about to say something unacceptable or you are trying to deflect from your own secretly held racist view? I have said many many times whilst we perpetuate the difference between people the issue will never change. This applies to everyone. There is no hiding that we have different appearances but equally we are all human and that should be the ONLY criteria by which we are judged if judged we be. 

There have been in the last year or two (indeed for my whole life) all sorts of movements and causes that have rightly highlighted the unfair treatment of Afro-Americans especially by the police. It comes as no surprise that these latest events came under the tenure of the worst President that country has ever had. The problem has existed for hundreds of years and I am not putting all the blame on his 4 years but he certainly was divisive! I don’t claim to know the answer, it’s in peoples hearts and minds but progress could be made if we rid ourselves of labels and acronyms. They perpetuate our so called differences and maintain the status quo! 

This is not a single issue, all over the world people from many countries are  fighting bigotry, racism, sexism, xenophobia and many more injustices either because they are thought to be different or inferior. Human nature, all to often has an inbuilt prejudice against those who are either a minority or different in some way from the majority, for whatever reason. This “common” herd mentality seems to bring comfort to those who see themselves as superior or part of the ruling elite. We thrive on having someone to look down on or blame for all our troubles. “It must their fault because it can’t be ours”

If you have ever experienced any form of prejudice, however mild or for any reason then you will understand the immediate horror of being thought of as something others either fear or don’t understand. It is based in ignorance, often it is deliberate, simply to satisfy a need in those who perform it. It is not a single sided issue it cuts both ways. 

Do you think that Britain does not have systemic racial prejudice? Do you think that while have committees set-up to investigate this subject, it highlights the very reason such committees should not exist? Will we ever reach a time when we no longer think in terms of colour, ethnicity, religious belief, culture but just that we are all people? I hope that will come to pass but I cannot ever see it being eradicated!

Stay well