Bank Holiday Weekend

A Summer Bank Holiday weekend ought to be a time for rest and relaxation.  A time to meet friends, or avoid compatriots, a time to forget work or worries, a time to watch the weather forecast carefully.

The streets are quieter at the moment, many taking the last weeks before school returns in England to go away.  Others look forward to traffic chaos returning late on holiday Monday evening.  Traffic chaos indeed as the weather man insists the sun will shine all day.  We will see...

Naturally, the supermarkets will be open, some shutting a wee bit early, others at normal times.  I suppose the staff get extra for such work, or a day off, but I suggest this will be hard fought to obtain for the regular staff.  Greed is good at the top of such organisations, they are less keen on decent payments lower down.  

Other shops will be open for those who consider a holiday is to be spent inside such places.  Who wants to spend a day off shopping?  Holiday travel programmes that I used to watch many years ago always made a point in indicating what the shops were like elsewhere, why?  You travel to a foreign country to sit in their shops buying the same goods you have in shops at home, rarely at cheaper prices as they prices are aimed at tourists like you, why?  Is there nothing to see over there?  Are you just looking for the 'Daily Mirror' or 'Daily Mail,' with sunshine, cheap tasteless lager and chips?  Get a life!

Stow Maries Aerodrome

    

The Great War aerodrome at Stow Maries has an event on for the holiday.  Unfortunately I have never been able to et down there as I would like.  This has a great reputation for flying machines, a good museum and no doubt a shop!  This would be good for me on the Monday, however, all tickets are sold out, as always. 

East Anglian Railway Museum

  

The East Anglian Railway Museum are having a 'Diesel Day' on Monday.  I did walk around this vast museum some years ago and could not do this today.  It was a great place to visit, for adults more than kids I say.  It just went on and on, and I thought it a wonderful place to visit.  I made the mistake of asking a question of the men, who were actually on their way home, and was talked at for about an hour re the work they were doing.  Such enthusiasm, such friendliness, such open to visitors, and keen to inform the world of the work they do refurbishing old engines and coaches.  Marvellous staff! 
A great place to visit anytime.

There are of course garden festivals, food and drink events and other happenings that I do not know off. While Essex itself is full of historical sights, beaches, and the occasional beach air show at such times.  Ice cream is extra!  

All this makes a change from the routine nastiness around us daily does it not?

Dry Month

Middle of August and already the leaves are falling from the trees.  Across the road the trees have been showing yellow leaves for a week.  Occasionally one falls to the earth, surely this is a month to early?

The problem is of course climate change!  

Too little rain, in this, the driest county in England, and too much sunshine combining to dry up the roots and lead to poor harvests in farmers fields and among the berries in what are left of the hedgerows.  

This means rising prices.

Naturally, the varied English water boards are giving their board members high bonus's because of their incompetence.  Reservoirs are low, streams abound in slurry from farms and much more from water companies saving money and poisoning English waterways and seas.  In a normal world the government would step in to stop this, for 14 years now nothing has been done.  Privatising water companies, along with electric and gas, railways, royal mail and anything worth money, has lost the service element included.  Services are not for service, they are to make money for shareholders, and let the peasants suffer.  

This is the UK today.

A right wing coup has occurred and while there is little we can do, we can note that the vast majority have not noticed it.    

Environmental damage, alongside the damage done to the welfare state, the NHS, food prices, and the elderly, mount up.  The answer, point the finger at 'the boats,' blame migrants, and allow those with the money to keep their money.     

This, I feel, is somewhat unfair.

Will anything change?  Not soon.

Heat

We are having what some call a 'heatwave.'  I like to remind them that this is August and we are supposed to have heat in August.  They never thank me, just whine about the weather the week before.  When the sun is hot people sit in the park and turn red, then spend days whining about paid.  When the sun is hidden people spend days whining about the weather.  

This is UK normality.

The real problem is being one of the Atlantic Isles.

To the east lies a huge continent, to the west a huge ocean.  

From the west we get the jest stream bringing air of various qualities all the way from the far flung USA.  This includes their left over hurricanes which drench Scotland and the north west mostly, and occasional dross from their many volcanoes that they like to set off.  This week we have been enduring the smoke, high up, from Newfoundland wild fires, though we can produce these ourselves, as Edinburgh has shown this week.  No doubt, but without any evidence, all such fires are started by some wee scruff who thinks he is funny.  Occasionally accidents cause them, but cynic that I am I suspect arson.

To the east we have little in summer and Autumn.  It is in winter that these eastern types send us the Artic cold that they have developed and freeze the eastern coastline for days on end.  They, like the Yanks, never apologise for this.

I sit huddled over a hot laptop, with a thick jacket on my back, because of the draughts that have caused my throat to cease, my cough to continue, and left me knowing that if I go outside into the heat there I will get sunburnt in minutes.

Life is so unfair.

However, it is a good job I am not one to complain.  

Not being one to complain, and in spite of my reluctance, I hobbled down to the Liberal Club and the somewhat unfriendly locals, to meet the 'Last of the Summer Wine' contingent.  Nobody was there!  Only the leader was already seated in our corner when I joined.  One was away in Somerset, wherever that is, having another holiday, two are in hospital, one with his head and lack of use of legs, the other recovering in a hospice  treatment centre after a car accident I did not know about.  

I thought he was having a long holiday!  

Only two others arrived.  

For a SPAM meeting it was not good, and at £3:40 a pint I would rather have been bored back home.  

We did not even begin to put the world to rights.  A poor show really.  

I may suggest forgetting it next month and seek an alternative.

I clambered home, amazed at how the road moves as I walk, climbed the stairs and decided to seek a lesser brew next time.

August

August, in the northern hemisphere this is a summer month.  Outside my window dark clouds hide the summer from me.  This, in any August throughout these Atlantic Isles is, as Tom Jones put it, 'It's not unusual.' 

August takes its name from one Augustus Caesar.  Augustus, originally called Octavian, lived from 63 BC until 14 AD.  He took power after defeating one Mark Anthony and his bint Cleopatra in 31 BC and became the sole ruler of the Roman empire.  In 27 BC the senate, the parliament of Rome, gave him the title 'Augustus,' meaning 'illustrious one,' which he added to the name Caesar, a name granted to him from his great uncles will.  His great uncle was one Julius Caesar of great fame.  Julius also named him his heir, a good start in life.  

In 8 BC Augustus renamed the month Sextilis, 'August,' in his own honour.  Modesty was not a Roman norm. This was said to be because in August most of his great victories occurred, including taking Egypt. 

One advantage of August is the return of proper football.  As we speak up and down the land men are struggling to kick six bells out of one another, bringing glory to some and hospital time for others.  

Great fun!

Monday Mumble

 

It is almost the end of August!  I am still living in May and this not helped by the weather still thinking it is March.  However, a mistake occured and in the afternoon the sun shone and forced me out of the house.  My back has joined my knee in aching, I did too much of the wrong exercise after a brief layoff, stiffness rules, so the weekend was spent indoors where I wasforced to indulge in a football frenzy so the chance to hobble around was welcomed.

This reminded me not to exercise like I was 25, it appears my body is a wee bit older now.  Most frustrating when you cannot do what you once did without thought.  OK, most things I have done appear to have been done without thought, that is why I have so few friends and changed jobs a lot.

 

 

Some are enjoying the fruits of their, or someone else's labour.  An open top MG, not unusual around here.  The sight of a sun brings out these creatures in summer.  I suppose having bought one you must use it whenever you can in this country.  When the sun shines such individuals race to the garage, probably two car garage round here, pull of the covers, start her up and out into the countryside.  A bit disappointing when you have to trail through the town rush hour however, unless you like showing off.The Essex lanes would appreciate this vehicle and the driver would be pleased with himself scooting around the back roads.

 

 

With Afghanistan filling the papers, thousands scuffling at the airport, 'our boys' trying to calmly support anyone in need, we realise that Boris and his leading men will once again be on the beach.  Just who is paying for their holiday has not yet been discovered, so we will watch who jumps into the Lords next time.  

The Army appears to be doing a good job in a difficult situation.  The US commander demanded the SAS cheif stop running around Kabul collecting UK folks and delivering them to the airport as this was embaessing the US.  Strong words were exchanged re this apparently and the SAS commander won.

I note Scots troops have now been sent out to aid the Paras at the airport, with Ben Wallace the minister now on duty, possibly the only one on duty, enjoying taking Boris's flak for him.