Edinburgh, Autumn and Football

Louise Rayner - John Knox's House, Edinburgh

A quick glance at this picture and you may think the scene has not changed much in all these years.  This picture, painted in the later 19th century, is full of life and depicts what is supposedly a normal day in the life of the great city of Edinburgh.  We see the High Street, or 'Royal Mile,' as it is known as it leads from Edinburgh Castle down to Holyrood House, has always been a bustling place.  The painting portrays the locals, with a few workers of many kinds included.  The better off by now having moved down into the 'New Town' long since, we can tell the small tenement dwellings are occupied by those standing around in the street.  None are ashamed of hanging out the window and participating in the conversation, none are ashamed of washing hanging from the windows, neither activities being seen done today.  

However, this month Edinburgh endures, sorry, welcomes, the Festival.  An orgy of high class entertainment for the paying public.  Alongside this come the 'Fringe,'  this is an orgy of artists seeking fame and fortune, alongside those from previous generations who made it here in the long forgotten past.  This comes with a plague of leaflets no-one reads, mostly scattered about the streets or pinned to any available post, also unread by passers-by

Add to this mix the Dustbin men are on strike for a week!  This means wheelie bins overflow, rubbish piles up, and none gets collected.  The tourists flooding into Edinburgh, while the locals flood out if they can, get the benefit of Brexit Britain in their face, and certainly up their nose.  An excellent idea of the Binmen to make clear what is happening in our country today, low wages, high energy bills, and Brexit failures flood the nation, and the government, in Westminster, has gone on holiday!  As I keep telling the Brexiteers, "You voted for this!"  But they refuse to accept reality.  "This is not the Brexit I voted for!" Is their cry, though there never was any other on the table.  Lies and devious politicians, backed by very rich men abroad has brought the nation to its knees.  And Brexiteers refuse to accept this.  Trains, docks, Royal Mail, and dustmen on strike, and Brexit continues to make problems.  

Boris is on holiday.

400 miles away from all this I sit watching August slowly disappear from us.  Already 22 days in and leaves are falling from the trees.  Possibly this is encouraged by the dry ground, the heat heavy upon us this year, possibly just normal Autumn approaching.  

The sun still shines, though now through much more cloud, and slowly heads towards the west.  Women take their dogs across the quite safe park, enjoying the sun while standing gossiping about their neighbours with others like minded.  The impatient dogs snuffle around the fallen leaves and sun browned grasses always finding something to keep them busy.  

The rush hour now struggles past the door, music of an awful kind emits from one, a ringing phone from another.  Rap, with a capital 'C' passes by at three miles an hour, followed by the airport bus, hydraulic brakes squealing like a crying child.  Every evening the same people, the same slow struggle towards retirement.  Others, often retired, foolishly shop at Sainsburys in time to meet the rush hour.  They have done this for several years, why?  Have they never considered an early morning or late night shop?   I suppose getting up, checking the pills, finding breakfast, walking the dog, and then it is too late for shopping.  In the evening they would not wish to miss the 'Bread & Circuses' provided for them by broadcasters dulling the brain and hindering thought.  

I avoid such TV yet find my mind is dull and thought hindered.  Having exercised, twice early last week, then twice worked in the front to clear the mess I found my self very tired and aching much from Thursday onwards.  Even today, after a trip to Tesco, my body aches.  This, I must say, has nothing to do with the money saving offer on a bottle of 'Jameson's Orange Whiskey'  that was going cheap last week in Tesco.  Irish whiskey does not just possess a wrong spelling of 'whisky,' it is also only 30%, which tempts some to drink more than they ought.  Especially when watching football.  My neighbours now know I was watching football at the weekend.  

Moaning Monday

The world outside is unusually quiet for a Monday.  Is this because Boris is hiding from all the sex crimes of his people?  Can this be because we all know Brexit has failed?  Little mention is made of Starmer and his Party refusing to reject Brexit.  Instead he promises to 'make it work.'  All this for votes from the 'Red Wall.'  How sad.  The Lib-Dems will be loving this.

Being 4th of July not a soul in the UK noticed the date.  However, the 'Online Mail,' with thousands of clickbait awaiting in the Republican lunatic party, did insert one or two old stories re the difference between the UK and the US.  Language is different, habits are different, ending phone calls is different.  

The only thing that comes out of the stories is that in the USA money is all that matters.  Get rich, grab cash, let the individual die!  No wonder Jeff Bezos is so rich.  The idea of service appears unheard off.  Have an accident, call an ambulance, but pay $200 or more dollars first.  Eat in a café, give a tip as the waitress is not paid and lives off tips, how ridiculous!  Get sick, take up to three weeks off, but it comes out of your holidays!  The USA is a slave state still.   

This is the type of nation Boris and his liars want to create here.  Stupid people vote for him, even if they knew this would happen, just so they could get out of the EU they did not understand.  Xenophobic racism mixed with blind obedience leads to the loss of all the voters actually held dear, but they will not admit it.

As I reached home on Sunday I noticed the Muslims were having a day off.  I was very tempted to wander across and visit the many food tables out there but hesitated, once I taste proper food I canny eat my own afterwards!   I ate, slept and tried to put the aroma out of my mind...

Today the aroma was that of cooker cleaning, kitchen washing, and loo cleansing.  Had I not stopped when I did I would have wash day hands by now.  Any volunteers?  

Thrush and Sunak

It is the time of the year to look up and listen.  Last night, as I was bemoaning the lack of football on TV, I heard this boy sing.  (It may be female, I don't know)  How wonderful is the sound of a Thrush in the evening, or perhaps a Blackbird, lots of them around here as always.  So far tonight he has not shown up, too early, and the sun is still shining high in the sky.  I suspect he, and his mates, will be seeking the late worms and other beasties that manifest themselves at this time of year.  Walking around today I noticed again the Swifts overhead.  Maybe they were House Martins, but I am sure they are swifts.  They all move to fast to check!

 

 

I saw them when I was returning from 'Poundland' & 'B&M.'  I had gone to stock up on the £1 imitation Daz, and cheap bleach.  However, there were huge gaps in the shelves.  While filled as well as could be expected it was clear stocks were low.  So I left 'Poundland' and went next door to 'B&M' where a similar situation was to be found.  It is clear Brexit and the huge costs, let alone the amount of paperwork, has taken its toll on shops importing all their goods from China.  Another Brexit Dividend I assume?

 

In spite of all the denials, all it took was a report from Sue concerning lots of parties at No 10 to enable the Chancellor to hand out the cash to the needy.  While this is beneficial, I ask, is this the best method?  Certainly this will help many, but for those on benefits how far will £650 go between a family of four, especially if they are not the wisest?  I suppose Boris can now claim to be doing something, however, nobody believes him.

I wonder, if he stood down who would replace him?  The leading lights are lights that are very dim, and no proper leader will wish to take control, especially as the next election will be a disaster for the Tories.  So, step forward Liz Truss!  This is your moment, take control, spend two years being worse than Boris, lose the election and allow a real Conservative to return, if there are any left...

 

Brexit and Gay Brownshirts

The Brexit dividend is with us, says the man from the Bank of England, £444 million a week it is costing the UK!  Money just trundles away from us, and leaves many asking "Where is the £350 million a week saved for the NHS?"  No answer is the reply.

One Tory MP claims people can make a meal for 30 pence, another says if you want more money work more hours, or get a second job.  She herself is on £84,000 plus £200,000 expenses, and whatever 'other job' she has.  Today Labour demanded a 'windfall tax' on energy companies, Boris muttered something and ignored the question.  No change there.  Someone asked me "Is this the worst government you can remember?"  "Yes!" is the reply.  All those bad governments, including Thatcher, were better than this. At least Thatcher would not leave the EU just to keep her job.

More 'Stonewall' love abounding I note.  An 18 year old at a private school questioned the 'Trans' ideology being pushed by the school.  She was hounded out by other girls, the teachers doing nothing but claiming she was upsetting the majority.  This school has many visits from Stonewall.  

Police, Fire and their leaders met at a conference this week to encourage integration of gays and trans.

They said nothing about integrating victims of crime, foreigners, elderly or disabled, but only the Stonewall favourites.  I wonder why?

Why are such people involved in events like this?  Do they not deal with individuals as individuals?  Or do the police and fire require special preparation for their job?  Saying this I have just noticed a special 50p coin has been produced for gays!  Why?  

There is also a row as some African players, Muslim or Christian, will not wear shirts dedicated to gays.  Some object to this stand, especially as one player in Blackpool has announced he is gay.  For some reason this makes him a hero.  Fail to develop normally and be praised.  What a strange world.

Opposition to those who disagree with the gay life is growing throughout the nation.  It has become accepted that being trans or gay is normal, when it clearly is not.  Those who claim such people are being their 'true selves' are wrong.  This is a broken person, like the rest of us, and only Jesus can heal and make us whole.  Encouraging people to live a false life destroys them, and society.  Browbeating opponents will never work, gay Brownshirts will come to a bad end soon.

       

Brexit Comes Home.

 

The news today concerning P&O's sudden sacking of all their crews and replacement with cheaper (foreign) crews need not surprise anyone who follows the Brexit saga.  This after all is one of the two main reasons for Brexit, the other was that nice Mr Putin's desire to separate the UK from the EU.  Putin is happily content with his success, and the number of Russian lackeys (can we call them spies) now working for him (yes Farage we mean you!) means little.  His work here is done, his real problem is the mess he has made of Ukraine.

However, the ERG (European Research Group, who appear to have done no research and certainly have not published any, yet they took the grants awarded for this purpose) the ERG will be happy with P&O.  After all, Steve Baker, Rees-Mogg and the rest were not really concerned with sovereignty or paying money to the NHS they wish to sell to their American friends anyway, they just wanted to end all restrictions on money making.  This meant relaxing all those needless rules about abusing staff, forcing staff to work long hours, ending the right to strike, complain, and have holidays or time off.  All these things must end and now, through P&O we see the beginning of the real Brexit, mass redunancies from campanies owned by foreign (Dubai) based owners, owner incidently who made huge profits last year, workers told by video or text that they were laid off, passengers dumped ashore and bully boys put aboard to throw crews off.  

One captain stopped this by lifting the gangplank! 

This is the beginning of many such events to come.  Putin wanted Brexit for himself, ERG and the greedy want it to limit opposition, increase profits and abuse staff.

Rees-Mogg as you know is a loud Roman Catholic, Steve Baker has been baptised by a pentecostal church, though I cannot find out which one.  His views on abortion and ending life I agree with, however, he is at heart another Tory who has never read theprophecies of Amos.

 

 

Carrbridge in the Highlands is to host the porridge making competition, the first since Covid, and the last time the Golden Spurtle Trophy was won was by a vegan from the Netherlands, and 30 or so contestants wish to obtain such a prize this year.  A very er, gruelling competition you say...?

I will not enter.

It appears, dumping oats and milk into a bowl and shoving it in the microwave until it boils over does not earn Brownie points in such competitions.  It is however, good for the diet, good for bad cholestrol, and cheap and easy, just like me.  It does take some time to clean the microwave...

The chosen ingredients for the competition are oatmeal, water and salt.  Milk and no salt for me thanks.  Honey optional, raisins, banana, and whatever is lying around, also count. 

Now I am hungry...

 

 

The Quiet Week

 

 

Another day in Toryland, another day with no leader to be seen.  Boris, the present Prime Minister, has run away again.  He has been done in by the knive carrying friends he put in place to protect him from harm, especially the numpty Liz Truss, now Foreign Secretary, and the 'Make the rich richer, especially me' Chancellor Risi Sunak.  Both are hoping for his job, both would be worse than he!

You will recall Kenneth Clarck's comment after the last time he stood for the leadership.  "After the vote 132 Tory members shook my hand and told me they had voted for me, I only got 87 votes!"  The numbers may be innaccurate, but the quote is true.  Now, as we eat leftovers yet again, MPs, Whips, and friends of the leading contenders are stabbing competitors in the back, making lying promises for support, and dining out with editors of right-wing papers.  All fighting for the top job, as indeed is Boris, though his temporary wife may be fighting harder than he, she is on the make and not willing to let go of the 'power behind the throne' that she possesses and is less willing to be caught out and made to pay for the decorating.  Whatever happens, she will land on another high climbing man with power, ability and an openess to her charms.  

Will any of this benefit the nation?

No!

Yesterday it appeared I had somehow enlarged by 5Ibs in weight, today I had returned to normal.  It is indeed amazing what can happen when adding or avoiding roast potatoes.  It may even be normal tomorrow again.  However, exercise was beyond me, a trip to Sainsburys yesterday morning was enough and the gray, rain carrying clouds, have been with us all day today limiting the desire to get out off my chair and wander.  Instead, I returned to the occupations of yesterday, I did nothing!

From my chair via the laptop I visited many parts of the world, played 'Solitaire' and 'Block Game' until the mental stress caused me to turn to the leftovers in the Plum Vodka bottle.  It seemed to me to be too small a bottle for what was inside, very enjoyable and very lifting!  

 

 

The world has returned to some sort of normality, rain clouds fill the earth, people wander across the park with dogs or bags filled at Sainsburys.  The wind shakes the leaves, dripping dollops of water cheerfully on passersby, dogs drink from the puddles, birds are noticeable by their absence, and even the 'white van men' are in short supply, only one today, for next door of course.   

Cars drive by but many have taken, or have been given, the week off.  Pictures of crowded shopping centres, happily sharing the latest virus by not wearing masks, are not found everywhere.  The public leave home only when forced, shopping, bargain hunting, or getting away from the noise of the kids are the favourite reasons.  Some even go to work.   

So now we sit and await New Year.  In the meantime we rise, search for the calandar, work out the date and then plan the day.  It may even be a decent day tomorrow, only thick cloud glowering above us.  This means we may, well wrapped up, walk out and find they lied to us again.  

One thing to look forward to on Jan 1st is the introduction of the full benefits of Brexit!  On that date all the prices concerning trade with the EU will grow substantially, a whole host of other legislation comes into play, and almost nobody understands what is going on and what the result will be.  Actually some of us do know the result, we have spoken of it often and we see the early results in front of us now.  Let us simplify the result, try 'Disaster!'

MPs Dump Sewage

 

Brexit strikes again!

Last night a majority of MPs voted against an amendment to the environmental bill attempting to stop water companies dumping sewage into the sea or rivers.  That bill would allow water companies to pollute the waters around England and Wales, Scotland's water companies work in a different fashion and this would not occur there.  

The problem, not admitted  by the government nor their MPs, is Brexit!  The water companies are struggling to find the chemicals required to clean the sludge we produce, therefore this is building up and cannot be dealt with.  Investment may help, but one water company is paying the CEO over half a million pounds plus payments to shareholders, and cannot spare any more, and to help the companies the government has allowed them to dump waste into the rivers and the sea.

MP's from seaside constituencies have voted according to government orders, thus are now unable to paddle in their own area as the brown stuff is spreading in their waters.  It has to be said the Corona Virus lasts 33 days at least in such waste, and now is flooding into the seas, also the such polluted rivers may lead to Cholera if it gets into the water supply.  

The 'Great Stink' of Victorian times may be returning under the freedom Brexit brings!  What's not to like?

 

I notice the BBC, SKY News and ITV do not mention this on their websites.  It did not appear on the front pages of any newspaper either, could it be a conspiracy is afoot to hide this from the people?

Just imagine, a free press that follows the government line rather than speak the truth!  'It could never happen here,' could it?

Anyway, people are noticing on Twitter, but the ones who will fall foul of this (if that is the right word) will know nothing unless the local council spend cash they do not have warning people not to play among the waters.  If heavy rain falls there will be fun for everyone! 

James Bond & Brexit Petrol

 

There has been a great deal of fuss in recent days concerning the latest Bond film.  This has moved me none, films are things I rarely watch, 5 minutes and I am turning off and doing something useful like reading a book.  Most are just repeats in a different setting, many porn (how do I know?), many junk, and within a few minutes the unrealistic acting turns me off.  I have however, seen several 'Bond' films, especially the earlier ones with a proper James Bond, a tall, debonair, cultured Scotsman.  This I think was what was in Ian Flemings mind as he wrote the books in a Scottish outpost in the Caribbean.  

Today's 'woke' think Bond a rapist, a woman abuser, an altogether nasty man, and indeed in real life Sean could be a bit of a rogue.  It is clear such 'snowflakes' have not lived through a war situation, have never feared an attack on the nation, nor indeed seen real life!  

Some believe Bond to be an image of a real everyday British spy, however, I do not consider this to be the case.  Real spy work tends to be boring, secrative, and far from glamorous, though some do 'disapear.'  Spies are usually attached to embassy outbuildings.  The Soviet Delegation high up on Hampstead Hill was a nest of Russian spies, none found in the Embassy itself, apparently, and when we occasionaly sent spies back home they usually came from Highgate.  I suspect little has changed there under Putin, the 'Workers Friend.'

Now arguments are raging as to the next James Bond, always a demand he is a black, or that he is a she.  That might well be the case these days of course.  Bond has to be a man, and a Scots one at that, there can be no alternatives.  There are plenty of tales regarding women and blacks acting as spies, make up a new series if that is what you want to see I say.

Will I go and see the new film?  No...

 

I nipped downstairs to post a wrongly delivered letter this afternoon, once the torrential rain ceased.  As I looked down the road I could see the road blocked at Sainsburys garage.  They had a delivery this morning and being Friday the cars are already forming a long queue.  Friday of course is when people shop, the vast traffic from Sainsburys up the road meets the queues down the road.  I do hope they, and the people coming from the industrial estate do not run out of petrol in the traffic.  

Brexit, the success that never ceases to give!

 

Queue For Fuel

Just after 10 this morning I passed this queue at the petrol station.  

As I returned near 12 noon this was the sight before me.  Whether the black car jumping the queue was allowed in I know not.  This has continued for some time, not helped by the Sainsburys petrol station offering a 'Sold Out' sign since morning.  Whether that is genuine I know not.  It has calmed down outside my window but unless this garage has a 'Sold Out' sign up, the long line of cars, most with engines rumbling, will continue. 

Another success for Brexit!

Of course this is not just Brexit, however that has caused a lack of drivers, trained petrol tanker drivers are in short supply, have some moved to large wages elsewhere I wonder?  The shortage cannot be made up, an HGV licence is required, but also a tanker driver licence, this takes more tests and costs more, so they will not be rushed to be introduced.  While EU may also have problems, they can work together to fix them, sovereignty means the UK requires forelock tugging and friends in appropriate places to get fuel.

In October things get worse!

 

Brexit Beer

 

This is not as you may surmise my daily beer intake, indeed beer is something I use er, sparingly.

There is not a requirement to justify such an intake by mentioning Martin Luther loved beer, he was after all German, and his kind of beer would be different from that found there today, Lager mostly I think.  The difference between the two drinks is clear, men drink beer, boys drink lager.  Lager is the fuel for young men, football hooligans and those perspiring under a heatwave.  Men drink the brown stuff!  

Brexit however has interfered!

I read the other day a warning by a supermarket expert, a proper one, not one found in the daily Hacks.  He indicated how supermarkets decide what is shown on the shelves during a lorry or goods shortage, one thing that suffers is Beer!  The supermarkets decide what you eat, drink and can obtain, their power drives what is delivered to their door.  However, the big lager companies, Fosters, Heineken and Stella I think, pay for shelf space in supermarkets so their brew will always be available. Individual beers, no matter how big the brewery, on the other hand do not, the sales are less so they disappear.  Possibly this explains why empty shelves in Sainsburys are stacked with cases of 'Stella' lager?  They pay so they fill spaces.

Therefore, I am taking no chances and stocking up in a less than panic like manner with goods that I require, and indeed one or two others I rarely use.  Other items are disappearing at an alarming rate.  It is wise to ensure the major items, like beer, are well stocked.

The Brexit experts tell us real Brexit does not begun until January 1st, so you can imagine what things will be like then!  If we have no lorry drivers now, few more then, much more stringent paper checks at borders, how will goods pass through?  I suppose we could get the little boats crossing the channel to carry some goods with them, even Farage might let them in then.  

 

Lorry Nonsense

 

 

The pubs, those that remain open, will be finding it easy to obtain supplies as most breweries use their own lorry drivers.  Supermarkets however are feeling the pinch.  The two local stores here are doing OK just now, though some items are missing and many shelves are filled with slow selling stock to make things look better than they are.  

With 100,000 missing lorry drivers, 60,000 EU men were sent back home for ideological reasons, Boris came out with one of his 'Balloons!'  'The Army HGV drivers will fill the gap!'  Brilliant!  Not only does this admit complete failure on the governments part but it develops that failure when explanations arrive.  There are only 2000 qualified, capable, HGV men in the British Army, 200 of these are 'Reservists,' (what we used to call Territorials) and all of these have full time jobs - as Lorry drivers!  So by using 2000 Army drivers to replace 100,000 missing drivers we are taking 200 drivers from the already over stressed lorry driver pool?  Do you think this has not been thought out properly?

 

 

Seagulls, Steam Engines and Brexit

 

I was raking through old pictures and came across these seagulls squatting on a bridge somewhere in Dorset many years ago.  They appear very calm, indeed cuddly, but that is because there are no Chip Shops nearby.  The river below leads into Poole Harbour, an amazing large expanse, but the food stuffs these boys seek are at the other side of the water.  I am left wondering how they survive, they certainly look well fed.

This brought to mind the report that Boris had 'almost drowned,' while holidaying in Scotland last year.  That and the midges were, apparently, a nuiscance.  Considering he was there for three days that is some story.  The report claims his security guard aided him when his surf board, or blow up duck, began to drift away.  If this story is true I suggest the security guard is fired for his actions which amount to disrespect for Scotland!  

Some things about Scotland are indeed worth seeing however.  This is the steam engine that took me from Fort William to Mallaig I think in 1995.  The journey is worth enjoying.  The scenery, the steam train, the bits and bobs in your hair and face as you put your head out the window, all these are worth it.  I went up a couple of times, though I doubt the once busy fishing port, seal and all, is not as busy today.  Tourism restart will help the scattered village but I doubt many are enjoying Brexit now.

The train however will run if the virus and government allows.  Worth a wee hurl on the 'Jacobite' as it appears to be called these days, though the name may have changed again.  

 

Now I totally abhor those who panic buy and stock needlessly.  Nevertheless with lorry driver shortages and price increases daily (10p on all bottled beers in Sainsburys this week) I thought I would panic buy and stock needlessly.  So I have been gradually adding extras while in Tesco and Sainsburys and filling the cupboards.  

However, it is fresh veg and fruit that is the problem.  All oranges are suffering from delays at ports, lack of drivers means Tesco waste tons of such stuff, all other stores must be similar, and worst of all bottled fizzy water is not seen as important!  At 17 pence a go this is a wonderful summer drink, when not available the only other fizz I can find comes in beer bottles, this is not wise.  However, I suffer this.  Brexit success continues...

 

Rush Hour Cars, Brexit and Forums.

Now I am all for warm weather. Where I come from it is always good to see it, we saw it so rarely up there.  Down here in this xenophobic nation it is more common, this county is supposed to have the least rainfall of all, so why do they grow all the crops here?  Anyway, when the sun shines we enjoy it and I am happy if the temp reaches 70.F and stays there.  

However, there are drawbacks.  

Today we have rain showers in between sunny spells, this gives all those driving their big open topped cars in those sunny spells the opportunity to bless us with all the pleasure of hearing the loud and indeed bad music they listen to!  Open windows, open top cars, occasional idiot with loud transistor, remember them? either will do, but we have to hear their poor choice of bad noise.  

Add to this the eejit who thinks we need to hear his loud phone calls, business sounds good where he is, and pleasure is abundant for all around, well maybe not for the man in the following white van who clearly has his own opinion on this.

No, I am not jealous.  I have no wish to join the 'rush hour' and sit in a car moving at two miles an hour in a queue so long you cannot see the beginning of it.  I have long lost the need to own a pretentious large expensive vehicle to impress those around me.  Indeed, I have not got the money to do so, and I would not do this, unless the Good Lord does present me with the maroon coloured Landrover I have been asking for these past few years.  

I do however, have a bus pass...

Bah!

It was good to get out of here today to return the empty beer bottles vinegar bottles and mayonnaise jars to the recycling bins.  I have been spending far too much time on Twitter and newspaper forums. The 'Daily Express' one in particular.  The Brexiteer is one with a closed mind, closed so tightly no fact can change it.  One grumbled 10,000 migrants have clambered into this country, I indicated 60,000 EU lorry drivers have been banned by Brexit, can these migrants not drive?  This did not go down well. 

The EU is at fault for everything, but free England, never the UK, has got them beat.  For a start the 'Express' extols our deal with the Far East, countries like Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.  These replace Germany, France and Spain!  For the Brexiteer this is a success?  A deal with Australia has enabled us to make £400,000 a year from exports, the Aussies make £1.5 Billion from the deal!  

This is another Brexit success?  The 'Express' reader, not counting 'Bots' or the '77th Brigade' doing Boris's work, does not like facts, he is blind to anything but Brexit, his life depends on this.

 

 

There is however, worse.

On Twitter I got involved with an American, so you can imagine the lack of knowledge, who boasted he had not been vaccinated even though all his workmates had been.  

Now the media today is full of such people bemoaning not getting vaccinated because they were considered physically strong, believed the lies on social media, and then catching Covid and sadly passing away regretting their foolishness. How sad then to see someone boasting not being vaccinated, made worse by claiming that he was following Christ Jesus and trusting him for health.  Indeed he ought to do this, but Jesus, like the vast majority of Christians, would say 'Get the jab!'  Several US pastors have caught the virus, some have died, all say 'Get the jab!'  We get vaccinated against measles, chickenpox, shingles, polio, smallpox and other things, yet we are supposed to consider this one 'evil?'  Some still believe the pandemic was caused by Pharma companies, some by the 'New world order' and others believe still that Bill Gates has inserted a bug into them to follow them around or tell them what to do.  In the UK most people call that bug 'Google' or 'Facebook.'  

I have been amazed at the opinions found on such forums.  I expect them from closed minded Rangers and Celtic fans, but the depth of belief on strange theories amazes me.  The blindness and unwillingness to listen by the Brexiteer leaves me considering this a 'cult.'  Is there an answer?  

Q. 'Why did the chicken cross the road?'

A. 'To avoid meeting Nicola Sturgeon.'

Media Flapjacks!

A quick glance through the front pages of the papers, as seen on the BBC website, reveals the sad state of journalism in this nation.  Both the BBC site and the BBC Scotland site offer the front page of the press, the front page is occasionally different in Scotland.  These offer large bold headlines with little story to accompany the headline. The story offered is of course not the main story of the day, it is the main story the owner wishes you to read, his Oxbridge select editor may well disagree with almost everything he publishes but will print it anyway as the money is good.  Facts, integrity and, gulp, journalism will be difficult to find.  What a sad state of affairs.

It has of course always been this way.  Know what your audience wants and give it to them, even if it is junk!  In recent days we have seen such media scream for Nicola Sturgeon to resign, the failure of the Scots committee to nail her to the wall leaves the press the next day avoiding the failure and looking elsewhere for distracting stories.  How disappointing for them.  While demanding she goes none demand any of the Conservative cabinet go, no matter how many lies they offer.  Today Pritti Patel's bullying is revealed to have cost the government £340,000 in compensation, plus the costs, yet she is still in place, how can this be? Until the PM's men indicate she must go the right wing press, which is all we have left, will keep quiet about her misdemeanours.  

The judge in another case has declared Hancock failed in his duty to publish details of PPE and other contracts within the specified time.  Those bringing the case were awarded £85,000 towards costs.  Hancock has lost, will he resign?  No, those days are now behind us.

The BBC is now controlled totally by the government, no condemnation, no journalism allowed if it exposes Boris and his men.  The others, SKY and ITV are also submissive to the controlling elite, we must ask why?  

It is now a requirement of those who wish to know more, to find journalism, to find facts, that an internet search is a daily slog in the hope of finding information regarding the days dealings.  This is a risky business as the web is flooded with false information, biased newsrooms and foreign interference.  It is however the only way to go.

However, we must ask why we have such a poor, crooked government elected?  How did they get there?  Clearly the Brexit lie helped, the Brexiteers closed their eyes to the cost, many still do, and emotion won the voctory.  But a vast number opposed this and the opposition party did not make use of their grumblings, why so?  

So we have corrupt government, feeble, indeed, missing opposition, a lying press living off this bunch of gangsters, and now a pandemic on top.

Something is going on, and this is not clear to any of us at the moment.

 

 

Are 'Flapjacks' meant to look like this....?

I feel I may have misjudged the recipe amounts.  First I put in too little, then too much, then altered it and within minutes I could smell smoke...

I had made er, shortbread, shortly before this so the oven was quite hot.  This, er, flapjack, does have a sort of taste, mostly Stork Margarine, and with the burnt edge removed it is quite edible.  

Flavour of course is not an option...

 

Advertising Brexit Success

 

 

Browsing the 'Daily Mail' on my expensive (for me) mobile phone I was irked by the constant adverts at the bottom of the page as well as the large ads in between each and every story.  The 'Mail' has always included 'advertorials' on the page as it likes to make money and is happy to lie to the readers.  Such subliminal advertising is something I abhor and wish it would cease.  It is always possible to be caught out by such sleekie behaviour and end up losing money, and that would never do.  

The items I read in the 'Mail' were little different from what I used to read in years past, the schools have problems, blame the teacher unions, shock, horror naked woman story, 18 pictures inside, Boris fumbling but avoid the issue (the editor does not like Boris but canny say so as his readers do), and an item on healthy eating, if you are rich enough and can find such things in the supermarket as Brexit has stopped them arriving here.  I could not go on, finding something worth reading bar football in the media is very difficult.  I have become quite intrested in the 'Byline Times' however, not an easy read, they use lots of words, but it employs journalists for the most part.  Worth a try even when you disagree with them.

New European PA

 

The success of Brexit has been revealed in supermarkets everywhere.  No veg!  The Northern Ireland Tesco had to dump oranges as by the time the delivery got through the paperwork the goods were days old.  All went into the skip!  I made a mistake last time I was in Sainsburys, I did not buy all the tinned veg I could carry, that may all be gone by now.  Empty shelves, angry fishermen, angry farmers, and Bumbling Boris not knowing what to do about the virus, it all adds up to another year of Brexit suffering ahead.  If you have a garden grow your own.  I might start planting potatoes in the park opposite.

 

Dreich Day

 

 

Dreich Day indeed.

It poured this morning, encouraaging grass to grow and weeds to sprout.  Suddenly, in spite of the weather forecast, it stopped when it ought to have been pouring down.  So I visited Tesco for the last time, met a grumpy staff member and a happy manager, stumbled home with my loot, mostly for others rather than myself, and settled down to await the postman.

Naturally, when he came he was in Teir 4 attitude and refused to ring the bell in case he catches a virus from it.  He must have knocked but I canny hear that, even though I was looking for him!  So while one measly routine letter arrives my neices expensive parcel has gone back and will not be re-delivered until Tuesday!  Bah!  He will hear about this!   (The word 'expensive' is not meant to be taken literally)

 

 

The Dreich day is not improved watching that Mr Hancock placing more people in Teir 4 while not acknowledging his guilt.  The Tories have been lying about the number of Lorris awaiting Ferries, only 170 one claimed, while 1500 others claimed where blocking the roads.  Some say several thousand now lie full of rotting perishables near Dover.  

What exactly are the benefits of Brexit...?