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.'

Cars, Furniture and Fire

Why are car ads so bad?

I rarely watch TV but the ads offered in between football or cricket bare little resemblance to the car on offer.  On one, a female ballet dances around for no good reason while the car putters about.  What is it saying?  Cultured car?  Take up dancing?  What does this tell us about the vehicle itself?

Another features a man, in slow motion, diving into a swimming pool, why?  Is this saying watch out you have driven into the pond? 

All is image, and all image is meaningless to me.  

Possibly there are people out there highly influenced by these ads, I suggest they get themselves a life.  I wonder if anyone who actually knows about cars is impressed by the ads?  Certainly those who think themselves important, those 'on the up' will be impressed if an ad featured a 'big car' driven by a 'Big man,' they will buy one as this shows them they have made it.  Poor fools.    

Nothing wrong with the car of your dreams, I await my Landrover arriving, I have waited a long time, and nothing wrong with succeeding and having such cars.  However, all cars are sold by image, what then does that say about people who are impressed by car adverts?  What sort of life are they hoping for?

Sir Terence Conran has died.  He was the man who gave us the 'Habitat' shops and they say, 'revolutionised the way we live.'  Hmmm.  I wandered through the Chelmsford shop a few years ago and found myself checking the high prices and wondering in the 'Habi' part of the name was required. On show was a lot of cheap furniture, made out of cheap wood, fancy designs occasionally, but always with a big, needless, price tag.  Was it because it became fashionable it 'revolutionised our lives?'  Or was it for the actual style on offer?  I am afraid hs shop made me look at the 'Sue Ryder charity shop furniture section' for better quality and longer lasting furniture.  Indeed, my house is almost all second hand, rather like my humour...

One thing that caught my eye was the sight of small US towns obliterated by the fires hanging over Oregon.  I grumble about laptops or the milk being off while others are looking at a pile of ash and wondering where their house has gone.  Small town America would never be my idea of home, but we must sympathise with those who no longer have a home, who may have lost all insurance documents, and who may have lost friends or even family in the fire.  

Our life is not so bad after all.

 

Market Drizzle

As it is wet, drizzly and not so hot the market has a special day.  Once again the wide variety of grossly overpriced foodstuffs bring out the crowds (Where do they get the money?) and as a special treat this month there are a few stalls selling the kind of overpriced hand made items women buy, whatever they are.  

I am always tempted to the bread but the price £3 or so a loaf puts me off.  It looks good and probably is good stuff but expensive being twice and more the price in Tesco's.  I suspect the variety of cakes available are also good but to fattening for my calorie controlled diet (with chips).  

   
Once again the car folks brought out their pride and joy into the drizzle.  A different crowd from last time and I suspect that when the sun shines regularly there will be more of these on show.  I am not clear as to why that guy has his bonnet up, possibly he broke down, possibly he is showing off his clean well tended engine.

Somehow I managed to spend nothing but a few quid on mealworm pellets for the Starlings that are breeding just now.  The brutes have emptied the feeders already this morning and trying to empty them again this afternoon.  A single Blue Tit has been spotted there but few other wee birds.
Guarding my money carefully I came limping slowly home and have spent the day watching football!
What more can a man want?
Oh yes, a woman to iron a shirt for tomorrow...

Market

Rather a dreich day for the market to make a special effort today.  Cloud overhead and spots of rain at times spoiling the market.  Several new stalls selling overpriced food to hungry customers, a bread stall selling bread at £3:50 a go, it's £1:30 in Tesco, and cakes etc at £2 a time.  I know the stuff is good but my wallet made me avoid the area where the food outlets gathered. I also avoided my fruit & veg stall as I feel guilty about buying stuff in Tesco during the week.

The last market failed miserably as poor organisation, including not replacing the organiser, led to many complaints and how these townsfolk like to complain.  A better effort even if the weather failed to comply.  I suppose as it is a holiday weekend we ought to expect such weather.

   
A collection of 'vintage vehicles' was promised and these few turned up.  I suspect more would have come if the sun shone but who wishes to get an expensive old vehicle covered in raindrops?  This mid 70's Bentley caught my eye however these were not among the best produced so I did not make him an offer.  I noticed the Morris Cowley at the end and it reminded me of the old matron at Maida Vale.  When she came over from the main hospital she drove her Sunbeam Car dating from 1926 which looked similar in general shape to this Morris.  I suspect it was a family heirloom but I forgot the history.  Whenever she arrived it was imperative to allow the wards to know she was here and then talk about the car/weather/life for a few minutes while they nurse hid things that ought to be hidden!  I'm sure she never guessed...

In the 50's these Wolesley's were the main police patrol car.  This was fine until Jaguar produced their Mark V (I think) seen above as the gangsters being chased had a huge advantage of speed over the cops.  Soon enough the black Wolesley's were replaced by Jaguars, white ones in Edinburgh.  The police were happy enough with this but criminals were not so keen.
A small improvement to the market, reducing prices for stalls might be a better one of course, and shoppers buying from them instead of Tesco might also be a good idea.  I, it must be said, went into Tesco, there I almost had a heart attack, there were NO chips!  The fridge was empty!  Looking around I found some hidden in a corner but the entire are was bereft of chips!  Someone suggested fish & chips eaten by Catholics meant they run out but that does not ring true, it does not happen at other times.  I had to stop shaking before I went to the checkout, imagine no chips!  I could die!
er, I am off to eat some now so I will have to die another way...

    

'Wipers'

Wipers Times

The 'Wipers Times' was a series of newspapers produced by men of the 12th Battalion 'Sherwood Foresters' Regiment stationed at Ypres in Belgium during the Great War.  Searching for material to make and secure dugouts they came upon a printing press and commandeered this as an aid to regiment, indeed Divisional moral.  One of the men being a printer got this working and his boss Captain (later Lieutenant-Colonel) F. J. Roberts (Frederick John Roberts) who was to win the Military Cross decided to go with it.  The captain became editor, rank pulling and Lieut J.H.Pearson DSO. MC, who also later became Lieutenant-Colonel sub edited the paper.  The 12the battalion belonged to the 24th Division and spread copies of the paper throughout.

These were men who volunteered during the patriotic days of 1914.  By late 1915 these men were becoming used to trench warfare and learning the cost of war.  By February 1916 serving at Ypres (called Wipers by the British as they refused to speak in the manner of the locals) and having already lost men to the war some satire/sarcasm re the war found an outlet.  

The salient in which they served was under constant fire.  Artillery often hindered the printing, men often went to work in the line and did not return, casualties continued and so the requirement for satire grew daily.  Adverts such as the above were common in the paper.  Ads for houses for sale along the 'Menin Road' (the centre of the battlefield) mentioned noisy neighbours and 'good shooting.'  

The British encouraged officers to be 'offensive.'  We were not here to sit and wait but to attack and push the Hun out of Belgium.  The cartoon above speaks well of the type of officer available to the division I fear.  'People we take out hats off to' section included 'The person who introduced the order forbidding company commanders to go beyond their front line trench.'  Also a point regarding the press 'Whether the London papers are aware there are a few British troops on this western front.'  

 'Pop' was Poperinge a nearby town of rest.

The press was not something the troops respected.  Full of patriotic bravado long lost among the men at the front they detested and spoofed the works of Hillare Belloc and William Beech Thomas who wrote it appears in a manner not to the liking of the troops.  While the fighting men had no desire to give up they also had no false understanding of the war.  Patriotic ill informed nonsense led to the items by 'Teech Bomas' and 'Belary Helloc.'  Both claimed to know how to win the war, Bomas had been in the front line defeating the enemy and of course neither were anywhere near it, the troops despised such men.  

   

Poetry was abundant among the officer class, who mostly sent in items for use.  And far too much appeared in the paper.  While it filled space not enough prose arrived and the editor often asked for contributions other than poetry.  It still arrived however.  Much was humorous, some poignant, most just acceptable.  It is fair to say none appeared amongst the great poetic works after the war.

The letters pages appears realistic in that only people grumbling about something appear to communicate.  Here they complain about the road, under constant fire, and the smell in the air, chlorine or Mustard gas.  All the while these men were fighting and suffering from a very unhealthy war.  Many obtained medals, many never returned.  The unknown contributors who cheered their mates may still lie as yet undiscovered somewhere under the salient.

The end of the war brought no celebrations among the division, they were just glad it was finished.  These men had fought a good fight and won.  The cause they entered the war for was a different cause from that which enabled them to win it, they endured and won and the survivors could return triumphantly but to what?  Having suffered the damage of war, often grumbling it was from their own artillery, they returned to 'Blighty.'  As a successful editor Frederick John Roberts tried to join a newspaper on his return but was offered only the post as a crossword compiler!  Work even for officers was scarce, we had a Conservative chancellor with an 'austerity' budget in power, and Roberts moved to Canada where he saw ought his life unheeded.  Rather a sad end but many heroic men endured much and returned to nothing whatsoever.  A reasonably happy family life with mixed emotions was the lot of the majority though those with bits missing may have found it harder going. 

The 'black humour' found in the trenches is with us still and is an important part of keeping us sane and stable in everyday life, I hope that never changes.

Some more from yesterday.

Car Show Day

Putting aside my bicycle clips I walked groggily over to the public gardens where, for the sake of raising funds to keep the gardens going, they put on a car show.  How wonderful and event near enough to walk to rather than miss because it is held in a field way out of town usually.

I accidentally took around 200 pictures but fear not they will not all appear hear, well not at once anyway...
There were a grand collection of old British cars, Austins, Bentley and Alvis for instance, and the fancy US efforts from the late 50's and a couple of ex-army items also.  I expected more motor bikes but only two appeared plus a scooter which was a disappointment especially as one of the bikes was a bit rough, probably working on it I suspect.  

   
I have always liked the idea of a 'Jeep.'  I prefer the British army version myself but the idea of just hopping on and off one of these is great in my little mind.  The 'Jeep' from the US term  'General Purpose' vehicle, the GP as armies like using acronyms (it is 'acronyms' innit?) then commonly known as 'Jeep.'  A more modern version was on sale around here recently and I really was glad I have no money as I was sure tempted by it.  Naturally it is useless in the UK as the open sides let in the rain quite a lot and our summers are not renown to bring visitors.  Still it's just another dream I suppose.

 Austin

Next door Austin

One of the finest cars on show I thought.

From watching all those war films made in the fifties I was given the impression that all RAF pilots drove one of these MGs or failing that a Morgan.  The reality however was somewhat different as one man indicated.  "We could fly a Lancaster all the way to Berlin and back yet when we landed we got on our bikes, none of us could drive!"  Few could afford any kind of car let alone a speedy roadster.  The war however enabled a great many to learn to drive and that without a driving test of any kind.  If you were passed fit to drive in the services the licence was handed over as that was considered good enough.

This you may remember was one of two 'Bubble Cars' that appeared on the streets around the late 50's.  An attempt to provide a cheap transport they did not last long as the 'Mini' appeared and these were obsolete overnight.  This one had room for a driver and one passenger or two very small ones. 

More famous for motorbikes BSA made cars for a while, this ended with the advent of the second world war.  One of these might cost you between £8000 and £15,000 today.  I winder if the bikes cost more?

 
Now if you wish you could buy this two seater tourer for me for Christmas.  I would never ask for anything from you ever again - well maybe petrol money...

Yankee things also appeared, much loved in Essex of course, this is a county that likes such flash vehicles.  I do like the pickup myself.

Next to what I take to be his Aston Martin Ian Jordan gave us an interesting mix of 50's and 60's music.  Most enjoyable and fitted well with the show.

Oh yes and if you are ever asked to volunteer for any event always make sure you understand the role you will be playing.  It would nit do to say say "Yes!" before realising what you have let yourself in for, like these two...

 
You might get more of these tomorrow...