You can tell Spring is on the way, Snowdrops and Daffodils begun to sprout, Bluebells appear and snow lies on the ground for an hour or so bring the entire locality to a halt. The rain welcomed us today, soon to be followed by thick lumps of wet snow drifting down casually and for a short time leaving a thin white layer on the ground.
I remained indoors.
As is normal, with the snow littering the ground the clouds disappear and soon the sun comes out. It is indeed Spring. Therefore, I am able to cross the park and dump a brown envelope into the council offices. I don't know about you but each time a brown envelope comes through the door fear rises within me. Even if it is good news it also means lots of figures to be worked out, possibly forms to fill in, sometimes a rebuke, sometimes a mistake, sometimes lots of money. This, I must say, is rare.
I wonder who dropped the OHMS from such envelopes and replaced it with DWP? It happened a long time ago but the second class remains the normal fare I note. For reasons of keeping people in employment all such mailings come from Belfast. The poor postman there must have a huge sack of incoming and outgoing mail to collect. I hope he has a strong bike.
I see Boris is playing games with the EU again. "Do what we want or we walk away." I know what the EU will say to that. A 'No Deal' Brexit is what he has been told to go for and that is what is coming, or is it Cummings? The futures bright, It's in Boris's capable hands!
Begin hysterical laughter now...
The council planted Daffodils did their best to imitate Spring but all around dreichness remained. I was venturing out for the second time. The supermarket had been blessed by my presence, not that Mr Sainsbury would be enriched by that over much today, and once I had returned home I cogitated on spending money.
My sister is in hospital, she felt rough, went to excellent doctor, who dumped her in an ambulance to hospital. A type of heart attack was upon her and now she lies complaining, unlike me, while being tested and manipulated by nurses. I suspect she will be home soon with a box of aspirin and a handful of coloured tablets to take. I hope so, travelling up for a funeral is expensive!
However knowledge of what is happening there is limited. I canny phone her man as he is too deaf to hear me, so I relay on daughter, who is not as efficient in informing me as she ought. I therefore spoke, via facebook, to her daughter for facts.
During this I was called a 'technophobe' for not having a mobile phone and being unable to text. Although I indicated I have no friends and do not need one I was left feeling guilty about this so off I trooped to Argos, the shop not the ancient city, and spent money on a fancy phone.
Starting it up was complicated and eventually we are set.
Now however I have switched it on and it wants the Pin number for the 'fingerprint' to let me in.
A dozen times I have put in four numbers, all wrong!!!
So now I have a phone I canny use!
I hate my life!
Much later, after a lot of strange words, some online help, a video or two, and tea I managed to reset things and get the phone going. Having never used a fancy phone, I struggled with that one that had a dial, and reading instructions that take it for granted you are 13 I worked my way through the encircling mists and succeeded to obtain a working mobile.
Of course it would not make phone calls.
It took me a moment to realise I had to verify the Simm, so that can be done tomorrow. My 'technophobe' hat is very much on and my head is spinning with jargon I do not comprehend. That said I think it will be working by tomorrow, maybe.
Much of tonight was therefore spent glaring at the phone I hoped to use to contact my sister's phone why she lay in hospital. My normal phone could not contact her either as her phone was switched off. The reason, she was back home!
At the moment I gave up she called me.
That saved me a fortune, not that I mentioned it.
She has been coming home on the bus, found herself shaking, feeling a bit tight, and as the bus stopped at the surgery she went in.
The nurse practitioner, like all staff there, understood quickly, the doctor also and soon she was in an ambulance waiting at the hospital. An accident got in before her but after tests, more tests and more proddings the doctor decided she had a small 'blip' interfering with the heart. It had passed, she could go and take lots of tablets with her.
She was quite happy with the well cared for experience, her grandchildren, all adults (they say) were a wee bit shaken however. So was I for a minute. The cost of travelling up there for a funeral is enormous!
That phone might leave me shaking soon also.
Not much of a frolic merely a walk up to B&M's to buy seed for the birds. At least under the gray skies these daffs were still blooming. The brightest things to be seen on a dreich day.
I took a couple of pics of things only to find that Microsoft had 'updated' the 'Photos' ap thereby making it difficult to play around with the pictures. All the usual things are still there but now they are shifted around and difficult to find. The obvious things are hidden and it is unclear where anything is.
Why do 14 year old geeks get allowed near these things?
'Photos' was a reasonable system yet now it is confusing and clearly not improved by someone who actually uses the thing. I not 'Outlook' was updated recently and again the first thing you look for is not in an obvious position it is hidden or placed in an out of the way part of the system!
Have these drugged up geeks not heard about KISS? I suspect most have yet to hear about women to be honest, 'Keep It Simple Stupid' or 'do the obvious thing' and all will be well, that of course does not go down among the lads in silicon valley....
Hidden from the main road is this old chapel. Originally owned by the Quakers it is now in possession of the local Sally Ann. It lies behind an undertakers that at one point in the late 19th century worked as a 'Beer Shop,' not a pub just a place to buy beer. This was a haphazard system to stop people drinking Gin which was ruining the nation. People drank less gin but more beer and drunkenness became a problem! Who would have thought...?
Next door is a house I would have loved to buy if I had money. It also sits far back from the road and goes back well into time. Sadly the person selling wanted thousands of pounds for this and the loose change in my pocket did not cover it. Further along another building, this time commercial, also sits back from the road, I am left wondering why? Possibly I will never know.
They say the weather will begin to deteriorate tomorrow so when I saw the bright yellow Daffodils beckoning me out I sauntered across the park and snapped a few. The sun was as warm as a decent summers day and it crossed my mind that April will bring snow as it usually does.
Kids were cycling small pink bikes, mums pushing pushchairs, some sitting on benches wrapped in coats just in case, and high above a thin white streak in the bright blue sky carried 200 or so people towards Europe.
'Europe,' that is what we now call the EU and many round here are desperate to abandon to its fate. Sadly these 'Daily Express' readers have yet to understand that they are the ones being abandoned. If this Brexit goes ahead there will be no 'sovereignty' just Donald Trump and chlorinated chicken! The idea that anyone has sovereignty in this world is plain daft, everybody is tied to everybody else one way or another and this is how it has always been. It is difficult to keep up with the constant niggles in the House but I had to laugh when Savid Javid was in front of a Commons committee.
Stuart MacDonald SNP, to Sajid Javid: What’s wrong with the amendment?
SJ: Nothing.
SM: So now the Gov't’s supporting it?
SJ: Yes. What do you mean, “now”? When was the gov’t not supporting it? When did you hear that?
SM: Yesterday.
SJ: From who?
SM: The Prime Minister.
SJ: Did you?!
Here we have the Conservative Home Secretary, one of the Four most important jobs in the cabinet being informed of the Prime Ministers thoughts from a member of a committee as he had not been informed of her opinion from the day before.
I suppose too many in the cabinet were shouting others down and she forgot to indicate what the policy of certain matters actually was. I wonder if she has changed her mind to agree with Savid or whether she is travelling somewhere and canny mind who he is?
India and Pakistan are flexing muscles (I wish I could) and threatening one another in Kashmir again. This is not new, this has been going on since 1947 and was badly handled then and is being badly handled now. Much loud talk of both sides having nuclear arms but the option of using them is unlikely. Many more aircraft shot down, bombs dropped, the wrong people killed as usual but I doubt nuclear war is near. Pakistan is a confused nation, led by the elite who fight among themselves, leaders chances of being killed by those around them a real possibility. India facing elections and will seek to 'be strong' and killing a few Muslims goes down well with the Hindi nationalists, especially these days. Many more to die, many more shouting matches and then peace, it is too easy for India to win - again!
With cars flashing past full of folks seeking Sainsburys and Tesco, the sun occasionally peeping out from the light gray clouds that cover the earth, the washing now drying over the heaters and mums everywhere desperate for tomorrow and the last of the kids are forced back to school, life returns to a normal state of chaos. Worrying about Brexit is the national obsession while worrying about schools, shops, football, other peoples private lives, TV soaps, and losing weight are the obsessions of the man in the street, well the women mostly. Christmas has gone, many presents broken or now on e-bay and while Scotland watches the whisky sales continue in pubs and clubs England has the usual after-break hangover, depressed people in work making mistakes and wishing they were back home. I have just sat here writing or thinking about writing emails while the laundry rumbled in the background and my stomach rumbled in front of me. Too much 'Black Bun' I think. Over the road I note Spring is getting impatient and already the Daffodils are beginning to sprout, earlier than last year I think. Just in time for the frost and bleak cold chill from the east these flowers begin to show. Could this be global warming or is this normal for Daffs? We might soon see yellow blossoms in spite of the weather.
So much for getting out and about!
I got as far as the gardens!
Having forgotten to eat last night, I ate but not properly, I found I had no energy this morning for some reason. Listlessly staring at the laptop did not improve things and only after a light lunch did I twig what was wrong. Stupidity runs in my family but appears to stop at me.
The gardens were bereft of flying creatures, small kids were found aplenty spoiling the view, mums who need to diet strolled around with mobile clamped to their ears while little ones wondered whether to throw themselves into the pond. I moved away at this point...
This boy posed for me however.
No idea what it is, don't say 'Butterfly' I know that but I know not what kind. One or two other flying beasties were around as the chill in the air did not deter the Spring like weather. In the next day or two it may get hot, probably because I am inside the museum tomorrow!
Daffodils. Why more daffodils you ask? Because there are myriads of the things blooming all over the place. Most other flowers are as yet to small to make a real splash but they will soon enough.
There was little else to see as I passed by. Too many kids to wander about with a camera these days. No activities of any sort to be worth taking pictures, nothing new in this small town today.
Of course most sweet little ones have gone back to school, the rest go back tomorrow. This means the museum will be quiet and we have just finished one exhibition so there will be a mere half museum to see tomorrow. It will take two weeks to set up the next one.
I will sit and watch...
Size is important! What is more important is getting it right.
Yesterday I bought a cheap (in M&S mark you) pullover. The size claimed to be XL which would suit my feeble frame. Once home I tried on this made in Bangladesh bargain t be reminded that what is 'XL' in Bangladesh is either 'L' or 'M' here! I hobbled back today and exchanged for an 'XXL' size which in fact just does the job, however a 'XXXL' which was there yesterday might have been a better option.
Why don't things fit? I am convinced that in the past things fitted better. Of course cynics might say that is because my mum was buying for me however for fifty years I have bought for myself and things these days do not fit like they used to. For a start there are different measurements to watch out for, M&S leg lengths come in 29, 31, & 33, while other folks are 30, 32, 34, which appears to me to make more sense, maybe there is a reason for this?
That aside the decision to outsource all clothing to the far east has seen a decrease in standards and all the main shops do this and then charge very high prices for their goods. The sweatshop workers I am sure are happy to earn a few coins making clothes that are too big for them while the bosses line their pockets but not as well as the directors of our main street stores are doing I suspect. 'Primark' appears to be the only shop that sells similar goods at cheap prices and they still make a vast profit, where are the others going wrong? Don't mention quality that varies little in my view.
Sad to say that when 'XL' shirts are tight this means these things are shrinking after each wash or while hanging up in the cupboard they shrink even more, I wonder why...
Lucky for me all this is enabled by the Free Bus! The council installed one of those shopping centres that specialise in 'Outlets' for big companies, outlet being another word for 'stuff that didn't sell.' This would be useful if such folks reduced the prices to a sensible level however this does not happen. 'Levis' (or Wrangler) were things we used to wear constantly, either jeans or cords. I wore such for thirty years yet today I cannot afford them and go for Tesco (far east) cheap ones, if they have any that fit! The Levi shop here offers bargains such as 'Two Pair for £99!' They appear to think this a bargain! What gets me is that this shop has been doing this for several years and is still going strong, who is buying such bargains? OK many of these shops are 'loss leaders' but even so someone is buying and considers themselves lucky to obtain bargains!
Me, I'm going to look again at Tesco clothing....
Church this morning was filled with brooding women.
One couple brought their firstborn into church, a couple of weeks old, tiny in comparison to everyone else, and was handed around from one woman to another. This was not just a happy occasion it was a very happy occasion as just over a year ago the mother lost her child shortly before it was born. There was much joy in seeing the face of mum and dad as they at last got to hold their own child.
Of course the brooding women of all ages do not have to spend the next couple of months waking every two hours feeding the brute. They will mollycoddle the child on Sundays and be unavailable at three in the morning when feeding time arrives.
I'm with them I must say!
While this maternity gossip was going on a three month old child in the foyer was being passed around in similar fashion. This one the child of the vicar and already being made comfortable with a wide variety of people. No difficulty in getting this one used to people he already met around a dozen this morning.
Watching the small child again gave thoughts of the wonder of childbirth and the way they are made. Children are made in the mother, they are not the mothers body, a fact which has to be repeated constantly to those who are willing to murder their child in abortion. The sight of sch a small helpless child shows just how dependent we are at that stage on the mother, and she on the father as two are required to create a child, not just the mum. God's plan via this method was to show us our dependence on one another as well as on him. How people can dump a child proclaiming it 'just a bunch of cells' is hard to comprehend when a child is so small and so complete. The human holocaust, some nine million in the UK alone since 1967 is a disgrace and judgement awaits because of this.
The rising sun promised another day of sunshine and bitter cold winds. This mattered to me as I rose earlier than usual to devour my 'Ancient Pave' bread and slimy cheese breakfast. How 'ancient' the recipe is for this bread I know not but I suspect the ancients never made it like this. However as I increased the heating level and downed the last of the coffee slumped at my desk I perused the papers for interesting information, the type that keeps me in touch with what really matters in this world.
I found none.
The noise outside forced my nosey nature to rise and open the curtains and watch the workmen laying out the 'Stop and Go' signs for the road works up beside the building works. A small digger was also unloaded proving that no matter how small and no matter how efficient such machinery might be they can still deafen anyone better than a runaway jumbo jet!
While watching the men clad in bright yellow suits I noticed the Daffodils are beginning to break through already. This is the 17th day of January are these meant to appear so soon? As the cold wind howls through the gaps in the windows I ask 'Is it global warming responsible?'
It is always a glad sight to note bright flowers but this does appear early, and so far I have failed to notice any snowdrops, a flower which is supposed to appear at this time.
When I first arrived here all these years ago I thought to myself that this view was reminiscent of all those old postcard vies of 'Old England' that once filled postcards. I soon learned that these expensive houses have heavy traffic all day, and much of the night, hammering past their door and paying stupid money for a five or six hundred year old house, some with remnants of the one time weaving industry that flourished here since the 1400's within, paying such money does not always lead to peace and quiet. At least you mix with the 'right sort of moneyed people.'
I wandered into the sun, not quite like a cowboy did at the end of these old movies and headed up the hill. The thought crosses my mind, when those old cowboys wandered of into the sunset where did they go? Could there be a small town somewhere filled with ageing cowboys waiting for the evening so they can continue their journey? Did they meet a friend or were they run down by a stampeded of passing Buffalo (that's 'Bison Bison' to you)? The thought that 'The West' was populated by thousands of men heading into the sun does not inspire. They would certainly have problems when they reached California...
I wandered into the sun until I decided hunger was important. Having exercised, done the washing, even dusted the house and now wandered abroad I felt enough was enough and it as time to return to my normal vegetative state. This as you can see I have succeeded in doing...
To escape from the laptop I strode manfully through the public gardens today to see what life was like outside in the sunshine. Being Half Term the place was choked with adolescents shouting at each other with half the gardens given over to toddlers and their neurotic mum's. This was not going to be the time to catch a Robin sitting on a bench nor really the ideal opportunity to picture Blossom.
As I wandered around I wondered about the Dear Leader and her entourage. Theresa May was in Saudi Arabia, a nation we built up under Abdullah, saw it taken during a nasty civil war in the twenties by the Saudi's, and now the home of billions of money Theresa wishes to get her hands on. She kept up the PR stunts of her predecessor, remember taking lots of women to visit Trump in the US? Well she was at it here refusing to wear a headscarf though she avoided driving just to ensure she made some money. While not mentioning the cutting off criminals hands, nor the heads lopped off every so often, nor the place of women under the Wahabee strict rule she did manage to get out a message mentioning the dropping of the word 'Easter' from 'Easter Eggs.'
Now she is of course right in this, the food manufacturers do not wish to put anything regarding Jesus on their packaging and she ought to embarrass them by asking why? However her Christian concern would be better appreciated if the Tories had not chosen this week in which to cut benefits from children who have lost parents, nor to begin cutting money for the disabled and a great many other cruel and vindictive policies which hit the poorest and show no concern for 'Loving thy neighbour!'
A mixture of little Spring plants adorn the front of a house round the corner. I regard this as the best garden at this time of year. Little plants of blue and yellow with purple heather and green bits enhancing a very natural Spring garden. I like it.
I was musing the other day about those poor Arsenal fans who wish their long serving manager to go! He took over the club about 20 years ago and has given them the Championship, several cups and finished in the Champions League places almost every year, and they want him to go because he has not won the Championship for a long time, nor have they succeeded in Europe.
Poor things!
I reckon half of those who grumble were not born when he arrived and almost as many were too young to know what was going on, yet they grumble! Real football fans, that is almost every team in every division of every league at every level have to face the fact that sometimes they have good times and sometimes they do not. The fans who become used to success, such as those at the Heart of Midlothian, quickly become despairing when success that dangles tantalisingly close is suddenly taken away from them are just as bad as Arsenal fans who are used to success but not regarding the two trophies that now mean so much to them, indeed they believe they now have a right to!
Silly Arsenal fans. You only get what you deserve.
No matter how much money you spend you cannot guarantee success. Clearly Celtic, spending about £700,000 on each player a year will have more chance of success than Inverness Caledonian Thistle who spend £42,000 a year, yet success is not guaranteed even then. A poor manager, disputes within the dressing room and a variety of bad results can lead to despair and failure no matter how much is spent. The leading English clubs, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal have all spent at least a billion and they too go through hard times. The fans, especially those who were not there during the hard times, are often the first to utter complaints when success is not seen, fans of lesser clubs with little money may never see much success but an occasional cup win but these fans are often more loyal, better behaved, always there even if in small numbers and will still be there when failure comes once again.
Poor Arsenal fans, come into the real world, there is a place for you.
How nice to get out in the sunshine again. Much of the time I have been holed up in this aroma filled dwelling so walking in the park has been a delight. I realise we have had enough Daffodils but in truth there are billions of them lying around at the moment, one of the councils better ideas, and each park and green space has a variety of them livening up the day. These ones poking through the park bench are good I thought.
The introduction of the new Pound coin that begins tomorrow caused me to examine the fancy designs on the coins in my possession. It was then that I noticed this on the back of the Fifty Pence piece. Here we have a coin of the realm, on one side as always the head of the monarch and on the reverse either a tribute to 'Beatrix Potter' or Jemima Puddle-Duck one of her characters! These are the coins of the realm with fictional characters on them!
A quick squint online shows some folks might wish to purchase these in time to come so they will rest on my shelf for a while to see if price rises. As nobody is clear as to how many are out there I may be in for a fat profit, possibly a new pound perhaps? But really, children's characters on the coins, what next, Jane Austen's people?
Jemima and her mate did not appear too fussy about being on the back of a coin. Happily settled into the pond in the gardens these two would prefer people not to throw 50p coins to them as they find them hard to digest.
I note Theresa May attended Scotland today to ensure Nicola Sturgeon does as she is told. The few comments noted afterwards indicate intransigent Theresa did not realise that Nicola comes from Ayrshire, I think she knows now. Clearly a second referendum, IndyRef2, is on the way, Theresa by her continual high handed attitudes will ensure a YES vote far more sure than anything the snooty David Cameron could have produced. People fell for the lies last time, they surely can tell the lies this time around. BBC & SKY I note have placed this story reluctantly on their agenda trying to put the Westminster madman as more important even now. Hmmm that tells you much.
Today I had to march against the biting east wind in an almost hot sun to St Paul's for the last of our Monday meets for a while. The knees do not like exercise these days, how come it has come to this? Tomorrow I have a full day at the museum, which means missing my siesta, something that means much to me these days, and assisting with the many 'art lovers' drawn in to hear the talk in the afternoon. Too many folks on holiday at once in my view. I suppose we ought to be glad so many showed up for the 'Oscar Ceremony.'
Oh look, more Council Daffs!
It is almost ten this morning and I sit here trapped! Trapped while I await a man to fix the boiler that worked OK this morning but that he claims requires a new part. This he decided after a brief view the other day. Hmmm, good job the landlord is paying. On the other hand he might be right, the water does not heat as it ought so maybe he has found something by his cursory glance. We shall see if he is right.
However as he comes from the far distant coast of this county (clearly cheaper than the local guys) and I suspect he has also 'found fault' with one or two others in the building I am now sitting here in an almost clean but not quite slum while I await his presence. This means I canny go out, I canny begin those jobs that require doing until he has been, and worse still I cannot dare to fall asleep again as I so wish to do. I wait, and wait and wait...
Eventually he arrived!
Triumphant was I as he and his mate unpacked their heavy bags and began work.
Then we ran into trouble. He produced a large round, red item which he claimed was to be inserted into the boiler, replacing the burst one.
"Did you not fix that two or three years ago?" Asked I.
"Yes I did," he said memory slowly coming to him.
Out came the phone as he called his brother (the one who came last week to check the boilers).
Several calls and many minutes later we reach the conclusion - he ought to be next door!
So the goods were picked up again, the left for next door and I reset the residence back to the normal mess in which it resides.
All morning I waited in for nothing! The only good thing was the postman bringing Amazon's latest offering, that is Amazon the book folks not Amazon the woman down the road we all avoid bumping into!
If the boiler goes off tomorrow there will be trouble...
While waiting the TV offered the usual non stop repeat of all the information from yesterday plus the debate in the House of Commons. Once again we hear from people who were not actually eye witnesses but 'heard something' often from a distance away. Quite what the purpose of these non witnesses can be I fail to understand.
The story becomes clearer, the usual 'loner' with a family and surely someone who aided him as yet unknown to us. The swift police operation raiding premises in Birmingham and elsewhere as the net widens and energetic police take action. All this is good and acceptable.
What is less acceptable is the people offering their half baked opinions, TV celebs telling us of their 'Terror' or 'Horror' or anything else to get their name involved. It certainly appears to me that we did not respond like this to IRA outrages, and there were many of those, the population today is steeped in emoting as opposed to reacting. Let us know your feelings rather than an objective thought.
Maybe it's just me.
Anyway while the social media is full of praise for the police and their wok we all know that in a few days they will return to being "Pigs!" and "Have you not got a Muslim to find?" When they stop a dangerous driver using his mobile phone while driving. Once again our 'Brave Boys' will become the ones who 'stop our fun' or 'do not appear when we need them.'
See my cynicism is out again.
