Friday Flannel

 

Life after a wee bout of Covid is not much different from what occurred before.  I sit here doing little, thinking little, and watching the 'to do' list slowly curl up as little has been done about that.  This however, changed today as I hoovered quickly because the boiler man is coming to check the boiler tomorrow.  This means moving a couple of things and I wanted to see the dust first and check what may be lying under there.

After that the world slowed down again, and I am glad.

The worst of Covid passed, but the lack of sleep and eating did not do any good.  I ate little yet my weight has not gone down!  This week I have eaten and slept much more, just like having a job again...

Have you noticed how facebook comes alive after 9 am, when office workers turn up for work?  

Facebook at least has ceased the absurd ideas for now.  They have bled us dry in many ways, and still do, but I think the boy is just waiting for Musk to collapse so no new initiatives appear.  Musk, and his swastika Twitter, must collapse soon.  His latest idea of charging a fee has not gone down well.  The number who will move or just drop it, I amongst them, will be great.  His followers will remain but Twitter under Musk is very dead.

With parliament closing down so the parties can have a wee jolly at others expense, I not the PM, a man called Sunak I believe, has announced yet another 'U-Turn,' after being ordered to do this by one Liz Truss.  This has angered the other right-wing zealots who thought they were running the party.  None care for the UK of course, all are concerned to win an election, keep their job, and in Truss's case, make a come-back!  Surely not?  We await the stories of lax living at the conferences any time soon.

The King, that Charlie fellow, went over to France and more or less indicated that Rishi rejecting the 'net-zero' idea was a foolish idea.  Charlie spoke up for doing something about climate change just as Rishi was doing the opposite.  Charles has always been tactful.  There is no doubt he was implying also that BREXIT was a dumb idea and ought to be reversed.  The royals have not forgotten how Boris treated them, have they?  I suspect more to come here.

Summer has ended, Autumn has arrived, I can tell by the rain outside my window, always falling at the wrong angle to clean the panes.   While the natural Englishman still wanders about in shorts and T-shirt more intelligent people are now wearing coats, and coats with hoods I note, as they can tell the temperature drop and notice the wet stuff falling on them.  Some Englishmen appear not capable of noticing this. 

I will now shut all the windows opened for air, close the doors, turn the over on to heat the place, and add another blanket on the bed.  I canny wait for January!

Squabbling Allies and Women

 

Just over a year ago I posted a short review of 'Lords of the Desert,' a tale of infighting between the US and UK as to who gets the oil, position and power in the Middle East.  You may not have realised it but the US came out on top!  We got Oman!  The recent death of the leader there means we may not have that in our Empire remnant for much longer either.  James Barr's study of that relationship is made even more understandable when browsing this book, 'A Line in the Sand.'  This covers the arguments between two similar allies, the UK and France!  

The line in the sand is the scribbled line drawn up between a government agent Mark Sykes, and the French agent Francois Georges-Picot, in 1916.  Basically this split the land between the two nations rather in the manner of the Victorian Empire builders.  However, this was a new century and such methods now longer applied, especially with two rather dubious representatives involved and two wary allies behind them. 

The book begins in the Great War with the UK wishing to invade Syria but were opposed in this by France, they wished to claim Syria as their own having had influence there in past time, they said.  In fact they had been kicked out some 600 years previously.  From the beginning of the Great War until long after the second both sides bickered and fought for control of the Syria, Iraq and Palestine areas.  It is not a nice situation.

While the author indicate the French, especially under General de Gaul, who thought he was France, were arrogant and indeed violently oppressive, he does not fail to mention the secretive workings and many intrigues made by the London command throughout the period.  

For almost 40 years squabbles, leading to many deaths, continued while both sides sought control over the Arabs, while at the same time offering these same Arabs 'freedom' and 'sovereignty.'  The UK it must be said, offered more freedom than the French offered, resistance to French rule was often callously put down.  

Enter into this Zionists.

By the late 30's many Zionists were headed for Jerusalem citing the Balfour Declaration.  The fact that this was a sham to gain support against the French did not matter and by 1940, with the war at its height many were escaping Europe to live in Palestine.  After the Holocaust it is no surprise many thousands more wished to flee.

This gave rise to Israeli terrorists, a series of groups it must be said, more callous than any other, indeed even sinking a ship with their own people aboard.  They do not come out of this well.  Fair to say nobody does.  Mass slaughter all around appeared to be the way forward, closed minds, open arms deals, and in the end both France and then the UK are removed from the scene to let them fight it out themselves.  British soldiers would not be upset to leave such a difficult dangerous and unsettled region.

The book is jampacked with detail.  Facts abound, as in the other James Barr books, and for a clearer understanding of the mess that is the middle East these two books, and his book on Lawrence of Arabia, 'Setting the Desert on Fire,' are all well worth reading. 

 

You may have noticed by now that a new month has arrived.  We notice this as until recently social media has been stuffed full off 'woofter month,' however, as of today it is 'International Women's Month.'  I thought it already was, every month.  Like myself, you will be aware that there is no, or little heard off, International Man's Month.'  Men do not count, except when paying for the women, and men over 50 count for less than that these days.  So, after a month of gays pretending they are normal and refusing to accept any other view we now have women telling us how hard their life has been.  This usually from women who have never had a problem in their lives other than deciding their hair colour!  So called 'equality,' the lie about earning less, and their hardships in having babies and working at the same time.  How women suffer! 

Of course such women have really no problems, certainly none that cause pain or suffering.  Not that long ago women worked, in factories, mills, shops, offices, and as domestics.  Muttering women today would never sink so low as to actually work.  No, for them it is a desk, a coffee pot, a laptop and a page or two of their struggles.  I feel for them.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the Turkish or Jordanian border, snuggly cramped into an overcrowded tent or UN shack, a women and her children await Syria's war to end so they can go home.  Young men, probably her hsband also, have disappeared into Europe promising to call for them, aye, right!  This woman may have worked also, possibly professionally.  In Yemen similar women, not working, are standing over the grave of their baby child, killed by a UK made missile perhaps, or maybe a stray bullet.  How she wishes she was struggling into work on a crowded commuter train and wasting her life being overpaid for doing nothing very important.  No chance of that however.

Do women need a special month?  Do men?  Not that men will get one, men just get complaints, then have to do the work the women leave for them.

Am I fed up with the March Twitter feed today?

er, I came across this...

Lords!

Waterstones

There is a great joy in finishing a book, especially a book which has been enjoyable, educational or entertaining.  This book was certainly educational if not entertaining.
Already in control of much of the middle east desperate to control the Suez Canal and once the Royal Navy began to use oil to fuel its many ships the desert lands had become an important part of British planning.  From before the Great War and up to 1945 the British were everywhere and everywhere they were found they were in control.  In just over 20 years they had only Oman! Arab nationalism, Israel and more importantly as this book reveals the United States came to realise oil was important and they wanted it all.
The book takes us through the allies working together while trying to usurp the other.  We travel through the loss of Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the last port, Aden.  The internal politics were used for and against Britain, Prime Ministers leant on the USA while desperate to borrow money, gave the cash to Arabs who would aid British interests and borrowed more!  Various US presidents supported the UK while also sending operators to work for the best interest of the USA alone.  
Nothing changes!
Governments were created, removed, supported and opposed at will, sometimes by both the US and UK and at other times in opposition to one another.  Murder of leaders was often contemplated, lies abounded and 'Nation shall speak peace unto one another' was not found anywhere.
The book gives a detailed insight into the political fighting that occurred over many years.  By 1967, when the book ends, Britain was out from everywhere, the financial losses, economic failure and the end of Empire left Britain with only Oman as a friend in the middle east.  Recently the Sultan died, we have yet to find out what will happen there now.

D-Day Commemorations

It may be you have had enough of D-Day for a bit, I certainly found the Cathedral service too much to put up with, organ music is not my thing sorry.  I went out to see if the local lads had done anything to commemorate the event but nothing was to be seen here.  Possibly round at the war memorial there was something.  Most Legion men here are Korean and after not WW2 however.

As always there is much slop talked about these men.  Too much of the 'Our Boys,' 'Heroes,' and 'Brave men all,' came to me who had little comprehension of what these men really felt.  Growing up amongst men who served, and as kids hearing only 'Boys Own' stories rather than the bad bits until we were older, we still got a glimpse of the 'stiff upper lip,' and the 'You have just got to get up and do it' attitude that so many had.  Few would want to do it again, few called themselves 'heroes,' most just thought it was a job that had to be done.  Hitler was bad, the nation was threatened, fight was the only way out.  None of that would sell a movie or a newspaper today.  
My father was not at D-Day, his artillery battalion was so far behind the lines they were in danger of coming upon the Japanese rear!   It has not been possible to find where they were but I know he crossed the Rhine.  He told our insurance man, remember when they collected weekly, "We sat for two days while the armour went over, then we crossed!"  His unit had a lot of ex-soldiers like himself in it, they knew the ways.
His attitude was like many men, go if you have to, seek peace not war.  He, like most in the craft crossing the rough sea, would not like to be near the 'death or glory' man, taking sensible care was the order of the day.  This left him shouting abuse at many an American movie during the late 50's.
At least British actors had been in the war.

It is interesting listening to the ex-servicemen.  No glory hunters, though one did try to chat up the Trump woman, all spoke sensibly about war and what they did, downplaying their part often and avoiding glory.  One clearly still upset about the killing he participated in, 'fire first or die' attitude shared by most.  Like those from the Great War these men tend not to be free with their many experiences, most of what they saw remains in their heads. 
Some, like Spike Milligan, told their stories, a good way to get it out of the system is to write down, longhand, the tale and sort things out in the head.  Many did this but like Spike they either 'jazzed it up' as he did or avoided the 'too tough' bits altogether.  Some things must die with us.
I was conscious of the welcome the old men w ere being given while as dad pointed out in 1946 he was given a suit, a hat, a few pounds, told "Thanks" now get on with your life.  There was no help for him or the several million others who may have had problems.  If dad had them it never showed but many never forgot their experiences, especially in the front line.  Being a bit further back allows you to enjoy war a bit more, many did of course, and the chances of survival are greater if not guaranteed.  

 
Lots of talk has been about the emotions of the men on the boats.  With many small craft sea sickness spoiled the emotions somewhat as suffering leaves you with other things to concentrate on. There must be apprehension, especially for those with no experience, dear must control you but once the doors open the NCO's take over and training kicks in.  The confusion on some beaches compares with a swift landing on others, each would have the adrenalin running for different reasons.  I would fear more if there was no opposition while wondering what they were up to.  At least under fire you know you need to just hide!  Men were killed, 4,450 or so that day and a great deal more wounded however out of 150,000 this was a good result.  The death toll would rise as they headed inland and opposition grew.   Winston Churchill was mighty relieved at the days result as it meant the war was heading for an end and the danger of losing maybe 90,000 dead lay heavy on him as Gallipoli was always on his mind.  This day was the last great British military moment, from this day on the Empire was dead.  Two other powers had come to the fore and only the 'Daily Mail' and 'Express' reader miss what has been lost.

Dakota

Wiki

The day has been spent filling the TV screen with commemorations for D-Day and watching DC-3 'Dakota' aircraft lifting themselves into the skies to deliver parachutists into France.  This is a plane I have always liked.  Something simple yet attractive about it.  These have been flying nearly 80 years!

So far the commemoration has been filled with the usual dignitaries, even Trump behaved, old men in their 90's remembering, often badly and some willing to party and misbehave if they could, and considering the thoughts of those who 75 years ago prepared to invade France.

Sadly the flight of Dakota's  passed 15 miles away from here and all we saw was a glimpse of a fighter aircraft that roared past not long ago.  Possibly the Hurricane but difficult to tell from this angle.  Not that long ago all such aircraft came over our heads but they sadly changed the air route to benefit holiday makers returning from Espania to Stansted.  Most annoying.

Tomorrow we will have more of such memories as the commemoration in France takes place.  

 

I ventured no further than the town for the needful.  Just as well as the cloud cover made taking pictures difficult and there is little to see here anyway.  Unlike the other day when the sun shone and poppies bloomed.

Tuseday Tittle-Tattle

Last night I sat entranced at the bright red sky as the sun went down.  Had I not been otherwise occupied I may have tries to get outside and capture the sky.   Around half nine the sky was still stunning and I attempted pityfully to capture the night.  It was almost like this.  I awoke at ten past four this morning and found the sky lighter and still stunning.  How wonderful this time of the year can be, if it doesn't rain or cloud over.    
Of course as the sun shone I was inside the museum meeting good people and watching the boss work three peoples jobs.  I could not help while working the shop, most unfortunate.  The school was good, cheery kids.  
I had to rush home because the man was coming to check out the sink that had sunk.  Naturaly he came after two as planned, around five actually as not planned.  They had been working in Camoludunum.  Once here they quickly decided the job would entail replacing the entire unit, this meant a big job in a narrow space and both agreed it was time for going home.  So this will be replaced in time, probably a long time, and I will struggle on with the damaged tap until he can work up the courage and time to do the job. 
I might leave home while they do it!

Another outrage in Manchester, not the first they have suffered.  The media are filling spaces with masses of speculation and little substance so I am avoiding them. When I awake at four this morning I heard the early news and the guesswork as to what was happening.  I gave up as they began the tedious repeating of the same question to different people to get the same story over and over with little understanding of what was going on.  This is not journalism just filling air time.
 So what are we to do, what are we to make of this killing of around 22 people and wounding of dozens of others?  The rest of the audience, mostly adolescent and teenage girls, will be somewhat traumatised for years after this.  The apparent lack of stewards to guide or control them after the event was worrying and a greater disaster was avoided by luck it appears to me.
Today everyone is 'standing with Manchester' as you might expect.  This is good but we must ask will it happen again and why does it happen?  

The UK and the French, then the USA have been kicking Arabs about for over two hundred years.  The needs of Empire, or just greed, have ensured the woshes of what was considered the backward Arabs was of no importance to London or Paris.  The greater game was their concern and the dying Ottoman Empire and Arab opinion dd not count.  
Britain and France under the Sykes-Picot agreement, with Russian acceptance, divided the dead Ottoman Empire between themselves after the Great War.  The only Arabs considered worthy of discussion were lied to and their understanding of the situation totally amended to suit the agreement.  They were not happy.  
The resultant creation of several new nations, not all split thoughtfully enough it must be said, has led to nothing but war, assassination and bad feeling ever after.  
Now in more recent times to save the west from the nasty Iranians under the Ayattollah the Americans (That nice Mr Rumsfeld again) gave the Iraqis help when fighting Iran and ignored the million or two dead and dying because they were not 'us' and anyway far away.  What could possibly go wrong?
Well Saddam did not play ball for a start, the first Gulf War causing many thousands of deaths, but mostly Arabs, the second, needless, war cost more and being badly managed by Rumsfeld and Cheney led to the break up of Iraq, the growth of Al-Queda and Islamic State and how many other Islamic type groupings.
Now add Obamas desperate attepmt, an attempt desired by most in the US, to bring his troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and see the fear rise in Saudi Arabia at the growth of Iran and their nuclear weapons.  Result?  The war against Syria led and paid for by Saudi's using ISIS and all the others to break up a peaceful and more tolerant state than Saudi Arabia. The result of this is the growth of ISIS and their attempt to build up and take over Saudi!  
It gets confusing from here on so I will let you guess the rest.

Now we have young men in many places convinced they ought to be strict Muslims fed a diet of radical teaching by persons unknown.  Those less competent as well as those who should know better respond to this as young men do who wish to change the world.  Many have died fighting in the Middle East.  Others have attempted action in the UK with only police action defeating them and usually with information from Islamic sources.  Fed a belief that dying makes you a martyr and glory awaits encourages many to enlist.  Young men respond to this and some take action.  
Whoever took action last night considers his act worthy of his faith.  With Muslim men, women and children killed by the west he considers his actions defending his faith.  Any Muslim killed would be seen as a martyr also, others merely unbelievers.  The fact that most were young girls will not deter him, the Middle East has seen many such suffer terribly over the years from Muslims and a few westerners would not cause the conscience much trouble.

We cannot defeat this behaviour by force.  It requires propaganda and actions to stabalise the Middle East and deal with each nations fears.  There appears little suggestion of such happeneing these days.  The US has just sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, no doubt also to Israel, and anyone else who toes the western line.  That will not ensure peace.  
I thought I had a conclusion to put in here and I discovered I have none.  All that is in my mind remains the thousands of Muslims who die this way and we care not.  Baghdad, Beirut, Kabul anywhere in Pakistan all suffer outrages and most are not reported in the west.  We stand with one another in the west heightening the separation of two sides, each outrage polarising opinion and killing sensible debate on both sides. 
No wonder people read the media for easy answers.

  

2nd Battalion Essex Regiment, Somme 1st July 16

The Somme battle was a result of war co-operation between the allies Britain, France and Russia for the offensive's in 1916.  While Britain and France 'pushed' from the west Russia was to launch an attack in the east on the Austro-Hungarian forces.

The Germans however got in first by attacking at Verdun in such a manner as to 'Bleed France white.'

Such was the weight of the battle that the French began to drift from the Somme attack and left this to General Haig to command.  Haig did not wish to fight at the Somme but the London government were in awe of France and insisted that he follow their lead as they had done the year before when forcing the then Commander in Chief Sir John French to fight at Loos.  That was a disaster and the fighting there continued until 1918.

A huge logistical operation was undertaken and a line sixteen miles long became the battle line.  Over 1500 guns were to spend an entire week firing at the German line in an attempt to break the enemy wire and damage their trench system.  Shortly before the attack mines spread along the lone were to be exploded, damaging the trench system and the shock allowing the allies to penetrate the enemy line.

The majority of battalions participating in this battle were the men who volunteered willingly in 1914.  Over two and a half million men volunteered between August 1914 and December 31st 1915. Some had been in France since Spring 1915 and seen action of some sort, others arrived on the day of battle and few of these had fired a shot in practice let alone in anger.

On 1st July 1916 the mines went off, the barrage lifted to the second line and over 100,000 men left their trench and advanced on the enemy. 

Only then were the failures to be revealed.

The enemy wire in many places was uncut, trenches often undamaged and the early firing of the Hawthorn Ridge mine ensued the Germans were ready and waiting when the attack came.  Many of the million and a half shells had failed to explode or went off early.  The shock element was limited and with both machine gun and artillery, and artillery which had been 'hidden' by the Germans, opening fire the attackers came under a hail of fire and advance bent over as though walking through heavy rain.  In some places the front line and further was reached but in many the British fell within yards of their own trench.  

Two men from this region fell that day. 

Robert Leslie Ratcliff a 19 year old Bocking man was one.  Born Bocking in 1897 a resident of Panfield Lane Robert enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment.  It is most likely he did so with friends from the area at the time.  Also serving in the 2nd Battalion was 19 year old George Leonard Smoothy from Chapel Hill.  George came from a family of ten children, not uncommon for the time.  George had enlisted in the 12th Battalion of the Essex Regiment, a 'Kitchener battalion comprising local volunteers and been rejected because of faulty vision.  However with a brother a 'regular' in the 2nd Battalion he turns up there in time for this battle.  His brother fought through many major battles surviving the war yet died from appendicitis in 1919.

The battalion advanced and came under heavy machine gun and artillery fire the moment they left their trench. Firing from the residue of the towns of Serre and Beaumont Hamel on either flank hindered the advance however some parties advanced 2000 yards into the enemy line reaching to  Pendant Copse until enemy bombers forced a return to the trench system known as the 'Quadrilateral.' Here a stand was made until relieved during the night.

Somewhere during the battle Robert and George fell, their bodies were never recovered and their names are engraved on the Theipval Memorial along with almost 72,000 others from the Somme conflict.

Battalion Casualties were 22 officers and 400 other ranks.

Total casualties that day were around 19,000 British dead and another 40,000 wounded.  By the end of the battle, or series of 'battles' there were almost 400,000 British and similar German casualties.  However in context of the time the 'Brusilov Offensive' where the Russian forces attacked across what is now Ukraine against the Austro-Hungarians some 1,350,000 were casualties.  

By the end of the war Britian lost less men that France, Germany or Russia and their Generals were not hounded as some of the British Generals were by politicians, like Prime Minister LLoyd George trying to avoid responsibility for the deaths. 

Braintree & Bocking Great War Memorial 

Paris Attack Today

BBC NEWS

The terrorist attack in Paris will make news throughout the world today.  At least a dozen dead, constant repetitions of the videos shot by onlookers, much, far too much speculation and needless chatter on the TV and Radio.

This attack on a satirical magazine which often laughs at Muslims, Catholics and Jews, was the scene, not for the first time, of an attack.  This shows at the very least that disagreeing with Islam can cause offence but with a variety of Jihadist organisations seeking recruits and publicity eventually leads to violent opposition.  Middle East Islam does not comprehend western liberal democracy. Lets face it 'Liberal' is not the most positive democracy, just look at the world around you, but it is better than rule by ISIS or some such group.

Islam of course is one of those religions that in theory is based on the Koran, however it is easily adapted to the culture in which it is found.  Therefore Islam in Lebanon has near naked women on the beach, Islam in Saudi Arabia will not even let them drive!  Just where this latest lot arise will be interesting to discover.

Some terrorist groupings can be dealt with.  The IRA, in spite of the cash flowing in from the USA came to realise that bombings would never get them power.  Islamist groupings will never understand that even after thirty years of so called war!  A quick look at the variety of murders in Pakistan alone over the past thirty years indicates that political understandings will be hindered by hard line groupings somewhere or other.  

It is important to remind ourselves that the fear of Islam in the west omits to point out that Islam kills more Muslims in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere than it does in the west.  Media outrage does not offer even handed journalism, especially when the readership do not wish to read it, and even more so in an election year!  The man in the corner shop is unlikely to offer danger to his customers, his son, growing up in a western society, well educated and talented in many ways may however find himself debating in his teenage years whether he really is a Muslim or a liberal westerner.  It is such as he who is tempted to extreme views, especially when at that age the desire to change the world is strong.  Far too many have been enticed through social media to extreme views, at least 36 have died in Iraq according to one report because of this.  Many have realised too late their mistake. 

More of this is to be expected in the days to come, the question however is how we respond to this. English extremists will no doubt rush to Islamic dominated areas to cause trouble, Islamic extremists will rush to meet them.  Lock them both up, together I say, and let decency prevail.

The thing to do now is for all media throughout the west to publish the cartoons that upset the extremists.  However, our media talk well but will never endanger themselves so that will not happen!

.

It's them Frogs Mate.....

Amazon UK

At Christmas my best looking and most talented and intelligent niece gave me this book.  This is just another example of her wisdom and understanding.  As it happens I know little about France, I know it is there, I know something vague regarding the history, very vague to be sure, and the gaps in my knowledge are filled by this long very readable and very enjoyable book.

The author has written many other books on France, done TV and Radio at home and abroad and I have never heard of him!  

He begins at the beginning as he sees it, the Norman invasion.  He discusses how the Normans were not French so France did not beat England.  Good start, and he goes on in similar vein.   The hundred years war, Joan of Arc (killed by the French then made a saint), Calais, Mary Queen of Scots - which he gets wrong, Champagne, America, Napoleon (who wasn't French), food, wine (which is American) and on and on pointing out things that the French will not like.

The author is English by the way.

This is an enjoyable easy read but there are glaring faults.  The English author finds difficulty in understanding that 'England' is not 'Britain' and vice versa. English thugs are referred to as 'Brits,' and Redcoated Brits referred to as 'English!'  When I discover his e-mail I will inform him in a full and frank manner of his discrepancies. 

This is taken to a worrying level when Mary Queen of Scots comes along.  It would appear he has read a book on her by Antonia Fraser for this chapter and this is unfortunate.   Fraser is a middle class socialist who has never done a days work in her life.  Not only this but she is English!  The book she has produced appears to be more concerned with Antonia's problems than Mary's.  It is difficult to read a book via another's interpretation of it but it seems to Antonia that poor wee Mary was being bullied by those nasty big men and it's no fair so it is!  

This is not the Mary Queen of Scots that I learned about all those years ago!

If his other reading has been so poor it begs questions regarding the rest of the book.

However I must say that blatant racism that I will not mention apart I found it difficult to put the book down!  It fair races along containing a great deal of humour as well as interesting details re the relationship between the nations. De Gaulle, you will be pleased to know, comes over just as you expect him!  The French thankfulness for Britain saving them twice in fifty years from the Germans is also as you would expect,though again the author fails to understand the British position at Mons.  The French let us down badly then and continued to do so for much of the war.  

Put on the Maggie Thatcher mask, hold a copy of 'The Sun' in your hand and investigate the happy neighbours next door (to England), you will not be disappointed. 

Boney has just read the book!

.

More Yanks!

Wade

As I began my second breakfast earlier this morning Julie rang in the usual panic from the Museum. Encouragingly all the volunteers are falling like flies, the plague is removing them steadily and my bulk was required.  Just as well I was around as there was only she and I to deal with the visitors.  The usual crowd of eager kids passed through, one or two enquiries, and another party of Yanks.  Julie is the woman running the shop, arranging workshops and chatting to people, she is not the woman to answer historical questions.  I am not sure if she knows who won the war, I would enquire but she might ask "Who came second?"  So she dumps such things on me to seek information.  Luckily I read about the 'Lyon,' a wee while ago and luckily once again we had a descendant of one who sailed from here, this time in 1640.  A glance at the wee blue book revealed a man with the right name and this couple were delighted to find information re their man.  That made my day!   Apparently he has been doing the web search thing and was delighted to be here in this backwater.  All his life, well much of his adult life, he has wondered about the area his kin came from, now he can go home, with a bag full of books, and send years reading about them.  

We get two kinds of Yanks.  The type seeking their ancestors, it appears around eight million descend from the puritans who sailed away from here on those boats, nothing else to do I suppose, or the type who once occupied the many airfields around here, and are now returning the wife they bought then!  

 UST

President Obama, the man that made the USA acceptable after the insane years of George W Bush, has taken on the mantle handed down to him by the position the USA finds itself in as the 'major power.'  Major Powers have been here before.  They may not have had nuclear weapons, submarines or aircraft, but the need to patrol the world and get involved everywhere for reasons of 'self defence' or 'strategic interests,' does not vary.  On occasion this can lead to destruction. Had the major Empires refused to act after the Archduke was shot in 1914 the war may never have happened, the world would be a different place and the empires might exist yet.  Obama insists that for moral reasons the USA must send missiles (pronounced 'missiles) into a foreign power.  Since Thursday when we knew some 250 deaths has occurred the USA have managed to get their friends in the media to believe that in fact well over a thousand have died this way, yet still without offering proof.  Evidence that would stand up in court has not been shown, the main question being if such weapons are in use, who uses them?  We know Assad has the capability, so does the CIA!  We also know the Turks have found Al Queda with Sarin in their border, and they were none too pleased about this.  There is no doubt some vile happening occur in Syria but the rule of thumb in the middle east is it's not 'who is the good guy, both are bad!' 

We cannot avoid the terrible things done here, but who started this conflict?  Rebels fighting Assad, pad for bu Sunni Saudi and Quater.  Who backs them?  Us and UK etc.  Why did this begin?  To get at Iran through the back door and we care nought for the Arabs that die!  No wonder young Muslims are confused!  Why demand action when Chemical Weapons are used yet no action when 100,000 die from 'normal' weapons?  Why worry about Syria when thousand sare dying in Darfur and we have forgotten that war.  30,000 have crossed into Chad recently but little is said on the news here, why?  

I am chortling at the thought that America's 'oldest ally,' France, the home of the cheese eating surrender monkeys, is now the most important part of the US allies, even though they don't want your films because they are not in French.  The willing President Hollande, who has a lower popularity rating than Cameron, is now offering his men to the Americans.  Jolly good show old bean!  He will not go himself obviously, one of his concubines might want him.  The 'special relationship' that the media hark on about, that only existed between Roosevelt and Churchill, and then Roosevelt dumped him for Stalin, has never been that important.  Britain's place in the world is not lessened by France become the er, poodle of the US, the opposite in fact.  The UK can hold its head high.  Something the dogs ensure you cannot do on Paris streets I am informed.

Another Saturday, this meant rushing from the museum to get home in time to watch Dundee United v Celtic.  Gladly I watched this as the stream I picked up had no commentators, once someone pushed the pug in and Ian (I support the OF) Crocker began to spout I considered the game less worthy.  At three I lay on my bed listening to the Heart of Midlothian playing up at Inverness, as always making a worthy attempt against a team top of the league.  We lost but I am not downhearted.  Now I am choosing to watch Mother well v Killie or maybe the Aberdeen v St Johnstone game, all this in a days work. 

France 0 Scotland 1

WooooooHoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Cry your eyes out French boys! World Cup Finalists, some of the greatest players in the world, and we stuffed you!!!!! Woohooooo!

Now I am not one to gloat, that would be unkind, however after Mr Trezeguet was seen gloating after a victory over Scotland a few years ago, and after we beat France at Hampden earlier in this tournament a certain Mr Henry went into one of his huffs and was heard saying 'Wait till we get you in Paris.' Well Mr Henry, we waited, and we won! WooooHooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Will you blame the ball boys this time? Will you question the French fans who jeered you at the end, and indeed during the game? Will you turn on the manager, although he has been subject to much abuse for some time? Will you do anything other than humble yourselves and start disciplining yourselves to play according to your ability and work hard to make the most of that? For France that is the way forward, for Scotland it is more hard work, good tactics and teamwork. That has always been the way, especially as we have few of the great talents of yesteryear available these days. The folks like McKay, Baxter, Law and all are few in number today, but the hard work and discipline and skill of those available can produce more good results like the one last night.

By the by, where have all the talented players gone? Kids do not play football five nights a week like we used to. In fact a field we used has been planted with several trees and these have taken root and now grow steadily on what used to be the centre spot for 'big games!' How times change! When a 'No Ball Games' sign appeared it was soon disappeared quicker than someone who opposed Al Capone! Today kids will play football if they go 'training with their club.' Now this is fine as they have better coaching than we ever got, we in fact had no coaching whatsoever. But the disadvantage is they are now limited in the number of games they play 'In case it has an effect on their future health,' what rubbish! Playing 15-25 a side games did no harm to Alan Gilzean or Denis Law. Too much of the 'nannying' of kids does not a footballer make. of course it can be said the little brats don't want to pay football anymore, preferring computer games and studying for 'O' levels and Highers that do them no good in future lives. But they stopped playing before computer games were invented, so there is a culture change. I wonder what caused it?

However, for today we rejoice in McFadden's goal and Scotland's victory. We know there are three more very hard games ahead, if e avoid complacency, work hard, and get the luck elsewhere we can actually qualify for a tournament we usually miss out on. While England always get easy routes to the finals, as they have again, we get the World Cup Winners AND the Runners up! Some things never change!

But this time we can do it! 'Mon the Scotland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!