Tuesday Twaddle

I understand how this leaf feels this morning, hanging there all alone on this tree, wan and lonely.  This I am sure has nothing to do with being at the Liberal Club last night for the SPAM meeting.  Once again, a handful of old men gathered to repeat the same stories once more, the same reminiscences, the same arguments, the same old, same old.

Worse still was my guilt that forced me to buy the drinks as I had not bought a round for about a year.  Of course, this means I will not buy again for another year, hopefully.  I noticed there was no opposition to this.      

The fact that it was boring, except when I began an argument re the number of Islamic immigrants.  Some among us read the 'Daily Express' and believe all the lies found there, compounded by the neighbours and other Brexiteers around them informing them of the Muslim takeover.  How some two million Muslims have taken over a nation of seventy million is hard to understand.  Having a First Minister who is nominally Muslim, and a very nominally Hindu Prime Minister does not help.  I avoided reference to Pritti Patel and the unhinged Suella Braverman for obvious reasons, and avoided indicating that the next Prime Minister will be white, secular, and an imitation Tory.  This would upset what some have wanted to believe.

As always however, we all believed that our half truth opinions were the correct ones.  Ignorance of facts did not stop our determined considerations.  Something, which I must say, runs in this family...

Anyhow, they have become friends, good men, who when sober, still put Jesus and his word first.  Beer does open up a lot of deep beliefs of course.  Their ignorant, but deeply held convictions regarding Scotland, merely reflect the normal English opinion.  Next time I will once again wear my 'Scottish Not British' shirt.

Why does my head hurt...?  

GB News

Nothing much has happened in the real world.  Keir Starmer is offering sops to the 'Middle England' Tories, and ignoring the needs of everyone else.  Scotland is long lost, half of Wales do not recognise him, but he knows where the votes are.  He promises better government, though that should not be hard after Boris and his gang have destroyed all that matters in the UK.  

The 'Online Mail' has a suitable headline discussing Harry and Meghan!  

AP

In the meantime, hours after spending a day claiming 'I cannot recall,' yet not indicating why he spent hundreds of thousands in the courts attempting to withhold his 'Whatsapp' messages from the Covid inquiry if he had lost his phones or could not get them to work, Rishi met for breakfast with a bunch of Tory loons who aim to stab him in the back to his face.  It appears they got nowhere.  Maybe just maybe, an end is in sight.  All we need now is an opposition.  

Club Night

 

Having been sort of trapped inside for some time because of the back ache, I took myself out to the Club tonight, this just to get away from myself.  Not many there, all male, bar two women in an adjoining area where they could gossip about others without being overheard.  It would be interesting to speculate on the individuals men there, but not tonight.  

I got chatting to two men, one who emerged from Methil many years ago, and we got on quite well.  The club is a good place, idle chatter, most know each other from years back, and the barman was almost in a good mood as his team, Colchester, had scored. That in itself was a surprise.  

 

With smoking banned the few who smoke these days are turfed out of the club into the smoking area outside the front door.  Quite right too!  Just imagine what such a club would have looked like in the past.  Imagine half the people, if not more, smoking all night.  Mostly cigarettes, a few pipes and a cigar here and there.  Think of the thick smoke filled area, the coughing all around, the smell on the clothes as you get home.  None of that now bar a few who occasionally slip out to cough by themselves.  Few die of lung cancer now in comparison to years ago.  The cigarette companies now sell heavily in China, lung cancer rates have increased greatly there, and the pollution problems have not helped either.

I stayed for an hour, retired to check the football results, and scribble this, quite happy that I have  an excuse to get out and meet people occasionally.  The one trouble is this costs money!  

 

'The Railways' and the Club.

In an effort to ignore the pain in my back I have taken to reading unfinished books.  Today I completed 'The Railways,' by Simon Bradley.  

This, I must say, is an achievement!  This is indeed one of those books you can describe as a 'classic.'  It is also very long, 551 pages before you get to the 'sources,' 'notes,' or 'Index!'  It is also very detailed, it has taken me five long years at least, to get through a highly interesting, and very detailed, work.

We have here a very good Historian who loves railways and is capable of describing how they grew, developed and where they were at when he finished writing in 2015.  Well illistrated with glossy pictures in the centre and a variety of drawn prints spread throughout the chapters.  

The book covers the beginnings of railways, the carriages, the engines, the varieties of classes and prices, and how the railways made use of the public.  The book covers the permanent way, that is the actual track to you and me, the variety of sleepers and the men working thereon.  It does not dismiss the dangers working on a railway offer, many men have died, and it is even today still the workmen who are in danger, rarely the public.  We read about signals and signallers, the land they crossed and how it was crossed, the variety of station buildings both great and small, the navvies who toiled by pick and shovel to create cuttings and bricklayers building bridges and sheds.  

Simon discusses the activities at stations, and the companies and people who were behind them, how the layout developed, the people making use of them and the staff operating the railway by day and by night.  

Railway travel made the UK in the 19th century.  Carrying raw material into industry and carrying finished goods to house or export, also carrying the people into work and home again, one of the great joys of life is commuting even today!  Raliways speeded up society, enabled travel to distant places for work or holiday, brought distant hamlets into daily contact with the world, usually by dropping off newspapers at stations.  Railways had more influence of the world in the Victorian days than the computer has had on our world in the last 30 years.  It is no wonder people are so besotted with railways, and flock to heritage lines to travel once again behind a steaming locomotive.  

This book contains many words, it took me a long time to finish, possibly I ought to use it as a reference book, however, every so often I did enjoy it.  I recommend it, if you have time...

 

Last night I took myself out to the club for a Spam meeting.  I only remained for an hour or so as sitting there was not helping my back.  It was good to see the old faces again but a bit uncomfortable.  As you would expect from such a loving group of men no sympathy was on offer!

It was 'Valentines night' so romance was in the air, though not obviously from the faces around me.  Two men brought the wife, how romantic, though one was ordered out early.   Valentines day always brings a difficult decision, is it 12 roses or just one....or do you just give her the whole tin? 

Today, somewhat surprisingly, things appear better.  I have forced myself to keep on the move, made use of ice once again, and at this moment feel better than last night.  The morning will tell.

 

Spam Aftermath

 

The theological discussions, the debates, the libations over and the money running out, I headed off home.  Considering there was only 5 of us we covered a lot of ground.  I confess the ground covered was mostly by walking back and forth to the bar as the barmaid somewhat rudley refused to run after us as we considered she ought to.

Women have their uses but when stubborn they are difficult to manoeuvre.

Monday night is the clubs lowest attendance, that is why we were allowed in.  A handful of regulars, mostly lonely old men with no-one at home, seeking company with those they know, even if they rarely speak to one another.  Every bar has them, at the same spot each day, rather like Norm from 'Cheers,' that once famous Boston Bar now sadly missed.  One woman, of unknown age, was in attendance, a regular, and as is always common in public houses, a gentleman with a beer barrel of Hogshead proportions also took his regular spot.  Quite how he has not died by now I cannot understand, surely if I am overweight and upsetting a nurse he must be.  Being in his 50's may help, but he is one who may be taller lying down than standing up.  He remained for a while, welcome among friends, occasionally wasting money on one of the brightly lit colouful machines that promise much and deliver little.  I wonder about the lonely men who are found in such places.  Did they once have families, were there wives, have they mental problems?  How one or two of them survived Lockdown I do not know, they were always propping up the bar, how did they survive without this place?  Indeed, why did they not find a life when they had a chance?  

 

I showed such men how to have a life today.  

I lay in bed, walked round Tesco (not at the same time), and sat staring into the abyss for the rest off the day.  I watched a bit of football, await the Scotland game tonight, and ate fish and a few chips, the first time in months.  I am also eating dark chocolate, 90% cocoa, as they say this is good for the brain.   I may need to eat several bars a day...

 

Monday Spiel

 

Monday Spiel is unavailable as I have been at the Spam meeting at the liberal Club drinking Guiness from tin cans... 

Tummy Trouble

I have been very careful concerning what I eat these days.  Now my being slightly under 16 stone rather than well over it is in my opinion a good thing.  A not so good thing was one of those NHS online things that claim to tell you what you ought to way to avoid disease or instant death, this claimed I was 4 stone overweight.  Surely, thought I, only 2 stone?  

A study of their healthy breakfasts, lunches and so on convinced me I was going in the right direction.

However, it is clear these meals were prepared by a middle class women with lots of fancy kitchen gadgets, not just a pot or two and a microwave.      

My carefully controlled diet went a wee bit off course last night as I was invited out to the SPAM meeting at the local Liberal Club.  Spam, as you know, is the church men's meeting, or at least those men who's women allow them out at night.  This club is not a political club, just a place to gather in safety among decent folks.  Many of the men know their wives can drop in at lunchtime in perfect safety here, and they do, gossipping always being on the menu.

Now of course Covid restrictions are in place and we cannot wander about the club as before and so now table service has been introduced, this makes it even better!  No more going back and forth to the bar, she comes and delivers.  Then at the end off the night she asks you for the money.  Good idea, saves handing too much cash and after a drink or two who cares about the cost?

The main problem last night however, was Ian!  

Ian has always been keen to get everybody enrolled into this club, last night, before I had sat down, I found myself filling in a form promising to spend £20 for a years membership.  In my opinion this means I now must make my way to the bar club daily when I have better things to do.  You see, if I have paid £20 I must get my money's worth from it and that means breaking my routine to go outside and meet people.  Well, I may avoid that part...

 

Look!  Football is on! 

Life, it happens...

Having been returned home safely on Monday night I cogitated on the enjoyable time spent with friends, happy chatter, laughter, education and sharing.  By sharing I mean the generosity on show when only four people turn up is always a joy to experience.  Early on I remember that great man Ian slowly unwinding himself from the chair and grabbing the empty glasses around him, he is always first in, and asking for our orders.  This reluctantly we proffered in his direction while at the same time falsely indicating he ought not to spend money.  However we could not dissuade him thankfully so we continued our chatter.  
Time past as we debated points of importance, education today was one subject, Gordon one heading up a school for special needs, and as we finished he also rose to clear glasses and insisted against all our demands that he buy a round.  How could we refuse?  So we didn't.
Later we discussed the NHS and pointless bureaucracy, Stuart is a radiographer, and the problems that arise when one out of hundreds of thousands of people complain.  Something has gone wrong and office dwellers on higher pay scales (which they decided) are running scared of being sued.  So changes are demanded which hinder work and annoy patients.  At this point Stuart decided he would drink once more and gathering the glasses he wobbled to the, by now almost empty bar, Monday is a quiet night that's why we are allowed in, and insisted on getting the drinks in.  Forced into this situation we all concurred though we were not using long words by this time.  I had noticed the regulars had all gone once they had stopped giving us funny looks but I being used to this did not take it in, the others did not notice being married they are used to such looks.
After a while, and as the glasses were emptying and we were running out of discussion re the playing of guitars with bots of finger missing (don't ask) I decided it was time I took some action.
So I went home.
I had work in the morning.

   
In spite of waking several times for some reason during the night I was healthy and happy at work on Tuesday.  I was glared at for not doing what she indoors wanted but happy when she allowed me to do something easier for her.  Research of things I know about is easy, it is harder starting research when you have no idea where to look.  However this was done and I remained in post until the talk in the afternoon, struggling home for pizza and poor football at night.  It keeps me off the streets and out of the Liberal club.  There is an 'Idiots Club' nearby where the towns loonies meet but I can never get the door open, so I have not yet been inside.
Today I rose late, sat around much of the time and stared at the sunshine outside while allowing the British Gas bill to rise and give yet another bonus to some greedy man in a suit somewhere.  Now I have retreated to bed, here I am rested, warm and awaiting another poor football game.  In days of yore being in bed before eleven was rare, we used to be up as late as possible and in work by eight or nine the next day.  What happened?  I wish I knew...

Off Out...

No blog tonight.
Instead I am of to the Liberal Club to join the church men's meeting where we will discuss things of great importance without any wimmen being there to contradict their men.  This allows for group growth, interdependence, sharing and caring and humour women never understand for some reason.  Being a bar in which several of the men are renown it stop things getting out of hand.  We don't want the curate helped home on his bike again do we...?
Spiritual thoughts any abound but most of the spirit will be in wee glasses (it's cheaper in the club).  
I would actually join this club but then I would be there everyday for dinner and that costs money so I stay at home and eat badly cheaply.  
Today is also 'International Men's Day.'  That as you would expect is ignored by most as men are always ignored.  Apparently women suffer more than men regarding wages, childcare and harassment. Hmmm, so men do not suffer bad wages, deal with children or get harassed by women? This indicates how twisted and feminine dominated the media has become.
We might discuss this meaningfully tonight even if the men fail to mention that when they return home to their dear one indoors...