Research...

With the rain dampening spirits outside it is good to sit around this grubby, unswept, somewhat littered accommodation and rest my weary bones.  It has been a bit trying physically as I have been attempting to cycle, exercise and work and now wish not to do anything far from the laptop.  
Yesterday was a busy time at the museum.  The shop has begun to attract the browsing fraternity, the ones who come in, touch, feel, hum, hah!, and wander around the shop and walk out without buying.  There is also those who do buy, we smile at them, and many who came in yesterday for one of our many local books or to ask a query of some sort.  I ended up with several queries yesterday some of which could be answered.  I was a little irked that one photo of a local man has turned out not to be who we thought it was.  The cap badge looked good but on closer inspection it is clear he was from the Northamptonshire regiment.  This irked me when I discovered their regimental museum was under the control of the council who were rebuilding the museum in which it was stored and are not taking any queries until work is completed in 2020!  While I understand this it is not helpful!

A film show in the afternoon was bringing in around 50 people.  This was film a local man took on 8mm from the 60's till he died some years ago, many come to see this and look for themselves in the picture!  By person or by phone they came all morning, interrupting my work, I have nearly finished that book now.   Over all it was a good day, I never argued with anyone, folks from a wide area, including the States, passed through sort of happy, and those that went round the museum had  a good time in spite of the mess created by changing from one exhibition to another.  Of course I never got my tea until 11:30 and with people coming in it was tepid by the time I got to it!  

One chap informed me of his relation to a name on one of the memorials and just had to tell someone.  His great uncle was killed at Arras and this sent me searching more info on him and where he fell.  Another attack that succeeded until it failed and they fell back somewhat daunted.  Arras was a battle the British forces won but in the southern end they face the strongest German defences and lost out.  General Allenby was replaced after this and sent to the Middle East. Some say Sassoon had Allenby in mind with this poem.

The General

By Siegfried Sassoon

“Good-morning, good-morning!” the General said

When we met him last week on our way to the line.

Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,

And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.

“He's a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack

As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.

But he did for them both by his plan of attack.    
Poetry Foundation

Edinburgh Changes the World.

Edinburgh, 'Scotias Darling,' sits high and mighty upon the castle rock, a symbol of strength and power if ever there was one.  Like so many symbols it is of course untrue.  Not only in the last hundred years has such an edifice become useless is major wars it was also found to be ineffective in holding back the forces of 'Bonny Prince Charlie' back in 1745.  That was the year Charles attempted, rather badly to retake the throne of Scotland and England for his father James.  This Jacobite rebellion went as successfully as the others with Charlie eventually taken over the seas to Skye dressed as a woman and rowed there by another, Flora MacDonald.  This conflict, such as it was, the last proper British 'civil war' ended badly but left a deep scar on Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland.
In 1707 the parliament was stolen by deceit and removed to Westminster, Scotland's few Members of that house to small in number and for the most part forced to the sidelines, could do little there.  Edinburgh, deprived of parliament and the hangers on that followed in its wake, died a death and economic collapse was real for many years.
Following the rebellion various attempts are stimulating the city were aroused with many becoming very strongly attached to London.  Even the Kirk was divided with many younger men looking south for reasons of their own and many others looking south and also to France and the so called 'age of reason.'  Men such as David Hume wished to remove power from the Kirk, a power it had wielded since the reformation, and replace this with reason, in his case of course 'his reason.'  Many went along with him, few who attended church then as in many other years were actually believers, most just stayed out of trouble, and a great many of the 'educated' wished to investigate 'reason.'  Hume went so far as to try to teach Edinburgh people to speak 'English' so as to improve their chances in the world.  Not all went along with this as a walk down the High Street today would prove.  Then came Adam Smith with his fancy ideals of trade.  These ideas appealed to Margaret Thatcher even if she missed out his bit about caring for the weak in society.  It appears he wished to encourage trade but allow the cash to flow around so the poor were not left behind.  Margaret heard the bit about profit but not the bit about the poor, 'trickle down theory' was just another way of keeping all the cash to themselves, as today's Conservative cabinet prove. 
Edinburgh did take advantage of what was n offer and men like George Drummond made the most of things.  The 'New Town' was laid out, the 'Mound' created as a way of transport there and back, the 'Bridges' erected and the 'Nor Loch' drained, thus the Edinburgh we know came into being even if the progress was slow and the rich preferred to live to the south of the city and not the north.
This book by James Buchan was published in 2004, I wish I had read it at school!  I learned things, many things, about Edinburgh I did not know.  How ignorant I was of the growth of the city and the people behind it.  How stupid of schools not to teach so much more about our city.  Much was taught, but there again the class I was in contained many who found spelling 'Edinburgh' pretty difficult so maybe it is understandable.  
This was a good book, with insights into people and events I knew not.  Many things I understood and those living there would comprehend the place much better with reading this book.  It must be said some of the philosophical ideas were not just boring but a weariness to read, but that goes with the study I suppose.  This was one of those books you just cannot put down, so I didn't.

   
Sometimes we have young folks studying for appropriate degrees in museum studies, their hope being to end up running the British Museum or some such.  I see it as my duty to ensure they realise that such exciting work comes with sitting at a computer entering details hour after hour, precision being a must and only after that actually setting out museums, creating exhibitions and meeting the public can be contemplated.  Another aspect is kids work.  Yesterday morn I spent a wonderfully exciting time preparing these cut outs for the kids.  Quite what they do with them I did not ask, I just went ahead while in between searching the web for info for the lass who will be going to a local school soon.  Two of us eventually sat then chopping things up, searching the web, weaving occurred in Egypt at least 500 BC did you know?  And all the time we sat there people came in to disturb us.  Some to enter there names for events, some to bring in Christmas raffle tickets before we knew they had gone out, one couple to bring the granddaughter to see the museum.  And the phone kept ringing also.  We were so busy time to go home came before I knew it.   It was a good day mind.

Monday Meeting

Monday saw me hobble down to the museum for one of our quarterly meetings.  I would much rather have stayed in bed.  I am so weary for some reason, overwork is not responsible, and coffee does not work.
It was not going to be a happy day, the door was locked, no-one was answering.  This meant enter by the back door at the far end of the building, this too was locked.  Thus I went moodily the long way round through the cafe and entered the premises.  Here I dumped my ragged coat, claiming a decent seat at the front so I could hear what was being said this time around, and walked back the whole length of the building to get myself a Poppy from our collection box, we always have one and I want to use ours to help the profits.  
Returning the long way back, worn out and unloved but without complaining I graciously took my seat beside a new woman of whom I now little.  Gossip continued, I had not been noticed, and then we began what I suspected would be a long meeting.  If the big boss is there he takes an hour to answer a question, speaking in those well trained 'council' type statements which mean a great deal but actually say nothing.  There were also suspects who I could see liked to talk and discuss things that need no words but get them anyway.

Someone must have been reading one of those management books that have ruined many an office with fancy practices and we were split into small groups, even though there were only 10 of us lackeys present, and told to offer suggestions on ways to improve things.  I offered cut out this sort of thing when I am brain dead, but this was rejected on a technicality as apparently that was not unusual.  So suggestions were written down and offered to the leadership who swallowed hard and made a note of each one while we watched even the good ideas disappear into the litter bin. 
Suggestions made we then were informed of the museums comments made re the new building soon to be erected opposite the museum.  (This is one of the top council man's desperate idea to waste money and build an unsuitable building in that spot for reasons unknown.  This has been going on for over 20 years.)  This led to comments from one gentleman among us who has a bee in his bonnet re this building, not me, and we then had a stand of between council educated boss and slow speaking and always questioning without listening opponent.  I watched the clock and considered what to eat later.
Some time later we were informed of the next daft exhibition which I consider a waste but she who must be obeyed considers will bring in the crowds.  Indeed crowds of art types with their middle class art love and little comprehension of real life.  Not that I am one to complain as we could do a small exhibition for the armistice but she 'had not the time.'  A mistake I feel.  Two talks and a blog by me is not enough I consider.
The future plans were mentioned and I was ridiculed as the kids exhibition next year is appropriate for me but unfortunately as the acoustics are bad I have no idea what the exhibition is about or what they were laughing and pointing at me about.  I may not sleep tonight.

As the meeting slowly ground to a close, all hoping he in the corner would not interject again, I noticed the time.  It was also noticed that the clock had not been turned back as it ought and we were not an hour overdue as I thought but on time, just in time to get out before it gets dark!
The boss revealed his management efficiency by taking the large clock down and checking the time carefully turned the hands to 25 minutes past the hour.  Sadly he had turned the hands the wrong way and put it forward an hour showing us why his two girls grumble about him at home!
I then limped off through the town enjoying the bright sun and freezing wind, almost wandering into Tesco out of habit, and gratefully made it home to my warmish nest.  Tomorrow I am off out again to the museum for the weekly duty, then going back later for a get together to celebrate 25 to the day that the museum opened.  Red wine, cake and most of us scrubbed up a wee bit and maybe a few old faces returning, not that we lack 'old faces' already of course.  

Nothing planned after that.

Kids Day

Big magic day,thousands of kids, mums too, grans and weary granddads, all rushing about, screaming (the adults) yelling and shouting and playing around.  Face painting, I declined, cupcake making and making noise was on the agenda.  Inn the hall pirate fighting training was underway which I also avoided those kids and violent, and all were dressed up.  The boss with luminous green eyes was a bit off-putting at first. 
Now I have three days to sleep it off and do the things undone...

Caesaromagus

As part of the Christmas shop I joined the happy throng in Caesaromagus this lunchtime.  I had intended to go to the wee town of Great Dunmow and search the Oxfam shop there, rich town rich pickings, but the bus for Caesaromagus came in and I hopped on.  I was going to go there on Monday anyway as Waterstone's Bookshop was my aim.  
So sitting in the sun drenched, not quite zimmer, bus we toddled along through the Essex countryside, green and pleasant, with a mass of greenery to be seen all around from the top deck.  How lovely to get out of town and see distant woods and fields resting for the winter, some of course were still producing green things of various shapes and other the green that comes form having been harvested and prepared for the next round of farming.
The city was crowded, the stalls in the centre joined by a Frank Sinatra imitator sitting on a pedestal accompanied by his big band produced by a tape deck and a loud speaker, not too shabby was he.  At the far end a chap was playing a steel drum kit extremely well also and I wondered if they had licensed the music offerings in the town centre, there were no Bob Dylan clones to be seen.
One or two of what we now must call 'homeless' were to be seen, one sat Muslim prayer style before his empty coffee cup, another had laid out lots of kids toys for sale, though where he got them from is unknown.  
It was almost a summer like scene the day very warm and winter still only threatened for later in the week.  I worked my way through the disappearing number of charity shops and trudged all the way to the far end of the centre to find a one time cheap charity shop now charged huge prices for old goods.  We have become used to some doing that but it is a sad day when they all turn out this way.

The Waterstone's staff were as efficient and cheery as always happily letting me buy three grossly expensive book vouchers while smiling all the time.  I bet she is on a bonus!  The staff were helpful and I found the other day when shopping that was the case in many places in town so I did something about it.  On the local facebook page I put up a post suggesting folks spoke f the good service in various shops and many people jumped in to do just that.  Far too many spend their time miserable and moaning about things but here there was a good response to those who gave good service.  Grasping my vouchers, neatly placed in small envelopes for me along with the myriads of paper bits I made my way through the town.
I had been looking for the charity shops for items relating to our Tuesday show day where we have to dress up.  This appears easy for the women as they have an abundance of offerings at home,  I however as a mere man have to work at this.  One item only I bought, a maroon bow tie, on a stretchy cord, for £2:99 was a bargain from the Caesaromagus Oxfam shop, a place with more bargains than their expensive Bookshop round the corner!  Again the service was pleasant.
Having done all I could I ventured into the cathedral where the bell ringers were giving it laldy high above.  Either they were practising or they were drunk on communion wine, I was not sure which but the sound was continuous for a very long time.  Amazingly the place was deserted, in the middle, possibly to drown out the noise from the bells, a lass was heaving a hoover across the huge empty floor while a man began carrying chairs ready for the next day.  It looked tiring work so I made my way out again.

My last task in the ever warming day was another trip through the indoor market.  On the way there I passed the Essex County Council building which features one block that was built between 1919 and 1939.  Interestingly just above the doorway we find these swastika features.  Part of the decoration that runs around the building.  It was queried a couple of years ago why these were created at that time, Hitler having come to power in 1933, yet no answer has been forthcoming.  It may be a coincidence, possibly a mason had a Moseley like tendency but we may never know.  Nothing has been done about removing them and so far no-one else has complained.  Boris probably admires them...
In the market I collected my chicken bits from the butcher, his vegetarian sausages (he says they contain meat) and then I bought three huge chunks of cheese as I was tempted by the sight of so much on offer.  The nurse did say that time I miss drop cheese but really she is trying to kill me, I must have cheese or I die!  So I bought some including some black 'carob' filled cheese.  The woman said no-one had died from eating it, yet if they had would she know...?

On my way to the bus early this morning I met a lady saying "Excuse me."  Normally I would answer but I know this woman.  Sadly she is mentally ill and once before stopped to ask for 'a penny.'  It took a moment to realise all was not well.  Recently the facebook page has had a long tale of her knocking on doors late at night asking directions or for money.  This has worried some women who were alone at the time.  It worried one mum who discovered she offered to 'toss off her 15 year old  son for £5' an offer we are sadly not able to conform or deny nor to know whether he accepted the offer or not. A later post claimed she wanted £15, a 15 would find it cheaper elsewhere.  Today I made use of a passing mum with pushchair to avoid answering this oriental lady and hastened towards the bus ashamed both of my cowardice and inability to know what to say or do for her.  She is known to the police, probably has some sort of care somewhere but this leaves me guilty about doing nothing and having no idea how to handle the situation.
Helpfully have spent all my money and was seated on top of the bus for the return journey my steaming debit card smouldering in my pocket only one other passenger came upstairs. He sat on the other front seat and proceeded to talk to himself all the way home.  He also had clear problems, possibly from birth but somehow I suspected brain damage from an accident, and I thought it might be a sign of some sort.  I was very wary when once home and piling my new debts on the desk I opened my e-mail very carefully indeed.  You never know what some loon might send me...
Christmas shop almost done... 

Zeppelin Talk

I spent a decent afternoon listening to Peter Jones telling us about Zeppelins and the Great War.  Around 20 of us were happily ensconced, fed tea and cheap biscuits and informed of the basics of dropping bombs from 17,000 feet.
From steam powered dirigibles to airships that could fly at such a height, higher in 1914 than any aircraft could reach, and cover over 2000 miles with 5 ton of bombs on board and while killing a mere 500 or so people during their short reign they did create mass panic and fear in the civilian population.  The mental outlook early in the century was one of technical progress and wonderful scientific achievement the thought that such creations could hurl death from far above went to the heart of the populace.  War had not touched the civil population since 1745 and the experience for those on the 'Home Front' must have been worrying.  However in comparison to the real war taking place in other arts of the globe this was nothing but pinpricks to the UK, some 500 men died every day on the western front!  
The hall is not great for pictures, the darkness is slight and the sun shining through at the far end of the hall was a pest however we got through it, most are regulars at such talks, and for £4 (£3 as most are over 65) it is a good afternoon for many.  

As the museums military expert in that I know nothing else and have read a book on the war I found I knew most of what was coming though I did not realise that the anti-aircraft guns, invented merely to fight Zeppelins, had a success rate of hitting the beast at 1 in every 8000 rounds!  Zeppelins are difficult to see in the dark and moving at 65 mph  are not where you saw them when your shell arrives 20 seconds later.  No wonder they were so hard to hit.  Hit they were and of the 103 that were made some 51 were destroyed.  With 20 men aboard, and most died as the beast fell to the ground in flames, this was a costly exercise but keep in mind it was less costly than the front line.  The propaganda offered by such terror bombing was worth the loss some would say and by 1917 the Gotha bomber was taking the place of hydrogen filled balloons.  These planes were more stable and better at dealing with windy conditions even if they could not get above 13,000 feet.  These aircraft continued the bombing campaign and like the Zeppelin menace causing many aircraft to be based in Essex to defend London and limiting their use on the western front.   
Considering the morning had been reasonably quiet and when busy all under control mostly it has been a good day.  No mistakes, no arguments, everything went smoothly, the girls all smiled without being after something and I made it up the stairs without calling for help.  A good day.

A Routine Day

I was worn out by ten minutes to ten this morning.
The door unlocked by my favourite boss who smiling pinched the bag of chocolates I brought and still smiling gave me work.  Naturally I was pleased.
Enquiring regarding the milk situation, usually I have to trek to Tesco for this, I found milk had been purchased so ran to make my tea while also doing one of the many other early morning jobs.
Kettle boiled cup ready milk not there in fridge, just last weeks which was turning green and yoghurt like.
Clearly my other favourite boss, not the one who opened the door or the one who bought the milk, this one must have taken milk to Hall where she was setting up for a meeting of old women who were having an adult 'Victorian Class' experience.'  I trudged all the way down to the Hall.
She did not have milk.
It must be on desk of boss who bought it.
I trudged all the way back and onwards to office.
She did not have it on desk.
"It's in the fridge," she said sweetly.
Grrrrrrrr!
Indeed, having trudged all the way back it was in the fridge, not in the normal place, where the dead milk resided, but hidden away on a shelf behind foodstuffs.  
Tea made I trudged back to desk where I had then to leave tea and sort out the sand, the Saturday staff not doing so again!  I also had to check the other sand in the treasure chest, then I had to do the stickies.
Having done so and returned to tea I realised time was short and I had to change a bulb over the Roman artefacts.  Simple, trudge back for key, open cabinet, unscrew and remove bulb and replace. So where is the new bulb?  In the bulb cupboard.  This is a display case with doors on, why do they no all have doors on I ask and be used as cupboard?  Where is it?  In the gallery, not that one, not that one, round the back, not that one either.  Maybe it's in the war rooms, not there also.  
Time is pressing I will have to open up soon.
Is it round there, no, up stairs, no.
Oh there it is, moved to be right in front off me!  How am I going to see it there!!!  
Which bulb?  Back to the cabinet, get the bulb, search the many green boxes for the right one, there are lots of wrong ones.  Find right one, only one left by the way, that's organisation for you, return to cabinet, screw in bulb, lock away Roman gods, horse bells, and other left over items lying about since the 2nd century or so and close up.
Inform staff of lack of bulbs, discussion re bulbs threatens to continue for a while, run away.  
Annoy cleaner, woman, as I rush into Gents before she has finished cleaning.
On the way back I had to reset the table for the kids, put things back in place, ensure the lights were on, even though reaching the switches down below mean I canny get back up, and then rush to the WW1 cabinet to pick up the bits that had fallen down (Blue Tac does not always hold) and then get back to the front to open up.
I had not started and I wanted to go home!
My tea was cold.
Bah!
We then, my colleague and I , sat for the rest of the day cutting shapes for a kids event.
One couple with granddaughter came in.
Oh yes the party of old folks arrived for their Victorian experience I went out and explained how they were to enter and the boss went out to explain they ought to enter differently from what she told me!  
After hours of cutting shapes the women, now roundly humbled by the Victorian teacher, came into the shop to buy things.  From empty shop to women everywhere for half an hour, then I went to Tesco.
I forgot my list and forgot what was on it.
A routine day so far...
 

Attendants View

Up on the Roof

Having spent an energy filled day weeding the front and attempting to clear up the mess left behind by neighbours who have left leaving their remnants behind, packed mostly in plastic bags yet spilled across the waste space, I had little energy to do anything else last night.  Add to this a little item I eventually finished for the museum re the armistice, it has taken three months, and what brain cells I have left were not functioning either.  For reason hard to comprehend the TV people failed to feature any football leaving me with no respite from my aches thus forcing me to climb upon the roof and howl at the moon.
This indeed made me feel a lot better but did not do much for the old lass in the bungalow next door who switched off all the lights and locked all the windows and doors loudly.  It must have been loud as the noise from all the dogs in the neighbourhood barking at the same time create what some call ' noise nuisance.'
I must confess I was a little stiff once again this morning when I had to attend to all the visitors by myself, my associate having flown off to Corfu for yet another holiday.  I realise that having retired and having some money to burn it is right for them to make the most of the years they have left, in her condition we do not know how many, but my couple of days in Bournemouth look weak in comparison to their world travels.  Not that there is any jealousy in any way, no siree!   
I might seek that moon again tonight.

I wonder if this bird understand the situation in the nation?  Sitting there in the sun in the late evening, resting from the labours of attending to her mate, stuffing her face and er, that's it, she now sits there high above the world allowing the fading sun to warm her before bedtime.  Do these birds not know we have an inept government?  Do they not realise we have no opposition?  Do they not realise the state of the nation?  They will find out soon enough for within a year most of the population will be eating the worms and grubs they are living off when Brexit comes in and the economy collapses.
Oh dear, I am back off onto the roof...

Tuesday Trifles

The boss advertised the exhibition last night.  This we put on the facebook page and made use of the word 'toddlers.'  Today Mums and toddlers arrived and more will follow in days to come.  This was good and the people nice to meet.  However we never stopped today, from the off people were coming in, phoning up, coming in, asking questions, asking queries and generally getting in the way stopping us doing our work.  At one point I considered closing the door so we could get on with things. 
However that is what we are there for I suppose.  A lass brought up here for a while during the time her father was based at the nearby USAF operated airbase came in attempting to identify the house she had lived in.  This I could do and by making use of google maps it was found still in existence but now turned into offices.  Being close by we sent them off to trail the streets in searching for it.  I did not see them as they returned later but I am sure they went in to the office and asked if she could look around.  
I slept for an hour once I got home.

The parcel I was awaiting is still awaited, two of them in fact.  I look forward to the morning when once again I will fail to receive them.  More phone calls at my expense!  This is unusual however as in times past such items have come quickly.  There again most used Royal Mail and others  a different, better company.  I will be complaining, something I rarely do, tomorrow afternoon a couple of times I suspect.

Tuesday Evening

How quiet the museum was today.  The kids are preparing for school return tomorrow so I had time to sit on the computer researching for the education boss.  This was interrupted three times by people coming in, how could they?  How nice to do something productive again.  I was going to do more when I got home but unexpectedly fell asleep, shame that.

The 50 Worst Football Kits Ever

Watching England's lower divisions on Quest the other day I suffered cultural disengagement on perusing the shirts worn by the visiting teams.  All clubs wear two, often three different shirts.  The Home shirt is usually based on the traditional colours, they away, or what is now called 'change' strip often of a hue opposed to the home shirt.  Fair enough you think, especially when some sides, usually those involved in European games, have a third strip completely at variance with the other two.  One main reason of course is money, shirts alone sell at around £45 - £55 and some when combined with shorts, socks etc, can be near a hundreds pound an outfit.  Luckily my stomach sticks out to far to wear such as these.  
Watching the English lower division however I realised just how awful some of the 'change' strips are.  It is as if they had asked blind people or those with colour blindness to design them.  They are disgusting!  Quite what football players think when they see the shirts presented to them I know not, however as young men with too much money are pray to those who sell absurd fashion successfully to them I fear many players with consider these outfits classy!
However a glance through the 'Short List' sight offers us the  '50 Worst Football Kits Ever,'  and they are not wrong!  The one on offer was worn by Dundee football club way back in 1953, before our friend Mike S was born, and quite what they smoke darkened Dundee workers thought of this shirt at that poverty stricken age I fear to guess.  Possibly it was a sign of progress and good times ahead? Possibly they had run out of deep dark blue at the shirt factory?  I doubt they would sell today, even if the Independence re-run was successful!
 

Kids, Photos and Quiz's....

In my little mind there has been one or two posts wandering around.  Tonight, after a day at the museum, well half day, the mind is dead.  Lots of kids full of energy, some more than enough for a top level football team, and mum's looking forward to next week when the schools reopen and the kids are locked in.  I mentioned this to one, rather well proportioned mum who has a child who possibly has AHHD, or is it RSPCA I canny mind, and she began to dance!  I suspect next week, around about Wednesday in these parts, many mum's and dad's will be rejoicing in the quiet as the little darlings have been locked up.  Pray for the teachers who may see things differently!

The weather has become normal in recent days, you can tell this by the way I am wearing two pullovers, a jacket and my overcoat as I write.  I suspect it will be hot again tomorrow.   This I have combined with laziness and ventured out only when required and in the mood, so I have not gone out.  This means no photos and indeed nothing to show.  Even today in between the kids, mum's and other distractions (I will hide that phone one day) I usually look for photos round about but nothing attracted and the weather was gray most of the day.  Next week, if energy allows, I will go out as places will be empty with kids and parents no longer on the streets.  Where is that bus pass?

   Digital Spy 

Being slow of mind these past few days meant I have become obsessed with quiz shows.  Even drivel like 'Tipping Point' has filled the screen, followed immediately by 'The Chase.'  This features individuals competing against the clock and then against a clever quiz professional and is very well compared by Bradley Walsh who adds a touch of humour and keeps the show rolling.  These offer questions almost low enough to enable me to answer them.  Many refer to TV and media of the day which leave me cold but others are answerable.  However sitting here full of pizza makes it easy to answer questions but had I to answer them within seconds in front of a camera I may go the way one lass did recently and fail to get one right and leave with nothing, nerves played a part here.
However that is finished and now I am off to watch 'Eggheads' another version of quizzing that I like, though if Jeremy Vine was replaced it would not be a loss, and here we have both individual and team offerings.  We also get time to consider our answers, now that I like.

Rambling...

An old foto that caught my eye at the time.  I wonder where I was?  
The media is so poor today.  Holiday time allows for 'fake news' to arise but all we see are deaths, rapes, crime and absurd folk doing things that kill them or others.   The good things don't sell papers and anything good is always made sickeningly sweet that it makes you puke.  Sentimental rubbish, girls boobs or death and destruction fill the dying press, yet little knowledge regarding the Brexit collapse that will soon be upon us.  I already have three tins of corned beef in the stockpile!

 
I know where I took this, Spitalfields before the middle classes gentrified the place.  Now the run down houses and derelict market are full of trendies with expensive tastes.  Offices blocks and refurbished houses, very expensive, abound and of course Liverpool Street Station is round the corner.  Weavers have been here for hundreds of years and many buildings reflect something of this. Who inhabited these I know not but I love the shutters, especially the ones that block just half the window.  What a great way to keep people out.  Some of these go back to Georgian times and I understand one or two are preserved in aged fashion and these would be worth a visit if ever up that way.  Spitalfields huge church was used for many years as a place for down and outs (a much better term than homeless) but these were removed as indeed were the rotting coffins in the crypt (a messy venture I have somewhere on a video) and now the place is a glowing marvel.  I wonder if God is there now?

The little darlings enjoyed themselves today, except for one three year old who was removed by an irritated grannie who decided the darling was not behaving correctly, and as always happiness reigned.  Busy day with kids and mums, phone calls and making mistakes, visitors and their questions.  Then it is home to stare at the laptop wondering why there is no football on!  
Poor show this.

 

Drink, Preach, Sun.

I awoke before six this morning.  I usually do when totally knackered.  It was not possible to sleep, I had little interest in the 15 minute 'Farming Today' sexist programme.  Edited and presented by females each time yet all the farmers who do the work and male, typical BBC.  This did not interest me, neither did 5Live's giggling girly presenter nor the male who found her hilarious.  Radio 3 offered opera, TalkSport offered mindlessness constantly interrupted by lengthy adverts all in a fake Lahnden accent aimed at white van drivers in the south east.  I rose, knees unhappy, and struggled through to the east wing.  Stirring up the dust on the floor, I really must hoover soon, I found the kettle and attempted to make coffee but unthinkingly made tea anyway.  Here I noticed the French Brandy bottle on the shelf, I was sure it was half full when I came in yesterday.  
The day has been spent unsuccessfully sending mums the pics I took of their darlings.  Unsuccessful in that some have said 'This is not mine!'  Others have not replied and one has sent her pics to my boss, my boss is now under the channel tunnel on her way to a month off!  (She has become 40 and feels old, pah!).  My brain is so tired I am leaving it to congeal until things sort themselves out.  Maybe I ought to just finish the bottle.  I dare not ask how the rest are doing.

Update, by six this evening I think I have sent the photos I took to the appropriate mums. I await complaints... 

A man was arrested for preaching outside St Paul's.  Cathedral staff apparently complained about him reading from the bible.  He has a loud voice and upset the 'peace' of the cathedral.  This is not the first time this has happened and a policeman did indicate it would be ''remiss' to move him on from a place of worship.'  The cathedral now allows him to speak for 30 minutes at a time.  How nice of the.  Possibly they could read, preach and offer the bible themselves rather than be a tourist attraction.
Personally a quick look at most cathedrals shows many to be very far from God and possibly allowing the National Trust to take over those that are failing would be one way of saving the CoE a vast fortune.  Some of course are Christian based but not all and it is easy to tell the difference simply by looking at the bookshelves to see what they sell.  A great many were begun during Norman times less for the glory of God and much more for the indication that the Normans were in charge!  While these are tremendous buildings to visit proper churches are usually small with less than 200 members.  There again how many actually attend Sunday services at such places apart from tourists trying to avoid the entrance fee? 

A cheery face has just informed us that the heat will remain and Friday possibly will reach 36% in East Anglia, which is this region.  I suspect I will not be going anywhere soon.  It may also lead to thunderstorms, lightning and pouring rain, which will run off rather than soak into the ground.  So while being burnt to a crisp we will be cooled down by monsoon like raindrops.  I am looking forward to visiting Tesco....
However the sun has been too hot too long, global warming is a problem the rich money grabbers deny while slapping factor 50 sun cream over their inflated bodies while on their yachts.  We will see much more of these weather changes over the next few years.  While I like some warmth I think 70-75% is good enough and a room touching 88% is not a happy place to be.  The daft folks sitting in the sun will be crowding the doctor and chemists for weeks to come.  The little sun I have seen has left me scratching the itch and possessing a reddening nose.  Not bad maybe but we need a cool breeze now.  There again I did a washing the other day and all was dry by evening.  

  

Opening Day

Amidst pirates, a large elf, Cinderella and characters aplenty the grand opening of the new exhibition concerning children's stories was my destination for the day.
Mums and kids soon arrived, only one problem re the kid scared of pirates and crocodiles with Jack Sparrow and a crocodile the first thing he saw!  Otherwise few problems beyond the normal with kids.  There appeared to be thousands of them but this could be a miscalculation caused by the rushing around and general mayhem. 

Of course in the hall we had some furry creatures.  Not all furry and I refused the invitation to cuddle a giant cockroach, I preferred the hairy rabbit that I did eventually get my hands on, she was not impressed.  The skunk remained asleep throughout the day hidden in his little hiding hole.  

The Queen and I stood outside Tesco in the glaring heat offering leaflets to all and sundry, dressed as we were, sadly no photos of my garb, we did however draw some glances when we ventured inside to obtain ice creams for the rest of the staff.  I paid...monarchs do not carry cash.

Face painting was as always popular and the kids were happy to queue, not sure the mums were.  
The kids were happy, some stayed for hours without grumbling.  However my knees gave out after two and soon enough I slogged my way home and attempted to sort the photos.  I am knackered and my knees ache. I will sleep for a week.

Thoughts...

Wandering about the shop today I had to ask myself who writes this stuff? 
There is a lot of it about and it appears to em to be selling very slowly.  It may be when the main summer exhibition, aimed at kids, opens next week the mums will decide they need something like this to keep them going for six long holiday weeks.  I suspect however a bottle of gin might be better.
This sort of thing leaves me imagining a wee girl surrounded by MIlls & Boon books, lots of women's mags across the floor and dreams of a Prince Charming filling her head, at least a Prince Charming that will let her do what she wants!  It does not appear to be the writing of one who spends her working hours at Tesco checkout.  'Love without limits' just wait till the child is teething at three in the morning or when you are on a crowded bus, see how the love flows then darling.

I am not sure what is inside the jar, Novichok possibly, and while the sentiment has some grounding in truth again I wonder re the individual who creates such items.  I believe them to be female, middle class, work from home, craft oriented and with limited knowledge of the real world.  Possibly they write birthday cards also!  However I suspect they are making a bomb selling these to similar females in overpriced shops in all the best places.  Quite what made her in the office imagine we could sell these I know not but being female she sees something in such as this that I fail to understand.  

 
We need to dress accordingly for next week and so far I have little idea of what to do, her suggestion that I go as 'Mr Grumpy' did not meet with my approval, it did not seem to fit...
So for the next couple of days I will search the charity shops for an idea, a cheap idea...