Win 10, Microsft, AAUGH!!!!

Last night on my new laptop Microsoft decided to add an update.  Fine, it was late, I was tired, I switched off and slept.  This morning making use of the old laptop, the one on which I keep the details and links for the Great War research, and indeed much else, I began to clear up the links and consider what to put over to the new laptop.
This took all morning, searching out old links many of which had died since I kept them, removing duplicates and sorting the hundreds of much needed links into a sensible order.  It was fun rediscovering links to trials at the Old Bailey in times past, archaeology sites from the past and little used but important links to battles and individuals that might be required any day now.  It is to be regretted that so many sites no longer exist, just as it is regretted that I cannot mind what they were about!  However I cleared out many and placed a lot in better files, including links to the villages round the town and one in particular that I need to do some research on.
Then it happened.
"Windows needs to restart your computer" said the message.
Simple enough and as it was lunch time I switched off and let it update.
Update it did and took its time about it too!

After my unhealthy lunch, after my siesta, after I had a smile on my face I switched the old laptop back on and awaited the update process.
It went through the blue screen update message "Please wait while...etc" and then after a short eon it offered the Microsoft Upgrade message, you know the one, slow writing that stays for ever and moves off while the "Don't switch off ..."type messages run through.
While waiting I read 'War & Peace,' the entire Bible, got married, had three children and when I returned it was till updating!
Eventually it ceased.
The screen flashed once or twice, on the left of the screen the 'Recycle Bin' and several other folders appeared, though smaller and not int he right order.  One or two items appeared on the toolbar at the bottom but after another short eternity nothing else!
Nothing!  Not a thing!
All was gone.  All my research, all my links good and bad, four years of work (I use the word loosely) lost or at least unobtainable.  I muttered strange words and despaired a bit more.
I waited, I was getting good at this, I waited again, and much later pressed buttons but nothing worked, 'Start' didn't, only 'File Explorer' worked.
I logged out.
I logged in.
Same result.
So after more hopeless pushing and many rude words, some despair and a bang of the head on the wall I switched off completely hoping this would restart the brute.
It didn't.
I returned to the wall and bounced my head off it to the neighbours annoyance, it was his wall too!
I left a question on the Microsoft Community site, it might get answered one day.
Suddenly I found an opening. 
I fiddled with the right click on the search button (Search didn't work) and chose 'Toolbars' and then 'Deasktop.'  Suddenly as I clicked on the wee chevrons a long list of things appeared.  All was still there, trapped inside the machine.  But how to get to out?  'Control Panel' then select a 'restore point.'  Easy!
er, about a short lifetime ago I did this and the laptop is restoring itself to 5/7/17 blasted Yanks I mean 7/5/17 (why do they have the date wrong?) and as I write it is finishing!

It failed!

Everything is still on there, I can see that. 
It is the OS that has gone, the very thing they are supposed to be updating!   

Monday Mump

Some time ago the small hut next door to us, used by many local organisations, was condemned because it contained asbestos.  Eventually this was sold at auction and nothing happened.  Nothing continued to happen for some time until a neighbour informed me the building had been sold once again, at a small £50,000 profit to the original buyer.  Nice for some.
Eventually plans appeared to create a three story dwelling rising high enough to block the sun and allow residents to peer into one anothers windows.  
This would not do!
I, alongside others, put in loud and well written objections. 
Our landlord had a fight on his hands as they would be on his land and he was not happy about this.  He as a retired lawyer knew what to do.
Eventually, at local council speed, the plans were blocked.
All went quiet and quite suddenly new plans appeared and were approved and I cannot recall if we had time to object. The new plaans allowed an ugly two story building, garage on ground floor with four 'Studio flats' above.
Nothing happened.
Nothing happened for some time until one day men arrived and knocked down the hut with what I thought was little care for asbestos removal.  Maybe this was a ruse?
Later men began to clear the ground.
Eventually men began to dig holes and progrees was made.
However they did not know, and were not happy, about the sewage pipe from other neighbours house.  This ran right across their site.  Tee hee, he was not happy but thought it funny.  Therefore plans had to be altered.  
Much later concrete was poured into the holes previously dug and the alterations to sewage attended to.
Lorries carrying those gray 'Breeze Blocks' so called because they allow the breeze into your house arrived and dumped them.  One man was seen to be busy mixing cement and mortar and laying a line of said bricks in appropriate places.
Then it appears they knocked down other neighbours fence in the belief it belonged to this property, the trees beside it also were theirs they thought.  Other neighbour helpfully awakened them to the situation as it happened to be, his trees, his fence, your money ta much.
Nothing has happened since.  
Other neighbour has contacted the builder and received promises but no action.  He wrote, he called, he gets nowhere.  He believes the builders company has gone bust or just got fed up with the whole thing and dumped it on the developer, whichever greedy little Tory he happens to be.
We are left wondering what will happen.  
Will a builder appear, will the site lie like some half developed for years?  Will it be sold off to another chancer?  We cannot tell but stand back in amazement at the efficient manner in which housing is developed in the nation.

I love blue flowers.
I know not why but I love blue flowers more than most other colours, bright and cheery though many be.  These small beauties, and blue flowers it appears to me are mostly but not all small, are found in a box outside another neighbours door.  She has spent all her money on alcohol and flower boxes and very pretty they look.  The number of letters that lazy postmen shove through my door for her making me walk round there to pass them on indicate how many people are chasing her for cash.  Her use of a maiden name fooled some but not all I note.  Maybe if she took all the empties back and got twopence for each she could clear her debts, but maybe not...

 

Sunday Again

Sunday without politics was in my mind today.  However I did manage one or two comments on the papers early this morning.  The 'Daily Mail' and it's readers really are not interested in facts are they?
However I put all this aside for better things and hobbled to St P's to find the stand in preacher talk about social justice.  This no doubt inspired by his many years experience of social inequality and the sloth amongst previous churches when it came to taking action.  It may also be inspired by the Archbishop of Canterbury's round robin letter reminding people to vote as this was a duty not to be avoided.  This may stop short of telling you who to vote for but a reading of the 'Book of Amos'  shows how important social justice is to God.  He created all people and cannot see why we do not 'Love our neighbour.'
There are many Church of England churches where he would be asked to leave for offering his thoughts.  Most Evangelical would agree, but whether any actually appreciate what is required is hard to tell.  Some do great works while others sit on their hands a wee bit.  However the book does say 'Faith without works is dead.'
I of course listened intently, and now sit on my hands...

Nothing else has happened.
Life is boring.
The sky spends its time being covered in gray cloud and has done for weeks.
It's cold.
The footballs rotten.
My dinner was worse.
I accidentally got involved in an argument re Independence on a railway site on facebook.
My tea is awful.
Heart of Midlothian fell to another defeat.
This was not on TV so I could not see it!
Radio is awful.
It was awful when I woke at four this morning, it was awful when I woke at six.
It was still awful at 7:15 when I rose.
My knees hurt again.
I am not getting out and about and I am therefore bored!

I was happy when I rose this morning... 

The Result

This result has been repeated all over England & Wales.  The Labour & UKIP vote collapsed, UKIP racists voting for the original right wing party, the true blue Conservatives, and those disgusted with Labour also rushing to vote in the same Conservatives!  What does that say about this nation?
Note the numbers eligible to cast a vote in our constituency, 14,367!  Look how many cared enough to vote,  3741!  Certainly County Council elections are not interesting but even so that is appalling when you know these people sitting at home will be the first to grumble.  The fact the Tory vote would have won even if the other candidates joined together speaks volumes about this area.  The two other town constituencies were giving similar results.
In spite of cut backs, tax increases, stealing from the weak and poor people still voted for the Tories, I cannot understand why.

  
According to the media the Conservative Party swept Scotland, the SNP have been humbled, yet the story in final results appears somewhat different.  While the SNP did not sweep all before it many successes were recorded and while the Conservatives have 161 gains that almost equals the 160 losses suffered by Labour, Lib-Dems and 'other.'  The SNP gained 6, that is not bad.
Again those unionists not voting Labour now vote Conservative, why?  Do they really think they will make them better off?  
It was pointed out that just before the EU referendum an announcement concerning a royal baby appeared, on the day before the Council vote the English queen calls an emergency meeting just to tell us Prince Phillip is 'stepping down' in August!  'Emergency Meeting' for that?  A 95 year old is slowing down and this is an 'emergency?'  The pages of arselicking in every paper and all over the media must have influenced many small minds as they went to vote.
The English queen interfered in the Scots Referendum also, the EU referendum and now the Council vote.  I think it is time she abdicated for not following the constitutional role.  She can take Greek Phil to the races, shes been taking us in for years.

   
The sky has been gray for several weeks now.  Rarely does the sun shine and when it does I am found inside!  This state of affairs is poor and I have not been out and about for months.  This is wearing me down and I can understand those folks in northern Scandinavia who go mad during the six months of darkness.  Six months of summer light is brill but cold, bleak, darkness, no thank you!

Vote!

I have done my democratic duty and voted for one of the losing candidates in the local County Council election.  I know he will lose as the Conservatives and their unthinking lackeys dominate this area.  
The Polling Station is in the museum which is helpful as our boss takes the role of Presiding Officer.'  I spoke to him this morning, he had plenty of time to talk, and discovered that he could expect over two thousand people eager to vote today.  I asked how many had arrived by then, around eleven O'clock, and he reckoned just over forty people had voted.  There are of course postal votes to be added but how many dozen of those would arrive?  The town is divided into three for County Council voting and the total eligible constituents in our third is 14,367.  I suspect the count will finish early.
With the voting beginning at seven in the morning and continuing until ten at night the boss will have had a tiring day.  How he eats I did not dare to ask, I did offer to make him tea, but I suspect he will be off tomorrow!  Actually the suspicion has come too me that this vote will not be counted until tomorrow, to save costs I assume, which makes sense with so small a vote.  
June the eighth will of course see the General Election and a far bigger turnout of Conservative voters desperate to vote for the party that lowers their taxes.  The fact that that party has raised them continually behind their backs as they have done since time began has been ignored by such sheep and the cross goes to their man, who I can tell you will be grateful but really not be interested in them, his eyes are on promotion!      

Unless there is a major controversy few people care who runs the County or Local Councils, they just want good folks to get on with it and leave them alone.  However such an attitude ignores the fact that these voters, non voters that ought to be, are the first to complain about local taxes, housing, roads, hospitals and any and everything else.  When asked why they didn't vote they say "It makes no difference."  This is true and the reason it makes no difference is that you DIDN'T VOTE!
Local Council elections are more likely to draw crowds if there is a dispute.  Many around here are grumbling about vast housing projects that are being dumped on their doorsteps, often in 'Green Belt' areas.  This does bring folks to vote, I note no election for local Councillors is happening at this time when plans are being considered, and this can see people removed from their comfy seat.  This will not happen with this vote.
It must not be said all Councillors are bad, corrupt or self seeking, though many are, some do want to change the world, some wish to learn the ropes and go on into parliament, some dream of high office, many just wish to improve their local area and these ought to be commended for their work.
The public at large however remain skeptical of Councillors motives and many stories of corrupt behaviour do not lessen these fears.
Anyway who wishes to spend days arguing about the siting of Public Lavatories or Street Signs?  And who wishes to spend many days discussing local issues with members of the public?  Not me!

 

Quiet Tuesday

My view, almost all day today.
Certainly people came in, two to donate, two to browse, one to ask re a query, two to visit the exhibition.  
Not exactly busy today.
However the good news concerned the girls replacing things in the renovated kitchen ensuring my supply of tea will resume promptly.  Surely that is a good thing?  Of course no-one can find anything now.
The highlight of the day was the chat with a couple donating stuff and with the chap later donating a book relevant to the Americans who once blossomed around here.  Good stuff to receive. 
Otherwise it were a bit boring, just what I required today.
My women behaved magnificently as always, I got a bit stale cake with my tea after they finished, they worked hard all day leaving me to deal with the hordes of people not coming in.  I managed that and the one phone call for someone who was not in!  I scrambled through that one.

This is one of the creations people come to see.  Somewhat spoiled by not changing the filter on the camera actually and creating a kind of yellow light rather than the proper one but it leaves a nice pic I say.  This small camera does not work light the proper one.  

The early morning saw the sun appear for a while so I took advantage and wandered about the garden.  These orange things (I forgot to look for the name) in our organic garden are doing well and in real life give a bright colour to the place.  One lass does all the garden, she belongs to an organic society and ensures plants are tended properly.  The results are excellent and there is a wide variety of colourfull plants at all times, even in winter it is a decent show.   On occasions she runs classes for kids and they go off with plants and instructions how to make them grow.

"Wash me with Hyssop and I shall be clean," the well known biblical phrase from the psalms.  This refers to the once a year 'atonement' when the High priest went into the Holy of Holies and used Hyssop to spread the blood of the sacrifice over the ark as a means of propitiation.  This was the first time I had ever seen Hyssop regarding it as something found only in the middle east.  How little I know.  Jesus today stands before God the Father pleading our case in similar fashion using his own blood of his sacrifice, no Hyssop required.  This has been there for a while yet I never saw the plant as I was walking with my eyes closed, I note only the coloured things.

 
The sky above was blue, the wind a light breeze, a visitor mentioned how nice it was and I thought 'How long will it last?'  Within 30 minutes the clouds came over!  I do not foresee a long hot summer ahead, just a normal one.

No news as always, just elections in France, local elections here on Thursday and Theresa May hiding from everyone while her yes men hide behind her and blether their election slogans, most of which mean nothing.  Weeks of this to come yet...

Sunday Snooze

I have been in snooze mode all day.  While in St P's this morning I listened attentively to Colin but could not stop my mind drifting onto lesser things.  He spoke well but my mind kept wandering all over the place.  It has not yet returned.
I keep finding days like this partly because I try to lose weight by eating less and when I eat less my head dies.  My beer belly does not however.  I really need a better breakfast to see me through the day until evening.  Today I woke about 5:15 and desired urgently a pizza!  This has not happened before so unless I am pregnant I must not be eating properly.  Chips are required to make my mind work by that appears too easy an option early in the morning.
Keeping this hulk going while losing weight may be beyond me.  

The 'Strong and Stable' Kim Jong May has made an appearance in Scotland.  The Tory media inform us Scotland is turning to the Tories so the Dear Leader ventures to meet her people in a village hall in Crathie.  
"Where?"
Crathie!  It is the village where the Royal Family of benefit scroungers go to visit church when staying for three months at Balmoral Castle.  What they do there is a mystery but there it is.  The Dear Leader went unannounced to the village hall, the notice said a 'Children's Party' had booked the hall, and no press were allowed and no questions from the invited guests (all party members).  Instead of being interviewed by the media Ruth the leader of the Scottish Tories asked Kim Jong May the questions she was told to ask.  The great one then fled back to Englandshire.  She avoided Edinburgh, the capital city, Glasgow, the largest population, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, Dunfermline, Kilmarnock etc but managed to visit an obscure village where the locals were not told she was arriving.  
Indeed the country is turning to the Conservatives.   

Tomorrow is a bank holiday, the May Day Holiday Mrs Thatcher banned because it was too Communist.  The Labour Party reintroduced it when they returned, at least that is how I remember it.  Thatcher did not like people enjoying themselves when they could be working for low wages in poor conditions.  Not that much socialism will appear around here tomorrow.  Those who can have gone away already, those who can't will do little bar sit around eating or visiting the shops, I suspect they will be open.  Socialists working therein might get extra for it but I doubt it.

Morning Cycle

The rolling English countryside early in the morning sun is a grand sight, however if a developer gets his way this grand sight will turn into 1600 houses, plus Doctors Surgery etc.  The old railway walk will descend into just another litter covered backyard for thousands more people.  Since arriving here 21  years ago the population has grown from 30,000 to 40,000, the need for homes and the greed of developers would increase it by 30,000 more if they could.  The fightback appears to be holding at the moment, the first plan was turned down, the new one has faults and hopefully will not go ahead.  There are areas where such housing could be placed, this however is not one of them.

One man who would be happy is the farmer who I presume lives in this house.  He has been trying to sell up for years and who can blame him?  Farming is a hard life and easy money from the EU will end soon with no replacements on offer, even from a Tory Party that relies on farmer Jones and his vote, so selling the land for housing makes sense to him.  He will move far away I'm sure. 
The farmer requires a decent deal but housing will go against the needs of the locals for green space, and this development will join the town to the village and destroy the appeal for those living there.  Quite what the answer to this can be I know not.  
Just a wee bit further up the line they collected money to buy the land and use as a nature reserve, with added facilities for those health freaks looking for a place to exercise.  This is a good idea but money is not available for the land the farmer wishes to dump.  If only I had become the Billionaire I was meant to be...

Avoiding me at a distance were several horses.  The field here often has a horse or two, head down and uninterested in passersby, and I note rarely the same horses.  Maybe he trades them, hires them or just offers a field to feed them in. I don't know why?  The rabbits seem content with their arrival and look down their nose at the camera from a great distance, which is why there are no pictures of them.  This is the edge of the village which will be attached to the 1600 houses if greedy developer gets his way.  

  
The idea of rising early and cycling appeared a good one late last night, this morning it took on a different hue.  However my knees need the exercise so off I went, immediately unhappy about it, and in spite of the early morning traffic, the pain, the chill, I kept going and got some way up the old line before my knees began giving me their opinion of it all.  
The aroma early in the morn of the vegetation, the birds singing while hidden in the trees above, the glimpse of blue in the sky, all made for a delightful start to the day.  A dog was keen to make friends, the owner well she was less keen, while one other dog walker informed me the old industrial estate will soon be 125 houses, including flats!  I must agree with housing there as the place was almost empty of companies and gypsies were moving in, and that means vast amounts of rubbish left behind for others to clear.  Housing of the right type in the right place can be accepted.

Bluebells abound at the moment and it is a pity I am too far from the woods where they cover the land.  Yesterday I was shown pictures of woodland that was a mass of blue from one end to the other.  All I found were the poor wee things outside my door.  

Blossom is beginning to fail.  The bright white on some trees has fallen and these lovely red ones are turning a slight pink shade.  These are not long for this world so now is the time to picture them until next year.  The park was originally a house belonging to one of the rich folks who gave much to the town.  The gardens were very well organised, whoever planned them distributed a variety of trees around the place and after a hundred and more years some are beginning to fail.  The council have cut down several that were diseased or dangerous and have begun planting new ones in appropriate areas.  This blossom is quite new and is flourishing happily, hopefully all the others will do so also.

Home to find carpetlayers in the hall hammering away all day.  Just what my tired mind wants to hear.  However I fed them tea, once only in case they stay too long, and while doing this broke the kettle!  Since buying it there has been problems and now it has failed.  The bin for this and back to Tesco later for a new (cheap) one.  Yesterday I had to go there to replace the iron which died, the water dripped out the bottom alarmingly, and now more money is to be spent.  I wish I could survive as well as the Crows who I found feeding themselves in the town centre this morning.

'Scientists' and 'Experts'

This is indeed true!
It is a fact well known to the tabloids who present us with studies on health, eating, archaeology, losing weight, evolution, sex, dementia, age and everything else presented by 'scientists.'  The fact that these studies may be taken out of context, have slanted opinons, contain little useful to the reader and are in opposition to 99 other similar studies makes no difference, the press offer them as fact.  The fact is supported by the word 'scientist.'
One problem with these studies, apart from the lack of comparison to similar studies, is the nature of the 'scientist' behind them.  Gay 'scientists' have a tendency to produce 'evidence' that supports their lifestyle, evolutionists fond 'evidence' that supports theirs, female scientists are constantly discovering 'how women suffer' yet never notice if men suffer at any time.  How unusual this is.
'Science' is merely an organised investigation into a subject whatever that subject may be.  Such investigation has given the modern world wonderful drugs that cure disease, technological advancements that enable me to sit in this small corner of the world misspelling words for you to read, investigated the hidden past in archaeology digs, and uncovered crimes hidden from the man in the street, science can indeed produce wonderful results.
However there is one fault in all this, the scientist!  
The problem with scientists is that they are human.  Now science lovers tell me scientists always go for the results that appear before them and get upset when I disagree.  I indicate that scientists like the rest of us ignore facts that do not agree with them and continue to seek facts that support their argument.  Thus many results are pushed aside and ignored until someone less biased discovers them.  Not so I am told, all scientists are noble people, caring and concerned for humanity.  Hmmm, I suppose 'scientists' who gave us poison gas, incendiary bombs and nuclear warheads were caring for their country at the time?  
We need not seek those scientists who took the credit for things others actually discovered nor the scientists pushed aside because they did not fit with the establishment of the day.  
What me cynical?

'Expert' are another one!  How often do you read of an 'expert' offering his opinion in  tabloid?  TV loves them also.  Any war in the offing and up jumps an 'expert' on war, sometimes a retired general, sometimes a university lecturer, often just a reporter with a view, good or bad, on the situation. 
The question 'How expert are the experts?' does not get asked, it is left to us to accept that because someone is at Cambridge University or a General or has studied the field they must be experts in that field.  But are they?  Again these folks have the same bias we have (I of course have none) the same influences affecting them and the same desire for fame and fortune that drive many onto the screen and into the press. 
There is no doubt we need 'scientists' and 'experts' though we all know such in our own live.  The 14 year old computer expert is a must in this world, the local electrician or plumber who will not charge the earth, the woman who knows all that goes on around her and all who are responsible for it and the 8 year old who can open 'childproof' bottles and tubs!  We need them all.  I am just a little cynical about the choice of experts in the media, usually it appears they are chosen from a small group known to the media, often sharing their opinions.  Not that I am implying bias in the media, oh no, they are all objective, however during the 'Up all Night' programme on Radio 5 last night I heard Rob and the chap he was talking to both claim this objectivity was not possible, well it isn't in the BBC that's for sure.

Coining it in...

Being worked into the ground at the museum today, two visitors, two plumbers and one donation, I have not had time to really appreciate what is happening in the real world.  However a quick look at the news and I realise I was in the real world after all, what was offered on TV and press was not.  
Elections here, elections in France, Elections in Scotland and forests of newsprint offering lies all on behalf of the Tory Party.  I switched off and spent a few minutes watching Tory voters on 'Top Gear' drive silly cars across foreign lands and being stopped on occasion by very unhappy police officers in Reno, wherever that is.  I used to like this programmes, one the BBC cannot make these days as its strength came from the banter between three blokes.  Today all BBC programmes must have the token girlie, and all too often they are just that, 'girlies.'  I will not ask how they got on any of the programmes.  Of course I have no love of rich guys in flash cars racing one another wherever they are, this is all somewhat boring to me, even if they do occasionally have more informative pieces and it is at times funny.  Moved on now of course but in reality it had gone as far as it could.  I expect it will be shown on the 'Dave' channel for years to come yet.

Coming home via Tesco I was to busy lugging my heavy shopping bag (£22:58) to look for pictures in the sunshine.  Had the wind chill not been Arctic I may have gone out for some later, but really I just canny be bothered!   One thing those longing for 'the good old days' forget is they drive to supermarkets, buy almost all they require in one go, drive home and fill the fridge and cupboards all in one go.  Trailing from one shop to another lugging a big bag, possibly two or three, is beyond their imagining these days.  Struggling up the road I could imagine that scenario easily.   I wouldn't complain but I only went in for milk.

The first two people through the door had come from a volunteer organisation for a chat with the boss.  On leaving they browsed the shop being amazed at how many items from their childhood were now considered 'historical!'  I know the feeling.  
One subject that arose was the comment concerning a 'Threepence piece' which she had used to her young family members.  None of them understood what she was talking about so she had to rake out old coins stored away upstairs and explain the difference between then and now.  It was only 1971 (15th February) when decimalisation arrived in the UK and our rather heavy old coins, including the threepence, were removed.  Such a fuss at the time, the 'Daily Mail' led a 'save our tanner' campaign to keep the silver sixpence that was being removed yet the public soon found it was not required and the campaign, like so many, ended in dust.  
Just thinking about the coins we used to know, large Victorian pennies, halfpennies and silver threepences (this visitor could not remember them), shillings, florins, half crowns, I am not old enough to remember 'crowns' themselves of 'Guinea's although guineas are still used when buying racehorses.  A guinea was worth One pound and one shilling, the shilling covering the costs of the sale apparently.  Today's coins are much smaller and cynics claim they are worth less.  Checking my pockets I note nothing is worth less than what is found there.

      

'B'

Coming home from St P's I passed this bright and shiny 'Bentley' parked at the side of the road. An unusual sight to see, clearly used for weddings and the like and not really happy to have the hood up I thought.  Vehicles such as this are not made for daily operation, weddings, birthdays, celebrations of some sort certainly but not gray cloudy days when there is a hint of rain in the air.  Up north Aberdeenshire is suffering snow they tell me, I am happy to let it fall there, keep it away from me I say!
This is not like any Bentley I have seen and had I not been on the bike and parked on a busy road I would have looked to see if it was left handed, a US import perhaps?  However I could not tell and trundled my way home, aching as always, and dreaming of tea. 
Wandering not far from Marylebone Station one day long ago I passed a couple of old garages in a mews, now done up and costing millions, one bearing a small plate proclaiming Bentley had made his first car (Number One) in this garage.  He was clearly a technical man, trained by the railways he joined with his brother in selling French cars and then moving on from developing engines for Sopwith aircraft during the war used such engines to make the cars that made them famous.  Such cars were world beaters during the 20's and 30's remaining today as cars for the top people, footballers, pop stars, business leaders, the doers and shakers of this world.
I don't have one.

No football worth watching so far this weekend.  Some Scottish Cup semi finals, one or two mediocre English ones, but nothing for me.  Hibernian lost to Aberdeen, Celtic naturally beat Rangers and people questioned the Rangers centre forwards fitness to be on the pitch.  I know this because on Twitter we were asked to retweet which was the better footballer, one was Martin Waghorn (like) the other a large fridge (retweet).  The people were asked to choose and hundreds retweeted in support of the fridge!  Very few 'liked' Waghorn.  The English games were tolerable but it is always the same people appearing.  How tiresome...

   

Sunday Cycle

Sunday is my first day of the week yet the diary and all calendars today all begin on Monday!  This is annoying and puts me off.  Last week I missed my sisters birthday (she has had plenty of them) because it was on the Monday and I did not turn the page soon enough to realise.  This annoyed me because it saved me money and you know how much I hate that!  I love to give money away to others and i failed to do so this time.  
Not that she has money worries, for some time both she and her husband were both buying failing Lottery tickets and winning nothing, she stopped buying and placed the money that would have gone on tickets on the mantelpiece.   One year later he had won around £10 and she had a hundred sitting there gloating, as indeed was she.  This is however somewhat annoying again as I was relying on her winning several million pounds and then passing some on to me, this is now unlikely to happen as he will waste his millions on his daughters alone, selfish man!
Folks who gamble are funny.  One man I knew spent each day in the bookies placing small bets (he said) and every so often winning a few pounds.  In his mind he was breaking even over the year but you and I know he was losing hand over fist.  Betting companies work online giving them reach to people worldwide who throw their money at them happily.  This enables several such companies to spend their millions on more adverts for the mug, more advertising from sponsoring sports events, two alone do this in Scotland, and from such advertising bring in more cash than they can shake a stick at, if that's their idea of a good time.  
The temptation to win big is very strong especially if you are in financial trouble.  I went in for it a while back when unemployed and try as I might I got nowhere with the Lottery, no million pound cheque found its way to me.  However I knew this was daft and trusting Jesus has never left me down so I returned to that and on the day, much later, when later I found I was paying out more than I was taking in Jesus provided.  The taxman gave me a refund that arrived that day and both Gas & Electric told me to pay less than I was paying monthly!  I could survive again.  The thought that I could use vast amounts is always a temptation but I would probably make a mess of this, now having moved from Pauperism to Poverty I am quite happy.  

The sun tempted me to cycle to church today.  By the time i got there, five minutes later, I was puggled and looking for an ambulance.  I got little sympathy from the congregation however and remarkably when I came home afterwards I raced up the road with little stress, bar the Audi I met when going round the roundabout, he was not slowing down, and as I climbed the stairs with no trouble I realised cycling short distances was indeed making me fitter.  I will be back tomorrow and will follow the same route, without the Audi, and hopefully this will be beneficial also.
of course I canny stand up now I have been sitting watching football all day, I have siezed up!

It Was Better When...

Facebook has a page just for our little town.  This is an excellent idea and many pictures, adverts and much information regarding the museum happens to appear there on occasions, I know not how.  The page is used by many to conjure up memories of Braintree from days of yore.  A great many are now living abroad, some from work, some because life causes us to move away from home and a number of women who married the abundant supply of 'rich' Americans working at the many air bases that sprung up during the second world war.  The last base did not close until the late 90's and every so often these women return with their man to see relatives and have a jolly good time.  One, now widowed, arrived last Tuesday just as we opened to wander around the shop and obtain gifts to take home again.  Such folk use the facebook page to keep in touch with their past and keep an eye on the developing town. 

One  topic is the constant whine that 'The town is not the same,' or 'It's not as good as it was,' or the grumble 'It was better in my day.'  Maybe it is because I look at history and read things from the past, maybe it is because they are grumbling old people or maybe it is because they are right I know not but this annoys me.  The town is certainly changing, it has altered in the 21 years I have been here, but what these Moaning Minnie's forget is that the town always changed and altered, and old people just like them constantly grumbled that it 'was better in the past.'  
Look at the change to the market, the difference between the crowds before 1914 compared to those in the late 30's as seen above.  No animals are seen in the top picture possibly because it was a Saturday market and Wednesday may have had animals, possibly the animals are round in the high Street, I have seen pictures of Bulls there in the 60's.  Todays market cannot compete with either but if they could bring this back would the grumbles like it?  No, they would find many complaints.
For a start the women would complain about animal leftovers on their shoes, much abounding in the past, and then complain about the inconvenience of having to go from one stall to another for the daily needs.  The convenience of Tesco's would suddenly appear bright and the quality of goods improving, let alone the amount of cash no readily available for most was just not there in the past.
the men in the top picture are complaining about the cost of a pint, almost a shilling where in the bottom picture it might have been only 3 pence in some places.  The women in the top will be fussing about fashion in just the same manner of those in the lower picture, but in the top one more will have cash to buy more readily than the majority on poor wages in the bottom picture.    
All in both pictures will be grumbling the 'Kids have it easy today, not like when we were that age.'  The kids, if still around are saying just that very thing today while in the market.

The past is another country and far too many people live in it.  They look at the town and see it when they were young forgetting that what they enjoyed was not the town but their life in the town. The town they now see does not fit in with their memory but young folks today are having exactly the same thoughts as they, but will look back in thirty years time grumbling about how the town has changed.  'What is has already been and will be again.'  I am glad I moved when younger, I am glad I moved here, because I do not look back on my Edinburgh childhood and long to return, indeed many things make me glad not to be in Edinburgh, the early 1970's were not a good time for me and my memories are not always good.  I do have good ones from all places I have stayed as well as bad but too many forget the bad things that occurred in the past and block them out viewing their youth as a good place, forgetting the fears, problems and mistakes that have left scars but can be ignored.
Braintree & Bocking had around 12,000 people between them in 1914, when I arrived there were 30,000, now there is 40,000 and things do change and not always for the better.  The car enables folks to visit the big towns for shopping at big stores, the web enables online shopping and tastes change as well as markets.  The market has stood for over 800 years and will continue for many more, ever changing and always with grumbling people fussing about nothing all around.
Maybe they all ought to learn from me, I'm not one to complain...