Being November it is assumed the Christmas market will appear and so it does. The crowds flocked to the overpriced hand made items on offer, and many listened in the cold to the Brass Band Blowing Bigly Boisterously. It was not just the reindeer who appeared frozen.
I sauntered among the throng, being pushed this way and that, all the while eyeing the price tags, at least those that I could see, while attempting to stay upright. Who brings pushchairs into crowds?
The sun was shining brightly, though it may not show it here.
Fighting off the offers of pantomime or a discussion with this months two Mormon missionaries, though afterwards I realised I ought to have indulged them, I ploughed on to pass by the stalls one more time.
I then headed towards the museum, I needed to buy set honey and check out what was on show. It is many ages since I last looked inside. Nothing much has changed, just the latest exhibition regarding how the town grew in more recent times. Not many in, the market was calling, and if they have the Xmas lights switch on tonight the shop will be open until late. They might make money tonight.
As you know these are wee Roman gods found when the shopping centre was being built. As usual a 'dig' was organised and quite a bot of Roman stuff found. Not much Saxon, it appears the centre area now was just farmland to them. Some Saxon bodies are found to the west of this area however, none in the museum...
I stumbled home with my treasures to eat and read the new magazine that has now begun to appear on the supermarket shelves. Proper journalism, not owned by the right wing. Mind you at £4:50 I can see me reading their items online rather monthly.
'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness?' Not if you are one of the many men now sweeping leaves up from pathways, car parks, various buildings, or just clearing them from the gutter of a great many houses. I was considering this as I watched these leaves fly off the tree opposite, aided by the 16 mph wind, according to the BBC weather site. As the afternoon sun glints on the leaves, both in the tree and scattered on the ground all around, it looks marvellous. For those slipping on them on the pavement a different emotion might be coming into view.
I recall at the hospital in Maida Vale the three or four trees we had the privilege of watching. This was not considered a privilege as we swept up between parked cars day after day. Of course it does not last, but if you were on the early shift you had most of the work to do. How come I was on the early shift when leaves were falling I ask? Tsk!
This seasonal thing makes me wonder. Why seasons? Why not just have one season where things grow all year round and leaves fall, er, compactly? Why cold and heat, why not just nice temperatures to suit? There again some seasons are well worth having. The sunsets and autumn colours can be magnificent. The darkness less so. Imagine darkness before electric light? No wonder the ancients went home and locked themselves in at night, that is nightfall, none of this midnight day ending rubbish, I think that began with the Romans. I suppose many societies had forms of lighting at night but only when gas and electric arrived could we pollute the night sky as well as we do now.
Snow of course produces wonderful scenes, though it left me and my neighbour flat on our backs at different times. Summer speaks of long days, joy and happiness, Spring however, in my humble view, and you realise how humble this view is, can be the best of seasons. Looking into the bright fullness to come, the new life all around, lambs gambolling, buds opening, birds flocking in from Africa, and a happiness seen amongst people, even in big cities.
We now approach a proper winter. The leaves fall, the weather gets colder, winds come from the north, and the gas and electric take a great leap upwards in January, the busiest time for these crooks! Do we have a Tory government? Do Ofgem represent the public? Is the Pope a Catholic?
Bah!
Once again I attempted Chick Pea soup. This is usually OK, and today I added, amongst other ingredients, Turmeric Powder obtained from Sainsburys. To this I added a wee bit of Cayenne Pepper, and other things. Unlike the fish in the oven that I forgot while scouring Twitter the soup did not burn. This surprises me however, for when I attempted to eat some tonight I realised I had been somewhat overeager with the ingredients. Cayenne and Turmeric go together quite well but possibly not in the amounts that fell into the pot today. That pint glass of water has come in handy tonight, and I may not require to put the heating on for a day or two, no matter how low the temperature drops.
With Xmas approaching, you may have heard about it by now, I have been scouring the second hand book market for items suitable for the lassies up north who can read. This is a suitable talent as it means they can explain the big words to their men.
One beautiful and highly intelligent niece has always had a thing for King Robert the Bruce. As a lass she forced her mother to trail around Dunfermline, where he is buried, and elsewhere looking for a sight of him, or something connected to him. While it is possible she may already have this book dumped in a cupboard somewhere, I thought I would include it in the box I will send.
The late David R. Ross wrote quite a few books about Scotland and her people, this is the only one I have actually read. It combines the history of the man with a tourist guide to places connected to him. Ross has done his best to visit all the connecting castles, battlefields, houses and such like that are believed to have seen the great Robert pass by through touring them on his motorbike.
The known genealogy is traced, his two wives, both dying before him, their suffering under the terrors of Edward I and his brutality, their imprisonment, and following successful births his son.
Edward, like all Englishmen, consider Scotland to be theirs, they are very wrong! Bruce endured much pain and loss, his brothers dying, sometimes barbarically under Edward's thuggery. However no matter how he tried Edward could not control Scotland, William Wallace ought to have made that clear to him! And happily Edward the Brute died near Carlisle once again attempting the impossible, to control Scotland. Three cheers!
This book details the failures as well as successes. The guerrilla warfare, the main battles 'God bless Bannockburn!' and the suffering of those imprisoned. What cannot be known, but only guessed at, is the response of the soldiers on both sides. Some English Knights left writings, some Scots nobles, but the man in the army could not do this. Enthusiastic they certainly were, and very willing to risk all for the cause, but we do not know what they actually thought, this is sad.
Edward II was disposed off by his wife and Knights, Edward III attempted war, and lost, and the ravaging of the north of England put many English nobles off the idea of war. In the end economic loss, an understanding they could not win, caused Edward III to seek peace.
Bruce then established his Kingdom and Scotland was able to flourish without barbaric English interference. At least for a while, the inbuilt English imperialism and arrogance remains with us still!
The 1707 bribery and the intimidation at the referendum see Scotland stuck under the English Jackboot still. This will not last. Another Bruce will arise, and Special Branch will not defeat that one, and Scotland will once again be free!
Anyone wish to argue?
At last I can look forward to breathing fresh air once again. No more bleach on every suitable surface! The landlords woman came today. She was quite happy considering she got locked inside one flat. I wondered if he in flat No 6 was having a strange turn, but it was the broken locks on the door meant she could not get out. When I found her she was with two locksmiths attempting to put right all that flats locks.
She came, she wandered about taking a picture here a picture there, all the time telling me to stop licking her feet. I am off the opinion she ought to have removed her shoes first. The inspection was short, friendly, and we discussed one or two things, but not the things I remembered long after she had departed! Why is it always like this? No complaint was made, not even from other tenants!
The bar of Christmas chocolate donated to her also made her happy, always a success with women is chocolate, and she left me with no threats of drastic action, as yet anyway. Now, I must uncover all the hidden things and put them right before she comes back!
I could not discover what the game was. I canny understand this inspection. Of course during the previous years the boys have been working on the flats so problems have been obvious to them, if any. Now I just await any comeback from this. Back at HQ they will inspect the pictures, lay plans for the cheapest option on any proposed action, but so far all appears well. However, as we get on well, and her man is one of the boys who fix things and he is good, and the mess has been cleaned up, it all may pass over. Also she never mentioned anything out of place, so maybe all will be well.
Unless something is afoot down at HQ.
It is however, difficult to move when you expect a visit and the place is clean. I was scared to touch anything in case I had to scrub it again! Now I can relax, but I actually like it clean, I wonder how long it will last?
Subscribing to this young lass would be good, if that is you find this interesting and entertaining. She is very clever, she told me this herself, and mum and dad are so pleased after spending so much money educating her!
That is how I reacted this morning as I woke to face another hard days work. I have rattled through another long list of things that required doing badly, and as such I went on to do them all badly. The last time the place was this clean I had just moved in.
Funnily enough, if you find this funny, the reading for yesterday, Zephaniah 1, was all about the day of judgement coming unexpectedly. It would fall on Jerusalem and this could be read as the actual last day of earth also. This fitted well with the looming Landlord approaching.
My day was not encouraged by seeking out some old items on the 1/5th Essex regiment. One of the lassies grandfather served with them and I sought out a piece that may be of interest. There were several things, so I edited them, posted them on a 'Word' page, and added a longish piece discussing their deeds in the middle east.
I then clicked the 'X' button, and it all disappeared!
I use a different writing system usually, and that would ask if I wished to save or not, 'Word' did not ask and it went! I thought it may have gone to their store in the sky, but no. So, having edited this for around an hour and a half I then had to do it all again. I was pleased.
The longish item was new to me, I could not remember this from before. It was as I read it, the bad English showing up well, that I realised I wrote it. The mistakes were eradicated, the spelling also amended, and in the end I was pleased somewhat with the material I had plagiarised.
So, off it went and soon I may get a reply offering threats. Women can be so touchy...
The warning came yesterday by email from the landlord. 'We are doing a house visit next Wednesday.'
My mind is already full of conspiracy theories as to why this is happening now. Is this because they are thinking of selling up? I know he is unwell and not keen on continuing. Is this a ruse to increase rents, for me and at least one other? Is this because the young plumber last week considered my loo a disgrace, and now wishes to redo it for a fee? Who knows.
This did mean that I must now do all those little jobs that I have ignored and hoped to leave until March or thereabouts. So out this morning for paint, and half the window frames have been dobbed this morning to hide the mess left by Jack Frost and his mates. The broken bits will soon be glued back together, and the loo tidied up, to some extent anyway.
Chocolate must be left 'lying about' as a bribe, ' For the grandson,' As this is always difficult for a woman to refuse. So, I must paint, glue, clean, and bow the knee, and hope to find out what is going on. Funnily enough, I awoke this morning with a 'feeling' that I was going to move. Clearly this is not trustworthy, but you never know. The moving I did today will offer me more strained muscles in the morning when I return to finish what I started today.
After a hard week the last thing you wish to do is saunter out to the club for the men's meeting. However, I managed to make it just the same. The solitary pint of 'Brown & Mild' would see me through the evening. I would have had another but the lads glasses were getting low so I hesitated until I was sure they did not wish another, but they looked dry, so I remained seated...
A good evening putting the world to rights, sat alongside good men, even complimented on Sunday's efforts, though nobody could remember what I said. The Barmaid was happy to have us, there were only 4 others in last night, Monday being the quietest night, which is why we go then, and she told me the week before there was only one in, and he left early to allow her to close up and go off home.
I got home late.
The shock of David Cameron returning to government, albeit via the Lords, indicates something about the Tory Party today. It reveals the dearth of talent left on the more sensible side of the party, the word 'sensible' not to be taken to accurately. It shows the need for a calmer figure to appear, it shows that the baby eating former Home Secretary was a hindrance Sunak was keen to remove.
This does mean she will seek to replace him, though one voice from the meeting of what is now called the 'New Conservatives,' made clear 20 attended, 7 others on Zoom, and few, if any, had written to the 1922 Committee demanding an election for a new Leader. The incompetent Neo-Nazi is their front runner! That said, she may be popular in the party, but independent Polls, that is those not done by the right -wing media, claim she is very unpopular in the country, and that counts with the coup conspirators.
Meanwhile Sunak with his gentler money grabbing chancers is trying to offer something new.
Fat chance.
David Cameron did bring us the Brexit referendum which he lost, war in Libya, austerity through Osborne, and general decline, all because he was fighting Boris Johnson, and not doing his job. His Lobbying will also cause him troubles. Some say he cannot be questioned by the House of Commons as he is in the Lords, but surely the ex-ministers, the wide array of talent in that House are far better able to question him than the demented squirrels that represent Labour in the Commons? David Lammy anyone?
Before 7:30 I was printing of several sheets for today's remembrance at the church.
I was doing the remembrance bit, so I ran off what I had come up with to ensure others knew what I was doing. Then I had to write the prayer as I also had intercessions to do. I was not happy with the half hearted manner in which I scribbled them down and printed them off.
I hobbled in dying shoes to church and was greeted as always by pretty young girls (of dubious age).
Then discussed with the relevant people the organisation of the morning, and collapsed into my seat.
Sadly, there was no Brandy available from the medicine cupboard.
The time came, I done my piece, very nervously, babbling somewhat as the time was not rushing up to the 11 am hour. I actually called out the memoriam at 10:59, and could see the man trying to play the 'Last Post' checking his watch.
We got through this, adding the national anthem (English), remembering to say 'King' and not 'Queen,' though I did not sing at all, and then I departed back to my place.
Not long after I was again at the front, less nervous, going through what I thought were poor, badly thought out prayers.
Then it was all over.
As I wished to rush home and eat before heading to the Town Remembrance I made for the door. Three women stopped me, both praising my efforts and taking solace from my words. There were stories unheard to hear, but I was rushing out. How I wished I could have stayed and heard them all talk! Typically these women do not do emails, so I canny find out more! It will be forgotten next week.
Just after 2pm I was limping around the Gardens watching the service begin. Having been running around (this is not to be taken literally) all week, and today's efforts at church, I was far from bright and cheery. Indeed I almost missed the beginning of the service and interrupted everything!
I made no effort to climb up high as I usually do, the shame of falling flat on my face in coming down again put me off somewhat. So, from a distance I snapped out of focus shots, and tried to find interesting pictures.
Such a shame the autofocus caught the women at the side. His yawn was what I was looking for.
I browbeat one or two so I could picture their medals. I want pictures of todays, and recent soldiers on the page so we realise that remembrance is not just about the dead from long ago. We must remember those serving now, and those who served both between the wars and since 1945. There are few memorials to them.
As always the Fire Service was represented.
And as always a strong police presence was to be seen.
The service followed the usual British Legion pattern. However, I noticed the crowd was well down on last year. Many come of course, just to see their kid march. Not all care about the war dead or what they see as wars from long ago.
Before it ended my flabby bulk was telling me to go home. So, I trotted slowly up the hill, up the stairs, and began sorting the pictures. Some of these I then put in the Braintree & Bocking Great War website, as I had promised the medal wearers. Naturally it did not work, and much cursing was to be heard before it went up successfully. I also added to the WW2 version but will finish that one tomorrow.
A young lady from the Sea Cadets came along, reflecting the various organisations many young men and women join before continuing on into the armed forces, if they are up to it. Even if they do not enlist they will have had a great time for the most part and most likely avoid the dangers of having nothing to do.
In the town for a day or two, these Norfolk chaps have been showing off Great War equipment to the natives. This appears to be a popular activity, many have stopped and chatted as did I. At this time something like this often occurs, people remember their youth, the war, the neb who served in the small wars following 1945, and often ex-servicemen themselves of more recent years venture out to investigate. Quiet and peaceful on Friday when I snapped these pics.
The right-wing press have been informing us many are scared to wear the Poppy yet this did not seem to worry the townsfolk here. The British Legion stall does not appear to concerned about abuse! I suspect that many will gather tomorrow at the memorial for the annual Remembrance Service.
Elsewhere today the far right attended the Cenotaph to offer protection. Crying, 'I'm English till I die,' they protected the Cenotaph by barging through the police column, led I am told by Tommy Robinson who soon after fled in a taxi, and fought the police for a considerable time.
Many appear to have attacked the peaceful protest, in which peaceful protesters sought 'death to Israel,' while marching peacefully through the city well away from the Cenotaph.
As I scribble the conflict is still continuing. Senior police, senior generals, sensible people, have all attacked the cause of this trouble. She however, is not to be seen or heard.
Suella Braverman is not to be seen, yet her dog-whistles to the 'Brownshirts' of the right have succeeded. The demand for her to be sacked increases yet many are demanding she remains, the right wing of the Tory party, the 'Faragists' threaten to resign if she goes. In between is a PM who does not know what to do, is too busy counting his cash, and wishes he was far away in the USA.
Much nonsense has been talked recently re the Poppy.' More false patriotism from the 'Daily Mail' and her kind. They claim people are afraid to wear poppies in case they are attacked, they emphasis a man wearing a Para Red Beret, who claimed the Palestinian protesters attacked him in Edinburgh's Waverley Station. This turned out to be a lie! Indeed he may be a fraud, but we will see. Tabloid hysteria finds many who ought to know better demanding 'action.'
With someone suffering mental retardation as Home Secretary, she has been igniting fear and hatred in recent days again, and her paper supporting her and the far-right nutjobs behind her we await a response from the man pretending to be a Prime Minister. So far, nothing.
It is inevitable that as the Great War and Second World Wars fade from society consciousness it is inevitable that less people will wear or understand the reason for the Poppy. There may be one or two born before or during the Great War, but they would have to be 109 if they were born in 1914, and I think the oldest person now is 107. There are many in their 80s and 90s who were born in the period of the second war, but even they are fading away. Younger generations, born since, say the 1960s on, will have little personal connection, unless they have made a search of the family history. Certainly many have but the majority will remain distant from these events. Time passing means this can only continue.
The great Palestinian march on Saturday will go nowhere near the Cenotaph. However, the hysteria has meant the police now have to surround the thing with half a dozen men, because Suella says so.
The real danger may come from those responding to Robinsons call to 'protect the Cenotaph.' The dead must feel grateful that such wish to protect them.
I have a dream, that is, I have a dream every night. In fact, just as I wake, the dream leaves an emotional mark upon me. Often this is pleasing, occasionally it is dark. The other day, I began scribbling this several days ago, I woke at the end of a dream in which my nephew was trying to move into a block of housing owned by the Chinese. The Chinese woman in charge was rather indignant with this and somewhat roughly demanded I sorted it out. She had yellow forms in her hand, line after line of written information showing, and the thought that he wanted 16 houses was somewhere in this dream. I made it clear his wife would not let this happen, then woke up.
What does this mean?
My nephew has not been around for many days, Chinese housing not at all, and the irate woman, well I always find them! A man on Twitter mentioned his dream in which Simon Sharma put his head around the door asking for 'Foot Cream.' Where do these dreams originate?
Now I quite like the good dreams, I wake happy with them, but they do not adhere to reality. Maybe one day we can catch them on a mobile phone and terrorise the world with them? This may be where Salvador Dali obtained his ideas...
Once again the Prime Minister has avoided PMQs. Several times he has hidden himself away in the far distance, and as usual it is to avoid hard questions. With trouble brewing as Tommy Robinson and his hired thugs gather 'to protect the Cenotaph,' while Palestinian demonstrators gather miles from the Cenotaph and head in a different direction, and Suella Braverman the Home Secretary fizzes and screams that she wants to be PM, Sunak is found missing in action.
Sunday was quite good. This in spite of yet another child baptism, which I disagree with, and a long service to boot. However, we were all cheered by the number of children, of various ages, who arrived with the well dressed visitors, almost none of whom knew what to expect.
Once again the front rows were sealed off for the family, once more the older ones knew how to behave, the younger desperate to get out the door. Consideration from the teens and twenties for either the hosts or the very young couple was lacking. We are getting used to this.
However, I enjoyed the kids around us. Well fed and cared for, the number of biscuits eaten aided this, and all of them happy, even the almost teenage group. And the locals were all happy today. Few visitors appeared interested in what went on, but we were willing to explain. The locals here are good.
Sometimes I almost feel welcomed amongst them!
This comes to mind more and more. The many indications that Suella will ban most protests increases, this means Scots protests will increase in spite of this, and all this to stop the Palestinian protests, because the friendly Israeli's are paying them, maybe? She wants to stop charities giving tents to the homeless, in winter, and would like to get votes from the 'Daily mail' reader who supports her Nazi leanings. Many of them would love to wear their 'Blackshirts' once again.
The next election will be within a year, I am expecting an 'emergency situation' in which this is postponed and a 'National Government' takes over.
In a weeks time we have the remembrance services throughout the UK. Once again i note politicians on the right making use of the Poppy to infer they are patriotic, meaning of course you are not. What a short time ago was a poppy to remember the war dead by has now become, since Brexit and the independence debate, an item of 'British,' that is 'English,' nationalism. The Brexiteers make use of this and boast about 'standing alone.' This of course ignores the support of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa and others, and implies 'English' superiority and ignores the war on the ground was actually won by the Soviet Union!
Already we see memorials which are more about 'us' than about 'them.' Flag waving, poppy masses, exhibitions rather than remembrance, and a demand for all to wear a poppy or be hounded by the loyal patriots, usually all right-wing tabloid readers.
Remembrance ought to be about remembering the war dead of two major wars and many lesser conflicts since. This requires a few minutes silence, a short parade, and then making every effort to see an end to other wars. Few move beyond the short silence.
Matters are not helped by the propaganda easing out of the press supporting Israel, and informing Jews that they are not safe of the UKs streets. Nonsense of course, but many will fear because of this. This is merely a way of opposing those who support Palestinians and wish to see an end of the slaughter, and slaughter it is. There is little care for civilians in Gaza by the Israeli's.
Fear and division in the UK is seen as a desperate way to get votes for the corrupt Tory government. The idea of popular policies developing the nation is put aside for Boris type finger pointing and fearmongering. A sure winner.
The human side of the Israel situation does not look good. We have covered the biblical idea of the world ending when Israel is surrounded by enemies. This situation can only hasten nations which now support Israel being taken over by those whom do not. A clear understanding is required, and I do not have it! Next Sunday I am doing prayers. This would be simple before, but not now. I wonder what I will be saying?
It comes as no surprise to note that the Covid Inquiry has been informed that the Prime Minister, one Boris Johnson, was inept, incompetent, and willing to let old people die if it saved money. It also comes as no surprise to note the right-wing press are not mentioning this today, instead attacking Cummings, the one time aid to Johnson, who revealed what we already had discovered from the civil servants who spoke in the days previous.
The message is Boris and Sunak had no idea what to do, money was more important, wise medical information ignored or despised, and Hancock, the Health Secretary, was considered by all around as worse than they.
None of this is a surprise, we knew this at the time, yet the media who also knew this kept quiet then and act surprised now. I look forward to someone brining a 'manslaughter charge' on them all.
Another stupidly named storm is approaching the land. Panic is being announced in the media, local councils are preparing for the worst, warnings abound re possible occurrences of wind, rain, flood, and mass destruction.
It's almost as if we have never had a storm before.
Before storms had to be named, and who's idea was that? Before then the radio or TV man would tell us a storm was approaching, possibly 'Storm force 8 or worse,' and life went on. Now we must panic in case a storm arrives and the 'Daily Mail' and other tabloids have a chance to attack the weatherman for not warning us that storms arrive during the year as they have done for thousands of years!
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