Friends Tire

It was the 'Friends of the museum's' Christmas Raffle Draw today so I passed by just as it occurred.  I had after all spent 50p on a ticket, that's ten shillings in real money, and I was hoping for the bottle of whisky they always have on offer at such draws.
I got nothing!
There was no whisky.
I still got nothing!
I did however do the washing up, cart the tables back from where they came and generally got bossed about.  All this on two glasses of wine and two mince pies.
As I woke at five this morning and could not lose the tendency to sleep I was struggling to keep awake at one point.  Now however I am not struggling, I am asleep.
Saturday tomorrow, the last before Christmas and hordes planning to come into town tomorrow.
Bah!

A Walk

  
Having got myself on the bike this morning, I had to get myself on the bike as no-one would help, and cycling around for thirty minutes, it may have been five but it felt like thirty, and finished by coming up the slope in the park and near killing myself I found climbing the stairs back home enough for the day, or so I thought.
Exercise is a good thing when you are young and fit, it is less entertaining when a short bike ride leaves the rider looking for a defibrillator!  However I made it and more will occur if I remember tomorrow and at the weekend.  I am now searching the weather forecast hoping for rain!
During the afternoon I decided my knees, now aching with stiffness required a walk.  Off we hobbled across the park as the clouds that have covered us for a week thinned out and pretended they were going to let the sun shine through, they didn't!  
There is an old picture from around 200 years ago showing this park as a field, a cow or two grazing idly and a yokel wandering about.  In the distance the new Congregational church building stands alongside one or two grand houses, the church the only remaining memory of that time.  All else has changed.  Probably owned by a wealthy type and farmed by tenant farmers the field was turned into the grounds of the large house built by one of the Courtauld family of weaving fame.  His grand large home lasted for around forty years before it passed into the hands of a school in whose possesion it remained for many years.  Near one gate there was a grass verge and one day I saw a lady of undetermined age walk across this grass quite deliberately.
"I was never allowed to do this while at the school so I am doing it now," she laughed and went on her way.  In recent times the house became flash flats with a few houses alongside owned by folks who can afford half a million, I did not apply.  
Passing the school gym which now serves as the registry office usually with a flash car dressed for a bride outside, I walked slowly past the few large houses that stand alongside the church.  The names and uses have changed with the years, one superb house is now used by the Salvation Army to rehouse people with specific difficulties, another rebuilt by a painter and decorator and the only one I can identify used by a Council 'Community' office whatever that is.  The gray brick community building was built by one John Brown, his initials in the Latin version 'IJ' and seen above the door, Latin was the trendy Victorian manner, and it is clear he did well for himself in his day.  As far as I can gather he began as a brickie and later made bricks near the railway and made his money that way.  It is clear he had talent and was seen by the later years of the nineteenth century as one of the towns more important people.  He would be shocked by the house today.  In fact several other houses have similar styles if not the same bricks and possibly he built them, or got his men to do so, and established his reputation.  He is not there now of course.
I strolled against the wind along the Roman Road called Stane Street (which also lies outside my window) heading east.  I passed the 'Horse & Groom' a pub where one Saturday lunchtime two workmates ran outside and pulled me through the door and made me join them!  Even in 1937 this pub was where people gathered if they wished goods to be taken to the villages round about.  Most pubs continued the tradition of carriers, by vehicle in the thirties no longer plodding horse and carts, delivering goods near and far, well into the big towns at least.  The 'Horse & Groom' appeared to be best placed for the villages within a ten mile radius.  UPS and a variety of others can find their beginnings in men plodding along at two miles an hour beside a pair of carthorses with loaded cart.

The rest of this side of the street contains many houses from the past including further along a row of weavers houses, the narrow homes contain windows designed to aid weavers.  It is said that once upon a time the attic roof had no divisions as long rolls of cloth would be stretched out up there.  On the other side of the street all was demolished and a new roadway capable of dealing with increased traffic established, also the new shopping centre sweeping away generations of buildings.  However the museum benefited from this as an archaeological dig must take place before building work and many items were found.  There is a Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon finds from there.  A hamlet of some sort containing roundhouses was later joined by Roman dwellings.  When Rome withered and the Saxons arrived the may well have farmed much of this area although it is possible there were houses at this spot also.  Now there is a variety of modern day shops in the usual style, sometimes I wish the one time inhabitants were still around.  

I wandered about the town for a while and made my way home.   I came back via the park, the sun still striving to break through as it dipped in the west but the clouds were not relenting.  A couple of new houses are being constructed nearby right next to the road and not far from the skatepark.  How the new tenants will love those brats come summer!  Along Stane Street, but a different part my aged home stands, just.  The houses nearby go back some distance also, at least two hundred years but possibly more.  It is possible to discover something of those who lived there in the last hundred years but going further back this is harder.  When I have time I will seek more re the doctors who used this building as a surgery and the woman who made corsets in the 1920's, I wonder how she made enough for this place!  Maybe their story will always be hidden.

Yesterday's Post (I fell asleep)

Tim Peake has reached the International Space Station!
So the media are trumpeting loudly these days.  Who he you ask?  No idea I answer.  However he is 'A Brit' who has gone into space so this, according to the press, is news.  Less clearly stated is the US policy of only using Americans to visit the space station and Tim Peake has had to take US citizenship to get his free ride into space.
So what I ask?
The space station has had limited press coverage ever since it opened years ago, only the science sections have bothered with it, so why all the fuss now?  maybe I am suspicious but what news is being hidden behind this exaggerated story?  It is always wise to look at the hidden stories behind the big headlines.
Anyway who cares he has gone into space outside of his family and those interested?  This is a small thing and years ago a British woman went into space why is this considered main news?  Good luck to him travelling around the world at high speed, good luck to his experiments that are oh so important.  Good luck to him getting back in one piece.  But spare us the large headlines on a story of limited interest. 
And remember he is now a US citizen, so charge him with treason!

Quite surprised yesterday by the US state that closed all the schools because of a terrorist threat received by email.  I was doubly surprised when New York did not close anything after receiving the same threat.  I suppose having endured thrity years of IRA terrorism and attacks on the nation for other reasons many times before that the UK is not so neurotic about threats.  However it was clear even from afar that this was just an idle threat and careful checking elsewhere would have shown this surely?  Something else behind this show I feel, possibly a real scare or a lack of judgement shown by the leadership.  
Some at a distance wonder about the neurotic fear generated by the likes of Trump and the media re Islamic terrorism in the US especially when 30,000 are shot and killed by good clean all American types each year in the US.   Maybe spending less time in 'fearthought' re Islamist and more time in 'forethought' in removing the vast number of needless guns on the streets would be a better way to save US lives? 

   

Maudling Monday

The whole point of Twitter is that people can communicate short messages, often live from the action, and occasionally with pictures.  This rather absurd idea has been a boon in many situations and a bane for MP's and other criminals caught out by it.

Now however Twitter, in a money making desire, have altered the timeline chronology.  No more do the words of wisdom appear in chronological order instead they arrive as Twitter chooses the 'Top Story' for you.  

Pray tell how they know what my top story happens to be at any one moment?

This is a repeat of Facebook's desperate money making as they too insist on offering absurd 'Top stories' if you don't click the right button.  All this does is make a mockery of the whole idea and now the new boss at the top of Twitter is doing the same.  

I have Twitted to him my opinion (@jack I believe is his address) and informed him of my thoughts.  It makes no difference but something needs to be done.  Twitter has an important role in indicating whether football players will be fit for Saturday or not and therefore must be forced to work properly.  They cannot be allowed to continue like this. 

My kind of people!

I was going to go off into a wonderful description of my day but I have been interrupted twice by phone calls on my not very good new ansafone.  At least it works even if only hesitatingly.  Once I begin to understand what all the squiggles mean I will be able to fix the volume, remove the squeaks and work out how to hear the messages.  

This could take some time.  

Instead I am off to watch football bed to prepare for my day at the museum tomorrow.  I need my sleep and wish to be at my best for my public ready to help.  We will be busy as a school will be in, Xmas shoppers not knowing what they want will follow and no doubt some woman will decide to want a day off and dump it on me.
Bah!

Blessed with Mirk

The mirk besieged us today, clouds and rain, mist and dreichness considered us worthy of a visit.  Walking to St Paul's this morning left me soaked with drizzle after a few minutes, however not being one to complain I hobbled on without demur and found shelter there eventually. 
Not much else has happened today.

My ansafone died!  I believe this was caused by the girls at work shrill voices leaving messages for me, they killed it and it refused to accept any messages.  This meant a new one was required, not that these things last more than a few years these days.  So off I trooped to Argos and obtained one selling at half price.  
This was good!  Almost exactly half price and no obvious reason to consider a con was taking place.  So I paid my money, willingly offering my (well) used grubby notes and headed home triumphant.  Here I unpacked, checked the contents and then discovered the brute insisted that only the rechargeable batteries are used.  "OK," said I before I realised they did not include the charger!  All others possess one but this model does not, that was why it was cheap.  Grrr!  Now I have to trace a suitable (non exploding) charger on EBAY.  Not that I have got round to actually setting up this thing.  One look at the instructions made it clear they could have been written in Cantonese as far as I was concerned as they made no sense to me.  They still don't.  Bah!
Tomorrow while I enjoy the continuation of the dark clouds overhead I may spend an hour or two attempting to set this thing up.  I may on the other hand just lie on the floor staring at the ceiling as that will be just as efficient.

Dreich Saturday

This morning the plan was to rise at six thirty, cycle around for a while, visit the fruit & veg man, shop at Tesco and post the last two Christmas cards.  A simple straight forward day.  As I rose just after seven the wireless announced rain, I peered through the condensation soaked windows at the gray clouds and the drizzling rain to confirm their suspicions.  The bike faded from my mind, the veg could wait and I suddenly considered a slow breakfast important.
I eventually managed the shopping, lots of almost but not quite gone off fruit amongst it, one day I might take some of his 'eat quickly' fruit and stick it in a large vessel and let it ferment.  It might turn into a nice fruit liqueur!  Nothing then happened.
It didn't happen later on either.
The last cards entered Royal Mail's keeping, I wandered through Amazon looking for the last two gifts and had to stop myself spending large sums on myself!  Why do they offer books I want but not books I require for others?  I find other shops often have a similar problem.  I am still looking for the other books...

 
I then spent lunchtime watching the Heart of Midlothian up at Aberdeen.  I could have wished the game to have been rained off!  It was not very good.  We eventually lost to a lucky goal.  I spent several minutes in tears then went wandering through the charity shops to cheer myself up.  I succeeded in this the simple way by not spending any money.  That at least was a good thing today.
The rain continues, the clouds promise to remain all week, I promise to keep wearing my 'Bah Humbug! hat at work where it serves a purpose.  I wish I had bought more I could have made a packet selling them!  Bah!
I'm going back to bed...

Free to Be Offended

Donald Trump, you may have heard of him, made some claims the other day on his way to winning the US Presidential election candidature or whatever it is they do in the Wild West.  The world jumped up and down and grumbled.  This has always been the way.  Since Cain slew Abel people have been quick to complain and object to things they disliked.  Here we find politicians rejecting his words (which like me most have not heard) and people demanding he stand down, go away, be banned for the UK and told to keep quiet as they don't like what he said.
Germain Greer, an objectionable Australian woman, made a comment re transgender types (one of today's fashionable set) and found people demanding universities do not allow her to speak, that she apologises, and keeps her trap shut.  Christians are no longer allowed to speak in some universities as they indicate being is not part of Gods plan, they object to abortion also, the secular types and feminist groups tell them to keep quiet and go away.
Freedom of thought is being lost in the UK and the west in general.  People have always objected to others saying things they do not like but today social media spreads such thoughts both for and against, across a wide net.  Thus objecting becomes easier and much, much louder.  
One philosopher and secularist recently spoke on the radio (I forget his name) condemning the ultra secularists who wish to ban all religions.  How, he asks, can anyone have free speech and ban others?  The Nazi's banned free speech by brute force and as the Communist nations did later put a stop to people listening to other wireless broadcasts.  Free speech was free as long as it is ours.
It is strange that we have a petition to ban Trump but as far as I know none to ban the Chinese President nor the Saudi's latest King.  Both nations are bastions of tyranny, torture and great opponents of free speech, much more so than Trump will ever be!  
Donald Trump is a  bumbling rich boy, an uneducated Boris Johnson if you like, he has cunning, money, friends but in the end will fade away.  If the US is as sinful as I think it is it may be God will allow Trump to win, as a punishment!
We must accept anothers viewpoint even if clearly wrong.  I work and live amongst and have lived amongst people of all faiths and none, gay boys and girls, crooks and rogues, foreigners from all over the place and for the most part we got on well enough.  There are always those you do not wish to tolerate, one Scots drunk in the late seventies comes to mind here and people who have opinions and beliefs that are clearly erroneous (we do not get electricity from the ground that keeps us alive) and often plain daft.  We must just try to make the best of it or avoid them as much as possible. 
However should we be banning people from public speaking because their views are offensive?  If they incite hate or violence, here I consider some radical Muslim preachers, they must be stopped but drawing the line is a difficult thing to judge.  Darwin is much praised by secular types but they forget he considered women second class because of their smaller brain (hmmm) and he thought that blacks were also inferior.  Not much of that in the secular world today, no mention of Adolf Hitler a man who lived out his Darwinian beliefs.  
Free speech is not an excuse to hate others, it is not an opportunity to bring others down but it is an opportunity to oppose their ideas just as they oppose yours.  An argument is not a fistfight it is a discussions, with both ears open, to the other viewpoint.  The results will vary but it ought not to lead to abuse.  
Others views may be offensive to us but we, and universities in articular, must not stop people spouting ideas and opinions we dislike.  After all we are not perfect and in the end it is Jesus himself who will judge them, not us.

Another Day of Unsurpassed Joy

Another day of unsurpassed joy eases past.  I walk in this morning and everyone walks out!  No tea, no time to make tea, nobody to relieve me when making tea and thirst threatening to end me by the time someone arrived hours later.  Good job I'm not the complaining type.  As always I was busy and this continued all day.  No lunch break, I had to run to the cafe for a sandwich and stuff myself at my desk while serving people.  Bacon and egg sandwiches are not good at moments like this!  However I was ready when the kids arrived, 45 sweet young things who have not yet learned to wait for their change.  I could have made a small fortune there.  
Of course this means I have little time to myself when I venture home.  Things pile up and await developments but the work has to wait as I am off to work again tomorrow.  One bint has a 'sore back' another is not coming in as she is Christmas shopping (that will make no difference really I say) and I have been persuaded to arrive sometime tomorrow to attend to the next lot of kids.  When do I sleep I asked, "Christmas Day" I was told.  She might be right.

As I awoke this morning, long before any of you lot saw the clouds above us, I caught some of the comments from Trump on the wireless.  It took me a few moments to register as at first I thought it was a spoof of some kind but indeed this was Donald Trump attempting to get elected as President of the USA.

That space was to give us all time to consider what this would mean, lets have another.

Even US loving David Cameron, he of the brain the size of a peanut, even he has allowed his spokesman to indicate he does not think much of Trump.  Lets face it the US has produced many oddities when choosing a President and two at least, Reagan and Dubya, got elected but this one is way too far over the other side to even consider as President, surely?   Of course he will not get elected the establishment will do something that blocks him or hinders his support and he will fade away like other 'B' celebrities.  Already the Republican Party is gathering ideas how to remove him. We know that if elected it would be hard for this country or most others to share info with the US, trade and other dealings may cease and his position would become untenable.  However we know he will not get elected, Trump is clearly too daft even for the USA.

Mind you they said that about Adolf Hitler...

Monday Off

Having done all my Christmas shopping I could sit around all day today, except when back in my bed of course.  The watching people hurtle past the window on their way to work was tiring me so I slept it off.  Later I trundled round on my rusty bike to see my friend at the far reaches off town.  On the way back I stopped on the extremely high bridge I had to cycle, puffing and panting, over and stopped and attempted to capture the bright yet dying sun.  I was intrigued to find how even the electricity pylons look better when the sun shines.  It is true that sunshine makes everything nicer, no matter what time off day.  There is also not much else to look at round that part of the area!  
For some reason the gale force wind has dropped, except when I am cycling as it always faces me, and the sky became clear as the rain clouds passed away in the afternoon.  Considerable heavy rain fell up north and the Carlisle United manager claimed the floodwaters were up to the crossbar on the goalmouth, that's eight feet high you realise, and others have once again found their houses flooded, we can consider ourselves fortunate to live in the 'soft south.'  David Cameron, who's government failed to pay for the complete flood defences newly installed (they were overwhelmed) paid a visit for some PR.  The natives must have been pleased.
Whatever the cause the climate is changing, high flood waters from heavy rain alongside mild Decembers are not the normal run of things.  Certainly snow fell in Scotland but it used to begin in August!  Just be glad you do not live in a sinking South Sea Island, no paradise for them these days.
With my Xmas work complete I sit here awaiting the parcels flooding in, one card arrived today, one parcel promised, hundreds expected! 

Yes my rusty old steed got me down to my mates in record slow time, the remains of the gales were against me.  How nice it was to feel the pains in the knee as I raced slowly up the Eiger like slopes that were in the road, how much nicer to know later that I was almost home when the aches became screaming pains.  However I am now so fit I will be unable to go to work tomorrow!  There in spite of the knees stiffening i will keep smiling and being a light to the world.
The bike however will be resting.

.

The Last Xmas Shop

Rising early I headed for the big bustling town to find my last present.  Naturally the streets were as full as San Jose in sunny Costa Rica just to make the 'Big Issue' sellers feel at home.  Ten million people blocked my path into 'Waterstones' where I found nothing of any use to me.  Once I get the Book Tokens someone somewhere must send me I will go back and find something however to day it meant a shop trawl.  Nothing but some chicken for the freezer and a book from the Cathedral shop.  Nothing for other people, I suppose that is a successful day shopping!
Those in sunny climes may wish to understand the freezing weather was heightened by a gale blowing through the land.  For reasons of mental breakdown they now give such storms name so this one has been called 'Storm Desmond.'  Dear oh dear.  Could they not call it 'Valhalla' or 'Tempest' or such like?  'Desmond?'  It's like uncle Desmond is passing by not a full blown gale that has wiped out most of Scottish football and wrecked parts of the land.  Tsk!

However much to my delight, and for only a £1 I managed to obtain my Xmas hat.  Now let some bunch of cheery Carol Singers pass by and I'll let them know I'm around!  Already the shop staff are gritting teeth while Xmas music plays, already 'When a child is born' has stuck in my head uncalled for for hours, already elbows and have bruises on them, already Tesco shop staff have got Xmas pullovers to wear!  My hat is the ideal for shop folks and I will wear it will joy on Tuesday!  
However I missed my bus!  Bah!!!

At the Cathedral I noticed the Blue Boar above the unused door and wondered why it was there.  I had not noticed this before and possibly someone has painted it or the colour stood out in the gray around us today.  It appears The De Vere's, Duke of Oxford and lots of other lands, and based up the road in Castle Hedingham was involved in the death of one of the violent English imperialist kings, Richard III.  He was bumped off unceremoniously in 1485 and buried under a nearby car park.  He was uncovered and reburied amongst much fuss and ado this year.  His sign was a  'White Boar' so some bright spark caught a white boar and painted it Blue, now 'Blue Boar' pubs and the like abound, but not in the area where Richard arose.  

Now, where's that mulled wine...?
  

Xmas Shopping Joy

I got the free bus down the road today to check out one or two shops looking for one small gift for a woman and lots of big gifts for me.  It was not a good idea.  The bus being empty fooled me into thinking I would avoid the crowds but while not full the peoples that appeared were in Xmas shop attitude.  That is while the music that sadly exists in every shop constantly repeating the same songs over and over again speaking of peace and joy the elbows were out and shoving past to get the half price bargains was in full flow.  The half price bargains themselves fooled me not at all, when something is priced at £24 and it was £19 a few weeks ago I see that not as half price but a con.  It was also noted that shops selling the 'mountain wear' type of clothing priced their items almost identically, no price rigging here I'm sure.

Waiting for the free bus back I was impressed by the light from the sun as it headed towards its bed.  It would have been nice if it had switched the heater on but the sky was a bright yellow under the vast cloud cover.  Possibly the cloud emphasises the brightness best.  I was also impressed by the chap at the bus stop staring had up the road attempting to bring the bus quicker by his staring.  Have you ever done this?  The idea that somehow glaring at the road in the far distance will bring the bus faster appears to me to be a normal practice in this country, possibly it is the same in other 'civilised' nations.
Returning I went through all the charity shops but still have failed to obtain that one last (cheap) present.  I wandered through them all, in spite of the hordes, but not once did I find the suitable or indeed near suitable item.  Really the stock in these shops requires improvement!

Slow Day

The decision to 'Go to war!' as the 'Daily Mail' gently put it has filled the grubby media today, that and the media attack on Jeremy Corbyn.  It is amazing how the middle class BBC liberals are so keen to attack Corbyn.  They are supposedly 'lefties' and I suspect they are afraid of his popular backing.  It would not do to have the people demands seen as important, at least not as important as the middle class 'lefties' demands anyway.  Tsk!  They might not be allowed to tell others what to do.

The world continues as if nothing happened and I followed them by posting two more Xmas packets, cheap gifts for the family, I send Gift Cards and I am real happy 'Poundland' now do them.  The I had an attractive blonde cut my hair and wandered around Tesco.  On the way back I passed the museum so I popped in to say 'Hello.'  Within minutes I was busy at the desk as nobody was in and I had to cover for an hour!  Typical!  I spent some time looking through the 1937 'Kellys' Directory' which lists the people and life of the town at that time.  Ridiculously interesting to see my home was once used as a surgery by a doctor who bought it from a family chap.  He took over the house from a woman who made corsets, that's one way to get around women.  This unexpected diversion, not the corsets, meant I was unable to spend time on my latest exercise regime.  Sadly I had to let that pass. 
Nothing of any moment has passed through my mind or across my consciousness all day.  Whether that is because nothing has or whether it is because I am too dumb to see it today I know not but nothing has happened.  So I suggest you take yourself over to Dave and see his excellent photos taken on his travels.  Well worth a look!  As for me I am downloading the Windows update on the other laptop so that will keep me busy for a while.

Debate!

Daily Mail

I spent much of the day with the Syria debate in the background.  The House of Commons was full of people with something to say about the debate as to whether the RAF ought to be bombing Daesh in Syria as well as in Iraq.  A serious situation which many treated seriously with a bit of banter and finger pointing but on the whole a decent debate.  The two leaders however were very different.  The Prime Minister David Cameron began the debate with a speech high on words but low on conviction.  He was convinced of the need but when questions arose he failed to satisfy.  Last night he spoke to a meeting of Conservative MP's and used the phrase 'Terrorist Sympathisers' on those who wish to vote against his motion.  Today he was asked on several occasions to apologise and he fell into the 'Eton Prefect' mould and ignored the question, it was an act of brazen ignorance which did him and the post of Prime Minister no good whatsoever.  Cameron continues to demand the bombing of Syrian targets (with only eight planes added to the eight we already have there) without civilian casualties or the loss of a plane yet has not given any indication of strategy behind this.  The real reason is keeping in with the 'allies' and getting a seat at the political table.  The bombing will do little to stop Daesh.  The plan remains send in the jets, no further plan is available.  This looks good.

Jeremy Corbyn on the other hand opposes the bombing as he always does yet his performance was poor.  He made his points while constantly and probably deliberately interrupted by Conservative questions and appeared unable to put his case sufficiently.  Both front benches performed badly for differing reasons.   

The short few minutes for speeches from the backbenches were far better.  Many had prepared well, knew what they wished to say and made a decent case for their opinion.  The majority Tories will support the motion, the SNP and many Labour will oppose and David Cameron might well find the easy victory eh expected when he called the debate will not materialise.  He will win but not by a large majority.  The debate continues, time being short speakers now have only three minutes to get their point across!  This is because Cameron insisted on the debate lasting only one day and not two or three as important debates ought to do.  That also has gone against him.

Bombing while allowing financial assistance from Saudi Arabia and Qatar appears daft yet we do this.  No money is being spent on attacking the internet usage by Daesh, no attempt to curb their social media usage, much better to bomb.  The Turks have been buying Daesh oil some say while sending their men to fight the Kurds fighting Daesh!  We have failed to give armour to the Kurds, our best fighting men facing Daesh as this upsets the Kurds!  What a mess we have in front of us and in the end we will see a similar debate when this clown wishes to send our troops in on the ground alongside our allies!

The debate continues.

Duty Done

Having done my duty today, raking in the cash by use of my skilled sales patter and free chocolates, having packed up the residue of the now removed latest exhibition, having done my all and chatted up the girls I made my weary way home.  As the afternoon descended into December gloom I wandered round the corner to the nurse for my second visit having exhausted the pills as ordered.  There she examined my now no longer swollen foot, ran her hand over my calf (that reminded me of something but I canny mind what) and allowed me to go my way almost back to normal.
This pleased me as taking tablets that must be taken on an empty stomach is not easy.  The plan is to leave gaps between eating long enough to please the makers but short enough to ensure you get fed properly.  This is not easy as i found when I discovered my head was not working.  I had got confused and forgot to eat again.  This was a small thing in the medical world just imagine what those taking three or more differing tablets each day must go through.  How glad I am also we still have a NHS in spite of the Tories attempts to ruin it!  This would have cost me a small fortune for two visits and a couple of prescriptions, only the conservative Party could consider the US system worth trying!  Just imagine being seriously ill, just ask Jerry!
On the way back I attempted to take one or two pics with the wee camera of the brighter Xmas lights.  Nothing special in the town but I was happy with this one of the buildings across the park.  The world is a different place at night, once the traffic noise dies down and people run for home.  Of course you do get some funny looks from those that do walk the streets at night but I am used to that in the daytime anyway.  

 

A Special Day

Today as you all realise is a special day, St Andrews Day!  Now I will not wax lyrical about Scots superiority as I don't wish for you to feel inferior, even though as non Scots you are, so Iwill pass this day in a simple manner.  
The ticket above celebrates the first ever football international which was played in Glasgow in 1872. This date is so long ago even our friend Mike Smith was not in attendance!  The score between the Scots heroes and the imperialist upper class twits was 0-0.  This shows how good their goalkeeper had been during the game.  Such internationals between the only two nations playing in such organised football matches became an annual event, one year in England the next in the land of the free.  This continued until during the 1970's the glory of the encounter wore off and Scotland began to look at the wider football world and saw meetings with then 'Auld enemy' of little meaning.  Of course some wish to bring back this game but with the wider scope of football today Scots would be better playing European sides and developing young players, especially in what were once called 'B' internationals.  
In spite of much weeping and gnashing of teeth I only managed to attend  two of these games, both at Hampden Park, Glasgow.  The first finished in a 1-1 draw and I was placed high in what we term the 'Rangers End' under cover from the rain and surrounded by drunken wee Glasgow neds.  The result meant we failed to qualify for the European Championships that year and we were somewhat surprised by the wee neds bursting into drunken tears at the end.  The result meant a lot to drunken Rangers fans in those days.  
We left, I say 'we' but I have no memory of whom I attended the game alongside, we left and made our way down the dangerous slippery slopes and turned to our right heading for the bus.  The one little difficulty here was the stream of thousands from the other end who were making their way to the left.  We crossed though this far from merry throng and followed the right crowd in the right direction.  As we got halfway down we passed one of the common sights in Glasgow at the time, one somewhat imbued individual standing facing the masses heading in the direction directly opposite to he himself.  naturally you and I would move to the correct crowd and follow their movement this joker stayed where he was and by swinging his arms and misusing industrial language requested the thousands to move and let him past.  He may still be there, trampled into the tarmac!    
The next time I managed to get a ten shilling ticket was two years later in 1972, the price had not gone up much in one hundred years you notice so I suspect the early one shilling fee was intended to put off the rougher element.  1972 gave us the second only 0-0 draw in one hundred years of football.  I was there - in 1972 that is.  It was not a great game, the loudest cheer came when the Ayrshire Drum Majorettes (aged between 8 and 80) appeared at half time, short skirts and swinging long sticks, marched in time to the music to the far end of the ground, faced the crowd and went down on one knee.  I believe seven at least had heart attacks at that moment.  There was little else to consider.  Of course I was with three others, one, with an English accent that came from being brought up down south, one with an Edinburgh accent wishing England would score and two of us trying to make sure these two did not get too close to Rob Roy MacGregor wearing the 'See You Jimmy' cap and confused drunken expression just in case he lashed out.  The other joy of Hampden in those days was ensuring you stood between the crush barriers.  These tended to collapse with age and with 137,500 tickets handed in (only 135,000 had been printed by the organisers) and you stood where you would survive if one or other went.  
We avoided the crush afterwards by heading into town, amongst the crush.  This meant waiting next to a police horse slavering at both ends with one of Glasgow's finest psychpathic polis sitting upon it.  The joys of football crowds!  Today all has changed.  The slippery slopes have been replaced, seating is compulsory for safety reasons and only 50,000 or so attend.  Some wish to bring back standing at football matches because of a rose tinted view of the past, I say no, not for any crowd over 5000, it is just to dangerous.
So we celebrate St Andrew in the usual Scots way, we mention it and just get on with life.  Not like the drunken Irish who celebrate St Patrick ( a Welshman) who they care little about nor the English who's imperialism wishes to bring back a celebration of St George, a man born in Armenia!  I wonder if they would let him in as a migrant?
Happy St Andrews Day anyway.

Nothing to Say

I have nothing to say so here is a picture of a fishing boat at Dunbar I took back in the 80's.  These wee craft were out in the Firth of Forth collecting lobster nets, just to the right there were lots newly landed.  Fishing in the Forth or out into the North Sea has been going on for millenia but it has always been a dodgy business.  The weather and sea together are bad enough but now the dying stocks and the various rules have killed the fleets.  Not that I would eat lobster, the cruel manner of cooking is disgusting and anyway shellfish are not for me, give me fins and scales. Not that I was offered anything but dirty looks by the local natives, their appreciation of tourists was not great.
 
Dunbar has been around for some time, the small castle ruins has seen some excitement with various Kings and Queens passing through, none were there to greet my travels I must say.  Since the Votadini came down from the hills above and settled in this spot the town has seen two major battles, lots of small ones, the castle slighted and folks killed left right and centre.  The population today is a few thousand, there might have been more if they did not keep getting caught in fights!
It is thought St Cuthbert was born here or in this area and worked as a shepherd until joining the monastery at Melrose.      

This is a picture of the sea.
I post this for those of you who live inland miles fro the sea as you may not be aware of its existence. One thing to note is that it is wet, very wet, and walking upon it is not advised.  It does take up a vast proprotion of the palnet however and is full of fish, sea creatures, boats and plastic rubbish we threw awayand now floats around as a danger to sea life, shipping and us.  Most of the fish is probably poisoned with something or other, these lobsters also. These creatures like all shelfishw ere intended to scavenge and clean up the sea that is why folks were not supposed to eat them, pigs and the like were doing the same on land.  I suspect no amount of shellfish could save the sea today.

However this guy appears happy with his lot, how about you?

Nature Day

After a refreshing and very long sleep I awoke bleary eyed too late to rush in early to help prepare the day at the museum.  So I slowly trudged down the road shivering in the cold air and took my place as far from the hard work as possible.  The tables were laid out as several local peoples were displaying their wares.  This table was run by a couple who deal in fossils and such like.  Very interesting but sadly too few people arrived today.  This table had a tin full of very old sharks teeth the kids were encouraged to fiddle with, they like it!  

    
This young lady ran a stall on behalf of 'Guide dogs for the Blind.'  She was escorted by two dogs, one retired from duty and a four month old Labrador who is undergoing training.  Both were popular!

The dogs were happy enough and keen on attention, a bit like the lassies I meet here!
The weather meant the town was quieter than normal today and with several other events on their way elsewhere it hit our numbers but enough came to keep us busy.  Several groups who support local Gardens or Wildlife efforts were in attendance and there were four talks by people on John Ray the naturalist who led the world in understanding plants.  he lived just outside town in Black Notley and The John Ray Society were also there to talk about his life.  I never met him as he lived in the 1600s and I was not here then.

I need not explain that muggins was the one who spent much time washing cups after this lot left!
I will have 'washday hands' soon.  Some very nice and enthusiastic people were there with a lot of knowledge of their subject.  Hopefully a similar event will occur but preferably in the Spring which would be better for all.  Now we just have the run up to Christmas, oops no we don't, there is an event tomorrow as the town switches its Christmas lights on and we and most others will be open and offering something or other.
With all this festive jollity, happy faces, laughter and pleasantness I can assure you I will be at home looking out my 'Bah Humbug' hat!