Wasting Away on the Laptop

Having spent much of the weekend watching the Scottish Cup semi finals and wasting much emotion on them at that by Sunday afternoon I was in need of fresh air and sunshine.  I strolled through the gardens talking to the pretty girls who flocked around me (oh yes they did!) and eventually landed up in the Congregational churches graveyard. 
There, you may be surprised to know, were no young ladies waiting for me, I at least was surprised.  The use of this ground for burials I suspect this has gone on since the late 1700's but the oldest stones are worn and it is not possible to make out details.  Early 19th century abound but maybe by then tombstones were in fashion and money available.  The Puritan work ethic ensured many of those found here came from reasonably well of backgrounds and the fear of grave robbers, the 'Ghouls,' led to many a huge block of stone being erected over the grave.  I suspect a wee bit of pride and position may also have helped here. 
The yard has many of those who once worshipped in this place including two of the preachers themselves, one of whom lasted a great many years as the minister.  One day they will all rise one again to be with the maker who died for them.
They had their troubles.  The gravestone above features a lad who died aged eleven, further down is Alfred his brother who managed a mere five months.  His mother was the fathers second wife called Elizabeth. The first wife, Mary, having seen five children from her first marriage die before her, along with her brother father and mother, produced two children for her second husband.  She attempted to produce another five, and all at one go a few years later and by this time she was in her forties however all five died probably within hours of birth.
It may be she ran away as at the moment all I find indicates she appears to live on and move to the USA where she died in 1802.  However her second husband our man John marries again in 1795!  He appears to have been a wealthy farmer so I may have to investigate this as it took a court order to get a divorce in those days.  Who knows what was going through the heads of the people involved.  The second wife by the way was sister to the first!
You think life today is confusing?
The second wife, Mary, produced eleven children, one who died in 1821 buried here and the last, Alfred who lasted five months also here.  How many of the others survived is as yet unknown however the stone contains the name Ruth a 'well beloved wife' who died in 1842 aged 35 indicating this was one of her daughters.  However it shows that the rich and the poor could produce children, indeed required to do so as the kids needed to survive to look after the old folks but all faced great risks while doing so.  This is fine if sufficient money is coming in but even the hard working wealthier families suffered hardships. Bad weather ruined crops and our man John as a farmer could lose heavily this way.  Poorer folks suffered when there was no work to pay them and all suffered ill health and little medicine available to help.  There are so many sicknesses today we cannot cure what chance those in the early eighteen hundreds?
The early registers of birth marriage and death were looked after in local churches, both Anglican and Non Conformist.  The minister lying buried here among his people had the job of filling out the details of every burial and most would be of people he was close to, both young and old.  The wear and tear on his heart must have been hard for him and his wife, she too would know them well.

Well that cheery bit of research got very confusing.  All those folks getting married, breeding like rabbits, losing one or two here and there and marrying again if need be.  The children growing up having similar fortune, not that I have researched them too much - it's getting dark!  
Of course the thing I ought to have been researching is sitting here staring daggers at me, I choose to ignore this.  I must ignore this and indeed all those other jobs that I ought to have done today.  There were quite a lot of those and I suspect I will be busy later this week, unless something comes up.

This is Good!

 

How lovely to see the steam, the smoke, the grime of the nineteen fifties, 

although I am not actually sure when this film was made! 

April Showers or Deluge?

 

Late yesterday afternoon there was a flash followed by a clap of nearby thunder.  The heavens opened and rain hurtled down like money out of a politicians secret offshore account.  Soon afterwards this particular storm moved away and normal heavy continuous rain fell.  It was still falling this morning and ceased only near lunchtime.  

Not long ago it began once again just after I noticed the 'Yellow Warning' on the weather forecast.  The 'Yellow Warning' warns of the 'likelihood' of heavy rain!  Jolly good of them to tell us after it has begun!  The present rain will continue all evening, all night and well into the morning limiting my time to run for the fruit and veg and those other things I require, mostly broken things needing repair.  

April indeed always brings rain, a gift from left over US hurricanes, and they say this 'brings the violets that bloom in May.'  It better!  There has been sufficient incentive for blooms to fill the park opposite ten times over.  

This weather, plus the holes in my cheap shoes, forces me to do the jobs requiring fixing indoors, so far I appear to have failed in this regard being held back by a sudden attack of sloth.  Once the housework had been sloppily done this morning I returned to more important study and found I was asleep.  Then I had lunch, followed by siesta, and as I was unable to go out I have been forced to spend time looking for a suitable version of 'April Showers' and that took long enough.

Now I slowly degenerate while planning my healthy veg led evening repast - with chips!

 ibt

The free government propaganda that costs the nation some £9 million to print and deliver fell through the door to the delight of the postman the other day.  Posties use to get paid six pence for every election leaflet they delivered and while the Royal mail has fiddled this to some extent they will get something for delivering these.  They are the only people happy with the leaflet.

A petition demanding a House of Commons debate on this leaflet requires 100,000 signatures before it can be enacted. It has at least 108,000 so far.  I expect a debate will be on offer late one Friday night, the Commons is always empty at that time.

The leaflet, a wee booklet indeed, is David Cameron propaganda telling us to vote to stay part of the EU.  Those opposing the Governments right to make use of public funds in this way (telling us it could be spent on the NHS, something they have not done themselves up till now) are those who wish to leave the EU and make Britain great again by standing alone in the world.   

Who is right?

I truly don't know as the information regarding the EU is always bent to suit whoever is supplying it.  How much does it cost us?  How much do we get back?  What about the many advantages and disadvantage being a member or not brings or takes away?  No-one appears to know or attempt to inform the rest of us.  

Certainly there are many occurrences that make continuing membership a problem, control of borders, forced to obey daft laws, vast wastage of money going down the drain - or peoples pockets. However working together can only be good in so many ways and it would be wrong not to work with Europe.  So what to do?  Listen to the little englanders hating Europe because the French are there and they want to bring back the Empire, send the immigrants home, and have the lower orders know their place?  Or do we vote for Cameron and stay ruled by overpaid unknowns in Europe while Cameron sells the nation to his friends sends the migrants to Europe and forces the lower orders to know their place?

It's all so confusing innit?

I might read that leaflet later....

 

The Worker

Yesterday I left about 9:30 and noticed this van parked here.  I returned around two in the afternoon and the driver was still sitting here dozing in the cab.  Nothing had changed, no amendments to the road, no other vehicles, nothing.

Then just as the 'rush hour' was ending, the word 'rush' is not be taking literally here, the man got out of the cab and started laying out the temporary lights as seen.  Had he been there all day waiting until six thirty you ask?  It appears so I answer.  

Today I noticed he was still parked there and appeared to have been there all night.  About ten thirty, just after I photographed him he left, scared of MI5 I suspect but he returned later and now sits there bored as can be waiting and waiting while the lights control the traffic.

I wonder why?

Only one part of the road that I can see has been tarmacked over and that is about ten feet by four.  Has he been there all this time for this?  Say nay!  Interestingly I have heard no noise of machinery replacing bad bits of road.  No noise as potholes are filled, no noise whatever.  

I am left wondering who pays for this?  The County Council that's who, and I suspect they know this is going on.  Is this operator a private functionary?  I suspect so, this explains his willingness to sit here for hours doing nothing and not even make use of a mobile phone.  

Maybe I have missed something here, maybe this is a police operation spying on some bad bloke or other.  Wait a minute, who is that looking through my window....? 

The 'Lyon'

Today, if it takes your fancy you can fly from Heathrow airport to Boston in less than eight hours, not counting time wasted at either airport.  In the early 1630's it tended to take a wee bit longer, sailing ships taking four to twelve weeks to make the crossing.  However I read today that between 1620 and 1640 some twenty thousand people traversed the Atlantic in search of a new life no matter how perilous the voyage.
The ship the 'Lyon,' seen here in an old picture of a model of the ship, crossed to New England in 1630, 1631 and 1632 taking mostly 'puritan' families to the new world.  Many were indeed escaping religious persecution, England, and I mean 'England' as Scotland was still a free nation at this time although the 'union of the crowns' had occurred when James VI & I took the English throne as well as the Scots one, and many in England were suffering under Charles Ist rather unusual Romanesque religion.  Preachers lost the right to speak if they tended towards the evangelical, some were jailed and others roamed the land preaching where they could and when invited.
The towns of Braintree & Bocking contained around about five thousand souls altogether yet some eight hundred met in a farmers barn rather than attend the Anglican service as it was not to their liking.  Essex as a county tends to be somewhat rebellious by nature.  In 1381 during the 'Peasants Revolt' many from this area were among the first to join in ensuring the monarchs sheriff met his end not far from here.  When books of the bible were first translated into local dialect by William Tyndale a priest in Colchester was among the first burnt at the stake for making use of the translation.  A William Pygot and several others met similar fate here also not long afterwards.  You see when people read the bible, both old and new testament it changes them, this frightens those who are established in power!  Monarchs tending towards Rome see this as a threat to their position and even today many churches fear evangelicals as the truth exposes others lies.
Not all were totally honest regarding their religious beliefs however, it cost a great deal to find a place crushed together below decks on such a boat and only the wealthy could afford to travel.  Many were hopeful to pray their own way in the new world and make a few bucks at the same time.  It often appears to me that making bucks is what many US citizens believe is the 'All American Way' rather tan freedom of opinion!  Certainly some would have dreamed dreams of wealth and freedom in their new land while still others, especially the young saw adventure and a new life ahead.

On board the 'Lyon' in 1632 the Master William Pierce, an experienced sailor who had made this journey many times, took some one hundred and twenty three passengers and probably around forty five or so for a crew.  There would be around 1500 gallons of water, 15,000 gallons of beer as the water tended to go off while beer did not, oats, cheese, beef, oil and butter plus a variety of foodstuffs, with candles, soap as well as a variety of weapons to deal with any bad boys that came along, cannon, muskets, swords etc.
The westerly winds ensured a longer voyage was required.  In 1632 the 'Lyon' waited several weeks before a suitable wind arose and carried them south to the Cape Verde Islands from where supplies could be obtained.  Then there came the ten to fourteen days sail across the Atlantic heading north of the West Indies and up the coast of the Americas.  
On this occasion not one individual was lost bar the ships carpenter who was washed away by the sea when working on the outside of the ship, all others survived in good health.  One hundred and twenty three passengers including fifty children and sixty men landed in Boston in September 1632 after a twelve weeks long voyage.  
This area of what was to become the United States soon became dotted with towns named after East Anglian ones, Braintree, Boston and Cambridge the obvious ones and the settlers soon spread themselves around the area moving on to other places when the town or the townspeople were not to their liking.  Many famous people and organisations grew out from these men, Harvard was one and much later both John Adams and his son became Presidents of the United States.  A man from north of Braintree, Essex settled in the US and a descendent who studied a type of medicine considered a method of catching sunshine and feeding the people in his sanatorium.  After much research Dr Kellog produced his Corn Flakes and started a fad that continues to this day.  A descendant recently visited the Essex area from where they began.  One visitor to the museum informed me that some three million people claim descent from those who travelled on the 'Lyon' on one of her trips to the New World, I hope they don't all come calling at the same time! 
Where the ship was built is unknown and what happened to her later is also unclear.  Her Master William Pierce made a home in the Boston but on a trip to the Bahamas Group in 1641 he was killed by the Spaniards.  Early settlers had troubles all around from the nature of the land, opposition from residents, severe winters and in some cases the Spanish to the south.  They remained of course and possibly one of my readers may be descended from the travellers in this ship.

Blethering

There is nothing to say.
The weekend has been filled with football and little else.  Once only did I venture out into the real world, Tesco's and the fruit & veg man were calling, and naturally it rained on me.  I was somewhat displeased.  Having decided to remain indoors with the football the sun came out and I was more displeased.
The football was not that exciting, having watched the Heart of Midlothian dispose of Aberdeen in the usual manner on Friday night all other games have less meaning.  The overblown English games have large crowds, huge salaries but little meaning for me in comparison to any Scots game.  
So I have sat here with a somewhat thick head, thicker than usual that is, somewhat weary also and being stimulated only by the desire to get rid of the blasted 'Cortana' effect from Win 10. 
This is an item that they claim helps you, we know its main purpose is to inform the CIA of your every movement and that in doing so it takes up a third of the memory and anything else it can get hold off.  Quite what some CIA worker in downtown Washington would make of the balderdash he would find on here intrigues me.  I can see him working his way through my postings at the end of a busy week leaving him depressed and desperate for a transfer to Afghanistan or the Yemen.  As I peruse my scribblings I an tempted to join him.
Cortana cannot be removed, another example of Microsoft loving care, however some say there are ways to disable the brute, changing the name on the file for instance but that has failed for me today.  The waste of the memory is annoying.  I suppose this stimulates the mind and prevents the brain stiffening up, that may be too late in this house of course, so I will keep trying to kill it.

There has been some talk regarding footballers from the sixties who now suffer from dementia or some similar problem.  These men began playing football during the thirties, forties and fifties at a time when the ball used in football was a leather ball blown up sometimes the night before, and the ball sealed with laces to keep it round and neat.  Of course pitches were not so well cared for in the past, wet and muddy was not uncommon at most grounds and some deliberately made it worse because their players were big men who could cope.  The ball weighing in at one pound soon soaked up the water and weighed at least two pounds on many occasions.  The style of football, especially at lower levels, was simply to hoof it as high and far as possible, a tactic still used by Hibernian to this day, the result being the central defenders and centre forwards tended to head the ball all to often.  I read of one man in what I think was then the third division north being ordered by his doctor to stop playing as he had headed the ball so much in one game it was now unwise to continue.  This brown leather ball, the 'filly' is now considered to be the cause of many players suffering dementia.  Most people who used it, including I myself, found that getting hit in the face with this ball soon led to unconsciousness.
Late in the fifties the coated 'T-Ball' was introduced and soon after the 'Mitre' ball became standard everywhere.  These white balls were coated and somewhat resistant to gathering water and much safer for the players.  Today much research has gone into the ball and the effects cannot be considered similar to the days of the 'filly.'  However heading the ball, an idea introduced by a Scotsman as all today's football innovations were, continues and it is possible banging your head on a ball can cause problems in later life.
However many men who played sixty or more years ago have not lost their minds.  Many are still sharp, wise and knowledgeable, so why the difference?  Could it be age affects us in differing ways?  Is it our eating habits, hereditary or some other cause that leads to dementia?  Many women who have not played or headed a ball suffer thus so there is great need for research and in my view no need as yet to stop people using their heads.  It is sad however when men once seen as fit footballers end their lives this way.

The recent fuss about David Cameron's tax dodging has meant leaders of various parties now rush to show their tax returns and how squeaky clean they are.  Not all have done so and the majority of Cameron's cabinet have not made any effort to do so, not until they have moved their cash from Panama anyway.  Cameron has to explain why his mum gave him two gifts of £200,000 and explain why this was not done to avoid tax, which it clearly was, and why his father had £10 million but only left £3 million in his will, where is the other £7 million David?
And when we are on why is it his wife has an 'advisor' to help with her hair and outfits, an advisor who earns almost £53, 000 a year? 
These tax queries may yet bring an end to the career of the worst Prime Minister we have ever had, however the question remains who will replace him and will anything change if he does go?

A Fool & His Money...

There is only limited coverage of the immigration crisis these days.  The right wing media, which in the UK is almost all of the media, is more concerned with ‘Brexit,’ that is the referendum vote concerning the UK’s membership of the EU.  David Cameron, who you will sadly recall is Prime Minister, has decided to send each and every one of us a 14 page document telling us why we need to remain part of the EU.  This is indeed one of the PM’s ‘PR stunts’ and dwelling on all the previous ones I suggest this one will fail as badly as they.

Indeed spending some £9 million on this can be considered upsetting to those like George Osborne the Chancellor who believe in ‘austerity,’ that is spending nothing on the people unless there is something in it for us.  Of course the ‘Brexit’ lobby are up in arms.  They see this as a biased one sided document so unlike the thin bits of paper they have been sliding under our doors recently.  The thin bits of paper reflect the Brexit lobby have not got £9 million of government money to put their own biased view over to the public.

Having watched the Scottish referendum and the abuse of democracy noted there can these people, who participated happily in that bias, now object to seeing the same used against themselves?  Tsk!

The immigrants?  They are still in the mess where they were left but are not 'newsworthy' at the moment.  Don't worry they will return when some editor decides he can make use of them.

 Wiki

The only other matter to fill the pages is the not very surprising news that rich people have been hiding their millions in tax dodging Panama banks.  The leak of millions of pages detailing famous peoples cash reserves in one sense does not surprise, the only question is how many have not been named by the media who have seen the papers?  These folks often forget to name all the names, especially if they are their bosses.  

Our favourite PR stuntman is once again involved.  His father, now deceased, placed a great deal of money there, David claims not to have earned a penny from this.  He forgot to mention his mother (who lost her job with Oxford Council because of David’s cuts) his mother has money in another tax haven which he will benefit from when she goes. Now David has admitted he sold such shares when he became PM for a mere £30,000 and paid tax, he claims, and has no other tax dodging to speak off.

Hmmm we will see in due course.

 TIM

What is it that such people get from their money?  What can you do with umpteen millions?  You by houses, you care for friends and family and then what?  Do a deal to get another ten million?  Every so often we read of people doing just this and always ensuring they pay the least tax on their cash.  If they paid tax would it hurt them?  Paying £2 million tax and having a mere £18 million left to spend, would this hurt much?  How can you spend such amounts? 

Money is required but we put inordinate trust in money.  By having loads we can never be hurt, at least that is the idea.  However it fails all too often.  The recent crash cost many their homes as they spent too much and had too little to cover the loss.  This was caused not by buying homes required but homes and cars they wanted rather than needed.  Some lost everything. 

One man has won £35 million on the Lottery, I hope he keeps his mouth shut!  The media will follow him for ever now if he admits his cash.  So will many chancers after their share.  The clever man will buy what he needs wisely and make sensible use of the rest, keeping quiet about it all the way.

Daft Baddies

I read today of a daftie, a man who attempted to burgle a house in Colchester and failed miserably.  Now there are many ways of failing to rob a house but this is one of the simplest.  This 32 year old thought he was clever but instead of getting into the house, when the householder was at home, he managed to get caught up in the security chain at the door and impaled his finger thereon.
He was still there when the police turned up, with a screwdriver, to release him. His excuse was that he 'heard a woman in distress inside' and wished to aid her.
The police disbelieved him and he instead pleaded guilty.
Having been treated at the local hospital (one with a bad reputation so that served him right) he now has the delight of not having to pay rent for 33 months as he is being kept at 'Her Majesty's Pleasure.'
Another chap was parked in a petrol station late at night and this aroused the suspicions of the local bobbies.  On investigating they found a 52 years old man with around 40 wraps of various drugs, much of which was concealed in his underwear.  I would have thought carrying such stuff required care and an effort not to be suspicious?  He got three years!
You could, if you were 19 and not very bright, carry what looks like an imitation firearm and try to rob a village shop.  This goes wrong when the shopkeeper throws you out and you end up doing three years among similarly brain dead youths.  
These guys, and they are all men so far, are not so bad as the boy some years ago who robbed a shop and ran home the fifty yards to his house.  As he was well known, did not hide his face and lived fifty yards from the shop you may be surprised to know he went to jail.
Earlier this year two men were given suspended sentences for drug dealing by a somewhat naive female judge.  Within the hour both were laughing at her and in a somewhat crude manner suggesting what she ought to do now they had been 'let off.'  Sadly this information got to the judges ears and she recalled them to court, lifted the 'suspended' part of the sentence and locked them up for a year or two.  Social media has its uses but dafties who make use of it often fail.
In Wales a man broke into a Post Office and ran off with lots of money.  Just his luck that when he tried to buy a car the seller would not accept £1000 in £1 coins, he thought the bag weighing in at near 10 kilos a bit much.  He called the cops and soon afterwards out intellectual was inside for two years.
In Newcastle a bright spark targeted a first floor flat but being wearied by his exploits fell asleep on the sofa.  The owners returned  and found him snoring away so left him there, called the police and they woke him up.  The hero had been taking drugs during the day and nodded off while loading up a bag of swag.  This was his sixth burglary and 95th offence so he is now on holiday for two years.  
Some years ago when Videos were new a taxi driver in a northern town saw a man late at night with a VCR under his arm.  He asked where he got it and was told to mind his own business.  Not long afterwards he encountered the man again and mentioned the VCR and was informed it had nothing to do with him.  However when a constable passed by the taxi driver mentioned the gentleman in question and indicated his tattoo perched upon the man's forehead.
"Oh that's Headbanger Henry Smith" they said.
Later at Headbanger Henry Smiths house the police collected the VCR, which did not belong to Henry and mentioned that one way to get caught was to have tattooed upon your forehead the phrase 'Headbanger Henry Smith.'
I suspect he still roams the streets at night even now.

It Was a Long Time Ago

TNB

On the fourth of April 1964, long before my readers were born, the world's greatest rock group found they had not only records (ask your parents kids) taking the top five places in the US 'Billboard Top 100' but they had twelve records there in the singles chart.  

The top five works of genius were:-  

"Can't Buy Me Love"
"Twist and Shout"
"She Loves You"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"Please Please Me"

I'm sure we all agree this was 'pop music' at its best.  Not just 'pop' but poetic insight revealing the heart of the adolescent teenage trauma.  

"I Saw Her Standing There"
"You Can't Do That"
"All My Loving"
"Roll Over Beethoven"
"From Me To You"
"Do You Want To Know A Secret"
"Thank You Girl"

The musical influences on the Beatles as they grew up were often American.  From the ships docking in Liverpool many men brought home records bought in New York and other ports, often black music ignored by the white dominated radio and television of the time.  These records featuring John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Howling Wolf soon left their mark on the youth in Liverpool who found such discs falling into their hands.  The young musicians of the time slowly developed their own style and once under the guidance of Brian Epstein the clean, friendly, humorous and talented act that was the Beatles emerged to change the world.

Their influence was total and not just in music.  The changing world of the sixties enabled them to indulge their musical experiments while the death of Epstein left them somewhat alone in the recording world but also able to develop new lines in music.  It is interesting to note how different were their individual musical influences, the variety of opinions amongst them and how in the end a break up was inevitable.  George has long since died, John was shot amazingly 35 years ago!  Yet his influence, not always an intelligent influence, continues today.  Paul the girlies favourite managed to remain alive even though many feel the wrong Beatle got shot and Ringo continues his 'Peace and Love' lifestyle in Los Angeles, far from the two up two down wee house he grew up in.  

1964 is Fifty two years away!  52 years!  Alas poor Yorik....

A Cough in the Park

With the sun shining, the sky blue I took my cough across to the gardens to see some Spring.  This was the furthest I've roamed for weeks and it was a typical English Spring day, cold!  There was warmth in the air when the wind ceased but as it failed to cease much and blew from the east it hurled a chill at those fooled into thinking it was Summer.  When does Spring start and end I ask?  The official date appears to vary with metrologists and various others disputing what starts when.  I suppose in the UK it makes no difference anyway, it will not resemble a tropical land anytime soon.  
One thing that was clear was the Englishman's desperate desire to take his clothes off!  Not too bad today but all around I saw men and a few women in T-shirts when the weather was not yet warm enough for this, I helpfully coughed loudly in their direction to inform them of their next couple of weeks endurance test. 

Our cretinous leaders have pulled a great one this week.  Not that long ago they opposed tariffs on Chinese steel imports as George Osborne was desperate to get his hands on the Chinese cash, now said steel is flooding the market and 15,000 UK jobs will be lost.  Not only but also the steel produce still made in the UK will now have tariffs of around 42%  placed on it by the Chinese!
Selling the nation to the Chinese, Russians or Arabs of any type appeared to be a winner for George Osborne, now like almost everything else he touches it is falling apart.  Poor George his hopes of becoming Prime Minister are fading.

 
How nice to see the daffodils swaying in the wind today.  So many varieties of one flower were on view.  The council ones were darker and brighter than those planted long ago by the gardener in what once was a school garden but individual daffs seen in a variety of gardens had various shades of yellow.  None I suspect were similar to those seen by the poet that time up in the hills of the Lake District, those would be wild daffodils and not the type manipulated by green fingered peoples in greenhouses.  Such a variety of yellows, as indeed there were varieties of green to be seen.  Soon however the buds which have appeared will blossom and the world will smile once more.


"I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD"

          I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
          That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
          When all at once I saw a crowd,
          A host, of golden daffodils;
          Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
          Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

          Continuous as the stars that shine
          And twinkle on the milky way,
          They stretched in never-ending line
          Along the margin of a bay:                                  10
          Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
          Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

          The waves beside them danced; but they
          Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
          A poet could not but be gay,
          In such a jocund company:
          I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
          What wealth the show to me had brought:

          For oft, when on my couch I lie
          In vacant or in pensive mood,                               20
          They flash upon that inward eye
          Which is the bliss of solitude;
          And then my heart with pleasure fills,
          And dances with the daffodils.
                                                              1804.   William Wordsworth

The 'Hish' of Sound

sf

It was as I was staring blankly at the blue sky outside when I heard it.  I slowly became aware of a 'hishing' sound and there appeared no good reason for there to be one.  Slowly I moved to the back window where I discovered the 'hishing' was a vast quantity of hailstones that were hammering down.  Only then did they make an appearance at the front of the house by which time it was too late for those unfortunate to be out and about at the time.  The big black cloud had sneaked silently in from the east and deposited the contents without warning.  Only the sound made me aware.  

At the museum we have been offering this body science exhibition in which people can test their senses, eyes, ears etc and very popular this have proved to be.  The only one I really had a go at was the hearing test.  This comprises listening to first one ear and then the other turning a dial and increasing the high pitched note while reading the score.  My left ear, my best one, scored 7500 which the other scored 12,500, which is near normal for my age.  Something is wrong somewhere.

The sound of the hailstones got em thinking about hearing. It was said men working in noisy factories using great steam hammers could hear a pin drop.  I am far from sure that is true but what is noticeable is the ability to hear a different noise from one loud noise constantly endured.  A mother can do the opposite by ignoring her screaming brat yet hear gossip perfectly well.  When you are used to loud noise a strange noise intrudes and stands out no matter how loud the original noise.  This may not happen on each occasion but has happened to me, often waking me up at work. As rush hour has passed the world returns to a slower pace and the sounds do also.  In between the occasional cars, controlled by far off lights, a gap appears allowing silence for a moment.  The last bird sings its song, footsteps pass, a distant dog delights to be rolling in wet grass then the short line of vehicles once more drown out the world.

I used to enjoy working nights at Maida Vale, as long as it remained quiet.  The distant sounds of an occasional nurse tending to a patient, footsteps in the corridor above, and the early morning cry as the 'Dawn Chorus' begins the day long before any other.  The silence was there to enjoy at least until seven when people poured in or out ready for the new day.  

Sometimes I am very glad I still have enough hearing to enjoy life, I would hate to be deaf I would miss so much.

 

It Was 20 Years Ago Today...

It was twenty years ago today that I entered this domicile, as I remember at the Easter weekend that year.  Twenty years, almost as long as the time I spent in London, longer than most murderers serve these days in this country, longer than many folks marriages last.  
That Easter weekend I turned up to discover there are many differences from living in a bustling city, as I always had done, and existing in a small market town out in the sticks!  One such was the electric meter, this was at that time paid weekly by a card system to stop folks running away and leaving the lights on for the landlord to pay.  I had no card.  My limited memory tells me I had two £1 cards which didn't get much electric in an all electric house and somehow I discovered the Post Office was the place to go.  The long weekend was on us and electric was useful at this time so cheerfully I waited for ever in the queue to be told things had changed and none could be given out till Tuesday next week, I forget the reason why.  That somewhat chilly Easter Weekend, it is usually chilly at Easter, I spent an enormous amount of time trying to conserve the limited power I had.  
For reasons which I forget I discovered and emergency button which allowed me a free  £5 of power to be paid later, I grabbed this with both hands, the same hands I wrapped around a candle in a vain effort to keep warm in the dark at night. 
A long weekend that was, eventually Tuesday arrived and I managed to obtain the new cards for the meter.  How lovely to switch the wall heaters on!  How lovely to eat hot food without watching the clock!  Ah well things settled down and twenty years on the meter is paid monthly, the gas fired central heating while expensive works well, life is settled in some ways and this boring little town which at first I thought had closed down has become home.  The day I walked down 'The Avenue' listening to the birds singing and watching the blue sky above I realised it was not such a bad place after all.  Getting old and no longer interested in the false flashiness of city life, the bright lights here I admire are the ones that stop the traffic so I can cross, may have had something to do with it but in the end this town had all I wished for.  Local doctors, supermarkets, rail & bus, all that was missing was a church and a woman to do the laundry.  The last two have still not arrived.  

So today I arose feeling considerably better than I have done for weeks, I slept until nine, I arose and coughed my way through to the east wing to contemplate cleaning up some of the mess I have left behind me.  It was time to celebrate the twenty years, time to remind the Landlords lassie how long I had been here, time to remind his workmen how many cups of tea they had drunk!  Twenty long years, I wondered how I could commemorate this event?  What would be suitable, what would ease my pain and give me a day to remember...?
The electric was off!
What?  The kettle would not start.  It was one of Tesco's best (£5) and it was bust.  Then I noticed the laptop, always the first thing switched on, was not going online.  After fussing for a bit I realised the WI-FI was dead, so was the phone, so was everything else bar the lights.  After about three hours it struck me the laptop has a battery that is why it came on but this fooled me into thinking that was one plug that worked.  I fussed but the deadened mind was thinking slowly, oh so slowly, and I called the Landlord to speak to my friend Lisa.
"Hello, this is Lorna."
Lisa has followed Chris, the one who ran the place for around 15 years, out the door in an attempt to make some money.  Lorna was the new lass and she sounded about 19!  I explained the situation and she called John the workman and later he called to say he would be round.  
No tea in a dead all electric house.  No hot food with a dead oven, dead microwave and dead head.  
Having eaten only rarely in the past week and living on my abundance of fat I was not too keen to do without something warming.  Add to my desire to return to bed, eat something hot and stay far from the world came the noise of men repairing the road outside while others hammered away at one of the other flats somewhere round the back.  My joy was complete.
John arrived claiming to be unwell and looking sickeningly well while he said so.  Quickly we traced the various fuses, I had tried earlier, and we soon knew it was the kettle itself that had blown.  It probably blew as I switched it one but no spark, noise or explosion occurred at that time, not that I noticed anyway, and having proved the point John left grinning.
Still this meant I could heat things and later would obtain a new kettle.

Having managed to rise, decided life could be good and then had it smashed in my face I returned to the real world and switched on the laptop which connected with the real world of the Internet!  At last I could get on with the important work of reading email, facebook, Twitter, and the various gutter press editions that lay about.
What's this?  "You connect via WI-FI.  Log on here BT Fon?"  There follows a list of things to select
What?
A bloody virus!
The whole morning wasted already and now a virus! 
There was in the end nothing to do but run a Boot Time Scan which takes hours!  This I did and while I pretended to eat, my insides were not fooled, the scan ran and ran.  Later, much later, I was able to make use of the laptop thankful the brute had gone.
It had not gone!  
Oh no he was still hanging around and the thing had to be done again.  
It was not till near five o'clock that I finally satisfied myself he was beaten, I hope I am right!

There were times today I wondered where my guardian angels had disappeared to.  I realise this is not an easy option, they could on the other hand have Donald Trump,  I understand the difficulties involved but all I wanted was to rise feeling considerably better than I have done for the past ten days, I wished to make and eat a nourishing breakfast, clean the mess of the last week and hopefully return to work tomorrow.
Instead the electric goes, my friends go and some sort of JS virus arrives.  To my mind this is not what I wished for this morning.  Luckily the other day I discovered just how many people are suffering this bug in similar fashion to myself.  Thousands are being beaten down by the latest flu,cold, man flu bug.  An item in the paper drew many to comment on their long lasting problem, three months in some cases and mine goes back to February yet nothing can be done about it but suffering.  
Onwards and upwards, 'per adva ad astra' as they say in the RAF, in Edinburgh we say "Haul awa lads, I'm no deid yet."

Easter 2016

Yes There's Been Another One.

The bomb is Brussells has brought out the usual reactions, media overkill, outrage spouted everywhere, knee jerk reactions and occasional attacks on passing Muslims.  
TV and Radio naturally devoted hours of time to the developing situation when the news first came through, and this is understandable, however the hours of needless, if not to say meaningless talk since then has been a little depressing.  A requirement to fill time rather than a desire to provide information appears to lead news reporting all too often.  
Once again somewhat easily led young men have found a cause in which to immolate themselves, except the one who ran for it that is.  All appear to have been petty criminal, which might have cut their conscience to some effect previously, possibly they saw this as a salvation.  Many innocent are dead, hundreds wounded and once again a city stands around claiming to stand together and not be moved by this.
Of course horrible as this is the UK is somewhat used to such events.  Thirty years of IRA terrorism, mostly paid for by US donations, and the several Islamic outrages since have mentally prepared us in a way the Belgians are just learning.  
As always the majority complain about the nasty Arabs but few complain about the European and Americans responsible for this.  Belgium took over large areas of Africa in the nineteenth century and imported many form north Africa to work deep down in their coal mines.  Not unnaturally their descendants remained and have been more or less dumped in the corners of Belgium and forgotten.  Little wonder some feel a grievance.
ISIS, or Daesh or whatever arose from a combination of US led attacks on Iraq and elsewhere with gun-toting US presidents believing the were John Wayne fighting Indians and forgetting this was the real world.  Saudi & Qatar joining together to attack Iran through Syria has not helped and out of the mess arises ISIS.  Their well led organisation now inspires people throughout Europe to atrocities in the name of their cause.  
The availability of guns in Europe is renown while it is harder to obtain such in the UK, this aids us somewhat but still we require to rely on intelligence to defeat those individuals and groups tempted to act.  Muslims here also offer information whatever Donald Trump claims.  
More such acts will occur, the best defence is not going to stop this.  One answer is to develop the intelligence operation and develop the propaganda arm aimed at those ISIS wish to recruit.  Only Muslim help can do this.  The war will be long and ghastly, who knows where it will strike next?

Oh and remember the news coverage on this incident is vastly greater than that given to the bomb attacks seen in Muslim nations. This is strange as many thousands of Muslims have died from Muslim extremists, vastly more than the deaths recorded in Europe.  Maybe that tells us something?

No Thank Yeeeew!

 

 There are many things I wish to see in the entertainment world but this is in my mind a step too far!  Five topless barmen?  

Just imagine the beer bellies hanging over the bar as they pull pints!  Just consider for a moment the Health and Safety aspects of such a job - for the drinkers!   It's all sounding too much for me.

 

This sounds more like my cup of tea....

Now I'm Not One to Complain, But...

Indeed I am not a complaining type, I usually just sit and bubble quietly while the world walks all over me, however I have so many things to catch up with here, caused by illness with no sympathy, too much work and a great deal of sloth - I have no idea how he got in, he was too fast for me - and now things have got worse.
Yesterday meant a long day at the museum for the latest Exhibition Day, which went very well thanks for asking, thousands came,or it looked like thousands, and all left very happy indeed.  Several wee workshops were put on and the kids and adults loved them!  Not one grumble through the day bar my stomach about 1:30 but that was expected.

This Mad Scientist had the kids in stitches and the place stinking with burnt substances.  From balloons flying about to melting things, great explosions and flashes of flame she had the kids eating out of her hands.  It was fun, laughter filled the place and the mums and dads learnt almost but not quite as much as the kids.
Next door they experimented with smell, taste, and senses.  I ma not quite sure what was in the wee plastic containers they all took away so I stayed well clear, I don't trust these people.  The main hall was filled with kids learning how to digitise stuff on the laptop.  If we had not been so busy we all wanted to join that one and none of us could, but we didn't complain.... 
However I arrived home, knees aching, having missed the football for the most part and discovered we had lost three nil anyway, burnt my dinner, discovered the microwave giving problems and then it died before I had finished making my dinner!  Grrrr!
However luck was in as my dinner survived with a bit off mucking around and I found Raith Rovers playing Hibernian on BBC Alba!  How lovely to watch a game in which the commentators do not irritate with meaningless words!  BBC Alba is the Gaelic channel for the north of Scotland and as the commentators are speaking thus it merely fills the background and allows the viewer to view uninterrupted by codswallop!  It also helps if wee Hibernian lose by two goals to nil!   Oh joy!  
My Hibby mate has not answered my tweets I hope he has not done anything silly...?

Today, as I nursed my weak knees and rested my brittle bones I managed to find a decent football game in the Dull, Dreich Dundee Derby Day game at half past twelve.  This was far superior to the dreich Manchester derby.  The sooner Van Gall goes the better I say.
However I suddenly thought Sainsburys sometimes do microwaves!  It was quiet so I rushed up there hoping they had one as they were close by and a cheap microwave would be easy to carry home from the shop.  Of course they are quite heavy and in the box heavier but Sainburys are only five minutes up the road.  
I rushed slowly up the road and discovered their cheap microwave, the same as my old one, they are all the same no matter what name appears on them, I discovered their one was £40!  Blow that as I had checked the more distant Argos had one at £36.However I wandered on to Tesco and found a heavy box there full of cheap microwave oven for £35.  Good enough for me I say, the last one lasted about four years and if I remember right cost £29.  
However after lugging it home from Argos that day, unpacking it, starting it up I discovered the blessed thing was bust!  I lugged it back, slower than I brought it, and dumped it somewhat heavily on the desk while panting my complaint.  As I recall the lass did not refund or replace but encouraged me to spend a pound or two more on a 'better' one and so I did while looking in her eyes all the time.  Then I again lugged the even heavier one back down the road.  
I am not fit I said to myself, and I as always, was right.
Now heavier than then, me not the oven, as fit as a corpse with lumbago I paid for my treasure without which I would starve and clambered shakily down the steps towards the door.  Why do they have an escalator upwards but not downwards I ask?  I trudged past the stares from the drunks at the pub on the corner, ensuring I walked upright and briskly as I did so.  Round the corner I changed position and began to wheeze somewhat.  As I passed Sainsburys people began to look and having reached the corner opposite I heard one man ask where that steam engine was.  
Home was reached just before the defibrillator was called for and I sat for a while aching and wondering how some time in the past I used to lug things like this up and down stairs in all sorts of houses.  Heavy goods were easily shifted and now I struggle to open bottles of Lucozade!  
If the muscles allow I will once again begin exercising tomorrow, unless the knees still play up from Saturday let alone today.

The good news that Ian Duncan Smith has walked out of the government because 'Cutting benefits off the poor and disabled while increasing tax cuts for the rich was not acceptable.'  Such warm words which we all agree with.
Hold on, this is the man who put through all these benefits cuts over the past six years.  The man who's department sent letters to people unable to leave their bed since birth 18 years before that they must report for work or lose money!  Some say 2000 have been told they are fit to work and died within a week!  Other claim thousands more have died or lost great sums of money, affecting their food and trapping them indoors because money has been taken from them.  The man who thrust through the 'robbing the poor to pay the rich' was Ian Duncan Smith.  An item in the 'Telegraph' indicates Prime Minister Cameron and Chancellor Osborne had encouraged IDS to mail everyone telling them to continue with the cuts and therefore put the blame on him, so IDS waked out.  Stories in the papers are of course planted by MPs and who planted that one?  So many tales and so many lies.
However this has blown Chancellor Osborne out of the water.  His decision to cut benefits again will have to be changed, Cameron is desperate to separate himself from anything that makes life difficult and both and in real trouble now.  Good isn't it?
This of course has lots to do with the EU referendum!  Politicians playing games with one another while Rome burns, if that is the right analogy, and we have to read between the lines as to the truth. Here of course the fun is the Conservative Party, the one determined to eliminate all poor, weak. sick or any other people who did not attend Public School and go horse riding with David Cameron from the nation.  Now they are riven in two with a divide growing daily.  Political enemies are never on the other side of the chamber, they are always behind you!