'Daily Star' & the NHS

 

I am beginning to like the front page of the 'Daily Star.'  

Each day they have more sarcasm/satire on the world around us than any other paper.  I sometimes get the feeling that as 'The Daily Mirror,' which owns them, keeps throwing out journalists from both the 'Star' and the 'Express' the people inside are less bothered about upsetting the folks upstairs.  They all expect the boot any time soon anyway so they are losing the fear.  

While all papers are free to attack Gavin Williamson these days, and they love a 'witch-hunt' don't they,  it is the 'Star' that appears to feel 'free-er' than the rest of the right wing pack.  Of course while Williamson or Hancock or whoever is in the news Boris can run around pretending he is in charge.  And let us not forget he is indeed in charge, as long as he obeys Dominic.

I await the 'Star' reporting on Dominic with a sad degree of glee I must say.

   

Because Hancock says 'Public Health England' has failed he, at around midnight last night, announced he was scrapping it and replacing it with something else.  Dominic's muppet has had this planned for a while, others have announced it already, but no surprise that the woman leading it is one who has aided a donation of around £100,000 to Mr Hancock already this year.  Dido Harding, for it is she, was head of 'Talk Talk' which got the 'wooden spoon' two years (her years) in a row for being the worst for customer service.  Naturally she became a Peer, as she is paying money to the Tories, then became head of the NHS (that is Serco) 'Test and Trace'  which has failed miserably.  She is therefore the right person to head this new organisation, one for which she has no knowledge off, no abilities for, and no experience.  Looks like another winner here.

U-Turn & Cricket

 

Another day another Government U-Turn.

The 'A' level results were chaotic and  clearly incorrect, in similar fashion to the Scots results. This is another of Dominic Cummings 'algorithms' at work.  It appears Cummings control of everything is not as efficient as he would like to believe.  Schools, the NHS, parliament itself, the Civil Service, the MOD and anything he has touched has shown a remarkable ability to fail when under pressure.  I will not even mention the PPE scandals!  

Where is Boris while this is happening?  Would Blair or Thatcher disappear when such an event has occurred?  Boris did appear to say something but he was only voicing Dominic's words, when will he use his own?

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, is the one taking the flack.  Keeping their jobs like this can only go so far, one day one of them, possibly Williamson, might admit it is all Dominic Cummings doing and explain clearly what is actually going on.  I hope they have the guts soon.

BBC

With the help of pre-arranged thunderstorms England managed to avoid defeat against Pakistan by simply flooding the pitch.  How underhand can you get?  Enabling violent storms, followed by incessant heavy rain, just to ensure England do not lose, as indeed they would have had the game finished when it ought.  The ton of sawdust used on the pitch to limit the opposition bowlers did not help as much as they had hoped.  Indeed had the game continued more batsmen would have gone.

I wasted a whole afternoon watching this, once it eventually began.  Worn out by shopping, cleaning, soup making and other things watching cricket was all I had strength for.  

   

BBC Disappoint

 

Last night I watched some of the VJ-Day commemoration on the BBC.  To say I was disappointed is putting it mildly.  What ought to have been a time of listening to those who served became an excuse for absurd pictures and music designed to drown out the speaker.

Splashing the film of the speaker onto the buildings of Horse Guards Parade must have appealed to some joker in the BBC but it neither appealed nor did the job intended.  Not only was it difficult to see the individual it was hard to hear them with the music played over their speech.

The men who spoke on the 'Voices of the Great War' were allowed to speak, usually in answer to questions we do not hear.  On TV or Radio they come over clearly and respectfully.  Last night while the speakers were respectful the programme was not and clarity was lost.  This I thought insulted those recording their story for us.

The music, the bandsmen excellent as always, was used disrespectfully to cover the voice.  I suppose we were to see heightened emotion?  The story itself carries the emotion, we do not require childish additions from people who spend too much time in theatre and not in the real world. 

This was a failure for me, I turned it off after a while.  It appears the BBC today is incapable of understanding the war, the attitudes of the time, or how to reflect such people to the world outside.

Maybe of course it is the world that cannot understand and requires a 'Disney' like approach to subjects.

A Wander on VJ Day

 

When the rain stopped lashing down Costa Rica style I sauntered out to see if there were any pictures available.  The threat of more rain, it went off only for an hours, made me hurry somewhat.

Dripping leaves, berries, or whatever they are, knocked, along with the leaves, from trees.  Roads wet, drivers not slowing down, forgetful of slippy roads, and puddles aplenty but none in a place where I could make a picture!  Bah!

The market was suffering badly.  Few stalls, only three regulars and not even the fish van bothered to turn out today.  Heavy rain keeps people indoors, so off I went home.

Today however is VJ Day, 'Victory over Japan Day.'  This marks 75 years since the signing of the Japanese surrender and the official end of the Second World War.  Far too few understand this today, some only concerned with the dropping of two Atom Bombs on Japan, no concern for the millions suffering under Japanese occupation or the 12,000 British troops murdered in Jap POW camps.  Add to that the Empire forces from Australia, India and Africa who endured the longest soldiers campaign of the war and consider how happy people were at wars end.

There was therefore a short service at the public Gardens to commemorate this day and the men involved.  Only 16 were invited, and I, once informed by devious means, secured a place by boldly walking in uninvited.  The virus hinders crowds even at such ceremonies.  The thunder expected at that time remained far away and only now has the rain returned.  Very respectful of it I must say.

  

Thus satisfied, though ignored by most others, I made my way home to prepare for the evening football and other joys on offer tonight.  Pie and chips, all that was found in the fridge, was not found to be a joy in the end...

Dreicher Friday

 Dreicher Friday indeed!

Trapped by rain teeming down until after lunch.  More of this to come, lasting for several days they say.  Not doing much for the cricket or indeed anyone else.  Many paces near and far are having a wet time, many a car trapped in streams of water it appears.  

I risked a walk this afternoon, dressed for the rain, searching the new type pawn shops.  Last week my niece and her daughter, the car mechanic, drove up to Wester Ross with the dog for a few days away.  White sand beaches, no other people in sight, the Rottweiler happy paddling in the shallows chasing a ball, or anything else that moved.  With an Eagle soaring overhead, and they would quickly identify it, I suggested my great niece got herself a better camera so she could catch pictures of such, she has the talent.  I also suggested her dad bought one for her, much harrumphing in background, not just because he was left behind while they went north!  

So I checked Ebay first, then wandered into our two modern pawn shops, actually there is a third, a bit suspicious that one but I forgot all about him, and searched the cameras there hoping for a bargain.  I was shocked at how little they had in stock.  Usually there are an abundance of cameras today there were none bar a couple of old film cameras worth less than the £10 price tags.  Only one, too expensive, camera was suitable and so that was out.  I was surprised but the lass in one told me how bad things had been.  People are not buying, nor are they selling old phones or ipads.  Even the pawn shops are struggling, how much worse can it get.  I noticed both shops had only two employees, the larger shop usually has half a dozen.  When such shops suffer how can the rest cope?

So it was back to cricket before the rain comes on and stuff my face with yesterdays leftovers again.

Dreich Thursday

 

The day dawned with promises of thunder and lightning.  Both appeared shortly thereafter but I was so busy making what passes for breakfast that I did not notice.  Soon after the rain passed on and the sun came in and out.  This, the weather man says, is what we will have for the next few days.                        This is what they call summer time in England.                                                    The Pakistani cricketers will however be happy to see the game washed out down there in Southampton.  Batting is not going their way and they will be hoping for more thunder and lightning, with accompanying rainstorms tomorrow.  Other wise they will be wiped out.

      

The tragedy of yesterday has passed and the media and more concerned with England's 'A' level results being amended.  While they decried the SNP government for their 25% amendments yesterday in Scottish 'Higher' results they now grumble at England's 35% amendments, which is much worse.  Also by amending the Scots results the changes ensured the Education results produced the best results for many days.  The Conservatives now grumble at this...  Will they do the same in England?   Such things are more important than train crashes.  

However, whatever the results, whatever the grades, do these actually help the kid get somewhere?  Allowing for the lack of work as it is, with Brexit and Virus bringing more losses to the workforce, just what is the point of education?  I can understand some folks learning subjects they wish to pursue but I wonder how many are just collecting pass marks that they will never use again?  Education ought to prepare us for the real working world, does it do that these days?                                                      

Train crashes that produce several deaths are given much publicity, even though I think the last death in similar circumstances was back in 2004.  However most counties report around four or five deaths on the roads each month, about 30 - 50 a year, yet no-one appears to bothered.  What does this tell us?

Hot Politics and Railway crash.

 

Only 'Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.'  Having gone out in the midday sun, some 88% or so hot, and not being English I, er, ...well anyway.  Few in park as I passed by after dumping the old beer  bottles in the dump.  This is excellent weather and it gives me the chance to get my money's worth from last years sun tan spray.  The say thunder tomorrow like they have had up north, that will clear the air.

   Scottish Sun

Sad indeed to hear of the crash way up in Aberdeenshire.  This is a winding line and passes through many areas where landslides must be a temptation in heavy wet weather.  The rain was very heavy in places, Edinburgh had floods also, and the 'Royal Mile' saw water cascade down the slope.

Strange to see how the engine, if indeed there was only one, usually HSTs have a power unit at either end, strange to see this standing there while the coaches were thrown about.  Sad that the driver and two other s have died.

Wiki

Ruth Davidson returned to Holyrood today.  You recall she took time off to be with her family and was found 400 miles away sitting first, on Theresa Mays knees, then, uncomfortable for him, on Boris Johnson's.  While they saw her as useful which she rarely actually was, the media played on her, implying she may get a seat in the House of Commons, or as the 'Daily Mail' often said, possible a leader of the Tory Party!  As if the men in suits would have allowed that?

Anyway once Boris arrived she was out and knew it.  Dumped in the Lords, where she enters next year, she has decided to follow London's orders, remove the present leader of the Scottish Conservatives and replace him with Boris's boy Douglas Ross!  Not only is he the MP for Moray but he is not a member of the Scottish Parliament so he is unable to question the First Minister, which is just as well for him.

In his place temporarily sits the Glasgow Mouth Ruth.  This woman who has attended only one surgery in her constituency now claims to lead the Scots Tories on his behalf.  She started today, indicating the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should not be loyal to her Education secretary John Swinney.  Nicola returned the point by indicating that a back stabbing meeting between her and Ross removed the then Conservative Leader and brought her back did not indicate 'loyalty.'  Sturgeon also pointed out that next year she and her party will go democratically to the Scots people while Ruth puts on Ermine (borrowed I suspect) and enters the un-elected House of Lords. Ruth has no answer.  This does not bode well for her.

 

As I was practising my growling this morning I had an email from the far of London seller.

 Dear friend,

Pls don't worry, I will urge the logistics for you later.
Hope you can receive it soon.

Best Regards

We await with trepidation...

Murder: Customer Service eh?

 

So, I awake this morning, almost in a good mood.  After breakfast I attempt to add an 'app' to m phone.  It adds, but whatever I do it is not easy to find what I consider the front page!  It takes for ever to seek out what I want and by then I have lost interest.  'No Adverts' they claim, which is true, no adverts except the ones they keep pushing in front of you for their books, their talks, their get -together's, their this and their that anything but the page I want!

I dumped it and got another.

This was almost as bad, easier, but not easy to work out either.

A third was obtained, almost straight forward and simple, but with adverts for woman's clothes!

Then I went looking for my adaptor I a getting via Ebay.

Was this simple and straight forward?

No!

It ought to be here yesterday, it aint here today and the Royal Mail tracker says we aint got it!

Fume!

Contact company by pressing 'contact.'

I get a couple of questions online then told 'Wait a few days and then contact company.'

I thought I was contacting company?

Try again, read advert through, at end it says 'You can contact us on email.'

Brilliant!

THERE IS NO EMAIL NUMBER!!!!

Whatever I did brought me back to where I was, very 'Catch 22' and I an now convinced this company (150% satisfaction) is false.

Having gnawed through the desktop while coming back to where I started I switched off and went for a walk, indoors, I could not risk outside.

When I returned and once again went through the many options that kept returning me nowhere I found a way to contact them direct!  How did that happen?

I scrawled a note, I pressed send, it did not work!

Several strained hours after starting I said rude words.

I once again clicked in all the right places, sent rude words, and pressed send - it went!

Now, relaxed and happy that some form of contact has been made I am now planning on what I will say to Ebay when I contact them tomorrow.

Will I be nice?

Royal Mail will be pleased when the packet is sent by them, if it ever gets sent....

All it takes is a simple contact number/email. All Ebay need do is ensure it is easy to find, they do not.

Is the result of such happenings 'murder' or 'manslaughter' does anyone know...?

This is becoming a habit worldwide....

Football on tonight, what's the betting that is will be off like tomorrows games...?

Update on Update...

To amend an old army joke re adjutants:

'Is it lawful to kill anyone connected to Microsoft?' 

'Yes, as there will always be extenuating circumstances.'

Things were going as well as can be expected today, Tesco had been visited, the self service machine and I fell out and had to be rescued by the young lady almost wearing a mask.  I had wandered home, decided there was nothing to do but watch the boring cricket, which was quite good in the end, and settled down to eat and sleep through the day.

Microsoft interrupted!  

As I put the brute onto 'sleep mode' they offered an update.  I took this and waited.  Naturally when this finished, quite soon compared to last time, I fond things missing.  'Avast' anti-virus had gone, other things were closed down, and 'Edge' filled the page and would not let me remove it!  This took time and several restarts before their blasted new browser was removed from my screen.  They do not half push their luck when they push their browsers!  

Eventually all was well and then I watched cricket in the heat.  At least 28 degrees in here all day, I hate to imagine what is was like for those working outside, and the site of em in shorts led to the mirror being placed elsewhere, for my sake, I also avoided windows.

Of course watching cricket only happened because there was no football.  Aberdeen ought to have been playing St Johnstone in Perth but some players went on a night out in 'Locked Down' Aberdeen, two tested for the virus and the others have to isolate for 10 days.  This led to an almighty row, rude words from the First Minister, and even ruder words from their manager when the game was put off.  They almost had to play with 8 players missing!  Good job it was postponed.  Such events may well happen more often during this season.

So no football, cricket takes all day, and now I am trying to find something stimulating for my mind, 'Pointless Celebrities' perhaps?  However I have no idea who any off them are!  Nothing else appeals, maybe the radio or better an old radio programme from the iplayer?  I will avoid entertaining myself by doing anything approaching work.

Venus!  These things have been hanging around the night sky for a few days.  I am glad that I can see them but why in the middle of the night?  That reminds me of Trump suggesting sending a man to the sun.  Angela Merkel indicates this is not wise and so Trump suggests 'Send him at night?'  Something about that appeals to me...

A friend has been made redundant as his company is suffering losses.  I passed a coffee shop today that has closed down, at the time I thought that this was the first of many.  My friends loss is an indication that many more jobs will go, not just because of the Virus but also because of Brexit.  In Sunderland 'Nissan' workers cheered the Brexit vote, several hundred have been made redundant and soon Nissan will go to Holland I suspect.  Today 'JCB,' who encouraged their people to vote Brexit have announced the paperwork is too long and expensive so they are off to Germany!  

What did people expect?

We are about to see thousands of job losses, redundancies and sackings, the rich will rise above it and the poor will remain the mass who suffer.  We have seen it before many time.  Pick up your Old Testament and read the Prophet Amos, he spoke of this concerning Samaria, similar causes and in the end destruction.  Somewhat different today, but not for those who are at the bottom, they will suffer most, and indeed worldwide!

Have a nice day...

Hot Friday

The day began with a swift visit to Sainsburys and then a walk over the park, all before 8 am and in the early morning heat. By midday it was touching 90 out there, I was asleep!  Fighting with the brute meant I forgot to eat again last night and this had me wondering why I was near fainting in the park.  Slowness of mind runs (slowly) in the family. 

So, once I realised this I made amends and spent much of the day watching the England cricket team fade away while playing Pakistan.  It really is not pleasing that nice Mr Farage that mere colonials are better cricket players than white Englishmen, not counting the English New Zealanders, Jamaicans and so on obviously.

With Boris hiding away on holiday again there is little news apart from continuing coverage of Beirut, coronovirus, Tory lies, Tory corruption, and heat.  I must say little in the free press covering Tory corruption mind, I have no idea why.   

First World Screams...

So, After much fuss I settled the aged laptop into an acceptable regime.  However, as I closed down at night the beast 'updated.'  The next morning as I opened up it then began to install updates.  From 7:15 until after one pm it continued.  I at this point, lost it!  I halted proceedings considering enough time was wasted and logged into the brute, ready or not. He was not ready. Much was inside the machine, this I discovered much later, and much was missed out.  Hours of striving led me to a new way to 'update' or continue to 'update.'  This finished round about 1:30 in the morning.Update had happened, even if the brute had reverted back to an older system, how come?  No idea.  This morning, after much ado, I have some semblance of an operation going.  Many things work, others work indifferently, but at least my proper laptop will soon be repaired, thanks to some group in London and Royal Mail. The word 'soon' is not to be taken literally! Now, attempting to post on Blogger it insists on using blue colour for font,and underlining each letter. Nothing makes it change, nothing, no matter how hard you hit the buttons!This was written on 'Notepad' and posted on Blogger, as yet I know not if it works.

It doesn't! Grrrrr!

That's Mars up there by the way, alongside a wee star.

Tuesday Scream!

I slept badly.

Awake every hour or near enough.

Too hot, too cold, too tired, too awake, on and on it went.

I stumbled up around 7 am, scampered unwillingly to Sainsburys masked like a bank robber, though they usually are not struggling to breathe or blinded by steam on the glasses.  Hurried back to find the laptop dying.

The adaptor wire helpfully broke meaning no power was entering and the battery was soon running out.

This meant a struggle to find a replacement, and an even greater struggle to get the old laptop, slow and difficult, to work.

By means of EBay I may have a replacement arriving soon...maybe, if it is the right one. Until then I must make do with this useless old one.

Herein the day got worse.

Not having been used since my failed Linux experiment naturally the beast was in a huff.

Nothing would work.

Eventually it worked but everything had to begin again.

Everything slowly, oh soooo sloooowly began to begin again.

It was at this point I remembered how sailors swore...

All day I played with browsers, downloaded, slowly, the required items, slowly got them to work slowly and often suggested to Toshiba what they could do with this laptop.  They did not answer.

By afternoon I not only had much of it working I even found the cricket, which I canny watch as I am watching things appear, often uninvited, onto the screen.  

Tired, weary, unable to sleep it off as I expected the workmen to knock and the postie to bring a packet.

She arrived eventually, just on one O'clock.  As she now works only three days she can survive the system, it is however not a good one.  Poor women needs an easy round, this once was, I did it myself, but changes, absurd changes, make the posties life hard.  Management, driven by paper wielding  non-posties in offices far away do not provide a service as in days of yore.   Blood from stone Tory style instead.  We must all expect more such work practices to abound under this government.

Now I comprehend that a Syrian women, endangered in a Turkish tented refugee camp with her children while her man abandons her to make his way to fame and fortune in Europe has more reasons to scream than I have.  I really do understand.  However, early this morning I was not understanding much, least of all how to get this brute to work.  

I wonder what fun lies ahead tomorrow... 

Monday Mope

Last week, for reasons unknown, I was full of energy, at least energy in my estimation.  Today I sit here like a fat lump unable to move, think or desire change.  What happened?  By my side lies a list of work to be done, some of it going back a year or two I admit, and I was planning on working on it today.  So far I have failed to generate sufficient energy as to even eat properly. 

This is the type of attitude that requires cricket to be played on TV.

Tat is because no effort is required to watch it, the majority of the time nothing happens, and what running is required is soon over, unlike with football where the ball never stops.  With cricket you see the audience, packed lunch by their side (are you old enough to remember when we called 'packed lunch' sandwiches?) and often their head stuck inside a book, always more fun than watching the cricket.  Naturally as I am in the mood, if sloth is a mood, for cricket there is none available today.

Naturally also, nothing is worth watching on TV land anywhere.

Back to bed maybe...?

As I scribble this an aircraft heading for the sun flies overhead.  This reflects the change in recent weeks.  For a time the only aircraft heading for Stansted were FedEx aircraft passing through from Europe and heading to or from the USA.  Occasional other parcel carrying planes were noted, also long haul flights from China which came without regard to health issues bothering them apparently.  What the opinion of ground staff at Heathrow was on this is not recorded.

The only other flights were the regular Apache helicopters heading for Salisbury Plain on training duties, preparing for Iraq probably, and Chinook helicopters also training.  The noise count from these service aircraft does not appear to be a problem for anyone who makes them! 

Now however people are slowly flocking to Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe and elsewhere, landing at unpronounceable airports and with only Ryanair's promise to get you back home again.  Good luck with that one. 

This is a change, in days past each morning I could see vapour trails from several aircraft heading to the London airports. Half a dozen at least for Stansted, others heading further on.  Today that is much diminished, sad for tourists, if sober, but much better for air quality all round.

That has worn me out.

Back to bed to gain strength to make the dinner...

Hot Friday

A stroll through the park in 30% of heat.  Not my usual way but I thought I needed some sunshine.  The place full of mums and kids, most oblivious to the heat, but many kids in the shade anyway.  A breeze took the edge of it but it does make a change to have proper sunshine here.  A few more days like this ahead, not quite so hot, but it is almost as if it is summer time.  Naturally the weatherman is warning of thunderstorms and heavy rain!  That usually happens here when the heat rises.

I am convinced more than ever that Dominic is running the country.  The dictators way is to sow confusion, this government is excellent at this.  The Health Secretary Nick Hancock, famous for not knowing the answers, gave late night instructions, confused obviously, concerning a local Lock Down in the North West of England.  Nobody there knew about this, the council, the Health people, nobody had been informed beforehand.  This is typical dictator stuff.  Keep them confused, don't let them settle, do not let people comprehend what is going on and behind the scenes they are running things their way, nobody gets to know what you are doing.

Dominic himself is very quiet these days, could he be visiting castles again?

Evening Standard

So the Russian who owns the 'Standard,' a well known friend of Boris, the PMs brother and a nobody from the cricket world who gets a reward for supporting Brexit now enter the House of Lords.  This is a new low in corrupt Lords appointments.  The ex- leader of the Scots Conservatives also makes it, but will not join until next year.  Another failure getting rewarded.

Apart from Ken Clarke, one of the leading Tory Europhiles, there is little of worth in the list.  More grasping friends, donors and paybacks are getting what they paid for.  Just imagine the names of those Boris proposed the committee rejected!  Harold Wilson was not so slimy!

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

Not only has Blogger gone to pot but now Microsoft have 'updated,' that is, made a mess off, Outlook.

One post gets a reply and all are piled together, why?  By clicking at the side they open up, why not leave it as it was?????  Now it is more complicated, difficult to read, and yet another 14 year old geek is fooled into thinking he is clever, he is not!  What is the matter with these people?  Why adjust what does not require adjusting?

And Blogger is still rubbish also!

At last I have finished this.

The author wanders along paths, mostly inspired by the poet Edward Thomas.  Other people tell me how wonderful this poet is, I tend to disagree.   However the last chapter or two on him was quite interesting. 

Otherwise the author tends to use far too many pretentious words, can offer lists of things that go on too long and can be boring in places.  I suppose that can reflect walking long distances as you must pass over boring stretches of land where there is little of interest.

The final chapter does have some interesting finds, and these north of Liverpool of all places.  We walk alongside footprints found as the sea recedes, footprints that go back 5000 years.  Fascinating!  

To follow the steps of someone who is watching the various deer up ahead, hoping no doubt for a catch.  Women and children, possibly searching for sea creatures for food, and a variety of animals that have long since departed this earth, fascinating! 

Shame the early chapters were not so interesting however.

Still, some may like it, I do not think I will go for another of MacFarlane's works mind.

Annoyed by Blogger!

This new Blogger layout is not good! 

Slow awkward, difficult to find things and designed by a 14 year old.

Not happy!

However, I did come across, by accident, old pictures I had forgotten all about.

No wonder, they are gash!

This one is not too bad mind.

I was happy before starting this.  I had cleaned out the drawers, done the washing, fixed part of the genealogy, and was planning tomorrows work.  This is Spring cleaning continuing, mind you it began last year, in Spring!  I may finish it next year.

Oh to get out and about again.  To get on a train and go somewhere.  To see sights missed, to pass open fields and dingy towns.  To visit London just so I could hate the sight of it!  Lock Down is one thing but while I cope with most of it I would like to visit somewhere soon.  Even the free bus does not run, not enough people using it as most shops still shut, or at least queues make life difficult for many.

I may slowly wander round to Tesco in the morning, just to see human life again.

Actually these pics are better than I thought.

At least proper football is near.  In spite of the mistreatment by the SPFL/SFA we begin a new season hoping soon to wipe smug grins of faces.  I suspect the Heart of Midlothian will feature on many Friday nights.  Something to look forward to.

Family History

Since yesterday morn, where, dressed like a gangster in a black mask, I visited Tesco before dawn I have refused to leave my chair.  Simple laziness plus a desire to reply to the genealogy query sent to me.  I was glad as wearing a mask I canny breathe and my glasses steam up so not going into shops makes life easier.  I agree with the principle, I just canny breathe!  
Anyway, some time back I failed to find anything about James, a distant relative.   I did the decent thing and gave up.  It was a bit trying at the time and I needed a break.  Yesterday, once I had restarted this quest, I was happy to discover someone else had been looking in the same area and had not only found James (The Young Yin) but also his father James (the Auld Yin) and further his father John (The Very Auld Yin).  All, as is the case, farmers or tenant farmers in the Scots borders.

Making use of Google Maps I can get a glimpse of the land as they knew it.  The small towns and villages they knew have not grown much, some not at all, and the area is still dependent on farming for the most part for a living.  Taking into account the hardship of the days, Religious strife, all proud Scots and Protestant, the wars that passed through their lands, including 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' not that far away, and I am left wondering looking at gaps in the story whether some men have wandered of to a war or two?  Certainly they would not follow Charlie, the would be Catholic King, but adventure may call on occasion.

Farmers at the time, enduring economic and weather led woes, would work physically all hours of the day.  Little else to distract them, church on Sunday, family times together, educating them as best as they could, and breeding well, one man had 10 children when I lost count, plus one that failed to survive.  
Eventually, great granddad moved into Berwick itself, running a pub near the market with the help of his daughters, one of whom was deaf, and farming a nearby 40 acres.  Having seen the vista from the farm land moving into Berwick must have appeared to him like moving into a big city.  Edrom still has a mere handful of houses, most of whom were created after his forefathers moved on, and while Berwick has the sea beside it, once Scotland's richest city,  it appears to you and I as a very small town indeed.

  
So, while researching this I managed to ignore the dreadful performance of the West Indies cricket team.  Poor bowling, howling batting and nothing more than a desire to get out of the dismal wet Manchester and return to somewhere warm!  I do not blame them!