Electric cars, postage, house building and fat free muffins

28 March 2012

It's a bright sunny day here in Dorktown again.  I'll be off on my travels with me camera later.  I shall take me netbook with me in case I go somewhere for a pint or ten - I can get a bit more writing done then too ... any excuse eh ;-)))

A leak from the borough council is on today's front page of the News.  There's a map showing the locations of nine areas where they have indicated that house building will be permitted as part the so-called Borough Plan.  I can see trouble a't mill over it!  One area is behind the current housing on Ansley Road.  Behind them at the moment is open fields and a large lake called Seeswood Pool.  Normally such bodies of water are a magnet for birds but as one birder who watched the pool as part of his patch says, "... it can be heart-breaking ..." because of the few birds that actually use the pool.  There was an osprey once, and that had been the highlight over many years.  What it means of course is that it can't be said as an objection that the place is used by lots of birds. 

Another two areas I can see being hotbeds of objection are Weddington, already fighting against 300 new house, and the St Nicolas Park area.  Again there's loads of open country between the current housing and The A5.  Both of these area it can be said are in some of the more affluent areas of the town.  However, it is interesting to note that the one area, the most affluent area of the town that isn't earmarked for development, is the Whitestone/Lutterworth road area.  Now I wonder why that is?

I'm a bit unsure about the rise of the electric car.  For knocking about town I can see their usefulness but I'm not sure they would of any use at all for a trip to London say, or a holiday in the Highlands!  Well, our council, has installed a charging point in a car park for such cars - but - there's no charge being made  for charging your car - if you see what I mean.  So the council opposition are up in arms about that as well.  In this case I can see their point all too clearly.  What it means is that owners of Lecky cars can park in that spot and charge their cars and only pay the normal parking fees.  I wonder if I am the only one who sees some abuse of that service happening?  Why charge the car at home when you have to pay to do so when you can charge the car in town for the cost of parking for a few hours, especially if you need to go into town anyway.

Royal Fail has decided that a 1st class stamp will now cost 60p.  Good job I don't send all that many letters then!  They are supposed to losing money hand over fist.  I'm not surprised really.  Once when we lived in Bed'th, I sat and counted the number or Royal Fail vans to enter our street.  Over an hour there was four of them, from the small escort sized vans up to the larger class 3 HGV vans.  Over the day a total of seven of their vans arrived.  If they want to save money, I suggest they start with that.  It surely didn't take seven vans to deliver mail  to one street.  It certainly didn't work that way when I worked for Interlink.  I took all the items for my area ion my one van - and delivered them by lunch time too!  And as for Parcel Farce ... don't ask!!!

I managed to get 48 photos while in Coventry yesterday.  A lot of them were only so-so images so I didn't both with them when it came to editing them.  here's my take on the cathedral, 50 year anniversary this year too ... 

But I remember 25 years ago that they began and restoration fund for it.  I was quite angry over that.  "Why does a 25 year old building need restoring already?" I asked.  And I'm still not sure why - but there yer go ... that's the church for you ... ... ...

Here's another good funny from the funny farm ...

The couple were 85 years old, and had been married for sixty years.  Though they were far from rich, they managed to get by because they watched their pennies.  And, though not young, they were both in very good health, largely due to the wife's insistence on healthy foods and exercise for the last three decades.

One day, their good health didn't help when they went on a rare vacation and their car crashed, sending them off to Heaven.  They reached the Pearly Gates, and St. Peter escorted them inside. He took them to a beautiful mansion, furnished in gold and fine silks, with a fully stocked kitchen and a waterfall in the master bath. A maid could be seen hanging
their favourite clothes, freshly pressed, in the closet.

They gasped in astonishment when he said, "Welcome to Heaven. This will be your home now."  The old man asked Peter how much all this was going to cost.  "Why, nothing," Peter replied, "remember, this is your reward in Heaven.

"The old man looked out the window and saw a championship golf course, finer and more
beautiful than any ever-built on Earth.  "What are the green fees?" grumbled the old man.

"This is heaven," St. Peter replied. "You can play for free, every day -  any starting time you wish."

Next they went to the clubhouse and saw the cuisine laid out before them, from seafood to steaks to exotic deserts, free flowing beverages and a fountain of champagne.  "Don't even ask," said St. Peter to the couple.  "This is Heaven, it is all free for you to enjoy."
The old man looked around and glanced nervously at his wife. "Well,  where are the low fat and low cholesterol foods, and the decaffeinated tea?" he asked.

"That's the best part," St. Peter replied. "You can eat and drink as much as you like of whatever you like, and you will never get fat or sick. This is Heaven!"

The old man pushed, "No gym to work out at?"

"Not unless you want to," was the answer. "No testing my sugar or blood pressure or..."

"Never again. All you do here is enjoy yourself."

The old man glared at his wife and said, "You and your f******g fat-free muffins. We could have been here twenty years ago!"