A day out, a poorly dog and smokers

25 September 2012

No rain today yet but we do have high winds that is bring down a lot of leaves from the trees out the back.  Yesterday I was watching the national weather forecast ready for tomorrow so we could go a run out.  Now the forecast has changed an our run out is set for Thursday.  I was thinking of going to Richmond in N. Yorkshire.  However, the A1 is currently close at Catterick due to flooding so we might not get there anyway.  We'll see ... ... ...

Today's News has a pretty distressing photo and story in it.  The photo is of a very bedraggled spaniel that has a large tumour on its hind leg.  The dog's owner has been to court over it because he hadn't taken the dog to the vets.  He was given 10 year ban on keeping dogs.  On top of that he has to do 200 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay costs of £2,180.60 in costs.  But what angers me is that we have never neglected any of our pets and have lost them all one or another.  Now we are in a ground floor flat we are not allowed to have one.  When I see such neglect of any animal I get angry simply because they people just have no idea how lucky they are.

Jan was off making a tea when I looked out the window at the feeders and started to get very excited!  There on the table was a bird I was sure of.  It was a darkish colour and looked to have a white bib or collar.  "Ring Ouzel." I thought, and a life tick too.  "Where's my Collins!"  I looked it up and was deflated to see that it wasn't, Ring Ouzels are of different colourings altogether.  Well, it brightened my day a short time ;-)))

One of our new neighbours has Virgin to their flat. The large junction box is on the lawn outside our flat.  Well, when we had council contractors here dealing with the blocked drainage they managed to damage to Virgin cable as the dug their trench.  So Virgin guys were here today and they had to re-dig part of the hole again and relay the cable for them.  I'm reminded of the old Flanders and Swan song and the gas man calling.         

Have you noticed that since the smoking ban in pubs and the smokers go out for a fag, they always tend to stand around the entry doors.  Here's the Felix Holt in Dorktown ... 

We get sick of trying to get through them while they are there!

A real treat today from the Rochdale Sage ...

The Salvation Army realised that they had never received a donation from the City's most successful lawyer. So a Salvation Army volunteer made an appointment to see him in his lavish office. The volunteer thanked the lawyer for his time and said, "Our research shows that even though your annual income is over three million pounds, you don't give a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give something back to your community through the Salvation Army?"
The lawyer thought for a moment and said, "First, did your research also show you that my mother is dying after a long, painful illness and has huge care bills that are far beyond her ability to pay?"
Embarrassed, the Salvation Army volunteer mumbled, "Uh... No, I didn't know that."
"Secondly," said the lawyer, "did it show that my brother, a disabled Afghanistan Veteran, is blind, confined to a wheelchair and is unable to support his wife and six children?"
The stricken volunteer began to stammer an apology, but was cut off again.
"Thirdly", the lawyer said, "did your research also show you that my sister's husband died in a dreadful car accident, leaving her penniless with a mortgage and the burden of supporting three children, one of whom is disabled and another who has learning disabilities requiring an array of private tutors and specialist nurses?"
Completely beaten, the humiliated Salvation Army volunteer said, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
The lawyer thought again for a moment and said,
"So, if I don't give any cash to them, what makes you think I'd give any to you?"