29 November 2013

I did it ... 

My NANO effort was finished yesterday evening around 5 ish. Now I can take my time a bit and get it polished a wee bit before me old mate Bill Howe get's to read it through for me. To be honest I'd be lost without Bill. He picks up bits n bobs I would never see - so thank you Bill.

This is my second go at NANO, my first attempt was two years ago and resulted in Finding Our Way, the story of how three men have to adapt after major changes in their lives. One of three is based fairly loosely on a prat we used to know a few years ago. The list of things in the story that this person got up too is what the real prat actually did. But writing these two stories takes up so much time over November that I was wondering if it was worth the effort in doing so. Taking a day off means having to write twice as much the day after or increasing your normal daily word count to make up for it. But you know what? I have actually enjoyed writing both stories. As for next year? Well, let's just wait and see eh ;-)))

Seven local churches are opening their doors to allow ten rough sleepers to spend a night in a warm and safe place starting from this coming Sunday up till February 28 next year. This is really what the Church (note the upper case C used here), should be doing. The seven churches are all fairly close to the town centre and each church will provide the accommodation on one night a week in rotation. Jan's church, Manor Court Baptist Church is taking part. OK, fine. But I'm wondering, is each church providing their own beds and bedding or is there a central store of it that needs transporting from venue to venue? Jan doesn't know about that side of it. I hope there's no problems with that part!

On Wednesday Jan and I went for a ride out and about. One stop we made was Planter's Garden Centre, just off the A5/M42 junction. It's not a bad garden centre, I even managed to get myself two new paperback books there; makes me think of money growing on trees ;-)))  While we were there we had our usual coffee and cake thing and we shared a very nice slice of Christmas Cake. The next table over to us were two young mums who had one child each with them. One of the lads was named Dexter - Dexter, I ask you? Where the hell did she get that from! Reading today's News there's a report about a burglar who left blood traces which lead back to him. His first name? Preston. Another one I was surprised with this morning was Manning, Jonathon Maitland has lumbered his son with that one! I do wonder at time what these people are thinking of - if they are thinking that is!

Our next stop on Wednesday has provided today's photo. We stopped at the Dog Inn. The other day I posted the front of the bar; today I post the whole of the bar area ...

Funny time ...

An elderly man comes in after a good round of golf at the new course and heads straight to the bar/restaurant area of the club house. As he passes through the swinging doors, he spots a sign hanging over the bar that reads:
COLD BEER: £5.00
HAMBURGER: £10.00
CHEESEBURGER: £15.50
CHICKEN SANDWICH : £18.50
HAND JOB: £250.00
Checking his wallet to be sure he has the necessary money, the old guy walks up to the bar and beckons to the exceptionally attractive female bartender who is serving drinks to a couple of sun-wrinkled golfers.
She glides down behind the bar to the old man.
“Yes?” she inquires with a wide, knowing smile. “May I help you sir?”
The old guy leans over the bar and whispers, “I was wondering young lady, are you the one who gives the hand-jobs around here?”
She looks into his wrinkled eyes and with a wide smile purrs, “Yes, sir, I sure am.”
The old guy leans in even closer and into her left ear says softly, “Well, then, be sure to wash your hands because I want a cheeseburger.”      

Drunk divers, perverts and justice.

28 November 2013

Yet again the News front page is up with child sexual abuse. In this case it's a 27 year old man facing charges from when he was teenager. The charges includes one of raping a younger boy. This pervert who lived in Bracebridge Street, the same street we lived in and incidentally is the street where my novel House of Pain starts, has been sentenced to seven years in prison. But I wonder how long he would have got for raping an adult? He has also been order to register for life as a sex offender.

This makes me wonder about the justice system as a whole. I have already renamed the CPS as the Criminal Protection Service because they will always find a reason not to charge someone if they can. Where a conviction is obtained it is very rare where the full allowable sentence is applied.   Take drink driving as an example; a breath test of 40mg may result in the following penalties ... a 12-16 month driving ban, a fine of £150-£175 depending on income for a first offence. (http://www.drinkdriving.org/drink_driving_sentencing_guidelines.php as at 1420hrs 27/11.2013). These penalties are a maximum but are dependent on the actual breath test level. The actual amount applied by magistrates across the country varies. That seems to me to be grossly unfair; the same penalty should apply where ever the offence takes place.

Then there are the vast differences in penalties where someone dies because of a drunk driver. Here's the MAXIMUM penalties ... a 14 year prison sentence, unlimited fine and a mandatory minimum driving ban of two years (http://www.drinkdrivinglaw.co.uk/drink_driving_penalties_punishments.htm at 1430 hrs 28/11/2013). But when was the last time you actually saw or heard of a penalty for such an offence? I certainly haven't. There is just far too much leeway given to judges and magistrates. Time it was brought up to date and the law used to prevent should incidents in the first place!

We sat and watched a cowboy movie last night; Cowboys and Aliens, staring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. It's not a bad movie really but Craig didn't make a very good cowboy though. Perhaps he should stick to slagging off M in the Bond movies.

Photo time ... 

The engine block of a very nice motorbike at the M5 services.

And funny time ...

           

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.

Titles, real ale and Road works!

27 November 2013

Last night I finished Lynda la Plant's Backlash; not a bad story at all, although I think that the title is a little off. I can't see where a backlash comes into it apart from the last couple of pages. This has got me thinking about the titles for my own  stories. The current NANO currently has two titles; the Word file is called Beanie Woods while on the NANO website it's called Name Of All Names. I think it will publish as Connections eventually though. My last published book has the title Web of Hate but I think Hate's Web would have been better. Whatever - time to move on!

Last night I managed to get my latest batch of photos downloaded to my 'puter and ready to be processed.  Most of them I got while in the Dog yesterday, a pub in Neither Whitacre about 10 miles away. We went a run out to get us out of home for a few hours. They sell some very nice real ales in there and the one I had yesterday was called Top Totty, a nice blonde ale, lager coloured but very good. Then I notice just how many real ale pump signs there are in there. Sixty photos later, Jan was ready to leave. But the first shot I got in there was this one ... 

It's the front of the bar. A couple of months ago I got shots of this but I didn't have my wide-angle lens so couldn't get a single shot of it all. yesterday, I did! If ever you are in the area, try to pay the pub a visit. Nice friendly staff and great real ale.

Dorktowners are up in arms again over traffic chaos on Heathend Road. Three-way temporary lights at the entrance to the Hussy hospital is backing up traffic for miles around. That particular road has always been known as a poor road, what with the surface being so badly scared and patched up, regular road works on there and a parking problem for the whole one mile stretch. Whoever plans these works needs to think about more instead of just blindly pushing a pin into a map and saying, 'We'll dig there today!' At least that's what it looks like they do!

Look at that! I've decided not to go and have a look at the market and the sun has just come out! Bloomin typical! We are planning a birding trip on Friday anyway; if the weather is OK that is. Two possible venues, London Wetland Centre and Richmond Park or Welney Wetland Trust with maybe a stop of Welch's Damn RSPB site first. We say see.

Here's another photo then ... 

A field gun in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

And a Granny comment today I think ...

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like. "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"         

Asda, parking and a warning to all men!

25 November 2013

Shopping in Asda this morning and I met up with a lady I used to know when we had Cindy-pup ... 

We used to meet up as we walked our dogs around a park area just off Queens Road. From the start this morning we knew we knew each other but I couldn't for the life me remember where I knew her from. She mentioned Cindy and then it all clicked into place. Anyway, we stood nattering away for a good bit before went on our ways - nothing has changed then ;-)))

It took me two turns round the car park before I got a parking bay. Bloomin crazy! It's late November not mid December. The town always get's begins to get busier from early December but it looks to have started early this year. But how about this ... 

A house on The Raywoods; I saw this on my way home from Cardiff a week ago. It makes Christmas far too long for me. Come Boxing Day I'm ready for it all to come down, they look tired and jaded to me.

Right then ... that's our boiling ham on to cook, and no, it's not for Christmas! We both like have a bacon joint in to cut at for butties as we feel like it and its been ages since we last had one. It's not a huge one seeing as there only us two to go at it. Even when Tom was with us it was just us two, Tom didn't like bacon at all. It will be nicely in time for dinner for tomorrow when we will have it cold sliced with some veg and taties with it.

My NANO effort is going well. Now my target is just 1276 words a day to finish on target. By the way it's going though I think it will go for a few extra thousand words to finish the story properly. I can't believe how this one has built up you know. I start with the idea of a man waking up in an all white room dressed on an all white onesi. His name was Beanie Woods. Now it's turned into a diplomatic incident with Italy. Oh dear, no wonder me ed erts ;-)))

I shall now kindly blogger and let you have another photo ... 

Got it; I named this one 2-1 +dog floater.

And I'll keep the granny gags for now and give you this one ...

 Police are warning all men who frequent clubs, parties & local pubs to be alert and stay cautious when offered a drink by any woman. Many females use a date-rape-drug on the market called ' Beer ' .
The drug is found in liquid form and is available anywhere. It comes in bottles, cans, or from taps and in large kegs.. Beer is used by female sexual predators at parties and bars to persuade their male victims to go home and sleep with them.
A woman needs only to get a guy to consume a few units of Beer and then simply ask him home for no-strings-attached sex. Men are rendered helpless against this approach. After several Beers , men will often succumb to the desires to sleep with horrific looking women to whom they would never normally be attracted.
After drinking Beer , men often awaken with only hazy memories of exactly what happened to them the night before, often with just a vague feeling that 'something bad' occurred.
At other times these unfortunate men are swindled out of their life's savings, in a familiar scam known as 'a relationship' . In extreme cases, the female may even be shrewd enough to entrap the unsuspecting male into a longer-term form of servitude and punishment referred to as 'marriage'. Men are much more susceptible to this scam after Beer is administered and sex is offered by the predatory females.
Please forward this warning to every male you know.
If you fall victim to this ' Beer ' scam and the women administering it, there are male support groups where you can discuss the details of your shocking encounter with similarly victimized men.
For the support group nearest you, just look up RUGBY CLUB in the phone book.