Abd abother Monday starts another week

31 October 2011

Dorktown News this morning leads with yet another death.  This time a 52 year old man has been found lying in the street with head an pelvic injuries and rushed off to hospital where he died.  Another man has been arrested and released on police bail.  The centre pages were taken up with a report of the Trafalgar Day parade of sea cadets through the town centre ... and very smart they all looked too.

Tomorrow is the start of the NaNoWriMo.  The object is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.  I have the start of mine already planned out - and by start, that's what I mean - if it stretches to 500 words I'll be lucky!  My other main work is Happyman and the last time I sat doing that I caught myself writing waffle and I'm not happy with at all and I don't seem able to go any further with it.  I hope I can get on better with NaNo. 

We had Kile for overnight on Friday.  He had to be back early Saturday afternoon to go to a Halloween party ...

 

 ... as you can see, he really is a little monster!            

How daft can you get with only one head?!!! 2

I posted this on Flicker along with a load of real ale pump signs.  This one has had 745 views up till now!   I'm rather staggered by that number.

GEH - not so good?

28 October 2011

According to both the BBC news and today's Dorktown news, the George Eliot  Hospital is not a good place to be if you're ill.  It seems that over 1200 people died there after receiving treatment - 400+ more than expected.  The hospital tops the UK charts for such deaths.  However, in the last 5 years I have 4 emergency admissions there for angina attacks and I can't rate the care I received highly enough!

Have you been watching the fun and games over the Euro?  It's expected that banks who have loaned Greece money will be willing to take a 50% loss on their loans.  OK, 50% of a £3000 car loan isn't a lot as an individual loan but a lot to such loans soon mounts up.  But we are not talking of a 3 grand car loan are we?  We're talking of millions and millions of £s and Euros, perhaps even billions!  I can see some of the banks refusing this.  And what happens if say Barclays agrees but HSBC doesn't?  Or all banks in the UK do agree after pressure from Downing Street but then the French or Italian or some other countries banks refuse?  And remember, some of these smaller eastern European countries are themselves struggling.  I can still see the Euro failing before long - the one good thing that the Tories have done was to keep us out of it.

All the quotes are in for our car and Jan is off to get them in ready for us to get the car done.  Motability have been in touch to say that the car is due for its MOT before it gets handed back to the them in mid-December.  We're hoping the pub won't renege on its agreement to pay for the damage.  After that Jan will go and pick up Kile and I shall be getting the oven ready for him to go in.  I normally can't manage a full child for Friday dinner but I'll make a special effort for him ;-)))

My back is really bad today.  Yesterday afternoon we tried moving the furniture about again.  I have one those reclining armchairs and because it is so large and heavy when moved to the back room we didn't bother moving it as well as all the rest of the stuff.  But I've been missing it and finding it harder as time went by getting up out of the ordinary chair I was using.  So we decided that we would have a go.  My chair can be taken apart and moved in two bits which made it easier than we thought but Jan then decided that she wanted the other sofa through as well ... opps ... far too big to get through the doorway between the two rooms.  So having moved the sofa from in here to the front to make room for t'ther one, we than had to move it back out here.  The result is very bad back pain and lots of paracetamol (spelling?) being taken.  At least I am now comfortable when sitting and getting up.

The weather is nice and bright and sunny and due to stay that way.  So I'll be cleaning my Sony and going off out on the scooter for a ride around and see what I can shot today.  Talking of which ... yesterday I reported that my letter to the local rag.  Well, yesterday evening I looked at the Dorktown Tribune and found they had reprinted a number of photos from their Fikcer page and one of mine was there!   

They've called it Ship but I don't remember naming it anything when I posted it on there.  Whatever, it's good to see it there for everyone to see.                      

Foot butcher day ...

27 October 2011

Our friendly neighbourhood foot butcher called today.  She's very good actually and very reasonable price wise.  All done now and OK for 8 weeks, just before Crimble next time.

Seeing as Crimble is coming up, I think it's time we had a ride out to see the various displays in the garden centres.  They do some really nice ones and I like to try to sneak a few photos of them too.  We'll do it on  Saturday when Kile is with us, gets him out for a few hours without spending a fortune.  We are also planning a birding trip for next week.  Not sure where though.  I've suggested Newport in South Wales, North Norfolk and also Welney Marshes.   

No doubt we will have to see where the car takes us.

Do you remember me moaning on about truckers not paying their speeding tickets?  Well, I also sent a letter on the same subject to the Dorktown News and it was printed today.  Maybe our Muppet Person will read it and take it up.  Who knows, we might get a miracle.

I also subscribe to the Ton Clancy Facebook page.  He has another new book - no hang on - there's a new book out next month with his name on the front cover.  The debate on his Facebook page is about just how much of his current output is actually his seeing as there's a second writer named on there too.  A number of other subscribers have said, "I can't wait for it to be released!"  I've replied with, "So what yet goons do then?"  No replies yet though.  The other one that bugs me is the BBC news reader who say, "Now it's time to catch up with what's happening where you are."  But they don't do they?  I know what's happening where I am, I'm sat watching the news.  See, another daft expression!

I love ties!  If I could get shirts big enough for me I would wear a tie every time I went out.  But have you noticed just how badly some people wear them?  They are not pulled into the collar properly or are over to one side of the other.  If you want to know how to wear a tie - look at Nick Owen on BBC Midlands Today.      

Britsh Summer Time

26 October 2011

Don't forget that the clocks go back on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I his mention this now because I'm sure it usually happens a lot earlier in October, not the last weekend of the month.  Whatever, it's this weekend guys n gals.

So we are not to have a referendum on the EU.  The Sunday Express had a good cartoon in it last Sunday.  It had Cameron looking to Libya saying that democracy had one and how good it was.  and then him turning back to the UK and the Muppet Persons holding a referendum form and Cameron looking horrified at it.  It seems that it is OK for everyone else but not us.  Sad enit!

Dorktown News has a front page story of two canal boats that had burned at the same time.  The two photos are odd though.  Each boat is moored either side of the Cock and Bear bridge.  So unless the larger less damaged boat has been moved, there's no way that it was damaged after the smaller one was burning.  Very strange that ... ... ... ...

It's that time of year again folks.  When we had Sally-pup the golden bitzer ... 

once the yobs started setting off banger in the street she would hide and whine and crap all over the place.  We bought sedatives for her to try to help but nothing really did help her.  The poor dog was terrified.  I wrote to our Muppet person Mike O'Brian at the time  about it and he refused to even acknowledge there was problem.  But don't forget, fireworks are explosives and as far as I know the only time it is legal for the general public to use them in November 5th.  Yet there's a double spread of ads in the News for different fire work suppliers.  They are even now saying that Crimble is a good time for them!  Ye gods ...

 
Well, I've messed around enough methinks and I really do have to get on and get some writing done.  Last weekend I did about 500 words towards Happyman but I wasn't happy with it.  It was OK for what it was but it was just in the wrong place.  I shall move it to a file where I keep all my bits I can't use and see if I can fit it in somewhere along the line.  Ah well ... here I go then ... ... ...         

A ride around today ...

I went out just to get some new photos of Dorktown today ...

 Riversley Park

 All Saints Church Chilvers Coton.  This church was destroyed durin the blizt is 1941 and German POWs rebuilt it.

The River Anker as it flows through Riversley Park.

Chilvers Coton Hertitage Centre.  Once a school where the Twon Hussey attended.

Coton Arches Railway viaduct; carries the Dorktown to Coventry line.  The main road used to go through that middle arch many years ago.

Thought I'd start to get sessional ;-)))

The rest are all from the market last Saturday ...

A sensible cyclist for once!  Most of them ride through the crowds.