Not a bad weekend all told ...

13 February 2012

I've had a couple of days off from here so I now have a lot of catching up to do, although I won't be able to fully catch up anyway.  Saturday I went a ride around town on me scooter and got 1900 words written on 18 Months Later.  I was pleased about that because I was sat in the Will White while I did it.  I got more than a bit peeved later though when I realized I had left my walking stick in there!  Carrying it about on the scooter can be a real pain but I need it when I get out of the scooter and have to walk anywhere ... ah well ... ... ...

Yesterday we went to the new RSPB site at Burton Mere Wetlands.  Finding the place was a real nightmare.  We looked for the usual brown tourist signs but only saw one of them.  A local we asked told how to get there but in actual fact the site is on two parts and he sent us to the smaller one of the two.  We couldn't get out scooters down the path to the hide because it was far too muddy.  However, it wasn't a total wash out seeing we did get photos of some snowdrops ...

I also tried Jan's new Tamron lens which has a macro setting on it but I couldn't get it to work properly.  I just need to try it more often and learn how to use it properly.  It was at this smaller site that we found out where the main site was.  The village of Burton is a special conservation are and so the RSPB were not allowed to have the usual brown sign.  Instead they were allowed to put a small blue and white sign not at a great height, it's about a meter from the ground on a lamppost.  I found this very strange because estate agents are allowed to put their signs and of course there are the normal road signs all over the place.  There seems to be a bit of hypocrisy going on there methinks!

Once we arrived though we found the site to be not at all bad really.  There were plenty of birds about, which after all is what it is all about and we got 4 or 5 for our year list.  Now we know where it is we will go back later in the year and see what's about there then.

Locally then, The Dorktown News reports that a factory in the town is looking to expand and will be looking for more staff.  In these days of large unemployment that has to be good news all round.  I think the company makes showers but I'm not sure.  There used to be another such company, Triton who were based here in Dorktown.  I know they are still operation but I'm not sure if they are here in town or not.

A man from Nepal who had a drug habit to feed was released on bail after being caught shop lifting, was later caught shop lifting again, still while On bail.  He's been sent down for 42 days.  It seems a tad light to me.  But hey-ho, that's liberal Britain for you.  "He's from Nepal," I'm thinking; "I wonder how the local Ghurkhas feel about it?"  In another shop lifting case a guy was fined £120 plus costs for steeling 4 packs of Rennies ... must have been some indigestion he had.

So what else has been happening then ... Oh yes ... the cuts to Warwickshire police may cause the cancelling of a number of traditional local events, like the annual carnival, scouts parade and the Civic Bonfire in November.  But I'm wondering if it is just here on Dorktown where the cuts are having an affect or if it is county-wide.  Damned Tories, they spoil everything they touch!

A lady in the town has her third natural birth at the maternity unit of the Hussy Hospital.  The boy weighed in at over 8lbs and mum can't give enough praise to the unit and its staff and the manor that she was treated.  This is sort of story that needs to appear more often if the Arden Cluster is pressured into keeping the Hussy open.

I'm sure you know that when you reach the age of 75 you are entitled to a free TV licence - if you can get one that is!  An elderly lady here in Dorktown was sent a £30 refund on her old licence, for which is was very grateful.  But since then she had nothing but problems getting her new one.  She was however receiving letters for the licensing office to remind it was an offence to use a TV without a valid licence.  The problem is down to the lady's NI number being entered into the system wrongly.  The usual excuses came out from them about how many addresses were on their data base and so on ... ... ... Whatever, as of this morning the lady is still without her licence!

I shall spoil you all today and post a second photo.  As you know doubt guessed, I'm not all that fond of Dorktown, but it does have a few redeeming features, like this little chap I snapped on Saturday morning ...

Nothing new from the Sage today and I can't remember if I've posted this before, but if so, it's still a good one ...

When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed..

But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the bike, making beer.. Always something more important to me.

Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.

When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush.

I said, 'When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.'

The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.