Itchy feet and sore ears ...

13 April

Very bity night last night for some reason. I just couldn’t drop off properly and when I did manage it, my ears began itching. One ear after t’ther it went on all night. Now they are both sore and actually hurting.

As we wobbled around Cambridge on Monday we came across a pen shop, and I just love fountain pens. However, I won’t be buying one from that shop. The cheapest pen we saw was £95 was for a ball-point; the cheapest fountain pen was around £150, and ranged up to just short of £600. I’m sure they were fairly cheap to some makes though. It makes me think just how much of a poser the buyers of such pens are.

In the past I’ve written about the Sheaffer set Dave left, brand new, still in its original packaging. Now I have put it into use when writing Arathusia, and I shall continue to do so. The thing is, I really do enjoy using that Sheaffer, but it does have a bit of drawback, in that I will then have to type it up. I might moan about it, but it’s worth to use such a nice pen.

I’m still wondering what to do about getting a full editing of my work. I looked at the website of one editor and just a basic edit would work out £250 for my £50,000+ Finding. For my other works will at just short 120k words I would be looking at £500, a figure that I just can’t afford. So I wonder how other writers get on with it? I wish I could find out. Right now I have a local lass reading through Finding for me, which will be self-published through Lulu. I’ll see what else I can do later.

The other night I had settled a tad early and it struck me just how much time we all spend sitting or lying down. Most of us spend eight hours a day sleeping, that’s a third of the day folks. Then after sitting down to drinking tea/coffee and eating breakfast, we head off to work or school. School kids mainly spend their days sitting at a desk, while their mum and dad either drive or sit on a bus to get to work. When we get home we sit and eat dinner and then maybe sit and watch telly until whatever time we go to bed again. Is it any wonder why so many folks are getting fatter by the day?

Is 24 years in jail enough for the woman who kicked and beat her child to death? I don’t think so. However, when I think about would getting a longer sentence do her any good? She will be at 50 years old when she gets out, so there is little chance of her having any more children when she is released. Now here’s the rub; she is a cannabis addict and was high when she was arrested after the child’s death. Our prisons are full of drugs anyway, so then chance of her kicking her habit while she is in there is slim. And of course, there’s the cost to taxpayer.

According to this website - http://www.fpe.org.uk/the-cost-of-prisons/ - it costs an average of £40,000 a year to keep someone locked up; that’s just short of £1million for that woman. Longer sentences will mean greater costs to us taxpayers. That cost has been used to justify the return of the death sentence. On Facebook the other day I saw a post about a cat that some nutter had tried to drown in red paint. I suggested that it was time for the old eye for an eye justice system, and I still think that right up to the death sentence. But that for me would one step too far. I can see one million reasons doing so; multiply that by the number of lifers there is behind bars and it does become a clear, cost effected way of dealing with these people. At one time I wanted it brought back, but now, I don’t. No-body wins by hanging a murderer, and it has a massive effect on the executioner too. Surely we have moved on from the days of the noose, at least I hope so.

My feet are starting to itch again, and no, it’s not athletes foot! Out there we have nice, warm, sunny day and when we get those my feet are wanting out and about. However, my legs are still aching badly from Monday’s wobble around Cambridge. That bugs me a good bit cos I used to able to walk around all day without problems, now just a couple of hours and I know I shall be hurting the next day. My fault though, I was given enough warning and I ignored them all.

Today’s photo then …

A roofer had at work.

Today’s funny …

Doctor, doctor, I think I've been bitten by a vampire.
Drink this glass of water.
Will it make me better?
No, but I'll be able to see if your neck leaks.