Last blog for a while ...

31 July

Later today I have to make a quick trip into town to get me some slippers for Monday when I go into the Walsgrave. We had ordered them from a mail order place but they’ve not arrived yet, so now I’m off out when really I could do with staying at home. At least I can get some photos done, I hope …

And a hope it was too. Actually, we were up a bit later than we like and it threw me right out of kilter and very little got done, including getting some new slippers. Even so, I did get some slippers. For years now, going back to the 1960s I’ve been wearing size 8 shoes, which lengthwise were far too big. However, I have a large, or steep instep, any size smaller that an 8 just won’t fit. These days I’m having for but size 9 shoes because I can’t get size 8s on. Jan bought a size 7 slipper with an open instep and a Velcro fastener and they also fit me. So now I have my slippers.

Some time ago I saw another real-time cop show on telly and recorded it, it’s called Wanted. We sat and watched two of them last night and they’re pretty good. In one case the cops arrested a guy wanted on a warrant and they showed him full face – and yet I wonder … One of the arresting cops said that he had known the man for years and he hadn’t been any different and was in trouble pretty well all the time.

Oh right; so now the people in that city will now know about it him and his record. What happens at some point he ends up in front of jury where the jury isn’t allowed to know what sort of record a defendant has until after they reach a verdict. If the jury know about him from the telly show can they really come to a fair verdict on the evidence shown at the trial? I have my doubts you know, I really do. But there again, he could be lucky … … …

We have also been watching the Escape to the Winter Sun shows on telly too, as well as Sun Sea and A&E and what struck me is just how clean the streets are compared to here. We also noticed it while we were in Mallorca. Yes, we did see a few vacant plots that far from clean and tidy, but compared to here in the UK, they were spotless. So why is that I wonder? Why are we so as a nation dirty and untidy? It dies seem to be within the lower income areas where this happens, or at least that’s the impression given.

However, there is an area here in Dorktown where most of the houses are owner-occupied, which do tend to be the dirtiest. I hate to say it, but it’s one of the Asian areas of the town. There’s another such area which is nowhere near as dirty, so can’t just be down to the Asians who live there, and I’m not claiming it is down to them alone. There must be another reason for it, but I can’t of it. Anyway …

I saw on the ‘net yesterday that Iman of the area where the Muslim who killed the Catholic priest lived, has refused to help with the man’s funeral. The Iman has stated that the killer has tainted Islam with disgrace by his actions and therefore is a sinner who does not deserve to be given a Muslim funeral. At last someone speaks out against these killers in a way that should give the killers pause to think about their actions. But will they listen? I doubt it; they will likely claim the Iman is not a true Muslim and therefore deserves death himself. I have a feeling though, that if more Islamic clerics come out on the side of their French colleague, there would be a larger shift away from violence and towards the peace that Islam is supposed to be about.

Please don’t forget that this will be last blog I shall be writing for some time now. I’m due into the Walsgrave at 7am tomorrow morning and I have no idea when I shall be discharged. Even then, I don’t know when I shall be able to sit and write again.

Today’s photo …

Baked spud time, Coventry.             

Today’s funny …

What is the name of the prize that is awarded each year to the most successful dieter?
The no - belly prize.

Two book reviews

29 July

I fancied a day off yesterday so I had one. My lappy wasn’t even opened at all. But I’m here for today. However, I should say that I am due at the Walsgrave for my back operation at 7.00am on Monday and I’m likely to be in there for three or four days, but the sooner I can get out, the better for me.

Before staring here today, I have written two reviews of books I finished last night; one a paperback, The Book Thief, t’ther on me Kindle, The synchronicity War Pt2. Here they are …

The Synchronicity War Part 2

Dietmar Arthur Wehr

No matter what others say, I like reading using the Kindle app on my tablet computer; actually, reading is what I use it for mostly. What I can’t do is to read with it when I’m lying in bed reading; no, I much prefer a hard copy. That means that I have at least two books on the go at the same time. So before bedtime last night, I finished part 2 of this terrific series.

It’s ‘space opera’ of the finest sort and has all the usual elements of the good guy Earthlings fighting the and bad guy aliens. Science has progressed so much that even a vague idea can become reality in a short time. Spaceships grow in size and ability. Eventually doing away with human crews and being piloted by AI units that are far faster to us puny humans. That causes resentment within the ranks. Where it’s seen the people concerned are moved sideways out of the way of waging a war that Earth didn’t want but got drawn into anyway. With those people out of the way, the elected people were a lot harder to deal with.

While all that is being dealt with back at home, Space Force personnel are at pointed end and fighting for their lives, as well as the lives of all humanity. To make thing more interesting, Victor Shiloh, now a senior officer receives telepathic visions of the future which cause him to alter his strategy and win battles that would have been lost without them.

An attack on Earth is repelled, even though it is known to be sideshow to another attack on the various colonies that Earth has set up out in the universe. With those colonies destroyed, all the eyes of Space Force turn to a new colony that even the elected people don’t know about. Shiloh becomes its leader and CSO (Commander, Space Operations). At that point Shiloh receives another vision, and that point Part 2 ends.

You can no doubt gather that I am totally hooked on this series, and with Parts 3 and 4 waiting for me, I am looking for the next instalment.

Long live humanity, and long live space opera that tells its story way into the future.                    

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak

This is a strange one and I don’t really like the way the various sections are written. That was why I gave up on it when I first tried it. I bought it from Waterstones when I saw it, solely because of the number of people who said they loved it and how good it was. Therefore, I was disappointed with it, and back on the shelf it went. After nearly a year I decided to give it another go.

I began by re-reading the shout on the back cover. Narrated by Death thinks I, might be interesting, so keep at this time. And keep at it I did and finally got it finished last night. It part tells the story of WW2 and how it effects the poorer part or one small area on the outskirts of Munich, mainly Himmel Street in Molching. A foster girl living with an elderly couple is the thief of the title, who learns to read and has an urge to read more and more, hence the thieving. Along with her best friend Rudy, they get themselves into all sorts of scrapes, but always come out of them with only minor bumps and knocks.

I can’t think of any book that tells of the grinding poverty and fear here within the UK during the same period. Times were grim though, I remember my mam telling me about it; but no full book. In Germany though, there was also the race factor which came into play. German Jews were rounded up, along with Gypsies and disabled people, all because they didn’t fit into the new racially pure German ideal. Informants were a constant worry too, along with the fanatical Nazis living among them. All in all, these people lived hungry and terrified lives until 1945.

And so I stuck with the story, and boy, what a story it is. I can safely say The Book Thief is one of, if not the greatest books I have ever read. Need I say more about it?          

These two reviews are both round 350 words each and can be found on ForReadingAddicts, I hope you enjoyed reading them. Anyway, I’ve tried to read a few book reviews in some of papers, and bloomin heck, the reviews could with a review too, they’re so damned long! I have a feeling though that they are mainly waffle from people trying to justify their rice bowl. (Yes, I know, it’s an Americanism and I don’t really like them.) But these reviews are taken seriously by some people, so who am I to moan? For me, I like them to be short and to give a yes or no to whether the reviewer likes the book or not, and that is what I try to do in my reviews. Anyway, there is a minimum 150 word count on the reviews. To take my review even deeper I would lose the fun of reading, and what’s the point of that?

So today’s photo …

Up he goes …    

Today’s funny …

That Private Williams is a fine shot with a rifle," observed the sergeant. "Yes," said the lieutenant, "but I wonder what was his occupation before he joined the army." "Why is that, sir?"
"It's the way he takes out his handkerchief and wipes his fingerprints off the gun every time he takes a shot."

Terror imports

27 July

We’ve made no plans for going out this morning, too much to do here ready for my operation next Monday; besides, it’s raining here right now. One thing we have decided on though is that we have far too much furniture and odds n ends in here. To that end I’ve storage for my books, and will start clearing it in a wee while. One the books are moved there, then the two tall bookcases will go to the tip. Once they have gone, my small desk will move into the corner behind me which will clear a lot of the space in front of us. We also have far too many tables here as well, so they will be whittled down. The fear is folks, that with both of us being unsteady on our legs these day, we need a wider space to safely walk in the living room.

France has been hit again, and yet again the fear is that an ISIS inspired young man was behind it. As normal with these things, the killer has killed himself thereby not being able to be brought to justice. Yet this guy was a French national, arrested for trying to go to Syria and wearing tag because of it. If the police had caught him before he killed himself, what could the courts do with him? He couldn’t be deported seeing he was in his country. The only option is life in prison. How many others could he have infected with his hatred during his incarceration? We won’t ever know that now we will. That’s why I think the police would have shot him dead anyway.

While we all saw the pictures on TV of all those fit looking young men from Syria and beyond, making their way across Europe, I did wonder how many of them were ISIS sleepers waiting for the kill order. Again, we will never know. France is not the nation to hit of course, Germany is getting hit too. The Germans opened their borders to around a million refugees and the young men don’t to carry guns to cause terror do they; oh no, they can just as well by just being there as a perceived threat. While sitting there doing nothing much at all, their duck like legs can be working hard to radicalise as many home grown terrorists as they can find.

We shouldn’t get too complacent here in the UK either. We still have a major problem with illegal migrants coming across from Calais. I saw a mall item on the news about the French cracking down on them, but will that a long term action I wonder? Not so sure about that. If we find one illegal, how many others are getting through without being known about? The attack in Woolwich was done by illegals waiting deportation, as I read once in one article. How many more have got in and waiting their chance or for the ‘Go’ order? Again, we may never know.

Human beings are not the only dangers making their way here. Drugs, food items and fake goods are all flooding the markets. By reversing the cuts out new Prime Muppet made to the Border Agency would help of course, but that would mean admitting she had been wrong in making them in the first place. Can you see her doing that? No, nor can I. In any case, there are so many seclude bays along our coast, and so many small private air ports/landing strips that they can’t all be policed. It all means we are still wide open to such import attempts or anyone at all.

For the third time since the rendering was done last summer, we have a guy here trying to fix the locking mechanism of our back door. I hope he can deal with it once and for all. It is an old door though and I have a feeling what is really needed is a new door. But that means spending a lot of money, and they would sooner repair it, or at least try to in the hope that cures it. The last time someone was here was last week and while he was here the locking mechanism worked fine to start with. Later in the evening though when we came to lock up for night, it was back to how it was before the guy started. He says it’s fixed and Jan has Just tried it and it does work, for now at least.

Today’s photo …

Sleeping or what?

Today’s funny …

Three tourists were driving through Wales. As they were approaching Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, they started arguing about the pronunciation of the town's name. They argued back and forth until they stopped for lunch. As they stood at the counter one asked the blonde employee, "Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are... very slowly?" The girl leaned over the counter and said, "Burrrrrr, gerrrrrr, Kiiiiiing."              

A fantasy flight?

26 July

We’ve done it again! After settling at 1115 last night, we eventually came to properly at 1125 this morning. I know we don’t actually have much to do today; I know that we both had poor nights the night before and that we were nodding off while we were reading, 12 hours sleeping was too much. Add in that I know that today is going to be rough day for me at least. You see, I had my pills in my hand ready to take when Jan’s phone started playing GOT theme, Tom’s ring tone.

A short time later I found a pile of pills on my coaster and it puzzled me where they were from. It took a time before I worked it out, but they were todays dose … oh dear, and I don’t have any spare either … or do I? I went into the kitchen and thought that I may just remember having put some spares away just after the kitchen was finished. So I checked the one place that rung bells, and I found some, haha, great. So now I’ve had them, but it can take a wee bit before I feel the benefit now that I’ve been late taking them.

The other day I wrote about the thieves of Dorktown and what they will stoop to steal, thinking that a few Asda bags was pretty much the bottom of the barrel. Tell you what though, we’ve just noticed that one of the two fire extinguishers has been stolen. I know they are metal, but are they worth enough to steal? And why just one and not both? There just doesn’t seem any logic to them does there.  

Time travel: a subject that has fascinated people over the centuries. HG Wells wrote his The Time Machine in which a man makes and uses a time machine, a good read too. Now there have been lots of books and films on the theme. On my own account, and here we go into a Sci-fi stream … but first a telly show. Prof Brian Cox has another show on the BBC, and as I like him I always watch his shows. He makes science so much easier without making so simple it becomes mundane. I watched one the other day in which he has a ride in a Typhon fighter jet, where they go chasing the sun. And that’s where fact, moves to Sci-fi.

By flying at the same speed as the earth rotates, they were able keep the setting sun at the same spot as they follow. By speeding up, they were able to see the sun move back up in the sky. Well, here’s what I have always wondered … if we had a vehicle fast enough and with enough endurance, would it be possible to wind the clock back, thereby time travelling. I’m sure there will be some cleaver clog science-nut will burst the bubble for me. But you know what, I don’t really care; as a writer I can use the idea as I like eh?     

Back to photos and where to find them. At one time I was a real ale drinker and I love it but because of having to drive home more times than not, I only ever had one pint. That could be frustrating, so what I’ve done is to take photos of the clips on the pumps. Okay, not idea but so what. But then someone comes up with making ‘craft ale’ so what is the difference between real ale and craft ale I wonder? If you know, please let me know?

So for today’s photo …

Two ladies in Coventry.

Today’s funny …

Did you hear about the animal hotel that has exclusive accommodation for squirrels?
It's called The Nutcracker Suite.

A or B, which is best?

25 July

Yesterday’s photo of Kile got me to thinking about all of my photos taken over the years. They first began in 1976 when I bought a Pentax Spotmatic 1000. That was a great camera and I really enjoyed using it; it’s a fully manual camera to zoom, exposure and focus. The only help you get is the built in exposure meter which is still very easy to use and read. However, you still have the setting on the camera to get the correct exposure. The biggest problem with it for me was that it is the old 42mm screw fitting lens system. Pentax had brought out their new K-fit bayonet fitting, and is what I really wanted before too long.

But my friends, can you imagine the number of films I’ve through since then? And that of course doesn’t count the thousands I have taken on digital; and yet, where are all those photos now? I no longer have any of the prints or the negatives. Part of the problem is lack of storage here in our flat. I hate throwing away anything that even looks like archive material. So it really did hurt when Jan and I went through them all and I finally threw them out. Now of course I really wish I hadn’t done that, but now it’s too late, and they are now lost for ever.

I have the same issue with all my books. During my time in the army I kept every book I read and then they were added to my pile back home in Bracebridge Street. Eventually they had to go, again because of storage problems. That is a situation I’ve found myself in oh so many more times. Right now there are a 178 titles on my Excel file, not counting the factual reference books I have, not my TBR (to be read), pile. Can you imagine the numbers of my books going back over so many years.

This where a Kindle wins hands down. Mine is an app on my Samsung tablet and measures 12cm x 19cm, and there’s a 32gig microSD card inserted. I really don’t know how many books I have on there, read or TBR. However, I like both methods of reading, so I won’t come down on either side in this argument.

This issue with way of reading books is best, is just the latest of a long line of such changes coming about. There’s the Apple v PC row still on-going; which video system was the best, VHS or Betamax; and of course the infamous film v digital row; prior to that the take up of colour over black and white film simmered for some time. On top of all that, there’s brand loyalty to take into account.

The purists of each system will always want to keep their treasured system and will fight tooth and nail to keep it. Why should it like that? O know a guy who uses Canon kit. He’s an excellent snapper and I’ve told him that too. He however, says that I’m better than him. What we both needed to think about was the difference in styles and genre that we work in. Why can’t we all just accept each other and each other’s likes and dislikes? I ask this because that guy has dropped me off his friends list, so sad really, because now neither of us can see each other’s work.

Today I have to go over to the Walsgrave for my blood test ready for next Monday’s admission. Not only that, my mornings meds had to be sorted out because I have to stop three of them a week before the operation, so two are out in the morning and one at night. Hopefully it will all be over and done with by Tuesday lunch time, and I’ll be on my feet again ready for going home.

Today’s photo …

A chunk of rusty metal on the beach at Titchwell RSPB. OK, there’s two versions, the original colour image and a black and white conversion that I did in Photoshop. Which do you prefer I wonder; for me it’s the B&W one.

Today’s funny …

The Three Bears returned one sunny Sunday morning from a stroll in the woods to find the door of their little house open. Cautiously, they went inside. After a while, big Daddy Bear's deep voice boomed out, "Someone's been eating MY porridge!" Mummy Bear gave a yelp, "Someone's been eating MY porridge!", she said. Little Baby Bear rushed in, "Forget the porridge - someone's nicked the DVD player!"

Mostly on writing

24 July

Yesterday I had a choice of going in to town or staying here and getting some writing done; I chose the latter and I got 4,000 words of …and Bristol Fashion done. That rather pleased me because I stopped working in it when I though the story had come to a dead end and I couldn’t see a way to get it going again. After a break of months, probably a year, I sat down to it again things just fell into place and I was off again. Very pleased about that, well, I was until James Harris up and changed his mind and altered the plot. I was relieved to read the other day that my characters are not the only ones who do that – oh dear, who’d be a writer? 

Stolen Asda bags, why do people need to steal five Asda bags for life? They’re only 10p, I wonder what they spent that extra 50p on? What? Oh, right, what happened. Are you sitting comfortable? On Friday I did have to go into town for a small amount of shopping, so off I happily went on my scooter. When I got to Asda both their shopping scooters were in use, so I went outside and got a small trolley, forgetting about the five bags in the me front basket. Off I went and did our shopping and when I got to check-out I finally remembered the bags.

Too late at that point of course. So I just loaded the shopping back into the trolley and returned to my scooter – and no bags. I was lucky that there wasn’t a lot of shopping and I found another bag in my over-seat carrier so with most of it that carrier and the rest in the bag which fitted into the front basket. Like I said, it’s only 50p so it wasn’t worth making a big fuss over it, and it was my fault anyway for not taking them with me. But come on folks; are they really so desperate they need to steal 50p? And then people ask why I call the town Dorktown!   

Thursday and our ride out next, and more missing items. While I was looking at maps and books and so on, Jan found a DVD she fancied. I’d seen it a couple of days before but decided to leave it for while. So we walked out of Smudges with our new road atlas and a DVD. We haven’t seen the DVD since then. So what happened to it? Both of us have been out and searched the car and neither of us found it. That item was a tenner, so yes, it might be worth stealing, but it was in the same bags as the atlas and looked through the that as Jan drove home. Jan will no doubt have another look later today.

The price difference between a physical paperback and a Kindle file. That 1300 page Stephen King I saw at £10, I later bought for £7.49 as a Kindle file from Amazon. At least with the paperback I would have had something physical to hold; but I didn’t go that way because of weight of it, so why are the Kindle files so expensive? I do understand that the author gets royalties from each sale, but I doubt King got all of the £7.49, Amazon gets the rest.

One of my favourite websites is - https://www.fantasticfiction.com/ Basically it an A-Z of authors and their work. I had another look yesterday and found that Stephen King has penned 140+ books. That’s a lot of writing folks, it really is. I’m sat here feeling elated at writing 4000 words in a few hours, but I wonder how many words King writes every day?

For me, the actual writing is the fun part. I do not like the editing though. If I could afford it, I’d get my work edited by a professional, but I can’t afford it, so I have to make do with efforts. It does make me wonder how the masters like Dickens and so on managed and whether their work was edited. One day I will be able to get it done, but even so, what an editor can’t do is to make the work a better read. Only the writer can do that, if that is, they have produced something worthwhile in the first place.

Here’s another URL I found when look at the site I get the days funny from …

https://clothingmonster.com/en/109-animals?gclid=CJ27j63ii84CFUKVGwodRUoBVw

Basically 3D pics on tee shirts; they look great.

Today’s photo …

Kile, playing on Jan’s tablet.

Today’s funny …

What do refrigeration engineers do in their spare time?
They chill out.          

On parents and kids and why I'm staying here today

23 July

Oh the choices we have; like today, I can get ready and go off down town for a look around the larger Saturday market for a couple of hours, or I can remain here at home and get some writing done. Each choice has its pro and cons of course, so which one will out I wonder. Out of the two it’s the writing that appeals most. Half term kicked off yesterday and while I was in town the number of kids about was huge.

Today being a market day and there will be loads of kiddy stuff on as well, I really don’t fancy getting caught up in it all. Years ago it was acceptable for a single man to point a camera at kids having fun in the street, now it could well be dangerous because of parental fears of how those photos will be used. And not just that, there’s a growing number of adults who are objecting to being included in photos. I’ve only been challenged once while shooting candids in the Bullring in Brum. My fault though, I know it’s privately owned and need permission to shoot in there, but I forgot one time when I was presented with so many colourfully dressed people about. The security manager came down and spoke to me and everything was OK after that; I didn’t take any more photos in there that day.

Back to the kids then; There is a tendency these days for parents to leave their kids alone and not discipline them when the need it, and not talking about giving them a clip up ear either! There was an incident in the papers the other day where the owner of a café told off a child who was being disruptive because her parents were ignoring her. That stopped when the café owner spoke to the child, but it was the owner who got all the attention because of their anger at her having the nerve to do their jobs for them.

The other day we drove pasted a pub called The New Inn, in Bulkington. We’ve been in there a couple of times but didn’t really like it, anyway, it’s closed and shuttered now so we can’t go back again. The last time we were in there, there was a large family sat having a meal around three tables that they had pulled together. On the one table the only person sat there was a young girl, maybe 18 months to two years? She was sat there on her own whit everyone else of the party ignored her. She had a plastic cup that she was nagging on the table and shouting loudly.

All that child needed was some attention, she would have been fine if they had kept close to them. We didn’t stay there long folks; I was getting more and more angry about it and these days I can’t afford to let my BP get too high, so we left our drinks and went somewhere else. That is the sort of thing that I really do get angry over with how parents deal with the kids. Ah but point a lens towards them and they are quick to jump then to defend them. That’s why I shall be sitting here today and get some writing done.

Jan’s gerbils died the other day, more or less at the same time. OK, they were just two little fully balls of white fur, but they were rather cute and rather friendly. Kile loved them too. Jan called our local pet shop and asked if they had any idea what might have caused it only to find out that she was the fifth person to call about the same thing that day. Basically, the heat got to them. They will be replaced but not straight away, I’m hoping she will wait until this heat has left us. At least the fish and Maxi are not affected by it.

Today’s photo then …

I got this one while sat waiting for my blood test the other week. It’s the plastic ceiling on the out-patient’s clinic roof. I like it really; it’s the way that it shows straight lines but in a way to produce an abstract design; rather clever methinks.

Today’s funny then …

What do you get if you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter?
Pumpkin pi.            

A dying breed of pub ...

22 July

Yesterday was a good for both of us. We went off to mid-Wales for the day ending up in Aberystwyth in the rain. I didn’t get too many photos from the day but het ho, we still had a great day all round. After a short walk round we went for a drink and then we found a Smudges Place cos we needed a new GB road map. While we were in there I found a Stephen King book I haven’t read; IT, was on sale for £10, seems a bit steep for a paperback, so I checked the page count; 1,375! No wonder it’s up for a tenner. I put it back on the shelf though, simply because trying to read that one while lying in bed would be really hard for me.

As we left there, up one road map but minus one paperback, we saw one of the largest stationary/craft shops we’ve ever seen. So we went in there too. Most writers can’t resist a new stationer, and I’m one of them. Half hour later we left there with me having bought three new notebooks, one of which I began using more or less straight away. And guess what; right opposite there was an old fashioned sweet shop, you know the sort I’m sure, with large jars of sweeties on shelves all around the place. Jan was in her element in there. Mind you, I quite enjoyed it too. We ended up spending £11 in there, including two packs of Victory Vs, which I haven’t seen for years.

By then we were getting close to the time limit on our parking so we made our slow way back to the car. We decided that we would go home a different way and headed off down the coast road, eventually joining up with the A40, which lead us back inland (and all the way into London if had wanted). We decided that we wanted another drink, but do you think we could find a pub with parking; no way! We must have driven another twenty miles before we came to one.

The pub is called The New Inn, and what a nice little pub it is too. As well as the bar it also takes in backpackers and provides food from 6pm, even if the menu is out of our price range. As it was we were not looking to eat anyway, but we do like to look at the menu anyway. There were a few folk in there and all of them were friendly and spoke to us at one point or a another. They also had four real ale clips that I hadn’t seen before and added those to the collection.

Taking photos of the real ale clips caused a few friendly comments. There was very rotund man there who seemed to be going through his pints every ten minutes said, ‘So you take pictures of the clips but don’t sample them then?’ So I explained that fifteen months ago I stopped drinking booze and since then I have lost at least three stone; at which point he mumbled something about him needing to do the same, but then drained his glass and ordered another one.

That pub is one of dying breed of pubs. It’s what we call, ‘a real pub’. There was no TV in there, no one-armed bandits and no blaring music, just nice friendly atmosphere and nice comfortable seating. There was one small downside though, in the shape of a white scotty dog. Oh it was a nice little dog but it was sexist! Yes, it was a sexist dog, simple cos although it was happy for me fuss her (her name was Rosy, BTW), she didn’t really come to life until Jan approached her. See, a sexist dog!

There is a major parking issue outside our block of flats here, most because the home owners opposite seem to enjoy parking in our bays. There’s not enough of them anyway just for us flat residents, let alone that lot! So imagine our surprise when we arrived back here at around 9.45pm and found a space right outside home. Jan got in there very quickly. Anyway …

Enough of yesterday; today’s photo …

Elderly flowers, which make a very acceptable wine too.

Today’s funny …

What do you call an overweight ghost that haunts an opera house?
The fat-tum of the opera.            

The Book Thief

20 July

Last of my B12 injections today, thankfully. They aren’t so bad really, even if they are slightly stingy. Jan asked me yesterday if I felt any difference in having them done, well, yes I have. I’m not so tired now for a start. Before them I would be dropping off around 4pm-ish before them. Now I’m not doing that, and that is good by itself. From there it’s down to town for a look around the market. Oh yes, that reminds me, I need to find a cap before I go out today; I don’t want to catch the sun as I did the other day.

That’s my hospital admission letter here, now I know there’s an even better chance for it going ahead. No-one likes having operations of course, but when you do have them, then you just have to grin and bear and make the most of it. Actually, the sooner the better for me now. All other medical problems I’m on top of, so that does me fine.

I’m currently reading The Book Thief as I said a few days ago. It’s a remarkable book with Death as the narrator. Some time ago I read some of the Sven Hassle books, which are about the fighting on the Russian front in WW2. Another one I read was All Quiet on the Western Front, the story of one young man’s experiences in the German trenches during WW1. The Book Thief is about the German civilian population during the run up to WW2 and while it is on. This book tells of the grinding poverty and fear so many people, no matter what their racial origins. We have books telling the tale of how the UK faired, but this is the only one I’ve read from the German point of view.

And while all that is going on, those at the top were creaming off the best of it all and living very nicely thank you. We are supposed to learn from history and all the wars in history, and yet we don’t do we. Think of all the dictators who have appeared post 1945 and the way their peoples have suffered while they live in the lap of luxury. There are extremes on the other side aren’t there.

I’m thinking of the ideology of communism and its little brother, socialism. The idea of both is that we should all have the same share of the available resources, that everyone is equal. Oh yes? But who then takes control and runs the country and how it works for the benefit of the all. True communism can’t work as it should, simply because of the need for leaders. From the top down to the village areas where someone is needed to organising the work of everyone else. And that is where greed for both money and power come into play. The thing is, that greed is a human trait and one that can’t be beaten, so we have to live with it.

Well, I’m back from town now and I did get a few new shots while I was down there. The main reason for going down was simply for the B12 injection, but a quick run into town for a look at the market, what there was of it, to see if I could find anything we might be able use. I found nothing for both of us but did get me some new gentle-grip socks. However, there was nowhere near as many stalls as there used to be. That’s a shame really because such a market can be a big draw to the town. I have a feeling though, because the Wednesday market hasn’t been as popular as the Saturday one. Therefore, stall owners gave up on it. I’m afraid it’s a case of ‘use it or lose it’ working in practice.

Today’s photo …

One of my book cases, soon to be no more.

Today’s funny …

These two explorers were lost in the desert. One of them went on ahead. When he came back he said, 'There's some good news and some bad news. The bad news is we're going to have to eat sand.'
His friend said, 'So, what's the good news?'
The first one said, 'There's plenty of it.'          

A few bits ...

19 July

All our deliveries are here already, 9.45 and our third caller was our caller was the window cleaner looking for his money. Now we can relax a bit. Come lunch time Kile will be here for a short time seeing as his school breaks up for half term today. It’s a week earlier than the other schools in the area but he will be going back a week early too. Seems daft to me but hey-ho, who am I complain?

Just put telly on and of the first words I hear is ‘re-gifting’; WHAT? What they hell is re-gifting. I remember seeing some yanky woman trying to get us all to use her newly thought up word of ‘gifting’ instead of giving away. These people will do anything to make money and a name for themselves, and like I said, she was a yanky so she would expect us to fall over herself to take up new newly thought-up idea. Silly woman!

The French in Nice were booing their Prime Muppet when he turned up for remembrance service for the dead of last week’s attack. OK, they might not like the man but I have problems with them booing him while he was there. It just wasn’t the occasion to be turned into a political event, which turn out to be.

Think about it though; from what has been said on the news, the man concerned was a Muslim but not a regular attender of his mosque, so I hardly think it was a religious attack. He had a criminal record which perhaps showed some signs of him being a problem somewhere. I don’t think anyone could predict what happened in Nice that day, in which case what could the PM do about it? That’s right, nothing at all. So why the booing? No need for it at all.

Here in the UK our new Prime Muppet has announced the intention of replacing the aging Vanguard class of ISBN submarines with a new class at a proposed cost of £42 billion. In the past such proposed cost sore as the job continues. Look at HST2 and its proposed cost of £16 billion, which now stands at over double, and the job hasn’t been through all of its normal route through both houses and the Queens signature. Even the two new air-craft-carrier’s costs has gone through the roof during construction.

We should all be suspicious over the costs in government spending. In our daily lives we have to be careful we don’t spend more than we have, or can afford to spend. How can we do anything different? So on the greater scale of government spending, they have the same responsibility, but at a greater level. However, I have suspicions that as individuals they will not be held personally libel so they don’t need to worry so much, it’s tax payers money see.

Never mind all that though … Last night when we went through to bed as normal and I started my daily read. Jan was shaking my should before too long cos I’d fallen asleep and was snoring; the time was 11 o’clock. Not done that for a long time now, so I must have been tired. But I wonder … by the time I arrived home in the afternoon, I was feeling very dehydrated and headachy, so maybe I had to much sun, perhaps that is something I will need to watch next time I go into town. That will be tomorrow when I go for my last of six B12 injections, then I can get in to town for the market at long last.

So for today’s photo …

A tiny little flower at the front door of the block, no idea what sort of flower it is though.

Today’s funny …

What type of socks does a gardener like to wear when he is working?
Garden hose.          

Shopping days and a loud mouth

18 July

Running a bit late again today cos we’ve been into town for a few hours. We also called into the Willy White for what we hoped was a quiet drink; no chance! There was loud mouthed woman in there shouting the odds about her boy friend sitting in front of her. She was not only loud, she was also very foul-mouthed, loads of F and B every other word, even though her young daughter was sat there beside her. There will come a day when she will wonder where her girl got her bad language from.    

We did go to Astley Book Farm and I had a great time. First off we had a to their café where I had a really nice cappuccino, Jan was adventurous as ever and had a diet coke. The Book Farm is a second-hand book shop at its heart so after our drinks I set out to explore the thousands of books on the shelves. It was my turn to be adventurous, I bought five books all told, three Stephen King (one of which has four of the Brachman books in it), a Neil Gaiman, and a Val McDermid, see, really adventurous eh. However, I made a booboo; I’ve already got the McDermid on my shelves. Ah well … … …

Here on me lappy I have a book list. I began that list after I kept buying books I already had on my shelves. The idea was that I would upload it to my mobile phone. With that all I need to do is to look up a title on the phone, then I should have no more double buying. Haha … I now need to do the uploading bit, then the idea would be useful.      

On the way home we called into the Anker for a drink. That was nice too and left us wondering why we stopped going there in the first place. I’ve remembered why now, it’s because Charlie and Sam only had the coke in bottles, and not on draft. The new couple have it added on draft. Mind you, I say, ‘new couple’ but they’ve been in there for 15 months now. I wasn’t all that impressed with the dinner I had though.

Later today we are going for a ride out in and around town looking for a new armchair. We only have one recliner each at the moment. When Kile comes, he’s sitting on a camping chair. If any own else comes it’s just not suitable for them. So now we need to go and get a new one. Jan is off soon to take Kile’s asthma spray home and then when she gets back we can get off out again.

Good news has just arrived too; my operation is set for 1^st August and I have to be there for 7am. At least we have a date and we now know what’s happening. I do have to stop taking three of my meds seven meds a week before, the 25^th. I shall be happy when it’s all over and done with, I really will. That will mean there will no blog a for some time, sorry about that.

Our shopping has been done with an arm chair being delivered tomorrow. We also bought a new, but smaller computer desk and a kitchen stool. Sadly, Jan put her foot down with a firm hand over another bookcase I was eyeing up, ah well …  And even though this place looks like a garden centre, we’ve also bought a tiny little cactus, and we both like them anyway.

Photo time …

A blackcurrant jam crust, nice too.

Today’s funny …

When Sandy MacGillivray came back from his first trip to London, everyone in the village was keen to find out how he had got on.
"Did you like it?"
"Oh, it was no' bad."
"As good as that, Was it?"
"Well, there was just the one thing wrong. The other guests in my hotel just would not go to their beds. They were in the corridor ouside my room shouting and banging on my door untill three o'clock in the morning." So what did you do, Sandy?"
"Och, I just kept on playing my bagpipes."

Life's fun and games ...

17 July

Today is weight day, I’m 15st 11lbs, that’s no change since the last one, whenever that was. A bit disappointing really, but there you go, it happens. Today we had planned to go to Formby to have a look for the red squirrels and get some new shots of them. From there we would have gone on up the road to Southport, a place we like. Well, I set the alarm for 6am and we woke up, but neither of us were up to doing much at all, or even trying to.

Right now we will have to review any trips out if it means an early start, even more so now that Jan is the only driver here. As it is, we’ll just go a local run out today, to Astley Book Farm. We’ve not been there for some time now so it should be a good few hours. It’s not much but a whole heap better than sitting and having a telly-day. I do like the book farm because, well, it’s a second hand book shop, who can’t be impressed with that? We’ve bought a good number of books there in the past, mainly for when I was doing my OU studies, but I’ve also bought a few fiction books too. Looking forward to that now. Oh yes, I should be able to get a lot of new photo’s up there too. One more reason to go there, they sell excellent coffee.

Have you read The Book Thief? Once you get over the strange layout of the story, it’s not too bad really. It’s the story of a young Jewish girl who is taken to foster home to live with strangers. Her mum disappears after dropping the girl off. On their journey they stop off to bury the girl’s brother who died on the train. At the funeral she finds a black book lying in the snow and picks it up and keeps it, even though she can’t read. That is book theft number 1. There’s a back story there though, and that is it’s all taking part in 1939 Germany, and we all know what that could mean for young Jewish girls, and our heroine is just one of them.

Maxi is not a happy budgie right now. The temperature in here has gone up and so Jan closed him up and opened the back door to get some fresh air flowing through the place. We normally open up his cage as the first thing we do after getting up, so shutting him up quickly has upset him a wee bit. He’s getting a bit quieter now, but who would think that a budgie could throw a wobbler? I think Kile has taught him to wolf-whistle too and we get quite a few of them now in amounts all the other chatter he comes up with.

That first time we both went to Mallorca, we began dreaming of moving out there to live, and I’m sure that if we had the funds to do so then, we would have been there by now. We’re not, so that tells that story! It’s still a dream though. Anyway, we were looking for something to watch on telly one time and one of the Escape to … shows. We’ve never really thought they were worth watching but we decided to give that one a go … opps, now we watch loads of them. What we have now come to realise that the dream is still there and the itch is getting a lot more intense. But we have decided that France is out; Spain is certainly top of the list right now, but we are watching one in Northern Italy; we’ll see. Whatever, health services would be on top of our list though …

So, a photo then …

A café in Inca, Mallorca.

Today’s funny …

 Customer: Waiter, what's your name?
Waiter: George, but everyone calls me pool cue.
Customer: Why do they call you that?
Waiter: Because I work much better with a tip.

Killing by technology

16 July

And on it goes, with an attempted coup in Turkey. BBC News says the current death toll stands at 90. When will all the killing die?

Kile is due to meet up with his mum and Danny at 10 o’clock this morning. He’s ready to go now but at 9.15 it’s a bit early yet, even if he does have to walk. As much as we love him, we will be pleased to see him leave this time. He is now showing his real self to us, and with it we are seeing just how his mum feels having to deal with him every day.

What do you think of this new game seeping the world? It’s hard enough trying to keep out of the way of texting people as they walk down the pavement; now this silly bloody game is adding to the problem, making it all even worse. Apparently police have said they have found some people driving while playing it; ye gods, what is going on in their heads? There’s a report on telly just that some teenagers have had to be rescued from a gave after getting lost while playing the game. Perhaps they have two heads, I can’t see anyone being so daft as that with only one!

Today’s technology is great, and we would find it very hard to live without it these days. However, it does come with conditions attached and with caution needed while using it. A prime example of this is with satnavs and the problems they cause when the kit goes on, the common sense goes off. From what I’ve seen, generally it’s only the younger generation who do this anyway.

Just think about it folks; I’m using a laptop to write this; we keep in touch 24/7 because of our mobile phones; our entertainment is provided by TV, DVD/Blue Ray, radio, CDs; travel by whatever means is computer controlled; and don’t forget, our banking is done by computer, and these days so many of our employment opportunities come along by computer use. We all use technology in some way or other, and after so many years of dependence on it we would find life very hard with it. And I’ve just found another use when I sent Jan an email, and she’s sat less than 10’ from me. It’s a photo I took of her during the week, with yes, a digital camera … more tech see… … …

I have two more injections to have next week and that will be it for three months. Yesterday afternoon I had another one at 4pm (which reminds me, even health care is PC dependent these days). That one hurt a bit yesterday too. I had been warned that they could be ‘stingy’ and that one was very much stingy. I also have a bruise on the inside of my left elbow too from when I had those blood samples done the other day. I’ll be pleased when it’s all over next week. But there again, something else will come out then and cause more GP visits.

Well, if I want to get down town today, I’d better get finished up here first. So today’s photo …

A slim line Jan.

Today’s funny …

Patient: Doctor, doctor I've become completely crazy about cricket.
Doctor: How's that?
Patient: Not out!        

Cuts could now really us

15 July

Oh dear; more people lie dead because of another nut case running amok. What is wrong with these people that makes them want to kill and maim? Last night it was France’s National Day, but every country in the world has a National Day; who is going to get hit next? We must not let these nutters beat us; we must carry on with our day-to-day lives and let them see they cannot win. What a sad world we live in these days.

Over the years, various cuts have been made to our armed services and the last six years have been particularly savage. So now, as the UK sets out on yet another new path no-one can really guess what will happen. I am concerned with Bonkers Boris as Foreign Secretary though. At times his in tongue is in drive while his brain is in neutral. I can see him saying something that will upset some one, sending into a spiral of danger. At such a point how will we as a nation defend ourselves? We keep sending our young people off to die in foreign fields, leaving our shores very weakly defended.

Is that what we really want? I doubt it! Our new Prime Muppet is not going to call a general election and I’m a bit ambivalent over that. Voters wanted Daft Dave in that post, not Two-gun Tess. However, I think that may well be better for us than Jittery Jerry right now. He’s said that he wants to get shut of the Trident system. None of us in their right minds want that system to be deployed, however, the same submarines can be armed with powerful non-nuclear weapons that would boost of defence on their own. Oh dear … again!     

I was running a bit after an early appointment at the Walsgrave for my pre-op assessment yesterday, sorry I didn’t to write my blog. No problems they could see but the blood tests I had done today, needs repeating one week before the op. I just hope that my op doesn’t get cancelled and I have to have another lot done again, we’ll see. The sooner the job gets done now, the better for both of us.

Kile has just gone off to school at 7.45 to get there in plenty of time for going off on yet another adrenaline filled day out. He’s not as bright as he normally is today. And I think five days of very early starts and increased activity levels have taken their toll on him. Not only that, he managed to lose yet another bag of kit somewhere when he went to the snowdome, wherever that is.

We think we are seeing a different side to Kile after this week. At times he seems to be totally switch off so he tends to ignore what we say until we raise our voice a little to get his attention. Either that or he has a hearing problem that needs looking at. Of course, he is now 12, and maybe his hormones are starting to course through him. We had the same with his dead 30-odd years ago. At least with Kile we won’t have to deal with it every day.

Looking around here right now, I don’t see any flowers. That’s fine of course, even if we do like to have flowers about, but at least it has left me free of my hay fever. That is part of the reason why I point my camera at some many flowers, so today’s photo … 

Another one from Twycross. Flowers are great in general but the other day I rode past a load of flowering privet bush in flower, and they really did set me off badly. I hunted for my nasal spray to clear it but didn’t find it until yesterday afternoon. I’ve had a spray this morning now I have it back.

Today’s funny …

I have a very responsible job. In the office where I work, whenever a mistake is made, my boss tells his boss that I'm responsible for it.