Road transport, a fire and Ebay

13 December 2012

Dorktown is pretty well served when it comes to road transport links.  Four miles one way and you're on the M6; four miles another way and you're on the M69 and onto the M1; the A5 is only two miles from the town centre; the A47 from Brum right through to Norwich runs through the town centre, as does the A444.  There is downside to all this though.  The M6 was closed yesterday because of a truck fire and traffic was diverted with a good deal of it coming through the town centre.  Fortunately it doesn't happen too often but when it does the town gets snarled up pretty badly for hours on end.  However, no matter what the News claims this morning, I didn't see all that much of it when I went into town yesterday.

Another downside of the fire was the amount of tenders that attended the incident.  Both tenders from Dorktown were there, the one from Bed'th and more from just up the road in Atherstone.  I wonder where the cover would be coming from if there had been a fire here in town at the same time.  Fire service chiefs keep saying the cuts won't affect safety, but incidents like yesterday's make me wonder just how safe the cuts really are!

I was playing with my Sony Reader yesterday and I found that the files on there that are Adobe Reader files can be 'read' for me by the latest version of the software.  That could be helpful when I come to proof read my writing when I'm ready for it.  We had bought a copy of Read & Write Gold 8.1 to do the same job.  I loaded it but it but it wouldn't open.  So I looked on the 'net and found out that version 8.1 is not compatible with Windows 7.  There was no mention of that on the EBay ad so Jan got in touch with the seller and we heard nothing back from her.  She now has yet another negative feedback mark.  I wonder how long it takes them to learn to deal with complaints properly?

And it's now photo time ... 

a strange pair of shoes - good job it didn't rain eh ;-)))          

And today's funny is ...

Mildred was a 93 year old woman who was particularly despondent  after the recent death of her husband Earl. she decided just to kill herself and join him in death.
thinking it would be best to get it over with quickly she took out earls old army pistol and made the decision to shoot herself in the heart since it was so badly broken anyway. not wanting to miss this vital organ she rang her doctors office to inquire as to exactly where the heart would be.
"on a woman" the doctor explained "the heart would be just below the left breast".
later that evening Mildred was admitted the hospital with a gunshot to the left knee........

Do mermaids exist?

12 December 2012

We had snow this morning, not much, just a light dusting of very fine snow.  It's all gone now of course.  Anyway ...

The other day I asked if you were a believer in YFOs.  Today I'm going ask about another one; do you believe in mermaids?  I personally don't, well, didn't .  No I don't what to believe.  You see, I recorded a programme off the cable system that has made me stop and think.  Years ago a number strange sounds were recorded off the coasts.  They were not whale song but entirely different in pitch.  No-one knew what was making them. 

According to the programme a number of mass whale beachings have happened on the west coast of the States and in other places including South Africa.  One of the beaching in Washington State was found by a couple of young kids who went to have a look at the whales.  But they found something else along with the whales.  This creature had hands and a human shaped head.  One of the boys got a stick and began prodding the creature with it and it looked like the hand moved to me.  They ran off and called it in and the US Navy turned up and took the creature away.  They then spent a lot of time with the boys convincing that they had seen a seal, not some strange creature.

Samples taken from the whales were examined and showed signs that they had been injured by some sort of sonic boom.  It then turns out the US Navy had been testing a new weapon system in area, a sonic sound weapon.  Nothing was seen of the US creature again.  Another beaching happened in South Africa and yet another strange creature was washed up along with the whales.  This one was taken away for examination.  The remains and the research teams work were due to be shipped to the States for further examination but very early one morning the local police raided the lab and removed everything that anything to do with the find. 

Let's now look at the 'mermaid' legend over the years.  Mankind has been drawing them for thousands of years in all parts of the world, in places and at times when they had no connection with other cultures.  Where did they all get the same picture idea from?  I don't know.  Even now fishing men are pulling in fish with spears sticking in them, in some cases a number of spears.  A great shark was pulled ashore that had a large number of spears in its sides.  Where did the spears come from?  I don't know.

An Italian trawler was pulling in its nets while someone was filming the operation.  Once one of them was clear of boat's side you clearly see an large human shape in the net and a webbed hand was forced out of the net as well.   

This was not the only time fishermen had seen these creatures.

Now let's go back the two boys.  One of them had a video phone at the time.  He recorded the sighting and the creature.  At various points through the programme the same bit of film was shown.  But as they moved to their conclusion they showed the full film.  At the end of it there was a clear image of a humanoid creature rearing up and screaming at the boys.  They ran off of course.  Can't say I blame them! 

So there you go folks?  Do mermaids exist?  I don't know having watched that programme.  The US Navy is keeping very tight lipped about it now, maybe because they want to continue their testing.  I will be keeping an open mind on the subject now?

I did get off down town, but not for long - too bloomin' cold!  However I did get a couple of shots, and here's one of them ...

And now for a Taxing problem ...

A dad walks into a market with his young son. The kid is holding a 50 pence piece. Suddenly, the boy starts choking, going blue in the face. The dad realizes the boy has swallowed the coin and starts panicking and shouting for help.
A well dressed, attractive, but serious-looking woman in a blue business suit is sitting at a coffee bar in the market, reading her newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee.
At the sound of the commotion, she looks up, puts her coffee cup down on the saucer, neatly folds the newspaper and places it on the counter, gets up from her seat and makes her way, unhurried, across the market.
Reaching the boy, the woman carefully takes hold of the boy's testicles and starts to squeeze, gently at first and then ever more firmly. After a few seconds the boy convulses violently and coughs up the coin, which the woman deftly catches in her free hand. Releasing the boy, the woman hands the money to the father and walks back to her seat in the coffee bar without saying a word.
As soon as he is sure that his son has suffered no lasting ill effects, the father rushes over to the woman and starts thanking her saying, "I've never seen anybody do anything like that before, it was fantastic. Are you a doctor?
"No," the woman replies,
"I work for the Inland Revenue"       

Two fires, contacts and a spot of writing

11 December 2012

By 'eck lad ... it wuz bloomin freezing this morning when we got up!  I looked out the bedroom window and the frost was very heavy.  When I got to the kitchen and looked out there was hardly any sign of frost other than the bird ware dish being frozen solid.  Happily we don't have to go out today.  Tomorrow we are hoping to get into town for a few hours though; we'll see ...

BBC Midlands today had the story of part of the town centre being closed off because of a fire in a clothing shop in Abbey Street.  We do know the shop and Jan has actually bought items from there.  It's a shame it has gone now because it's not a bad shop really and the prices are really good.  There always seemed to have people in there buying cloths so we are now one more shop down. 

It wasn't the first fire in the town though.  Another fire happened on Saturday in an amusement arcade place.  It is thought that this fire was caused by an electrical fault in a neon light.  So yet again a large part of the town centre was closed down.  Yet when I went down there later in the day there was no sign of it.  Ah well ...

At long last I got some writing done yesterday afternoon - around 600 words and then news was due on telly so I stopped for that.  Jan is due out to bible study this evening so I'm hoping to get more done.  This story revolves around a skeleton being found and will become a ghost/investigation/ story I hope.  A totally different area for me.     

Last Friday I had a phone call from our lawyers to say that the exchange of contracts is about to take place early this week.  Now I'm sat waiting for the promised phone call to say it was all done.  We'll both be happy when that call arrives.

Jan's got the giggles again ... sumat on YouTube I suppose.  I heard her laughing earlier at something she had found on Facebook which she has since 'shared'.  It's a Crimble carol thing with four leggers on it instead of two leggers.

So now we need a photo I suppose ... I keep on about my mother ... 

here she is before she was effected by dementia.

And thanks to the Sage I offer ...

Four men and a woman, all Catholics, were having coffee in St. Peter's Square. The first man tells his friends, "My son is a priest. When he walks into a room, everyone calls him 'Father'."
The second man chirps, "My son is a Bishop. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Grace'."
The third gent says, "My son is a Cardinal. When he enters a room everyone bows their head and says 'Your Eminence'."
The fourth man very proudly announces, "My son is the Pope. When he walks into a room people call him 'Your Holiness'."
The woman, sipping her coffee in silence, the four men give her a subtle, "Well....?"
She proudly replies, "I have a daughter, BEAUTIFUL, SLIM, TALL, 38D BREASTS, 24" WAIST and 36" HIPS.....
When she walks into a room, people say,
"Jesus Christ”.

The dogy doc, a good hard slap and "We're all in it together!"

10 December 2012

Oh dear, how sad, what a pity, never mind!  Why?  Well, Pip-pup is going to see doggy doc this afternoon for the first of her jabs.  We'll be getting her micro-chipped too before long.  I think they do it with the second of the injections.  She has settled in very well now and is running us crazy.  I'm sure we will manage though ;-)))

The first sentence stands sound for something else too.   The current 24 hour drinking that is allowed here in the UK hasn't done us any favours has it? We have just sat and watched a programme I recorded last week some time.  It's called Costa Del Street Crime.  It follows Spanish cops as they deal with the huge amount of drunken British yobs on holiday and those who live out there.   

The drunks think they can behave in exactly the same way out there as they do back here.  In the show we have just watched one drunken girl slapped a cop.  Here she would be arrested and charged with assault, fined and walk away laughing.  In Spain the punishment was instant and painful - she got a hard slap across the face!  She then began crying; but I wonder, was it the slap and the pain from it that was causing it or was it the shock that she can't get away with things as she would do back home? 

It's the sort of instant justice that is needed her in the UK to my mind!  But hang on a minute ...  If a copper did that here in the UK, then he would be charged with assault and the girl would get away with it.  Yet out there it is allowed.  He was after all defending himself.  Spanish police don't take any crap from anyone; British police have to put up with it all.  Time for a change here in the UK methinks!  But hand on another minute ...

Spain is a member of the EU, just as we are.  So how come the Spanish cops get away with acting like that when the British cops would be jumped on by the human rights movement.  There is something serious wrong with a system that allows different countries to act in a different way to others.  Or is it that the British government doesn't have the balls to stand up to the EU and the human rights farts and go ahead with the changes.      

There are changes coming about over housing and council tax benefits.  If a single person or a couple are living in social housing with more than one bedroom, then they will lose some of their benefits.  But there's a problem with it isn't there?  You see, if those same people want to move to a one bedroom property they can't do so.  That is simply because there isn't enough one bedroom properties for them all to move into.  I'm wondering though; is this just aimed at social housing tenants or does it reach to those in their own homes?  To me this one stinks too!  It's another stick to hit the disadvantaged with Britain, yet another way of cutting the welfare bill and hitting the least able to deal with it the hardest.  So much for us all being in this together!!!

Today's photo is from last Saturday down on the Market.  This guy ... 

doesn't look very happy at all does he?

And red hot funny ...

 
A fire fighter was on an engine outside the station when he noticed the little girl next door in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the sides and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle.

The girl was wearing a fire fighters helmet and the wagon was being pulled by her dog and her cat. The fire fighter walked over to take a closer look. "That sure is a nice fire truck", the fire fighter said with admiration. "Thanks," said the little girl. The fire fighter looked a little closer and noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to the tomcat's testicles.

"Little Partner," the fire fighter said, " but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar too, I think you could go faster." The little girl replied thoughtfully, "You're probably right, but then, I wouldn't have a siren...."