9 November
The last two days I have been feeling very rough indeed. Monday evening I
found the cause when I went to take my night dose of pills; I hadn’t taken my
morning dose. It shows I am not yet ready to come off any of my pills yet.
Yesterday I felt about the same but at least I did take my pills at the right
time.
Did you see the queues to vote over in the States on the news last night?
However, why there is such a turn out is debateable. Was it because they
objected to a woman POTUS, or was it because they didn’t want Trump as POTUS?
Or it might be that there are so many people living over there that they have
to queue. Whatever the reason, I’d bet our muppets here wished our turnout was
as high as those pictures seemed to show.
It amazes me that here in the UK that so few of us bother to vote here,
only 65% last year. Perhaps it’s our way of showing the muppets what we really
think of them. They just don’t seem to get the message do they? Do you remember
last year when Daft Dave was accused of waffling and how red faced he was it?
And don’t forget 2010 and Gloopy Gordon forget he had a mike on and called a
woman a bigot that went out on the radio. These sorts of gaffs don’t do any
muppet any good at all. Anyway, back to the US …
It looks like Farter got the top job. Pretty soon after that came out, Canada’s
immigration website crashed, at least that is what I read earlier but can’t
find it now. But the question is, was it because of a technical fault, or was
it because so many US citizens want out of a country run by Farter? If so,
there might be large number of cheap houses on the market over there, perhaps
leading to yet another financial crash; I don’t know but someone will the there
to pick it all up and make a killing. We all need to hope he doesn’t bankrupt
the country as he’s done to so many of companies. Don’t forget, whatever
happens over there will have an affect on us over here before too long.
We are due to go out for a few hours today but its rather dark and miserable
out there. We’ll leave it till after lunch before we go anywhere. The market
won’t be visited today at least. In weather like this that is one job I wouldn’t
like, and it can only get worse when the temperature drops below freezing.
Nope, not for me at all. Our heating has been on for a few weeks now but
getting it balanced is proving hard. That’s down to Jan though; she will seem
comfortable and then within minutes she is sweltering. Pretty soon after that
she is freezing. All day she is bouncing from one to t’ther. I know what is
causing it though, so I have a cardie to hand to slip on or off as we go
through the day.
That’s it for today then; today’s photo …
A lizard.
Today’s funny …
How many DIY buffs does it take
to screw in a light bulb?
Only one, but it takes him two weekends and three trips to the hardware store.
6 November
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Amazon is here to stay, no matter how many people
they upset. There’s a major move against them however that consists of writers,
publishers and high street book shops. Each group have their own reasons for
opposing the giant, for example, the big six publishers are against Amazon’s
pricing structure. A growing number of writers are going after the big six
publishers for their royalty payment structure. Both groups are concerned about
the future of high street bookshops. I liked Borders by the way, remember them?
If Amazon was just an online bookstore then there may be a chance of
beating them, but now you can do buy just about anything from them. We buy a
good few bits n bobs off there, all far cheaper than high street prices. Amazon’s
biggest advantage though, is its e-book reader, Kindle, and the app that’s
available for other devices. I have it on my Samsung S3 tab. Apparently though,
from what I’ve read here and there, there’s a move back to print from e-books.
Who knows how long that will last though, but it’s good to see.
Bookshops here in Dorktown are Waterstones and WH Smiths, just about
opposite each other on Queens road. Smith is the larger shop, but there again,
it has more products on sale with daily papers, magazines, stationary … while
Waterstones is much smaller, it does have a much larger selection of books. Oh
yes, there’s The Works in the Ropewalk, the place where you can at times buy 3
paperbacks for a fiver. But books are not the main product they sell, and only
a side line. Apart from the books, I’ve found the quality of their other stuff
varies quite a bit. If we want a larger selection of books, then we have to
travel to either Coventry, Brum or Leicester.
That is where Amazon scores best of all, it’s convenience. Order it, and
get it delivered to a place of your choosing. Until the competition can meet or
beat them on that one issue, then Amazon will continue to grow. As it is,
Dorktown doesn’t have a local bookshop, if we did, I would support it. We do
have a great second hand bookshop though, Astley Book Farm … http://www.astleybookfarm.com/buy-books-online.html
... which I do support. Sadly there is a problem with buying second hand books,
well two mainly; 1, writers don’t get a cut; 2, not all prior readers/owners
treat their books with the respect they perhaps should, and of heck – smokers,
one thing that will put me off buying any book second hand if they stick of
fags!
There is a way to get loads of free or really cheap e-books, and yes, it
is contrary to what I have said above. That is using a thing called BookBub. I
have downloaded a few off there, usually a genre I haven’t tried before or a
new writer. But beware my friends, once they have your email address, you will
get one every day with the latest offers. It get tiring after a while, but you
can soon build up a decent e-library using it, but will you ever get to read
them all, no that is a good question.
Today’s photo …
Oxfam bookshop, Cambridge.
Today’s funny…
Doctor, doctor, I think I've gone
a funny colour.
Nonsense, it's just a pigment of your imagination.
5 November
Religious hatred is strong here in our country my friends, and I’m not just
talking about anti-Islam either. Today November 5 and is the day many of us
celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. How many of us remember the reasoning behind it and
of why we stick a funny little man on top of our bonfires I wonder? Then allow
me to remind you. In 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars under the House
of Lords preparing to blow the House up, along with King James in an attempt to
restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. After 400+ years, I would have hope
we didn’t need to do this anymore. It’s time this one was finally ended in my
mind.
However, such an attempt would seen as treason in Ulster I fear. Every July
12 sees the start of the Marching season where protestant marchers makes their
way through the streets of towns and cities, drums beating and banners flying.
This is to mark the victory of William of Orange over James II at the Battle of
the Boyne. This fight was more about Protestants and Catholics than anything
else. Since then, Ireland has seen a lot of conflict over the years with Ulster
seeing more open warfare during the so-called ‘Troubles’ in the 1970s-90s
before Blair managed to bring about some sort of agreement and an end to the
open fighting.
So religious hatred is nothing new and shouldn’t really be a surprise to
us and yet we are. We shake our heads at how one Islamic group slaughters other
Islamic groups and perhaps even say, ‘We don’t that here at least.’ It’s easy
to point our fingers abroad and forget that it’s the same here in the UK but
not seen as openly as in the East. How sad is that! For most people the reason behind
November 5 is forgotten, if they ever knew that is. Now it’s just another
excuse for a huge piss-up and for spending even more cash which we are told
most people can’t afford anyway. Oh dear …
Today’s photo …
Kile with a butterfly
Today’s not-so-funny …
Who had a bushy tail and was
executed for trying to blow up Parliament?
Guy Fox.
4 November
Yesterday’s news about the court case over triggering Article 50 caught
more than a few of us out. For me it’s mainly down to not knowing enough of our
constitution. As it now stands BREXIT can be damaged or totally derailed by a
few money grubbers who are unhappy about the democratically run referendum. It’s
alright for those who the cash to waste on arcane legislation eh? But hang on a
sec, a thought comes to me as I write this: was the original referendum that
took us in to the Common Market legal or anti-constitutional? I can’t remember
any details now anyway, been to bed and slept a few times since then. May
should have triggered the article straight away on taking office. But another
thought comes … who was it that suggested the court case? Was it the money people
or someone else, maybe someone in Brussels who suggested it as a way for preventing
BREXIT ever happening? Now that’s a thought eh …
These judges are certainly living in a place I don’t recognise, something
I have always thought anyway, but that ruling yesterday proves it to my mind. The Daily Mail calls then ‘enemies of
the people,’ again something that all too clear with their continued of
allowing appeals by people considered a danger to us all. After yesterday it is
clear to everyone that they are the enemy of the UK as a whole; but what can we
do about it? Very little I think, they are now Law Lords and even if they
removed or forced out to their cushy little offices, they can still sit in the
House of Lords and play havoc in legislation that comes their way.
Moving on then … did you watch that TV series Him? We did and totally enjoyed it, that is until the end. We
thought the end was a bit of damp squid really, like so many other books/shows/films
these days. The film Gone Girl was
another one. I’d begun reading the book but gave up with that fairly early on,
but hoped the film would be better, it wasn’t, yet another damp squid. There
seems to be so many like that these days that I’m starting to think that some
writers and movie makers are getting lazy in their old age. Or am I getting too
judgemental in my old age I wonder … … …
Somewhere, somehow, my Word document that I type this blog into before
posting it, has suddenly lost over 100,000 words from the word count. Just over
a week ago it was reading around 950,000 words and I was looking forward to
reporting that it stood at over million. Two days ago I noticed the word count
had changed, now reading 803,680, that’s a lot of words to go missing folks,
even more so seeing as the page count has remained the same. And, yes, I do
save it every time I close it. Over the last few days I’ve also noticed that
Word is pointing out sections where it thinks I can cut a word, ‘actually doing’
from yesterday is one such where it wants to me to remove ‘actually’. OK, fine,
it still reads fine, but I like it as it is, so ignore it when it happens now.
Today’ photo …
1-2-1
Today’s funny …
When the high court judge arrived
home looking tired and exhausted he sighed and told his wife, "It's been
another trying day."
3 November
The Daily Mail yesterday caused a bit of puss n bovver over its front page photos of
nine drivers of foreign registered trucks using their mobile phone on the M20
in Kent. They caught 15 such drivers in a fairly short time, all left hand
drive trucks, and all just off the ferry or Eurotunnel train and heading north.
We had BBC Coventry and Warwickshire on the radio as we headed out shopping and
they ha d a spokesperson from the Road Haulage Association on to give their
views on it. Basically she said that the Association has been against mobile
use while driving. She then hit the nail on the head by saying that no matter
what penalties are applied, none are effective if there are no police around to
catch them.
We have found a pub on the A47 in Leicester that we like, so every so
often we go to the Asda at Fosse Park to do our shopping. From there we make
our way around the ring road to the A47 and head home. The pub is on the left
just before the bridge over the M1 at Leicester Forest East. Yet again,
yesterday we drove down the A5 from home, along the M69 and the rout I have
just mentioned to get home. We saw not one copper anywhere within that trip.
OK, it was a short run, not much more than 30 miles, if that far, but we didn’t
see any coppers when we went down to Southampton a few weeks ago. West Midland
Police have admitted that the number of their patrol cars have been heavily cut
due cost restraints. How many other forces has had to do the same I wonder?
Shows on telly like Interceptors, and
those where any number of cops are found to swamp an area for a short time and
crack down on one sort of crime, show large numbers of cops for a short time.
Once that op is over, patrol numbers go back to normal and the crims come out
to play again. What these shows don’t mention is how long a period they are
filmed over and doing that gives a false impression of what cops are actually
doing and how many there are on duty at any one time. But getting back to
mobile phone use then …
A few years ago a cinema ran an ad which shocked a lot of those watching.
As they bought their tickets they were asked for their mobile numbers. They
entered sat down, the lights dimmed and they began watching the screen where a
person was sat in the driving and filming at the same time. At one point loads
of mobiles rank at the same time and viewers dived for their phones. When they
looked up all they could see was a bush in front of them filmed at an odd
angle. While they were reaching for their phones the car had run off the road.
It happens that quickly and that unexpectedly. The whole cinema was totally
silent as they looked around themselves, then the words Don’t Drive and Use
Your at the Time!
But here’s the thing folks, we all know we should use our phones while
driving, so why do so many do it? Is it that the risk of getting caught is so
low? Or is because of arrogance that they think they are better drivers than
everyone else, and that it will never happen to me? Jan use a hands few set-up
so that any calls are played through the radio. When I was driving, I’d turn my
phone off until I got to a service area and turn it on while I was there; it
went off again when I got back the car.
At various times there have been cases where a driver has been issued
with a ticket for eating or drinking water while driving. I find that one a bit
ambiguous really, but there’s another one that we never hear about (or at least
I haven’t), and that is smoking while driving. Pulling a fag out of the pack
and lighting it causes enough distraction. When a driver starts rolling one
while at the wheel is even worse. And here’s part of the problem my friends;
whit I think is not what everyone else thinks is it. No, of course not, that’s
why so many people are getting caught out.
Being a driver is so much more than sitting behind the wheel and steering
the car/van/truck, or whatever. If you think that, then you are no more than a
steering wheel attendant. There is far more to driving that that. The essence
of it all is to get from A to B not as quickly as possible, but as safely as
possible. That means being aware what is happening all around you, it means
reading the road and the signs, constantly being aware of any hazards near you
or may come near you. Doing that on a daily basis, is what driving is about.
Today’s photo …
Oh how I wish … … …
Today’s funny …
What do you call birds that fly
through the jungle singing opera?
The parrots of Penzance.
2 November
Last night I sat and watched the first two of Andrew Marr’s series on
paperback writers, and I loved it. It sets out a series of rules that crime writers
should stick to if they wanted their readers to come back for more. All well
and good until Raymond Chandler comes along and decided that British crime
writing was too tame. After that it seems the framework falls away and it was
open season on sex and violence in books. Even then, it was far tamer than
things are today.
The second programme is about fantasy writing with Game of Thrones, Hobbit, The lord of the Rings and Narnia series
taking centre stage. Rowling gets a mention in passing, Pratchett gets more of
mention because I think, the guy who helped him to type up his books, is still
around to be interviewed. Le Guinn is also mention along the way along with one
or two other writers. Again there are rules to follow but it seems that the
idea is to take and twist today’s world into something that is a parody. Most people
will already know that C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series is an allegory of the Christian
belief in the death and resurrection of Christ. However, I found them
impossible to read for some reason. So Philip Pullman comes along with his
series of books and rants against the Church and its doctrine being described as
Dark Matter filtering down from above somewhere.
Basically all these are about who holds the power, who doesn’t and who
fights to wrest that power for themselves. The next programme is about spy
writers, so I expect more of the same from Fleming and company to feature heavily,
but again there will be a set of rules to follow. I’ve read a number of spy
novels and enjoyed them, but as for writing one, leave it to the pros, not my
idea of fun at all. All these programmes are available through the BBC iPlayer
right now if you’re interested (or even if you’re not, they’re still there),
but it asks if you have TV licence these days, answer know, and you don’t get
to watch them. I wonder if it somehow links to prevent you from watching and
telly if you click no?
As for my writing, nowt’s getting done again but I have decided that I
will look to get Shipshape finished and
then move back to Arathusia and keep
at that one to get it finished too. But what will follow I wonder? Who knows;
right now I’m looking at getting this blog done so I can get ready to go out
for a few hours. It is nice and sunny out there after all …
Today’s photo …
Lunchtime.
Today’s funny …
Two idiots decide to go duck
hunting so they get up early one morning, and go off to the swamps with their
red hats, duck calls, and their trusty hunting dog. Even with all conditions
favorable for a good day, by day's end they headed home without a single duck!
The first idiot said "Do you think that maybe the duck calls didn't
work?"
The second replied, "No, the duck calls were fine. I don't think we were
throwing the dog high enough!"
1 November
Is a ten year jail term enough for killing four people while using your
phone while driving? I don’t think so, however, the maximum term is 14 years.
By pleading guilty the man gets a lower term, but why couldn’t it be ten years
for each death to run consecutively? That is a question that may well be asked
by a number of people. But steeper penalties are applied to repeat offenders.
What chance is there that the trucker involved will be offending like that
again? Not for the time he is in jail at least, but come on, how many could
live with that on their conscious and do it again? I know I couldn’t.
What concerns me is that no matter how good a driver might be, it’s the
careless driving, the bad or poor driving of others that you have to watch out
for. There is no telling what others will do. Even pedestrians are as unpredictable
as our weather. Walk down any high street and watch what others are up to.
Their heads are so full of where they want to go and why that they have no idea
of what is happening around them. Texting is another distraction isn’t it, but
surround them with a couple of tons and metal and plastic, and they become lethal.
Basically, it’s all down to selfishness.
For years now our attention has been focused on Islamic extremism. While
that is happening, Russia is quietly building up its strength and sphere of influence.
Russian involvement in Syria is only the latest incident. Before that there was
Ukraine and Crimea. And don’t forget that fleet of war ships passing through
the English Channel a few weeks ago. RAF interceptors are regularly being sent
out because of the Russian military aircraft approaching our shores. Whatever
is going on in Russia, Putin is blaming the West for it. However, I have a
feeling that things are not so bright and rosy as Putin tries to pain them, and
to draw attention away from the problems there, he blames the west. That is
exactly what the USSR did before it collapsed.
Apparently, October has been the driest on record, or at least that is
what several weather services are claiming. So far, so good; but none of them
seem to agree what weather we are likely to get over the next few days. I read
one forecast that later this month there will be a massive blast of cold air
coming in which will lead to 120 days of snow and ice. But how can we be even
reasonably sure about that when there are so many forecasters. Out there right
now the cloud is low and the light flat and grey, not good for photographers at
all. So it’s back to watching cows in the fields and tossing grass in the air
to judge wind speed and direction. All that dosh spent on satellites and
computers and we’re no better off are we?
Today’s photo brings to mind, ‘Red sky at night, shepherds delight; red
sky in the morning, shepherds warning.’ So this shot …
Which was taken around
5pm one afternoon at Asda Walsgrave, really does confuses me.
Today’s funny …
Two guys are chatting in a pub
and one says to the other, ''How did you get those scars on your nose?''
''From glasses,'' said the other guy.
''You should try contact lenses.''
''Don't be silly, they wouldn't hold much beer.''
