A bity day, council tax increas for some and an upset Muppet Person

20 February 2013

Yesterday was just one of those days when you are busybusybusy yet nowt gets done that you want to do.  I'm about half way through sorting out Sunday's photos.  Then we had to have the GP out to Jan because of her vomiting most of the night.  She's OK now though.  After that I had to go and get some shopping done.  In between all that I was doing what house work needed doing and making drinks and keeping an eye on Jan.  Now I can get on and get things done - until around 12.30 that is when I have to get ready to go to the GP practice to have my eyes photographed - all to do with the diabetes.

Dorktown council is getting a tad uppity over the number of empty houses in the borough.  Normally owners get a six month period off council tax when the house goes on the market but it seems a lot of these house are not actually going on the market.  Now the council is looking to reduce this to three months and then charging a tax rate of 150% in an effort to force owners to either sell or rent them out.  I can't say I disagree with this plan.  There are far too many houses left empty for far too long.  A major problem that I can see though is actually finding the owners.  It took years to find the owners of the Kingsholme pub in the town centre; I can't see them having much better luck in tracing some of the more 'obstructive/creative' owners in the town.  They tend to be of one particular group of owners who are well known for trying to get something for nothing.   

The usual none-stories are filling the filling the News after that front page story.  The Hussy is still trying to find a commercial partner to help it become a NHS Foundation Trust but has been stopped by the men in grey in London who have decided they want to oversee the project, in an effort to ensure tax payers money is well spent!  

Our Muppet Person is still upset about the A44/A5 junction on the outskirts of town.  He claims it's too dangerous; well, I use fairly often and I've not had any problems there.  All it needs is for drivers to take their time and watch what they are doing as well as what everyone else is doing. 

An email will be winging its way to The News later now that our internet connection is working OK again.  On page 9 there is an article about the Veterans Contact Centre in the council house.  I'm sure it is a good article well worth reading, especially as they help me to get Jan's new scooter and for us to have a holiday next month.  BUT ... the article is slap bang on top of a red printed surround that is dark at the page fold and goes lighter to the edge.  I couldn't read it at all and I would suggest there will a number of other dyslexic readers who also can't read it.

So now for a photo from Sunday ... 

this lass was shooting a video around the Victoria area of London.  I'm just pleased I don't have to lump all that lot around with me ;-)))

And funny time ...

In ancient Greece, Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.
One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
'Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.
"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."
"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued, "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"
The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was shagging his wife.        

HMQ, A77 is looking good and JAN IS COMING HOME ;-)))

18 February 2013

Good morning one and all.  If you didn't know, it's Monday again, the start of another working week that HMQ will get share of but won't know a damned thing about it!  Such is the 'fairness(?)' of life.

Anyway. I got down to the Smoke yesterday and was able to give A77 a half way decent try out.  From the playback views it seems to have done very well indeed.  I shall find out later today when I get them all sorted out.  For the first time I managed to fully run down a battery and had to change it.  easily done these days of course but it should show how limited my adventures with the A77 have been so far.  I got 161 shots yesterday and I'll post a few tomorrow but the full set will be on http://www.flickr.com/photos/15764683@N00/  sometime later today if want a sneak preview.

Good news today too ... Jan is hoping to get out of pri ... errr ... that should be hospital, later today.  The hold up is due to the pharmacy and their slowness in getting her meds and stoma supplies sorted to come out with.  They are the biggest delay in all patients waiting to leave the Hussy.  At least she will be more comfortable here.  The hardest part for me is stopping her getting up and doing things - like getting the hover out; trying to get a wash on even though its all done; trying to wash up straight after dinner this evening ... you know, what she normally does ;-)))

So we'll have another photo from then ... yes, here he is ...

Balloon Man.

And a funny ... short but very good ...

"Wooden spoons are great. You can either use them to prepare food. Or, if you can't be bothered with that, just write a number on one and walk into a pub…"  

Sky Blues, really sad and a chance meeting

16 February 2013

Years ago, way before I joined the Army I used to be a Coventry City supporter.  Even though I no longer am a supporter as such I still keep an eye on how they are doing every week.  The news from the Ricoh Arena these last few days is not good!  The club owners are a company called Sisu - no, nor me, I don't have clue what they are either.  Whatever, having bought the club and investing a fair amount of money in the process I fail to see why they haven't continued to invest there in an attempt to try to protect their initial investment.  Now they are refusing to pay the rent they owe for the football ground part of the Ricoh.  I get the impression that Sisu actually want the Sky Blues to fail - buy why would they want that?  It should make all footy fans stop and think this morning!

An elderly couple who had been married for 68 years have died within hours of each at the Walsgrave Hospital.  Rita died first and the family say they hadn't told Louis but that he seemed to know anyway.  Such sad end to such a long marriage.  Of course we all die in the end but for both to go like this is a real tragedy. 

Last night I sat in the Anker and got talking to a few of the locals while I was proof reading Web of Hate.  The three couples each took one of my cards and I'm as ever hopeful that a few sales of my books might of it.  But what I remember more than that is the look of awe and excitement on their faces that they were sitting and speaking to a published writer.  One of them said something about never having spoken to a famous person before.  ME!  Famous - hardly!  But if it brightened their night, well, so be it, I won't complain.

Ethnic cleansing has been happening a lot over the years; Cambodia, The Balkans, Ruanda and of course WW2.  But did you know that during the Spanish Inquisition the whole population of the Netherlands was condemned to death for heresy?  That happened on this day in 1568.  Of course it didn't happen but as they say, "there's nothing new."  I just wish who 'they' are.

Bright sun shine here in Dorktown today, I feel a photo shoot coming on down in the market.  For now then, here's today's offering ... 

another market day shot.

And I offer this for today's funny ...

I saw my friend in town today, he only has one arm
I said "Where are you going"
He said "To change a light bulb"
I said "Erm, won't that be a bit difficult"
He said "Nah, I have the receipt"               

Up late again, The Peacock and I'm not fussed on hoses

15 February 2013

Things are getting very silly here in Jaronland.  Yet again I didn't surface until 1030 this morning - and I wasn't late settling last night either!  Even so I'm still so very tired.  Jan says I must need it but I'm not so sure.  Thing is, I feel the days half gone by that time and to be honest I have far too much to do to lie in bed until that time.  I even set the alarm last night but I must have turned it off in the night - really annoying now!

Jan herself seems to be doing well.  All her drips were out yesterday when I visited and although she was still hurting somewhat overall she OK.  She is still tired though but could well be partly down to her pain level.  But don't forget that a hospital ward is never really a quiet place to be.  The sooner she is home and safe the better she will be.

A long time ago there was a pub in the Market Place in Dorktown.  It was called The Peacock and it was the very best pub in town.  I loved it in there, good beers, good company, good friends and an excellent landlord in Jezz Rosomond.  Jezz decided to take on The Furnace in Bed'th so the brewery moved another landlord into The Peacock.  His first act was to install a dart board.  Trade dropped off by over half over night.  But what really killed the place off was Mad Maggie her forcing breweries to sell of a large number of their pubs.  It was supposed to increase competition but in reality what it did was to close a large number of popular pubs because of the new management companies that took them on who didn't have a clue how to run a pub.

So there you are then - but has that got to do with today?  Well, The Peacock building is still standing and since it closed has been a number of clothing retailers, the latest being Burtons.  Today's News says that the electronics company Maplin is due to take it over soon.  They have applied for planning permission to erect now sings on the building.  I have no views on Maplins as company as I've not actually shopped there but it has to be good news for the town centre that such a large well known company wants to move here.  I wish them well.

So by now we should all know what 'bute' is.  I heard it mentioned before I was wondering.  Now we know that it is a pain killer for horses that is also used at time for serious arthritic suffers.  But the worry is that it can sometimes, very rarely they claim, lead to a nasty side effect.  But you know what?  I'm not all that worried by all the current fuss and bother over the horse meat issue.  The media and so on keep on talking about 'contaminated' beef products.  Why?  Contaminated points to there being something very seriously infecting the meat used.  But come on, horse meat is safe for us humans to eat.  Of course a lot of people will balk at the idea of eating horse, but that's cultural, not a food safety issue.  The main issue in this current situation is what seems to be a wide spread fraud that has been perpetrated on the public in many countries.

  

Getting to the bottom of that and bringing those involved to justice I fully support.  But come on folks, look at with eyes wide open and see it for it is, a fraud, not a food safety issue.

I've just looked for a horsy photo and I don't have any - not surprising really as I'm not overly interested in them even when they are still upright on four legs.  So here you are then ... 

European bison, snapped at the Highlands Wildlife park just off the A9 between Kinguise and Aviemore.  Anyone up for bisonburger?

Funny time ...

An old Australian battler lies dying in his bed. He calls over Shirley,  his faithful wife of 60 years, and says, "Shirl, when we started out,  tried to buy a business in the depression, went bust: you were with me"
"Oh, yes, Bruce", she says.
Then the war started, I joined up, and was sent to the front line, where I lost me legs. You stayed with me."
"Oh yes, Bruce" she says.
"Then, came home, couldn't get a job, due to me disability, and bought a farm."
"Oh, yes, Bruce", she says.
"The farm flooded, then just when we got over that, there was a  bushfire, and then the drought, which wiped us right out: you still  stayed with me."
"Oh yes, Bruce,"
"Now here I am, in excruiating pain, about to die, useless and you're still with me."
"Yes Bruce."
"Shirl."
"Yes, Bruce?"
"You're bloody bad luck"