Alcohol, drugs, and Sam the Sham.

Let your hair down, have some fun, and dance like no-one's watching.

There's a one-hit-wonder Wooly Bully about!

Feed the Birds

It hasn't yet been very cold here this winter, but I'm sure it will be in time, and our garden birds will need extra food.

Last year I bought some of those fat/seed balls that one hangs in trees; I had NO TAKERS, and after they had sprouted and gone moldy, I had to throw them away.

This year I have bought something a bit more purpose-built; a standard seed feeder with the contents being kept dry, away from the cold and wet.

I have hung it in the Apple tree in front of the house, but as yet I haven't seen a single bird coming to feed. Where are they all?

We have plenty of Seagulls, Pigeons, Magpies, and Blackbirds; but hardly any small garden birds. It remains to be seen if any turn up.

The RSBP is carrying out it's annual garden bird count at the moment (The Big Garden Birdwatch). People are asked to count all the different birds they see in their garden, and send-in the results. Well, there's not much point my taking part in the survey, as there aren't any. I have a feeling that my neighbour's two cats might have something to do with it.

I'm just hoping that my feeder (being reasonably high up) will remedy that! 

 

Evolution.

When I built our 'tower', I was determined that it should remain as primitive as possible. No water, no electricity, and no mod-cons of any sort. Simply a bed, a cupboard, and a few candles for light.

It remained like that for several years, but last year I did run an electricity cable to the interior for the convenience of a couple of bedside lamps.

Lady M has now been suggesting that we install a basic bathroom onto the side of the tower. This would involve taking water to it, installing a new fosse septique, and destroying the new garage that I recently built for the mower.

So, will I be giving-in to her wishes? Not bloody likely! I might do a more professional job on the electrical installation, but nothing else.

I like it as it is!

 

Stone.

I suppose my love-affair with Stone dates back to when I was billeted right next to a huge towering medieval Cathedral for several years.

The Cathedral, which took hundreds of years to complete, is entirely constructed of Stone. Every single piece of Stone being hand hewn from a quarry 42 miles away in Northampton-shire, transported, then hand carved in situ. A massive undertaking.

I used to wander around in awe, admiring the details of the tiniest bits of carving, that most people never saw. It was, and is, a miracle of human endeavor.

Later, in France, I worked with a Stone Cutter, carving medieval style  'openings' for domestic buildings (windows, doorways, fireplaces, etc). I had been taught Stone Carving at my first Art College, by a man who had worked for Eric Gill.

These days I walk past my local church twice every day. It is built of Flint, with Stone detailing.

This beautiful, but simple, corner masonry (above) is a good example of the basic work involved. Most would walk past it without paying any attention to the workmanship, but it is a lovely piece of work. It was built when all that a Stone Mason possessed was Hammer and Chisel. Every piece of stone had to be firstly shaped into a flat sided block before the actual carving began.

Stone Cutting is very satisfying, but is also back-breaking. Once the lumps of stone are cut, they need to be lifted into position, and that can be 'painful'. I'm sure that my Sciatica is partly caused by lifting crazy weights into place. We always worked in the same way as those medieval Stone Masons had worked centuries ago. No machines or hoists.

Persia/Iran

 

I first became aware of Iran (Persia as it was then) through a school-friend, who's father was posted there as a senior UK Air Force Officer. The Shah was still 'on the Peacock throne' at the time, and it was a friendly country. They still had some strange ways (public hangings, etc), but the The Shah himself was a great social reformer, and changed the country into a serious, and respected, international competitor.

Sadly in 1979, after the Iranian Revolution, the country fell under the control of religious leaders, and general repression returned. Women's rights were eroded, and again they were made to cover themselves with the Hijab. The equal rights established by The Shah were abolished, and women once again became invisible, gays were thrown off rooftops, and any opposition was seriously punished.

Now, after more than 45 years of social decline and oppression, the country has once again revolted, and it seems that they want a return to the more liberal 'good old days' of The Shah. His son, who has been in exile, is ready to return, and it is already rumoured that The Ayatollah is preparing to escape to his beloved Russia (like Assad before him).

One can but hope that the Iranians themselves take charge of any change, and that very basic human rights are returned to ALL their citizens.

I wish them 'Good Luck'.

Please don't call me 'Mate'.

 

Much like in the US, where people seem to constantly refer to each other either as 'Bro' or 'Dude', here in the UK it isn't uncommon for people to refer to each other as 'Mate'.

To say I dislike this is an understatement; I find it unnecessary and rude. Recently someone asked if I was "oar-rite mate"; of course I didn't reply. The least I expect of people is reasonably correct use of the language, and some respect. A simple "Good morning" is all that's required.

Correct use of 'English' is slowly eroding. It is not uncommon to hear people saying things like "Yeah like, y'knowatameen like". Dreadful. What sort of language is that!

It really makes one wonder what ENGLISH TEACHERS are doing in our schools! I quite understand that children no longer read books, and that 'public speaking' and 'debating societies' are seen as elitist; but could children not be taught how to speak 'reasonably' correctly? When they write essays, do they sprinkle their work with 'yeah, like, I mean, yeah like....'? And if so, is it ever corrected by their teacher?

How to speak, Basic maths, English history, and The preparation and cooking of Chicken, should be the basis of the 21st C school curriculum.

And no more of this "Oy, mate" business. 

Before you ask, yes I AM suffering from a severe bout of perfectly understandable intolerance this morning!

 

By gum, it's Begum again.

This woman's face is infamous throughout Britain; and she's back in the news!

She is Shamima Begum, the silly London schoolgirl who ran away to Syria to become an 'ISIS Bride', and support the Islamic terrorists.

She left the UK in 2015. Just 10 days later she was given to, and married, Dutch Terrorist Yago Riedijk. 

Begum worked for ISIS as an 'Enforcer' in the Morality Police. She caried an AK47, and made sure that all women were correctly dressed/covered; or else! A really charming young lady!

She allegedly had several children, all of who seem to have mysteriously died. Having eventually been interned in a Syrian detention camp in 2019, her UK Citizenship was revoked, and she adopted her husband's Dutch Citizenship.

However she is now (understandably) desperate to return to England, and has tried to do so for the past few years; to no avail.

Currently the ECHR (the EU's Court of Human Rights) is trying to enforce her return to Britain. However, foreign courts have no jurisdiction over the UK's courts, so she stays where she is!

Begum now says that she regrets her support of ISIS (surprise surprise); it has brought her nothing but trouble, and of course she would love to be back in freedom-loving, democratic, Britain. But, as everyone knows, she made her choice, and must live by it (as do we all). 

She can say how terribly sorry she is for all her past actions till the Cows come home, but it's action that counts; not idle words. No-one believes that she could have supported terrorism one minute, and not the next.

Here she is now, dressed like the people she previously assaulted, as a charming 'Enforcer'.

Known terrorists, and their sympathisers, should NEVER be allowed into the UK. Could someone make sure that our government understands that!

I would love to describe what I think of people such as Begum; but libel-laws prevent me!