The Prince of Darkness.

Doncha love 'im!

He's no stranger to intrigue. Nor is he a stranger to scandal.

The ex-Lord Mandy came to the notice of the British public when he was named 'The Prince of Darkness', as Neil Kinnock's communication guru. His reputation was cast in iron!

Later, as the British public learnt more of the true side of Mandy's character, he became the darling of three destructive Labour Prime Ministers, Blair, Brown, and now Starmer. 

He was sacked from two of his Cabinet positions, before best-buddy Starmer shocked the world by appointing him as Ambassador to the USA. This came to a sudden end after revelations appeared about his close relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. His passing of 'classified financial information' to Epstein was no less than Espionage, from which Epstein was (allegedly) able to make huge amounts of money.

When a Financial Times journalist asked Mandy about his relationship with Epstein, he was told to 'Fu*k off'. That tells us a lot.

More and more revelations appeared after documents were recently made public in the USA, and his ridiculous Peerage, and elevation to the House of Lords, was eventually revoked. He may well eventually be tried for treason; we shall have to wait and see.

Some politicians are more badly behaved than others, but the one's who's bad behaviour was common knowledge SHOULD NOT be rewarded with high positions, high salaries, and secretive protection from No 10.

Yes, this one-time member of The Young Communist League has now had his well-deserved comeuppance, and is in disgrace. I believe that even his Brazilian husband has left him; although I'm not certain.

What I do know, and have written about very often, is that this man should never have been promoted to all his lofty positions. It shows an extreme failure in the vetting process for top jobs; the blind admiration shown to him by our political leaders was extraordinary.

So, good riddance to Mandy. I'm sure (if he isn't imprisoned) that he'll live-out the rest of his life in considerable luxury. Let's just hope that his ilk NEVER find their way into government ever again.

Politics, as we all know, is a question of JUDGEMENT; which, in this case, was sorely lacking!

 

1950's Exercise Programme.

 

Back in the 50's (when I were a lad) we didn't have Gyms everywhere, static exercise bikes, or sets of dumbbells in the garage.

For overall body exercise we had Hula Hoops.

To imitate the modern trend for jogging/fell running/marathons etc, we shook all our insides about with Pogo Sticks.

And as for Cardio-Vascular exercise we had Slinkies, which involved running up and down the stairs at high speed every few seconds.

Any other exercise was had by being chased by the farmer's dog from across the fields.

Amazingly, we managed to stay as fit as those who, these days, spend all day in the Gym.

We didn't have Thai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, Elliptical training, Treadmills, or Aqua-Jogging; and we certainly didn't have those 21st C essentials, Personal Trainers.

How we survived I have no idea!

My return to Aldi

4 Bottles of 'extremely quaffable' South Australian Shiraz wine (not for me, sadly).

Bananas. Oranges. 

Aubergine. Mushrooms. Cavolo Nero. Red Onions.

Tomato Puree.

Sushi.

Total cost: £28.44

I call that an absolute BARGAIN. I shall go again.

p.s. There were lots of very flash cars in the Car Park; including a Bentley Continental. Aldi is becoming trendy!

 

What a dull week it was.

This last week we saw Lord Mandy asking a young lady if she'd found his missing trousers. He's seen here showing her what they looked like on his iPad. If it wasn't bad enough for him to be sacked as the UK's Ambassador to the USA, he has now been booted out of The Labour Party as well. We also hear that his Peerage might be revoked. Poor old Mandy; not fair is it.

We also saw Randy-Andy Windsor practicing his CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on a 'live model'. I believe he is becoming quite skilled, and may even be awarded his Cub Scouts 'Lie back and think of England' badge.

Good news came from Dubai last week where the former 'Glamour Model', Katie Price, married some bloke she'd never met. It seems that he's told her that he's a billionaire; others aren't so sure. KP is the one on the left (below), with her daughter Princess on the right. We send her all our best wishes for a long and happy married life (her fourth I think; or is it her fifth)!

Elsewhere in the world, we hear that The Ayatollah's son, Mojtaba Khamemei, (left, below) has managed to amass a staggeringly large global property portfolio. Over £100 Million's worth in one London street alone. His father, The Ayatollah (right below), must be very proud of how enterprising his son has been. He must have worked very diligently to have earned all that money. The Cleric, Mojtaba, teaches in a Muslim Seminary in Qom. His father, the Ayatollah (trans: Reflection of God), was unavailable for comment; the Iranian senior Cleric has been very busy killing tens of thousands of his fellow countrymen.

So, very little to report. No scandals. No-one caught with their trousers down (other than Mandy), and no-one found trying to oust Sir Keir Sino-Starmer from his PM job (other than most of his cabinet).

Have a good week!

News for the Elderly

The elderly have always been the butt of Jokes, and ridicule; and often rightly so. Most of us are doddery old fools (not me, of course).

Here is Griff Rhys-Jones demonstrating perfectly how the over 70's are viewed by the under 50's.

98.5 kgs

 

Right; my weight-loss programme starts today.

I have weighed myself this morning (98.5 kgs. 15.6 stones) and, as from today, will drink no alcohol, and eat more healthily, until I feel lighter and healthier. If I have the will-power, I reckon a couple of months will do the job.

It may sound as if I am wildly obese, but as a 6 ft 1 inch ex-Rugby player, I appear to most people as simply normal; not at all 'fat'. I keep telling myself that I have those infamous 'heavy bones'.

I'm starting on the 1st of a new month simply because that's how my brain works. I just hope it continues to work the way I want it to!

I shall, of course, report back; as long as I haven't totally evaporated.

Looking back.

When you've been a Veg' grower for as long as I have, and it suddenly all comes to an end, it leaves a gaping hole in one's life. This was Haddock's 10 years ago, when it was still in full production.

I see Red Onions, Caulis, Red Cabbage, Aubergines, Peppers, Tomatoes, and probably Broccoli in the background. There are also a few Hens in the ramshackle run. It was the sort of garden that all country folk aspire to.

In a lower section (out of sight) there were Courgettes Pumpkins and Butternuts. And elsewhere there were Apples, Plums, Raspberries, Cherries, Figs, Globe Artichokes, and Rhubarb. No space was wasted.

It was amazing how much I grew from such a small plot of land. One doesn't need several acres in order to be self-sufficient (or almost). One simply needs to be well-organised, and prepared for a lot of weeding!

One of my greatest pleasures of living out in the countryside (in S W France) was growing things. I still grow fruit, but not vegetables. With only three months at our home each year these days, there really isn't time, although I do intend to ask Kimbo to plant some Tomatoes for us, and I shall grow some Bok Choi; which I believe grows quite quickly. We shall see.

I loved seeing my cupboards filled with preserves; we made everything we possibly could. It must have been a very good year for Cepes (top, pale jars). What better in Winter than a Cepe omelet! Also plenty of Tomato based preserves, and Jams, with two other cupboards filled.

Sadly my veg' production is now over, and Haddock's has been given over to fruit growing. I shall plant some Peach trees there this year; and maybe build a small Pagoda/Summer house. Already it gives us plenty of fruit for jam in the Summer months, but you can never have enough Peaches.

Meanwhile we enjoy our 2025 jam; which seems to be disappearing very quickly.