One law for us; another for them.

I have personal experience of 'travelers' illegally occupying land.

When I was briefly living in Shropshire during the early 80's, we had a large orchard which had a gate at the very far end, leading to a little used lane that served a tiny village. 

One day, I noticed that the small field opposite the gate had been occupied by a 'traveler', with all that that entailed (rubbish, old cars, scrap metal, etc). I asked the 'huge' man if he had planning permission to install his caravan on the site, and was treated to a tirade of extremely nasty language and very serious threats. I retreated pronto!!!

That same evening in the Pub, I was told that I was lucky to have got out alive. Everyone said that I was CRAZY even talking to him.

It's a strange side of UK life that certain groups of people acting illegally are left in peace, whereas a single (non-traveler) person doing the same thing would be arrested at once. I suppose it's easier for the police to avoid the type of confrontation that I experienced back in Shropshire.

There are plenty of Council designated sites where they can stop for a while, but taking over, or buying, fields, laying down an acre of tarmac, and inviting dozens of others to live there, is not acceptable. But, this type of behaviour has become very common recently throughout England.

Very occasionally the Police will turn-up, but they (like me) will be threatened, and they soon retreat. Action is rarely taken.

I see that over Easter they've been at it again. Just when everyone's relaxing, they've Tarmacked over a few more acres in Tundridge in Kent, and in Flamstead in Herts (above), and moved in! Amazingly a few 'locals' in Kent were actually arrested for trying to block their access. 

Some others have even moved onto a Green Open Space, here in Brighton.

Try parking your caravan on the seafront in Brighton, and start-up a scrap metal business, and see what happens!!! Need I tell you?

Hinge and Bracket

The UK is known for its eccentricities, and amongst our 'musical' offerings were the duo 'Hinge & Bracket'.

Born from the same mould as Flanders & Swann (two men, one piano), the singing duo of Hinge & Bracket were 'National Treasures'.

Dr Evadne Hinge (George Logan), and Dame Hilda Bracket (Patrick Fyffe), performed songs from a previous, more sedate era, wearing their Victorian/Edwardian dresses, and singing in quasi-Soprano voices. They were essentially a Music Hall act, who also found fame on TV.

The song 'This is my Lovely Day', originally by Lizbeth Webb, is from the 1947 West End musical 'Bless the Bride'. A classic for H & B, that demonstrates their style and appeal perfectly.

Fyffe died in 2002, and Logan in 2023. RIP both.

 

University Challenge ?

Most devotees of University Challenge would have enjoyed this edition, and I'm sure they will enjoy it again.

'University Challenge' is a BBC TV inter-University Quiz Competition. Highly contested by all our major Universities.

Just in case you didn't know, the Scumbag College contestants are all from 'The Young Ones' TV programme, and The Footlights team are a group of other well-known UK comedians.

Griff Rhys-Jones plays the part of question-master 'Bambi' (Bamber Gascoigne).

A classic sketch of its era!

 

Victorian Tiled Steps

These lovely old tiled front doorsteps are from a terrace opposite the church; just down the road from where I live. Several of the houses have exactly the same pattern

As you can probably see from the photo below, some are in a pretty poor state of repair (this isn't the worst). 

One of them was really falling to bits, and I was very pleased to see recently, that a man was totally re-tiling it. I stopped for a chat, and told him how impressed I was with his workmanship. He had re-tiled the entire flight of steps; top to bottom.

Each small black and white square is individual; these are not interlocking bigger tiles all put together. The time and effort in creating the finished effect is extraordinary.

And here, below, is the finished job. Real craftsmanship. 

I was about to photograph it, and he told me to come back in an hour, as he was about to grout it. He wanted me to see it in it's full finished splendour! And here it is....

You really would think they were the original Victorian steps; nice job!

Rap 'music'

As news comes of yet another 'Rap Singer' (named Offset?) being shot, in a US casino, one has to wonder why these people are so aggressive towards one another. One has to presume that such aggression is all part of their identity and raison d'etre.

You don't hear of people like Cliff Richard shooting at Elton John, or Vera Lynn shooting at Doris Day, so why do these people, usually with very silly names, all seem to hate each other? Maybe it's to do with alternative 'business matters', rather than the 'music'.

If (like me) you don't know much about Rap 'music', here is a standard example (above) from S London. I think it's much the same the world over.

The clothes are always the same, the 'songs' always equally vacuous and tune-free, the message always aggressive, and the overall ambiance one of anti-society, and lawlessness. 

Smoking Ganga is obligatory, and XL Bullies are optional. This is what certain communities listen to, imitate, and admire! When you see those masked men on their E Bikes whizzing around with earphones on; this is probably what they're listening to.

It certainly ain't Val Doonican.

Sprung

Spring certainly has sprung, UK style. A good mix of 'pleasantly changeable' weather has now greeted us before Summer arrives. Plenty of warm sunshine (16 C yesterday, 19 C today), mowed lawns, and leaves appearing on the trees, all are signs of a welcome change.

Our communal lawns (above) and our private garden (hidden) have been tidied, and a noisy 'dawn chorus' greets us in the early hours. And on sunny days there are plenty of sun-worshippers in the churchyard, bearing their chests (the men, that is).

Our Gardeners, both here and in France, have been busy, and both gardens are neat and tidy. The fruit trees are all filled with flowers, and no doubt 'Summer Dresses' will soon be dusted-down and worn again. In France the front of the house is swathed in Wisteria flowers (below). Sadly we don't get to see the flowers in Spring, but it does flower again in Summer.

There are, of course, new born Lambs in the fields as well. What a wonderful time of year.

 

Product Test

Kimbo had mentioned that he'd bought some frozen Lamb Shanks from Lidl (I think), and that they'd been delicious.

Then, I just happened to notice that they had some in Sainsbury's; so I invested.

Inside the pack were two separate, frozen, vacuum packed, Lamb Shanks in a deep rich gravy.

They needed about 45 mins in the oven, so in went some spuds to roast, then 15 mins later in went the emptied packs of lamb; making sure to keep all the sauce. When the hour was up; they were all perfectly cooked.

We were both very pleasantly surprised. In fact I shall visit Lidl this week to see if they have some; if not I'll buy them again from Sainsbury's. A pack of these in the freezer is an excellent back-up; as it was for me on Easter Day.

The finished dish was impressive looking, very tender and tasty, and no work! If I had one tiny criticism, it would be that the sauce had a slightly artificial mint flavour; but nothing to worry about.

Verdict: 9/10 I shall now keep a pack of these in the freezer at all times.