Lest we Forget. 11. 11. 1918.

 

Today is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice on 11th November 1918.

Under the agreement signed in Compiegne, Germany was to surrender weapons, artillery, tanks, trains, and trucks, amongst other things. All prisoners were to be released, and property to be left intact. The defeat of Germany was total. The death toll had been around 20 Million.

So, who would then have imagined that Germany would begin ANOTHER world war just 20 years later, in which over 80 Million people were killed. Again they were defeated.

Included in the number of the dead were the 6 Million innocent Jews who were shamelessly murdered by the Nazis.

So, what have we learned from those TWO German Wars? Not a lot it seems.

We still have uneducated groups screaming for Jews to be eliminated, and we still have other forms of ethnic and religious slaughter continuing throughout the world.

It seems that certain 'World Leaders' are incapable of living peacefully, and/or concentrating on the welfare of their own citizens.

I suppose we simply have to accept that we humans are a bunch of gullible, bloody-thirsty, louts, and that some amongst us will always hate some groups, or want certain nationalities to be annihilated.

Of course, conflict is essential in certain extreme cases, but open hostility towards peaceful neighbours IS NOT.

My title says 'Lest we Forget', but sadly many young left-wing Pro-Hamas supporters MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN. and a new wave of Hitler/Nazi style aggression towards the Jewish community is once again prevalent. 

I find that incomprehensible, and extremely sad.

p.s. Above is Alphonse. He's the doll I've had since I was born, and every year he wears his Poppy with pride; in remembrance of all those who died.

Somebody called Brand. Remember him?

He tried being an extreme left wing Communist, he tried becoming a Christian, he even tried cosying-up to Blair, Bear Grylls, Andy Burnham, and even Trump. And just recently (when he was really in deep deep poo) he tried becoming a Muslim; even if it was just for a photo (he looks genuine, don't you think?).

He also tried to convince a Judge that he was a nice, innocent, misunderstood, boy; and he will soon, no doubt, be trying to convince his fellow convicts that he has come amongst them as their messiah.

Well, Russell, I'm afraid that no-one believes a single bloody word you say. Comeuppance sometimes takes a long time to come; but come it will.

You'd better start REALLY praying; life will now become very tough and rough.

My continuing disbelief concerning this odious man, has to be how so many TV and Radio bosses thought it wise to employ him. 

If he'd ever come to me for employment, even as a cess-pit cleaner, my answer would have been a decisive NO! 

Just in case you hadn't heard, Brand received a prison sentence of 10½ YEARS (stop laughing). I hear that he was welcomed to Wandsworth (above) by all the inmates repeatedly shouting 'There's a BRAND new nonce on the wing'. Apparently he was petrified.

N.B. the word 'nonce' (in prison) refers to a sex-offender, or paedophile, who is earmarked as a target for violence.

 

Perfect every time!

There is one important gadget missing from the chic 21st C 'Cotswold Kitchen'. 

We have Air Fryers, Microwaves, Knife Sharpeners, Exploding Egg Poachers, and every other Electric Gadget imaginable, but no 'Boiled Egg Machines'. 

Yesterday I had an exceptional start to my day. My two Boiled Eggs were PERFECT. Something that is almost impossible to guarantee 'manually'. 

What I really need (and what every chic Cotswold Kitchen needs) is a machine that prepares a perfect Boiled Egg EVERY TIME..... Automatically.

It would have two settings; Soft Boiled Egg, and Hard Boiled Egg. It would be 'compact', as to take-up little space, and should prepare up to 4 eggs at each usage. It would 'ping' when done, and the eggs would roll-out onto a ready-to-serve Laura Ashley print Egg Basket.

This wouldn't be difficult to manufacture. A water holder/bath, a thermostat, and a timer, wrapped in an attractive Burberry-style exterior shell, it would become the essential A-Lister addition to that Cotswold Kitchen (that little room where Cooky does things).

I want one. It's on my list of 2026 Christmas essentials.

I have to admit; my yesterday's PERFECT eggs arrived more by luck than judgement; such a machine would bring more precision in my life.

 

Useful trivia

I came across this recently, and thought how very useful it could be; as long as one can remember it all.

I have tried it, and it is pretty accurate. The only one which was a bit off (for me) was the distance between little finger and thumb (bottom Left). Mine measured 20 cms, not 23; but maybe I've shrunk a bit.

Copy, print, and keep in your inside pocket/handbag. It's bound to come in useful, and you can thank me for it later.

Christmas present?

 

Lady M to K. What does S want for Christmas?

K. Nothing!

Lady M. She must want something; what about some College Gin?

K. She doesn't drink Gin!

Lady M. What Gin?

K. The College Gin you just suggested you bought for her!

Lady M. I didn't say Gin. I said Collagen.

K. No, she doesn't drink that either.

Lady M. What DOES she want then?

K. A Kindle.

Lady M. OK, I'll buy her a Kindle.

K. No you won't, you'd buy the wrong one!

Lady M. Why does she want one; does she read a lot of books?

K. Not at the moment.

Lady M. Why would she want a Kindle then?

K. So that she can read more.

Lady M. Why doesn't she?

K. Because she hasn't got a Kindle.

And so it continued. No-one any the wiser. Me laughing my head off, whilst mother and son sparred against each other to no avail.

Nobody knows what S wants for Christmas. However, I have already bought my prezzies for her. I can't tell you what they are in case she reads this (which she won't).

As usual we've suggested that we only give each other one present, and that it costs no more than £4.50p. But as usual that falls on decidedly deaf ears.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas. All the Turkey and Sprouts; I love it.

Citoyens; aux Barricades!

Seeing this cartoon (below) reminded of my own student days.

Around 1969/70 certain of the UK's Art colleges were up in arms over some pointless complaint, and we were all invited to go up to London for the day to 'Protest'. A coach was ordered and we all went up to Town for a jolly day of marching, chanting, and moaning.

The coach dropped us quite near Trafalgar Square (where the 'March' was to begin), and as Lady M and I got off the coach we noticed some man was handing out placards for us all to carry. It didn't take much inspection to see that the placards were from The Communist Party, complaining about democracy or some-such other nonsense; they were nothing to do with our petty cause.

As you can imagine, we declined the offer of a placard (whilst others eagerly accepted them) and, seeing that the march had been hijacked, we decided to give it a miss, and visit some galleries instead.

I'm sure that if one asked most of the the current lot of young international hooligans rioters and looters what they are demonstrating about, they wouldn't have a clue. The hoody-wearing, masked, Hamas supporting idiots who set light to cars and smash windows are only there to cause mayhem. And that mayhem allows them to steal trainers, vapes, and tracksuits with only a small chance of being caught. There's safety in numbers.

And so it continues. Make no mistake, these young criminals are NOT there for any social reason. They are there to 'let off steam', to riot, and steal. The original French schoolchildren who started the protests presumably had no idea that it would lead to a mass hysterical international shoplifting frenzy. I quite expect those pupils are now staying at home with Mummy and Daddy.

I did notice, whilst scanning the photos, that there were plenty of Anarchist, and Communist Party, flags being waved. Are we surprised?

Check Ebay or Vinted for bargain priced stolen goods; they should be awash with them by now! 

 

Grow your own!

I really miss my little veg garden, called Haddock's.

It is surprising how little space one needs to grow a few fruits or vegs.

In front of our row of four 'bijou homes' are about 4 square metres of tiny gardens, where there are plenty of herbs, tomatoes, soft fruits, and two apple trees. We may not be able to feed ourselves 100%, but we do our bit.

My late father always claimed that a person with 10 acres could be self-sufficient. Personally I think it could be done with far less. As a child we never had more than about an acre of garden, but we grew a lot. That's where my love of 'self-sufficiency' comes from.

At my first farmhouse in France, I had just One Hectare of partly sloping land, with a small patch of old grafted Chestnut trees. I grew Wheat and Maize. I also had a large Vegetable patch, a run-full of Chickens, and a few Fruit trees. We weren't self-sufficient, but we were close.

At our present cottage, I grew even more, on far less land. Haddock's (above) was better organised, and I planted a lot more fruit trees, and soft fruits. I also 'perfected' the art of preservation. The actual growing area at Haddock's covered an area of about 50 square metres, which supplied an extraordinary amount of food; enough even to give a lot away.

Our store cupboards were always filled with preserves, the freezer held even more, and wooden boxes were filled with onions, squashes, and fruit. There were always plenty of eggs. I suppose we were classic Smallholders/Homesteaders. It was a way of life that I loved, without depriving ourselves of the little luxuries that we all enjoyed as well.

Such a lifestyle is not to everyone's taste, but given the chance I would do it all again. But I would also love to do it all off grid.