Our schools.

 

The Ministry of Dismal Education has just published some disturbing figures, and they don't make for easy reading.

It seems that 11,000 pupils in 'Reception Class' (4 to 5 year olds) have been suspended from school over the past year.

4,500 resulting from attacks on teachers, 2,500 because of attacks on fellow pupils, and the rest from disruption of class, making general threats, possessing a weapon, racism, etc. One has to feel sorry for all those children who behave themselves, and are being deprived of a stable education.

It doesn't paint a pretty picture does it!

Much of the blame for this bad, or even dangerous, behaviour must be placed at the altar of Mobile Phones. Children no longer learn ordinary 'social graces' at their mother's knee; they play violent games on their phones instead. Why they are even given phones at such a tender age is a mystery!

No figures are offered for expulsions from private schools. but no doubt they do exist. Confusing the words there, their, and they're, is a common reason for expulsion, as is calling a scone a 'scowne', or even holding a knife like a pencil. All worthy of instant expulsion. The government is (not-surprisingly) trying to do-away with such schools. (N.B. In case you were born without any sense of humour, this para was intended to be 'amusing').

Amongst other complaints from 'Reception Class' teachers, are of children coming to school 'STILL IN NAPPIES'. Unbelievable.

Illegal entry

I hear that the UK's Daily Express newspaper is holding a petition to enforce an Obama-style deportation programme, to rid the country of its illegal immigrants. It already has a huge amount of signatures. In fact it needs 10,000 signatures in order to force a Government Response, and 100,000 signatures to force a debate in parliament. I have a feeling that they might succeed.

As one might expect, it is difficult to put an exact figure on the amount of illegals there are in the UK, but it is certainly over 1 Million. 

We probably do need a serious Obama-style crack-down on such people; as POTUS, he managed to rid the USA of 5.3 Million illegals/criminals. I'm sure that if we applied the same techniques as Obama, we could probably get close to half a Million; it just needs government determination and will-power. The US, Canada, and Australia turn them away at the point of entry; in the UK we send Water Taxis to bring them in.

This invasion HAS to stop. It has become overwhelming.

Grasp the Nettle Someone!

 

In the eye of the beholder.

                       David Shrigley (artist). Pile of old Rope.

                                 Joe Bloggs (nearby road worker). Pile of old Rope.

One is 'valued' at £1 Million. The other probably has no value at all; a few quid maybe. 

Can you guess which is which?

French Foxes

Since we've been back in Brighton (after last Summer) we have had numerous covert visitors to our French house.

Mostly they are night visitors, but some have come in full daylight. 

We have had Foxes (sometimes two together), Badgers, and Roe Deer. But we have yet to see a Wild Boar, a Polecat, or a Pine Marten; all of which are common in the area.  

I am very pleased to see the Foxes; we don't normally see any. I shall put some food out for them in the Summer to see if they'll still come whilst we're in residence. I hope they do.

Our wildlife in France is not as plentiful as one might expect. The whole area around us is heavily wooded, and is prefect for all sorts of birds and animals; but hunting is also popular. They do try to keep animal numbers 'manageable', at the same time as taking a few for the table. We all want to preserve our wildlife, but not to let them become TOO MUCH of a pest. I would say that our hunters have got it about right.

The only thing I would suggest to them is that they ban the hunting of both Red Deer and Pheasants for at least five years, to allow the population to re-stock.

In the meantime, Bienvenu M Renard; hopefully we'll see you in Summer.

 

Bibs, Serviettes, Napkins.

Does everyone use serviettes at table? I'm not sure.

Having spent over half my life in France, I have naturally adopted many French ways, one of which is always to use a serviette.

This isn't just any old serviette, but a 'Normand' serviette. They are the National Serviettes of France. The official Government Serviette. The Serviette of The Elysée Palace. The Serviette of The French Foreign Legion. The Serviette of every single household in the whole of France and its Overseas Territories. They are France beside one's plate.

As long as I've been aware of them, they have always remained the same. They are a good size; 45 by 45 cms. They are 'substantial', being made of 100% cotton. They mostly come in red/white checks (occasionally green or blue). And they are of a loose-ish open weave. In fact they are the perfect bib for everyday use.

For some strange reason I only had ONE here in Brighton (dozens in France), so when it was in the wash I was obliged to use an inferior replacement, that I really didn't like!

So, being quick witted (it's taken 3 years) I decided to look on the Jungle Site, and buy some more.

There they were, I found them in packs of 3 (why 3 I have no idea), so I ordered 3 packs of 3. Yesterday some oaf of a delivery man threw the package onto my doorstep, and fled. A traditional delivery.

So, today I'm much happier than I was yesterday.

I note on the pack it says 'Fabriqué au Pakistan'...... Well, you can't have everything!!!

Nameless neighbours.

 

No doubt you remember an occasion when you were on holiday in some small hotel in Rimini or Florence, and you named your fellow guests by their appearance. 

There might have been 'The Green Lady' on account of her strange hair colour, or a 'Mr Four Whiskies' on account of his drinking habits, or even a 'Mrs Doolittle' on account of how she held her knife like a pencil. Well, it's not unlike how we name some of our neighbours.

We used to have two elderly ladies as neighbours. One was named Mrs Old (her real name), so her next door neighbour became Mrs Not So Old. Next door to them was Smoking Woman, for obvious reasons. Our immediate neighbour was known as His Excellency, having been Ethiopia's Ambassador in Sweden.

All of the above are now deceased.

Currently we have a 'Mercedes Man' on account of his soft-top German car. He arrives at his home at strange hours on random days, spends maybe a few hours or a few days, then disappears again. We know absolutely nothing about him; where he goes or what he does. We don't even know his name. We quite like it that way. 

When on holiday, it is rather infra dig to ask people their names, so naming them according to some quirk is all part of the fun. I can remember a Hoots-mon (is that how it's spelt?), a Funny Leg, a Mr Doom, and a small girl that we named Pug.

Of course, not all this is one sided, one has to expect others to give you some awful name as well. I do know that one of my neighbours in France has a pet name for me, but I've never got her to tell me what it is. Otherwise I'm possibly known as Old Fart, or That Bloke with the Black and White Dog, or I pity his Wife; etc. 

Life's rich tapestry.

Some Animals

Below is a photo of two of my grandsons (when they were much smaller) with our Labrador Monty. 

Monty was our first dog when we returned to dog-keeping back in 2011. We adopted him as a Puppy from Ms Tadpole's rescue place; he soon grew.

Yesterday when I was returning from my morning walk with Billy, I came across a most extraordinary sight. Sadly I didn't have my camera with me.

Sitting on the other side of a wire fence, just a couple of feet away, was a Fox Cub, and sitting by his/her side was a Tabby Cat. They were calmly sitting together, just a few inches apart, like old friends. Billy just looked at them, and eventually we moved on. My resolution for '26 is to have my phone with me at all times!!!

Two years ago when Billy brought home a baby Deer, again I didn't have my phone at hand. I've missed some wonderful pictures in recent times.

We probably should have named Monty 'Topsy'.