Winter Camping

When we returned from France at the beginning of September, these tents were illegally pitched in the Church's Rest Garden where I walk with Billy every day; and they are still there. They probably could have chosen a better location, and a more suitable colour for their tents, but the occupiers obviously enjoy being there.

As opposed to a few, I have no real problem with them. As long as they don't leave their litter, stolen bikes, and used needles everywhere; they do no lasting harm.

Camping is OK in Summer, but I wouldn't be wanting to live in a small tent in the Winter. Two of the men have dogs, but the others are by themselves.

Usually at this time of year such people go home to parents, siblings, etc. But so far they are still braving the elements. No doubt they will go somewhere for Christmas Day, and it'll be interesting to see if they return.

I have tried camping on a couple of occasions, but I must admit; it's not for me! Give me a proper bed any day!

Because the Rest Garden is owned by the Church, no-one seems to be doing anything about this pop-up Camp Site. Others come and go, and there was recently a BIG tent pitched there. If nothing is done, it could soon get out of hand.

OK, they do leave SOME rubbish around, but I always keep a plastic bag in my back pocket, and I do what they were obviously never taught to do; and I pick it up!

'Assemble'

You may not have heard about this bunch, but there is a NEW junior protest group in the UK; they're called ASSEMBLE.

Their remit is to change the constitution of Great Britain. As such (all two of them) recently broke into The House of Lords, stood menacingly by the King's throne, and attempted to unfurl their juvenile banners. It seems that these charming swarthy characters wish to ban the 'Upper Chamber', and replace it with a 'Citizen's Assembly'. Probably in line with Sharia thinking; by the look of them.

Well dear friends, my recommendation is this. I have no idea if these good folk were born in the UK, or have just recently arrived in a rubber boat, but may I suggest they get themselves educated, then stand for parliament as an 'Assembly Party' candidate. 

Then, if they are elected, they will have their say in the 'House of Commons', and might even be able to propose a 'private members bill' about banning their despised Upper House.

It's what we in The West call 'Democracy'; there are no Mullahs here telling us all what we should or shouldn't do.

So, until that time when you actually represent a constituency, try to behave like decent citizens, and don't make a bloody nuisance of yourselves. 

And please don't go around telling the rest of us what we should or shouldn't be doing in our own country.

In other words,... Frigg off.

 

Mince Pies; the good and bad.

Luckily for me, Lady M is a champion Mince Pie maker. But because her pies are so good they tend to go very quickly.

To fill the gap, we tend to buy commercial pies as well; and they can be of varying quality.

Mostly I buy 'luxury' pies from Sainsbury's which are fine. The non-luxury ones are not so good. If they had 'professional' pies, I would buy those too.

Lady M recently bought two different types from M & S. The one pack with Puff Pastry was very disappointing, but the one's above are totally delicious.

They are Brandy Butter Mince Pies. There's a layer of Brandy Butter above the Mincemeat, and the pastry is very good too. They're not cheap, but at Christmas who's counting!!!

Go on; treat yourself. I'd give them 9½/10.

 

Totally Pointless Action of the Week.

1. Remove the heads from some Daffodils.

2. Move them about 3 metres away, then drop them on the ground.

3. Re-attach headphones, put on backpack, stare blankly at phone, clutch plastic Coffee cup.

4. Walk away feeling reinvigorated, clever, and proud.

 

Pickettywitch - That Same Old Feeling

Things were very different back in the early 1970's. Hairstyles were different, girls make-up was different, and the songs were very different; they had 'tunes'.

I had just graduated, bought my first house, had a teaching job, and was thinking about moving to France. Nothing seemed impossible.

This song, and the band, represent the feeling around at that time. The novelty of 'Swinging London' had become normalised, and the new-found liberty was spreading fast.

It was a time when we all felt safe, financially secure, and optimistic. I think this song echoes that feeling.

Foxes, Foxes, everywhere.

This, below, is one of the Foxes that I feed in the mornings here in central Brighton. He, or she, is given a handful of dog food at about 5.30 am every day (after I've had my own breakfast). It's such a beautiful animal, and very healthy looking.

Mostly he/she comes alone, but occasionally brings a friend. I have no idea how many there are living nearby, but Lady M invariably sees a few when she takes Billy for his final evening walk of the day. Billy and the Foxes have an 'understanding'; they just sit and look at each other.

Meanwhile in France we also have Foxes; or at least I know that we have one. Here he/she has triggered the surveillance camera (below), whilst walking across the lawn under the Quince tree.

We don't see many Foxes in France, in fact I was very surprised to see this one. However, we did lose a whole run-full of 15 Chickens to a Fox one night, way back in the late 70's. I took the shotgun out into the woods quite often after that; but no sign.

I do like Foxes, they are beautiful animals. Of course they have to eat, and unfortunately they tend to enjoy the same things that we enjoy, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, etc; so one cannot be complacent.

We have plenty of Wild Boar, Deer and Badgers around the house in France, and it's good to know that we also have Foxes. A good variety of wildlife is a sign that all is well with the world (apart from Putin).

14-Year-Old Hero Saves Toddler Trapped in a Well

We probably all remember the heroic action of 14 year old Cristian Becheanu back in 2012. But it's worth reminding ourselves.

So, what became of him? He's obviously taking his heroics in his stride, as little is known about what happened to him over the past decade or more.

However, we do have this one photo of him now, with his own little boy.

Happy Christmas Cristian.