Winter Wonderland in Brighton.

I'm not a skater, nor am I ever likely to be. However if I was, I'd be off to The Pavilion at once.

The Royal Pavilion is home to an annual temporary ice rink. If you're thinking of coming, it costs £11 per 45 mins, or £9 if you're under 12.

But what a back-drop! The location is stunning, it must be the most beautiful ice rink in the UK.

I have only tried to ice skate once, and that was with just one skate. I very soon landed on my backside, and felt the pain for several weeks. I must have been about 7 or 8, our rink was a frozen river.

I notice that there is a Café/Bar for observers at The Pavilion; how very sensible. 

I have a very long bucket list of things I never want to do; ice skating is very high up!

 

Question

This young lady is called Jaelynn Chaney, and as you can see she's quite large.

She is currently running a campaign against airlines that charge her for TWO seats, if she occupies TWO seats. She thinks she should only be charged for ONE.

What do you think?

 

Bakkwa

Whilst my son, Kimbo, was in Singapore on business recently, I asked him to bring back some of these strange little vacuum-packed meaty strips that you see below.

He had brought some back the last time he was there, and I loved them.

They are known as 'Bakkwa', and are slightly sweet meaty strips of pork. They also go by the name of MINI EZ. In the photo above, the one on the right is actually out of its packet, and shows how they look when eaten.

I suppose the nearest equivalent must be a sweet version of Biltong, but really the comparison is nowhere near. It is also known as Chinese Pork Jerky, which probably gives a better idea of its flavour.

Bakkwa is nothing like anything we know of in the UK, and a big pack from Kimbo was extremely welcome. 

He never lets me down!

 

Our Deputy Prime Minister.

Angela Rayner is the UK's Deputy Prime Minister. No, she really is!

She doesn't have any of the classic attributes of a senior British politician, in fact she left school aged 16 (whilst 'with child'), and with no qualifications. She later became a Trade Union representative with the powerful Unison Union, before deciding to enter politics. Amazingly she found enough people to vote for her, and she became an MP. 

A video has recently surfaced of her discussing certain English school children.

She described them collectively as a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, banana republic, pile of scum. I'm not quite sure what she meant by 'banana republic'.

The children she was referring to attend one of Britain's most exclusive schools. Everything about Eton College spells 'excellence'. Entry requirements are possibly the most rigorous in the country, and anything other than constant hard work, and good behaviour, is rewarded by expulsion. Many of our most eminent politicians, military personnel, and businessmen, are alumni. Yet Rayner describes them all as SCUM.

I'm sure that none of them would describe HER as scum, they are too well educated, but Ms Rayner seems to think that anyone who didn't follow in her own lowly footsteps is fair game for her particular form of bile.

One doesn't wish to be too harsh on Ms Rayner. Most of us understand that her upbringing wasn't perfect, so we can forgive her much of her mindlessness. But to attack people because they are 'bright' is appalling; even for a Labour Deputy Prime Minister. Frankly, after such revelations as we saw in the video, I'm astounded that she hasn't resigned. But I suppose 'doing the decent thing' isn't something you'd associate with Ms Rayner.

Can you imagine a senior Tory politician describing all Comprehensive School children as 'scum'? It simply would never happen!

 

The wee small hours.

I get up at 5 am. Never 4.30 am, or 5.30 am, but at 5 am.

This gives me about 30 mins to make myself a cup of something hot, and to have a small amount of breakfast, such as these Anchovies on toast below.

I then take a few pills to keep myself alive, before sitting down in front of my laptop at 5.30 am.

Like all bloggers, I then carry-out a list of essential tasks. I post the day's wisdom, answer comments from the previous day, then go to the list of other blogs I follow, and make some witty remarks. Then it's down to business.

I answer all my incoming Emails, send a few of my own, and delete all the spam that has accumulated over night. I look at the Weather Forecast, and read a few News articles from the MSN selection. If I still have the time, and I have nothing better to do, I might even have a quick look at my Facebook page, but only in desperation. 

By this time Billy has started to give me 'knowing looks', and if it's light enough (about 7.30 am) we will head-off together to the 'Rest Garden' by the church; about 200 yards away, for his first emptying walk of the day.

There are usually a few other stalwarts around, and we always greet each other. Billy chases Pigeons, Seagulls, and Squirrels, as we do our single circuit of the park before going around the church itself on our way home again.

It's a really lovely time of day (as long as it's not raining). I do like the dusky look about early mornings, and people seem friendlier too. There's a mutual understanding between those who share the quiet of the pre-rush hours. I have become friends with road sweepers, bin-men, postmen, paper-boys, and various cats.

Then back home to a cup of freshly ground coffee, and to the rest of the morning spent wandering aimlessly (unless I have tasks to do). 

It's a great life.

 

Stone

I suppose it's because I worked briefly as a stone-cutter, that I like to have bits of old stone carving around me. I first studied stone-cutting under Hilary Stratton, who worked with Eric Gill.

For a while I worked 'commercially' stone-cutting for my friend FB in France. He installed stone windows, doorways, fireplaces etc; mostly in medieval styles. We had to fetch the stone, cut it, and install it. It was back-breaking work, which is why I didn't continue for too long. Our methods were quite primitive too; he didn't believe in machinery.

I began colleting bits and pieces of old cut stone about 50 years ago. I have bits all over the place, both here and in France.

I'll let you into a secret. If you find a small ancient walled cemetery out in the French countryside, rather than walking around the cemetery itself, walk around the OUTSIDE of the wall. The French like many other  nationalities, believe in the notion of 'Out of sight, out of mind', and they throw all their unwanted funereal rubbish over the wall. This makes for wonderful scavenging. You would be amazed at what you'll find.

One such find was this Corinthian capital that I later made into the lamp you see. The smaller pinnacle beside it is a souvenir of the Great 1987 storm, here in Brighton. Bits of old monuments were broken off by falling branches, this was one small bit.

When I look at bits of old carved stone, it always makes me think of the people who carved them. Even that capital probably took quite a few hours to cut, whilst constantly checking measurements, checking pattern, and making sure it will fit perfectly into its place. Not as easy as it looks. Then someone throws it over a wall, like rubbish.

Charming!

 

Benefits claimants under attack.

Over this past weekend we read that Sir Keir 'freebie' Starmer has added those who live on benefits to his list of those he intends to clobber. He wants to stop the scroungers (who he describes as a blight) from visiting their Spanish villas, and restrict their car ownership to just TWO (or at a push, three).  For heaven's sake Starmer; these are your core supporters; the very people who voted you in!!!

I now hear that just like the Farmers (who they may join-up with) they will soon leave their comfortable Surrey or Cotswold homes, Jump in their Land Rovers (see the subtle link?), and parade around Westminster shouting "Free money for anyone who demands it", and "Hands off my comfortable lifestyle", etc. 

It's difficult to see who he can add next to his list of Labour Party deserters, there are only the powerful Union members left, and he can't touch their inflated salaries (other than to add to them).

He thinks he can save £137 Billion by being beastly to the scroungers. Well, maybe he can, but he'll lose £137 Billion worth of his supporters at the same time.

So; he's had a go at pensioners, at businessmen, at the people who grow our food, and now he's having a go at his hard core LABOUR VOTERS. The only people he's helped so far have been wealthy Rail Union members who've been given a huge pay rise.

p.s. I also now see that an online petition demanding a re-run of the recent election gained over 1.800,000 signatures on the first days of opening, and is gaining 100,000 per hour. 

He's not making himself popular, is he!