thesoarer

I am back in my Local Pub

2012-02-15T10:59:00.001Z

I thought it would be wise to write a 'sorry' note about my visit to the 'Other Place' and ask for forgiveness from the Staff of my Local.
Here it is:-

What do you have to do to change Pubs for a day

2012-02-15T10:53:00.001Z

I had to make a request to go to another Pub for a special occasion the other day and being loyal to my Local I asked permission.
This is the reply

Happy New Year Everyone

2011-12-27T10:18:00.001Z

Christmas comes and Christmas goes

Totally bloated with a further extension of the waistband needed urgently.

Mind befuddled by too much drink.

Eyes weary with too much television.

Ears ringing with Cliff Richard's singing about blasted Mistletoe and Wine.

Cheeks sore with the tears shed for Eastenders,Corrie and Emmerdale .

Mouth set in a permanent smile after watching Morecambe and Wise.

Lack of sleep because of all the foregoing.

Broke again and waiting for a New Years Card from the Bank Manager

Roll on next Christmas

Overseas Holiday abandoned

2011-12-18T18:16:00.001Z

decided that my days of travel overseas should end. No more getting up early to the Airport at some ungodly hour to arrive two hours before the flight even though you have spent many hours the previous day trying to book a seat and print your boarding pass.

At the Airport you are greeted with the sight of almost the entire country milling around either in a lost way looking for the correct check in desk or trying to find some place to start enjoying their holiday with a meal or at least a drink.

You queue up at the check in desk even though you have your Boarding Pass. Stand in front of a lady who looks down on you and asks you if you have packed your own bag (who else would) and has anyone asked you to carry anything (not at the prices they charge for excess baggage).
Your bags disappear and you are dismissed after being told to watch the Screen for Boarding details. What can we do now? is there anything to do?

So you join the increasing thong of lost people trying to look pleased and worry free and hoping that the flight has not been delayed because the incoming flight had to put down in some unknown Airport to throw off a drunken Brit who thinks the plane is a theme pub on the island of Minorca where he had the previous night been allowed to sleep with the Bar's cat after forgetting where his hotel was.

Having decided that the best place is the one which, you don't yet know, is as far away as possible from the Gate Number you have to board by, you decide that perhaps it would be a good thing to try and start the book which you have brought with you for the holiday.
Wrong!
There is an announcement over the public address system which you are unable to hear from your present location. OK, with the stern warning from the check in attendant still ringing in your ears you think might be important so you decide to move to another spot to enable you to keep up with the latest news in the Airport.
The game of musical chairs starts. There are no chairs available at the location you have chosen so you stand up, waiting for the next announcement.
Then it comes! What is it about? Just a security announcement about left bags.
At last some seats become available and you collapse to regenerate your legs and the will to live.
Another announcement.
This time to tell you that your flight has been delayed for some undefined period due to 'Operational Problems'. Time to worry! Does that mean the plane is unfit to travel and needs a new engine or the Pilot has been delayed by the traffic jam caused by people all trying to get to the Airport to check in and fly.

Time for a drink and something to eat as you don't know when you will get the next chance.
Just got served and an announcement comes through to advise you that your flight has been called and you are boarding at Gate Number six thousand four hundred and eighty.

The trek starts and you realise that you are walking the best part of half way to where you left from that morning. Eventually you arrive at the gate where again seating is limited so you stand idle until you are called by numbers to take your place on the plane.
Then enter you do into the vast tunnel that is the fuselage of the plane complete with its rows and rows of tiny seats. You enter,or at least try, and sit down in your designated seat to find that it has been made to suit the size of a small Pygmy with 60mm legs and no kneecaps. Hip size is in inverse.proportion to the leg length
Oh well make the most of it as it's only for four hours and you are going on holiday.
Belt in and listen to the nice lady giving her speech about the way she is going to get out first if the plane crashes whilst we hide our heads in our knees so we cannot see her go.

Off we go down the runway with the nice lady walking along the isle gazing at your neither regions to see if you are playing with your buckle or if you have got a tube of Polos in you hand which might be a danger to someone and should be put in the overhead locker with the rest of your hand luggage.
Unfortunately the only place you could find for that was about ten seats behind you on the opposite side of the plane so she confiscates them and promises to give them back when you land providing they do not blow up during the flight.

At last you are off flying through the sky and marvelling that you have survived the massive g-force speed of take off which impounded such a strain on your kidneys that you now desperately want to go to the toilet. Forget it. Announcement from the Boss up front to keep your seat belt on and stay seated as they are expecting to encounter turbulent air . I suspect that this is some ploy to save fuel either because walking towards the back of the plane takes more fuel or flushing the toilet slows the plane down.

What a fine time to bring the drinks trolley through the plane. All you can think of is a very stiff drink to take your mind off the need for the toilet. They even throw a small bag of peanuts onto your tray as a 'Thank you' gesture.
The seat belts sign goes off and you struggle up to go to the toilet only to find that the way is blocked by another flight attendant coming along with a trolley and giving the look that she has the right of way under all circumstances.
No alternative but to sit down again and await your turn to be served with one of those lovely little trays obviously designed by the same person who designed the seating. Open the foil and there it is, the same omelet that you did not eat on your last flight six months before. The bacon has been renewed because the last piece disintegrated when they tried to move it to a safe place after the last flight.OK, save it again for the next time and go straight for the cake which was last seen on an Iberia flight sixteen years ago.

At last you arrive and depart the plane for the 2 hour walk to Passport Control.
Sour look when you try your language skills on the Official as he waves you through with a quick flurry of his baton.

Oh dear. The luggage turntable has broken down and you again wait with the other 300 odd people who think they will stand a better chance of speeding up their departure from the Airport by standing right up close to the turntable together with trolleys and kids.

But look happy because apart from a two hour ride in a coach you are on holiday for almost two weeks before you go through all the trauma of the journey again on the way back home.

Next time BOGNOR REGIS HERE WE COME

Some facts about the Monday Club in 2011

2011-12-16T16:16:00.002Z

THE MONDAY CLUB

DURING 2011 WE HAVE SPENT APPROX 105 DAYS IN THE PUB

THIS REPRESENTS SOME 315 HOURS EACH OR BETTER STILL ABOUT

EIGHT WORKING MENS WEEKS.

AS A GROUP THIS WOULD BE ABOUT 45 WEEKS WHICH ONLY LEAVES

SEVEN WEEKS TO LIVE THE REST OF OUR LIVES WITH OUR FAMILIES

I THINK WE SHOULD RECTIFY THIS.

TO THIS END I PROPOSE THAT WE ADD ANOTHER MEETING DAY TO OUR WEEK AS

NO-ONE SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO WORK FOR 45 WEEKS WITHOUT SOME RELAXATION

THEREFORE CAN WE CONVENE ON FRIDAYS AS WELL AND THIS WILL GIVE US A RELAXATION TIME OF THREE HOURS A WEEK TO DO NOTHING IN BUT SIT AT THE BAR AND MOAN.

I WILL DISCUSS THE DRINKS SITUATION LATER

Although this blog is really relevant to members of the Monday Club it is also a nice exercise in manipulation of figures to suit the final requirements

Study in Black and White at Chichester Cathedral

2011-11-23T17:05:00.000Z

Some Summer Photos in Nore Barn Woods Emsworth

2011-09-15T08:37:00.000+01:00

Photographs entered for the Emsworth Show 2011

2011-08-30T17:39:00.000+01:00

I was fortunate to win 1st prize in the 'People at work in Emsworth' Class

The picture of our Exotic Cat 'Truillord Have Faith in me' was in the 'Any Subject Class for A5 print' but was unplaced.

This is a photo of our neighbour's boy George trying to escape and was in the 'Any Subject class A4 size'. This was unplaced.

I will try again next year God willing.

This and that Photos from round about in early August

2011-08-20T21:20:00.003+01:00

Young Blackbird

Hampshire road

Emsworth Dragon Boat racing

An English stile

Rain clouds

Summer Day Clouds

Emsworth Dragon Boat Race


Thirsty work this swimming

Some Photographs taken in and around Hampshire in June and July 2011

2011-07-20T23:23:00.000+01:00

The perils of drink

2011-06-23T12:25:00.000+01:00

I woke up yesterday full of the joys of summer with no more on my mind than to contemplate whether it is better to be at work and feel energetic or to be retired and feel all the aches and pains.
It is very difficult to answer that as both situations have many for and against ticks. So. get on with the life at hand and forget the advantages and disadvantages and make the most of it
NO, some so and so has to come up with some way of upsetting the status quo.

I switch on the TV to get the update on the world at large to find that someone with the idea that persons over the age of sixty five should limit their drinking to an amount which, all added together would be difficult to drown a fly in.
It is suppose to addle your sixty five year old plus mind and turn you into an invisible alcoholic whatever that is.

But then I got to thinking. Yesterday I had a pint of beer and two large glasses of wine. Almost half the weekly allowance done already. Perhaps I should heed the warning.

As you know, I try to lead a healthy life by taking things very easily, taking exercise and eating well..

I do not have a fixed getting up time and I am content to while away the time up to ten thirty watching the woes of the poor 'X-Factor' people on Jeremy Kyle having their few minutes of stardom and making me seem like a thoroughly stable person.

So then the time comes for some serious physical exercise....putting on my socks. I will not detail the moves of this extremely energetic and breathtaking contortion as most of you are fully aware of the intensive labour required by each muscle in the body. throughout this very long exercise.
Then, fully relaxed and hyped up on two cups of coffee I might decided to vacuum the floors which I do not hurry as by the time I have finished the flat a week has passed and it is time to do it again.
If I feel really energetic then there is always the washing up or the cleaning of windows to keep me supple.
I try to restrain from eating red meat more than twice a day and adopt a healthy pattern of not eating too much pasta or other foreign muck.

So perhaps I should take heed of the warning about drink.

Buoyed up by my decision, off I go to the Pub for the normal Wednesday Meeting and on approaching the Bar I ask the normally very friendly very pretty bar staff for a glass of lime and soda. The look I received was as if I was an alien asking for the bus station to get transport to Roswell. The first lady asked to be excused and went and got the other one who, with total disdain, asked me what I would like to drink. I repeated my request and she turned away and went out of the Bar obviously trying to find a dirty glass with chips on the rim. Coming back in with a glass full of a yellowy greeney fluid which I assumed must be lime and soda. The price £12.45. Handing over a twenty pound note she went to the till and threw the change at me.

Now this is unusual treatment and I am sure had nothing to do with the fact that I normally drink bitter and wine. They must have been under a lot of pressure from elsewhere.

Our really delightful Landlord turned up to wish everyone well and to buy us a drink as is his wont. He came to me and I again asked for a lime and soda. I thought he was going to throw a fit. He went red in the face, spluttered and shouted at me saying that if I insisted in drinking that stuff then I should go elsewhere and multiply.
Eventually he calmed down and said that I could drink it there if I had it in a pewter mug or similar opaque material and sat well away from the bar in case what was affecting me was catching.
The alternative was to go to the Pub next door with all those other strange people.

I have never been so lonely!!!!!!!!!!!. But at least I will not suffer from scurvy.

To hell with this latest edict from the medical world, I am going back to my old drinking habits because it's effect cannot be as bad as being sent to Coventry by my friends.

I am now back in the Pub with my drinking habit restored and it is not affecting my mind at all.

I will keep you informed as to my health just to prove that the drink is not affecting my mind.

Bye for now
Fred no sorry soda

Oh I will get my name right for the next time.

The Spinnaker Tower from Old Portsmouth and others

2011-06-12T09:55:00.000+01:00

The Tower from Old Portsmouth with the Motor Yacht Leander in the foreground

The top Observation Platform taken from Old Portsmouth

A Hampshire Chalk Stream

The Coming!

MAD MAXINE 1

2011-06-07T11:57:00.000+01:00

When I was young before the days when spectacles,false teeth, vitamin supplements, muscle rubs, Viagra and short walks were not necessary to achieve a standard of life whereby you felt that you had had a fulfilling day
I thought I had very fast reactions and superb judgement of distance and space when I was driving.

Sadly those days have gone but it gives me more time to appreciate other people's driving techniques and I have come to some conclusions as to the differences between my young days and .the present

There is a new type of young driver now. They do not have to be young, they certainly cannot be called Boy Racers but they are totally fearless in the face of adversity currently existing on our roads whether urban, country or motorways.

They are the new race of super humans called women drivers.Over the years woman seem to have surpassed the evolution of men and have managed to adapt their 'multitasking' which they are always talking about to a new level.

Firstly, the fear department. This has been totally repressed and they can drive anything, anywhere, anytime at any speed without even a flicker of the false eyelashes or the displacement of the expensive hairdo.This of course may be due to a new type of glue to hold the eyelashes in place and the fact that the hair is trained each week to last the whole week until the next visit to the Hairdresser.

Next, the ability to reduce the size of the car they are driving to instantaneously enable it to go through any space available even if it it only just over the size of the fly trying to desperately to hang on to the edge of the wing mirror. I believe that this may be connected to the false eyelashes which act in the same way as the whiskers of a cat although I have not been able to find details of the 'reduction button' which are now being incorporated in modern cars by all the manufacturers.

Then reaction time. When I was young, fit and a super Rally driver, I could follow another vehicle leaving a space of about 'that much' depending on the speed the vehicle in front was traveling at. My reactions were such that I could always pull up (well nearly always) and still leave an inch or so between his bumper and mine even in an emergency. I do realize that brakes are now much more efficient than in my days but the way the MAD MAXINES' drive it can only mean that their reaction times are so pitched that they can still pull up without actually taking their foot off the throttle and still leave time for a rude gesture to the driver in front.
(Maybe I will do another blog on the new different gestures that they have adapted for use on the road)

And lastly, the ability of the MAXINES to change completely from a gentle cuddly female to a raging tyrant in charge of a lethal weapon. Picture the first scene. Arrival at the Railway Station in the BMW 5series driven by hubby. Kiss goodbye and slip into the driving seat. Wave and drive off the station approach very sedately. Hit the road and whoosh change into a commander of a very fast, very comfortable missile. Then all the senses that I have discussed above come into play and remain fully active until it is time to drive up the Station approach road in the evening. Click and she is back to being a normal human who has just experienced a very boring day.
I am beginning to wonder if part of the marriage vows now contain a new clause which necessitate the man to provide his driving wife with the largest, fastest mobile house available on the list of company cars.

The MAXINES are also in league with the Supermarkets. Put a child seat in the car or have a child of up to sixteen year and you can park in the most convenient car park spaces, those marked with the Parent and child parking only, which outnumber the dedicated disabled parking spaces by about five to one.
Another wily ploy by the MAXINE sex. Wait about a year or sooner, have a baby and have privileged parking which has taken years and disablement for me to get.

How do they do it? Perhaps they are the anti-matter that the scientists have been looking for or is it that they live in a parallel universe.

Whatever it is, I am going to have the sides of my car reinforced because one day one of them is just going to have the eyelash in the wrong location and I might be there.

I would welcome your comments, male or MAD MAXINE, cos I have lived through adversity before.

(OOOOH WHAT HAVE I DONE NOW??????????? PLEASE IGNORE THE LAST SENTENCE)

A narrative - The meaning of Saga

2011-05-26T09:16:00.000+01:00

I was going to write about the joys of getting old and then I read the most depressing magazine that has ever been printed.It is a publication especially aimed at persons in their later years and is reputed to be the UK's best selling monthly magazine giving tips and advise for us to enjoy our retirement with ease and comfort.

A quick flip through will reveal all sorts of ads for useful things to buy and use.

Now, anyone who knows me will be aware that I have an active brain encapsulated in a body which does at times give up operating in the way it is intended to work.When this happens, further brain activity normally reveals another way to approach the task without resorting to purchasing an item to help you carry out the job.
When you read this ,you must remember that most people of our age do not have a surplus disposable income.What we do have helps to provide a means of disposal when the end time comes.

'Kiss goodbye to your dentures in one day' reads the headlines in one advert. Great! No more spending eons cutting up your food into pieces so small that a mouse would need two pieces to make a good mouthful.
No more eating a cold meal after expending more energy cutting it up than what you are going to obtain by eating the food you have cut up Great! Cost £8995 as a Special Readers Offer.

Showers, baths, Kitchens, chairs, shoes and hearing aids. All the adverts are there to help you in your twilight years even to Mobility aids to help you down to the bank to arrange the finance for these absolute essentials when you reach the age when your head does not have teeth, you cannot hear and you cannot see. But you still have an active brain!!!!!

All very boring but then you come to the interesting adverts like Discreet Pants, Erectile Dysfunction, Dating, more dentures,Diabetes, diets and Supergreen Smoothies every morning and other thing not normally talked about.
By this time you are so worried about what could be waiting around the corner in the next few months you begin to wish you had not started to read the damned magazine in the first place.

But still you soldier on and start reading the actual contents that someone has written which should be interesting without the need to spend money and will be able to help you keep pace with normal life in the 21st century. Does it get better? No.

I am now so depressed that I start to think about all you people out there and I decide that it is not my place to pass on all the 'good' tips listed under such headings as 'Moving Occasions' (not about bodily functions), 'Pity poor footballers' (why), 'U-shaped marriages by a marital therapist' (not about new positions), A piece about Allotments (I think it is about doing the digging chores whilst sitting in your electric chair),'Use it or lose it' (I decided not to read this in case I missed the point) The cost of living longer (About how to be able to afford to buy this magazine).

Then the Letters....................enough I cry. Stop there. I realise that this blog is getting as bad as the publication being discussed.

Why should I depress you when you can spend £2.50 each month and depress yourself. I'm off to have a pint and cheer myself up by talking to some lovely young ladies.

Happy readings

The continueing story about the best 'Seat in the House'

2011-04-26T17:58:00.000+01:00

Following on from the last blog regarding the saga of the toilet seat I can now report that we are back in business and we now relax surrounded by our own soft paper and reading matter.

I must admit that we are really pleased that we can now get back into the habit of going at the drop of the hat instead of planning the procedures like a military exercise which could on occasions involve neighbours, parking meter attendants, filling stations and satellite navigation systems.

The new seat is in a very delicate shade of white and has a very modern 'Soft Closing mechanism' for both the seat and the cover. We have spent the last hour taking turns in lifting them open and letting them close just to be certain that we have the timing correct and ensuring that no major entrapments can occur.

The whole episode of this Toilet Drama has left me quite traumatised and it was relatively easy for the Lady of the House to talk me into a new Condiments Set (I suppose that is the right terminology for a toilet roll storage holder and a toilet cleaning brush) to go with the throne.

Enough of this drivel, I want to go a spend some time with my new toy.

Just one last point. If you want the same pleasure as us in the toilet do not go to the Big Queer place because they sell rubbish. Real pleasure comes from HOMEBASE. They are very very nice people.

Bye for now.

I lead such an exciting Life now!!

2011-04-24T09:20:00.000+01:00

Have you seen the film 'The mirror cracked'?
It does not matter whether you have or have not as this blog is not about it at all.
My drama is about 'The toilet seat cracked'.Perhaps more of a 'Bog Story' rather than a blog.
On Friday night our beloved close intimate friend of about seven years decided enough was enough and it cracked through one side fortunately without injury to either of it's most frequent customers.
A hasty repair was made using brown sticky tape so as it would not be in pain during the night. By that, perhaps I should say, so it could not cause injury to any of its visitors during the hours of darkness.

So, up early Saturday to go furniture hunting for a replacement.

Now, I should explain to anyone who has not visited our throne, that it was a silver sparkly one which when the light played on it made it shimmer and look really pretty!!!!

We decided that the best place to obtain a replacement was were the first one came from and we proceeded with great expectations to the place which sells Barbecues and Quite a lot of other stuff.

After touring the display of some twelve or fifteen throne seats and co-opting the help of a charming assistant it was to our dismay that we learnt that 'Sparkly ones were no longer available' So time for a change of design. What would it be? Wood? No. Patterned? No.Coloured? No.Oval hole? Not sure. Square top? Maybe.Lip over, chrome hinges, concealed hinges, Two years guarantee, £8 or £59. What a choice.
After a desperate period of discussion, we chose a White, standard hole, lip over with cushion closing seat mechanism which was on display for £29. Yes, that's the one but then the horrible news that the 'Computer says NO because they have run out of stock and these are not expected in for at least ten days.
Fearing for our lives, no, well you know what I mean, we decided to continue the search for something along the same lines and there it was. A higher quality item with the same vital statistics as the last one but more expensive---£35. We bit the bullet and came out of the store with our nice new throne seat all boxed up in an unopened box.
Quick, get home and fix it. No, let's do some more shopping, have a drink and then quickly fix the new seat before it becomes too urgent.
Home at last. Unbolt the old seat!! Well no, because of corrosion spend the next ten minutes struggling to cut of the old bolts with a hacksaw whilst lying on my back. Open the box and let's get the new beautiful seat fitted. Open the heat sealed polythene bag of fittings and..................Where are the hinge blocks?.

So, lets have a quick check on the state of play. No toilet seat fitted, Old one now in pieces, New one cannot be fitted, Both parties getting a bit worried after the drinks earlier.

OK, lets see how good the Store will be to us on this Easter weekend if we plead old age , no transport and desperate. Answer-- bring it back and we will change it-----can I speak to the Manager-------hold on-----------he has gone off duty--------can I speak to the next person in charge---------will you hold----------------explain the situation again and can someone bring the fittings over to me---------no the next delivery is Tuesday---------------is there not some nice Good Samaritan coming my way--------will ring you back--------------------------yes one of the showroom staff will drop it in to you---------Thank you very much for your help.

Knock on the door and a very very very nice man called Colin comes in with a new box which we empty so that the old seat and such fittings that were there can be taken back by Colin that very very nice man.

Right, lets fix the new seat. Two washers are missing from the pack but I can overcome that.
Fix the se__a_________t. Wrong seat possibly one from their cheapest range but it is in white..

Lets give up until Tuesday or perhaps if we are very lucky Easter Monday to sort this mess out. Up until then it is only a short walk to next door or a short ride to the Public Toilets in the Square.

In the meantime watch what we eat and drink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps there will be a follow up to this blog. Who knows until then.

A couple of early April Photos

2011-04-23T08:23:00.000+01:00

2011-04-08T10:20:00.000+01:00

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING. IT'S HAPPENING NEAR YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Scam phone call claiming to be from Windows support

Applies To: Windows | Windows Vista | Security, Privacy, and User Accounts

original title: ammyy.com
I have just had a phone call from someone claiming to be from windows support claiming my computer has told them it's full of viruses. I was taken to a website called ammyy.com where the caller gained control of my computer and showed me my computer had 1000s of viruses apparently because I was running windows vista instead of windows 7 meaning my Mcafee security won't work properly. I was told it would normally cost £400 to remove viruses and upgrade to windows 7 but they could do it for £160. At this point I said I couldn't afford it so they offered to remove the viruses for £60. I again said no and at this point they hung up. Are ammyy.com a legit partner of windows? Is my computer full of 1000s of viruses? Will I have security issues after they have had remote control of my computer? YES YOU WILL.

~~A NUMBER TO WATCH FOR IS 02034682669~~

They have done it again!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-04T08:56:00.000+01:00

ALL CARS ARE 100% DEGRADABLE AND COME WRAPPED IN A HANDY PLASTIC BAG

Tesco has launched into the second-hand car market..

Tescocars.com will reward shoppers with 2,000 Tesco Clubcard points.

It aims to offer good deals by supplying car stocK direct from the source and claims each car will go through a 167-point independent inspection by the RAC, including a ramp inspection and road test.

"There's no pressure, no hard sell. You can select and buy your car from the comfort of your own home and, just like your weekly shop, we will even deliver it to your front door."

The group said it wants to offer a trusted and convenient second-hand car service, with a seven-day, money-back guarantee if buyers are unhappy with their purchase.

April Sunset over Nore Barn Woods Emsworth

2011-04-02T22:14:00.000+01:00

Faith The Boss's feet

2011-04-02T12:35:00.000+01:00

Emsworth Harbour scenes

2011-04-02T12:27:00.000+01:00

Faith the Boss

2011-04-02T12:23:00.000+01:00

Colourful Toms

2011-04-02T12:19:00.000+01:00

Hang Glider at Corhampton

2011-04-02T12:00:00.000+01:00

Road Repairs

2011-03-04T19:17:00.000Z

Today it happened.

Almost six months from the time when the various areas of the road were marked out for repairs, the Contractors working for Hampshire County Council moved in.

Five men, one truck and one lorry set up to go to work. In six hours they had, sort of repaired, two section of road surface together with having a tea break of some twenty minutes and a lunch break of about a hour an hour.

Without exaggeration, I could have carried out the works on my own in half the time and with no breaks.
It is therefore quite obvious that the French owned firm Colas is losing money hand over fist or they have such a cast iron lucrative contract with Hampshire County Council that they can employ people to help them waste our money.

Whichever way it is it is dreadful when we hear of the money saving which has to be made in Local Government.

Give me the equipment and the materials and I will build a team that will carry out the works without going bust or fleecing the County.

Anyone want to join in?

.

The Power and power of the Supermarkets

2011-02-03T10:14:00.000Z

Once upon a time people went to friendly small shops and purchased what they needed with no external pressure from advertising and piled high 'two for one' offers. Buy one throw one away?

We have now entered the age of pressure shopping when a shopping list seems to double once you enter the Supermarket.
How many people try a new product each visit to the Supermarket and then never purchase another one?

I know that this is the customers choice at the end but we have been programmed by the Giants to watch adverts and fall for so called 'bargains'.

If we stopped to think about the way the Supermarkets work when they want a new store it might make us think that what we see in the store is not the true story.

Are they taking over the world as a replacement to Communism or are there very dark forces at work behind the scenes which will eventually rule the world by instructing us as to what we can eat and buy.

Still I suppose we do get new short roads, roundabouts and Totem poles.

Can it all be bad?

Advertising onTV

2011-01-22T09:25:00.000Z

I wonder why Advertising Companies think that having their actors shouting in the adverts make the advert more appealing to the watchers.
The trend seems to be if you cannot be creative with your advert then get some loud mouthed person to shout at the top of his or hers voice some totally inane statement or catch phrase.

BOG OFF from the windows people and the rubbish of IGGIE POP and that dreadful puppet from SWIFT COVER immediately spring to mind.

Do they not realise that if you have to watch these adverts more than once or twice you will certainly turn the sound down when it comes on again. The message has been lost.

Some people will swear that during adverts the volume is increased by the TV company. This is not so.It is a system that the Advertisers use called 'Compression'

I believe that we should complain to the appropriate companies when their adverts are so annoying.

I certainly will and I hope you will join in too.

Packaging of goods

2011-01-15T09:10:00.000Z

I am just about at my wits end when it comes to opening packs of food.

I know that we are basically Hunter/gatherers and we have a working brain but when it comes to opening even the smallest item, either in blister wrap or especially clingfilm, this is really hard work and I think it may be time to go out again and catch our food in the packaging that God provided.
I would sooner skin a rabbit than open a pack of cheese from Tescos and I think it would be quicker to do the rabbit than try to open a packet of double wrapped hygienically sealed biscuits from a major manufacturer.
Even when you do eventually open the biscuits you quite often find them broken.Are they packed broken or is this a problem caused by wrapping them too tightly at the factory?
Then you come to cheese, especially soft cheese,provided for sale wrapped in a form of high tech cling film that has no beginning and certainly no end.
No instructions and no built in magnifying glass to help you identify a venerable spot which might yield to a sharp knife or other pointed object.
By the time you have plucked up courage to attack the wrapping by any means possible to blast an entry, the cheese is in such a flattened and distorted shape that you wonder whether it is worth eating.
On reflection, perhaps this is the way Supermarkets are helping us to slim without affecting their sales figures! More on that later.
Right, I'm off now to find a substitute crispy nut cornflake out in the local fields and perhaps a cow to provide the milk without the packaging.

My first Blog

2011-01-14T10:08:00.000Z

I have arrived here at my first blog having moved up from Twitter.
Hopefully, with more room to write I can say more about the situations and circumstances that affect and effect my life and my family.

Being a young 74 year old I have managed to become a Grumpy Old Man and along with my buddies we put the world to right every Monday and Wednesday down at the Local Pub.
So look out for our ideas to improve the World and make it a better place.
Someone will listen one of these days

Today 13th January 2011

2011-01-13T16:38:00.000Z

Today I am moving from Twitter to Blog