Brexit-Cum-Uppance

A beautiful English village nestling in the verdant countryside of the Kentish coast.  Noted for its fine old 16^th century Gove Hall, replete with wood beams, gargoyles and a collection of early 20^th Century beer bottle openers.

The vicar of Brexit-Cum-Uppance was upset to see Nigel and George fighting in the street after their all-nighter at the local Travelodge.  Earlier in the day, they had drunkenly staggered up the cliff path, reached the edge of the cliff and shook their fists and made rude gestures across the channel to the continent beyond.

Constable Cameroon had witnessed their antics and concluded that a nasty ‘accident’ could befall them if they made a habit of that behaviour.  It was a busy day for the constable, he twice reprimanded little Boris for veering in and out of the traffic on his tricycle- first out and then in and out again- not willing to commit to one way or the other.

The constable was cycling home, and contemplated popping in to the local coffee shop, the Chocolate Starfish.  However, his wife Angela would be waiting with his dinner, a hearty sausage stew, none the wurst for that, thought Cameroon, with a little giggle to himself.   

Random Stuff

The Vegetarian's Dilemma

I've been a vegetarian for over ten years. However, we have two cats- they eat meat, so that makes me a consumer of meat (of course, not literally).  There are pitfalls for the would-be pure vegetarian.  There are meat products that are contained in all kinds of things- I guess the most obvious would be leather shoes, but gelatine can be in sweets and pill coatings to name but two.
So, my point is, I guess, vegetarians have to tread very carefully if they want to get 'all preachy' about it.  After all, they may be treading in leather shoes!

Light The Blue Touch Paper - and Retire

I have, at last, retired. OK, not yet 65, but after jobseeking in vain, and an invitation from HM govt to partake of pension credit (thanks, Gordon Brown) I have now decided I will no longer be called on to be a captain, or even an able seaman, of industry.   

I also have a couple of private pensions, and some little imperfectly formed mini pensions, which I may have to chase down. For example, I worked for about a month in an office in Finchley (now under the Tesco’s in Ballards Lane - note for archaeologists). So, I’m probably due the price of a stamp or a choc ice every year.

Drawing pension money and still able to use child parking, that’s gotta be good.

As for lighting the blue touch paper, still a couple of months to go.  But, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness does seem very brief sometimes.  We will be letting our belts out after Christmas dinner and saying ‘where did the year go?’   May I suggest an all purpose product for this time of year? How about a lovely Christmas pudding with a banger (or a nice roman candle) in it, with a scary face on it?

The Gem of The Norfolk Coast

I thought I'd start my blog with a picture of Henry Blogg, hero of Cromer - which is known as The Gem of The Norfolk coast. Lovely place, with a nice pier, which I saw on telly last night. On the end of the pier, Colm Meany was trying to shoot Steve Coogan. Of course, I was watching the film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. (Very funny).

The pier looks like this:

When we go to Cromer, apart from the carpark, the pier is the first thing we see, as we sit and eat chips and ice-cream, looking down from the prom, at the pier. It's a family tradition, now!

Up the road from Cromer, is Overstrand, a little place by the sea known as 'the village of millionaires', as it was considered a very posh place to take your holidays- and to live, by the well heeled at the end of the 19th century.

Just thought you'd like to see a picture of a Boulton-Paul Overstrand, a military aeroplane built in the thirties.

Clement Scott a Victorian poet and theatre critic coined the term 'Poppyland', for the section of the N. Norfolk coast from Sheringham to Mundesley. 

It was not many years after that poppies would be forever associated with World War 1,  Not something that Clement Scott foresaw, I suppose.

There is so much more I could add about Norfolk; but perhaps I'll save that for another time.  

I hope I have not infringed anyone's copyright with the pictures- wasn't my intention.

Now It Can Be Revealed

The BBC

Several decades ago I worked at the BBC, and one of my jobs was helping to compile a digest of the latest press cuttings for the Board of Governors and general BBC departments.  I imagine that, at least, there is very little cutting and copying done now- probably directly scanned into an on-line file somehow.

Mad Eye Moody

Anyway, back in the day, my colleagues and I cut out articles, and used cuttings sent from a cuttings agency on just about anything to do with the BBC. These cuttings were brought to our office by uniformed messengers- one of whom had an uncanny visual and vocal resemblance to Professor Mad-Eye Moody- alright – without the funny eye! (Oh, I don’t know, though).  ‘Here’s yer cuttings, lads! ‘ He used to say, handing them over to us.  Anyway, needless to say, there were lots of scrap cuttings and pages of newspapers that were not used for distribution.

Fish And Chips

Whilst of course, maintaining a highly efficient editing and information service, we did have another file or two of newspaper pictures and articles we kept, for our own amusement. All gone now, I'm afraid, as don’t forget that generally, newspapers only exist for a few days before they end up wrapped around the fish and chips.

Skateboarding Dogs

All this was at a time when, as far as I can recall, the Internet was only a gleam in the eye of Sir Tim Berners-Lee. However, we quickly established a fat file of cuttings of nothing more serious than pictures of people with funny haircuts, newspaper typos, skateboarding dogs etc.  And with silly captions we added to pictures.

Silly Pictures

So, next time, dear reader, you are looking at outlandish pictures on the Internet, raise a glass to the some of the pioneers of silly picture daftness- funny thing though, I don’t remember any cute kitten pictures!  

But for silly pictures of the finest quality, you need look no further than:

 http://www.pinterest.com/Bluecarbungle/enter-at-ye-own-peril/

Do Old Men Like Jazz?

OK, not exactly Jazz, but I have pondered for the last few years why I have a developing interest in pop music from the 1920's.  I remember listening to old records when I was a kid, so perhaps the taste was kindled then.
My musical taste has always been a bit weird- and in fact, apart from the usual pop greats from my youth (Beatles, etc) I did pick up a taste for offbeat stuff from The Bonzo Dog Doodah Band and The Temperance Seven, both of which, were big in the sixties.  Both of these played 1920's music, and pastiche stuff very like it.
It's certainly a revelation to hear modern musicians playing 1920's music- which can have far more impact when listening without the crackle and pop of old recordings.
Anyway- my musical tastes seem like poison in the ears of my nearest and dearest, and I guess, who can blame them!

As for my age, I don't know whether that does have a bearing on it, it's not nostalgia, or at least, not MY nostalgia, as I'm not a hundred years old!

Workshy Flop

New year - new job?

Someone not a million miles from this keyboard has had an employment malfunction- and is currently under the tender care of Job Centre Plus.  And if I have the nerve, I'll keep you posted on how it's going, or not.

I may have to try something a bit 'left field', 'off-the-wall', or just a bit strange, two examples;

• Have a look at this chap in Holland:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-25574651



Anyway - it worked for him!

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• This chap has an interesting approach to work - a new job every week! :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25540655


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And now- How's 2014 so far, for you?

I'm thinking about introducing an I factor, to measure this years' progress- the I meaning IRRITATION factor. I expect this I-factor could get confused with I pods, I pads or I give up! So I think I will need to improve on this.
Anyway, with an I factor of about I/f 5, we've had our first visit from British Gas this year, as our boiler sprung a leak on New Year's Day. Waiting on subsequent visit- ordering part, etc.

I shouldn't moan too much though, because I'm well aware that other people are having a very bad time at the moment -  as in:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25584221  More Floods and Storms.


Anyway, good news- The supermarkets have already got some Easter chocolates on sale. Yes, true - I've seen them!  So, can't be long before Halloween 'goodies' go on sale, can it?





Another bit of good news - Sherlock is back on the telly.



A prize of two Totallyimaginaryvirtualtwobitcoins to the first one to work that out!