Month: June 2012

And The Wally Of The Week Award Goes To ……….


Follow the link below to read all about the idiot who admitted to attacking a friend’s father, on Facebook, while still in the middle of the trial.

How his Facebook confession was printed and handed to the prosecution, anonymously.

Confronted by the new evidence Ruse, who had used the name Michael Miles online, had little choice but to change his plea to guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.

Not content with the online confession he then proceeded to make comments, again on Facebook, about the judge before the sentence had been passed.

Judge Ian Pearson said Ruse’s stupidity was no excuse.

‘You pleaded guilty part way through the trial only really because you were stupid enough to put on Facebook what amounted to a full confession,’ he said.

‘Your stupidity really is not much mitigation.’

For that reason I award Michael Ruse the Wally Of The Week Award.

Russell Pyne, defending, said his client had planned to move away from Leigh Park and change his ways.

‘He needs help with regards to thinking skills,’ he added.Russell Pyne, defending, said his client had planned to move away from Leigh Park and change his ways.

‘He needs help with regards to thinking skills,’ he added.

You don’t say !!!

Facebook boast to his friends lands dopey thug ABH conviction – Local – Portsmouth News.

Parents’ fury as cars are banned from Waterlooville school site


Personally I think its a shame that pupil parent vehicles are not banned from the roads outside of this school too.

With three schools alongside each other the number of vehicles clogging up this road twice each day is beyond a joke. On occasions the tailback caused by these vehicles reaches down Frendstaple Road and almost back to the Hulbert road roundabout.

The cars that can’t get into the school sites tend to park all over the show and when turning into St Peter’s Primary School quite often end up staionary with the rear of their vehicle projecting into the road because there are people on the pedestrian way across the entrance.

But parents have started a petition – now with 62 signatures – calling for the ban to be withdrawn.

They say it will lead to parking chaos in surrounding residential streets.

I’ve got news for you folks, it is already chaotic in the area.

They are also concerned as children may have to walk for up to a mile in bad weather.

Oh Dear !! The poor little darlings, is that such a hard thing. Perhaps it’s the parents that are worrying about having to abandon their 4x4s and walking as far as a mile.

Back when I was in primary school we regularly walked a mile or more. It was part of the day and was made interesting by my mum or dad walking with me.

Parents’ fury as cars are banned from Waterlooville school site – Education – Portsmouth News.

Good For You Mick


I have long been aware that the supermarket chains are taking the consumer for a ride. Just a few days ago this subject was the focus of one of the breakfast TV shows.

When ever I go shopping and spot an apparent bargain I have to perform the arithmetic equivalent of the olympics to work out exactly what I am paying for. On occasions that 4 pack of baked beans actually works out more expensive per tin than if you bought the individual tins. My wife hates going shopping with me because I take so long. Dawdling she says, but I am not. I am calculating the real value of the items we are buying, making sure we aren’t being ripped off.

Mike Harrington obviously does the same thing.

Mick, 66, of Fort Fareham Road in Fareham, spotted a 200g jar of Nescafe coffee on the shelf of his local Asda for £3.

But right below it and priced at £4 was a 300g jar of the same coffee marked ‘50 per cent free’.

Mick realised that the second jar should cost the same as the first if it really did contain 50 per cent ‘free’.

My theory is that the supermarkets work on the basis that you are inundated with so much information that you miss these little tricks that they pull. Trouble is that Mick and the folks of my generation were taught mental arithmatic at school, we were taught how to calculate on the fly and to “guestimate” so we have an idea of what the proper value should be.

Just look at the crass response Mick received from Asda ….

The pensioner contacted the supermarket’s headquarters. He said: ‘They were putting the blame on Nescafe, saying they set the prices. But I didn’t buy it from Nescafe, I bought it from Asda.

Consumer rights expert Richard Thomson said: ‘This isn’t that unusual. It’s very annoying for shoppers to find an obvious swizz is being run on them.

‘You rarely get a week that goes past where you won’t find there’s been a mistake like this with the prices somewhere, and it’s not just with Asda.

‘There are trading regulations in place which make it an offence to put misleading prices out like that, but the regulatory authorities have tended to let them get away with it as they will say they deal with so many prices a week and it’s not done intentionally.’

And what did Asda say ?

Unfortunately, despite our best intentions, with over 35,000 individually priced products in our stores, honest mistakes can sometimes happen.

Mick causes a stir as row brews over coffee – News – Portsmouth News.

Now We Are Off On Our Hols


We have been planning this for a while but it now seems like it is going to happen. Now that we have booked the channel crossing and the motel for our first nights stop.

So there we are. We have booked the gite, motel and shuttle time slot. I have even bought the little headlight converters required when you take a UK configured car over  into la belle France.

Actually the amount of stuff you have to take with you in the car to meet the French motoring regs is growing year on year. When I first went you just needed a warning triangle and a first aid kit. Oh and you had to put deflecter strips on the headlights and paint them a delicate yellow-orange. Nowadays you must have the first aid kit, warning triangle, spare bulb set, reflective jackets (must be in reach without having to get out of the car), headlight conversion (don’t need yellowing). And from next month it will be law for you to carry a breathalyser. Nobody says you have to use it I suppose.

So where are we going ? We are off to Barbezieres  which is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. From the link you can see that it has a huge population, 123 back in 2008, that is slap bang in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully this will be the perfect place to destress.

Leastways that is what my wife is hoping for. No phones, no internet etc. etc. etc.

Good news, the gite is situated right in the Cognac region. Plenty of distilleries to visit and of course sample. Just what I need. Not forgetting, hopefully, plenty of photo opportunities.

Dare I say it…… Watch this space ;0)

HMS Diamond Jubilee Salute


I thought I’d just share this with you. Our local paper, The News, has published two articles and in both the writer states that there were two Typhoons in the fly past. Well watch this clip and count them for your self.

http://youtu.be/Gf3F752IcFQ

 

The News has had me doubting my own ears and eyesight.

Diamond Days


Earlier today I was one of the many,waiting for HMS Diamond to kick off the Jubilee weekend. I joined the crowds all along the “hot walls” although I was stood on the beach. They may be called the “hot walls” but the weather had other ideas, being rather overcast. Nevertheless, there were quite a few folks down to watch and listen to HMS Diamond give and receive the salute. Meridian TV had their cameras on the Round Tower and Sky TV had their helicopter hovering over the harbour entrance. At some point I could hear bagpipes but never once did I see the source.

At this time Diamond was stationary, way over towards the Isle of Wight, while ferries and yachts hustled in and out of the harbour before all shipping movements were stopped. These two patrol craft came out to meet and escort Diamond in.

P275 - HMS Raider
P275 – HMS Raider
P279 - HMS Blazer
P279 – HMS Blazer

A number of tugs came out of the harbour, moved along parallel to the shore before turning about and coming to rest just off shore from where I was standing. These modern tugs can virtually turn on the spot and for a few minutes they pirouetted, performing a maritime ballet.

Tugs
Tugs

Eventually, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived. HMS Diamond made her way towards the harbour. The two patrol craft providing an escort. Two of the tugs also lined up, ready to salute HMS Diamond who had started her salute. In this photo you can just see the smoke created as she fired a broadside. I was rather hoping she was going to fire the 4.5″ gun on the bows but you can’t have everything.

HMS Diamond - Jubilee Salute
HMS Diamond – Jubilee Salute

Diamonds salute was answered by several shots fired by the folks at HMS Dolphin (Fort Blockhouse). That gun makes one hell of a bang and you can feel the shock wave as it hits you on its way across the water then again as it bounces off the “hot walls”. Once again the only visible indication is the smoke created by the firing.

Jubilee Salute from HMS Dolphin

As Diamond closed on the harbour entrance the tugs provided a salute of their own by creating water cascades.

Diamond Cascade
Diamond Cascade

As she was entering the narrows between the Round Tower and HMS Dolphin, a flight of helicopters in “diamond” formation overflew HMS Diamond along with an RAF Typhoon.

Diamond Flypast
Diamond Flypast

And finally the crew of HMS Diamond gave a rousing cheer easily heard by the watching crowds.

Cheers
Cheers

The end of the spectacle but a fitting start to the Queens Jubilee weekend.