‘The decision not to give permission for the Ushakov medal to be accepted was made in accordance with the current British rules on the acceptance of foreign awards and only after very careful consideration of all the information provided by the Russian Embassy.
‘However, it was found that this information did not show that the intended recipients had given specific service to Russia within the last five years as required by those rules.’
He goes on to explain that the government would reconsider any cases where it could be shown that the intended recipients had given service to Russia more recently.
Why bother to speak if all you can spout is the party line. “The Rules Are The Rules”. We have heard that time and time again. What we need to hear, from you Mr. Hague, is that the government has seen sense, has relented in this stupidly rigid stance and has decided to let the survivors collect these medals.
Change the bloody rules Mr Hague.
The rules were set by faceless bureaucrats, by people who did not have to face the conditions that the medal recipients had to face. Lets apply some common sense.
(photo courtesy of Serialnumberregistry.ca – in case I’m accused of stealing it!)
I nearly got a new record tonight – however, not a musical record this time – apparently a criminal record! 😮 How did this happen to an honest mountain coward? Read on to find out…
Thanks to Dick, a guy that I was in digs with, Zep are the first band I ever saw live. This was back in 1969. How he convinced me to go I will never know as, at that time, I had never heard of them. All I know is that it was a brilliant concert.
Later that year he also persuaded me to go and see John Mayall, another huge name in the British rock hall of fame. For me 1969 was a pivotal year as far as music is concerned. Since then I have seen many many bands.
So, where ever you are Dick (can’t remember your surname) from Chichester, thank you for awakening a love of rock music that has spanned over 40 years and is still going strong.
Led Zeppelin‘s concert film Celebration Day is released on video, November 19th. Here is their rendition of Black Dog from the 2007 O2 reunion show.
My worst fears have been confirmed. This explains why we have X Factor inflicted on us with such regularity. I wonder how early in the pregnancy you have to be absorbing alcohol. Given that many conceptions start as a result of excess alcohol is it possible that future X Factor fans are being determined at that time.
We are looking after a friends pooch while she is recovering in hospital.
Meet Pippa
Her name is Pippa and she is a Shih Tzu . Pippa is on the go all the time, follows anyone who moves about the house. So far she is settling in quite well considering the many feet that have been passing in and out of our house over the last couple of days. It must seem quite daunting to her as her normal home is a lot quieter than ours.
The nice thing is that she doesn’t bark very much. The reason I mention this is that when we are visiting her normal home she barks at us continuously even after we have been there for a while. So far the only barking she has done is in reaction to people at the door or something she has heard in the back garden. Absolutely perfect.
This morning I had her sprinting round our garden. I’m guessing she doesn’t get to run free very often so I wound her up and off she went doing circuits and every time she came past me she gave a little rumbling growl as if to say “Look at me go !!”
Anyway, we have her for about a week, all things being equal, then she will be back home with her mum.
Tuesday was not a good day for me. It may yet turn out to have been an expensive one too.
I dropped my camera !!!
It landed right on the end of the lens. Although the lens cap was on, the Skylight filter was smashed. Ouch !!
It actually took me a while to get the lens cap off to discover the broken filter. Now I am wondering if the lens mechanism is damaged. It seems to be working but who knows how the optics are working. I have cleaned out the broken glass but have found it impossible to remove the actual filter ring.
This is bad news as it indicates that the filter thread on the lens is damaged and this will prevent the fitting of any other filters.
I will be looking into claiming on my insurance but cannot remember if we specifically mentioned camera gear.
Taylor Wimpey are starting to prepare for their Phase 3 and 4 build outs. Next week, they will be felling a few trees that they are permitted to remove. Trees will be checked by an ecologist for recent evidence of bats, and appropriate steps taken if necessary, although all trees were checked not long ago.
Tomorrow, there will be a walk through of the Western Open Space, in preparation for any planting or other action required.
Grainger PLC announced at the West of waterlooville Forum that they are now a Registered Provider for social housing. The RP will be a subsidiary entity to Grainger plc. It will enable Grainger to retain greater control over the management of the affordable homes within its development pipeline over the coming years through the RP, providing greater community building capabilities
On Monday night my grandson and I were on a mission of mercy. A British ex-pat, with a sweet tooth, had asked for some specific “lolly’s” to be taken back to Oz. We had been searching for Revels, which I was very familiar with, and Maoams, which I had never heard of. All we knew was that they could be obtained from Tesco’s. However, once we were in the Tesco store all became clear. Maoams are a range of sweets made by Haribo. I had seen them on the shelves but they are not typically my sort of confectionary, hence my ignorance. A very helpful young lady soon directed us to the correct shelves and we very quickly emptied the boxes of Revels and Maoams and they will soon be heading through the air to Australia. Unless, that is, my grandson gets peckish. In which case he may consume them all on his way home.
The George Inn, Portsdown Hill Road, Portsmouth
After making our successful purchases we started to head back home but decided that we would drop in The George Inn on Portsdown Hill. We were only going to have a pint but that inevitably turned into two. The “George” is a pub which my wife and I used to frequent on a fairly regular basis but I had not been in for probably ten to fifteen years. The decor has changed, not unexpectedly, and it is a warm and inviting environment to drink in. I am a beer man so I noted that they were serving Old Speckled Hen, one of my favourites, and soon had a pint sitting in front of me. My grandson is a modern cider drinker who normally drinks Magners back home but had to settle for Thatcher’s. We later found out that he thought he was drinking Magners but had in fact misheard the barmaid. Never mind he liked it enough to go back for a second pint a short while later. Although I had enjoyed my “Hen” I had become intrigued by some of the other labels on sale, namely the pump directly in front of me which bore the tag for Havant Brewery’s “Herd”.
Havant Herd
Firstly I wasn’t aware that Havant had a brewery. Secondly, seeing other customers ordering it, I noticed the dark colour and the “rusty” head. I asked the barmaid about it but she was new and didn’t know anything about the beer type. So I asked one of the customers who seemed happy to get his gums round a pint. His description of each mouthful being different wasn’t very helpful and he didn’t really know if it was truly a “stout” or perhaps a “porter”. So the only solution to this confusing state of affairs was for me to have a pint for myself. Well I very soon understood my fellow drinkers confusion. There are many things going on in a pint of “Havant Herd”. Coffee and Chocolate flavours, sweet with a bitter edge, but an overall rich and smooth texture. Suffice for me to say that it is very moreish and gets my recommendation.
The “George” has another unusual brew on their shelves. It bears the label Jeremiah Weed with two varieties “Root Brew” and “Sour Mash Brew”. These will obviously have to be investigated on a future date perhaps while trying out the George’s food menu.
WrAnTz 