Oh, I do hope so. I have posted before about the hoons blighting our society.
Whilst there are noise camera trials taking place at various sites in the UK, and the police can issue on the spot fines, the misery caused by these auto “enthusiasts” continues.
So, this first strike against a business blatantly breaking the law is very welcome.
I sincerely hope that 2024 is the year that the hoons get their comeuppance.
https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-3-1975/content.html
Getting no less than he deserves, I don’t believe the sentence is harsh enough.
The damage people such as Kopcil cause will stay with their victims for life.
How many of these properties are vacant ?
Certainly, the council is increasing their housing stock, but I wonder what the true impact will be to the council housing waiting lists.
Very little, I suspect.
Seems to me what the council is actually doing is purchasing the increased responsibility for housing maintenance.
Do you ever see wild animals?
Do I ever see wild animals ? Yes, I do !
Living in a semi rural location means that on occasions, we are visited by various types of wildlife.
Focussing on our garden, we are regularly visited by foxes, hedgehogs, and squirrels.
Just today, maybe an hour ago, we were visited by this albino squirrel.
You would think that albino squirrels are rare, but we have had several visit us over the 30-plus years that we have lived here.
Other visitors to our garden, over and above the usual garden birds, we have had the occasional sparrow hawk and even a couple of pheasants.
Outside of our garden, I have seen badgers, foxes, and regularly see deer.
And last, but not least, here is a slow worm that came out from under our new deck last year.
https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-8-1958/content.html
Read this article yesterday. I am always amazed that, so often, it requires a study to discover the obvious.
Only a few days ago, I posted that I felt my wife’s stenosis diagnosis was delayed by up to twelve months due to the lack of face to face time with a doctor.
Much of a doctors diagnosis has to do with “observation.”
You can not “observe” via a telephone consult.
We have been forced into using e-consultation tools. My experience is that they do not allow sufficient space to describe symptoms fully. On several occasions, when I have used the e-consult tool, I have found the questions leading you down a path to either diagnosis of a brain tumour or diabetes when you are suffering from a broken toe. Invariably, the tool tries to abort, telling you that you need to see a doctor, which is where we came in.
You can not “observe” via an e-consult.
Last year, we were told by a nurse practitioner that nothing had changed, that we were getting the same level of service from our GPs as we always had.
What total and utter nonsense.
Another issue with the current level of service is that there is no continuity. In the “good old days,” not only could you get a face to face appointment with a doctor, but it was the same doctor each and every time.
Continuity would allow the doctor to “observe” physical changes in the patient between appointments.
So, back to the article, anyone with more than a single brain cell could have seen that patients are not getting safe and accurate diagnosis under the current level of NHS care.
What are your feelings about eating meat?
Meat is an essential part of my diet. A meal is incomplete if it doesn’t have some kind of meat.
I don’t mind the occasional vegetarian meal. In fact, I have been known to order a vegetarian dish to have as a side for a meat dish. But I could never, willingly, become a vegan/vegetarian. What’s the difference?
As children in the 50’s & 60’s, my sisters and I were brought up on a hugely varied diet. My dad grew fruit and vegetables but also raised chicken and geese. So there was generally fresh chicken at least once a week and always eggs.
Naively, the geese were given names, and when “Ethel” drew the short straw at Christmas, we all tucked into roast goose. All that is except Mum, who, although a participant in the preparation and cooking, pushed her plate away, saying, “I can’t eat Ethel”. That was the first time I was confronted with the emotion that can be associated with meat eating. Although I believe it was more that the geese, having been given names, became pets. That was certainly the case with the remaining geese. Ethel’s solo sacrifice saved the many.
No such sentimentality from me, Dad, and my sisters. We happily finished our meal. That episode did nothing to reduce our meat consumption, which, along with lamb, pork, and beef, was supplemented by wild rabbit and pigeon. The rabbits were usually obtained by my dad going off-road to run them down on the grass verges at night, while he was on night duty as a policeman.
Dad ran our garden like a smallholding, so we ate rather well considering the era. In addition, Dad got me into fishing, which in turn triggered something in him. He made our fishing rods, built his own push nets, set sand-lines with 200+ hooks. So we had fresh fish and shrimp.
My freezer is a reflection of me and my eating habits. It has seven drawers full of meat, ranging from chicken thru to venison. I do have another, small, freezer which has just two drawers filled with vegetables.
So I have no qualms about eating meat. If I have any concerns, it’s more to do with the care and treatment of the animals from birth up to and including their death at the abattoir.
There is no place for cruelty.
For years, the tobacco industry spent millions advertising their products. Slowly, but surely, the world has woken up to the negative effects of smoking.
For almost as long as there have been cigarettes, there have been industries devoted to countering their addictive nature.
In more recent times, people have turned to vapes as the “healthy” alternative to cigarettes.
At the forefront of those trying to ween folks off the demon tobacco in the UK is Nicorette.
Earlier today, I visited my local pharmacy. Imagine my surprise when I spotted a large poster by Nicorette offering help to stop vaping ?
So vaping was seen as the safe / healthy alternative to smoking tobacco based cigarettes.
Already, there have been articles in the press suggesting that vaping is not actually all that healthy, and with deaths being directly attributed to vape usage.
Now, the Nicorette poster is suggesting that vaping is also addictive, habit forming.
What’s next, a cure for Nicorette addiction ?
What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
All served up with Roast Potatoes, Cauliflower Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Parsnips, Yorkshire Puddings, and Gravy
What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?
My favourite month ?
That would be January. Because it is the furthest month away from the insanity that has become Christmas.
Once upon a time, Christmas was a joy restricted to December. But now, due to commercial interests, it has expanded into the whole of November and even into October.
Here in the UK it isn’t unusual to see Christmas items being rolled out in stores by mid October.
In October for God’s sake, before Halloween, which, in turn is overshadowing a truly British event, 5th November, Bonfire Night.
I find the whole run up to Christmas totally exhausting. Not only do I have family members gleefully announcing the erection of their Christmas trees, but there are non stop adverts on the TV channels, roadside hoardings and numerous TV chef shows battling for my attention, telling me the “new” best way to cook the turkey, which I detest, the best way to prepare and cook the roasties and of course how to make Christmas Pudding.
What happened to The Twelve Days of Christmas ?
The commercialism and relentless “buy me” pressure has spoilt it for me.
The only joy to be gained is to watch the kids when they open their presents. As far as I am concerned that is the main event and even that is tainted.
Once upon a time Christmas was when the special presents were deployed. Not anymore. Kids get presents all the year round. The latest merchandise craze associated with movies etc. are available immediately after the stars have walked down the red carpet at the premiere. By the time Christmas arrives, the kids already have it.
I apologise for all this negativity but I feel that we all have truly lost the plot.
So that is why January is my favourite month. Even that will be spoilt by some lunatic telling me that there are only 359 days until Christmas.
Aagh !!!
What podcasts are you listening to?
I never listen to podcasts !!!
Well not quite true, I did listen to one once. I heard it trailed on BBC Radio 2. The subject was the pros and cons of that recent fad, air fryers.
So I fathom’d out how to stream the relevant podcast, listened to it in its entirety. Found I was no nearer to determining if there were any real benefits to owning an air fryer.
Net result I didn’t buy one and I haven’t listened to another podcast since.
WrAnTz 