What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
- Roast Beef
- Roast Lamb
- Roast Chicken
All served up with Roast Potatoes, Cauliflower Cheese, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Parsnips, Yorkshire Puddings, and Gravy
Category: Comment
Favourite Month ?
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 !!!
Podcasts ???
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.
Most Expensive Personal Item
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).
The most expensive personal item I ever purchased has to be my digital SLR and lens. It was, is, a Canon 7D Mk II purchased to replace my ageing Canon 10D. I think the 7D cost around £1500. And I agonised for weeks before I ordered it. Putting up many arguments against buying it.
I think there is always an element of guilt, that this money is truly being spent on me, for my personal use and I know my wife isn’t going to be using it. All other major purchases are inevitably for the home, for the benefit of both me and my wife.
Which is why I am applying the same logic/guilt to buying the big lens that I want. It will cost probably twice the price of the initial camera purchase and that is why I have been ruminating for the last eight years
Enforcement Needed – Not Fines
https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/full_page_image/page-30-1674/content.html
Fining the energy companies for not meeting SmartMeter targets, but it doesn’t go far enough.
These companies are making huge profits so a fine isn’t going to make a huge dent.
Let’s try making the execs responsible accountable. Personal fines might incentivise them to kick their firms into action. How about some jail time or community service ?
This article makes me so angry, mainly because I already have a SmartMeter installed by Scottish Power.
IT HASN’T WORKED FOR TWO YEARS
Despite having been in contact with them, they have taken no action.
Yet they still push the advocacy of SmartMeter usage. I have become so frustrated with them I tried to request a smart meter installation.
Their system informed me that there were currently no installations happening in my area !!!
The UK energy industry has the worst customer service record. Because they don’t care because they know there is no alternative for consumers. They know know that there are no real consequences for them.
Scottish Power, and your peers, it’s time to get your act together.
Keep Up The Good Work
Many motorbike riders were punished, with the police stopping multiple and seizing vehicles on Saturday. Havant Police reported on Facebook: “One driver was stopped due to careless and inconsiderate driving and was arrested for failing to appear at court for drug driving.
“Another driver was found to have no insurance, his vehicle was seized and he was issued with six points and a £300 fine. Other drivers were dealt with for no seat belts, no MOT’s and keeping vehicles on the road without tax.”
The force added that visible police work would continue to reduce anti-social behaviour and keep residents safe.
It’s always good to see some positive results from the hard work that our local police put in.
Please carry on doing what you are doing, keep up the good work.
Live Music, Music and More Music
What is your favorite hobby or pastime?
My favourite pastime is listening to music, preferably, live music.
I believe you can’t beat a live performance for moving your soul, rousing emotions, and even reducing you to tears.
Over the last fifty or so years I have been lucky enough to see many live performances.
My first exposure to live music was at Claverham County Secondary School. The “school dance”, held for those pupils leaving to begin their working lives, featured “The Equals” ! The band had just hit the UK charts with their single “Baby, Come Back”. Little did we know that a member of that band would go on to have a successful solo career. That was “Eddie Grant”.
After I left school, I did a brief stint at Battle Engineering before starting an apprenticeship at HM Royal Dockyard, Portsmouth. This was to be the start of my musical education.
I was in digs at the time when one of my co-residents invited me to a concert at Portsmouth Guildhall. On stage that night were “Led Zeppelin” supported by “Blodwyn Pig.”
After that, there was no holding me back. Almost every week, I would attend performances on South Parade Pier, Kimbels Ballroom, and Portsmouth Guildhall. Back in those days, you would have up to five bands perform in a single evening.
During those heady days I saw Black Sabbath, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Roy Harper, Van de Graff Generator, Caravan, Hawkwind, and many many more.
Back then I was into Prog Rock, but I did venture into other genres. Thanks to Joan, my landlady at the time, I saw Tony Bennett, Manitas de Plata, Roy Orbison, Dionne Warwick, and many, many more.
As time has moved on, my musical tastes have changed. I still love my prog rock, but I have learnt to appreciate all kinds of music, as long as it is performed well. Highlights have been Carmina Burana at the O2 and a classical concert, at the Royal Albert Hall, that closed with the 1812 Overture complete with the live firing of canon and musket.
Nowadays ticket pricing places restraints on how many shows I can get to. Thankfully there is vinyl, CDs and the Internet for streaming music. Much to my wife’s disgust I turn on the music most mornings and get a couple of hours listening in.
And then the TV, courtesy of Sky Arts, broadcast so many great shows. Just last night I was watching a documentary following The Grateful Dead. Pure gold.
Please excuse the misquote, but, “If music be the food of life play on”
Curtailment
Your life without a computer: what does it look like?
Life without my computer !
- No more blogging
- Shock horror, I’d have to revert back to keeping a diary/journal
- Or perhaps writing to people I know.
- No more photo preparation
- I take 1000’s of photos every year. That would come to a grinding halt. Perhaps I would revert to film and take up processing my own prints. I’m not sure my pension could support such a transition.
- No more emails
- I remember work life before email was invented. Communicating via telex and fax as well as good old hand written notes/letters
- Emails were the bain of my life during my latter work years. Just too many to deal with each day.
- No more social media
- I think this might be a good thing. No more photos of people’s food or tiresome cat videos.
- Also a positive thing, more letter writing. We recently received a letter from family in Australia. Amazing the joy it brought.
- No more online retail therapy
- I would be forced to go out to the shops ! I was ever the reluctant shopper before computers and the Internet. Especially while still working, when shopping was compressed into the weekend or even just a Saturday. I hated it.
- Would we ever see a doctor again ?
- Ever since the pandemic, access to doctors has become severely restricted. At least things like repeat prescriptions can currently be managed online. And there are econsults to bridge the gap when you can’t get an appointment. I dread to think what would happen without computers.
Free speed cameras in east Hampshire
BBC News – Free speed cameras offered to curb dangerous drivers in east Hampshire https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-66934570
Twenty speed cameras are being offered to community groups in a bid to put the brakes on dangerous drivers. The discreet, solar-powered devices can track vehicle movement, speed and number plates, and are up for grabs for locations across east Hampshire.
This is good news and positive action from the authorities. but I have two points to make
- This is only going to tackle the boy racers. This technology isn’t going to deal with the noise nuisance. How about deploying some noise cameras
- This is East Hampshire so it doesn’t include my local roads
To be quite honest, I couldn’t care less about drivers breaking the speed limits. And yes I can hear the protests now. Speed kills, what about the emergency services that have to deal with the aftermath ? What about the families of victims ?
But they don’t encroach on my home life. Whereas the noise nuisance impinges on my life, right inside my living space.
Was It Worth The Magistrates Time ?
The act of discarding a cigarette butt in the street led to Paun Paun appearing in court
Surely, this was a waste of the courts time and would have been better dealt with by way of an on the spot fine / ticket.
WrAnTz 