Category: Local (To Me !!!)

So Here We Are


A week ago my daughter, her husband and her daughter all arrived from Perth, Western Australia. They are staying for a month and as any visitation from Oz is a significant event it was decided that a visit to the old home grounds and a visit to the other family members still resident in the UK was necessary. So this weekend we are visiting the outlaws on Mersey-side. As there are eight of us making this trek we are staying at “Quarter Cottage” in a place called Puddington on the Wirral Peninsula.

The journey up from Hampshire although uneventful was not particularly pleasant. Mind you, five hours in a car can hardly be described as a pleasant experience at the best of times. In this case it was made worse by the weather conditions. Leaving home just after ten in the morning, most of the journey was shrouded in varying densities of fog, or low-lying cloud, interspersed with rain. The fog varied in colours ranging from dark grey to light grey and visibility from half a mile to just a few feet. The British countryside, which normally adds some interest on this type of journey, was largely invisible.

The eight of us drove up in three vehicles and although not traveling in convoy managed to arrive within minutes of each other despite having separate starting points and times. The cars were unpacked and after a brief debate about who was sleeping where we were suitably ensconced in a our new, temporary, home.

After a cup of tea and some discussion about our respective journeys we set out to a local hostelry for a meal. The venue chosen to benefit from our custom was the “Tudor Rose“, a Brewers Fayre “formula pub” attached to a Premier Inn. This pub provided us with some hot, straight forward grub and, given the size of our party and that we hadn’t booked, they were very helpful and organised a table. Having us seated in just a few minutes. Most of us chose from their Chip Shop buffet and although not haute cuisine it was adequate.

It was then back to the cottage for some sleep ready for a fresh start on Saturday morning.

So why am I typing this at 04:03 on Saturday morning. Because I woke up with a coughing fit two hours ago and had to get up as each time I lay down the coughing started again. So I am posting this as is, hoping to get back to my pit for a couple of hours worth of z’s.

Enjoy your respective weekends.

SOFA Denmead – Good Luck With Your Fight


Good luck to the residents of Denmead and Old River in particular. I hope that common sense prevails but on past performance I suspect that the authorities will bow to the wishes of the developers and ignore those of the local residents. Even worse they will ignore the evidence and common sense.

SOFA Denmead.

Courteous truck driver – Not


This lazy trucker happily parked his truck so that it made life difficult for drivers to access the disabled parking bay at the Crookhorn shops.

What’s Happened In Zeus Lane / Crookhorn Lane Vicinity ?


Many police cars, ambulance, paramedics and blue and white police tape. Something has occurred in around 14:30 – 15:00 timeframe.

Does anyone know ?

View From The Conservatory


So I was just heading out to the freezer in the utility room, thinking about what we should have for dinner tonight. I was a little cautious stepping out of the kitchen as always, because I like to peek and see what birds are in the garden. I stood watching a Dunnock for a minute or so as it darted around the bare branches of some shrubs. Then a movement from the other side of the garden caught my eye.

And this is what I saw…

Fox
Skanky Fox in my garden. Apart from the lack of fur he seems quite healthy and alert.

The amazing thing is he clambered up on top of our fence and plodded along the top in the same way as cats do. The feet on one side on the top of the fence and the other feet on the arris rail.

Fox1
As I said, Alert. He was aware of every noise be it traffic or bird calls.

I had watched him for a while before I thought to go get my camera. These pictures are all captured through double glazing which is less than clean at the moment.

Fox2
I don’t think he had a best side.

This is the second fox that we have had in the garden with skin/fur problems. Although the previous one looked like he had suffered a kind of de-gloving of the hind leg, perhaps as a result of conflict with a car. Maybe this one has had a similar encounter although I am tempted to contact the RSPCA and see if this is indicative of something that local dog owners might need to be aware of.

Lets Talk Rubbish


The national pastime in the UK is DIY. Saturdays and Sundays are filled with painting, papering, sawing and chiseling. All of which creates waste.

Another favourite pastimes is gardening, pruning, raking and mowing. Again creating waste.

So that they can step back and admire the fruits of their labour, and to prevent the great British public from disappearing under a great pile of waste or going fly tipping and therefore breaking the law , the local authorities invented municipal waste centres.

The idea is that you take the your waste to one of these centres where your waste becomes their waste which they then dispose of in bulk. For the provision of these centres the British public pays the local authority via a part of the “Council Tax”.

Over the last year or so my son-in-law has been renovating, refurbishing, painting, decorating and generally improving his house. As you can imagine, in this time, he has created a substantial amount of waste.

I should point out that my son-in-law is a “Council Tax” payer.

Imagine then his surprise, when he was informed, by folks at his local municipal tip, that they limit the number of visits one can make.

How can this make sense ?

Local and central government are constantly complaining about fly tipping and then some jobs-worth introduces a limit on those of us who are trying to do the right thing.

As a result of this arbitrary limitation, at a stroke they will cause the increase of an individuals carbon footprint due to members of the British public touring the surrounds seeking a municipal tip from which they have not been excluded.

Failing which they may be forced to find alternative disposal sites.

In other words these idiots jobs-worths will force an increase in fly tipping which will cost the local authority more to clear up. Not forgetting, of course, the expense of hunting down the perpetrators.

Should I also mention the increase in traffic on our local roads along with the resultant increase in stress levels, brought about by Joe Public not being able to enjoy their freshly decorated lounge, newly installed kitchen……. lanscaped garden…….

SiskinBob Lightyear – To Infinity And Beyond


We are, this morning, about to be converted, from bog standard broadband to SuperFast Broadband i.e. BT Infinity.

Whoohooo !!!

‘Whoever did this gives scum a bad name.’


So says Malcolm Garbutt after discovering that some low-life has stolen £120 from money that he had collected for the charity, Help for Heroes.

Mr Garbutt has been manning the stall for nearly two-and-a-half years and has raised more than £40,000 for the charity which supports injured war veterans.

It is unbelievable that some cretin would stoop this low and I agree with Mr.Garbutts sentiment …

‘I’d like to send the culprits out to Afghanistan and see how they get on.

Anyone with information should call Havant police on 101 quoting Operation Bricklin. Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 101.

Thieves steal cash from Help for Heroes – Local – Portsmouth News.

Just Call 111 – Did You Know ?


According to The News, our local rag, NHS Direct is no more.

But now NHS Direct no longer exists, and people should call the new number if they need health advice, information or if they have a non life-threatening health issue and are not sure where to go for treatment.

So says The News with their headline “NHS Direct switched off as new number kicks in ”

It’s a shame that NHS Direct don’t seem to know, so I’m not on my own in my ignorance. I visited the NHS Direct site earlier today. Not a mention of any different number to call if you happen to live in Hampshire.

Apparently, last month, there was a soft launch of the new NHS number “111”. This new number can be used to call for fast medical help and has “gone live” across Hampshire.
NHS111

The free number is staffed by a team of advisers, supported by trained paramedics and nurses, who will assess the caller’s symptoms, provide relevant advice and direct them to the right local service at that time. It is hoped pressure will be taken off 999.

I thought that was what NHS Direct was supposed to do. How is this parallel service going to help take the load off the emergency 999 service ?

In trawling the net I have found out that the 111 number has been the subject of debate for some time but am I the only person in the country who is unaware that this change is actually upon us ?

Even The News has only given it minimal prominence.