Once more, for Emsworth and St George! – What about the rest of the country ?


Lets hear it for the people of Emsworth.

They are doing just what our government should be putting in place. How come the English, as a nation, don’t celebrate our Patron Saint. Yes the flags might fly but that is about it. Yet for St. Patrick’s day all the stops are pulled. Round here the pubs are more likely to be pushing a St. Patrick’s Day special with green beer etc. but for St. Georges day, nothing.

St. Georges day just passes as a notation on the pages of diary.

I think Emsworth has it right. We as a nation should celebrate St. Georges day and it should also be the day that is used to mark a day of respect for our armed forces and most of all as a day to celebrate being English.

I can hear the politically correct brigade saying “Ooo we can’t do that, we might upset some ethnic population Britain”. Well as an Englishman I am upset that we kowtow to everyone elses needs but never to our own.

The government flounders around, making noises about doing away with May Bank Holiday and replacing it with a Bank Holiday on St. Georges Day or perhaps Trafalgar Day in October.

Why do we have to lose May Bank Holiday, why can’t we have additional Bank Holidays ? Do something for the people, not to the people for a change.

Once more, for Emsworth and St George! – East Hampshire – The News.

Major expansion of Waterlooville gets the green light after 15 years


The inevitable has happened.

Approval has been given for some 3,000 new homes to be built closing the remaining green gap around Waterlooville. Apparently this is a reduction on the original 9,000 that was being sought. So something positive has come out of nearly 15 years of discussion and debate.

But lets not be swayed by the fancy artists impressions or the statements that the houses will be in the architectural style of nearby village, Hambledon. Many things can happen over the next few years. Permission to go ahead with the development is somewhat like the salesmans foot in the door. Now the real business will begin. I just hope that our councillors and the planning authorities keep a watchful eye and a tight rein on the developers, making sure that they deliver the goods.

From my perspective the real issue with this development is not the number of houses. No, the real issue is the increase in traffic around the Waterlooville area.

3,000 new houses means that there will possibly be between 3,000 and 6,000 additional vehicles. Many of which will be contributing to the twice daily rush hour traffic congestion. I just hope that our infrastructure is able to cope.

Again, from my perspective, the level of traffic noise has increased over the last 20 plus years that I have lived in the area. This new development is only going to add to the problem.

I will be watching with interest to see how this all rolls out.

 

 

 

 

Major expansion of town gets the green light after 15 years – Politics – The News.

RIP Jet Harris – A True Diamond Geezer


With the death of Jet Harris the world is missing yet another great artist from the world of music.

One of the earliest tracks that I can remember hearing was Diamonds by Jet Harris & Tony Meehan. That was long before I knew Jet Harris had been one of the Shadows.

I just loved that tune and still do.

For those of you who have never heard it Go Here

My thoughts are with his family.

Ex-Shadow member Jet Harris dies – National – The News.

Camerons Words Could Come Back And Bite Him


David Cameron has reacted to the Libyan government’s offer of a ceasefire by saying he would judge Col Muammar Gaddafi “by his actions not his words”.

Well Mr. Cameron we will be measuring you  by your actions, not by your words.

When it comes to the unrest in the middle east there has been precious little action. Now that we have the UN resolution I fear that the actions will be too little, too late.

And what are we going to take action with ?

Old Nimrods that have been saved from the axe because we scrapped the new ones. Fighters that have to fly from the UK or Cyprus because we have no carriers and no Harriers that can fly from them.

As usual our government is suffering from terminal myopia.

 

 

Dennis the Menace at 60


Well who would have thought it. A hero from my childhood is still going strong after 60 years. Obviously, to maintain this popularity, Dennis has had to evolve to match the world of the readers but he is in essence still the same.

Overall I  feel quite proud that kids are still following a character that was born this side of the atlantic.

Happy Birthday – Dennis

BBC News – Dennis the Menace at 60.

View From The Conservatory


Quite a dull day today although I am happier than in my last post. At least I can eat and drink fairly freely as the gap left by my missing tooth is slowly healing.

Have just spent 10 minutes or so watching a pair of Carrion Crows raiding my garden for food. We had Kung Po Prawns and Rice for dinner last night. As usual I did too much rice. The excess was scattered for the birds which is what had attracted the crows. They are magnificent birds. Jet black, looking so smart. What is amazing is that they are one of the bigger birds to settle in the garden yet they seem to be quite nervous. The image above was purloined from the RSPB web site. I would have posted one of my own photos but to have moved to get my camera would have scared my visitors away. More details can be found by following the link at the bottom of this post.

While on the subject of beasts with beaks, I was doing a bit of sticky beaking myself this morning.

I spotted a guy in a bright yellow jacket outside the front of my house. He had a short ladder leaning against the trunk of the very big Beech tree. He had climbed the ladder and was about to hammer something into the trunk. So of course I went out and asked him what he was doing.

It appears he works for the local council and is carrying out a survey of the trees for which they, the council, are responsible. He was tagging this tree as he is going to make a note about one of the branches which is getting a bit long and heavy. In his view the branch needs some of the sub branches to be removed to take some of the weight off the main limb. Apparently, Beech Trees are prone to dropping their branches.

Seems likely he was the guy I accosted a few years ago when I spotted him taking measurements. At that time one of my neighbours had contacted the council with a view to taking the tree down.  So todays chat just reinforced the continued interest, by at least one of the residents, in keeping this tree safe and intact.

While he and I were chatting we were surprised by a small army of council workers either sitting on or following a  variety of power mowers. Now during the year we do get visited by these guys. Usually their numbers are limited to 2 or 3 on mowers with a guy following on foot with a leaf blower. Today we were blessed with the arrival of not 3, not 6 but 8. The noise was phenomenal. It’s all very well the drivers having ear protectors but what about the unsuspecting residents.

 

Anyway, I guess I’d better get back to work. Have to knock off early today as I am going for  physio appointment later. Also, big smile, we are expecting a visit from my granddaughter and great-granddaughter. So bye for now.

The RSPB: Carrion crow.

Brian True-May – The 223rd Midsomer Murder


What do the folk at All3Media and the ITV think they are doing ?  Trying to appear to be PC when all they have really done is make total arses of themselves

Midsomer Murders is a show which has been airing since 1997 with over 80 episodes under its belt. It works to a formula and represents a side of Britain that has all but disappeared. The formula obviously works.

Brian True-May was expressing the view that changing that formula would change the character of the show. What had been suggested to him during an interview was tantamount to that the  characters in Coronation Street should speak with plumbs in their mouths, should all sound like they were educated at Eton.  Did anyone suggest that Last of the Summer Wine be changed to reflect a more balanced ethnic mix, of course not.

I think the idiots at All3Media and the ITV  have blundered and they should fess up and withdraw their comments and reinstate Mr True-May.

Midsomer Murders race row: Fans defend show as co-star suggests ‘black gardener’ | Mail Online.

Helpless


Helpless is what I feel as I watch the news of the Japanese people struggling to deal with the disaster that has hit their country. Not only have they had to contend with the initial earthquake and resultant tsunami but they are under threat of further after-shocks and potentially further tsunami. And then when you think things couldn’t get any worse they are now having to confront the very real issue of a nuclear disaster.

Words cannot describe what they are experiencing.

All aspects of what you or I might call normal life have just been wiped out for thousands of Japanese.

As you go about your business today just compare what you are doing and try to compare that to survivors from the fishing village of Yuriage or any of the other devastated towns and villages along the north-eastern coastline of Japan.

Patient Who Bought His Own Food While In Hospital Wins Compensation


Michael Cooper spent two weeks in Southampton General. Rather than eat the hospital provided food,  every day he made his way to the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch and tea. He described the hospital food as “not fit for pigs”.

Both my wife and I had the misfortune to have a stay in the Queen Alexandra (QA) at Portsmouth. The food there is also disgusting.  Between us we experienced some sort of Gammon/Ham which was grey in colour, sandwiches where the butter/marge had been applied to the outside of the sandwich and I was not sure what was on the inside. Lets say it didn’t taste like chicken. A rubber omelette and vegetables that had been cooked to within an inch of turning to mush. In general  all offerings were totally bland, flavorless.

I understand that when you are not well you have a depressed appetite but surely the purpose of the food should be both to sustain and also to encourage you to eat. My experience is that the food supplied does neither.

Mr Coopers stand and court case success is to be admired but it should not be necessary. We keep hearing about the Jamie Olivers of this world working with the hospital caterers to improve the food supplied to patients. But we also keep hearing that the hospital food revolution is failing along with the other hospital services.

I accept that standards in some NHS hospitals are very good. But doesn’t creating a standard mean that all NHS hospitals should perform to the same level.

It isn’t happening !!!