I know of a young woman about to marry a serving member of the Royal Air force. Not Kate Middleton, but my daughter Nicola. Her fiance has just begun a four month long posting to the Falkland Islands, so he'll come back to a frenzy of preparations for a wedding in July.
News of a wedding is always good - there's always a story of happiness and commitment there. I'm delighted about Nicola's situation, and I can't find it in me to be grumpy about the forthcoming royal nuptials. Yes, there will be a relentless tide of publicity, the shops will be full of souvenir tat, and the BBC will fawn and scrape obsequiously. Yes, the monarchy is a fossilised relic of an unjust and outdated model of society that belongs on the scrapheap. None of this will be the fault of the young people involved, and I wish them well. Like Nicola and her fiance Chris, they met in St Andrews, just six or seven miles away from where I sit now. There's a nice syncronicity to all of this that I am enjoying.
It's just a month since my father's funeral, and it is good to be reminded that life is a regenerative process. I've been utterly flat and ill for the last month, having massively overdrawn my stamina and energy accounts during the time of my father's death, and I'll take my comfort from where I can find it.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Hasta la victoria siempre
I'm feeling pretty fed up with politics at the moment. Paul O'Grady says it all about the UK governing coalition in the video below. I've just seen TV coverage of a delusional "Scottish" Labour conference that will only be remembered for Harriet Harman (Labour's UK equality spokesperson - you couldn't make this up!) and her highly unpleasant racist comparison of the Chief Secretatary to the Treasury to a "ginger rodent". Ian Gray - the leader of "Scottish" Labour - made a leaden speech and concluded it with his opinion that no-one can be a Scottish patriot unless they support a Unionist party.
Whilst all this posturing and posing goes on, a total assault is being launched on the disadvantaged of Great Britain by the cabal of millionaires who govern this country in the coalition cabinet. In Parliament, the announcement of each succesive outrage was greeted with cheers and hilarity from the Government benches. Mreanwhile Harman can think of nothing better to do than to fling about childish remarks about hair colour. Gray seems to think everything is all the fault of the Scottish National Party, despite the shaky economic record of the last UK Labour Government...
Hare are a couple of blogs worth following:
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/
http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/
And here's Mr O'Grady.
Whilst all this posturing and posing goes on, a total assault is being launched on the disadvantaged of Great Britain by the cabal of millionaires who govern this country in the coalition cabinet. In Parliament, the announcement of each succesive outrage was greeted with cheers and hilarity from the Government benches. Mreanwhile Harman can think of nothing better to do than to fling about childish remarks about hair colour. Gray seems to think everything is all the fault of the Scottish National Party, despite the shaky economic record of the last UK Labour Government...
Hare are a couple of blogs worth following:
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/
http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/
And here's Mr O'Grady.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Hard Times in Old England
I came back up to Scotland yesterday after a week with my father, who had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Unfortunately, it got the better of him early this morning, when he slipped away peacefully , 24 hours short of his 83rd birthday. My thanks go to the staff of Jupiter and Teal wards at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, who did much to help him through his final illness.
My Dad finally went gently into the good night, but only after three decades of an encyclopedia of illnesses that he usually bore well, with only a few descents into grumpiness. He was a man of faith, and he would have breathed his last holding a little wooden cross given to him by the Vicar of Cricklade, the small Wiltshire town where he lived long and happily. We had all seen him recently, and his death will not be the cause of any self-reproach or "if onlies". He saw his grandchildren grow into happy adulthood, and was content. He avoided the living death of Alzheimer's and the dread and pain of a cancer. A life well lived as a soldier, a businessman, a volunteer, husband and father. A life well lived and well ended, we give thanks for it and share his hopes for what will come to be. I hope he was confident he could stand before his Maker without fear of rebuke.
My Dad finally went gently into the good night, but only after three decades of an encyclopedia of illnesses that he usually bore well, with only a few descents into grumpiness. He was a man of faith, and he would have breathed his last holding a little wooden cross given to him by the Vicar of Cricklade, the small Wiltshire town where he lived long and happily. We had all seen him recently, and his death will not be the cause of any self-reproach or "if onlies". He saw his grandchildren grow into happy adulthood, and was content. He avoided the living death of Alzheimer's and the dread and pain of a cancer. A life well lived as a soldier, a businessman, a volunteer, husband and father. A life well lived and well ended, we give thanks for it and share his hopes for what will come to be. I hope he was confident he could stand before his Maker without fear of rebuke.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
Boats, Gin and Oatcakes
We are just back from our week on Jemima D. The boat feels so much nicer to use with her snug dry new top, and she performed flawlessly throughout the week, despite her elderly little engine being scheduled for a thorough overhaul and rebuild. Life on a narrowboat, watching the world go by at three miles per hour, with pauses to work through locks, is a great stress-buster.. We found a handy canal-side damson tree. We put Jemima's bow into the bank and filled a bucket with ripe fruits to take home for damson gin making.
As nearly all of our boating was on the glorious Caldon Canal, we were in North Staffordshire for the week - homeland of the scandously over-looked Staffordshire Oatcake. These divinely-inspired creations, rolled up with fillings such as bacon, cheese, eggs or balck pudding are the ideal boater's breakfast. Recipe here.
Staffordshire is a lovely county, and I would urge UK "staycationers" to go and check out its waterways and scenery. There's lot more to the place than Alton Towers and The Potteries.
As nearly all of our boating was on the glorious Caldon Canal, we were in North Staffordshire for the week - homeland of the scandously over-looked Staffordshire Oatcake. These divinely-inspired creations, rolled up with fillings such as bacon, cheese, eggs or balck pudding are the ideal boater's breakfast. Recipe here.
Staffordshire is a lovely county, and I would urge UK "staycationers" to go and check out its waterways and scenery. There's lot more to the place than Alton Towers and The Potteries.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Boating
We've spent many happy times on Jemima D. Jemima is an elderly narrowboat that would have been the pride of a holiday boat hire fleet forty years ago. Now, she is owned by a 12 member co-operative, and provides a great low-cost way to boat. I left the co-op with much regret when I became unemployed and needed to cut my outgoings. However, I remain friendly with the co-op, and we've been invited to join a member for a week's boating starting this weekend. We can look forward to a leisurely potter about through Cheshire and Staffordshire about the trusty rusty craft. The trip will take us through the 2926 yards of the Harecastle Tunnel. We'll hope, as we always do, that Kit Crewbucket is resting easy as we pass through. So far, the worst I've suffered in Harecastle is a few rusty stains on my boating hat caused by the drips that fall from the tunnel roof. It takes the best part of an hour to boat through the tunnel - it's a weird experience.
We're picking the boat up in or near Macclesfield, and we'll head south onto the Trent and Mersey Canal, through Harecastle, and onto the Caldon Canal. A nice varied stretch to boat on, and in reach of a good few of our boaty friends. It's been too long, I'm looking forward swinging a windlass at a canal lock again.
We're picking the boat up in or near Macclesfield, and we'll head south onto the Trent and Mersey Canal, through Harecastle, and onto the Caldon Canal. A nice varied stretch to boat on, and in reach of a good few of our boaty friends. It's been too long, I'm looking forward swinging a windlass at a canal lock again.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Another Viral Straw in the Wind
An interesting little story reported by the BBC today - link here
The story was given a quite positive spin on the BBC Radio 4 Today prog. today - it mentioned that disbelief was a common problem for ME sufferers, and that therefore a finding suggesting a viral cause for ME was a positive step for the morale of sufferers, let alone the prospect of a cure.
The story was given a quite positive spin on the BBC Radio 4 Today prog. today - it mentioned that disbelief was a common problem for ME sufferers, and that therefore a finding suggesting a viral cause for ME was a positive step for the morale of sufferers, let alone the prospect of a cure.
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