Sapper William ‘Bill’ Hills 1876-1917
My Great, Great Grandfather
“Go tell the Spartans,
Stranger passing by.
That here in accordance to their laws we lie.’
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Just popped up to the One-Stop to get some batteries for that thing that makes the little arrow move around on my computer screen.
The lady in front of me’s total came to £28 odd, she proffered payment with a £50 note.
My word you’d have thought the Martians had landed and Jebus had walked in and announced the End of Days
Bells were rung, managers were summoned, discussions were had, plans made, note inspected.
The note in question was then borne away by a manager to the back room, whence it was returned to the lady in the more appropriate and less faint inducing form of two twenties and a ten.
Payment was then proffered and accepted, the Martians went back to their ship to throw darts at a photo of Orson Wells and Jebus went over to the Pick n’Mix.
I’ve never understood the British publics and particularly the shopkeeps afearedness of The Nifty,
Yes, a way back there were spates of forgeries but I’ve not heard of one in years and even up to a few years ago it was a lot of money to have in one note and I suppose the risk of losing it in one go was perhaps a bit much.
But it’s not even as if the lady was trying to ‘break’ it by just buying a box of matches. Her bill was £28.00 FFS
But given that fact that nowadays £50 doesn’t really buy that much and certainly shops will process many times that amount in the course of a days business.
I really don’t understand the reaction.
Tails cut off horses at stables
Seven horses at stables in East Sussex have had their tails cut off.
Police are investigating the attacks, which could be linked to the sale of horse hair.
I have three theories the police might like to consider.
1. A rogue band of ninja violin-bow makers
2. Due to the recession a herd of ;
a) Chavettes
b) Z-list celebs
c) Footballers WAGS
Are roaming the countryside in search of cheap hair extensions.
3. Someone with a very strange fetish
Please, please let it be 1.
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Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost
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Whilst yesterday Google celebrated for us in the UK the 20th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit.
For our American cousins it was the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street.
So today we have The Cookie Monster, ( and yesterday they had Big Bird)
I really like these
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I’ll say right out that I’m an agnostic leaning towards atheist (and sometimes vice versa).
I’ve never really understood the whole ‘My God’s better than your God’ thing and when it comes to ‘We believe in the same God but your worship of him is wrong and I will kill you to prove my point’ Well Monty Python had nothing on that.
So sectarian violence generally leaves me shaking my head.
And yet this really made me laugh, surely it’s better than bombs and bullets.
Does this make me a bad person?
Sheep targeted in graffiti attack
* A golf clap and an incline of the chapeau to the first who gets the album reference ( yes I know the incident wasn’t in Belfast, but it worked for this bit)
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The nearest local Quick-E-Mart to me is a Co-operative Food, it’s not bad, a good range and some nice ready meals, prices a bit more expensive than the Supermarket, but that’s to be expected.
However it’s only 5 mins walk away and doesn’t need a car (So I’m reducing my carbon footprint, aren’t I the good little green warrior)
A few weeks ago they introduced ‘Under 25’ That if you look ‘Under 25’ when attempting to buy Fags or Booze you will be asked for ID.
Now my thoughts on this, is that as well as it’s stated purpose of reducing under age drinking, I believe an intended by-product is that those who are between 18-25 (or older) will not wish to be ‘Carded’ and so not buy alcohol or tobacco because it is one of the few ages in your life where you actually want to be thought of as older than you actually are, it is exactly as if they are calling you a child in public and how insulting is that.
So far, so standard to the progress of the new puritans.
Here’s where the further denormalisation comes in.
Two weeks ago (according to staff) a directive came from Head Office that ALL Alcohol and Tobacco sales to anyone, had to be approved by a specified staff member.
As this is only a smallish shop, this means only The Manager can sell or authorise the sale of Alcohol or Tobacco.
In practice, as managers do not like to work the check-out and would rather be off ‘managing things’. It works like this.
You rock up to the check out with your basket of sundries, the girl starts ringing them through an lo and behold she comes across a bottle of Chilean Cab Sav for £3.99 (on special , it’s quite nice if you hold your nose when drinking).
The bell is rung to summon The Manager
You wait
The people behind you wait.
The bell is rung again
You wait some more
The people behind you wait some more (they are beginning to ‘tut’ )
The Manager eventually arrives from whatever manager cubby hole he has been skulking in, emits a harassed sigh and gives you a filthy look as you have interrupted his 'managing of things'. (Have they had training in this, I wonder)
He inputs his 6 digit code
He fucks off again.
You complete your purchase and leave.
Yet just as you leave you hear the bell being rung again, some dirty bastard has asked for 20 Benson’s.
You can feel they level of frustration and hatred by those in the queue behind without alcohol or intent to purchase tobacco step up a little.
Now, it is not directed at the store policy or the stupid manager that doesn’t wait to see if anyone else wants booze or fags before fucking off.
It’s directed at you, by your selfish actions in wishing to purchase a perfectly legal product, you have delayed them.
You are no longer one of us, you are now one of ‘Them’
You have been denormalised.
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There is much wittering in the blogosphere and in the MSN about Mr Buttered New Potato Head going back on his ‘Cast Iron’ guarantee for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, I am however not surprised for a couple of reasons.
The first being, From what I can remember from my chemistry and history. Cast Iron is brittle, it has good compression strength, but as anyone who has ever taken down a Cast Iron Gutter or Down Pipe can tell you, a sharp blow with a hammer it will shatter into pieces. The EU is a very big hammer and Call Me Dave knows it.
I think he chose his words with care, if he had said a Wrought Iron guarantee or even Steel, I would definitely be disappointed.
Secondly he is a professional politician one of the NWO of the Political Class, this is what they do, they lie, from the time they wake up, to the time they rest hanging upside down in belfries or crawl back under their rocks, they lie, just to get to the top of the greasy pole.
It has become so ingrained in them,that actually telling the truth has become an anathema. Then when the truth finally is exposed there’s always a ‘But yeah’
I would not trust a single one of them to tell me what day of the week it was without going to check on a calendar afterwards (and checking my wallet was still there).
![cameron[3]](http://lh4.ggpht.com/_OMvQU4Z6QmI/SvBCGrihJ9I/AAAAAAAAAlg/fZFjiGUs4QQ/s1600-h/cameron%5B3%5D%5B3%5D.jpg "cameron[3]")
Dave with pants on fire
It seems the SAD has kicked in, which on top of my general low level depression is never a good thing.
No post yesterday and bereft of ideas today, the news is all so bleak. I will see if I can find my ‘get up and go’ which has ‘got up and gone’ tomorrow.
So as a counter point please have some photos of unbearable cuteness (apologies to diabetics)
From Top to Bottom; A Red Panda, A Drop Bear, an Insurance Salesman
click pictures for larger
P45
Harriet and the rest seem intent that when the Encyclopaedia entry for the truism
None so deaf as those that will not hear. None so blind as those that will not see.
Is updated, It is accompanied by a picture of the current crop of MP’s
"They can't simply say 'you've all got to be made redundant'," Ms Harman said.
Well, yes you can Hattie
It’s very easy, companies do it all the time to cut costs, increase profits, save having to cut a penny off the dividend.
There’s a big section on The HMRC website about it, go have a read.
It’s happened to me four times so far and I expect it to happen again. On one particular occasion, I was working 8000 miles from the UK and told not only was I redundant from my job in the Far East, but also from the company back in London and had 4 weeks to get my effects in order and leave the country I’d been living in for three years or they would not pay for my repatriation as per my contract which was now terminated. All decided by a bean counter in Frankfurt.
So you don’t seem bothered by all the other redundancies you caused, but as soon as it hits close to your kith and kin out you come squealing like a stuck pig.
I shed no tears for you and your ilk, you troughing fuck pig, your protective bubble has been burst and reality is just about to bitch slap you from here to Christmas.
I shouldn’t worry though if they are really worth £30-40K pa they should get a new job in no time.
And yet from Old Holborn I see that after a no doubt arduous selection process, involving many interviews and aptitude tests.
The fragrant Nadine Dorries has selected a new ‘secretary’ her daughter.
I truly second Old Holborn’s sentiment
“Will You Just Stop Shitting In Our Faces”
I’ve just watched the first episode of the new series of ‘The Thick Of It’. I know, my bad, very late.
The writing and acting are as good as ever, best quote
“You are a human fucking dartboard and Eric fucking Bristow is on the oche flinging a million darts made of human shit at you.”
Malcolm Tucker
Click to open ‘The Unspoken Constitution’’
It is often said by the PTB that we do not require a written constitution as we have an ‘unspoken constitution’ in the UK, a system of Laws and Rights gathered through the ages that apply to and are understood by all. If you don’t understand it the PTB will tell you what it means.
The Democratic Audit have written down the constitution as it applies today.
Like with all good satire, it is too close to the bone to be ha-ha funny and just a little disturbing.
The worrying thing is, I can see ‘Call Me Dave’ our next Prime Minister’ signing up to this like a shot if it was presented in his first Parliament.
Go read it, laugh and then ponder.
I started several posts about this, but got lost along the way in the sheer stupidity of the whole exercise.
Read the article, if you can coherently post your feelings, because I can’t, I’d love to read it. All I’m going to do just add a few comments of my own to certain bits.
A growing army of diversity 'missionaries' who scrutinise children's relationships
WTF is a ‘Diversity Missionary’ I don’t read The Guardian so probably haven’t seen this job advertised.
Where do they come from? Who gave then access to schools?
Now I know where the professionally offended go during work time.
'But most of these 'racist incidents' are just kids falling out. They don't need re-educating out of their prejudice - they and their teachers need to be left alone.'
No, children don’t have prejudice, they have to be taught that, and that’s what you’re doing.
One teacher told researchers that anti-racist interventions had led to 'an absolutely awful atmosphere around the school'.
No shit Sherlock
'Children who used to play beautifully together are starting to separate along racial lines,' the teacher said.
And again, as with so much delivered in the last 12 year The Law of Unintended Consequences bites us hard on the ass.
Although I’m sure the ‘Diversity Missionaries’ will just declaim that it proves their point that we are all ‘racist’.
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Click images for larger.
The leaves of autumn,
Drunk on a thousand sunsets,
Clothe themselves in flames.
H. Lynnea Johnson,
