Dumb da dumb dumb, duuuuummmmmb

Sometimes, more especially nowadays, we do things that have no rhyme or reason. We sign up for Facebook or Twitter not really knowing why, but  everyone’s doing it so we go with the flow. We are humans and stuff happens and it doesn’t always click how dumb we have been.

Take Twitter. You can put the twitter ’gadget’ on your blog and every reader can read your tweets, why they would want to is beyond me. However if you don’t use it  but link it to Live Writer all the twitter link shows on your blog is the blog posts that you have made. So what’s the point? Don’t ask me I have no idea, but bloggers are doing it.

Gave me a chuckle anyway.

Drop me an email I will tell you who.

Narrow Dog

This is my library. It is right next to the pump out machine and elsan at the BW facilities yard Thrupp. There is a small sturdy locked container for those that use it to donate to the annual charity. This year it was the Air Ambulance. It was from here that I finally got a copy of Narrow Dog to Carcassonne.

Narrow Dog to Carcassonne is not your normal travelogue, but the tale of a barking mad retiree’s journey from Stoke on Trent to Carcassonne via the English channel with his long suffering wife, Monica, and Jim the whippet. It is an amusing book with a strange comedic style that will have you smirking , laughing and in a few places roaring at the antics of Terry, Monica and Jim.

Terry had a lot of experience of a lot of things, none of them boating. Terry has now added boating to his list via this crackpot scheme. At one point he even ventured out into the Med. I felt sorry for Monica who seem to be swept up in this, often death defying, journey. I felt sorry for Jim who doesn’t like boating and seems to pee on his foot a lot, Boots does that too.

Terry seems absolutely certifiable, Jim is pitiful, and Monica is well, Monica. It must have been a difficult task for Terry to write this book with a crayon.

What I didn’t like about the book was that there are no speech quotation marks “-“ used. Sometimes it is not always obvious who is saying what. This made it a difficult read for me to start with, but it is nonetheless a funny book despite this absence. Good value for money at only a pound from my library.

Ok Terry I have read it. Now you can read mine. I will call you when it’s finished.

Much nicer

Well being as I said that that the seating yesterday replaced a much nicer structure I thought you might like a picture.Yes the seats are outside, but the whole thing is much nicer than its replacement.

???????

This was only built last year to replace the nicer one they tore down. For the life of me I cant work out what is wrong with it.

Start small

In answer to Bones post  following my recent success with our dog poo bin. Council offices are in local directories.

There are also a couple of sites that might be of interest to those who want to ‘do’ something positive which doesnt even involve getting up out of the armchair.

FIX MY STREET

FixMyStreet is a site to help people report, view, or discuss local problems they’ve found to their local council by simply locating them on a map.

MY SOCIETY

Hello! We are mySociety – we run most of the UK’s best known democracy websites.Using our services, 200,000 people have written to their MP for the first time, nearly 19,000 potholes and other broken things have been fixed, over 10,500,000 signatures have been left on petitions to the Prime Minister, and at least 77 tiny hats have been knitted for charity.

 

Spooky

I took this picture to see if I could work out if it was me or the dog that was out of focus. I think the dog lives permanently out of focus. Kinda scary little yapper aint she?

Result!

Some would say it is not my place to ask why the dog poo bin (dpb) near us has not been emptied. They may be right, but I look at it this way. Here dpb’s are roughly head height. Everyone that passes is subjected to the stink of a full bin. I am performing a public service in doing this. I have the time, not everybody does. So to my detractors I would say Happy Christmas.

I finally got to speak to the Cherwell District Council yesterday morning ref the dpb on the towpath just past the Jolly Boatman. Last night on our way back from the pub at about 8.30 we noticed it had indeed been emptied.

Result!

Many thanks to the lady at the Cherwell DC office in Kidlington for expediting this matter.

The said bin

Hurrah!

On Tuesday against all the odds we won the quiz at the BOAT INN. Bones got 4 questions right. Bones, Mark, Mel and I won a gallon of beer. PJ was a late starter he arrived in time for the last round.

There was a lot of argie bargie when no one had ever heard the answer to one question What was the nick name of the Mosquito fighter/bomber. Answer the Timber Terror. Well all teams said the Wooden Wonder. Eventually after consultation with Google WW was allowed.

I and others who were very interested in aircraft of this period had never heard the name Timber Terror. Turns out it came from Wikipedia so no surprises there then.

Boots managed to nearly clear the pub with his exhausting rear.

Sam (second left) is rapidly fanning the air to avoid the paint stripping effect of Boots’ toxic odour. PJ (left) seems to be blaming Douglas (centre) while others are trying to filter out the stink of the real culprit (head down lower centre). Mark is out of shot (right) he opened the door for fresh air. I took this picture with my jumper pulled up around my face. Bones has that picture.

Art for Art sake

Art is a very personal thing. Following on from Bones last week when she displayed some of her artwares on her blog I am doing the same.

This first one is by an Arab artist 'Mermarion'. It took me four months to buy this. I would go to the art shop in Euromarche, Riyadh sit on the floor and look. I wanted to know if I could live with it. I would sit for about an hour at a time. I made about 6/7 visits to see it. Finally I coughed up $400 after deciding I could. I do wonder sometimes if I bought it because I really liked it or just because my bum got sore sitting on the floor.

This is a picture I did a few weeks ago entitled Crowded Spaces. I had been to the hospital and while there saw an exhibition of local artist work. I thought I can do that and did.

This picture Girl with a pearl ear ring is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's. I saw the film and bought the picture after a couple of visits to an art shop in Oxford.

These two are great. The Indian head I bought in Central America, the other was bought for me as a place to keep my glasses and not lose them. Doesn’t work!

Bollards

I wonder when those people installing anything to do with boats will start asking boaters what’s what. I mean what was the point of mounting the ring on the towpath side of this post? It’s almost as if they go out of their way to get it wrong! What was wrong with the bollard its been fine for many-a-year.

I suppose it could be a health and safety thing, the council not wanting the installer guy to risk falling in the water, but it is probably just dumb assed stupidity.

Deep Water!

The river has been there for thousands if not millions of years yet it is only now that we feel the need to tell the local populace that there is deep water. The world is going mad!

Memories

I cant help but love these old phone boxes. You don’t see many still in use these days, but they do evoke memories of calls to girlfriends long past. This one on the causeway to Marlow Bridge.

Temple island

Accessories

Don't you just love this house with it's matching boat.

The Old and the New

These two boats are moored on the same island.

I saw three of these futuristic boats on the same stretch of river.

I think they are hired out as conference rooms or office space.

POT UGH!!

Roof top of HAMPTON COURT. I have to wonder how this piece of our heritage was allowed to have that monstrosity  attached to it. It surely must be a listed building. How did they get away with that ‘pot’ among all that ornate brick work?

Nice boat, crap parking.

This little beauty is moored at the end of an eyot/ait (Island). On the end of the island is a sign board. The sign board says CHANNEL and there is an arrow pointing the way to pass the island. The sign board cannot be seen. This boat is blocking it from view. And the EA are doing what about it? ZIP!

Late start this morning

COOKHAM

Modern Highwaymen

It is bad enough that these people are charging 97p for a litre of red, but £1.28 for a litre of 4star is blatant robbery.

Boo Boo Boo Sainsbury’s

Before you even step into a Sainsbury’s store your are bombarded with advertising for shit you don’t want. Mr Sainsbury thinks you have no mind of your own and that he can influence what you buy. And if you let him he can. But the idea that he thinks he can still have an effect on what you will do at the checkout is a F***ing insult to your intelligence.

He knows this and he knows you are a sucker and will capitulate, which is why even at the point of paying for what you have bought he is still trying to influence what you think, what you do ,what decisions you make. It doesn’t matter if he succeeds the point is he think you are so stupid he tries. This is out and out marketing pornography. At a time when the economic situation is worse than it has been for a long time Mr Sainsbury want you to borrow money at a vastly inflated rate of interest when the best you can hope for if you were to invest that money is next to zip. It is an insult to each and every one of us. I am sickened buy this crap. Enough is enough!!! I complained today about this and I will complain every time I enter the store. I hope you do to. I want to scream at the manager that he should value my custom not insult me every time I walk into the shop. This advertising is crass, vacuous and in very bad taste.

Shame on Sainsbury’s.

Rant over!

Interesting

Fungi

DUCK

No silly not duck just duck (when it flies over)

Liberty No3

There is a lift bridge on the Oxford canal that has just 60 feet of mooring. Not a problem my boat just fits. Well if this 'AGENDA 21' moorer hadn't nicked 6 feet it would. It’s a bloomin’ liberty Carl that’s what it is a bloomin’ liberty.

WINDY WEATHER

Today was a total disaster. I motored on down to the water point to empty the black water.  No problem until I got to the bridge. The wind was howling around the end of the sanitation block. It was so strong that there was no way anyone could have moored up without a Bow Thruster, except on the other side of the canal. I filled the tank with water to top it off. Set up the hand pump and when ready to pump went to put the end of the hose into the Elsan. Just my luck the Elsan was blocked.

Mike Hunter came to help with his rod and started doing the old push me pull me routine right down to the connection with the Thames Water main sewer to no avail.

Mike called BW who in turn called Thames Water. TW will be here sometime today but that could be midnight. So here I sit on the water point waiting. Its been raining most of the day. My Black water tank is full so I cant use it. Good news! there is a proper toilet next to the Elsan. Bad news! it on the same blockage. Good news! Bones has new doors. Bad news! She wont let me use them as a toilet, which isn’t surprising really.

Mike, good little soldier that he is, put signs up saying DO NOT USE, Three people have emptied their Elsans since. One of the drawbacks of Elsan owners I suppose, THEY CANT READ!

Drain Clearance

It's been a long time since I have seen one of these. When we were kids they used to come around often clearing the drains. The driver  said of the drain by our mooring that it hadn’t be done for so long that it couldn’t be done by that truck. Well it was filled to the very top with road dirt.They used to come with just the driver now they have to have the back up truck with the illuminated signs on the back to tell traffic that they are working. Er like your average motorist couldn’t work that out for himself!

Having two trucks makes it more difficult to pass so adding to the danger they are supposed to be limiting. DOH!

Boots eating a dead thing

Whatever this is he will eat it. My guess is its about two weeks old, thats his favourite.

I made a difference

Thinking about what I have managed to change recently. I bought to the attention of the local council that the road between Kidlington and Shipton is overgrown and the brambles were catching people in the eye. Last week they did the stretch from the start of Langford Lane Bridge to Canal Road Thrupp. It’s a start.  Much safer now. RESULT!!!

There is a footpath from Shipton Village to Bunkers Hill it is well built about 5 feet wide and gravelled. During the last year the nettles and teasels have swamped the path and it is now impassable. Again I spoke to the council. A chap phoned me last week about it . He was in there area but couldn’t find it, yes that overgrown. I went up there to show him where I was talking about. Work on the path started this week. RESULT!!!

Small things but I made a difference.

The MELDREW Syndrome

It can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that I suffer from The Meldrew Syndrome. My dislike of Gordon Brown and his thieving cronies, my outburst in Kingston, my continual harping on about Speeding boaters, my oft displayed diatribe about not getting my ‘pint’ etc, etc etc. What is it all about.

I am just an ordinary guy. For 25 years 239 days my life was about rules, regulations, orders. I was not a great military person, yes I enjoyed the RAF and the benefits it brought me and continues to bring me. But I couldn’t say I was, what we termed, ‘a Military Cabbage’. I just wanted to go to work do what I had to do enjoy my free time and pick up the pay cheque at the end of the month. Probably the same as many of you.

In the pub last night we were discussing a few things. I said, ‘What gets to me most is knowing something is wrong and not being able to do anything about it”. Sam said, “So why worry about it. You cant change it just chill out'”. Well that is the point, 'I' can’t change it, but 'we' can. We live in a democratic society we should be able to have our say and make a difference.

For a long time now this country has had an apathetic attitude to most things. We accept getting robbed. The petrol companies rob us, the breweries rob us, the supermarkets rob us the list is ended only when you get to the last one, our government rob us! And what do we do about it . . . .NOTHING. If a million letters turned up in 10 downing street tomorrow and again every day until the end of the month two things would happen 1. we the people would have saved the post office. 2. GB would start listening or stand down.

When someone speaks up half a dozen people around him will say leave it you cant change it, don’t get stressed about that which you cannot change. Let someone else worry about. Sorry but it’s just not acceptable.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

Many times through out history the struggle between good and evil can be explained by Edmund Burke's comment. Those who call themselves good appear to outnumber the evil fraternity, but the evil seem to prevail all too often. It is not the numbers that decide the result of a given conflict, but whether those who claim to be good men are willing to stand up for what they know to be right.

It is because we don’t stand up that we are being robbed blind. It is because we don’t stand up that things change for the benefit of the privileged few. It is because we don’t stand up that this tiny island is being swamped. It is because we don’t stand up that we have Gordon Brown, a democratic enigma. It’s because we don’t stand up . . . . . I could go on, and usually do, but I am sure you get the message.

Don’t put someone down because they are doing a Victor. Remember the Poll Tax? A lot of individual people didn’t like it so they got together and made a fuss and it was changed. Who suffered? Us house holders who were the silent majority. We didn’t stand up!

We can make a difference, we should make a difference. Our forefathers made a difference fighting the evil Nazis. In the twenties and thirties the National Socialists slowly crept up on the German people. Many people said nothing not realising that there would come a time when they could only say nothing.

Freedom is not cheap. You have to make an effort, our parents and grandparents did. Most of us don’t have to fight in a war but we do need to struggle. We do need to voice our opinion, as loud as possible, when things are wrong. When a store keeper charges you £10 for something that clearly didn’t cost 50p to manufacture (remember my post about watch batteries) call the manager, make a fuss and refuse to buy. And make sure everyone nearby knows why you are making a fuss.

Do not accept ‘NO’ with out validation. Ask why not? Do not allow little ‘Hitlers’ to take away our liberty little by little because eventually it will all be gone. When someone says, “cant do that, health & Safety” ask to see a copy of the risk assessment (there has to be one). Remember COMPANY POLICY is not law but a layman’s interpretation of what he/she thinks the law should be, usually written by someone who has a higher opinion of himself/herself than their stature would suggest.

Always challenge bureaucratic clap trap. Always challenge bad attitude from managers and staff, You are paying over the top for goods and services they can at least be polite and rob you efficiently.

If we all try to change something, just one thing, before Christmas our lives will change for the better. And if we keep trying to change things this country will eventually be a great place to live, not the political sewer is has become. Only sit back and chill when you have made the effort to change something. You will have earned it. Standing up to be counted is hard work.

So what am I going to do to change something today you might ask? Well today I wrote a 1000 word essay called the Meldrew Syndrome. If you read this far you may be starting to wonder what you can do. And if only one reader tries to change something then my day hasn’t been wasted.

Tomorrow I will sit and chill, but watch this space. Next week I will start with a visit the council offices to find out why the dog poo bin isn’t being emptied. It’s a little thing but it all helps.

Liberty No2

What makes the driver of this car think they can drop the security chain on our space, park their car here (trespass) replace the chain then bugger off. And then lecture me about my attitude.

She said. “I didn’t see a sign”. A sign!  A bloody sign!!!! there was a damn great lump of chain across the friggin’ entrance. What did she expect to see the virgin birth?

Liberty No1

This is a dog poo bin. Why do boaters think they can dump their rubbish here in a public park in Reading.

Just for Carl who cant seem to grasp the way it works, What a liberty.

Da Moon

From Trading Standards in Oxford (EDIT)

Your enquiry concerning what a legal measure of Guinness is has been passed to me.

The legal position is that a pint of beer (including Guinness) can include both the liquid and the froth of the head. How much is liquid and how much is allowed to be head is not prescribed in law (there was legislation that was going to be enacted about this but it was repealed before it came into force). There is a brewers code of practice (developed by the industry with no say by trading standards) called "Guidance Notes on the Dispense of Draught Beer by Free Flow and Hand Pull" published in October 1993 by the Brewers´ Society (now the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association, BLRA). This says that a pint should be at least 95% liquid when served in a brim measure glass, and the retailer should always top it up when asked by the customer. Trading standards have been forced into the position of accepting this code as the legal position by the efforts of the government and the courts.

Whether the beer in the picture you e-mailed to me is a pint will depend on these facts and also whether the glass is a lined glass (when the liquid should be up to the line with the froth being extra). It is impossible to tell just by looking.

I hope that answers your question.
Yours sincerely

Louise Hedger
Principal Trading Standards Officer

So what is being said here is a pint (thats 20fl oz) is to be a pint (20fl oz) when served in a lined glass. However if served in a brim measure glass it only has to be 19 fl oz (or less if they can get away with it). To get what you pay for one needs to find a pub that uses lined glasses. I can remember this going before parliament two or three times in the last twenty or so years and those people who we voted for to look after our intrests have consistantly failed to get this sorted. What is so difficult about getting pubs to use lined glasses. They used to. Given that the industry guidelines say 95% then the glass could have the line at 19 fl ozs.

My best guess is that the 'pint' in the picture below is certainly not a pint. It may be 18fl oz of the black stuff but the head does not go right to the top of the glass and so on two points it is not a pint. Were I standing at the bar when this was served I would have swigged off the top and asked for a top-up. However this was served at my table, I should not have had to ask. And this is not what the guide lines say. I should be served 95%(not 90%) and then ask for a top up.

Beer is more expensive than petrol yet if our local garage only gave us 950 ml for every litre we would all be up in arms about it. If a pub can only stay in business by cheating it's customers (which is what this amounts to) then it doesnt deserve to be in business. Pints like the one in the picture should not be charged at the full price, which in this case was £3.60!

Addendum:- In the paper it said drinkers were being cheated out of £1 million a day.

Secret little places.

PAY-PAL **** **** **** ****

There are times when I want to do someone real damage. I do not, nor have I ever had a Pay-Pal account. I have managed to get by without one.

Yet every once in a while I get an email telling me I must verify my account. I write back and tell them I do not have an account. Some smarmy bastard then writes and says, “Hello It it my job to help you with your query and it will give me the greatest pleasure to do that here today”. Then they go on to explain how I should go about verifying my account.

It is at this stage I throw my teddy out of the pram and explain in no uncertain terms, with more expletives than most people know, why I hate them. We bat back and forth for a weeks or so and then they piss off for a couple of months.

They are back now with a new weapon. Obviously they dont want my usual tirade so they sent this latest email from a noreply@paypal.com address. How dumb is that?! I am still going to throw my teddy out of the pram using the last email addy I have.

If they dont want to hear my tirade all they have to do is leave me alone. It aint rocket science!

Lunch with the man

Today I had a spot of lunch with the creator of MUDDY WATERS Dan Clacher. We had never met before even though I have been pushing his books on this blog. I am the good looking one on the right. Very interesting to hear how it all came about. The future for Muddy seems assured. Dan has entered into a dog eat dog world since retiring. But having been an Assistant Chief Constable in a former life I think he’ll cope. Reviews are good and the books are selling well. More books are in the planning stage so we can expect new stories soon.

Dan ‘twas good to meet at last. Thanks for the lunch and the ‘Package’. Best of luck with the project.

MOORING METER

You may or may not believe it but this is dual function meter. It is a parking meter yes but press the yellow button and you can pay for your mooring too. You can if you wish find this meter upstream of Henley Bridge down stream of Marsh Lock on the west side of the river opposite Rod Eyot. From what I understand mooring is free between 10 am and 3 pm and over night mooring is 6 quid.

Taking you taking me, Ah ha

This is, I think, somewhere near Marlow. I took this pic of him taking a pic of me, well the boat..

SELF SERVICE

I do rather like the new signs at Thames Locks to tell you when the look keeper is not in attendance. When these originally came into being they were just yellow discs that showed white when folded up. ‘Yellow boards’ on the river meant something completely different so the yellow discs were confusing. Of course I could never remember if it was yellow that meant DIY or White.

What is needed now is a commonality of where they are placed. On the gates is no good because if the gates are open you cant see the discs so you dont know if it is DIY or not and it is not always safe to say if the gates are open the keeper is in attendance.

They could be placed on either side but it would be better on the control consul side so that where there are moorings both sides of the lock entrance one can chose to moor on the side nearest to the controls rather than having to open the gates then cross over the gate at the other end to fetch the boats (it’s not always easy to see the consul location, them being green). I think this one is right, that's the consul in the left background.

A Castle?

No not a castle but holiday flats would you believe.

It’s not hard

 

This was at Shiplake pump out station.

Such a shame the customers cant read.

Want one!

Resign Brown NOW!

Gordon Brown may well be a much maligned man but he is doing nothing to help the situation. His recent response to the mother of a fallen soldier shows him to have as much heart as bulls have udders.

I don’t think we would blame UK’s No1 blunderer if he said,’I am sorry, I mean no disrespect, but I have terrible hand writing so I am writing this on my laptop to ensure my sincerity is not mis-read.’

But no he blunderers on and even tries to hoodwink the soldiers mother on the phone. What ever credibility Gordy had is now well down the plughole.

Resign Brown NOW.!

A nice project

I love boats like this. Shame it’s derelict. Could make a nice restoration project.

About my leg.

If you have ever snapped an Achilles tendon you will know what I mean when I say I would rather have broken my leg.

It has been 4 months since my accident. Repair has been a painful process. The op wasn’t too stressful but the not being able to put a foot on the floor or 5 weeks was really difficult. Physio though tiring was effective and continues to be so. I can actually balance on that  leg only which is a vast improvement from my last visit. I can do most things that I used to do, this morning I even ran a short distance.

I am now completely signed off from the JR. For the first time in 2 years I dont have an appointment to go to at one JR department or other.

Gi’s a job!

Dumb, dumber, dumbest.

I just love these guys. My ‘secret banker’ doesn’t want me to know his name yet signs his email. This must be a contender for the top 10 stupid crooks in the world.

Good Day,
This is a personal email directed to you for your consideration alone, I request that it remain and be treated as such only. Please bear with me for now and do not ask my name. I am a banker with HSBC here in Malaysia.

I have an interesting business proposal for you that will be of
immense benefit to both of us. Although this may be hard for you to believe, we stand to gain 7.2 million USD between us in a matter of days. Please grant me the benefit of doubt and hear me out. I need you to signify your interest by replying to this email.

Most importantly, I will need you to promise to keep whatever you learn from me between us even if you decide not to go along with me. I will make more details available to you on receipt of a positive response from you.

Noor R.B.Hamid

Watch this space!

Molly having a moment.

All Saints Church MARLOW

What/where/why?

I can’t remember exactly where it was I saw this building. somewhere between Temple Island and Temple Footbridge. Is this a civil war building rebuilt or is it an old Abbey or is it a modern building made to look old

 

Not a good idea

I saw this chap spinning for Pike somewhere near Temple Island. I asked him what he intended to do when he hooked into the big one? Waterskiing is what I thought he said.

Kidlington Green

I was very happy to see this stretch of the canal has been cleaned up. Last year the weeds and nettles made it impossible to moor.

Old river route

Just as you come upon Old Windsor Lock the river route branches off to the right around what is now Ham Island. These original river sections are very interesting. There are some some very ‘posh’ houses along the waters edge, wildlife is relatively undisturbed and of course the weir at the end. We usually only ever see the weirs from the top side, but it is nice to see the working side so to speak.

Word of warning:

The closer to the weir you get the more chance of getting stuck on a gravel bar.

Private Property

It is surprising how possessive people can get about the smallest of spaces.

MUDDY WATERS

This is the third in the series of books from the stable of Dan Clacher released this week. You can order yours here

Clifford T Ward

Clifford T Ward was one of those rare songwriters that has never written a song. He only seemed to write the most amazing poetic stories that were easily set to music.

I bought this album Home Thoughts many, many years ago and it has been a favourite ever since though I have not got a record deck on the boat. Yesterday I finally found it on CD in the ‘Rock and Pop’ section whereas I had always looked for it in the ‘Easy Listening’ department before.

So today I sit here listening to it and reminiscing times past.

I am a bit disappointed that Virgin Records, who now own the copyright, couldn't be bothered to get it right. Though the title is Home Thoughts (as in the Browning poem Home thoughts from abroad) the disc itself is annotated Home Thought no 's'. However the recording is good and worth the eight quid price tag. .

This is the title track, enjoy.

Spill your blood but not our beer!

In the UK we have laws. Laws which we have to obey. This is all part of the democratic process. There are two things that happen when you get to be 18.

1. You are legally allowed to buy alcohol in any establishment that sells it and consume it in those that are properly licensed.

2. You can die for your country!

We have boys as young as 18 fighting in Afghanistan and losing their lives. How dare the BOAT HOUSE in Wallingford refuse to serve these boys until they are 21! Yes I can see that underage drinking is a problem but this is not the way to deal with, it’s grossly unfair.

It is sad that a five year old and a young fighting soldier can go in this pub and both have to be accompanied by their mum. What a travesty! Does it count as family if Dad proudly takes his 18/19 year old son to the pub when he returns home from Helmand Province? Can Dad buy that son a beer?

I find it difficult to understand why the licensing department would put this restriction on a premises, I would have thought this would have come from a Magistrate’s Court. Surely the Licensing department would have had proper signs printed?

Addendum:- Having looked around at various sites listing pubs the comments/feedback for this pub are abysmal.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

I read in the paper today that those who are elected to look after our safety, morals, and integrity are proposing that children as young as five are to be taught about sex and drugs in our schools, irrespective of the parents wishes. What do these people think they are doing? This is so Wrong!

One could be forgiven for thinking that certain of our Lords and Masters are after producing in our schools a generation of sexually aware youngsters for their own nefarious purposes!

Our children are children for such a short time. Their innocence is a valuable part of growing up.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

I was mugged

Last year I fell and broke my watch. Earlier this year I did it again, one of the strap bar thingies broke when I tripped over a bollard at the Thrupp water point. A short while after I fell again and broke both the little strap thingies. The watch was consigned to the draw until I could get round to having it fixed. That was some six months ago.

Well while it was in the drawer the battery went flat. Today I took it with me to get the strap fixed and a new battery. A CR2016. I went to a nationally known High Street Jewellers in Corn Market Oxford.

“No problem Sir,” said the man, “£1 each for the pins and that’s a high power battery 850.”

Well I don’t know about you but I thought it was a 2016 not an 850 and so it was a 2016, 850 was the price, £8.50. I was stunned because we used to buy these batteries in Saudi markets for 50p a strip of ten. However we are not in Saudi any more and one has to accept a price the robbers err sorry, Jewellers think you will pay.

This evening I was surfing, as you do, and thought to enter the battery number into Google. Now I didn’t know there was a batteries4youdirect but therein I found cards of 12 Panasonic CR2016 batteries for £5.25 per card/45p each. Sold on for £8.50 each that’s £102, a mark up of 1950%.

Were I a big nationally known High Street Jewellers I could afford to buy lots and the price would reduce to £4.25 per card. That’s 35p each. Then I could make £8.15 profit for everyone sold, that’s a 2400% mark up.

There are words we use for this sort of skulduggery business ‘highway robbery’, ‘profiteering’, Corporate mugging immediately come to mind, even Sharkery (OK so I made that one up). This should be against the law. That’s the last time I go to a nationally known High Street Jewellers.

They are nothing better than crooks.

Addendum  . . . the two pins and the battery came to £10.50 I told him I would give him a tenner which he accepted.

SHIPLAKE LOCK

Walking the dog

I took Boots for a walk last night while Bones went to the shops. Boots has a nasty habit of finding things you would rather he didn't. Last night he managed to bring back a dead bird, about as big as a Moorhen and a very long time dead. What is amazing is that he has trouble sometimes with his proper food, but give him a rancid carcass and he has the constitution of a Ox.

He does so enjoy speed trials. He loves to show how fas he can run. Yesterday he passed me at warp 9 just behind two deer. When he finally came back he was done in. I think by this time next year he will be catching them.