Life-cycle

Daughter is a member of Her Majesty’s Police Force…and when not on duty, she is actually quite a nice gentle person!

This weekend, she is the only WPC taking part on Saturday 5th Sept in a cycle ride from Edinburgh to Glasgow. It is some 65 miles, starting at Edinburgh Quay, and ending in Glasgow City Centre, via the towpaths of the Union Canal and the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Donations and sponsorship will be divided equally between two charities:-

………….Erskine was set-up in 1916 to care for the wounded returning from WW1, and still cares for those returning from the present conflicts, and

………….The Moira Fund which was founded by family, friends, and colleagues, in memory of Moira Jones, who was murdered in Queen’s Park, Glasgow in May 2008. It will make grants to individuals who have been bereaved through violent death, to provide specialist bereavement counselling, access to respite and retreats, and a support network.

Two wonderful charities who deserve our help so if you have not already contributed give it a thought. You can get more details on the appropriate websites, or donate directly….

www.Erskine.org.uk

www.themoirafund.org.uk

 http://www.justgiving.com/pigsonbikes/

GOOD LUCK, FOLKS….hope the legs (andbottoms) hold up OK!!!!

For Goodness sake!

Have the BBC gone bonkers!! Top headline on the news tonight was all about the revelations on the death of Michael Jackson! Good Heavens, get a life!

A pop artist who was highly paid for making his music has had so much anaesthetic for pain killing (caused by his own operations) that he has been poisoned, intentionally or otherwise……is this the most important item to be broadcast from the great British Broadcasting Corporation on its flagship 6 o’clock news?

Did no-one tell them there were other more important things going on in the world?

A serial cereal eater!

We must come clean……it had to  come out….we have an addict in the family!

Lady of the House likes a very regular breakfast…prunes, or other fruit (that’s why it is called ‘regular’), followed by a small amount of cereal, and a cup of tea.  Nothing unusual about that, you say!

………but the worry lies within that short paragraph!

I think she must have shares in one of the companies, or a predeliction for the taste of a certain grain from which the cereal is made.

I refer (whisper it) to cinnamon…….she always has to have what used to be known as ‘Cinnamon Grahams’, but the name has now been changed to the strange ‘Curiously Cinnamon’.

So the kitchen smells of cinnamon, we recycle lots of cinnamon-smelling cartons, and every time we are at the super-market for shopping there always has to be a cinnamon cereal thrown into the trolley!

So what’s the attraction? Is she alone in the world with this addiction? Is there a Cinnamon Anonymous where help can be sought and given? Is there a Cinnamon Monthly, where forums can discuss the relative merits of different manufacturers? Is there a helpline in anyone’s phone directory? Does anyone know of a closet website? Is there likely to be a world shortage if this really catches on?

And I haven’t even thought about any possible withdrawal symptoms if the need to cease munching comes to the fore. Will the NHS provide alternatives which can be used to help at this time? Would patches be better than eating some paper-based placebo?

PLEASE….is anyone out there with the same problem, or must we face the dire consequences alone?…..replies on a cereal packet please, or just reply in the Comments section. Your secret will be kept confidential, I promise!

Really just a small cog….

I know we are all pre-occupied with our own time on this earth, and the short section of time we call life. However to put this very basic information into perspective, it is very salutory to watch the following website, for just a few minutes, and see how we fit-in to the larger picture, and also how much pollution we are producing as a nation. Have a look at it. http://www.breathingearth.net/ …..it’s fascinating!

Paul What-a-man!

So Paul Newman has passed-on at the marvellous age of 83.

Isn’t it nice to hear about a star, who did not think of himself as one, who did not ‘do the rounds’ of all the red-carpet venues, who was married for over forty years to the love of his life, and who thought of film-making as a job, not an opportunity to become famous.

He spent the last number of years developing a food brand bearing his name, but whose intention was to raise money for charity! I never bought any of the products but will now! I remember seeing him in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ where he portrayed someone who seemed to enjoy his situation in life, and that maybe was a simile for his actual life.

May he rest in peace.

Greed, greed, and more greed…

What else can you say about the present economic turmoil (I really mean disaster) in the world. Fund managers wanting to get a bit of the actions in areas which they did not understand, and building societies and banks loaning money to people whom they do not know. Then we have the hedge-fund managers, and the buy-up  of HBOS by LLoyds at a bargain price….so who suffers….home-owners trying to buy, home-owners trying to sell, pension owners who are scared to seek a valuation, people who will not see a local bank office, as many will be closed off.

BUT HAVE WE SEEN THE INCOMPETENT MORTGAGE AND BANK DIRECTORS HANDING-OVER SOME OF THEIR LARGE SALARIES TO HELP THOSE WHO STAND TO LOSE THEIRS?

YOU BET YOU HAVEN’T!

My other life!!

Some of you may already know of my great love of choral music, and our loyal band of Choristers who have worked together for some years now. So much is happening in that field that it needs its own outlet for information.

If interested in this you can use the link on the Blogroll at http://angelussingers.wordpress.com

I have many references under ‘irishpisky’ about the choir, and will still blog on it if something proves of general interest

Old and/or New

I have a wardrobe full of clothes which are mostly over a year old. They are all perfectly functionable and serviceable for occasions ranging from gardening, to formal does, and don’t show the signs of aging which my face does! As they wear, they are moved into another usage area so that they can be utilised with impunity in the garden or when grovelling in the loft. When even that is no longer an option, they are moved into the next charity bag requesting rags or old clothes. ….all a very good system!

I also have a car which has 110,000 miles on the clock, and whilst it sports a few bits of rust and some scratches, it is going well, and will see me well, until public transport is the main mode of travel for us…..and I am proud of having an old car!

So I am doing my bit to save the planet from the voracious consumption of ’stuff’!!!!!

Why then is it seen as the function of the fair species to induce us to ‘clear out those clothes’, on a regular basis? The problem is, you see, that I constantly receive gifts of ties, sock, shirts and vouchers for major clothes chains! This unfortunately happens irrespective of the actual requirement, no matter how good the intention. So I receive more items than are disposed-off, and so the wardrobe gets fuller, and the individual clothes which are there are worn fewer times per year, (obviously) but their presence and the occasional wearing, lead the Young Lady of the House to inquire why ‘that old thing’ is being worn.

It’s a chicken and egg thing. Should I ask for a moratorium on the purchase of clothes for me for 5 years so that I can actually wear out some, and clear a space in the wardrobe? I can’t think of any answer….come on guys, give me a clue as to how you handle this ….and ladies, don’t give any platitudes about ‘keeping in fashion’ or any such rubbish!

Remember, remember…..

Today (6th August) is the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, with the intention of ending their participation in the war. (Although Japan was already prepared to surrender)

The world would never be the same again….or so we thought! But still we have violence and national wars. Another broken promise by politicians, and total lack of understanding of the human condition.

And did we have any mention of it in the national news…no!

So please just give a few minutes’ thought to those who died, those who suffered and those who were bereaved.

Getting back to normal?

I’m looking forward to tomorrw night when Young Lady of the House, and Daughter, return from their sojourn on the sun-kissed beaches of Cala San Vicente, no doubt tanned and relaxed.

I managed to get a lot of work done in the garden when the weather was hot, and the normal cleaning and hygiene necessary in any household was carried-out to normal male-standards…but I have a feeling that they may be subject to some criticism. I never really came to terms with the vast amount of thinking and physical work which the household requires.

I ate on three nights with Son, and two kind families offered hospitality so I did not require any great cuisine to keep body and soul together……thanks are due to them!

So it will be with joy in my heart that I welcome the ladies of my life back to the fold. Not just because I love them both to bits, but I am happy to hand over the reins of the household again, and Daughter can take away Benji the hamster to his own home

My last day of freedom (or solitude if you wish) will be a trip to the beautiful area of Tighnabruaich in Argyll, and then last minute shopping and tidying before heading to the Airport.

BUT WATCH HERE FOR WHAT HAPPENS ON SUNDAY!