Don't run its bad for your teeth! & Heron watch draws a blank

As early as April next year the unemployed will have to "follow the rules" says this Sky News story to claim their dole money.

The chancellor, George Osborne is determined to stamp out the "something for nothing" culture, so he says.  His idea is that claimants will either have to take on some kind of community work or report daily to the job centre. The penalty for not reporting will be a 4 week period of no benefits, a second offence will incur a 3 month no benefit period.
The US has had a similar programme running so lets hope it works here.
The only time I have been near the "dole money" hand out was when I was made redundant in 2002.  I had worked every day since 1961 and paid into our wonderful system.  Having filled out a multitude of forms it was declared that I would receive the generous amount of £15 every 2 weeks.
This was due to my 30 years in the Army and the fact I was drawing my Army pension. Thankfully by the time I would have received the generous "hand out" I had my old job back again!
I just hope the Chancellor gets onto the people drawing benefits and working at the same time!!!!

"Missed a medal by the skin of his teeth" may not be too far from the truth according to this BBC story.  It details that a fifth of the athletes attending clinics during the 2012 Olympics

had some kind of tooth erosion or gum disease.  Diet and too much training cause stress to the immune system in athletes.  An amazing 76% of 302 athletes treated during the games had gum disease!  So remember! don't run its bad for your teeth!  

The defence secretary "Philip Hammond" got more than he bargained for at the Tory party conference the other day according to this sky news story  

2 ex Royal Fusiliers officers stood up and one gave Hammond a tongue lashing about cuts in the Regiments numbers.  Pot shots about soldiers having been "betrayed"  were trooped out before the 2 were escorted from the conference hall.  Only too often there are cries of betrayal and soldiers being let down by the government.  In my view I'm afraid its all part and parcel of being in the forces.  

Nearer to home - - - Early yesterday a shadowy camouflaged figure took up his post in the garden in an attempt to scare off the Heron that is set on plundering the fish from our pond.  

This was the view from my Observation Post where I could see "Henry" the plastic Heron standing at the North end of the pond.  Although I sat there for an hour and saw an endless flock birds visiting the birdfeeders just behind me no real Herons appeared.  Maybe the fright it got the previous morning was enough to dissuade it from visiting or it may have spotted the nets we put over the pond! 

I'm off tomorrow across to Wales to overnight then have a final walk up Crib Goch and on to the top of Snowden early Wednesday morning. 

Here's a pic I took back in June from Snowden's summit looking down and across to Crib Goch with its Knife Edge walk, I dont expect the weather will be as nice as this but who knows.  

Enjoy the day  

Follow this link to see  our weather website
Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam