Cricket match what cricket match! & other bits

Once again our weather is making the news and we are promised a very wet and windy new year if the weathermen are correct.  On the other side of "the pond" the Canadians have had an ice storm.  Lots of people are suffering form power outages but it looks as if their infrastructure copes better than ours.  Looking at the news today some poeple are only just getting electricity back in the UK after the Christmas Eve storm!! - - -



Facebook dead and buried says the headline and it reports that teenagers are leaving Facebook in their droves just because their parents have figured out how to use it and are looking over their children's shoulders.  So thats it Facebook is just not coll any longer!



Cricket match? what cricket match  What a pathetic team we have down under at present i wonder if anyone has come out sith the joke about the first 11 Brits into the ground could get a game!! - - - Ah well its only a game after all!



Bad call - - again When Vicky Price was "standing by her ex husband" Chris Huhne you had to "feel sorry for her" Alas however her judgement has firmly to be examined after she is now proclaimed to be "Standing by" her boyfriend, the disgraced MP Denis Macshane.  When he is released from prison at least they will have "time" in common! - - -


Cat burglars! Denis the menace and Cleo are a couple of cats who steal all manner of things and "take them home!  very amusing video - - - worth a watch

Closer to home
Nearing the end of my shift pattern I have a day off tomorrow and then unfortunately have to work New Years Day.  Mind you having seen a "fair number of New Years I dont think I'll be too upset!

Sainsbury the Tabby, our remaining cat is off to the vets this evening.  We aren't sure what's wrong but the base of his tail is a little swollen.  We think he might have been bitten or scratched by another cat and there maybe a little infection.

sad dog story & shop antics

Rather a sad little tale this one, a dog is run over on a busy Chinese road but its companion refuses to leave its side
Eventually someone removes the dead canine from the road and buries it nearby, but the fate of the "good samaritan dog" is unknown



Our UK weather is still misbehaving and this story warns of more to come before New Year  
 More rain and high winds seem to be the order of the next few days!


I have long held a belief that the RSPCA has a "hidden agenda" and is run by a bunch of lunatics.  Its been a long time since I tossed a coin at any of their "tin shakers" who regularly appear on the streets.
here's an interesting pitch
From the boss of the "countryside alliance" ok it might be a bit biased but its getting near to the truth methinks! - - -

Nearer to home.
Down at the fun factory (Matlock Sainsbugs) we have cast off the shackles of Christmas and are now firmly in the "Jan Sale" mode.  Hundreds of boxes of sale items with far eastern origins are being opened and displayed upon the shelves.
We are down to a handful of Christmas puddings and no doubt before New Year they will be reduced to pennies to clear the shelves.

The new bakery boss, "Lets call him Dave" really is a busy bee!  I have mentioned his OCD obsession and it is grating a tad with him whirling like a demented dervish around warehouse, bakery and isle in equal measures.
He is no doubt popular with the management bending the corporate knee and he's a likeable enough chap - - - but - - - there's always a but isn't there?  He seems devoid of any humour unless its about "the shop" and a few colleagues have mentioned he doesn't talk much when he's in the canteen.  Hey ho, as Sally always says "If we were all the same life would be incredibly boring!"

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam








                                                                                                          

space weather forecasts? & Daves OCD is on full bore!

        something better to do? 

The Met Office is about to issue space weather forecasts
They are doing it so that businesses and government can have early warning of potential damaging solar storms.
Tongue in cheek though! I hope their predictions are better than the ordinary weather predictions they get monotonously incorrect.








Lieutenant  Barbara Balanzoni of the Italian Army Medical Service is in big trouble.  She saved the life of the cat in the pic while on duty in Kosovo and now faces up to a year in prison.
Apparently military authorities want to bring her to trial next February although the "case" will be debated in the Italian Parliament before then!  Whaaaaaaat"  you would think there were more important things to debate in parliament!!????

Closer to home
Back at the Fun Factory (Matlock Sainsbugs) it was a pretty dull old day.  No bread delivery meant twiddling my thumbs for a while as there was not a lot of other items to fill up the shelves with.  All the Christmas items were up for grabs but the commercial boys and girls hadn't changed the prices so I made up my own shelf edge price labels

The new Bakery manager "lets call him Dave" who has OCD has been indulging himself in the week I have not been working.  He managed to completely change round where all the bread is displayed and now only needs to re-arrange all the all the cakes to complete the job.  I wonder if he will just go back to the beginning and start all over again!  lol

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Merry Christmas & a bit of logging

Here's another example of how little even the "experts" know about wild animal behaviour after a breeding attempt fails  in a big way

San Diego zoo staff attempted to breed the Malayan tiger pair only for it to end in the death of the female.  All looked to be going well as they slowly introduced the pair over a period of days.  It all ended in tears though asd staff were unable to stop the mauling and subsequent death. - - - When will people ever learn!

Here in the UK the stormy weather has presented some people with a soggy christmas! 

The article shows pics of an area of Dorset affected by the floods and covers a whole host of other tales of woe surrounding the story weather.




It seems an odd challenge to take on, cycling to the South Pole but here's a plucky Welsh lady giving it a try




Obviously a specially adapted cycle for the trip, she also adopted a fierce training regime to cope with the 18 hour days she has set herself!  No wonder she's ahead of 2 male rivals.

Take a look at this short video of German police cars making a mess of things - - very amusing

Closer to home
I managed yesterday to burn off some of the piles of branches from my recent felling activities

With a fair breeze blowing the fire raising went quite well and after a while the pile was reduced to this.

Not so successful though with the pile up on the ridge, all I succeeded in doing was burning the middle out of the pile

So that's it then then end of logging in 2013.  I'm off back to work tomorrow, deep joy, right through until New Year.

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Another MP go's down! & what else, the weather

  

Fiddled expenses says the BBC story as Denis Macshane 
gets 6 months for fraud.  The judge cited "deceptive invoices" and "considerable dishonesty" as he sent the criminal packing.  Its a shame he didn't get "a little extra time" as he showed contempt for the court by saying "cheers" as he was sentenced. Macshane had maintained that he did not profit from the money, (whaaaat!) saying the fake claims had covered legitimate trips to Europe and that he had repaid the money  - - - Oh well that's alright then!!!!! .    


Another doggy story here Dog rescued from stormy sea this time from Sky News.  A dog walker let his animal go into the rough seas only to see it washed away and even though the had assistance looking for it eventually gave it up for dead.
luckily for the pooch it had scrambled onto a reef and was found there by the local lifeboat.  The pic shows the dog being plucked from the rocks.
Our Weather news  is not at all good with the current storms sweeping the UK.  This BBC story gives good coverage of all the major disruption.  Christmas dinner looks a no no for the 100,000 homes without power!  - - -
I was sent this Really cool link for wind chart!  which shows our storm off to its best effect.  (works ok on Chrome but needs IE 9 or better)

I picked up on this Odd story from Siberia  covered by the Mail.  A group of experienced Russian skiers with all the correct equipment set off for a trek to a remote mountain in the Urals.  All perished in mysterious circumstances which were never fully explained. until now - - - maybe - - - worth a read.

Closer to home 

After a stormy wet day yesterday we look to be getting a little respite after the overnight high winds seem to have blown themselves out.  

Its time for a little logging this morning before settling down in front of the fire later 

Merry Christmas! 

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Storms everywhere by lunchtime & its a sitting round the fire afternoon

Storms everywhere by lunchtime

Shouts the headline on this Sky News Story and it looks to be quite correct as I look out the window and see the clouds scudding along and my anemometer whirring round like a demented dervish.
Power cuts in Cornwall already and a very Snowy picture of the A82 up in Scotland complete the gloomy prospects for those having to travel today - - - take care!

Here's a welcoming story about one of our politicians actually using the powers which her position has available for once. The Home Secretary Theresa May is
stripping the nationality of UK citizens who join these so called Jihads abroad.  No doubt the would be hero's might return and try to claim compensation eventually - - -

I like this one, fancy belonging to "The Open Worm Project" !  Whaaaat!  It appears there's a project to "Create Artificial Life" ????

The project is using computer code to build a "lifelike" copy of a nematode roundworm.
  The story go's on to say, "this week the creatures creators added code that gets the "virtual worm" wriggling like the real thing"  Is it me? am i missing something here?  If its made out of computer code surely they can make it turn green and sing 3 verses of God Save the Queen?

Nearer to home.
Absent minded? Nah not me!
I prepared to go down the shops yesterday and went through the familiar routine of wallet in pocket , bags in the van, list in pocket, phone? where's my phone?  Having been used to the regimented way of doing things in the Army its not too difficult to transfer it to "civvy street" and put things in the same place each time you use them so that they are there again the next time you need them.

So there we are my Blackberry charging lead is bereft of the device.  My mumblings and searchings are spotted by Sally and she asks the obvious.  "I'll ring it she says" and promptly dials my number.
A feint rendition of "the entertainer", can be heard, my Blackberries ring tone as I look under cushions and around the computer table.
It go's onto answer phone so Sally rings it again and the same frantic searching is exercised by me whereupon I discover it in my coats inside pocket!  DOH!  Tail firmly between legs I scurry off to the shops, Sally's laughter ringing in my ears!

I ventured out earlier to top up the bird feeders and came across a strange group of white feathers underneath the feeders

I looked around for signs of the remains of a corpse but couldn't find a thing - - - very strange

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Snow on xmas day & this and that

Ok thats the shortest day over with so its downhill from here back to the light mornings!  well a couple of minutes lighter each day at least


The daily express is not alone saying its going to be a white Christmas, this is yesterdays headline and today the Metro tells us the odds are down to 5 to 1
Looking outside a little while ago with the rain whipping along almost horizontally it looks unlikely








An angelologist!   What the!  The Sky News headline reads "Angels exist but have no wings".  Father Renzo Lavatori (you can imagine him having a tough time at school hey!) a Catholic church Angelologist says "you dont see angels so much as feel their presence - they are like sunlight that refracts on you through a crystal vase.
I rather like the chubby cherub with the wings thank you.
Father Lavatory has another string to his bow - - he's also a demonologist - - - "nice money if you can get it"



dancing traffic cop I'm sure its fascinating to see but all we get is the same old story every year of this, now retired old guy prancing about whilst directing the traffic.  He started doing it after 2 years of waving his arms around because "he got bored"  I remember a saying from a General I greatly admired in the Army.  "Only boring people get bored"  Fits a treat here methinks - - - lol

  wine shortage

I remember reading not long ago a story about a "global wine shortage" just after I sold all the wine I had bought years ago "as an investment" which it turned out not to be, in a BIG way.
Anyway, I digress it turns out the story was lets say (allegedly) "invented" by the Research Division (?) of Morgan Stanley (Australia) who coincidently at the time  were "promoting an Australian wine company as a top stock to buy".  It just go's to show "he who shouts loudest may not be right but at least he gets noticed

I see reports of the death of David Coleman the "well liked" sports reporter who like many others seems to have been with us "forever".  There are others though who also seem to have been with us forever who are not so popular.

One of those, for me at least is Heather Mills  here she is in this story ranting on about what she did or didnt say to a skiing official who told her that her boots were not "official" and would have to be changed.
The story includes a 6 minute video, no doubt a classical "Mills Rant" which I couldn't be bothered even watching.  Catch up girl! live with it!

On the other hand though Nigella Lawson the TV cook, notice I don't use the word chef,
has been going through the wringer lately.  She's someone I can relate to and she could scramble me a couple of eggs any-day.
 In this story though she says "I will survive this"  and there's more than a hint of her "plotting her revenge"  - - - go girl "illegitmi non carborondum"
I called her a cook, as she herself describes her "act" rather than a chef because I find it difficult to heap accolades upon, it has to be said, mainly blokes on the TV who boil an egg and expect applause!  lol




Closer to home
On a blustery day yesterday I did a quick hour sawing up the recently felled trees and reduced the pile even further
Here's a pic as I was leaving having noticed on this "the shortest day" that the sun struggled to barely rise above the hill to my right.

Here's a touch of irony though, as I took the pic above I noticed a group of mushrooms growing out of the middle of a tree stump up on the hill in the background 

I remembered the tree was completely dead when I felled it not long ago and these Flammulina Velutipes fungi growing directly out of the middle of the 14 year old stump probably were the cause of its demise!  

In the garden we did yet another bit of clearing up from the shed move and formulated a project to build an elevated piece of decking outside its new location. The view from up there should be pretty good if you ignore the houses directly to the front!

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

Winter Solstice day & a bit of waterproofing

Just musing at the date today 21st Dec being the winter solstice in effect the shortest (daylight) day of the year.  I was sharply reminded by Sally that on this date in February 2014 we will be descending to land at Male in the Maldives for our holiday there! - - -

Great train robber dies says the Sky News story and his death is covered in most of the media.  Back in 1963 at the time of the robbery he was one of the gang who stole the equivalent of £40m in todays money. Through their stupidity most of the gang were caught but Biggs escaped form prison and fled to Brazil.

Here he is still poking 2 fingers at society at the funeral of Bruce Reynolds who allegedly masterminded the robbery  - - -

Still on a money theme we are being told that our Banknotes are to be plastic from 2016

No doubt during the development stage a couple of million pounds will have been spent making sure they are bio degradable in line with some EU edict?!   lol

Yet another money story from the Mail about 2 ex Judges pocketing legal aid money oh what a surprise, shock horror!  These 2 jokers on the left allegedly stole £1.5m of legal aid money, sorry not stole "misused" it.  Once proven they were struck off the solicitors roll.
However that was 3 years ago and in that time they have still been able act as Judges!!!!!!

Stuart Turner, at left here says he would "like to say sorry to the taxpayer"


A tory MP quoted in the story says "We have a serious problem in this country when it comes to quality control with judges.  Mmmmmm - - -






Another doggy story here though and quite a brave dog at that.  It was guide dog to the rescue when his master fell unconscious onto a subway line in New York.

The dog jumped down onto the line attempting to bring the bloke round by nudging and licking him.  A train passed over them but neither were seriously injured.  The twist in the story was that the dog was due to be replaced by a younger one early next year.  A campaign though has collected enough money for the old boy to be looked after in his retirement withv his current master.

nearer to home
We knew the day yesterday was not forecast to be anything special so set to on a job that needed a quick resolution.  We store extra wood for our log burner in the car port reserved for Boris, Sally's beloved Land Rover Defender.
The wall at the end is a retaining wall for the garden and lets through the moisture and some of the stored wood had got quite wet this year.
We tacked up some waterproof sheeting yesterday

The wood in the pic we carried down from the garden it being the remains of the hawthorn and the apple tree - - -

We had a little helper, Sainsbury who kept us amused racing around the garden while we were out there.

Here he is on top of my van assessing the chances of jumping from there up onto the carport roof. - - - he did make it! The blue skies were soon replaced with clouds rain and strong winds!

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam

A head for heights required & A little logging

This story  begins with a scary pic of somone looking down at a 1000 metre drop.

He's stood on what looks like a plexi glass floor jutting out from a building on top of a mountain in Chamonix in the French Alps.  Not for the feint hearted methinks! - - -

Canoe man in trouble again   the bloke who faked his own death years ago and eventually did time for the deception

He was in the news recently after flying out to the Ukraine looking for a "bride" which was a breach of his parole .  He was in even hotter water on his return being promptly arrested as he stepped of the plane.  He is apparently likely to get 9 months in prison for his trouble!

Junk mail   "A cross we all seem to bear" its often the only mail which drops through the letter box and half the time it go's straight into the re-cycle bag.

This lady collected 1027 pieces of junk mail in a year and the pics in the story are of the "pile" in various poses.  I rather fancy the idea of keeping it for a while and then pouring it in the nearest letter box!

What do you do when you need the loo in the middle of nowhere?  Well if you are anywhere near Corrour in the Cairngorms you use the Remotest loo  in the UK

No doubt if/when Scotland leaves the union we will need to re-appraise the situation! lol - - -

At last! that irritating (well to me at least) Canadian singer Justin Bieber has said he's going to retire

What are those trousers he's wearing!!  The singer is quoted as saying "I want to grow as an artist and i'm taking a step out, I want my music to mature".  Something tells me its just another publicity stunt - - - shame!

Closer to home
Sally visits the Christmas Market in Manchester with her big sister Lesley

Here's a pic of one of the Chocolate stalls.  She arrived home having driven back from her sisters in a snowstorm over the hilltops!  I haven't drummed up the courage to ask how much the "treats" she was showing me from the days activities cost yet - - -

Having the day to myself I executed a raid on the shop to buy the dinner cunningly disguised as a Thai carry out in a cardboard box! then had a couple of hours up at our logging area.

The idea was to get all the bits lying around on the hillside sawn up and added to the pile in the foreground.

An hour or so later even with the sun on the work area I decided I had done enough.  The wind was strengthening and it was getting rather cold! - - -

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam