Tuesday 26 December: The Church would be wise to champion the vital work of parish priests

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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340 thoughts on “Tuesday 26 December: The Church would be wise to champion the vital work of parish priests”

  1. Good morrow, Gentlefolk. today’s story

    The Lost Dr. Seuss Book – I Love My Job

    I love my Job, I love the Pay!
    I love it more and more each day.
    I love my Boss; he is the best!
    I love his boss and all the rest.

    I love my Office and its location.
    I hate to have to go on vacation.
    I love my furniture, drab and grey,
    and the paper that piles up every day!

    I love my chair in my padded Cell!
    There’s nothing else I love so well.
    I love to work among my Peers.
    I love their leers and jeers and sneers.

    I love my Computer and its Software;
    I hug it often though it don’t care…
    I love each Program and every File,
    I try to understand once in a while!!

    I’m happy to be here, I am I am;
    I’m the happiest Slave of my Uncle Sam.
    I love this Work. I love these Chores.
    I love the Meetings with deadly Bores.

    I love my Job – I’ll say it again.
    I even love these friendly Men.
    These men who’ve come to visit today
    In lovely white coats to take me away!!!!

  4. Wordle 920 4/6

    Got it in four today – great!

    ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨
    🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜
    🟨🟨🟩⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Three here, with a little bit of luck
      Wordle 920 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. Beat you
      Wordle 920 3/6

      ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟩
      🟩⬜⬜⬜🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      And it’s only 4AM.
      Bloody cough.

  5. Happy Boxing Day Folks

    Big moon out this morning.

    Nice birdie three

    Wordle 920 3/6

    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    🟨🟨🟩⬜🟨
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. Well done. Four for me.

      Wordle 920 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
      ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  6. The Church would be wise to champion the vital work of parish priests

    But there is no possibility of a knighthood from the King for services to promoting Christianity

  7. The revolt against woke capitalism. Spiked. 26 December 2023.

    2023 dealt some stunning blows to woke capitalism and the infuriating tendency of today’s corporations to lecture ordinary people about ‘social justice’, climate change and other pseudo-progressive causes. By far the most stunning blow was the Bud Light boycott.

    It all began when Alissa Heinerscheid, Bud Light’s then vice-president of marketing, oversaw the recruitment of TikTok influencer and woman impersonator Dylan Mulvaney as the new face of the low-calorie beer brand. In a social-media clip that rapidly went viral, Mulvaney held up a personalised Bud Light can that was created to celebrate the anniversary of his gender transition.

    The backlash from consumers was swift and merciless. In just a fortnight, Bud Light’s year-on-year sales dropped 17 per cent and, within a few months, it was no longer the bestselling beer in the US – a position it had held for 20 years. Despite the departure of Heinerscheid and a new branding initiative, sales continue to fall

    Feel good for Boxing Day!

    https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/12/26/the-revolt-against-woke-capitalism/

    1. Depressing that 83% of Bud’s customers continued to buy the muck for a further fortnight.
      Maybe a repeat of yesterday’s breakfast will perk me up.

      3. Good morning all. Really bright and sunny here.

        What was so special about yesterday’s breakfast? I really shouldn’t eat at all today, I had so much!

          1. I had ham, tomatoes and home made damson chutney, Alf had ham and eggs. Smoked salmon comfy in the freezer!

  9. Good morning all. Our first day out since December 7th and looking forward to it. We may go on the the hunt meet at Lewes.

  10. Morning all. Another trek up north beckons today. But from today’s Terriblegraph there is an article from one hundred uears ago “Grave anxiery for missing airship”, being the Dixmude. The newspaper article does not know what happened to the airship, and, being curious I had to find out; so here is a snippet of the Wikipedia entry:

    “ On 18 December Dixmude left Cuers with the intention of making a return flight to In Salah, an oasis deep in the Sahara, carrying a crew of 40 and 10 passengers. In Salah was reached at 4 pm on the 19th; the airship did not land, but dropped a bag of mail from the crew. The intention had been to make a stop at the Baraki airfield near Algiers; a north-west headwind caused du Plessis to alter course to the east, and was seen crossing Tunisia on the evening of the 20th. The last radio message received from Dixmude was sent at 02:08, the airship reporting that it was reeling in its radio antenna due to a thunderstorm.

    Railway workers in Sciacca, Sicily, were preparing to take out a train due to leave at 02:30 when they saw the sky to the west light up, the glow then sinking out of sight behind a hill, while a hunter on the seashore, watching the thunderstorm, saw a flash of lightning strike a cloud, followed by a red glare inside the cloud and four burning objects falling from the cloud. In the morning two aluminium fuel tanks were washed up, bearing the numbers “75 L-72” and “S-2-48 LZ-113” and various other debris, including charred scraps of fabric and even fragments of the duralumin girders. However, news of these events did not reach the outside world for several days; the French government, unwilling to admit the possibility of the airship’s loss for political reasons, apparently suppressed these reports and issued its own series of false reports of rumoured sightings of Dixmude, suggesting that it had been blown inland over Africa.[8] It was not until 26 December, when fishermen found a body, identified as du Plessis by documents found in the pockets, that the loss of Dixmude was acknowledged. His watch was stopped at 02:27. Only one other body was recovered, that of radioman Antoine Guillaume, which was recovered four months later.[9] It was the deadliest airship accident in history at the time, surpassed in 1933 by the destruction of USS Akron, which killed 73.”

    1. Good morning Mio, and everyone. Feast of St Stephen, enjoy.

      Sad to read about the Dixmude, although who knows what might have caused the explosion leading to the tragic loss of non-British lives. Wikipedia doesn’t mention the H word, except in Categories at the foot of the article. Mustn’t upset the Green lobby, eh what!

    2. The French government lied and covered up the loss of an airship for political reasons.
      Now tell me why they apparently can’t find MH370…

  11. The trouble with Boxing Day. 26 December 2023.

    You are bloated and binged. Your bloodstream is 35 per cent blood, 60 per cent a mix of Nurofen Plus, Gaviscon and acetaldehyde and 5 per cent Quality Street. You will either be making more mess, or clearing up the mess that everybody else is making more of. There are tiny pieces of plastic everywhere, perhaps even in you. If you’re with your family, all of them, including you, will have reverted to their personality and status of 1993 at the latest. Television – merely horrible and chiding throughout the rest of the year – has suddenly dumped on you a ginormous dollop of sickening sugar and thick, choking starch.

    I’m having a day of moderation after yesterday. Scrambled eggs on toast for dinner!

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-trouble-with-boxing-day/

    1. Christmas food is pretty healthy actually if you stick to the traditional things.
      Turkey, stuffing, vegetables etc. We had a pudding that was simply a suet pudding crammed with spices, fruits and nuts and mixed with beer and orange juice, but no added sugar.
      Nobody has found the coin yet…but there is still a bit left over.

    4. Time was, Minty, that on Christmas Day all articles were sweetness and light with bad news ignored or at least suppressed for 24 hours. Yesterday, though, the Telegraph had nothing but headlines of gloom, doom, murder, etc. etc. The only “positive” news which the Telegraph covered was the usual gushing coverage of HM’s Speech, the wonderful photos of his three grandchildren, how he had hugged children at his Coronation rehearsals, and how a little 7-year-old sang “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” to Queen Camilla which delighted her. Aargh!

      2. They are Annie, they are. Just Google BBC weather and look at sunrise and sunset times for the next 14 days. (Good morning, btw.)

  15. Good morning
    Leaders in nuclear power generation, you say?

    Megatron
    @Megatron_ron
    ⚡ 🇫🇷🇳🇪 The French colonialism in Niger is over
    The last French soldier has left Niger. The equipment has already been taken out, all that remains is to escort out the remaining manpower.
    The French companies that for many years exploited uranium almost for free, will now have to pay for it at a fair price. Also for gold mines and other mines.

    2. Would Micron have left Afghanistan leaving all French armaments and equipment behind as Biden did?

    1. 1.Caroline knows I do;
      2. Line of least resistance when discussing things with Caroline;
      3. I often need help – but I have someone always at hand to help me;
      4. I can say that but not these:
      – Les chaussettes de l’archiduchesse sont-elles sèches? Archi-sèches ? Un chasseur sachant chasser doit savoir chasser sans son chien.
      5 Caroline knows I do;
      6. Some of my friends are not conspiracy theorists and they are wrong!

    2. Yanks can pronounce ‘Worcestershire Sauce’ just as well as Germans can pronounce ‘Squirrel’.

    1. Happy St Stephen’s day !
      The first Christian martyr who accused the Jewish council of murdering the Messiah. He was stoned to death.

      1. Verily I say unto you: and the silencing of the outspoken has continued down the centuries unto this very day….

        Good morning Philip and all….

    2. ‘Morning Paul! Are you feeling better?
      The cleaning fairies haven’t been here yet! I’ve just peeped in the dining room, and it looks exactly the same as when I closed the door last night!! The whirlwind of 4 grandchildren and 2 loony dogs was well and truly reaped! I might manage a visit here later!
      Happy Boxing Day to all!
      Edit: mixed my metaphors, I’m afraid!

      1. Morning, Sue.
        Yes, thanks, feeling much more combobulated. Maybe due to running out of cider last night?

        1. I just knew someone would!!🙄 I should maybe have written peered or peeked? Or maybe not!

  19. Went to church.

    The preamble to the sermon started with the priest regretting the large loss of children’s lives from bombing, nowhere specific, which allowed him to avoid mentioning hostages, or dead soldiers. We prayed for Covid victims etc, but not for the hostages. The Host was soggy, as the Chalice is still not for sharing.

    2. We’ve been back to the communal chalice for a long time now but some people still decline.

  20. Good morning all.
    And a bright, cheerful one it is too! 2½°C outside, dry and clear skies and it’s forecast to remain dry.

    A bit late for the Matlock Raft Race, cancelled because of high water levels in the Derwent.

  23. https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/41d5dbcf7101f2cb4f30d9224416755052c9ffab/0_0_6780_4520/master/6780.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=98df712fa2af999178283ca215341b17

    Daillens, Switzerland
    Sky at sunset behind the Jura mountains in the Gros-de-Vaud region

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5f2a3085aef0a354076cdeb9a742a6630e1b0c6a/0_0_4032_2688/master/4032.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=8429d14b80054f8898373f5b08acb016

    Nanjian Yi, China
    Winter cherry blossoms in Nanjian Yi autonomous county, Yunnan province

    https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cc611124c0244e0a26bf196762d32ff6ab6148dc/0_0_4990_3327/master/4990.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f06b74f5c00c335837125bc6fa38214c

    Harbin, China
    Sculptors working on Christmas Day on a gigantic snow sculpture at Sun Island, Harbin

  24. That’s me signing off – we are about to leave for Bury St Eds – in the sunshine, though chilly. To see chum though whom the MR and I met 35 years ago. AND to see Mousie, the cat which said chum took over in 2009 when the MR got he job in Monaco. Mousie is 19.

    See y’all tomorrow.

          1. Organised chaos – the seven hounds take over a beach on Cape Cod each summer and entertain their other doggy friends.

  26. G’Morning all,

    Boxing day has dawnerd bright and clear, wind in the West still but much more seasonal at 6℃≫8℃.

    Is anybody following the hounds today?

    3. Saw the hunt getting ready near Tavistock golf club as we passed it, on our way to park the car and walk the dogs around Pew Tor.

      As we walked back to the cars a half a dozen ‘lady’ riders were returning at a walk. Two were smoking, four were really overweight and all of them swearing like troopers.

      1. We were late to the Warqueen’s hunt meet as when she came downstairs in boots, mods and a nicely tight white shirt I took her back upstairs.

        Lowers the tone but she’s gorgeous.

    4. I went to the meet, but I didn’t follow. I went for a coffee with a friend (a member of a different hunt) instead.

  28. There was an interesting question in Let’s Discuss on TCW:

    Whatever your politics, ask yourself a simple question: which currency would you invest in right now, if you had a choice: sterling, dollars or roubles (none is not an option)?

    I think I’d go along for the ride with Vlad right now. He has those vast natural rsources.

        1. Presumably, that’s why the government sold most of our gold and started the cash printer…

          1. Presumably on the orders of the international financial cabal. Has bankrupted Britain, people just don’t realise it yet.

    2. I’d have to go with roubles too, I think. The Russians are known to be very much in favour of backing their currency with gold and it is thought that both they and the Chinese could do this to a certain %.

  29. ‘Morning All

    Normal Bah Humbug medley service is resumed

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/151bb087e0c89e124cbe740e6c665a5aab80b8b8bcaa551a3270cbcd9c7443d3.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5c08f15722ca22afc90996d6d233c90be7f40508bdd02c7bb9eeb510718d6bc.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/781a228b4409cb121d67d007bddc8997b04c3e5cc72745906d3af9c76f833124.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ddf62765df96ffadcb44747983de9fa366fde60960989484574d8dc3b8c293d6.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6df59c0e5943ebff363fcbda7702126b34ddf48fb7efed264c1bf9072d13742f.jpg

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/imageserver/image/%2Fmethode%2Ftimes%2Fprod%2Fweb%2Fbin%2F1b89b6e6-7146-41c2-a24a-9cf698ed9217.jpg?crop=2723%2C1816%2C591%2C209&resize=1027.5

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/325f88e279359be6a77ef38dc83885015322df82f6dc3f1e2bc58c6564f0ceab.jpg

  30. – Well I suppose with 2024 fast approaching and the polls looking dire it’s time to get Labour government ready
    Spend any spare cash before they tax it away.

    Better still send it abroad or even move abroad.
    Send your children to private school abroad.
    Buy thick winter clothing, coats and boots for when the power goes off.
    Get a generator that will power up your house and a large stock of fuel.
    Sell all your shares that are based in the UK.
    Move to a smaller house before they move refugees into your spare rooms.
    Get stocked up with water , build a reservoir in your garden if you have space before water is nationalised.
    Sell your car, you won’t be going anywhere fast or cheaply in it.
    Get in stocks of tinned food if you don’t want to eat insects.
    Learn to speak Arabic and get a fake sun tan
    Get a suit of body armour if venturing outside.
    Buy a Palestinian flag and flag pole

    1. I also have very real concerns about compulsory billeting under a Labour government. Suspect any quizzing about this prior to the election will be met with “We have no plans …”. We all know what that usually means.

    2. Best push to get any healthcare work done before they finish screwing the nhs up,

      Oh and if you haven’t done so yet, buy a vpn so you can pretend to be elsewhere and look at the news.

  31. Russian warship destroyed in Ukrainian attack on Crimea. 26 December 2023.

    A Ukrainian attack on the Crimean port of Feodosia damaged a large Russian landing ship and killed one person, Moscow has admitted after Kyiv said it had destroyed an important Russian warship.

    BELOW THE LINE.

    Richard Lloyd-Jones. 1 MIN AGO.

    Why was my comment, which had 12 likes, and others simply removed ?

    It was: ‘America – Democrats and Republicans – should be ashamed of their isolationism. The ghost of Joe Kennedy has returned. They don’t even seem concerned to find some genuine solution to end the carnage.’

    The DT Censor strikes again. Lol. Free speech anyone?

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/26/russian-warship-destroyed-in-ukrainian-attack-on-crimea/

    1. This is what RT have to say about the warship.

      Ukrainian forces damaged the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk at its home base in Feodosia during a night missile strike, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Tuesday morning.

      The engagement also resulted in the downing of two Ukrainian Su-24 jets, which launched missiles at the targets, the statement said. They were downed by Russian anti-aircraft weaponry near the city of Nikolaev, the military said.

      The attack on the Crimean port city was also confirmed by the head of the Russian federal subject, Sergey Aksyonov, who said one person was killed and two others were injured. Blast waves from explosions at the military facility also damaged windows in nearby buildings, but otherwise civilian infrastructure remained intact, the official stated. Local emergency services later told the media that five have been injured so far and that 250 rescue workers were responding to the situation.

      The regional railroad operator later said in a statement that windows had been shattered at the terminal station in Feodosia. Train schedules have been adjusted to allow for repairs, the statement added.

      Ukrainian General Nikolay Oleshchuk, who commands the nation’s Air Force, claimed that the Novocherkassk “went the way” of the Moskva, the former flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet that sank after a reported Ukrainian attack last year. He thanked Ukrainian the military pilots involved in the night operation, but didn’t confirm any losses on Kiev’s side.

    2. I once put up a BTL post under a DT article which had 10 upvotes in the first minute it was up.

      I returned an hour later expecting it to be at the top of the most liked column only to find it had only 12 upvote and needed some searching to find it!

      The DT censors BTL comments – not always by removing them altogether but by taking away the upvotes so future readers of the BTL comments don’t see them at the top of the list. The DT is not at all happy when conservative thinkers (not Conservative Party voters!)
      voice opinions which are, to borrow a phrase, not in line with the paper’s values!

    3. I once out up a BTL post under a DT article which had 10 upvotes in the first minute it was up.

      I returned an hour later expecting it to be at the top of the most liked column only to find it had only 12 upvote and needed some searching to find it!

      The DT censors BTL comments – not always by removing them altogether but by taking away the upvotes so future readers of the BTL comments don’t see them at the top of the list. The DT is not at all happy when conservative thinkers (not Conservative Party voters!)
      voice opinions which are, to borrow a phrase, not in line with the paper’s values!

  32. Good morning fellow Nottlers – we hope everyone has a marvellous Christmas!

    We don’t really want to hear this sort of news but we don’t want to keep our eyes closed.

    I have put this in a spoiler:

    Mother and four children killed in Christmas Day murder in Paris suburb
    A man has been arrested after the bodies of the 33-year-old and children aged nine months, four, seven and 10 years old were found in Meaux
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/12/26/mother-children-killed-christmas-day-murder-paris/

    As expected no details of the murderer are given in the DT but the report in the Figaro tells us his prénom and the fact that it was a ritualistic knife killing leads one to certain conclusions about the attacker.

    Both France and Britain have the same problem of enrichment.

    1. Ghastly news. I read the article and just assumed it would be one of those delightfully enriching cult members.

  33. Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny breaks silence after disappearance. 26 December 2023.

    Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has issued his first statement after going missing for nearly three weeks.

    Mr Navalny disappeared shortly after Vladimir Putin announced his intention to run for a fifth presidential term in early December. On Christmas Day his lawyers said they had tracked him down to one of Russia’s toughest prisons.

    On Tuesday the jailed critic issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, discussing the details of the past few weeks, during which many feared for his life.

    Ye Gods. The rigours of the Russian Penal System! I’m still waiting to hear from Julian Assange and he’s only in Belmarsh!

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/alexei-navalny-silence-vladimir-putin-russia-b2469479.html

    1. Odd how this is screamed as abhorrent but Sunak did similar to get the job his masters had arranged for him.

    2. What does the media say about the opposition parties in Ukraine being banned? Nothing. Crystal clear bias in reporting.

        1. Zelensky also took control of the media in Ukraine. Also, anyone who suggested peace talks might be a good idea was branded a traitor. And they call Putin a tyrant.

          2. Vlad does it and it’s bad. Zelensky does it and no one mentions it. And as far as the British press is concerned they behave like paid whores.

          5. Zelensky also took control of the media in Ukraine.

            Same as Tusk has just done in Poland you mean?

    3. He’s still allowed access to international media then. I think if they wished to torture him just make him watch BBC all day.

    4. Navalny is not a “Leader” and represents no structured party. His support is minimal and confined to less than 1% of the population.

      Regarding Julian Assange he is as you say in Belmarsh and there is an interview given by Tucker Carlson following his visit and two hour meeting with Assange. I noted it on Rumble recently. Assange apparently retains a sense of humour about having leaked Hillary’s emails.

      He is paying a high price for exposing the Obamas and Clintons.

      1. 379904+ up ticks.

        Morning S,
        Not intentional on my part, if so I would still regard it as no smoke …….

        1. He was born in August 1930, that would have made him under 15 at the end of the war in Europe and below the age for conscription even during the final defence of Berlin, even if he had lived there..

          1. 379904+up ticks,

            S,
            I had already done the sums and thought ,at a stretch could have been hitler youth.

          2. Too young even for that.
            There certainly were boys who volunteered, lying about their ages, but Soros wasn’t one.

            The story about him working for the Germans/German supporting authorities was true, by his own admission, but he claimed to be using the work to warn people of dangers as instructed by his father (if you believe Wiki).

          3. The hotel WiFi won’t open the Gettr link but the story Soros told in the CBS 60 Minutes interview is that his father persuaded an SS officer to take him and pass him off as his son. The officer was involved in confiscating Jewish property and Soros jr accompanied him. He says in that interview that he didn’t regret it because “it saved my skin”. He makes it clear that was his only concern.

          7. He thinks he does.

            Unfortunately he supports the most violent, the most grasping and the most law-ignoring.

          8. There were child soldiers that young in the German army by the end of the war, I think.
            But the photo doesn’t look a bit like Soros.

  36. I’m getting tired now of not being able to escape from people. Tried to find a part of the house without people, so I can call Mother. Dining-room briefly empty, but booby-trapped with half a litre of a bizarre fruit-juice mix on the floor 🙁 After washing my socks, went and stood in the garden to call. Too busy at the other end).
    TV still on, showing crap interspersed with adverts. Or vice versa.
    Bah! Humbug! Love, Ebenezer

    1. We haven’t had the telly on here. The two sons have now departed to go and see their father for a couple of days. Husband is still suffering from his lurgy and coughing. So far I don’t show any signs of it.

      The two cats have been chasing each other around and there are signs that one of them tried out the remains of yesterday’s stuffing, which I forgot to cover.

      So it’s pretty quiet here now and we’re just doing our own thing today and grazing on the remains of yesterday for meals.

    2. We haven’t had the telly on here. The two sons have now departed to go and see their father for a couple of days. Husband is still suffering from his lurgy and coughing. So far I don’t show any signs of it.

      the two cats have been chasing each other around and there are signs that one of them tried out the remains of yesterday’s stuffing, which I forgot to cover.

      So it’s pretty quiet here now and we’re just doing our own thin today and grazing on the remains of yesterday for meals.

    4. To be fair we saw two acceptable programmes on BBC4 last night – the first was a Storyville [ugh] episode, loosely about an 84 year old’s walks around his home in Western Norway – amazing scenery and not much talking. The second was Mark Gatiss as Sherlock Holmes in a version of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” with music – it took a few minutes before I realised that this was actually what used to be called a radio programme [remember them?] with pictures, but it was good fun all the same!

  37. If the BBC is determined to ‘verify’ the truth of anything for the benefit of the ignorant public, perhaps it should look at how it reports its truths. It might be seen by some as trivial to object to temperatures in the mid-teens Celsius being described as ‘hot’ but it’s not. Perspective is as important as ‘verifiable’ truth.

    Christmas Eve: Hottest since 1997 after 15.3C recorded near Heathrow

    For all the fuss, we’re talking about one or two tenths of a degree. One previous UK record was set more than 100 years ago and days when temperatures reach 15C (59F) in winter are not rare. In the days of Jack Scott, Bert Foord & Co, hot was 30C (86F).

    1. Many of us know that, Taslima. It’s getting the truth across to the others that vexes us.

      1. 379904+ up ticks

        Afternoon FM,

        The whole problem is the “others”
        time after time are in the majority via the polling stations.

  39. Boxing Day japes: I’ve just taught my toddler grand-daughter to goose-step. Her mother is horrified. Am I a bad person?

    2. Exactly what grandparents are for. Just don’t post a video of it as they will send you to jail.

    3. Yes. You need to get her a recording of the Horst Wessel song as well. It has a really good tune.

    4. Those people had the best troops, smart uniforms by Hugo Boss, great weapons, a world famous melody and they were fighting to unite Europe; how on earth did they lose?

  41. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7602c7f71ec7156fccc7785891240c5d4e3fc8af32b1749359b41bac019fe8b.png

    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/disappointed-with-gb-news-tell-us-and-well-ignore-you/

    BTL

    And the revealing capitulation of GB News came when the channel gave in to the PTB and got rid of their very best journalist, Mark Stein.

    Since then they have refused to discuss either Covid jab damage or Pakistani rape gangs at all.

    Also their treatment of Dan Wootton was pretty foul and their loss of Calvin Robinson shows how little the channel really cares for traditional British Christian values.

    2. It’s better than nowt, but it was never going to be a rival for Twitter and Rumble. MSM are dying quickly now.

  42. Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I’ve been missing for a few days as Disqus suddenly decided to reject my login details. I’ve been using them for years.
    It has taken me a few days to find a solution. Don’t remember having such problems with WordPress.
    Anyway, it’s good to be back.

    1. Welcome back. Disqus has what used to be called spaz-attacks back when I was in the school playground. Probably banned as offensive language now?

    2. You can tell by the eyes that Rudolph is quite turned on but is a bit lacking in the horny department.

    1. That’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen this year! The look on the Grandfather’s face! Forwarded to my whole family

  47. Back from sister’s todays roast dinner cancelled due to vast overeating yesterday,hitting the cheeseboard at 9pm probably wasn’t the wisest either….

    Settled for a very late brunch and now back for a kip before cooking the Beef madras and sag aloo for the family curry cook off tomorrow

    Laters

    Cheeky…..

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8bf7a3b6b21f5669c2e4e82a458bee83b22122f5cc77e6032ba4fab86ec0613e.jpg

    http://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/334f988117460a8ebb38d8c41fe7274e272aed2ee5b3305fe997f4bcd9415a0f.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a522adc3f21588002bca971f40a753eb117333e3a6bf2485604974775e83d103.gif

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8fb9bb8103580e12df3911ed2c6293639e113fc769f62a39386d041c0aef8302.jpg

    1. Sounds great, Rik. I do cookoffs with my mates too. Last one was Goulash. We mark each dish on different criteria then add up the points to see who the majority thought best. I had recently come back from Hungary and gave my neighbour some seriously good paprika. I shot my self in the foot over that one as she won !

  48. Back from a couple of hours in the local, with t’lads. Only cost £55 or so, with doubles ‘n all. Magic afternoon, listening to two well-informed, thinking young men expressing opinions on all kinds of things. Don’t necessarily agree 100%, but well defended.
    Why aren’t news agencies etc populated with similar folk?

  49. It would be rude, I think, to tell you that I am typing this whilst basking in the sun in a café in a monastery courtyard, being waited on hand and foot by a gorgeous young Venezuelan. So I’m not going to.

    Instead I shall relate my favourite moment of Christmas. Out dancing yesterday, and for the last tanda (set of dances) I was asked by a pro dancer with whom I love to dance the vals (not quite the same as a waltz, but think similar twirling). Usually he holds me in a close embrace and I float, weightless, out of the dimensions of time and space.

    This time, for the last dance, I felt what was distinctly a Muttley snigger, then he opened the embrace and told me to hang on. Good god!! We were whirling around like dervishes, skidding around on the verge of what felt like disaster (to me…). When the music stopped, the momentum carried us both into absolute paroxysms of laughter.

    I’m not entirely sure this is how tango is meant to be, but my goodness it felt glorious to laugh so uninhibitedly! Sending some of that mad joy Nottlewards x

      4. Quite possibly, but translated into Spanish and performed backwards with my eyes closed… 🤣🤣

        (Seriously, I have one teacher who rhapsodises about how many country dances England has, and refuses to believe I was never taught *any* of them.)

    9. Thanks, Katy. Sounds great. The, er, diversity of ths site is a joy to behold. Dianne the Ex is off to the Far East in rhe next few days. Youngest Son is now based in Thailand. Youngest Son’s Paki wife is currently home in Karachi Bradford. YS is spending Christmas with a colleague, whose companion is a ladyboy. Apparently.

      1. It’s not often I am lost for words, but I got propositioned once by a ladyboy in a ladies’ loo in Thailand…

        1. And….what happened next? You have always lived such a rambunctious existence, Katy. Please tell us more. We are unwilling to be fobbed off with the notion that Phizzee was your most exotic conquest. {:^))

  50. Just passing through. Got back from Burying the King in daylight – just. Lovely to see old chum. Lovely, too, to see Mousie. Aged 19. Completely scratty fur; deaf as a post – she recognised us immediately and licked the MR’s hand as she has done since she was a kitten in 2004. She eats what she wants, is happy – sleeps a great deal (show me a cat who doesn’t).

    On the journey, we listened to Michael Palin reading his new book about his Great-Uncle Harry who was killed on the Somme in 1916. Fascinatin story beautifully read. Highly commended by us.

    A demain (in the rain)

  51. Had a wander along the canal this afternoon. As I passed the George at around 3:00pm everyone of their outside tables was full of folk enjoying pints and various other tipples. Certainly Mild with the bitter!

      1. Steady on Geoff. You of all people should know that the ‘Road to Hell is paved with Good Intent shuns’…..

  52. A dreadful Bogey Five!

    Wordle 920 5/6
    ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
    ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨
    🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜
    🟨⬜🟨⬜🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. A sneaky 3 here. A lot of Wordlers posted much earlier.

      Wordle 920 3/6

      ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩
      ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    2. Par four today.

      Wordle 920 4/6

      ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜
      ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
      ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

  53. Evening, all. Good to be back at home and looking forward to a few relaxing days! The CofE would be wise to get rid of priests that aren’t doing their job and put in place ones that will actually engage with parishioners (and the PCC) to build up the church. [I have to declare an interest here!]

    1. As a paid employee of the Parish, I’m supposedly barred from standing as Churchwarden. That clearly wasn’t the case in Brandon, Suffolk, when the then Rector persuaded me to stand for election. I’ve suggested that redundancy would save the parish several tens of thousands. Response* came there none.

      Our incumbent has alienated quite a few of his flock, but his sermons are spot on, and he couldn’t be less ‘woke’. But he clearly isn’t well. He’s my age, but appears ten years older. He now walks with a stick. I have one, but I don’t use it. He needs large print orders of service. My eyesight is rubbish, but I don’t. Yet.

      If I ever have a *response, I’ll willingly stand. We should have six Churchwardens in the united parish.We have three, two of whom should have stood down years ago.

      1. With only one good churchwarden, you are getting close to the situation our local legion branch is facing.

        They have a cadet group and it has been organised by the same two people for years. Unfortunately both have succumbed to dementia and are not able to function normally. The branch knows that they have a bank account for the cadets but it is locked out because neither member who could sign on the account knows which way is up.

        Steps are under way to resolve the problem but it is seriously taking away from the branch presidents drinking time.

      2. The rectorette sacked the two churchwardens who had been stalwarts of keeping the place going during the interregnum and appointed her crony, who is now doing the Treasurer’s job (very badly) along with a lot of other things (gift aid, parish mag, PCC secretary and hatch, match and despatch), all of which used to be done by other parishioners whom the rectorette dismissed. Presumably she has also taken on the church cleaning as the rectorette sacked the person who used to do that. I don’t think the flower people are as keen as they used to be, either. Fundraising has disappeared. Needless to say, there is a black hole in the finances. If you only attract about 10 people to services you aren’t going to get the collection that 60+ dedicated (and wealthy) parishioners would put in.

        1. I believe your Rectorette is acting outside her powers. But I could be wrong. After all, we have a churchwarden/former High Sheriff/current Deputy Lieutenant here who is – on the face of it – staging a mutiny against the incumbent. Successfuly.

          1. We think she’s acting ultra vires as well, but the bishops and the archdeacon are on her side. We are bullying her, according to them! All we want is that she does the job she’s being paid for and that she promised in her interview to do, although, to be fair, things have come to such a pass that we want her to be doing the job somewhere else and not in our parish!

      1. Especially the AB of Y. The AB of C isn’t much better. I inadvertently found myself talking to one of his sons a few months ago at a church service. Apparently, one of his siblings ‘has mental elf issues’.

  56. Trudeau is off on his hols but there are plenty of others over here to stand in with stupid actions.

    Back in the eighteenth century, Henry Dundas was not woke enough about abolishing slavery for the current yahoos so they are trying to rename anything Dundas in Toronto. The chosen replacement is Sankofa, an Ghanaian name used by the Akan tribe. Good so far.

    However, the Akans wee deeply involved in the supply of slaves that were shipped over the Atlantic so they are removing the name o a white man who in the end was opposed to slavery by a reference to some of the main culprits in the slave trade.

    Not bad for a practically broke city who want to send $13 million on erasing history

  57. Russia blames Britain for the Storm Shadow attack of its landing craft – DT. I was surprised that when this munition was used previously by the Ukes it could have been assimilated into their aircraft weapon systems with apparent speed and ease. Its a cruise missile, so has its own integral systems but its not like a bomb which you can just hang on a pylon. Vlad seems to be suggesting that UK is actively engaged in this war, if so, its becoming very dangerous.

    2. Stormshadow is manufactured in the EU with British funding and expertise. What an absolute bunch of fucking idiots. When the shit hits the fan does anyone here believe the Americans would come to our rescue?

    3. If the missiles launched were Storm Shadows and the guidance system provided by the British then the journalist would not be wrong about UK complicity in the proxy war in Ukraine.

      It is obvious to those following events in Ukraine that the loss of two of Ukraine’s best fighter planes and of several of its dwindling stock of expensive missiles is a poor exchange for damaging a Russian troop and supplies transport ship in repair dock.

      As ever Zelensky is sacrificing men and expensive irreplaceable materiel in order to change a narrative and grab a headline. No coincidence I suppose that on the same day Russia takes control of another swathe of Ukrainian territory.including the strategically vital town of Marinka.

      The only thing Zelensky excels at is comedic play acting and the sort of cinematic dishonesty that would have us believe a man set foot on the Moon with a couple of RAM of computer power or that the demolition of the Twin Towers was not just that: a controlled demolition.

  63. I’m beginning to find my way round my new laptop. It’s a bit different from the old one. Lots of things I haven’t found yet but at least I can do Nottl! Good night!

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