Saturday 22 February: Opponents of the House of Lords should be careful what they wish for

Posted on by Geoff Graham

An unofficial place to discuss the Telegraph letters, established when the DT website turned off its commenting facility (now reinstated, but we prefer ours),
Intelligent, polite, good-humoured debate is welcome, whether on or off topic. Differing opinions are encouraged, but rudeness or personal attacks on other posters will not be tolerated. Posts which – in the opinion of the moderators – make this a less than cordial environment, are likely to be removed, without prior warning.  Persistent offenders will be banned.

Today’s letters (visible only to DT subscribers) are here.

683 thoughts on “Saturday 22 February: Opponents of the House of Lords should be careful what they wish for”

  2. Good morning, chums. And thank you, Geoff, for Saturday's new NoTTLe site.

    Wordle 1,344 4/6

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    1. Full of the joys of Spring, Stormy. Except that the constant rain pouring down looks nothing like Spring. Doh!

        2. I doubt that it will be just Apple – there are a number of Cloud and similar services that many of us use – Onedrive, GoogleDrive and so on.

  9. Morning all 🙂😊
    Usual weather out there. Horrible.
    Happy Birthday Grizz. Have a lovely day today 🤗🍻 cheers.
    Funny how a few years ago the labour party wanted to close the HoL but many of the turncoats would have missed out on the expenses 350 a day and subsidised meals.
    But now both labour and the Conservative Party are jointly stopping the May elections.
    Surely this should be seen as treason against the British public. What is HMK doing about this ?

    1. Good morning, Ready Eddy. I join you in wishing Grizzly a very Happy Birthday. With regards to the question posed at the end of your post: Sod all! Excuse my language but I reckon he is a very Silly Sausage.

  12. New laws to protect children exploited by gangs in England and Wales ‘will save lives’. 22 February 2025.

    Long-overdue laws to protect children forced into selling drugs across county lines will save lives and block a “brutal and lucrative criminal business”, the former children’s commissioner has said.

    In a series of new measures aimed at cracking down on exploitative gangs and antisocial behaviour, criminals using children to run county lines or commit other crimes will face up to a decade in prison.

    The new law, which campaigners have long called for, will make it a specific offence in England and Wales to use a child to commit criminal activity, while new child criminal exploitation prevention orders will also restrict criminals’ ability to operate, said the home secretary, Yvette Cooper.

    I often wonder if they get tired of thinking up these things. This will not make any difference to anything much. There are enough Laws on the books to cover any possible circumstance that might occur. Mostly of course they are job creation schemes. It gives Westminster something to do. It occupies their time.

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/22/new-laws-england-wales-children-exploited-gangs-county-lines

    1. All of this continuous and terrible exploitation of children or anyone who has not given consent. Is a gleaming example of exactly how useless our political idiots are.
      No body stands out, as they never actually achieve anything that can justify the enormous costs and ongoing expenses they voraciously consume during their entire existence during a whole political lifetime.

  13. Good morning all.
    A very mild start, 8½°C outside, overcast but dry, little wind and a bit of sunshine forecast.
    Yesterday got up to 14.6° with a minimum of 7.2°C.

    A video from MIR's post of yesterday with the Babylon Bee taking gentle satire to extremes:-
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC9xgOjWR4w

  14. Good morning, all. Wet.

    Google: zealot.

    a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

    I think it's fair to describe Miliband minor as a zealot when referring to climate change. His unending pursuit of carbon reduction, carbon capture and now hydrogen production, all costly, all inefficient and/or unreliable, is evidence of his zealotry.

    Surely, a government minister with access to £billions has to have the ability to be flexible in their thinking and pay close attention to value for money. A forlorn hope of course and especially so when climate change is involved.

    Latest madness is hydrogen. Late to the party as Australia has looked into this idea and lost $600million etc.

    That "Black Hole" will increase by another £1.5Billion, a mere bagatelle in the socialist dream nightmare we are suffering.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/09ba0ff9400faac02d0b28bcc310f2b3b713bc1ba13c16b7d424f1408385b106.png

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f19892a9f64182bccd8dd7c55219b7372a9de2f809b9c7df692f65588ac76bb1.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5f88de75c09a06a1facb56f58c672efd69e3db54245d4540518b4205dac88bf7.png

      2. I agree that he, like so many other politicians, is someone’s puppet. However, he has been consistent over many years in his pursuit of climate change despite all the real science to the contrary. More than enough evidence to prove his zealous actions, controlled or not.

    2. Meanwhile a stand of mature trees are being felled to make way for more housing. I thought of Bob as I heard the chainsaw as we walked past.

  16. 401981+ up ticks,

    Morning Each,

    An infrastructure rotten to the core having been in a
    state of studied decay via tribal voting, as each party in turn plunged a knife into the back of blighty decent.

    It become more obvious as parties alternated that an anti indigenous movement was in place via the governing parties forming a coalition with tribal voters
    playing a very supportive role throughout.

    https://x.com/PaulStillgoing/status/1892909759977705802

    1. 401981+ up ticks,

      O2O,

      The making of new laws currently is compatable to a rhetorical veneer of justice being done.

  17. Forget the HIV test Starmer..
    All Progressive Lefties in power should submit an inventory of what's under their floorboards.

    How a surgeon accused of abusing 300 children kept 70 life-sized child dolls under his floorboards… and wrote in his diary on his birthday every year: 'I am a paedophile and I'm proud of it'

  18. Forget the HIV test Starmer..
    All Progressive Lefties in power should submit an inventory of what's under their floorboards.

    How a surgeon accused of abusing 300 children kept 70 life-sized child dolls under his floorboards… and wrote in his diary on his birthday every year: 'I am a paedophile and I'm proud of it'

  19. Forget the HIV test Starmer..
    All Progressive Lefties in power should submit an inventory of what's under their floorboards.

    How a surgeon accused of abusing 300 children kept 70 life-sized child dolls under his floorboards… and wrote in his diary on his birthday every year: 'I am a paedophile and I'm proud of it'

    1. Morning Bob ,

      Re your photos of timber cutting last night , aren't any of the logs suitable for other uses other than firewood.

      If trees are diseased can't the wood be used for construction or furniture?

      1. They can be, but when I took a dead 14" diameter ash down a couple of years ago, I could not find anyone interested in using the trunk so it just went for firewood.
        I have mentioned to the contractors that there is a small demand decent diameter sycamore for making violins and similar.

    2. Hmm "In 2008, he [Starmer] became Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), holding these positions until 2013." Shirley a coincidence?

  22. Reposted from late last night

    Saturday 22nd February, 2025

    AW KAMAU

    (0ur second youngest Nottler)

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8b0f3cf1cb3bec4499494077ed17640a770eba3fa59535e4ffa5f8c3aca08bcb.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bffc9115e2d68b2fd8907098bf099c759a217fec2d7c3c0b8af7ed02ea36881f.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d827fa8adcd43546b6d76d7d30aa7e86accd36ada4f968b141e57c1b5b4db3bf.png
    With Very Best Wishes,

    Caroline and Rastus

    1. Happy Birthday, Grizz. Have a relaxing day with a sip of alcohol. Seems a long time since we were posting on Telegraph Letters and being attacked by those who disagreed. Altogether nicer here.

    2. Happy happy birthday, Grizz! Hope you have a wonderful day and it’s a day you get something to eat! 🥂🎂🎉🍷🍾

      1. Thanks, Pet.😘

        I'll gan canny this evening with some roasted beef fillet steaks with a mushroom sauce, served with a soupçon of pommes boulangière.👍🏻

      2. Just a reminder for those who've recently joined, the House Rule is no selfies (Lady Nottlers are excused)…

        Morning Phizzee, morning all and Happy many returns Grizz

          1. The more fat the better. Delicious and nutritious.
            Breast, scrag end of neck, chops, and shoulder are my favourite cuts of lamb. In comparison leg has much less flavour.

    4. Happy Birthday, Mr Grizzle

      and of course 364 Happy Unbirthdays (and nights) for the coming year.

    6. Thanks, Caroline and Rastus.

      I always thought I was more of a devil than an angel, and I don't recall working in North Wales (although I was once given a sound bollocking by a North Wales copper for driving on a promenade in a storm!)🤣

  24. Good morning all

    Dull but mild damp morning , son has just left the house clad in his running kit , off to Weymouth Park run which starts at 9am ( in his car)

    I liked this DT letter , sounds familiar.

    Church with no vicar

    SIR – When I moved house a few years ago I joined my nearest church, which is Church of England.

    The vicar soon left because of illness, and we waited two years for a replacement. That vicar then retired two years ago, and there is no sign of a new one.

    During the past year, we have been asked to welcome both a new bishop and a new archdeacon to the area. What do they do? What we need is a vicar.

    My old church, which was Methodist, was never without a minister.

    M Reid
    London SE22

    Yep, the armed forces have plenty of top brass , but a low intake of recruits to keep up numbers.

    3. Frankly M Reid you would be better off with retired clergy who still have Licence to Officiate. Fund raise if necessary to pay them. You would probably get a woke happy clappy diversity obsessed version from the Diocese.

  25. Good morning all

    Dull but mild damp morning , son has just left the house clad in his running kit , off to Weymouth Park run which starts at 9am ( in his car)

    I liked this DT letter , sounds familiar.

    Church with no vicar

    SIR – When I moved house a few years ago I joined my nearest church, which is Church of England.

    The vicar soon left because of illness, and we waited two years for a replacement. That vicar then retired two years ago, and there is no sign of a new one.

    During the past year, we have been asked to welcome both a new bishop and a new archdeacon to the area. What do they do? What we need is a vicar.

    My old church, which was Methodist, was never without a minister.

    M Reid
    London SE22

    Yep, the armed forces have plenty of top brass , but a low intake of recruits to keep up numbers.

  26. Good morning all

    Dull but mild damp morning , son has just left the house clad in his running kit , off to Weymouth Park run which starts at 9am ( in his car)

    I liked this DT letter , sounds familiar.

    Church with no vicar

    SIR – When I moved house a few years ago I joined my nearest church, which is Church of England.

    The vicar soon left because of illness, and we waited two years for a replacement. That vicar then retired two years ago, and there is no sign of a new one.

    During the past year, we have been asked to welcome both a new bishop and a new archdeacon to the area. What do they do? What we need is a vicar.

    My old church, which was Methodist, was never without a minister.

    M Reid
    London SE22

    Yep, the armed forces have plenty of top brass , but a low intake of recruits to keep up numbers.

  27. Today in FSB, ‘ Has Liberalism's Flame Burned Too Bright ?’ Graham Cunningham argues that classic Enlightenment Liberalism contained the seeds of its very opposite, and that modern ‘progressive liberalism' is just that, with devastating consequences. Please do read and leave a comment.

    Read Graham Wood’s suggested speech for JD Vance , to give after he and Trump meet with our witless PM, and tell us if you agree or, if not, what you would have the dynamic due say to the sinister wet blanket from Downing Street.

    Energy watch 07.15: UK net demand: 25.19 GW. Total UK Production: 21.31 GW from: Hydrocarbons 12.4%; Wind 35.8%; Imports 27.9%; Biomass 3.4 and Nuclear 12.5. Solar: 0.

    We are importing over a quarter of our electricity, mostly from France, at a huge cost. There is no need for this, as the gas plants, paid to do nothing, have more than enough capacity to cover what we import and much more. This is the economics of the madhouse – driven by the lunatic net zero dogma. And that is why we in Britain have the highest electricity prices in the world.

    freespeechbacklash.com

    1. In 200 years time.. there is a historical note in the text books. There was something called the Woke Movement. You may have heard of them. They were much like the Cathars, or the Bogomils.. or Pythagoreans. A weird religious sect took over this city.. like the Alabaster im Münster.. and what happened? Well, there was a crusade against them, they were wiped out. That was the end of that. Wow, look at the crazy things they believed. And believe me.. when your beliefs are laid out in the history books.. you're a gonna look f**cn bonkers.

  31. Yo and Good Moaning all, from a (weather) dull C d S.

    I dread the warmer weather coming, SWMBO moves me onto gardening AARRGGGHHH

    1. What a surprise! Where's the rest of the $100Bn that Zelensky says he's "lost", or maybe the Biden team didn't send it all??

  34. Fun fact:
    Number of political prisoners in jail in Russia for disrespecting lidderally a dictator Putin = 400.
    Number of political prisoners in jail in UK for calling Sir Smarmy a liar on Facebook = 3,300.
    Source: Konstantin Kisin

  35. The BBC’s Arabic channel has been accused of allowing ‘false’ and ‘hateful’ statements by pro-Palestinian contributors to go unchallenged while repeatedly challenging pro-Israel speakers.

    Media observers have claimed that the channel’s presenters are far more likely to interrupt and challenge contributors who support Israel than those who criticise it.

    BBC Arabic, which is run by the BBC World Service, has been criticised repeatedly for the way it reports the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

    The latest row comes after Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, said she would be holding urgent discussions with the BBC over concerns that it aired a documentary featuring Hamas propaganda.

    On Friday, the BBC pulled the hour-long film from iPlayer. following a row over its use of the son of a Hamas minister as the narrator and central protagonist alongside two other children with family links to the terror group, without disclosing their connection to viewers.

    Ms Nandy said she would be talking to the broadcaster to emphasise the importance of “getting it right” in its coverage of the conflict in Gaza.

    The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera) found that in a sample of nine cases on BBC Arabic, four statements by pro-Palestinian speakers which it described as hateful or false went unchallenged.

    The channel reportedly speaks to a Palestinian contributor jailed for killing an Israeli settler without disclosing his criminal record
    The channel reportedly speaks to a Palestinian contributor jailed for killing an Israeli settler without disclosing his criminal record Credit: Television Stills
    At the same time Camera found that five pro-Israeli speakers were each challenged for their views, but with what it described as “misinformation”.

    These included BBC Arabic presenter Akram Shaban saying of Hamas that “for their people they defend their land which is occupied according to international law” in response to Israeli speaker Idit Bar describing them as “terrorist gangs”.

    During one interview with another Israeli speaker, Yoseph Haddad, in December 2023, Mr Shaban challenged his assertion that women had been raped and children burnt alive during the Oct 7 attacks two months earlier, despite evidence such atrocities had taken place.

    By contrast contentious statements by pro-Palestinian speakers went unchallenged, Camera claims.

    These included Taha Al-Mutawakel, a minister with the Palestinian Authority, saying that Israel has no historical culture of its own other than what it has appropriated from Palestinians.

    In another unchallenged statement Dr Hossam al-Dajani, a Palestinian political analyst, claimed that “Israel controls and dominates international media”.

    BBC rejects accusations
    A spokesman for Camera said: “BBC Arabic has boasted many times that it ‘challenges’ its guests. However, this evidence suggests that the meaning of the term ‘to challenge’ differs according to a guest’s identity and affiliation.

    “BBC presenters should not use misinformation to ‘challenge’ their interviewees, no matter whom they are interviewing. Neither can BBC presenters hide behind the excuse they are giving both Israeli and Palestinian speakers equal time to speak uninterrupted, if the Palestinian engages in hate speech and the Israeli speaker does not.”

    The BBC has rejected the accusations, telling Camera: “We remain committed to representing diverse perspectives in our programming while upholding the highest standards of fitness and impartiality.”

    In letters responding to Camera’s complaints, the corporation said that it challenged the viewpoints of Israeli contributors “where appropriate, ensuring a balanced and respectful exchange of ideas within the context of discussions”.

    The BBC said that “it is the responsibility of our presenters to challenge and provide a voice to the opposing side of the argument”, stating that all guests are “treated with fairness and given proper time to defend and express their views”.

    It added that its presenters do not deny facts or spread disinformation and that the claims of rapes and children being burnt alive had not been proven at the time of the interview.

    Lord Evil Nasty Plum
    10 min ago
    It is evident to anyone with half a brain that the BBC is now a propogandist tool of pro-Islamists. It will not be happy until this country is subject to Sharia Law. The institution needs major reform at all levels. You could start by sacking all the DEI-loving, wet, champagne guzzling lefties.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/22/bbc-arabic-fails-challenge-hateful-statements-pro-palestine/

    1. "while upholding the highest standards of fitness and impartiality.” Absolute rubbish – the BBC hasn't been impartial for decades!

        1. Here's what the AI overview suggests "No, BBC Arabic and Al Jazeera are not the same; while both provide news coverage in Arabic, Al Jazeera is a separate news network based in Qatar, while BBC Arabic is a part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, meaning they have different ownership, editorial stances, and potential biases in their reporting, with Al Jazeera often seen as more focused on Middle Eastern issues and potentially more critical of certain governments in the region compared to BBC Arabic."

        2. Here's what the AI overview suggests "No, BBC Arabic and Al Jazeera are not the same; while both provide news coverage in Arabic, Al Jazeera is a separate news network based in Qatar, while BBC Arabic is a part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, meaning they have different ownership, editorial stances, and potential biases in their reporting, with Al Jazeera often seen as more focused on Middle Eastern issues and potentially more critical of certain governments in the region compared to BBC Arabic."

      2. The BBC honestly does think it's impartial. It truly does. It can't see why it is wrong. It ses nothing wrong with how it behaves.

        It's bias is blatant and obvious. However, for the Left they have the same bias and to protect a mind full of doublethink they pretend it is.

      3. Impartial is interpreted as presenting the correct viewpoint. Challenging the official line is misinformation. At GBN they’re more open to letting people with opposing views fight it out, though they kowtow on Ukraine. The BBC considers its truth to be impartial. To my surprise, a freelance producer at BBC Studios agreed with me on this point. He may not be unusual. It’s hard to tell but the product is still what they’re contracted to deliver.

  36. Help needed and I am sure this lovely band of NOTTLers can help.

    On Thursday I have a colonography (don't ask) and those of you familiar with this and the rather more intrusive colonoscopy will know you have to follow a strict preparation diet beforehand. I have no issues with this, and not sure what the nasty elixir in the bottle will taste like, but during the 'clear liquids only' time, ie from day before, they suggest I can drink/eat broth. Just been looking in the supermarkets and scotch broth, chicken broth etc all seem to contain huge chunks of veggies etc so only qualify if you sieve them out. I eyed up oxtail, not sure whether that qualifies as a broth, but saw that had a considerable amount of tomato in it which is verboten. Trying a can of cream of chicken today for lunch which I think will be chunk free but whether that qualifies I don't know. OK I can get a jar of Bovril which I know meets the rules…

    Any advice of where to find this marvellous 'clear' no chunks broth?

    1. Marks and Spencer's beef consomme. I drink it often at lunch time. Baxters is the brand name.

    2. Stick Blender is your friend best gadget I ever bought
      Home made soup in minutes
      Saute an onion add various veggies (fridge soup) add chicken stock simmer and blend
      Job done

      1. That isn't a clear broth. He would be disqualified. Believe me, I made that mistake and had to wait for 8 hours. From being the first of the day I ended up last.

    4. I buy oxtail from a butcher and roast it in the oven. I then place it into a large saucepan or stockpot (a pressure cooker works very well), then I season it with salt and pepper, and a few chopped onions, water to cover, then simmer it for a couple of hours (or pressure cook it for an hour) before straining it through a sieve (or a sheet of muslin). the ensuing broth is the best you will taste and the meat picked from the bones makes a hearty stew.

      I make a new batch every three months-or-so.

      3. Way too much hassle when a stock cube and a kettle will do. Happy birthday! Hope you have a great day.

        1. Thanks, Sue.

          Oh, I never find cooking a 'hassle' and there are no hidden surprises in my stock, unlike there is in a stock cube.

          3. It's only for one day!
            edit: happy birthday to a fellow Piscean – or are you on the cusp?

    9. Buy bones and simmer them slowly all day with a few bits of veg (onion, celery, carrot). I don#t do the roasting thing like Grizzly does – it probably tastes good though.

    10. Try Cuppa soup.

      I have had lotsa Colonoscopies, if you are squeamish,ask to be sedated. You will need someone to drive you home

      1. I had the colonoscopy without any gas or sedation. I wanted to leave straight after and not have to deal with the anaesthetic or sore throat from the gas.

        Quite a bit of grunting but it was bearable. Just.

          2. The required X-Ray afterwards was not without interest.

            Put on a very giant ‘dartboard’whic was rotated, til my feet were high and my head low.

          5. Me too. After the first endoscopy I insisted on sedation. That was fine until they changed the procedure and no sedation was allowed.

      2. I think he's having CT colonography – much less awful but may lead to the full colonoscopy being booked (I am a veteran of both).

    11. I have had a few probs recently with my innards , IBS etc , and am drinking a mug of hot Bovril.. I feel so reticent to eat bread , cake , meat veg eggs at the moment .

      I wake up at night in great pain , hot and sticky and scared , and retching , headache etc.

      My tummy is so puffed up and gurgling like the tubes in Frankenstein's lab.

      1. Sorry to hear that Belle, hope you soon feel better. I am nowhere near that stage yet but am suffering from constipation (need to use Senna) which is partly what triggered this.

        It says I can eat 'normally' afterwards. My friend who is running me down there has agreed we stop somewhere on the way back (he suggested McDonalds, I have to veto that..) but presumably I should start lightly, cuppa and sandwich. I suspect a full pub lunch is off the cards, especially the beer.

  37. Weekend Medley
    https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/480606338_1160877265525761_7824308051023473082_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=2Pg655QHpNcQ7kNvgFWXlXj&_nc_oc=AdiAAhlbmjBBygx9RPEUilEOZMD7NYd0EfbCwj46nLoZVZnK2sIqCZmciIn_XsATudk&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.xx&_nc_gid=AiNEsHJyhY1oZiSobBjJJNv&oh=00_AYAYQ09VRMT2neRI8kSQ1hgNp46BFO5QGX–qANhLk7LDw&oe=67BD6196
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/561e833946e94817d6bdc105e618bffece7632318caca082f316e83422a3a9af.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5f1735bcde501d3cc80182aec14111ccd40244e2e4f80ec2d4346833be34818e.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/04fb958c755c0166bdbf6ecd6b839006b0e0246d5c44decf7f58aa7f29084abf.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2e810d3e42db24f13617bf7ac46de144450b940b2fe1fbc5226cdca05b351698.png
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0da928045986c0e867beb28a6d31999369014168ab70b976a1a2fddd066989a3.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a1fe85647c5cfd773f4801f98bdc59cacca38d90cf1b195ede3e90c114c11257.jpg
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ow9Pc6fC3Og

    1. 401981+ up ticks,

      O2O,
      Could it be a mucking fuddle has been made, and he was soliciting
      ( bolstering up his MPs stipend) in the Manchester area ?

  41. Tomorrow the forecast is for very strong wind hitting most of the British Isles and Ireland.
    Coming from across the Atlantic.

    1. Born 53 days into the second half of the twentieth century. HB! And keep up the pedantry.

  42. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3adc1dbaaad1680dfcd7b5ceb2c4862f256af5d1cf62c78a2b824ea25f7651e2.png Good morning to my friends and fellow NoTTLers, and thank you all for the kind greetings on the anniversary of my emergence into this universe.

    As you can see, it is a lovely mild, sunny, spring-like day here as all my snow has disappeard overnight.

    If I may be permitted a spot of pedantry on this day, I shall point out that the term ‘birthday’ is, in reality, somewhat of a misnomer? Today is not my 74th “birthday” it is actually the end of my 74th birth year. [Yes, I know, it is the 74th anniversary of my birth but we don’t say that, do we?]

    It is, in fact, my 27,029th birthday today (and yes, I have counted them).🤣

    Best wishes to you all.😊

    Grizzly.

    1. Many happy returns Grizzly from Alf and me, hope you have a great day. Really lovely pic btw – hopeful of spring.

      1. Many thanks, vw and Alf.😊

        It is just like a spring day out there right now, especially after a bitterly cold past fortnight.

        1. Very springlike and sunny here today too after a wet and windy one yesterday. About to hang out the bedlinen as the washing seems to have finished.

    2. Yo Mr G

      You have had one actual "Birthday"

      74 anniverserial celebrations

      and lots, well 26,955ish of Unbirthdays

    3. Who in the telephone box, are you going to paint it red.? Happy birth whatever it is. Kind regards to you.

      1. Thanks, John.👍🏻

        The 'telephone box' is a cage that lets all the small birds in to feed but keeps out anything larger than a blackbird. I got sick of rooks and magpies nicking all the food. It cannot be seen in summer when all the foliage of the lilac bushes cover it.

          2. Apparently posh convicts reckon boarding school is good training for prison.
            Prison is easier.

    9. Happy Birthday, Grizz.

      Close to missing your day, better late than never. I hope you had a pleasant day.

      2. A think tank probably held an exercise and discovered that those deemed working class – is that the people with a job and also with or without some savings? I can't recall. – aren't as stupid as first thought, should be Labour's bedrock voting base but are no longer and the islamic vote is swinging towards its own people. Basically, Labour under Starmer and his coven have lost the plot (did they ever have the plot is a valid question?). Regaining people's confidence will require, amongst a host of shootings in the foot, telling the truth. Not much chance ot that.

  44. Fat boy Johnson (ex Prime Minister) Writing in the Daily Fail:

    Of course it's bonkers to say Ukraine started the war. But here's what I think:

    He (Putin) thought that the Ukrainians would rapidly surrender, and that the West would spinelessly acquiesce, as we had during the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

    Well, he was wrong, and all the sceptics were wrong about Ukraine. They have proved, in the phrase of John Stuart Mill, to be lovers of their own liberty, and everybody can see that Volodymyr Zelensky is not a dictator but a democrat courageously defending his country against an aggressor.

    He doesn't shoot journalists. He doesn't poison his opponents or send them to the Gulag. That's Putin.

    We didn't poke the bear. What balls. I was in every important Nato meeting in the six years before Putin's February 2022 invasion, and I can tell you that Ukraine's chances of joining Nato – then – were about as good as a snowball's chance in Hell.

    He, Johnson, is obviously more stupid than even his detractors believed.

    1. Just dishonest, I believe. Has clearly given up any idea of having a legacy.

      He is right though, Ukraine didn't start the war – the US did!

      1. In a word: Biden.

        Trump is being criticised for his way of mopping up the mess that is Ukraine – but had he not been robbed of the 2020 election the war would never have started.

        1. The American electoral process is no more ideal than it is in Britain, where an overwhelming majority in Parliament can arise from a 20% popular vote.

          Do you recall in 2000 how Al Gore was denied his presidency through hanging chads an nepotism in Florida? That led to a stroppy video about global warming and all the Ws being removed from White House keyboards, not not all-out war if I recall, unless you count 9/11 and the 'Shock-and-Awe' of the special military operation in Iraq.

      3. You are quite wrong. Applying for EU and NATO membership may well have been a provocation, as was the suppression of a troublesome faction of militant subversives (who in other places, including Britain, may well be referred to as terrorists), but it was Russia that actually started the war by invading.

        As for the US, under both Obama and Trump, the US was losing interest in Europe. Only Joe Biden had business interests there he was rather eager to safeguard.

    2. Even by Johnson's very low standards that is utter rubbish – Zelensky has actually imprisoned opponents, albeit not in a Gulag as I don't think he has one, he's almost certainly "misdirected" money and he's suppressed the Orthodox church. I notice fat boy doesn't mention the Minsk agreement in this clip, or the Maiden riots! Or the Azov battalion!

      1. Neverthless, he is not the first or only president of a sovereign nation to misbehave or violate treaties.

    3. Every one of those statements are a lie or so highly misleading as to amount to lying. It was Ukraine that started this war years ago by persecuting Russian speaking Ukrainians even to the point of outlawing the language in those parts of Ukraine, the Donbass etc, which were Russian speaking in the first place. Further the Ukrainians shelled the native population for years before Putin finally responded. As for Crimea, it is Russian and always has been apart from an empty gesture by Khrushchev who "gave" it to Ukraine at a time when the Ukraine was, in itself an artificial construct of the Communists, no one regarded it as a real country anyway. It was a pretend country invented for political expediency.

      As for Boris Johnson he is a killer, a psychopath willing to send innocent Russians and Ukrainians into the meat grinder and no better than Starmer in his policies toward the British, against whom, with his policies, of uncontrolled immigration and lies about leaving the EU was a traitor to this country.

      2. I'm not very much swayed by whether or not a country has a historical hinterland of great substance. The yearnings and desires of a territory's inhabitants weigh more heavily with me. Neither South Sudan nor East Timor had historical legitimacy, but their people wanted to be free from persecution. I accept these new countries as legitimate, as I would a country for Kurdish people, often oppressed by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. There is a case to be made for adjusting Ukraine's borders to satisfy its Russian minority, but not for its extinguishment.

        1. As I have said before. The difference between Ukraine and Russia is that between Yorkshire and the rest of England. It doesn’t even rise to the level of a fight between England and Scotland. The idea that Ukraine is a separate country or ever was is a fiction. it is a civil war. A remanent of the USSR inflamed by foreign interests who wish Russia ill.

          1. I support David Wainwright here.

            Even Germany or Italy or Belgium did not exist as a nation until the 19th century, and Israel not until the 20th, except as a legendary kingdom way back in the mists of antiquity.

            Nations come and go, and if destiny gives them sovereignty, even for a moment, they become legitimate entities worthy of recognition and respect.

            Ukraine gained its sovereignty along with a dozen other nations with the breakup of the USSR in the 1990s. Furthermore, it reinforced that status when it repulsed its attempted extinguishment by Russia two years ago. There is no doubt today that it exists in its own right.

            You mention Yorkshire, which is a shire province of England and has been for centuries. Yet, even Yorkshire could claim sovereignty were it successfully to sue for independence, but not right now.

            Eric Idle (which is perhaps England's answer to Zelenskyy) once created the fictitious state of Rutland, and to go to Oakham sometimes one feels in the capital of a tiny and proud ruritania. I wouldn't even rule that out.

    4. Every one of those statements are a lie or so highly misleading as to amount to lying. It was Ukraine that started this war years ago by persecuting Russian speaking Ukrainians even to the point of outlawing the language in those parts of Ukraine, the Donbass etc, which were Russian speaking in the first place. Further the Ukrainians shelled the native population for years before Putin finally responded. As for Crimea, it is Russian and always has been apart from an empty gesture by Khrushchev who "gave" it to Ukraine at a time when the Ukraine was, in itself an artificial construct of the Communists, no one regarded it as a real country anyway. It was a pretend country invented for political expediency.

      As for Boris Johnson he is a killer, a psychopath willing to send innocent Russians and Ukrainians into the meat grinder and no better than Starmer in his policies toward the British, against whom, with his policies, of uncontrolled immigration and lies about leaving the EU was a traitor to this country.

        1. Very economical with the truth. He could have settled that dispute in the early days but chose not to.

  45. Good morning everyone. Yet another bright sunny day. Yeah, who am I kidding! At least it’s a lighter grey.

    Disaster! Cleaning a kitchen cupboard – a tin of paint we were leaving for the newbies has leaked – what a mess. But not quite such a disaster, it has cleaned up, thankfully. It was the last thing I needed first thing in the morning on my hands and knees. Oh well. Onward and upwards.

    1. Eek! Acrylic paint is water soluble while wet. Once dry it’s plastic and has to be chipped off. Oil paint dries more slowly and remains soluble with the right thinners? Hope the rest of your clearing and packing goes smoothly.

      1. We never wanted to move from where we are. But Alf’s mobility is not as good as it could be and the bungalow will be much better for him. I expect I’ll cry on Monday. It’s going to be awful.

        1. At least you’re not moving very far and can keep in touch with people nearby. We have very good neighbours here but our house is not really ideal for “old people” – on a hillside with 11 steps up to the front door. We did have a handrail put in a few years ago. I think carrying heavy bags of shopping up the steps is good weight-bearing exercise for me. We can however live mainly on the ground floor, with only a few steps up to the bedroom.

      1. Buried on page N so deep in al Beeb and with no evidence or data applied, with. a passing snipe at Trump, no doubt.

        2. That is what I thought, but would have it (in a bottle) in the cupboard.

          I would not phone the firm to get it

    2. One thing (of the many) that pisses me off – is when one is forced to telephone a company because it is not possible to do what one wants to do online – and, while one waits interminably, is met with a recorded voice suggesting that you go to their website and resolve the problem online….

    3. This all about digital self solve which a lot of companies are moving towards.
      A lot expect you to find an answer from Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
      I find Live Chat facilities on a computer browser a better solution to solvng on FAQs.
      Live Chat does involve having a keyboard conversation in real time so your keyboard skills have to be up to scratch and I can't see that it works very well on a smartphone.
      I don't like using phone answering services employing solely virtual voice filters- I got one of these when I tried to activate my National Savings registration and invested my capital in an EV instead. I know that EVs depreciaate very rapidly but the experience was worth convincing MOH to buy the latest Citroen petrol Berlingo offering which was delivered in January.

      1. Live chat tends to use bots who can’t work outside the script. I have to keep asking to speak to an agent and then I mainly get a foreigner whose English skills are iffy.

  50. On Twitter: The Squad.. including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now worth $30 million despite being paid a congressional salary of just $174,000 per year.

    Oh dear.. can't wait for the numbers on Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

    1. Lefties grift. They are utterly disgusting characters and see no problem with destroying what others have earned and pocketing it.

  51. Chinese team finds new bat coronavirus that could infect humans via same route as Covid-19
    Research was led by Shi Zhengli.     SCMP.

    Also..
    "Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend.

    1. You are possibly under-estimating the average Briton's desire to live in the old GDR.
      But I hope not.

      1. You are possibly under-estimating the average Briton's desire to live in the old GDR.

        Quite so. A depressingly-large part of our demos is of authoritarian-conservative mentality, aren't they, Anne? Or, as our colonial cousins rather more vividly put it: lick up, piss down.

      2. You are possibly under-estimating the average Briton's desire to live in the old GDR.

        Quite so. A depressingly-large part of our demos is of authoritarian-conservative mentality, aren't they, Anne? Or, as our colonial cousins rather more vividly put it: lick up, piss down.

  53. Tottenham midfielder Brennan Johnson has started dating porn star Lily Philips, who until recently held the world record for sleeping with the most blokes in a 24 hour period.

    One can only imagine the deep sense of shame her parents must have felt when they found out she was dating a Spurs player.

        1. Waving a pencil in the Albert Hall.

          Reminds me of a Bernard Manning gag about organs and cathedrals which propriety prevents me from rehearsing on this respectable forum.

  54. Hello, a bright afternoon, quite mild too, the sun is attempting to peek through the clouds

        1. I actually managed to sit out in the sun (in a sheltered spot) while I had a drink. Miserable again tomorrow, apparently, so one of my fellow dog-walkers informed me.

    1. Can't listen – it's his voice. I usually agree with him though. What is the gist of it? What don't they want to admit?

      1. Trump will do deals. He wants trade not war. The globalist project is collapsing and the expulsion of the unwanted migrants from The West is inevitable and could be violent. The idea of breaking up and plundering Russia was doomed from the start. Erdogan wants to rebuild the Ottoman Empire. At this point I part company. Erdogan is evil and they’re wrong to hate the Jews. Yes, the globalists will lose but these two never state that Islam must also lose.

        1. I don't think the globalist project is collapsing, Sue. They advance, retreat, advance some more, retreat – it's their modus operandi. But each advance and retreat leaves us lacking a little more freedom.
          The building blocks of the digital prison like digital identities, are forging full speed ahead.

          1. I also think McGregor is being over-optimistic about this. Firstly, Europe in still very firmly in the death-grip of what his native country has just voted to rid itself of- but, and secondly, he can rest assured that, even in the United States, the deep-state forces of finance-capital totalitarianism will not simply fold their tents and silently depart.

    2. After Hitler invaded Poland without declaring war on anybody Britain put boots on the ground in France and the troops from both sides were driven into the sea by Blitzkrieg vehicles developed from American ideas.

    3. Brilliant exposition. Thank you for posting Sue.

      For those who haven't had the time or are disinclined to watch this piece, here's an Executive Summary.

      Fan let me introduce Shit. I think you are going to hit it off!

  56. A strange thought occurred to me today regarding politicians not knowing their rrs from their elbows. The government no longer trusts doctors to certify death, which now means there can be one – even two months – between death and the funeral.
    We are exhorted not to use more electricity – actively priced out of it even – but given the additional storage requirements of undertakers, increased electricity usage is exactly what this latest piece of legislation has ensured.
    Like bossy directives on fruit and sugar jam ratios mean that opened jars now need to be kept in the fridge; using more space and therefore larger fridges are needed.

    1. The heart is an amazing piece of design.
      It's a bit like a diesel engine because the only way of stopping it is to cut the fuel supply (you had to manually close a fuel valve in old diesels to stop them)
      The interesting thing about the heart is that it pumps its own blood supply – that's why hearts have a measurable diastolic blood pressure to ensure that the heart won't kill itself.

      So death is only certifiable if the diesel tank is empty.

    2. I've kept open jars of marmalade and jam in the fridge since they did away with preservatives

      1. I make my own jam (surplus of raspberries from the soft fruit patch) and that has to be kept in the fridge once opened; it's just fruit and sugar.

    4. Who is supposed to certify death nowadays then? The average time these days locally between death and funeral seems to be three to four weeks. When my mother died in 1989, her funeral was a week later.

      2. MOH's cremation was held up because the doctor faffed around issuing the death certificate. Why, I have no idea – dementia patient with heart problems who was refusing medication, you'd have thought it was simple enough. In the end the Registrar was chasing him up and the funeral directors were chasing me.

  57. Reposted in case some of you have not seen this further down.

    Thanks all the comments regarding colonography. Beef stock cubes looks the easiest – and the cream of chicken soup I have just had for lunch is a long way from 'clear soup'.

    Information says I can eat 'normally' afterwards. My friend who is running me down there has agreed we stop somewhere on the way back (he suggested McDonalds, I have to veto that..) but presumably I should start lightly, cuppa and sandwich. I suspect a full pub lunch is off the cards, especially the beer.

    2. I had the full on job a couple of weeks ago the liquid is salty and with a lemon acid flavour. After the advisory time of not eating, i didn't eat at all only drank water. But after the procedure i was rewarded with a cheese sandwich, a few nice biscuit's and a pot of tea.

  58. It is currently chucking it down out the front window and sunshine out the back, which would be fine if I lived in Blenheim Palace, but I don't.

    Taken just now in the back garden: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/06458eab52711336db8c36eba5c0473fd40190fe05d3bfb97d685edaed17ad8e.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/97dc60fb05c0935d95542ff19da5504b88bac75a1612e10c5bb8a99311a2f7d3.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cdca80ea0dab968790a1f586bb5d54fa461537ebd87f04fc4a39b48017f77b37.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9aa444c99750b976bc0a533e9e197604071f3b23aeb70c361efd6184f21f80c9.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e9a0cb3547cb97dce86c07ab434794761edff1b300ceea7b9cb6432e597d770a.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bd5b3d613b4d1ba6e69a4329dea00159b9c8fd2b11eb49c6f3315967d04e1a34.jpg https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5168c4e18e836c113f26ce123b3f1462f39096b48284f8fce056394e98c1a15f.jpg

    2. Hello GQ, Enchanting Flowers . Wonderfully sunny and bright here, sends you sunshine .

        1. Funny how variable the weather can be . Damp first thing here , then the sun came out and wow , what a great late morning .. here in the Wool / Warehamy parts . Sun is still shining , but the day is chilling down , still cloudy to the south, that will be 4 miles up the road to Lulworth .

    5. Lovely, we are a few days even weeks behind you with the spring flowers.

      But i did my bit yesterday, i found a lady bird soaking wet limping across the top of one of our waste bins. Recused it and now it's living in the utility room.

    6. Them there photos put me in mind of what Edward Thomas said when one of his smart, clever literary acquaintances asked him what he imagined he was defending by volunteering to fight in the first World War when he was eminently-qualified for exemption. He dug his fingers into the conveniently-adjacent earth and replied-

      "Literally, this."

      1. If I should die, think only this of me; That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. There shall be In that rich earth a richer dust concealed.

  59. Afternoon all. Lovely warm sunny day here. I got carried away walking Winston and am now good for nothing other than sitting down. A shame as I should be out in the garden working.
    The House of Lords should be returned to the hereditary peers. No political placemen and women and no diversity awards.

    3. They would get round it by making their mates hereditary peers. Perhaps a second elected chamber with a longer life span would be better. Ten years perhaps?

        1. I wish I had the time to get cracking on the garden!
          Mind you, I'm just about chock a block with logs so will renew my horticultural efforts in the near future!

  61. Given that I see people still wearing face nappies in the open air I don’t hold out much hope.

  62. Moh and I have had a good couple of hours or more sorting out the garden planters , rooting out weeds etc.. the sun is out and it is 13c.. blue sky , no need for a coat .. I was warm enough wearing a thick jumper ..

    The small flower beds are too waterlogged to set foot on , but the signs of flower buds on Ceanothus, hydrangea are kicking off into life and the lilac is coming back to life ..

    There is a breeze now , and clouds to the south .. but the skylarks continue to soar and sing in the fields behind us .

    I have washed the bird feeder bottoms , and refreshed the seed feeders , the weather recently has been evil , I don't know how our wild birds cope.

    So now as I sit here tapping away , looking out of the window I spoke too soon, more cloud and a bit chillier .

    Rugby atmosphere.. wow.

    3. I'm sure that will be a great comfort to everyone struggling to get by. At least the Foreign Office still got its bespoke shoes and its crystal wine glasses!

      1. Well it is the calibre of the type of person who doesn’t have a conscience, nor right from wrong.. pure thievery .. The Foreign Office consists of a bunch of wogs anyway .. they learn quickly.

  69. As i have often suggested most politicians take home more in expenses every two weeks than the basic UK pension.

    1. I remember the daft Shirley Williams saying the only way to get better people into politics would be to pay them more.

      They now pay them more and give them over-generous expenses and now they still get scumbags but the scumbags are greedier, grubbier and more corrupt than they were before.

  70. Just finished the ladder + wire + rose work. Very satisfying- except that the rose fought back and I have a number of holes in both hands! Thank God I am not on thinners…

    I hope never have to do this particular chore again. Ever.

    Then the Sun came out and it is really very nice. The MR has nearly finished pruning the roses. Then armillatox and feed and well-rotted manure top dressing. Tomorrow.

      1. Brilliant game ..some proper action. Rugby is so exciting .. proper blokes .

        Poor old Moh is watching football, on his laptop, as Saints plummet to the bottom .

  72. Load of bowlocks – the UK has more venomous reptiles than any other country in the world. They are in Parliament, the law courts, unCivil service, higher echelons of the Police Force and universities. . . and they keep on importing even more poisonous creatures from the snake pits and cess pits of every other pestilence infested corner of the globe.

    https://scontent-cdg4-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/480724479_122208540722182284_2223477187600301915_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=Uy2eglLUMAoQ7kNvgHm78zM&_nc_oc=AdiPmdaWM0R4iCrX4NsD0jay2u8dDZXOGkrPRw89XVH27vKtn6MZBwnIqTLivzgKlSGY3GgPae3ymomwqWsWFjmb&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-cdg4-3.xx&_nc_gid=AzQukQotAQ1mdY9g62FBZlk&oh=00_AYCCMsqWbxay3D9SWI0flFg62-87rVhYJvyuZSKA8nlMVg&oe=67BFA416

    3. Follow the X comment and this threesome's relationship reveals a twists and a turn. Apparently the female worked for Blair and Brown back in the day.

  79. I would have said that he Welsh "non-try" was because the bloke had his left foot in touch before he attempted to ground the ball.

    Still, at least the gave Oireland a run for their money. For a change.

  82. He also didnt ground it properly and it was short of the line – apart from that it was a good try! Much better from Wales though….

    2. Apparently he has a residential qualification to play for Ireland which he will lose if he leaves Ireland and moves to France to play his rugby there.

    3. Bundee has settled in Irishland. He has his a family there. He has also integrated.

      Strangely enough the locals like him. Possibly because he is a Rugger Hero and not a Paki rapist.

  85. I have sun light ! I have opened my bedroom curtains. AAAAaaaRRRGGGhhhHHH. !

    Miss Havisham has nothing on me ! I have cobweb chandeliers.

      1. The webs seem to be full of skin cells and dog hairs.

        I wish i hadn't opened that window before the Emergency Cleaner arrived.

    2. For most of my time in (and aware of) France, if one died at home, the body lay in the house overnight – funeral next day, coffin being taken direct from house to church/cemetery. Apparently, that has been banned – and so bodies have to go to the undertakers overnight (or for a day or two) before the funeral.

      1. I remember my grandfather's death back in the late 1950's. As soon as my parents found out, they called the school and I was on my way to Southampton the next day. He was laid out in his "front room" and buried the next day. Then I was on the train back – out of Southampton Docks station on a slow train up to Waterloo via the Alton/Alresford line, then the night train from Euston back oop North. Back in the class room the next day. Well, I was young and resilient then…

  88. I've just shifted a big log!
    No, Madam, not one of "those" logs, but this one:- https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5740953f6b70718fd9b4c323bcd6056926b881695376038dddd33a327bf66199.jpg A bit of Lime, 36" by 15" diameter that fell into the silt that has replaced the pond when the tree was taken apart by the tree fellers. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/93ef9993f1dc24cf475654c03715f49afbdb3fab67b61f46fa83304e5ea1a4a6.jpg Using HGV grade ratchet straps and some decent ropes, I dragged it from here:- https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/85d1fc8804c121a325f31726c0c5692075989b3acd236d4ac2c397f29cd79ecd.jpg Out of the silt and onto this bank, where I switched techniques from ratchet straps to "parbuckling" to get it to the top of the bank. A skill I picked up in the Sappers. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d28a7b236f3328dc87540c80a9b849375a3735454bedb422fb572cc23f8f14db.jpg Rolled it over that piece of plywood someone has dumped and down the other side of the bank to where it currently lies; https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8ac2ee58b19c2ff1a7aebd930186903823d6b8feae2a3dcffb8c95726cce16ed.jpg I did have some assistance from Graduate Son, who is now suffering from two days worth of over-exposure to daylight!

    The pond is a bit sad really, as when I moved here, 34y ago, the water was crystal clear and deep enough for me to have an occasional dip into it.
    Sadly, about 20y ago, a quarry up the valley got permission to use water from the stream and so began the silting up.
    Where the sluice gate is, used to be a good 10' of water across the full width of the dam.
    Look at it now. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1e11aa95802d2dc9157e90d1d0b3f833275afd25401bc040ef02a3da2741e005.jpg And then, getting in the stream to take this shot, I discovered my right wellie was knackered; https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b5ffc60b95c0075d5a062cbdb18868e61c1d333897a7419c249e08d42df94bda.jpg There is also a 2nd stream emerging from an old mine drainage sough at the side of the pond; https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/fd8a8f89c7bacd8a679be0dfb9d437690911aef8c88acb584aa7c34bf1e474c4.jpg

    1. Pardon me for saying this, but it appears to me you have had nothing but hard graft up where you are , and my goodness you have got some difficult decisions to sort out ..

      Before you retired , how were things then , and did you have any help at home , or is all that hard work now the result of 34 years , things getting out of hand?

      I have to say , you have shown us all the results of your hard work , and it is almost similar to the projects I look at on Grand Designs Channel 4 TV.

      1. The hard work is largely ensuring there is sufficient wood for the fires and that it is collected then split and stacked early enough to season before use.
        But even before I retired I coped fairly well with it.
        I've rolled back on the bit of hillside that misleadingly refers to its self as "My Garden", but even then I've a few plans for the future with that.
        I'm just about at the point where, having no more room for the logs, I might be able to get going again with that.

      1. Why is it called an otter year when it shows badger, fox and beaver? I never saw a beaver when I was in Canada, but I saw plenty of evidence they'd been around, in the form of pointed tree stumps.

        3. It refers to the River Otter in Devon which, according to Wiki,

          "is the only river in England known to contain a wild breeding population of Eurasian beavers, a species that died out in Britain in around 1550. The origin of the population is not known; it was first noticed in 2013, apparently successfully bearing three kits the next year.[6][7]"

          1. I didn't realise that. Is that the origin of Ottery St Mary? I think that info is out of date now – unless they haven't started breeding yet. Beavers have been introduced into the Severn in Shrewsbury.

          2. Yes.
            Again from wiki:-
            Ottery St Mary, known as “Ottery”, is a town and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about 10 miles (16 km) east of Exeter on the B3174.

          3. We've had them released in Scotland – opinion is divided on whether this is good for the countryside or not

    3. Blimey, wrong choice from 2 results in an embarrassing par (based on all the other scores!)

      Wordle 1,344 4/6

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

  90. Breaking news : a terrorist attack has just taken place in Eastern France. One dead, several injured (including five policemen) in a knife attack where the attacker called out "Allah Akbar" before striking.

    The newspaper report is not clear whether the attacker has actually been arrested. Born in Algeria in 1987, he is known to security services as a terrorist risk and has a deportation order on him.

    EDIT – it would appear according to the press (but no official statement yet) that the attacker has been arrested.

    https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/mulhouse-au-moins-un-mort-et-plusieurs-blesses-dans-une-attaque-au-couteau-au-cri-d-allah-akbar-20250222

    UPDATE : The person who died was a civilian who tried to defend whoever was being attacked – potentially one of the policemen, but that isn't clear at this stage.

    UPDATE 2 (this will be the last one!) : the hero was a 69 year old Portuguese man. The oldies are the goodies…

          1. I knew it was based on the Beggar's Opera (later the Threepenny Opera by Brecht – I had to study that).

      2. Here in France the camel's back has already been broken. This is why Marine Le Pen's party is now the biggest single party in French parliament, even if it cannot, on its own, be bigger than the other parties' coalitions.

    4. Goodness! I'm surprised the paper even mentioned it was a diversity, let alone it being in the first line! Crikey. I'd better have a lie down.

  92. Oh dear!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d86ee21552a59dcca200d9f706f0ea85385d0701f5a87baeac88399458d4fb86.png

    "…it shines an unwelcome spotlight on the euro, and at a most inopportune time, not least for Keir Starmer as he tries to revive our relationship with the EU.

    "Starmer shouldn't be gulled into getting us drawn into an unfolding disaster in which we might end up importing the Eurozone youth unemployment, bailing out their fishing Industry and buying more of their armaments."

    Only a measly £8Billion? "Rachel, get the cheque book out".

    MSN

    2. Boris is toast, mate. Why don't you put your energy into attacking those in power who are eroding our freedoms hour by hour and day by day~? I am dismayed by the constant attacks on the dead Tory party, attacks which almost legitimise the ghastly communists presently in power in this country. Why not unite against the common enemy, instead of sawing sawdust?

    3. So true all of it, but it shouldn't have to be explained, its all pretty obvious.
      I've always had the feeling that Nigel will pull out of it before he's due to move in.

      1. There are some for whom no amount of reality (or punishment) will make a jot of difference to their voting intentions. Maybe the 23% are happy enough that their benefits are still being paid.

    1. Falling of the roof of his building? How dreadfully unfortunate for him. I suppose it could happen to anyone.

    4. Russia is always being accused of chucking people off tall buildings.

      We know that is also the standard format for homosexuals in Islam and then stoned to death if they happen to survive.

      Give me a minute…i need to look at the odds on Ladbrooks.

  96. No mention of the score.

    Yer Scots re not making the endless blunders that yer French did. And the Boy Wonder has been very quiet.

  97. Not a good day. We’re moving on Monday and this morning boiler didn’t light. No heat nor replenishment of hot water. Manages to get a plumber we know to come and look. He replaced a fuse it sprung back to life and we decided to go out for an early meal.
    Got home and still no heating. Called plumber again who decided the ‘board’ had gone. Now have immersion heater on but no heating. Why do these things happen at the weekend?
    Could do without the added stress.

    1. As stupid as it sounds, it's likely better to go at a decent time during the weekend than at 3am. It's also been a bit warmer today so hopefully not as much heat needed as has been?

  98. On a much lighter note.

    There was a beautiful rainbow which started/ended in the garden.

    I could see exactly where the pot of gold would be found.

    I've never been so close to one before.

    We've recently lost a very dear friend and we like to think he was smiling on us.

    1. I remember when my Dad died and on the way back to Soton the sun blasted through the clouds. Great solid beams of light. It's daft I know, but it felt 'right' somehow.

      2. That's a phenomenon I've painted lots of times over the years. The spectacle never fails to impress. The series was called "Light on the Hills".

      3. The only time I’ve seen a light show like that, I was sitting in a replica of a first century fishing boat crossing the Sea of Galilee, aka Lake Tiberius.

    2. When Kadi's owner was buried (Kadi went to the funeral) there was a most magnificent rainbow over the churchyard.

  100. Weekend's tea candle time.

    One person has died and two police officers have been injured after a knife attack in the French city of Mulhouse.
    The suspect is a 37-year-old Algerian

    1. Can we please focus on the brave bystander that tried to intervene protecting our progressive liberal values, our progressive liberal way of life.. and divert all attention away from the 37-year-old Algerian who shouted "Allahu Akbar".

    2. Can we please focus on the brave bystander that tried to intervene protecting our liberal values, our liberal way of life.. and divert all attention away from the 37-year-old Algerian who shouted "Allahu Akbar".

    5. See my post an hour earlier than this one. A very dreadful affair.

      The anti-terrorist squad was mobilised immediately ; the President and the Prime Minister have both said that there is no doubt at all that this is a terrorist attack. At least they're being honest about it. And I suspect there will be further arrests amongst the Algerian's entourage.

    1. I think the result was OK – one point in it either way would have been fine – toss of a coin stuff!

      1. I see the Jocks were still arguing with the ref after the final whistle and everyone was on their way home!

        (Bad losers…and I know that because I was married to a Scot)

  105. No they didn’t! They never follow up their chances! And giving away that many penalties….🤦🏻‍♀️

    1. Which side was the more entertaining?
      Which side played as if Ben" kick the ball to the opposition" Youngs was reincarnated?

  107. Scotland lost a match which (with their Saffer) was there for the taking.

    England did play better in the second half – but not nearly as well as they ought – and (one day) will.

    That said – no wonder lots of NoTTLers have heart issues!!!

    1. Do you mean Hamish Van der McMerwe? He's as Scottish as I am, and I never buy a round either…..

      1. 8 of the Irish are not Irish !
        In comparison if an England player plays for an overseas team. They are no longer allowed to play for England. As is the case with with ex England captain. Owen Farrel.

        1. I didnt think it was that many, tbh, although the Irish diaspora is very strong!

          I’m amazed England get away with that ban on players playing ‘overseas’ like Farrell – surely that’s restriction of trade?

          1. although the Irish diaspora is very strong.
            Especially in England after all the canals were built. 2

  109. Still don't see what Itoje did was supposed to be wrong. If the ball is in front of you – pick it up.

  111. My old Scot is being very brave about it all, and I’m trying to keep a straight face! I’ll not message my son-in-law!

  112. It seems to me that, despite the new "speed up the scrum law" scrums are taking even longer than they did last season.

      1. The name, Truly Scrumptious, is a dead giveaway that the book was written by the same chap who also gave us Pussy Galore, Honey Rider, Mary Goodnight, Plenty O'Toole, Holly Goodhead, Kissy Suzuki and Xenia Onatopp.

        1. The same man who came up with the villains names Blofeld and Oddjob – I hear the next instalment has a villain who is a combination of both of these , he's called Oddfeld! I'll get me Martini, shaken not stirred…..

  113. Oh, go on, Sue, I have a Welsh brother-in-law and I never miss the opportunity when we beat them! (Nor he to me if they win!)

      1. Smiles graciously. His comment is a great deal less rude than some of the garbage (really unpleasant) that my former wife's chums hurled at me when England won..

  116. At least they completed a few – it seemed like every bloody scrum in the Wales game collapsed and a pen was given!

  117. That's me gone for today. Honourable wounds from the rose tree. That job done. England scrape home after playing much better in the second half. The Boy Wonder did come good again.

    Now for a quiet evening letting my heart rate return to what passes for normal!

    Have a spiffing evening.

    A demain.,

    2. Any relation to Rose Bush ?
      A friend presented my good lady with a memorial plant when my MiL passed away. It would be thirty foot high now but because of my pruning it's only 3ft tall now. But it attacks me all the time. I'm sure that it's haunted.

  121. My Dad said the same! Prayed for a Scottish win when they came to Murrayfield every 2 years, otherwise Edinburgh was like a morgue and the Scots were moany!

    1. The Calcutta Cup? Yes by the skin of their teeth. Fin Russel was off form with his kicking or the result would have been different

      1. Confusingly, he's called Finn (double n) but the two English players that featured with the same forename (Smith and Baxter) are spelt Fin (one n)!!

  123. This will not come as a surprise to many on here..

    "Yale researchers released a study today that posits millions of Americans thought to have Long COVID may have been misdiagnosed and actually have post-vaccination syndrome caused by exposure to the spike protein in COVID vaccines. Spike protein produced by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines triggers the body’s immune response, and the FDA claimed in a 2023 Politifact fact check that vaccine spike protein is not toxic and does not linger in the body. However, Yale researchers report that some patients, who were never infected with COVID virus, were sick with post-vaccination syndrome (PVS) and had elevated levels of virus spike protein in their blood up to 709 days after vaccination.

    “There is considerable overlap in self-reported symptoms between long COVID and PVS, as well as shared exposure to SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in the context of inflammatory responses during infection or vaccination,” noted the study authors.

    NIH has poured $1.6 billion into Long COVID research, while ignoring patients harmed by COVID vaccines, causing some well-known patient advocates to hide vaccine injury. After a 13-month battle with Long COVID, Hollywood screenwriter Heidi Ferrer took her own life after deciding death was preferable to another minute in her own “personal hell." Death of the Dawson’s Creek writer made headlines across the media including places such as People, the Guardian, Variety, CNN, Newsweek, and The Daily Mail—each recounting Ferrer’s struggle with Long COVID.

    But in a private video circulating among patient groups and obtained by The DisInformation Chronicle, Ferrer’s husband Nick Guthe stated that Moderna’s COVID vaccine was the final straw, causing Heidi to develop tremors and then internal vibrations when she lay down for bed, so that even prescription sleeping pills would not allow her to sleep.

    “And that’s when things turned,” Guthe said in the video.

    4. So if I'm trapped in a burning building, I'm going to be rescued by a 9 stone female similar to myself? Hmm…..

  127. 401981+ up ticks,

    Not long now, each council will have a brace of imams
    with a detachment of kapos to keep order and advise on the best way to please Allah,submission is the best way to achieve RESET in all its splendour.

    Also as a bonus it takes the pressure off hotels as mandatory lodgering /rogering will be introduced.

    https://x.com/uk_sf_writer/status/1893196368493084755

    1. The thinking among us knew this would be the direction of travel. He has no connection to this country and indeed, he hates it and its indigenous.

  129. Seems that quite a few lady cricketers bat for the other side, not that I've anything against them.

          1. There has been a lot of track and signalling work at Oxford in the last decade but the Botley Road closure is more recent.

          2. There has been a lot of track and signalling work at Oxford in the last decade but the Botley Road closure is more recent.

  132. Ive just bought a new car. I say 'new' 2019 but much more up to date than the one Ive sold.

    4. X just asked me to complete a long survey about cars and nowhere did it give me the opportunity to point out that I won’t be buying a car because I don’t know how to drive.

    7. Should halal slaughter be banned in the United Kingdom?

      Does a one-legged duck swim round in circles?

  134. There will be many who can't afford a ticket so I am more than willing to set up a crowd fund for those.

  136. Look on it as an investment. We get rid of useless benefit-recipients, so a few years down the line we end up paying less tax.

  139. The thing about holes is that stuff can be dropped on you from a great height.

    Just saying.

      1. …. suggest you change the date on yr 'puter Conners. The great flood arrives tomorrow, a red warning from the wet office is your signal to build an ark (just big enough for you and the dogs).. Happy sailing!

        1. It’s telling me there’s a wind warning now (it’s a bit late; I nearly got blown into next week when I crossed the car park). We have an amber warning in place in Salop.

  145. I'm popping orff now.
    I'm very lucky, as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm off. I'll be glad when Tuesday comes and I won't have to wear the plastic eye protection stuck in position with sticky tape.
    But strictly necessary.
    Good night all. 😴👁

    2. Mr Brook's music is simply sublime. This is what you hear as you meet St Peter at the gates.

    1. British, religious and a scholar. Yr having a giraffe, its got to be a monty python sketch surely.

      1. 402028+ up ticks,

        Morning Bob,

        Two options
        fight for the political S(TOOL) and the WEF / NWO or fight for freedom.

  149. Well, chums, I'm off to bed now. Good Night all, sleep well, and see you all tomorrow morning.

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