Saturday 8 October: As power cuts loom, the failure of Britain’s energy strategy is plain for all to see

Posted on by Geoff Graham

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659 thoughts on “Saturday 8 October: As power cuts loom, the failure of Britain’s energy strategy is plain for all to see”

  2. Key bridge linking Crimea to Russia hit by huge explosion. 8 october 2022.

    The Kerch bridge from Russia to Crimea, a hated symbol of the Kremlin’s occupation of the southern Ukrainian peninsular, has been hit by a massive explosion on the span that carries railway traffic.

    Images from the bridge showed a fiercely burning fire engulfing at least two railway carriages from a train on the bridge, accompanied by a vast column of black smoke.

    The explosion, which witnesses said could be heard kilometres away, took place around 6am on Saturday while a train was crossing the bridge, although it was not immediately clear what caused it.

    First the pipeline now this. These are strategic not battlefield targets. Pretty soon we will come to the crunch. Vlad can either fight for Russia’s existence or throw in the towel. I’m not laying any bets!

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/crimea-kerch-bridge-explosions-russia-ukraine

    1. I wonder what was in those railways carriages. Asylum seekers do not normally burn so well unless they have been drinking.

  3. Good morning, folks. I awoke earlier with a bout of sneezing, so I will now take a Lemsip and go back to bed. I think today will be a write-off. Enjoy the day.

    1. Please take care of yourself.. Remember what happened to the dinosaurs, Foot, Foot-Foot and Foot-Foot-Foot.

      1. Thanks for the first sentence, Horace. As for the second one, I am totally baffled. A foot, a square foot and a cubic foot?!?!?!?

        1. Long ago dinosaurs roamed the earth. There were three dinosaurs who were friends. They were called Foot, Foot-Foot, and Foot-Foot-Foot. One day something terrible happened. Foot keeled over and died. The other two were very upset. But they got over it. Then one morning Foot-Foot said to Foot-Foot-Foot, ” I don’t feel very well.” Foot-Foot-Foot was quite concerned, and he said to Foot-Foot, “please take care of yourself. We’ve got one Foot in the grave already”.

          1. That’s very funny. I didn’t realise that you were setting me up for the punch-line by getting me to query your post. Lol.

          2. I wasn’t really setting you up. I thought that the childish joke was well known. I try not to play tricks. I also try to be amiable, mostly. Sometimes my humour is misunderstood or off the mark. That is my failure.

    3. My preferred remedy is a double lemsip, dollop of honey and splash of rum topped up with boiling water.

      1. Jollop, my brother calls that.

        I prefer a good stock, double-boiled to get the goodness out of the bones, with garlic, ginger and chillies thrown in on the second boiling. Great stuff.

        1. Good morning, ATD. “Jollop” was a favourite expression of my mother, who used it to describe any unholy concoction of irrational ingredients.

  4. Good morning, all. Clear skies – chilly.

    So Burns Night seems to be that some snitch didn’t like what he saw and dobbed him in NO ONE complained. How pathetic.

  5. Good Morning. It is darkish, dullish, and dampish. But it’s another day to live, and celebrate being alive!

  6. Good morning all.
    Can’t see the sunrise, but there are pink clouds outside the front of the house.
    A chilly 3½°C and a dry start this morning.

  7. Morning all

    Wordle 476 4/6

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

    Damned septic spelling…chunter, chunter

      1. Morning Bilty,
        I don’t know. I’ve come away for a long w/e avec famille.
        I’ve left the PCs with a cat sitter and a couple of bottles of Evian. Dead posh my cats.

    2. There just weren’t any other words it could have been. Very annoying.
      Wordle 476 4/6

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

  8. Morning, all. Another bright and calm start to the day in N Essex.

    Desperation has set in over the pond: report indicates that only 1.2% of those eligible have stepped up for the autumn booster.

    Pfizer Sponsors Marvel Comic Urging People to Get Jabbed.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1082ebaa2b03912d05cb8bc89256301d195dcbc1f8bdd49c590330e0c8fb4309.png

    The brainwashing was to be intensified by enlisting a wide spectrum of institutions including entertainment, sports etc.

    We know from documents obtained by freedom of information requests by Judicial Watch Inc, that the U.S. Government planned to partner with Hollywood guilds to “work vaccination messaging into scripted and reality TV shows”, Disneyland Parks, major sports leagues, social media platforms, Catholic newspapers and newsletters, TV morning and daytime talk shows, Hispanic entertainment networks… the list goes on. This new comic is part of a vast plethora of communications to shift uptake.

    Sadly, I am acquainted with a number of people, whom I know to be generally smart, that have eagerly taken the new, so-called, bi-valent jab, no further brainwashing required for these poor souls as they have been convinced that it is imperative to be jabbed to stave off infection and possible death.

    Daily Sceptic – Pfizer Sponsors Marvel Comic

    1. An enterprising fertility clinic which specialises in artificial insemination ought to built up supplies of sperm from those who can guarantee not to have had the Covid jabs. This would sell at a premium and the clinic would clean up.

      (Indeed, I wonder if BIll Gates is already secretly investing in such a scheme.)

      1. If there’s money, lots of money involved, Gates will be interested. Currently he’s ploughing a massive fortune into land, as are the Chinese.

      2. “This would sell at a premium and the clinic would clean up.”
        A lot of tissues needed.

  9. He could have added, “Get rid of the degree requirement for new recruits.”

    Woke policing
    SIR – As a retired detective chief inspector, I have for years advocated scrapping the College of Policing (Letters, October 6).

    Its woke outpourings have seriously weakened the police service. It is time to start recruiting for the senior ranks from front-line police officers who understand what is happening.

    Philip H Adwick
    Caunton, Nottinghamshire

      1. Morning, Phil. Now the bowls season is over we open the bar every Saturday from 1200- 1400 so that we keep in touch over the 7 months of winter accompanied by a small libation.

      1. They do.

        But we are the bigger fools because – instead of telling them to take a running jump, and pointing out in great details the vile things they did to each other for centuries – we capitulate and grovel.

        2. Well the lefties are preaching that black history must be taught in schools. They could start with that.

      3. and they want their bronzes back. Even though they were legally stolen, the spoils of conquest. Or, if you look at it another way, as advance payment for the rule of law, education, medicine, civil organisation, sewing machines and cotton clothes.

    3. My cousin’s farm in Zimbabwe was stolen by Mugabe. This had given employment, housing healthcare and schooling to hundreds of workers and their families. My cousin joined a scheme with other white farmers to send the brightest young workers to agricultural colleges so that they could take over ownership and running of the farms when the white men retired.

      Mugabe’s thugs were given my cousin’s farm. They killed all the young people who were being trained to take over, they sacked all the workers and they kicked them out of their homes.

      Within five years one of the most productive farms in Zimbabwe had become a desert which produced nothing – just as it was before the Tracey family bought the land after the First World War.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ad86050dbc8bbca7c417399931619f6a0df98d54c804056f19da32c356961fc1.jpg

      That’s what they call progress.

      1. Just looked it up on Amazon, to buy a copy.
        £32 for a paperback, only 2 remaining.
        https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Nothing-My-Life-Remembered/dp/1779220790/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8YUXLMQH5CE8&keywords=all+for+nothing+c+g+tracey&qid=1665239467&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjExIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=all+for+nothing+c+g+tracey%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1
        I think I’ll not buy one at that price. I bet your cousin doesn’t see any decent fraction of that £32, either.

  13. SIR – The Government has decided not to go ahead with a proposed energy-saving campaign. This is short-sighted.

    We have reduced our energy consumption by over 30 per cent during the past year, with very little impact on our lifestyle. It is foolish not to teach householders about the easy ways to save both energy and money.

    We replaced every light bulb with an LED one, stopped the routine use of our tumble dryer and changed the heating hours of our bathroom. It wasn’t at all painful.

    Paul Caruana
    Truro, Cornwall

    Blimey, where has he been for the past decade or more? Better late than never I suppose.

    1. I have no interest in ‘saving energy’ whatsoever..I did replace a number of my light bulbs, but that was because the shop only had CFL/LED ones wnen replacements were needed.

    2. Energy-saving campaigns, like the ‘benefits’ of smart meters, work only for the better off. If you can reduce energy consumption by a third wihout noticing, you were gaily wasting it to start with. Those without more money than sense know exactly what energy they’re using, and how to minimise it. Virtue-signalling muppet.

    3. Indeed. Such things have been in place for a long time here. PS I have never had a tumble dryer.

    4. Indeed. Such things have been in place for a long time here. PS I have never had a tumble dryer.

  14. SIR – In every conversation I have it is evident that people are self-rationing their use of energy, to such an extent that there should not be any need for power cuts this winter.

    I for one am more than content to sit indoors wearing a coat if it means that the Government can better plan for our future energy security and help to defeat Putin.

    Jane Moth
    Stone, Staffordshire

    I agree; the hideous price rises will bring about a degree of self-rationing, but not everyone will be willing, or able, to do so. During high summer we were still relying on interconnectors and the burning of coal in the few remaining coal-fired stations at a time when demand was relatively modest. This does not bode well in cold and still conditions if a high pressure system decides to hang around in January.

    1. This BTLer isn’t impressed:

      S A Coello
      2 HRS AGO
      To Jane Moth and Gillian Laurie:
      Whilst I applaud your public- spirited attitude, ask yourselves why we should be prepared to sit indoors with a coat on when the reason for that is a mixture of pure greed and incompetence on the part of governments, all of whom are chanting the net zero mantra at the behest of those who would like to have complete control of our lives and finances. How do you think you will keep warm outside when you are already wearing your coat inside?
      The situation in the seventies was entirely different as it was a temporary blip brought about by strikes – net zero will be a permanent imposition. Why should we be manipulated like this? Why should we be inconvenienced and made miserable so that the better off can drive around in their virtue- signalling electric vehicles? The majority will never be able to afford them and what a ridiculous idea to run vehicles on electricity when we have ever- decreasing amounts of it.
      Stop being nice and compliant and stand up for yourselves and the rest of humanity.

      1. So many people have electric cars … including the Post office delivery vans and Council vans .. etc

        How can the Council and PO afford these vehicles ?

    2. And none of our energy woes are caused by Putin. We have our own politicians to blame for that.

    3. If green energy was introduced as it became completely dependable rather than before then it would be welcomed by even old cynics such as myself. However to remove reliable sources of energy when proper replacements are not yet ready is abusive and cruel.

      All heating should be turned off in all the royal palaces and the King’s cars and other vehicles should be replaced with tandems so that his Queen can travel with him.

      https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4f7d0971a87f72e20d420c72a88c47f70446c136f51bec4fcf415ec03a63ccd6.jpg

  15. SIR – In every conversation I have it is evident that people are self-rationing their use of energy, to such an extent that there should not be any need for power cuts this winter.

    I for one am more than content to sit indoors wearing a coat if it means that the Government can better plan for our future energy security and help to defeat Putin.

    Jane Moth
    Stone, Staffordshire

    I agree; the hideous price rises will bring about a degree of self-rationing, but not everyone will be willing, or able, to do so. During high summer we were still relying on interconnectors and the burning of coal in the few remaining coal-fired stations at a time when demand was relatively modest. This does not bode well in cold and still conditions if a high pressure system decides to hang around in January.

  16. “Weather notes” on the inside back page was interesting today BUT I want to just call out this paragraph towards the end.

    “ Certainly this year I feel more in tune with the Anglo-saxon approach. The National Trust has already warned in recent days that the traditional autumnal display of trees we associate with the season could be put at risk by climatic extremes. This summer’s record-breaking heat has put trees under immense stress with many shedding their leaves early.”

    (i) the National Trust would say that, wouldn’t it?
    (ii) I noticed about a month ago that leaves were falling; but that was in a cold snap and since then my hydrangeas have rebudded, my rose grew another flower and I noticed yesterday my two clematises had also reflowered. And the trees are also still full of leaves (notwithstanding my earlier comment that the leaves did start to fall a month ago – then stopped; a very curious phenomenon).

    1. Our trees are beginning to shed their leaves – in the usual way at the normal time.

      1. If anything, the leaves have lasted a bit longer than usual here. They are mostly off by clocks-change-day, and the fall has only just started in earnest.

        1. About the only trees that called it a day a few weeks earlier were the horse chestnuts.

    3. “Methinks they do protest too much”
      Just can’t resist with the doom-mongering lies, can they?
      When we’re all freezing our knackers off this winter, that will be just weather, but the warm summer (record-breaking, my left buttock) is climate change.
      Arseholes.

    4. They began to shed some leaves in August as it had been so dry – then the rains came and they recovered. Autumn is here as normal. Climate change (manmade) is a scam.

    5. Judging by these snippets from the Seafarer, I think the Anglo-Saxons would have welcomed a spot of global warming/climate change.

      …. “My feet were pinched by the cold, shackled by the frost in cold chains, whilst anxieties sighed hot about my heart. Hunger tore from within at the mind of one wearied by the ocean. This that man does not understand, who is most agreeably suited on land – how I, wretchedly anxious, have for years lived on the ice-cold sea in the ways of the sojourner, bereft of kinsfolk, hung about by ice-spikes; hail pelted in showers. There I heard nothing but the raging of the sea, the ice-cold wave.” …

        1. I used to enjoy translating from Anglo-Saxon/Early English.
          Completely forgotten it now.

  18. Pinched from Going Postal:-

    Northern man • 3 minutes ago
    There should be a word for the feeling when you type a reply and you’re just about to post it then you look up at the screen (I can’t touch type) and realise you did it all with the caps lock on so now you have to re-do it.

    3. #metoo.
      🙁
      I often get the problem that I hit “reply”, type a whole paragraph whilst looking at the keyboard (can’t touch type either), only to find that, this time, Disqus didn’t set the cursor in the reply field, and I typed the amazing witticisms into nowhere.

    4. #metoo.
      🙁
      I often get the problem that I hit “reply”, type a whole paragraph whilst looking at the keyboard (can’t touch type either), only to find that, this time, Disqus didn’t set the cursor in the reply field, and I typed the amazing witticisms into nowhere.

    6. “…you realise you did it all with the caps lock on so now you have to re-do it…”

      No you don’t. Copy it into Word, use the ‘change case’ facility and copy it back.

  19. Good morning all

    Lovely morning here.. a glistening Autumn day.

    Moh and son up early in their running kit .. off to Weymouth in the car to take part in the 5k Park run !

    52 yrs v 76 yrs … the pair of them are so competitive and always have been . Even with cricket playing .

    I am the tortoise and they are the hares.

    2. We’re off to play table tennis shortly – shame it’s inside a sweaty sports hall……. glorious sunshine here – no wnd and not a cloud in sight.

  20. I have just been recommended by Facebook to become a member of the group ‘Swindon Bulldog Owners’, despite never having owned or barely met a bulldog, live or work nowhere near Swindon, nor have any family or friends living there to my knowledge. I have never searched anything related to Swindon or bulldogs.

    Can someone please guide me through how Facebook’s algorithm works?

    1. I might understand it more if Facebook flooded my newsfeed with images, stories and material about despair and suicide, especially as a remedy for maleness, paleness and staleness. That at least would correctly identify my identity group and my feelings about my social prognosis.

    2. No.
      I joined arsebook because Mother’s care home posts pictures of the residents inmates daily. It’s a nice touch. Arsebook keeps suggesting comely young women to be froends with, even if they do live in Venezuela. I have no idea why, or how, the selection is made. It’s verging on becoming Pornhub…

      2. I often get suggestions from young ladies. My reply is always the same. You must be Joe King. And then block them.

        2. My sister’s name is also Jo King, a name she shares with a bawdy house owner aka Goodtime Mama Jojo, founder of the London Academy of Burlesque.

          I think you may now realise your mistake.

      1. Could be that Jeremy inadvertently ticked a vital box – that led to his “invitations”.

        Of course, ‘Swindon Bulldog Owners’ could be the local dogging society.

        How’s the Wupsel??

        1. Boundless, bouncing energy. Particularly when i feed him his tail wags so fast it’s a blur. Then he goes and pushes Dolly out the way and finishes hers off. She will have to learn to eat faster.

          5. Why are you strangling the poor wee bugger? No wonder his eyes are bulging!
            ;-))

      2. No, that would be the Claridges Pool Angling Club, which was also on today’s ‘Recommended for You’ selection.

  21. Morning all 🙂.
    I think I’ll have a day off today. After my gargantuan efforts yesterday, with only one ‘bathroom break’ at 2:30 am. I slept for a total of 9 1/2 hours.
    Good stuff eh. 😉

        1. I go to bed exhausted – get up half a dozen times and wake exhausted….

          It’s exhausting…..

          1. I take a few drops of CBD in a glass of water if i am having a restless night. Works a treat.

          3. CBD is a chemical found in marijuana. CBD doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) The bit that gets you high.

          4. How dull!
            Thanks for the explanation. I am now better informed, although no wiser (regretfully).

          5. It works as a relaxant. Making it easier to drop off to sleep. I have fallen asleep with my glasses on and the kindle in my hand.

          15. Morning Eddie. That could be a way of dealing with the illegal immigrants who have little space at Dover at the moment. It was how our very poor ancestors [paid a penny I think] to gain a place to sleep hanging over a rope and were grateful for it..

          17. Avoid caffeinated beverages. Switch to herbal infusions. Tough but it makes a difference.

      1. If that doesn’t work, searching for “Gaudium et Spes 22′ brought me to the blog, and it’s the article from 3 October.

        And if that doesn’t work, maybe Bill was right and only witches can see it… 🤣

      4. Small wonder that there are so many ‘woke’ vicars and vicars in knickers, preaching these satanic verses, to an accepting crowd of church-goers. The same satanic madness, being promulgated at every level of our nazi-inspired powers that be.

      5. Well, lots of new words. Lots of words to say something simple. The Church has changed since Vatican II. I spent a considerable amount of time in tutored study of Vatican II documents. Change was felt appropriate to make the prayers and ceremonies more accessible to the Laity. This would be done by replacing Latin with the local language. Additionally the Laity would be drawn more into the spiritual life of the Church by involvement on a personal level. Not everything would require to be done by an ordained priest. This relaxation resulted in some excesses, e.g Mass celebrated to the music of Hair. From then on it has been slightly downhill until recently. The antics of recent Popes, particularly Pope Francis, suggests that they are swayed by the persuasions of the Adversary. The prohibition of the traditional Latin Mass handed down for centuries, the softening of iron clad opposition to promiscuous sexual relations, divorce and homosexuality, an acceptance of antagonistic and incompatible religions, notably islam and paganism, and a casual approach to dispensing the Sacraments. This to the extent that one must wonder if Pope Francis is a puppet of Satan.

    1. Alarmingly prescient and mocked as a looney. Is he still alive and saying, with a smile, “Told you so.”.

        1. How the Germans mocked and gloated when they were told how stupid they were to rely on Russian energy.

          They’re not gloating now!

          2. The Germans have little initiative – they just obey orders, no matter who issues the orders.

          3. “They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian.
            Well, they’re not laughing now!”
            (c) Bob Monkhouse

      2. Perhaps we should turn it around and whole-heartedly, mock the lefties, the woke and the the WEF.

    2. I thought professional foresight had only ever been available in the bible, in hindsight.
      David Ike was absolutely right about this. And of course he was shoved aside and cast as a looney.

    2. But but we all know that costs of Greenport are coming down, it will soon be cheaper than dirty power.

      Or at least that is what they have now been saying for years.

  26. All too depressing this morning have some animals and laffs……

    https://gab.com/White__Rabbit/posts/109117722842006562

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6942fb08610e22944f0052de2f192d3496ff341e318cbfb5268b0e4f9eb14518.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d4efc5c269044d7ef24928ae89438d9571f98b5721dbf886ef4d4ee9f6a08318.gif

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/81b037a00d445d4a636f1df158e000a97191770ce4ac8b75cb69c6eed05b2ae5.jpg

    https://twitter.com/FredSchultz35/status/1578019431644819458

  27. Morning all, I thought I would post this before our cold weather arrives this winter as the interwebby may be dead then due to no electric.
    She may have been a delusional young kid, deluded and led by others to push the message. The really guilty ones are the others in the photo applauding her, not to mention the rest of the political scum (nice word Angela Rayner) who foisted her agenda upon us.
    Never forget, never forgive!
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e3c3dfa88782d04ec30b2a3ab843c312f1a018a8519df13c9fa1bb812132e1b8.jpg

    1. I will never ever forget what the blob have done to us, nor will I forget how easily we gave in!

      1. “We” didn’t. Why do you think the British were effectively disarmed?
        Nowadays, only state employees and criminals have easy access to firearms.

        1. I know Anne! It’s a bit like whistling in the wind…for want of a stronger expression!

    2. In a couple of months, that “young kid” will be in her 20s.

      Just an aside, how many of those distinguished political figures, two of which have been Party leaders, and the other two have stood for the leadership of their respective parties (from left to right: Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green), are still in contention today?

      How many are drinking the water?

      1. She was a young kid when that photo was taken, and those distinguished figures have been replaced with more of the same.
        The poisonous message of man’s crime of causing climate change has a never ending stream of messengers to ensure it continues.

    3. I see that photo and I begin to understand the appeal of offering human sacrificeS to the Gods (five of them).

      2. Six of them. You forgot the photographer, who chose a low viewpoint to make them all look more powerful.

          1. I think she was the clever marketing tool who could learn a script.
            Manipulation of a child, as she was then.

  28. Panic in tellygaff land.
    https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Finteriors%2Fhome%2Fmany-reasons-regret-having-open-plan-house%2F
    ‘The many reasons I regret having an open-plan in my house’
    Knocking down walls once seemed like a great idea, but large living spaces are a nightmare to heat – especially during a fuel crisis
    Apart from these dumbasses not thinking through the implications of having one giant hangar-like room on the ground floor, there’s other stuff: “The Carbon Trust prices air-source heat pumps at between £7,000 and £13,000; the Government cut VAT on them from five per cent to zero a year ago. – why so expensive? I lust looked up air source heat pumps designed for -30C outside temperature (the sort of climate we have here), and it was Kr 13.999 – so, 1/10th of the price quoted in this article!
    If any of Y’all want to make money, get a van, buy the heat pumps in Norway and import them, and sell them at only 8x cost, rather than the current 10x cost.

    2. Every generation has to learn the hard way about Labour. However bad things are now they would be far worse if Labour were in power.

    5. The graphic design of the book cover allows me to perceive the letters Z,I, A and N. Look closely.

  30. I still don’t understand how or why ‘experts’ predict this country will suffer power cuts and there are forecasts of no power for hours. All this seems to fit in with all the other ongoing mysterious issues taking place.
    From the ongoing (never mentioned) invasion, the reversal of NHS treatment, rail (most brits would be happy to earn the same as a train driver) strikes, food and drink prices going through the roof. And even fuel costs.
    We import crude from the middle east and its processed in the UK ?
    WTF is all this sh*t all about ?

    3. It’s all about the WEF and the drive towards the stupid, nay impossible, NetZero targets.

  31. Good Moaning.
    Snottogram Queen popping by before she bangs out a few emails and then faces today’s challenge: dismantling a corner desk – possibly from MFI (RIP). Now did we cheat and use glue or did we stick to wooden plug thingies?

    1. MFI??? Not worth taking apart!
      Better off breaking the bloody thing up and getting something of better quality for your new place!

      1. It’s a Freecycle job.
        I already have a ‘customer’.
        Actually, when I took it apart it is all wood, not a smidgeon of MDF.

    2. Allegedly, being observed groping or making inappropriate comments to a young man.
      The complainant being the observer, not the young man involved.

      1. It’s a nice sunny day and after walk and now a glass of McEwan’s Champion, decided I don’t feel so negative about the world.
        Removed previous.

    1. Took me a couole of seconds there to realise that wasn’t an absolutely giant cat sitting on a carpet in front of the TV! 🤣

    3. 🤣🤣🤣 My father once objected to me pinching one of his jumpers: he honestly thought that women’s sweaters were knitted to incorporate space for the bosom!! Good memories; thanks!

      1. You should have worn it back to front……… he would have got the hump over that.

    2. And really hideously white.
      It seems we have now 7 divot PMs in a row, Truss has been saying she is going to increase immigration. She really needs to get out more………I mean for ever more.

    3. …and I am one of them forced, by circumstance, to look to ‘Universal Credit’. Whatever that is.

      1. You did your bit, so take the money. Have you tried contacting the RAF Benevolent Fund?
        It would be interesting to know if they are any help, or just up their own exhaust system like certain charities.

        1. Quite right – I’m sure Tom was ‘forced’ to pay into it like me during my service life

          4. I didn’t mean it as a criticism, I know you do: just an observation on my part as well.

      3. Just over £21 an hour for a Sergeant – all that skill, expertise and responsibility.
        Second Son was earning more than that in a nice comfy office, working with Excel over the summer. No responsibility, nobody shooting at him – hell, nobody shouting at him, either.
        Drastically underpaid. Should be more like £70.000 a year.

      4. When I was a sergeant I was on £25 a week, even when promoted to Chief Tech I didn’t get much more

  37. Good morrow Gentlefolk – had a very bad night but here’s today’s funny:

    Child Care Advice From A Pilot

    Most people nowadays think it improper to discipline children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have had one of ‘those’ moments. As I’m a pilot, one that I have found very effective is for me to just take the child for a flight on the plane during which I say nothing and give the child the opportunity to reflect on his or her behaviour.

    I don’t know whether it’s the steady vibration from the engines, or just the time away from any distractions such as TV, video games, computer, iPod, etc. Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our flight together. I believe that eye to eye contact during these sessions is an important element in achieving the desired results.

    I’ve included a photo (below) of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. It also works well in cars and with grandchildren!

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8109f1f4f1d194d1bbfaaba99ea20072fdc2ca0e6edd13d3879508f449accb3b.jpg

    1. I remember a young girl on Blockbusters asking Bob for an ‘O’.
      “What O is an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form known as?” He asked.

      Quick as a flash she replied, “Orgasm!”
      Never seen anyone blush so much.

  39. No reply email

    Conservatives
    Friend,

    As I outlined this morning, our plan is about getting our economy growing and rebuilding Britain through reform.

    For too long, the political debate has been dominated by how we distribute a limited economic pie. Instead, we need to grow the pie so that everyone gets a bigger slice.

    Our Growth Plan will deliver the reforms we need to create a high-growth, low-tax economy.
    Large photograph here but not able to reproduce it.
    >> My Speech << Allowing millions to keep more of what they earn and get spades in the ground and investment flowing across the United Kingdom. This is a great country. But I know that we can do better and we must do better. We have huge talent across the country. We’re not making enough of it. To deliver this, we need to get Britain moving. We are the only party with the determination to deliver. Together, we can unleash the full potential of our great country. That is how we will build a new Britain for the new era. Yours sincerely, Liz Truss Prime Minister Leader of the Conservative Party P.S. You can help us deliver our message to voters by chipping in to back our hardworking Conservative MPs and candidates across the country.

    2. She’s ‘avin’ a larf. We have a very lazy greeniac limp dumb posing as a “Tory”…. I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire.

      1. She’s going to increase immigration ………….FFS !!! She’s another lunatic with half a brain cell in number Ten.

        1. If you enter a string of text like “Robert’); DROP TABLE Students;–” into a query aimed at a database, then the database is liable to intepret Robert’); as the end of the query, and everything that follows it as a new command.
          In this case, the mischievous parents added a command to delete a table that they guessed might be called “Students.”

          3. The idea is that by scanning the number plate for speeding the query will cause all the data in the police ANPR database to be destroyed.

      2. I seem to remember from my time with UNIX in the 90s, login as root, then, rm -f * would wipe the whole shebang.

  41. Oh well after and ongoing row on the phone with virgin media, I’ve told them it’s not my fault I sometimes can’t get an internet connection and we have occasionally pixilating TV pictures. And told them to replace the equipment I have because it’s obviously not doing its job properly………..silence.

    I’ve got to clean the car now, I hardly use it but……needs must eh.

  42. The BBC is the broadcasting wing of the anti-growth coalition

    The evident glee with which the Beeb is reporting the Government’s difficulties means it is neglecting its own drive for impartiality

    CHARLES MOORE • 7 October 2022 • 9:00pm

    Liz Truss is right. There is an “anti-growth coalition”, and it does need to be defeated. At the heart of anti-growth politics lies a strange paradox. Anti-growthers, who are usually also green, like to invoke the needs of “the poorest and most vulnerable in our society”. Yet those needs cannot be met without economic growth.

    “Economic growth” sounds rather abstract. In practice, it means “most people getting richer”. The alternative to getting richer is getting poorer. Most people do not want that.

    Of course, it is legitimate, and often admirable, to choose to be poorer. Monks do it when they take vows of poverty. Many parents do it when they help out their children. There is more to life than making money. But altruism cannot be legislated for. If a political party imposes anti-growth policies, it will make most people involuntarily poorer, denying them opportunities they would otherwise have had. Once most people see that, they won’t vote for it.

    So politically, economically and morally, Ms Truss has picked the right phrase. But she has two big problems. The first is that, after 12 years of Tory-led government, the country is on the verge of – or possibly already is – getting poorer. The mis-sequencing of her administration’s mini-Budget just made that problem worse.

    The second, related to the first, is the growing belief that the Conservatives have already lost the next general election. No one works harder to ensure that result than the anti-growth coalition.

    Probably the mainstream media remain the best way to spread belief in inevitable Tory defeat; so the anti-growth coalition’s best bet is the BBC. The corporation’s foundational commitment to impartiality was renewed nearly a year ago by the incoming Director General, Tim Davie. His Impartiality Action Plan remains more plan than action.

    The omens are not all bad. I have noticed that, under the BBC’s director of news, Deborah Turness, more effort is being made to produce what she calls “transparent journalism”– reporting that shows its working and makes its sources clearer. “Stay in the moment,” she advises, meaning that BBC reports should concentrate on what is happening rather than offering excited predictions and tendentious analyses. Some BBC news reports in the past year have made definite efforts to give both sides of a story without telling viewers or listeners which side to support.

    I also watched, as did more than 20 million people, the BBC coverage of the death, lying in state, funeral and committal of the late, great Queen.

    It was almost all well done. The corporation sensed that this unique sequence was not a time for argument, but for something much deeper, so it exercised “clutch control”. It wisely avoided televised debates of the “Is the monarchy fit for the 21st century?” kind and did not fall into the false equivalence of pitting republican against monarchist. There will be time for those second-order questions later.

    The BBC largely avoided the opposite fault of journalistic obsequiousness. The device of filming the lying-in-state from beginning to end, which might have been so boring, became an astonishingly powerful form of television. You could see what the people, in all their diversity of background, felt. You could even – if you knew the time they walked through – watch your friends and family arrive in Westminster Hall to pay their respects. It became by far the most widespread and best conveyed mourning in British history, possibly even in world history. It needed no compere: it spoke for itself.

    Obviously, the right tone for political coverage is utterly different from that adopted for such solemnity. But the same challenge to report accurately and calmly arises.

    It is already not being met. Perhaps because the BBC requires but resents the Government’s control of the licence fee, it is never happier than when biting the hand that feeds it. The best word for the corporation’s mood when a government, particularly a Tory government, is in trouble is “glee”.

    Famines and wars, plagues and storms, stock-market crashes and mass killings all excite newsrooms but, for the Beeb, nothing beats one top Tory doing in another. It is indeed a good story this week, but the BBC is far from neutral in the way it tells it.

    First comes the adoption of the moral high ground, the affectation of “speaking truth to power”, which usually climaxes each morning with Nick Robinson not allowing any Cabinet minister the time to finish his or her reply to Nick’s own questions. The critics never get the same grilling.

    Other wiles include parading victims of alleged government callousness whose claims, for obvious reasons of taste, can never be tested as the words of politicians can.

    Then there are the “revealed preferences” of reporters and presenters, implied but not directly stated. On Thursday, I listened to Evan Davis on the habitually Left-wing PM programme. His manner is admirably gentle, but his matter is almost always anti-government. On this occasion, he was determined to show that this year’s official annual report on the likelihood of power cuts this winter was notably worse than last year’s. When his interviewees did not fully agree, he restated his belief anyway, claiming the right to the last word. He also tried to rouse anger that the Government is not producing propaganda about how to save energy.

    On the same programme, Jonah Fisher, environment correspondent, reported that Jacob Rees-Mogg was issuing new licences for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. UN climate scientists were “clear”, said Fisher, “that there can be no new fossil fuel discoveries if we can have any hope of keeping global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees”. His story’s headline on the BBC website said, “UK defies climate warnings with new oil and gas licences”.

    Was that really the story? Surely the primary news point for our energy-starved country was that the licences are being issued. The reaction of (unnamed) hostile scientists is secondary.

    A similar approach is visible in BBC stories of identity politics, such as race and gender. The woke source is uncritically accepted. The Government’s response is subjected to harsh interrogation.

    The BBC still does not know how to look at public policy questions the other way round. There is no sign that it will take up the Government’s challenge and investigate how regulation or tax or the retention of EU rules are holding back wealth creation, or that it will treat the independent free-market Institute of Economic Affairs with the reverence it always accords to the independent soft-Left Resolution Foundation.

    So the Tories may well be doomed, partly through their own fault, and partly because the anti-growth coalition dominates almost every sphere which the tax or licence fee-payer funds.

    Yet there are significant differences between the two previous times in modern history when the opposition swept in with a big mandate. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives had spent five years working out new policies for our economic malaise. There is little evidence that Sir Keir Starmer has achieved the equivalent. He has done well in making his party look better, but that is not the same thing.

    In 1997, Tony Blair won a famous landslide. He deserved huge credit for modernising Labour, but he inherited from John Major’s otherwise tattered government a well-recovered economy in a secure Western order. In 2024, Sir Keir will have no such luck. There is still time to find out whether he wants growth and, if so, how he thinks his policies will get it.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/07/bbc-broadcasting-wing-anti-growth-coalition/

    There is some serious trolling going on BTL, more of it about the idea of an ‘anti-growth coalition’ than criticism of the BBC, although for the trollers the BBC is, of course, unimpeachable. Much of it simply personal abuse of CM.

    AGC is just one of those phrases that politicians are inclined to come up with ‘in the moment’ and can define them, even come back to haunt them. ‘There is no alternative’, ‘Back to basics’, ‘The People’s Princess’ etc. Truss is correct: there is serious opposition in much of the political establishment to the idea of economic growth. However, too few of those commenting, whether supportive or critical, mention the real fault in the plan – the apparent support of further immigration.

    1. Any such educated people can get jobs and work permits no problem. They don’t have to swim the channel & stand in a queue of illegals.

  44. Yay; desk dismantled into car size chunks and awaiting collection.
    And no, we hadn’t used glue in desperation.
    But, boy, did I have to relearn some long forgotten skills.
    Thank goodness MB had all the Allen keys in one place.

      1. TBF – a few month’s ago, MB bought himself a whizzy toolbag from the middle aisles in ALDI … or was it Lidl?
        He has centred all the working tools in that one bag.
        Though there are still a great many untouched for a good reason bits of kit out in the shed.

        1. Good for him, Anne! Alan has slowly removed all my ‘tools’ which I have collected over the years, to the garage. He is an engineer and assumes that every screwdriver, hammer, Anne Allen key and spanner in the house/kitchen drawer must be his and ergo belongs in the garage!

    2. Is that an Allen keys or Allan keys?

      A sledgehammer works just as well and helps get past the wher shall we put this discussions.

      1. The sledge hammer option did cross my mind, but I hate waste and I’m hoping someone will benefit from it.
        Allen – English version.

  47. My BTL comment to today’s letters:

    “However, I can’t agree that the BBC should be a subscription service. We all need the news it provides.”
    Charlotte Smallwood
    Only if, Charlotte, we could believe it.

  48. I had lovely walk with the dogs on heathland / light woodland/ on edge of arable land , sun was shining , all the berries , crab apples , conkers , acorns , squirrels , rabbits , partridge and the changing colours were just perfect .. Grazing Devon red cattle , and greyish horses that look like Icelandic ponies .

    Arrived home and Moh and son had arrived back from the Weymouth 5 k Park run . Both of them did very well time wise . Had to make sure there was plenty of hot water for showers for their arrival back home .

    We have been economising .. heating water for an hour in the morning .. No C/H yet, but we did have a coal fire last week .

    I do hope the weather stays kind for everyone .

    1. Lovely autumnal day here. This afternoon we went to the local NT place (Wimpole Hall) with our son, DIL and two small grandsons to walk around the extensive, beautiful grounds, the home farm and orchard. The autumn colours were stunning. On Monday we are heading for north Norfolk for five days, somewhere near Holt, hopefully the weather will be better (i.e. dryer) than last week in Devon. Our hols this year have not been very successful weather-wise.

        1. We will give it a whirl. And we are going to call at Hildoversham before we return for the highly recommended (on this very blog site) pork and chicken.

          1. Hindolveston!

            Coming from the west – the B1110 Holt-Guist road – go through Hindol (it is a “steet” village) and bout two-thirds of the way turn LEFT into Melton Road. About 400 yards on the left is a shed – that is the shop.

            Fakenham market – don’t miss Tony’s “knock off” stall – main market place, opposite Boots. It looks very off-putting. DON’T be put off. Some of the best cheese around. At knock down prices.

          3. It is called Martin’s Farm. Again – don’t be put off by the shed. Inside are two fridge freezers. Plus other local stuff loose. Honesty box. Have cash (or a cheque..)

          4. I am making a point now of drawing cash out to use on a regular basis. If we don’t use it we will lose it and at the same time hand complete control to the govt of our purchasing power. They will have us where we want us.

            Thanks for the info.

  50. Can’t linger – rose beds to be weeded. Had a three mile walk this morning to buy eggs. Sunny but a chilly breeze.

    TTFN

  52. Whilst I was enjoying my walk with the spannels , some one I know caught up with me with her dogs .

    We had a good chat about rural things and all the changes etc .. including the news and TV stuff.

    People always if given the opportunity ,chat about the over representation of black and coloured people on TV.

    We both have come to the conclusion that we are all being groomed to accept the inevitable changes in society, by exposing us all diversity in every form .

    1. I just switch off when it becomes too much. We tend to pick what to watch on youtube and view on the TV.

    2. Most TV ads featuring families now seem to consist of black man, white woman and mixed-race children. The inevitable conclusion one might draw from such a depiction is that black men eschew women of their own race, and prefer white women. As such, these ads are an insult to black women.

      1. “Spannel” is a well known west-country dialect word, Grizz. All my Devonshire relatives used it to describe their, er, spannel dogs.

          1. Southern things are just so … inconsequential. Northerners don’t waste to much time thinking about southern things because they have the best women, best food, best beer, best landscapes and best friendliness. Everyone greets one another cheerily. Dahn sarf, they hide behind tall hedges and turn their backs when someone approaches them.

            Strange lot, them southerners, sitting alone sipping their warm shandy.🤣

          2. As you know i don’t drink beer but an ice cold shandy on a hot day hits the mark.

            I can’t remember who, think it was one of the Bobs said about steeping a pork joint for a couple of days in cider before slow roasting it. I made a Normandy sauce to go with it. Excellent, if i say so myself.

          3. Pork in cider, in common with roast pork and apple sauce, is a marriage made in heaven. There is a chain of butcher’s shops in Sheffield, started in the 1950s by a Hungarian immigrant called Béres. They sell all manner of pork products, raw and cooked. By far their best seller is the pork sandwich, which is a large bread cob (bap, bun, roll, etc) filled with slices of tender roast pork, crackling, sage and onion stuffing, apple sauce and Colman’s English mustard. Utterly delicious and a hand-warmer on a cold day.

          4. Sounds great. The crackling could be a problem hidden in a cob. The amount of money i have spent on my teeth i would take that out and eat separately.

          11. That is what a napkin is for though i doubt Grizz has ever heard of such a thing….being a Northerner.

          13. You do keep coming out with words that aren’t in the dictionary. Are you sure you are all there?

          14. and the cider used to make the stuffing that acts as a bed for the pork to cook on.

          15. I used a bed of celery, carrot and shallot. With the reduced cider and the veg i made a sauce with a few additions which is classic French. I didn’t make stuffing or potatoes as i bloat.

            I served it with steamed cauli and savoy.

            Thanks for the tip though.

    4. Yet, statisticall blacks are most likely to be single parents, most likely to desert their children and partner, least likely to own their own home (although a lot of that can be down simply to demographics and city concentration).

      In short, statistically a black male white female is not only improbable, but also least likely to survive.

  53. Movie director Guy Ritchie has bought up the airfield next to his Wiltshire estate on the Dorset border near Shaftesbury. The local celebrity famously brews his own Gritchie beer through his local company Ashcombe Estates Ltd but now he’s taking on a whole new venture.

    Ritchie is set to officially take over the ownership and operation of Compton Abbas Airfield from the Hughes family on February 1, 2023. A statement by the former owners said that the company “endeavours to take over the running of the business as seamlessly as possible, continuing to provide café and licenced airfield facilities. https://www.dorset.live/news/dorset-news/guy-ritchie-buys-up-airfield-7680294?fbclid=IwAR38aEqNi–jCmFWO-QOn4rbpSOkuh-a-2exsMcTrfmh8nl4Xp6vLq_2Jac

  54. Student union BANS white students from attending Black History Month events – sparking accusations of racial segregation
    University of Westminster’s student union reserved events for black students
    Union received backlash for the ‘tragic’ move made during Black History Month
    Leader of the Free Speech Union Toby Young said it was a ‘glaring contradiction’
    Meanwhile an Edinburgh University lecturer branded it ‘racial segregation’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11294051/Student-union-BANS-white-students-Black-History-Month-events.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline

      1. All the progress made to build up apathy and disinterest and suddenly the Left ram us backward 20 years demanding special rights and treatment.

        It’s sodding tiresome how much damage they’ve done to the country.

    3. If white people are banned from Black History Month events, how are they supposed to learn about ‘black history’? I would have thought that the effect would be the very opposite of what the proponents of such events intend.

      1. I don’t think they want anyone to share their utterly miserable existence. If they all went into a room and never reappeared that would be an excellent result.

      2. I don’t think they want anyone to share their utterly miserable existence. If they all went into a room and never reappeared that would be an excellent result.

    4. These racists seem to miss the irony, Black history month was supposed to educate you in your white privilege.

      If you can’t attend, you won’t understand your white privilege and how racist you are.

      Then they’ll have a month of in deep workshops to work out why no one learned anything from black history month.

      FFS, what sort of incredible dimfuks are we breeding in this country? or more accurately importing

      1. I wonder how much “Black History” they are covering?
        Will they be mentioning the Arab and internal African Slave Trade that not only preceded the Atlantic Trade, but continued afterwards, still being extant in some places today?

    6. Dear freakin liffe. They never learn, do they? The Left are vile, nasty, spiteful creatures.

      Why is there a black history month anyway?

        1. I find the whole thing a farce. A bunch of chewed up half truths to satisfy overly indulged idiots who look down on others for their own ego.

        1. Black History Month in USA is February- shortest month. Used to cause a few ructions 😉

      2. Perhaps that month is the one where they tell the truth and the other eleven are when they lie and exaggerate about their achievements and worth to the world.

  58. Well, jobs done on my proposed day off.
    Car cleaned and sparkling. Had to sit down at the bottom of the garden to rest. It was lovely sitting in the sunshine. I fiddle about with other bits and pieces. Then came in made a cuppa for myself and Erin, who’s busy chopping back shrubs. Nice piece of fruit cake. And relax.
    Watching Villages by the sea, Laxey IOM
    Never been there, might have to pop over sometime soon.
    I’ll have a strum now.

        1. Our son and daughter-in-law swam with the dolphins in Cuba. DIL said the dolphins said ‘c’mon, c’mon, give us yer feet!’ as they attempted to propel them through the water. She said they were quite free (the dolphins, that is!) to come and go as they please, she said they watched them leaping over a low-ish gate into the wide blue beyond, and they saw them returning.

          1. Yes same as us! They came and went as they pleased. Our vet daughter really wasn’t keen until she saw how they were treated and how free they were. I absolutely loved it!

        2. I swam with sharks and tunny in LA. It was a massive indoor aquarium and I was kitted out in wet suit, goggles and flipper. It was full of seawater fish of all types. the sharks were 5 feet long and quite benign, though it was quite surreal to be swimming alongside them. The tunny were even bigger, looking like an outsized mackerel!

          1. Alan bought a ‘swim with sharks’ for a pal of his for his 50th birthday! It was at Deep Sea world at North Queensferry, in the dark! Mark was terrified!! But his sons were there to watch and he had to smile! It was better than the bungee jump I suggested!

          2. Getting in the sea and swimming with a Whale shark was a memorable dive.
            But on a dive in the Straits of Hormuz, looking up and seeing a number of Hammerhead sharks above made me check how much air I had!! No way was I going up while they were about. Fortunately they moved passed and didn’t pay any attention to two divers trying not to make lots of bubbles.

    2. No worries. They are great fun to watch- used to see them all the time at the beach in NC. They frolic and play and interact with people.

  60. Any news about the, er, “white thugs” who were assaulted by have-a-go heroes in London?

  61. Good afternoon all. Chatting to my hairdresser this morning she mentioned an observation by her husband on the subject of unisex changing rooms in clothing stores. He figures that men who don’t have any unusual sexual appetites simply don’t use changing rooms. When he buys clothes he finds what he wants, checks the size and buys. Nothing more. I wonder, do the gents on this forum dispute or concur with that?

    4. I can try a coat on in the showroom, but I think there would be a few glances if I tried to do the same with a pair of trousers!

      1. I came across a young lady and her mum in ASDA which didn’t have changing rooms. I noticed she was just in her bra and a skirt and turned away immediately.

          2. No snobbery just the thought of, how should I put it, the thought of under-dressed Mall Whales……

          5. I have all my shopping delivered now because of mobility issues. I do sometimes get the wheelchair out and go terrorise them in Aldi !

            I can walk shortish distances and strangely enough i can still cycle but trudging around large supermarkets is over. Just like my dancing. Actually that was long over for other reasons. :@)

          6. I wish I could still cycle, Phil. After the amputation, I did some research, and bought a folding electric bike online. Couldn’t ride it. I think the problem (apart from rigid ankles) is the fact that the suspension sleeves limit the knee articulation. Couldn’t get the feet to go all around the pedal travel.

            The wheelchair is safely stowed away. Walking – I managed 22,000 steps when I tried to join “The Queue” – they didn’t exactly publicise the disabled version. In the end, it wasn’t the walking that thwarted me – it was being stuck for at least 45 minutes by Blackfriars Bridge unable to move. That, and the small detail of having lost my wallet, which against all odds, I retreived. Another Tile user had foud, and handed it in….

            The largest supermarkets can be challenging. Tesco at The Meadows, Camberley, has a wine department roughly half a mile from the entrance. For small shops, I tend to take a train to Guildford. If I find myself with too much to carry to the station, I’ll try Uber for the journey home.

            Had an Ocado delivery this arvo. Thought the driver was black, until he reached the doorstep. Black basebll cap, and huge black face mask. Outdoors. Sigh…`

          7. Perhaps consider something more like a go-cart bike so you are more horizontal. (stupid…maybe).

            You lost your wallet ! And it was returned!

            As far as having to traverse large supermarkets is concerned have a look at click and collect.

            No one down here are wearing masks.

    5. I’ve never had a problem using changing rooms. I’ve found they are usually single sex or, if they are ‘unisex’, each cubicle is discrete. The nearest I have come to ‘shared’ changing rooms was way back in the early 1970s at a boutique in Sheffield that I would regularly buy from. Way In Sexy Rexy Gear (I kid you not!) had (nearly) mixed changing rooms but no one bothered much. We simply used them to try on what we wanted to buy and then left. There were never any ‘issues’.

    6. I’ve never had a problem using changing rooms. I’ve found they are usually single sex or, if they are ‘unisex’, each cubicle is discrete. The nearest I have come to ‘shared’ changing rooms was way back in the early 1970s at a boutique in Sheffield that I would regularly buy from. Way In Sexy Rexy Gear (I kid you not!) had (nearly) mixed changing rooms but no one bothered much. We simply used them to try on what we wanted to buy and then left. There were never any ‘issues’.

    7. Over the years I’ve found label sizes are not necessarily correct so I do tend to try on a new pair of trousers and if they fit I’ll sometimes buy two pairs. Lest anyone think I’m profligate I’ve managed to spend a whole £128 on footwear & clothing since April!

      1. Coming to Sweden is a confusing thing on so many levels. I have always bought my trousers by waist and inside leg measurements, usually in inches, these days in metric. Such a system is unknown over here. It took me weeks of research to discover that my size is ‘D108’. WTF is that?

        It was worse when I went to buy a blazer in the summer. The shop had German sizes and I found that I could have either a D28 or a D58! None of which makes the slightest bit of sense to a chap schooled in chest size and depth of back.

        1. If you hold the trousers by the waist and put the waistband around your neck is there is no space/gap they will fit your waist. Not sure that’s true for Northerners with beer guts but it works for normal people. :@)

        2. Dressmann have inch leg & waist measurement trousers, Grizz. Bought chinos from them just last week. Even had my size!
          But yes, the D-size is difficult.

    8. I try on jeans in Matalan because of leg length but they have unisex lockable booths. I don’t bother trying anything else on though as it’s always the smaller size.

      I’m not sure it is fair to say that men that use changing rooms are potential perverts though.

    9. In most city stores, M&S, John Lewis etc, there is no problem; men’s and ladies’ clothing are on separate floors …

      2. I like shopping for skis and guns. Doesn’t happen very often. And our local Turkish grocers – the best, freshest and most choiceful selection of fresh fruit & veg, dried food (never seen so many varieties of pasta, often 2 or 3 makes), jars, bottles, a whole wall of olive oil, and sourdough bread to die for. Oh, yes, and the cheese and deli counter… Sigh

    11. Exactly how I operate, Sue. Bought new strides a couple of days ago – waist, leg length are what I take, cloth & cut OK – bought. I HATE trying on clothes, it’s an appalling experience.

    12. I will change in the open. Who cares? Even in my underclothes I am wearing 20 times as much as the ladies in the photos in the sidebars of the Daily M and Daily E.

  62. Just back from a 3 hour walk along the canal on a beautiful globally warmed sunny afternoon. The pumping station at Claverton was open but sadly not running. One of the volunteers gave me a short tour of this water driven pumping station. The water wheel is 15′ in diameter and if i recall correctly 30′ wide. Through the gearing it develops 35 horse power and the two balance beams drive the pump which in its heyday could pump 100,000 gallons of water an hour into the canal way above the banks of the river Avon:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7c6daf86d5c77b8548e64677c027d9b84717e2ff024771fba20ce406e15c39c8.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a6a48cb0330886d175ab5c58c0471252b4c7bd770b78caff423ce6d8c6e5de4d.jpg

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7f3e6a1b23abba0898ec5296949659089c724e66fbb87d258a187dc3320cfdad.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5854c5f35a12f284b09f6f2e7f84c252b36f44cdd7ee6dc4b3705b738a4440a7.jpg
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/aba83e0e58ee24e1e6d5df3815c703cb26a9678cd1853846e841b9a5524e8617.jpg

    2. First became enthusiastic about waterwheels at Dinorwig railway, where they have one driving the whole workshop. Fantastic! And the use of full slate waggons running down the hill to haul empty slate waggons up the hill by means of a long rope wrapped around a drum – with a brake.
      Now that’s energy efficiency – from the days when energy was not plentiful, and often had to come from people pushing or beasts pulling. Not a joule wasted!

    1. I closed my PayPal account a week ago and hope anyone who still has one will do the same to show these morons that Free Speech is paramount!

      2. I’m working on it. I’ll be paying off the PayPal Credit account over the next two or three months. The 0% offer was useful. If it worked as a credit card, I’d have done a balance transfer. And no more purchases via PayPal from now on. I’ll stick to my Chinese bank. What could possiblry go wlong (filstdilect)?

  65. That’s me for today. Just spent half an hour WATERING vegetables. In October – I was, like, OMG, WOW when the MR asked me to do so. Another dry week ahead – Global Warming, of course – especially the cold mornings – so more bucket work looks likely.

    Just so my fans know, I shall be making a personal appearance in Hatfield on Monday (the MR has a work meeting). As (naturally) virtually all the places I might like to visit are closed, I was delighted to discover Old Hatfield with a mediaeval church and more listed buildings to the inch than anywhere I have ever come across before!

    Have a jolly evening.

    A demain.

      1. Stupid boy. I was warning NoTTLers who might find themselves in Hatfiled – and see, near the church, an elderly cripple with a hunch back to KEEP AWAY.

        2. Oh..I see. Well if i ever do bump into you i will run you over in my chair. Goes faster than a bike !

      1. He won’t have a bowler hat or an umbrella, neither a rose in his button hole or a rolled up newspaper but you might recognise him by his oversized Trombetto…

  66. Liz Truss isn’t afraid to speak the language of Conservatism – and it is kryptonite for the Left

    She is right that we need a new balance in policy between those who do and thereby grow the economy, and those who complain

    JOHN REDWOOD • 6 October 2022 • 1:18pm

    Conservatives believe people should keep more of their own money to spend on themselves and their families. We want to help people on their individual journeys to success and greater prosperity. We want government to make life easier for all those who can make their own way in the world, with lower tax rates and sensible rules. We want to live in a successful economy where low tax rates generate more tax revenue from the extra incomes and business they bring. Then we can be generous to those who need help and cannot earn their own living and we can afford great quality public services.

    We want everyone to have the opportunity to own their own home. We would like many to own a share in the business they work for or be able to set up a business of their own. Government should not tell people how to live their lives, but should help people with great education and with public order.

    It was refreshing, exciting to hear the new Prime Minister put all this across in the language of today’s age and for today’s challenges. How right she was to draw the stark contrast between those who glue themselves to the roads to stop people getting to work or to prevent ambulances getting to patients, and those who leave home early in the dark to ensure the rest of us have milk, bread and emergency services that morning. How correct to contrast the politicians who want to prevent us getting out more of our own gas with the needs of the rest of us who have gas boilers and want to keep our families warm over the winter.

    There is indeed an anti-growth coalition. It is a coalition which despises all those who go out to work in the private sector to make and deliver life’s necessities and to keep our utilities running. It sees the businesses that supply us with clean water, heating fuels and broadband as the enemies that should be taxed more and then nationalised. When they were nationalised they were starved of investment as it all had to compete with the cash demands of the NHS. The anti-growth protesters seek to impede or prevent new homes, new factories and above all new energy supplies, whilst backing ever more illegal economic migrants who of course will need new homes, and more utility supply to have a decent life here.

    The protesters who try to disrupt the lives of those who work hard to keep our society functioning are backed by an army of Left-wing party politicians. They include the nationalists that want to bust our country apart. They use devolved government not to help their electors but to grandstand against the national government. They include the Lib Dems who do not ever want us to get out more of our own oil, gas or coal. They blocked more nuclear power as well when in government.

    They would leave us without heating or hot water on days when the wind does not blow. They of course include the Labour party, bound to the trade unions who think now is a good time to engineer as many strikes as possible. These strikes on the railways threaten their own members’ jobs. The railway needs more passengers, not less, to generate the extra fare revenue to be able to pay their wages. Striking means more people do without the trains so more trains run empty yet the Unions expect yet more subsidies for a service people do not want to use or are prevented from using.

    To Liz Truss, Conservatism is allied to freedom and fairness. She is right that we need a new balance in policy between those who do and those who complain. We need to let all those who turn up for work, undertake the training and look for promotion to keep more of what they earn. We need to say “No”, and not give in to all those who want to block every new private sector idea, impede the new investments, the new mines and gas wells, the new fields of food and new factories to make products for the NHS and other customers.

    The world does not owe the UK a living. We are too dependent on imports and therefore on the goodwill and loans of foreigners. The new UK can be a shining example of enterprise and freedom, where people will want to invest more and create more jobs, because we have a government that believes in the power of enterprise to help people to more prosperous lives.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/10/06/liz-truss-isnt-afraid-speak-language-conservatism-kryptonite/

    1. Bloody hell. No wonder they sent him to Wales for so long.

      If John Redwood isn’t in the Cabinet he should be !

      1. I would feel better about Liz Truss if she halted the gifting of billions to the fascistic leaders of Ukraine. I have no liking for Putin or any other dictator but I confess to despising Zelensky.

        As regards the boundaries of the modern state of Ukraine these have been disputed since its creation.

        Both Turkey and Russia have claims to Crimea (Britain fought a costly war over Crimea and won narrowly with the assistance of the French), the Russians have convincing claims to the recently annexed regions where Russian speakers have been persecuted for decades and Poland and Belarus have claims over much of the rest of the territory.

        The territorial dispute should always have been resolved via negotiation, not some proxy war orchestrated by Biden’s handlers. Zelensky is a dictator, has exiled the elected president and incarcerated the opposition. It is irritating to hear British politicians justifying their fuelling of war as a cause to preserve democracy and worse to hear this claptrap from a British Prime Minister.

        1. I completely agree. Our PM is obviously following a Davos/Wef/Nato agreed agenda which no voter in the UK wished for.

      2. Not until he can convincingly sing the Welsh National Anthem.

        If only he had this advice:

        My hen laid a haddock, one hand oiled a flea,
        Glad farts and centurions threw dogs in the sea,
        I could stew a hare here and brandish Dan’s flan,
        Don’s ruddy bog’s blocked up with sand.

        (Cytgan – Chorus)

        Dad! Dad! Why don’t you oil Auntie Glad?
        Can whores appear in beer bottle pies,
        O butter the hens as they fly!

        1. A Propaganda campaign. No one speaks Welsh except Nats…and they can fuck themselves. We stop paying for them and see how well they sing !

          1. Back when being a Welsh speaker was compulsory for employment at BBC Wales, the locals in Cardiff called Broadcasting House the North Wales Embassy.

          2. All i have heard is the Welsh use the language to insult the English tourists. Happy to be corrected.

          3. Back when being a Welsh speaker was compulsory for employment at BBC Wales, the locals in Cardiff called Broadcasting House the North Wales Embassy.

        3. It’s what I sing on the few occasions I need to belt out the Welsh National Anthem 🙂

    2. Liz ‘king Truss needs to watch the video by Steve Laws posted above by Kifaru 1
      It’s so spot on the ball.
      It’s Game Set and Match.

    3. She should have increased personal allowances, and instead of dropping the 45p rate by 5p she should have replaced the personal allowance for those earning over 100k per year which never should have been taken away in the first place.
      A 1p cut in income tax in worth about a quid per week. That’s not going to give consumers the money they need to consume the goods and services produced by entrepreneurs.
      Their growth strategy is all wrong. They simply don’t have a clue what they are doing.

    1. Before 1933, it is thought to have last melted completely in the 1700s.

      During the Little Ice Age…

      1. Back in 1904 or so, the North West Passage was navigable. Must have happened before, as it’s called “North West Passage“.

        1. If one believes family legend, Sir John Franklin was my many times great uncle. I do not believe it. The name Franklin occurs a few times in the old family bible but I doubt there is any connection. My dad’s mother had delusions of grandeur.
          The whole expedition was a disaster, likely because of lead poisoning. They actually tried to carry a piano across the ice.
          There’s a good book called Buried In the Ice about the North West Passage and a documentary was made. Franklin’s body was never found. His wife, Lady Jane, offered a reward to no avail.

          7. A close neighbour is a great grandson of Sir John Franklin. When I gave him Michael Palin’s Book ‘Erebus’ He flicked through the pages and spotted the photograph of Sir John and said : “Mother will be pleased to see this”. I asked him “How old is you mother?” He replied: “103’….

          8. Yes, his only child was from his first wife, Jane was his second wife and they had no children.

    2. Hope you’ve been taking notes, she won’t be happy if she has to repeat all that…

  69. Evening, all. I’ve just bought another pair of candlesticks today. As I said to the chap when I bought them, “one can never have too many candlesticks these days; the government has completely failed to plan for a steady, reliable, sufficient source of energy and the one thing the grid can’t cope with is fluctuation in supply.” He agreed and said he expected to have a run on candlesticks.

          1. Soon to run out, I’ve got a lovely glass of sloe gin.
            Checking the local (I dare not use the word bush) shrubs. They’re not as plentiful as usual. But ever resourceful I have 2 kilograms stored in my freezer.

    2. If you run out of candlesticks you could use a satsuma, tangerine or an orange. I have done that at Christmas from time to time.

      1. Thanks – Christingle springs to mind 🙂 It’s unlikely I’ll run out; I have always had a good selection of candlesticks and candelabra, but I also have oil lamps. I run a very old-fashioned household.

      1. I tell the locals all the time that they are really Danes. The ownership of Skåne has passed back and forth, throughout history, between the two countries. There is still a huge Danish influence here (it is much nearer to Copenhagen than to Stockholm) and the local dialect is more akin to Dansk than Svensk. The local (unofficial) flag of Skåne is a yellow Nordic cross on a red background, a hybrid of both the Danish and Swedish national flags.

    2. They are a few hundred years too late, Grizz. Didn’t the Danes occupy that part of Sweden for a while?
      🙁
      Notreadundery…

    3. They are a few hundred years too late, Grizz. Didn’t the Danes occupy that part of Sweden for a while?
      🙁
      Notreadundery…

  71. I’m quite pleased we didn’t panic and have our neat little gas fire alter to a wood burner at the cost of 3k. The ceramic refectory coals look real and give off no pollutants.
    A lovely glow as well.
    I feel sorry for all the ‘must haves’ who have knocked down all their internal walls and have no cosy rooms with clusing doors.
    I’m off now, so it’s good night from me.

        1. That click is louder than a door closed normally if you have ever watched a horror film ! :@)

  73. A Bogey Five – but an unacceptable English language word!

    Wordle 476 5/6
    ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜
    🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩
    ⬜🟩⬜🟩🟩
    🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩
    🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

    1. I naughtily looked up a hint for today but it was useless. I don’t accept that the answer is a synonym of the clue!
      Wordle 476 4/6

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

      1. But there is a legitimate English/ Latin word for cool dudes, Sue …
        Beginning with R ….

    3. Wordle 476 4/6

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

      Par thanks to the hint it was an americanism.

  75. Can any of you blokes explain this? I announced I was going to the shops to get milk and other necessary supplies, hic. While I was out MH decided that it was time to clean out the fridge. Now, it did need it but why choose to do it when one’s better half has gone to the shops to pick up perishables that need refrigerating.
    Now it is sorted but bloody hell, what a palaver. Grr.

      1. Before I saw your answer that’s what I was going to say.
        But did the lake lady bring home other necessary supplies?

    2. YOH was trying to please you without the suggestion he was in any way subservient to your standards…Whatta guy !

      My fridge looks like a jar graveyard.

      1. He is nice- drives me mad some of the time- but that’s normal. I no doubt drive him bonkers also.
        Our neighbour’s tomatoes are addictive, can’t have a snack or meal with out one or two. Like now…

    3. Hi, LotL.
      Well, first of all, did he know (really know) you were going out for ‘perishables’ or just ‘necessary supplies’?
      Second, did ‘cleaning it out’ involve turning it off?
      And finally, ‘one’s better half’? Really?

    4. Most wives complain their husbands don’t clean the fridge out.
      Do we have to have consent? Or was it that he did it out of the goodness of his heart because he loves you and thought you would be pleased.

  76. Sod it.
    My get up and go got up and went today.
    Got the camping gear stripped from the van but, other than doing dinner and dishwashing, bugger all else.
    I’ve the Saturday Telegraph so off to bed to have a go at the crossword. g’night all.

    2. Same here with my get up and go, BoB. Have slept most of the day and will shortly take another Lemsip dose and head for bed.

  77. Seems that the road bridge between Crimea and Russia has now collapsed. The railway bridge has a tanker train burning up on it.
    I’m concerned that Russia is getting lots of humiliation just now, but is it enough for them to start to use nuclear warheads to try to rectify the situation?
    Bought Iodine tablets this week. Just in case.

      1. Russia seems to be doing badly. The West needs to offer them a face-saving way out that doesn’t involve radioactive fallout – not press for total humiliation. Or, a lot of people and infrastructure will be destroyed.

        1. Volodya (Puttin’s schoolchild nickname) drove his former teacher, Tamara Chizova, 26 years old and newly qualified, to despair.

          “He was sneaky and disorganised, a child who would definitely cause problems”.

          Whenever a fight broke out, Putin was the first to pile in. Victor Borisenko, his best friend at school, remembered: “He could get into a fight with anyone …He had no fear. It never occurred to him that the other boy was stronger and might beat him up … If some hulking guy offended him, he would jump straight at him – scratch him, bite him, pull out clumps of hair … He wasn’t the strongest in our class, but in a fight, he could beat anyone because he would get into a frenzy and fight to the end.”

          [Philip Short, Sunday Times magazine, 26 June 2022]

          Does the West – and PM Truss – know their adversary?

          I shall be buying iodine tablets …

      2. Next time there is a meeting of the garbage that is wrecking the world, he should nuke them all. Things will settle down and could get back to normal.
        Thus proving he was right all along and justified in doing so.

    3. Iodine tablets might be helpful in Norway but not a lot of use anywhere in England with Truss at the helm….

        1. Probaburbelly.
          The left wing engines vanished below ground for a while, then emerged unscathed. Impacts like that would have wrecked the plane.

    3. I seem to remember their international flights had alcohol onboard, but internal flights being ‘dry’. Stupid people.

  82. From the Standard: More idiots.
    “Winter blackouts or not, Liz Truss must double down on net zero
    By Evening Standard Comment”

  83. Good night, everyone, and many thanks to all those wishing me well after my initial post this morning.

    2. That’s great! (I don’t know what day it is anyway.)…. Er. Ive just discovered it is Sunday. HoHum. I thought Saturday…

    3. That’s great! (I don’t know what day it is anyway.)…. Er. Ive just discovered it is Sunday. HoHum. I thought Saturday…

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