The Anonymous Widower

Schweppes Ruin The Summer

These adverts are on buses all over London.

Schweppes Ruin The Summer

Schweppes Ruin The Summer

No wonder the weather is so cold and wet!  Perhaps they should be advertising cocoa!

May 30, 2013 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

It’s Mary Rose Next Week

Now that the Mary Rose museum has opened in Portsmouth, it has given me a suggestion about where to go next week.

As I’m also going to see the Vasa in Stockholm later next month, it will be an interesting comparison.

May 30, 2013 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

The Terror Of Packaging

These bacon packs from Waitrose are some of the many packaging ideas, that need to be opened with smoething sharp.

The Terror Of Packaging

The Terror Of Packaging

Once you’ve opened the packet, you then have to wrap it all in clingfilm, with all the problems that means, otherwise it quickly goes off.

I think, I’ll find a proper butchers that sells loose bacon, so I can buy the quantity I want.

It’s all a plot to get us more, than we actually need.

I probably need three rashers of bacon, twice a week at most.

 

 

May 30, 2013 Posted by | World | , , | Leave a comment

PayDay Saving

Is this an alternative approach to PayDay Lending?

PayDay Saving

PayDay Saving

I hope the Winchester isn’t like the one in Minder.

May 30, 2013 Posted by | Food, World | , | Leave a comment

Carbon Capture And Storage

I went to the Geological Society yesterday to see a presentation by Paul Garnham of Shell about Carbon Capture and Storage and Shell’s project to implement it on Peterhead Power Station. The lecture is here on the Geological Society web site and a video will be uploaded in a few days.

I knew little about carbon capture and storage or CCS, a few weeks ago, but now after the excellent lecture and some reading, I know a little more. But only a very little!

So have I come to any conclusions?

I haven’t altered my major idea, that the first thing we must do is use a lot less energy and especially that produced by burning fossil fuels in one way or another.

But CCS seems to be one of those crazy ideas, thought up by politicians and oil companies, so they can say, they’re doing something to stop the rise in energy prices. My thoughts turn to King Canute on the beach trying to get the sea to obey him.

I may be proved wrong on CCS, but I object to funding crazy ideas like this, the importation of wood chip and the building of useless wind turbines, when we could do sensible things like insulate houses and other buildings, properly barrage the Severn Estuary, build several nuclear power plants and even use fracking in the short term, until nuclear comes on stream.,

We don’t have an energy policy in this country, but a scientifically incorrect policy to put the lights out.

At least then, with no electricity, we won’t be able to do anything that uses energy!

May 30, 2013 Posted by | World | , , | 1 Comment

Nationalism And The England Football Team

I went to the England match against Ireland last night at Wembley and although it wasn’t the best of matches, a thought about the England team struck me, as I listened to the phone-in on Radio 5 about English Nationalism.

It is surprising how many of the England team, could have been eligible to play for other countries. For example, Wayne Rooney and Gary Cahill have an Irish heritage and  Phil Jagielka has a Polish father and a Scottish mother.

On the other hand, I think at least one of the black players, was born in England to parents, who were also born here.

So nothing is ever what it seems!

I myself, have two strong immigrant lines in my genes; Jew and Huguenot, so when it comes for me to define what is Englishness, I can get rather lost.

Perhaps being of mixed genes is a requirement to being a true Englishman or Englishwoman.  After all Churchill had an American mother, Brunel had a French father and Alan Blumlein had a German father, to name but three.

I often define myself as a London Mongrel and when asked to fill in forms about my race, if I think I can get away with it, I do.

Could it all be down to hybrid vigour? It’s proper scientific name is heterosis.

I also like this quote on nationalism by Albert Einstein.

Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.

He is right!

May 30, 2013 Posted by | Sport | , , , | Leave a comment

Nude Cyclists For Jesus Convention

Every so often a series of amusing letters appears in The Times.

Yesterday, they were talking about people holding up signs to greet relatives at airports. This absolute gem was posted.

As a tender-hearted mother I have driven many miles to collect my sons from far-flung airports at all hours. It is a small compensation to take with me a large greeting sign, often along the lines of “Nude Cyclists for Jesus Convention” or similar. It amuses me.

I can’t see C or most of the mothers I know, ever putting up a sign like that for one of their children.

On the other hand, the letter writer seems to be my kind of lady, as I like to think I don’t do boring either, and C stated many times, that she married me, because she knew life wouldn’t be boring.

May 30, 2013 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , | Leave a comment