Having an imaginary victory dram for Biden: In other news Aberdeen and Ayrshire hotelier loses election, turns out nobody really liked him much, nor his manner, nor his hotels. Oh well, I'm sure he'll find other things to do.
Saturday, November 07, 2020
Dram
Having an imaginary victory dram for Biden: In other news Aberdeen and Ayrshire hotelier loses election, turns out nobody really liked him much, nor his manner, nor his hotels. Oh well, I'm sure he'll find other things to do.
Crown etc.
Saw a preview episode of the new season of "The Crown" the other evening. OK mostly but I thought that Princess Diana's character wasn't really well developed or convincing. Cracking costumes though.
Friday, November 06, 2020
Thursday, November 05, 2020
Wednesday, November 04, 2020
Tennants
A poor review with vague opinions on beer types: Some say the craft brewers are snobby twats, some say their beers are over priced, over hyped and over rated. After all it's just beer. Maybe but as an irregular drinker I must confess I mostly like old school English beer, slightly flat, room temperature bitter, not chilled, yum. So Tennents? Makes a good draft shandy, a nice mural, good from the can in the garden after mowing the lawn, a tin on the beach or at a barbie. The right thing at the right time? Sometimes, not always.
Tuesday, November 03, 2020
Avant Traction
Avant/Forward: Is this what blogging and the internet and social media should be about really, just writing about things you like and posting pictures you enjoy and want to share, loosely meandering across life's nicer parts? It seems rubbish that I (we?) spend energy and time feeling that to rant about, moan, criticize and berate failing institutions, religions and the poorer/meaner aspects of human activity is necessary. Ho hum.
Monday, November 02, 2020
Dead Flowers
"Dead Flowers" Acrylic on sacroiliac, in vinegar and pencil. A lightweight piece that looks at the plight of untended, lonely and overage vegetation summoning up uplifting but neutral themes of abandonment and desolation. The artist pursues these valiantly in energetic blue and teal tinges with an almost black metallic precision and an eye for dread and finality. Offered at a very reasonable pre-sale sale price of £999.99 (delivery not included). The purchaser will be delighted to receive a full brown bin of inspirational organic material (part rotted) arranged within the pre-collection bin, also an empty plastic milk carton once use to water and tend various now defunct house plants. Please be aware that slight spillages and staining may occur in transit. This is quite normal and not age related.
Sunday, November 01, 2020
Unfortunately, everybody is busy
"Everybody is a busybody and if you're not busy then you're not much of a body and we are experiencing an extraordinary amount of online clicks, traffic, comments, calls, tea breaks, fag breaks and interruptions right now."
In other words our systems and our manning levels are not quite up to the task but as your time costs us nothing then you can wait. We might also just skim a small amount of cash for ourselves from the lengthy call you've now found yourself entangled in. You are after all a highly valued customer (Cue the enthralling music).
If you or a member of your family have been affected by this post them please take a few moments to stare at the two cows (pictured) and their reflections in some far away pond and try to calm down. Thank you.
How to solve boredom and restore a sense of control and purpose in your life on any rainy day. Simply head into your email inbox and, one by one seek out the unsubscribe link lurking at the bottom of all those pointless and irritating messages you now get because you once bought something from them or whatever ... and click. You're done.
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Other people's lives
Crash landings: At school there was always somebody, could be a boy or a girl who would be the one to speak up and speak out about something, they'd decide on a course of action and announce it expecting the rest of the class to agree and follow. If they don't grow out of it then they grow up to be unbearable adults.
So forgetting narcissism or psychosis for the moment and just looking a plain, childish behaviour, the attention seeker with no actual clear ideas or inspiration can easily push through on an ill conceived course of action on the basis of strength of personality alone, or being just plain bullish. The lazy and the easy going will be ok with this, it saves them from thinking, challenging or questioning. Here's a fix from somebody who sounds as if they know what they are doing. Buzz words, slogans, repetition, simple messages and the promise of ... whatever you want to hear.
Classroom politics, playground dynamics, kids squabbling as the pitch of play rises and falls. Trump, Johnston, Cummings, forever childish, self righteous and petulant.
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Moving on from grim reality but still looking at other people's lives; a couple got married pretty much at the foot of our garden the other day. A small but stylish Bohemian kind of ceremony complete with pumpkins, candles, kilts and leather. Romantic relief and a sunny period of fun for the party in these Tier Three times.
Halloween, WTF is this? Also how is it now OK not to have an apostrophe in Halloween anymore?
Friday, October 30, 2020
269 Songs
So back to where we started. David Hepworth's playlist that reflects his 1971 theory. Some might say it proves it or at least strengthens the case. The book is highly readable, but only if you're 60+. I've forgotten a lot of it, as would anybody. The dull glow of distant nostalgia and the need to make sense of things is very appealing. Songs still sneaking up on you as a pale reminder of how pale most things are these days. I'm hearing an inner voice speaking in Clive James tones, even Jeremy Paxman looks tired out. November?
😏
Here's that vital Link to another kind of past. This is how good music used to sound, (Warning: some of it might not be that good, it's 18 hours long!).Thursday, October 29, 2020
Touched by the hand of Queen Margaret
A few years ago (I've no clear idea) I blogged about the song "touched by the hand of Chicholina". Now that I know she's even older than me and time is running out I'm not so sure about things. Also I didn't get the Jeff Koons connection. I was badly informed and dislocated at the time. On reflection it is possibly better to be touched by the (cold, dead) hand of Queen Margaret, particularly now that I'm living right beside her infamous ferry location, her cave, castle, chapel, well, fountain, discount supermarket, by-pass and takeaway, you name it. A lurid fantasy made popular in Scottish history, most of which is entirely fictitious and/or unreliable anyway. So history is weird, particularly if you believe in time as a constant and uninterrupted flow, which may or may not be the case; think of forward echo. She's also famous as a saint. That's another problem.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Cattitude
The TV has been switched off, the devices are blank and silent, the lights are dimming, rain casually beats against the window and the central heating is nearing the end of it's evening work program. The adults are fussing about, running the clock down, time to retire, tidy up errant cups and glasses, close cupboards and wipe down surfaces, leave things tidy and we're good to go. Ignore the rest. It's the closing sequence of the day, transactions bound up and finished, shake the curtains and redraw that line between day dreams and night moves, wakefulness and sleep. Today dwindles and the unknown future that in the elasticity and stupid predictability of time now looms, will deliver the new tomorrow's promise; tomorrow or thereabouts. We take all this for granted, the every day tapestry that slowly unravels before our blinking eyes never to return. The cat sees it all however and, as you might expect, refuses to comment from that warm spot he's carved out for himself on the couch.
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Daily fungus - photos
The unseasonal wet weather has boosted the wild fungi harvest in these parts (actually a botanic garden somewhere in Caledonia). Well that's one theory and maybe wet weather is normal and toodstools and mushrooms are just behaving naturally because what else can they do? I've been out, gone low and dirty and recorded their behaviour here as they poke their heads through the earth, soft and fragile, dangerous and temporary. By tomorrow they'll be trodden into mulch or broken, or picked and harvested, gone. I passed by, I did no harm so I'm in the clear.
Monday, October 26, 2020
The Ubiquitous Fish Finger
Escaping the Matrix: There's food, there's other kinds of food and there's posh food. In all three (vague and tough to define) categories the fish finger sandwich scores highly if I'm doing the eating and the scoring.
I started following @MarkusRashford, turns out that was a good idea. Just to see the numerous retweets he's posting of offers within and outwith the catering industry to help feed children during the English school holidays is inspiring. The UK Government has put itself, yet again in a shameful position over it's lack of regard for simple human dignity and basic needs. It is also telling that it cannot quite "read the room" over issues like this, there is a dearth of empathy and emotional maturity in this corrupt regime from top to bottom and it will continue to fail as long as the ignorance that drives it remains unchecked.
I also expect that amongst the food suppliers being retweeted there will be a small % of bandwagon jumpers looking to capitalize on some exposure and association but don't be fooled, they're the minority. Marcus Rashford and his supporters have exposed this awful Government and they really have nowhere to go here. Dear Tories, the fish finger points, it points at you and you can't escape.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Exclusive
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Goldilocks and the Three Wolves
Once upon a time there was a fairy story but instead of fairies there were only humans and wolves in it. Goldilocks, a local girl, was known to be "a little out of control" and one day she wandered off and headed to the home of a family of wolves. She broke into the empty house and tried out a few things. She wasn't bothered or afraid so Goldilocks sat in the chair that was just right, ate the bowl of Quaker Oats that was just right and then ran upstairs and snuggled down in the bed that was also just right. She was pretty clumsy and thought little of the value of other people's belongings. Meanwhile the wolves were nearby in the trees checking out possible food sources and meeting up with other wolves in the pack whilst their breakfast was cooling. That's how they roll around these parts.
After a while the three wolves returned to the house, Mum, Dad and Cub. On entering the house their keen sense of smell told them that a human was nearby, maybe even in their property. They tensed up as wolves do and began to search the premises. They were disappointed to see that breakfast was ruined and that their plans for the day were now apparently upset. Mum and Dad were also kind of excited but managed to restrain their feelings and allowed Cub to take the lead. They were good parents and liked to assign responsibility whenever possible to better teach their child about the real world. Cub was already hungry and then very angry when he saw his broken chair, spoiled porridge and a trail of destruction that led upstairs to the broken beds in the main sleeping area. When the wolves saw Goldilocks snoozing without a care in the world on the only remaining bed, well that was the end of Goldilocks. A neighbour called 999 and reported the incident.
The emergency services and social work report was inconclusive, some said that humans and wolves were never going to get on together, other's just hoped for the best and suggested that better educational resources should be allocated to the human and wolf communities. A Facebook group for both sides and a community picnic was also considered, in order to foster better relations and build bridges. At the time the wolves were asked to make a statement but a spokesman for the wolves was unavailable.
They all lived happily ever after once the humans were destroyed by a virus.
Infiltrate
Friday, October 23, 2020
In the wake
Sailing along on the Forth, twice in a week. At one time it was nearly every working day. I don't miss any of that but it is nice to be afloat and feeling reasonably safe. Also the weather being calm (if a little cool and damp) helps.
These are the many small islands downstream. Rugged, weird and neglected. Nobody lives there and the rain misses them I'm told. Stepping stones between the Lothians and Fife unused by familiar giants. Routes for unplanned bridges, impossible tunnels, fair weather ferries to zig-zag past on the white capped waves. The clump of battered rock below is now covered in garden gnomes, malevolent settlers, so nobody will be using that anytime soon, there's bound to be an ancient curse.
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Not by me
A Great Tribulation
So the Lord will shortly accomplish two parts of his plan; sort out Israel (?) and judge the many billions that don't actually believe in him. That's a tough seven years. On the same theme here's some nicely batshit crazy stuff, lifted from the HuffPost:
“Without question, Trump is going to win the election,” Robertson declared on “The 700 Club” on Tuesday, citing his conversation with the deity. “He’s going to win, that I think’s a given.”
Despite God telling Robertson the election was in the bag, he urged his followers to vote anyway. However, Robertson didn’t exactly give them a great incentive for choosing Trump considering what supposedly happens during his second term.
Robertson said the inauguration would be followed by global strife, widespread “civic disobedience that will be mind-boggling” in the U.S. and at least two assassination attempts.
“The country will be torn apart,” Robertson said, then he went off on some biblical prophecy stuff, claiming there would be a period of war involving Israel, followed by at least five years of “extraordinary peace.”
After that, better book the next flight off the planet because that’s when it all goes kaboom.
“There’s going to be a great tribulation,” Robertson said, predicting an asteroid strike right down to the size of the space rock:
God has an iffy history with presidential predictions, at least in terms of the ones He reportedly shared with Robertson. In 2004, the televangelist said God told him then-President George W. Bush would be reelected, yet claimed God said Mitt Romney would beat then-President Barack Obama in 2012 and serve two terms.
Robertson also famously predicted “a judgment on the world” in the fall of 1982, followed years later by a highly specific ending date of April 29, 2007. By all accounts both predictions were incorrect.