Bank Holidays = Sorry we're closed

Why is it that in this age of supposedly 24-7 that it doesn't apply to bank holiday weekends. My son found it almost impossible to get a train on Sunday, and Monday, well if you wanted food in a Pub in Hungerford, forget it! Those were that were actually open where visited by the usual hoardes of tourists we get on Bank holidays, only to be told (once they'd ordered their drinks)that the kitchen was closed and a similar story no doubt all over the rest of rural England. It's the same any other time, go to the theatre or cinema (excepting cities) and try to get a meal after the show or any time passed 9.00pm. You're left with the choice of the local chinese. Indian or kebab van, even the Indian doesn't tkae orders after 10.30pm and as for getting a train after 11.00pm on a weekend, don't hold your breath. We went to the cinema last Saturday afternoon (to see the Bourne Supremecy - great film by the way) and stopped at a pub on the way home at 6.00pm only to be told that the kitchen doesn't take orders until 7.00pm -Bye!
Imagine this in Spain or France, you'd be lucky to get a meal in a restauraunt before 10.00pm, and you can get a meal in a bar anytime.
The reason is that publicans and transport mangers are too mean to pay overtime for workers to work on bank holidays. We all seem keen for 24 hour drinking but what about some food to go with it.

Bank Holiday Round up

Firstly congrats to Fluey and Diggy on their engagement this weekend, we wish them luck and thanks for an excellent party Sunday afternoon/evening/Monday morning. I'm glad I played golf on the Sunday Morning although the way I played wouldn't have made any difference. Usual weather for a bank holiday, but managed to dodge the rain, just got wet from the inside.

Welcome Back Jack

Glad to hear Grocer Jack is back safley from the potential clutches of Charley and hope that he had the opportunity to play some of the US's best golf courses. However in his recent posting he claims "Americans....some humble pie and changes in thought about these people."
I suggest he reads this article Couple 'raise' Cabbage Patch doll as son and reads Right Girl's latest post before he revises his opinion.

Dress code?

This guy obviously won't be joining our campagne for the nude beach ball event to be included in the next Olympics. Incidentally at the original Olympics all athletes were nude - so I beleive

TV shots of female athletes upsets cleric

A religious leader in Kuwait has criticised the country's TV for showing women at the Olympics in "revealing and indecent dress".
Awaad Barad al Enezi labelled television coverage of females at the Athens games as "shameless and undignified".
The ultra-conservative MP said this was merely "under the pretext" of covering the event and had been a "great catastrophe".
According to Sky News Online, so graphic were the women's outfits broadcast on Kuwait TV, he said, that they were "adversely affecting the morals of Kuwaiti society".

Most hated Ad's

I posted an article a couple of weeks ago about adverts that really turn you off the product or company they're trying to sell, well I've just discovered a web site called UKMIX.ORG MOST HATED ADVERTS which is a forum for you to express your comments on the UK's most annoying adverts, and don't forget - don't worry dear it's only a commercial!

The 2004 Darwin Awards

My Friend Tracy has sent me this, the nominations for the 2004 DARWIN AWARDS. For those unfamiliar with the Darwin Awards they are held every year and honor those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it by accidentally
killing themselves in really stupid ways.. Of necessity, this honor is bestowed posthumously.
They have been awarded since 1995 so you can see the previous nominees and winners at THE OFFICIAL DARWIN AWARDS SITE.

They're not the only ones

This article Germans embarrassed by countrymen on holiday from Ananova really ought to be conducted on UK tourists. We are well aware of the Germans abroad, especially the towel saving sunbeds, but the English abroad take some beating. From Union Flag shorts to knotted hankies or baseball caps on shaven heads to bare torsos,lobster pink with sunburn in between tattoos and beer swollen bellies, and the chanting various football verses. I always make out I'm Swedish when approached and unable to speak English without a heavy accent, It seems to produce much better service in bars and restaurants.

More Bastards

As an addendum to yesterdays posting re my sons bike, I read yesterday that a local developer (same Police force area)had a £10k digger nicked from his site. When he reported it and even suggested that the Perpetrators might be from a newly located travelers camp, he was told that this level of crime was not a high enough priority to be investigated, they however issued him with a crime report number as they did my son, and say they would keep an eye out for it. Some chance unless they've got some good contacts in the Irish Garda.
As for sons bike, I've got a pretty good idea of the part of town where it has been dismantled and smuggled out to Lambourn (no doubt with the seat lowered). However thanks to his mate Jack, he now has a replacement, and thanks for the offers from all.

Bastards!

I meant to post this yesterday but forgot. Some bastard stole the boys bike (Ex Steve.W's) from the passage outside Popperwells on Sunday afternoon. It was padlocked so they must have bolt cropped it. Must have been between 2.30 and 4.00pm Any one see anything then let me know

One more notched up

Yesterday was my 40 something birthday and I was drawn to an article in the Daily mail by Neil Lyndon which gave a list of things that can prolong or shorten your life on this mortal coil.
according to research you can deduct 10 years from your life if you smoke, a further 10 years if you drink heavily. Deduct 9.3 years if you left school early and 4 years for a divorce.
Every one of these damaging calculations apply to the most elegantly wasted human being of the Greatest Rock n' Roll band in the world, Keith Richards.
The research carried out above does not seem to take in account the consequences of 40 years of ingesting every illegal substance on the planet, but if you reckon that Keith's drug habits ought to have cost him at least 20 years and add those to his other subtractions, he probably should have died about the same time as the Stones released satisfaction in 1965 when he was 22.(and I was 8)
Keith's survival is of course one of the unique wonders of the modern world and it is ironic that this week we hear that poor old Charlie Watts has got throat cancer, the irony of this is out of all the members of the band he's been the cleanest one. He hasn't smoked or touched alcohol for 20 years, he is still married to his original wife and lives a quiet life in the country where he takes regular exercise. He will hopefully make a full recovery and I wish him well.
In the meantime I intend to follow the Keith Richard's health plan, because it just goes to show, your times up when our maker says so and nobody else!

Charley can damage your health

Whilst I have every sympathy for the victims in Florida from the destruction caused by hurricane Charlie, I can't help but have this thought every time a hurricane or tornado hits the east coast of America or the Caribbean - Why do they build houses out of matchwood and not stone, brick or concrete, specifically in areas prone to adverse weather? Haven't they ever heard the story of the 3 little pigs?
Ok one argument maybe that if one is going to be hit by a hurricane on a regular basis, then wooden houses are cheaper to rebuild. But that doesn't stop you or your possessions being spread around the next two counties. I don't recall seeing many weatherboard houses in New York or Washington.
Am I Missing something here?

Far Flung North

Just spent a few days at my parents in Yorkshire and endured endless torrential rain on the motorways there and back. As I don't often travel far these days, it has become apparent that our road systems are reaching saturation point. A journey that used to take me 3 hours now takes 5. However obviously living up North has it's compensations as a pint in my Fathers local is only £1.80 and every shop seems to offer Buy one get one free, which Gave us a great opportunity to stock up on CD's.
However coming home from a minning town to civilisation is a great relief, I couldn't live up there.

Say what M'lord?

I've seen this beforebut it never ceases to amuse me.
From a little book called DISORDER IN THE COURT. They're things people actually said in court, word for word.

A load of Pugwash

For years I had always beleived this to be true but as I couldn't actually recall any episodes of Captain Pugwash so I'd always gone along with it until now:

The Captain Pugwash cartoon, which originally ran on the BBC between 1958 and 1967, is widely believed to have featured characters with risqué maritime names such as Master Bates, Seaman Staines, and Roger the Cabin Boy. In fact, the crew of the famous Black Pig ship included sailors with no such names: present on board were Master Mate, Tom the Cabin Boy, and Pirates Barnabas and Willy. (No character with the designation of 'Seaman' appeared in the show.) Series creator John Ryan successfully won retractions and settlements from the Sunday Correspondent and the Guardian after both newspapers claimed that the show's characters did indeed have smutty names, and that the BBC had taken it off the air as a result

For full details go to URBAN LEGENDS

Ad's that really get to you

There are several TV adverts currently that are so annoying surely they have the adverse effect of turning you off the product rather than on.
The first and most annoying is the Michael Winner ad for car insurance when he says "Don't worry dear, it's only an advert" and that stupid girl saying " I'm not his sister."

Then there's- "hi Bev,Kev-Kev,Bev. Bevvv-Kevvv - nice car, we used to have one of those. and that bloody Churchill dog and all the Tesco adverts with Prunella Scales and the Halifax ad's with the coloured guy with a brummie accent and milk bottle glasses offering to give us a little extra. Oh and any McDonald's or Argos ad with that twat who looks like Lawrence fuckhair Bowen. Shan't be buying any of those.

By the way, sorry for not posting much lately - still busy, I don't know where grocer Jack finds the time, anyway I suppose I'd better fill in for him whilst he's on holiday.