Rude Awakenings
I’m beginning to wonder whether the government is determined to save money on my ‘gold-plated pension by ensuring that the BBC drives me to an early grave.
Each morning I wake up happy and refreshed ready to greet the day only to have my mood shattered by an interview with someone who is clear;ly barking mad that has me shouting at the radio, sending my blood pressure through the roof.
Everybody Out!
Although I’ve been a member of a trade union, I can’t recall ever having been on strike. I might be wrong because I have a vague memory that there was talk of a walk out when I was in NALGO in my the dim and distant past, but I don’t remember using poster paint on homemade placards, marching on the streets or sloping off to the pub for an afternoon.
X is for X Marks the Spot
X Marks the Spot was a panel game on Radio 4 that ran from 1998 to 2006. The idea was for celebrity know-alls to take part in a treasure hunt which you might think an odd format for radio.
The celebrities were given a series of cryptic clues to identify four places in Great Britain which would form a giant X and the treasure was notionally buried at a fifth place where the lines crossed.
How hard can it be?
Here’s something a bit different — a review of a book that I haven’t finished reading yet, except that I have. I should probably explain.
How hard can it be? is the fourth collection of musings by Jeremy Clarkson, the bête noir of the ‘eco-mentalists’, ‘vegetablists’, the Guardian, media luvvies and the Morris Marina Owners’ Club.
And the reason I’ve already read is because they first appeared in Clarkson’s Sunday Times column in 2008 and 2009.
Cool to be Filthy
It seems that summer may have come and gone. After what seems like months of wet weather, the sky turned blue yesterday and the temperature climbed to 30° and thoughts turned to barbeques and paddling pools.
It was the same this morning, but now it has clouded over, the humidity has risen and it is threatening rain again and everyone is saying that it is like being in a sauna which of course it isn’t.
Little Hitlers
I read this story the other day, tucked away on page 36 of the Daily Mail. Someone called Philip Fursman has been banned from selling the pictured model of Adolf Hitler on eBay because members are “not permitted to list items that contain propaganda or memorabilia with Nazi or SS markings”.
Mr Fursman said, “I quite agree that Hitler was a horrible individual but if you look at the model there are no SS markings on him.”
Pig Island
Having been chided by Yorkie for reading “bloke books”, I promised that I should demonstrate my reconstructed new-man credentials by reading something written by a bird. Pig Island by Mo Hayder was my choice.
This is an odd tale, but an intriguing one. It centres on hack journalist, Joe Oakes, who has made his living by exposing supernatural hoaxes, a crusade inspired by his loathing of the spiritual healer, Malachi Dove, who he first encounters as a student.
More Like It
After complaining yesterday about the bland chicken served at KFC, we got back to something more like it when my daughter served up peri peri chicken last night.
She made it pretty much from scratch — no cook-in-sauce or packet seasoning — and served the meal with sticky coconut rice. It was based on a recipe from Mozambique, although with just three peppers rather than the recommended six.
Finger Lickin’ Crud
Believe it or not, there was a time when I used to quite enjoy Kentucky Fried Chicken, back in the day when the only thing KFC stood for was Kilmarnock Football Club.
Fast food was still a novelty and somewhat exotic back then, like a Wimpy egg burger or Vesta beef curry or their chow mein with soft and crispy noodles.
Solstice
An extra W for ABC Wednesday, this time W for Walk, specifically a midsummer’s walk to Hartshead Pike that we went on last night.
It was the reverse fixture of our winter solstice walk that I wrote about in December, and again organised by the wardens at Park Bridge Heritage Centre.
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