Category: Blog Post

Shoppers have been out and about in Bournemouth this weekend. At least they have today. I didn’t leave the house yesterday because of the weather but got up this morning and the sun was shining and I eventually managed to get out. Still haven’t bought any Xmas presents or cards so I’m going to have to get a move on soon. Tooth ache hasn’t helped.

Yesterday I decided to give my apartment a Xmas present and had some cleaners in. Honestly, I’ve always hated housework but these two ladies seemed to enjoy it. My daughter knows them and recommended that I give them a try and I have to say I was pleased with the result. They were here a good half a day and left everything sparkling. If anyone is interested they are Castle Interior Cleaning and my two ladies are called Ali and Georgia. They are on FB.

And while I’m on the subject of Xmas shopping a man in North Wales was filmed stealing a 7ft Xmas tree from Clocaenog Forest. He obviously hadn’t realised that there were several trail cameras that caught him in the act. The police said he will be getting a visitor knocking on his door and it won’t be santa. Lock ‘im up I say.

If you’ve been feeling sorry for yourself because you’ve had to quarantine at home with the kids, spare a thought for Britain’s biggest family. Dad of 22 Noel Radford has been tested positive for coronavirus and is having to stay at home with all those kids. He then set about doing some online shopping and put the wrong date in (a week later) so the food didn’t arrive. I can’t imagine that many people living together and now they can’t even go out. I hope they’ve got there Xmas shopping done at least they can start the wrapping.

Cocaine weighing more than a ton has been found during a routine inspection at the docks in Essex. The stash was hidden in a shipment of banana pulp. I guess that would cover the smell of the drug and would appear like a harmless import. But, can anyone tell me why we are importing banana pulp and what it’s used for? I once worked for Elders and Fyffes Shipping which had been established to import bananas from the West Indies. I have no recollection of pulp being part of the shipment. Or cocaine now I come to think about it.

I’m sure you remember that I told you about the mysterious appearance and disappearance of a monolith in a Utah canyon. Well another appeared in Romania and now one has turned up at the bottom of a cliff in the Isle of Wight. When I saw the photos I thought this latest one was painted but then realised it is a reflection of the sea and horizon in front of it and therefore, ever changing. Looks very beautiful and almost worth a visit to the island. That’s all for today, good night isolators everywhere.   🎄😴💤😴🎄

My favourite story today was the one about a plane landing on a motorway, or highway, in Minnesota. following engine failure. There is a little video of the incident when the single engine plane had decided to make an emergency landing. I somehow can’t imagine a motorway in the UK where there would be enough room to land a paper plane let alone a real live one. The plane crashed with a SUV but no one was hurt and afterwards the driver said that he saw the plane in his rear view mirror but there was no time to avoid being hit. His vehicle was a write off but both he and the pilot said they were lucky to be alive.

You all must have heard that the mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of bribery and witness intimidation. Four other people were also arrested following an investigation into the awarding of building contracts in the city. Looks like the storyline for a channel 4 play. Previously, nearly two years ago a developer had been arrested and later released under investigation which is obviously now showing some results. The mayor looks like a tough bloke I wonder who they would get to play him on the tele. I remember in Bournemouth when the Imax cinema got planning permission there were all sorts of rumours flying around about brown envelopes and back handers. No one ever arrested here though and then the council paid the owners a few million quid to buy the property and then pulled it down.

The Sussexes have been out buying their Xmas tree and they went to Big Wave Dave’s Christmas Trees and Pumpkin Patch which is in the car park of Macy’s. It seems that their agent phoned first to have the area cleared so that this precious couple could shop in peace. Not quite cleared though and one little boy ran around excitedly and asked the prince if he worked there. Well, I can understand his mistake as I’m sure Harry looks just like a Big Wave Dave.

Maybe this next one is in fact my favourite story of the day. A teacher in a remote Indian village has won $1 million and nominated the best teacher in the world. There were a total of 12,000 nominations and the winner Mr Disale decided to give half of his winnings to be divided among the ten runners up. He said that teachers were people who give and care and that was why he had decided to give away half his prize. The judges chose him because of his work to ensure disadvantaged girls went to school and became achievers rather than not being educated and entering early marriages. He also provides online science classes for pupils in 83 countries and connects with young people in conflict zones. Top man and a great role model. Good night guys and dolls. Sleep well, only three weeks till Christmas.  🎄😴💤🎄

Yesterday I forgot to mention about the bird I had cheeping in my flat. Well, it wasn’t exactly a bird it just sounded like one ‘cheep’, 23 seconds later ‘cheep’ and so it went on. With all the electronic gadgets in one home you can probably picture me running from one place to another trying to work out where it came from. I decided (correctly as it turned out) that it was the smoke/fire alarm. I got on the step ladder and looked inside but as I couldn’t find a battery I called Paul (my son-in-law). “What have you done?’ he asked, as if I only call him when I have a problem. He arrived with grandson Alex and it didn’t take him long to find where the battery was hiding. I gave him a replacement from my stash but ‘cheep’ that hadn’t cured the problem. Paul tried the other alarm I have in the hallway but ‘cheep’ still no luck. We sent Alex to Wilko for new batteries and Paracetamol as I also have tooth ache by now. Batteries replaced and what do we hear? ‘cheep’. Alex decides to investigate and realises that the batteries he just purchased are still sitting on the hall cabinet, his dad had put back the old ones. Paul, I still think you are a star and I think you’re going to get really peed off with being reminded about this little event. We’ll get Alex a mute button although he did do well.

I never got to Debenhams today as I still had tooth ache and went to the dentist instead. They were very good fitting me in and did a temporary fix and I’m going back next week for a proper filling. Still hurts every time I eat though so this might be the route to losing weight before Christmas.

Piers Morgan has been having another go at Prince Harry. I’m not surprised as my eyebrows went up a couple of inches when I read about his latest discourse telling the world to be raindrops. Where do they get this tosh from? Piers’ point was that someone who has 16 bathrooms should start off by practising what he preaches. Now they might not be using all those rooms but there they are, needing cleaning from time to time, using electricity, their swimming pool using water and electricity, their large garden needing watering and so on and on. What a completely irrelevant couple they are, another two mute buttons needed.

My neighbour Nick posted that he was at Alum Chine, Poole today when an unexploded rocket propelled grenade was found on the beach. Well, I wonder who’s rocket propelled that in our direction? maybe it was just someone who didn’t like all those crowds that descended here during lockdown. Excitingly bomb disposal arrived and detonated the device. Nick, how come you were there on Sunday and just happened to be back today when it was found? This is looking very suspicious. Sweet Dreams.  🎄😴💤😴🎄

Last night Arcadia and today Debenhams have gone into administration. It’s quite obvious that the pandemic has been the last straw for many of Britain’s retail sector. Debenhams started in 1778 and has been trading ever since but having had to fight against online companies and now coronavirus they will have to close leaving 12,000 employees out of work. The administrators have decided to cut prices online from today and in store from tomorrow when all shops reopen. I might find myself in town looking for a bargain in the morning.

We have all been trying to find something useful to do to fill our time during lockdown although I know quite a few people who say they faff around all day not doing very much at all – I’m looking in a mirror here. A bloke has spent his time auditing a tin a Quality Street. He decided to find out how well mixed his tin was and was horrified to find that the orange creams have made a takeover bid. Yes, he had 14 of these little devils and only 4 of everybody’s favourite, the purple wrapped ones. He asked if he could complain to ‘inequalitystreet’.

A woman named Rita Ora – I’ve no idea who she is but I’ve worked out she must be famous – has apologised for breaking lockdown rules. Seems the very selfish rich bitch had a birthday party in a restaurant for 30 guests. Just the latest in a long line of people with too much money who don’t think they need to follow rules. It’s a matter of break the rules, pay the fines, apologise to keep the fans and move on. Sad thing is they don’t seem to catch the virus.

I know loads of people who spent last weekend putting up their Xmas tree and decorations. I didn’t and now we are in tier 2 and therefore unable to invite people in I’m not sure if I want to bother. I could have a nice Christmassy bunch of twigs and flowers, or string a few lights around but I’m thinking that maybe I’ll just buy a festive jumper with a reindeer on the front, I might find one in Debenhams tomorrow. I’ve had my first Christmas card today – 1st December. I knew who it was from as soon as I saw it pop through the letter box. Thank you Susan Dronick, you are always first in more ways than one.

My granddaughter Elizabeth called today, seems she is the latest member of my family to go down with Covid. She’s at Sussex Uni in Brighton so her and her roomies are quarantining. She isn’t feeling too good and suffering from headache, cough and tiredness but was chatty as always and said that her and another girl who tested positive were ordering in a takeaway for dinner. And on a positive note, she’ll be ok to come home for Xmas.

Two teenagers in Widnes found £700 on their way to school. They gave it to school staff who spent a long time tracking down the owner, a businessman who was delighted and gave the girls twenty quid each for being so honest. Sleep well, happy December.🎄😴💤😴🎄

 

 

What a lovely weekend in Dorset, weatherwise that is. The sun has been shining and plenty of people out walking around Bournemouth beach and gardens today. I met a friend along the prom and we managed to find a bench and have a good old chin wag. Not much else we can do in lockdown but at least the weather was on our side.

If you have latched onto the country’s love affair with gin which seemed to have gone into the doldrums for a few years but has enjoyed a comeback, you might be interested in the Queen’s own brand of the tipple. Yes, that’s right, Sandringham Estate has launched a new gin made with ingredients from the queen’s gardens, only available in the UK and costing £50 per bottle. I can see her on Dragon’s Den soon asking for some investment to market it abroad.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that West Bay has no registered cases of Covid but I can also inform that there is a hot spot in Dorset and it is Bearwood. My area Central Bournemouth was a hot spot along with Winton, Springbourne and Queens Park but they are now dropping. And no, I’m not going around counting.

Following the death of Argentinian footballer Maradona police have questioned his doctor searching his house and private clinic to see if there was any evidence of negligence. The footballer had left hospital following an operation to remove a blood clot but he was also being treated for alcoholism. His discharge said he should have had 24 hour nursing and a doctor and ambulance with a defibrillator on standby. Good luck with that investigation. His surgeon who is being investigated said his job finished after the operation and Maradona should have been in a specialist clinic which he refused to do. He probably wanted to get home and then have his carers bring him a bottle or two.

Brits are playing up again in the South of Spain. A few days ago about 40 British people know as ‘influencers’ were seen tombstoning from an apartment window into the swimming pool below. A dangerous thing to do but in this case they were also breaking Spanish lockdown rules. There were too many people in one gathering, no masks and breaking curfew. The police were called out. Lock ’em up I say. Now another group of Brits have been caught pushing a flash BMW into a river. This followed driving recklessly on roads in Marbella which they might have got away with had they not posted videos of their escapades. Lock ’em up. I would like to inform all Spanish people that most British people do not approve of this type of behaviour. The police over there should definitely lock them up and feed them only bread and water.

And an update on the 12 foot monolith that appeared last week in the Utah desert. It has disappeared overnight and no one knows who took it. Must be aliens. Nighty night. sleep tight.😴💤😴

We’ve all heard that Dorset has been put into Tier 2 which some residents expected while others, especially the hospitality sector, hoped that it would go back to Tier one. West Bay however (the Dorset town used in the TV drama Broadchurch) has been completely untouched by Covid since the beginning of lockdown with not one registered case. Unsurprisingly people there are not only baffled but angry to have been put in the same category as London. The whole of Dorset is only showing 65 case per 100,000 and decreasing. Maybe it’s because we are a tourist area and authorities are worried that we might be inundated with visitors as we were in the summer. Looking back though, there was no increase in local Covid numbers after the beaches had been shown overcrowded with little or no social distancing. I’m hearing lots of people complaining that had been trying to make the most of things in the previous lockdowns. There is a headline tonight that the UK R rate is now below 1 and shrinking.

The unloved Philip Green, owner of Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins is about to face the collapse of his retail empire Arkadia. Administrators will probably be moving in next week and maybe as early as Monday. Mr Green bought the high street group in 2002 and three years later paid its registered owner, who just happened to be his wife, £1.2 billion in dividends. Arcadia employs about 13,000 people who may end up being made redundant. I’m betting that Mr & Mrs Green do not end up broke no matter what happens. I hope the company pension fund is well protected, we all know what happened when he sold off BHS.

The Trump gave his first question time for reporters since he lost the election. The occasion was Thanksgiving and the President sat at a very small table or desk and was still ranting on about the massive fraud which favoured Joe Biden. A Reuters reporter was trying to question him about the supposed fraud and as he din’t like the question or just didn’t have the answer he replied ‘don’t talk to me that way, I’m the President of the United States and you can’t talk to me that way, don’t ever talk to the president that way, right I’m going to another question’. As for the tiny table, reporters loved it and said maybe when he learnt to behave like a big boy he could have a big boy table.

In London two policemen were praised after safely helping a woman deliver her baby in a taxi. The officers were flagged down by the father at 1.30 am and mother and baby are doing well. Just a few hours before the officers had been dealing with a homicide so you could say they had a busy shift. I can just imagine when they got back home and their partners or whoever they live with asking ‘so, what was work like today dear’? Goodnight workers everywhere and the rest of you. 😴💤😴

A young girl in Michigan was mistakenly arrested and handcuffed in 2017 when she was just 11 years old. The officers who arrested her with guns drawn were reprimanded and police procedures were subsequently changed. The handcuffs were removed after a few minutes but the girl named Honestie Hodges asked whether it could ever have happened to a white child. Sadly Honestie contracted Covid-19 and was admitted to hospital and her condition worsened and she dies this week. aged just 14. What a sad and hard life for a child.

Here in the UK three Dorset towns have been named as the happiest places to live in Britain. The ‘Happy at Home’ survey was carried out by Rightmove and happiness factors included, friendliness, local services, sense of belonging and green spaces. The towns included in the winning list are Dorchester 8th, Weymouth 13th and Poole 17th. I’m afraid Bournemouth didn’t make the top twenty but then it all depends what you are looking for, doesn’t it?

Maybe this following item is why my happy home town didn’t make it into the above list. A man was arrested in Bournemouth for having a cannabis factory which from the photos looks as if it might have been in a loft. Nothing was mentioned about how it was discovered but the arrested man was from Portsmouth. This certainly would have made it onto someone’s happy list. And also in Bournemouth police have issued a photo of a man they want to speak to regarding the fraudulent use of a bus pass. It seems that the bus pass in question has been used at least 70 times since the man named on the pass died in 2009.

Just when you thought you’d heard it all something comes along that is so bizarre that you have to question whether the world has gone completely mad. A bodybuilder in Kazakhstan has married a sex doll  in a traditional ceremony with a celebrant, guests and a first dance. But when I write doll I mean a life size doll. The groom said he was totally in love and that it takes more than words to have a conversation. It’s good news for all the other women in Kazakhstan who might have ended up with him.

A helicopter crew on a state wildlife mission were flying over the canyons and deserts of Utah when they suddenly spotted something unusual and landed nearby to investigate. It turned out to be a huge metal monolith about 12 feet tall that has been well embedded into the ground. Nobody knows who put it there or why but the theory is that it is a sculpture done by an artist and somehow transported into the canyon which is a very difficult terrain to travel into. It sounds to me like an American Banksy. Well done that man – or woman. Good night art lovers everywhere.  😴💤😴

My Day numbers are completely wrong as I have missed a few days here and there but it probably is the number of days I have written an update. Maybe I should have called them Blog Numbers. Hey ho, does it really matter? So, what’s happening today? My son and daughter in law are still suffering from Covid, I hope Christian and Jessie are looking after them nicely. They have neighbours offering to shop etc. and our Christian is a top notch chef so I’m sure no one will go hungry. Get well soon you guys.

Around the world Trump has still not conceded to Joe Biden although his administration team has cleared the way for the transition process to begin. The President has tweeted that he has given the green light because ‘it was in the best interest of the country’. I don’t suppose the fact that he lost the election had anything to do with it.

And still on that side of the pond, the Surgeon General said that Americans should avoid large social gatherings over the holiday period as the pandemic is at a dire point. The Trump and his missus obviously know better and are already organising their festivities sending out invitations to politicians and Republican donors. People that have received them said it was like any other year with no mention of coronavirus precautions. The FLOTUS is finalising her guest lists for family, staff and friends and will host parties during multiple December evenings. She also stepped out of the white house to welcome the Christmas tree’s arrival. It was towed in on a truck being pulled by what looked like a couple of drays. Melania didn’t look happy, maybe understandably as she was overheard saying earlier this year ‘who gives a f%*! about Xmas’. Still, she walked around the truck  completely alone, didn’t speak to the drivers but showing off a nice new coat. She stopped, smiled for the camera and went back in. I somehow found it quite sad.

Don’t read this spoiler if you’re going to watch GBBO tomorrow, I’m about to spoil it for you. We were all relieved that by some fluke Laura didn’t walk away with the prize. Fair to say there wasn’t any showstopper that really stopped the show and I thought that Dave was going to win. Not often right and wrong again, Peter became the youngest ever winner of Bake Off. He’s a sweet guy and very grown up for a 19 year old so well done that man.

The UK government has announced that three households can meet in a private home between 23 and 27 December and travel restrictions will be lifted. So, you party people, no New Year’s Eve bash. We’ll have to wait until 2nd December to see what tier we are in and what we are allowed to do in the run up. Upwards and onwards in spite of the party poopers, the vaccine will soon be here. Good night one and all. 😴💤😴

The Beano has been in circulation since 1938 and there is about to be a special edition which includes a pull out section for older readers. It will be called BeanOld and includes characters who have been in the news during 2020. Dominic Cummings is shown as a getaway driver for the baddies who have been stealing santa’s Christmas gifts. The PM also appears and is also on the wrong side of the law. All you adults can buy your kids a copy and grab the oldies section before handing it over. A nice stocking filler.

Home Bargains, the cut price supermarket chain, is treating their staff this Xmas and it isn’t with the Beano. They are not only giving their staff an extra two weeks pay but they will also close shop on Boxing Day to give them a two day break. It’s about time all shops did this as no one really needs to go shopping the day after Xmas.

Headlines say that M&S are selling the products we’ve all been waiting years for. I’m wondering if I’m the only person in the UK who has never even heard of it let alone waited for it. What is it? It’s chicken doughnut dippers with a BBQ dipping sauce and waffle crumb.

A retired lady was moving from Somerset to Bournemouth to live in a retirement property. We all know that moving house is a quite stressful even at the best of times but it became especially so on this occasion. Her home was packed into the van and the driver set off. He parked up in Bridgwater possibly to get some lunch or to spend a penny and when he returned his vehicle had been stolen along with all the possessions inside. Everything gone, including her mother’s ashes which were to be scattered in Dorset. She was left with just the clothes she stood up in. Some papers and her passport were found floating in a river. There are some particularly nasty individuals who if caught should be locked up for a very long time.

I do love a city with a river and I was lucky enough to visit Hamburg just a few years ago with my friend Ilse who was born and brought up there. They have two rivers and according to Ilse more bridges than Venice. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. Now I’ve found out that Birmingham has the river Rea which has hardly been seen for at least 100 years. It has run through some industrial parts but mostly hidden underground. Now a new development will bring it back above ground and running through new residential areas. There will be cafes, shops and bars as well as walkways and cycle paths and plenty of greenery to help a healthy lifestyle. Sounds delightful, my son went to Uni there and I visited a couple of times. I might be tempted back if I’m still around when it’s finished. They’ll have to get a move on though. In the meantime, Good night all you movers and shakers.  😴💤😴

 

It’s a strange time we are all living in. We should be busy Christmas shopping, wondering if we’ll get everything done in time, who shall we invite around for pre xmas get togethers and even more important, who will invite us. Instead everything is closed, except supermarkets, shops won’t even open in time for Black Friday and there are no xmas markets or even decorations around town. Not this town anyway. Maybe if the vaccine arrives and most people get it we’ll be edging towards normal by Easter and we can all have a happy easter weekend, it is a four day break after all.

The current news is just recycling old news because nothing much is happening. Over the pond Trump supporters are still not accepting that they have lost the election. So much so in fact that one of the largest right wing militia groups, The Oath Keepers, say that they will not recognise Joe Biden as President and as such they will not recognise as legitimate anything he says or signs into law. They believe everything The Trump says about fake news and all the conspiracy theories even though the courts of law say that so far they haven’t seen any proof of wrong doing in the elections. This must be modern day democracy, I think.

Aldi has launched a gastro food range in time for the ‘festive’ season (supposing that we have one). Their new products have been compared with similar ones from everyone’s favourite shop at this time of year, M&S. It seems that they are on sale for half the price of their competitor and although no one seems to have done a taste test Aldi tends to have some rather good quality food. And, I haven’t always liked everything I’ve bought from M&S.

Meanwhile Nigella has been cooking up a storm on her latest cookery programme. Not because of a magical new recipe, but because she showed the nation how to butter toast. So, while the health experts are encouraging us to eat less saturated fat Nigella tells us that the correct way to eat toast is to butter it twice. Never tastes the same as when I was young anyway.

I’ve started watching the new series of Great Canal Journeys with Sheila Hancock and Gyles Brandreth on Channel 4. Two reasons I wanted to tune in are first, I’ve always wanted to go on a canal boat and I don’t suppose I will now and two I’ve always liked Sheila Hancock. I first saw her in that old black and white tv comedy The Rag Trade in 1961. It also happens that Sheila was Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth from 2007 – 2012 where our granddaughter Emily studied and went on to receive two degrees. I went along to both of her graduations and Sheila was present at the second. I remember she told the audience that her feet were killing her and she took off her shoes to be more comfortable. Time for bed, sleepy head, nighty night.  😴💤😴