Grey

There is always some colour in the garden even on days when the grey mist descends. Points of pink sparkle on the grey red stems, the gloom giving them a contrast that sits on the retina. I reread, at the LRB's prompting, an article by Kathleen Jamie  highlighting the importance of the dark in a world that seems only to equate light with good.

Winter of Discontinence

Well Then!
Keith's Mum said why don't we all go out and Sell them a Tory, or it could have been Tell them a Story.

Who can explain, for example, what goes on in what might loosely be called Boris Johnson’s mind?

A direct quote from John Naughton In Th'Observer. May not be original of course but caused quite a chuckle. ( See To err is human – is that why we fear machines that can be made to err less? Today)
A wintry little scene below to cheer us up.

To the Urns Chapter 99

I'm shaken by hard evidence that my family, my own brood, my kin, even, possibly, my kith, are participating in a vile traduction of our leader, our great helms person, the sun in our ...(Jaysus are you back on that old thing again... Ed)
I am talking about something which is vital for this nation Which nation...Ed?)
Our sense of decorum in defeat, you eejit. The intervention of this facebooky, twittery, whats uppy, socialistic media thingy, in our sacred duty to elect her majesty's government of all the twatts (GOATTS)
Recently I had a whatsupity thingy showing BJ in an England Rugby Shirt saying that he has been a great fan of the game ever since he saw Garry Lineker score a century at Wimbledon.
Did you hear Nick Clegg has taken a job with Mark Zuckerberg?
There's me bus.
Choir practice tonight.

Anyone There?

(...Hello! Is there anyone there?...Ed)
Ah! There you are. I was wandering. Good to see you again. Nice of you to drop in. Tea?
(...Two months, nearly, without sight, sound or sniff. I was beginning to worry to say nothing of the back pay! There are laws of employment, I'm told, contractual obligations...Ed)
Good of you to ask. I have been well and enjoying life. A brief holiday, most agreeable. Has much happened while I've been away- births, deaths, marriages -resignations, elections  -plague, famine and war, rumours of war? So, not much change there then. Herself deplores starting every other sentence with so, so I thought I would give it a try. Can't have the Language Police rule our lives completely. So, I think it rather suits me. Takes twenty years off my prose if I am not mistaken!
I brought you back a little something. I know I shouldn't but you can't keep real life out of your work, I know. No need to say anything.

I am creating a substantial cultural legacy in these parts.  I sing regularly in a little ensemble, the Barn Owls, We entertain in the local villages, quite a creative footprint now if you ask.
(Don't barn owls screech?...Ed)
There's the phone. Have to go, could be La Scala, they've been after me for weeks.
Soave sia il vento as we say in these parts!

Buckets and Books and Urns.

A villager confessed to me recently, on his election at the local urns,  that it was one of the things that he could now tick off on his Bucket List.  I'm not sure that I have ever had such a thing but if I did it is now, much reduced, to a Book List. Living the dream one book at a time.

To my eternal shame it is the first time I have ever voted for the blue corner. It did contribute to preventing the black shorts getting in. My reasoning was that politics is the art of the possible and it is possible to vote against. The English are not very good at doing that.
It seems we are going to miss the opportunity to obtain a postal vote in the forthcoming Europole because the  local Gauleiters have bollixed getting the postal vote out in reasonable time! And now for something completely different:-

A calming little picture!

Lying on Duty

Mother of God!
As the Grauniad so clearly has it today...
Quote of the week

“No one wants to lie, but part of our duty is to uphold public trust and sometimes that means having a non-exclusive relationship with the truth.”

Gill Bigelow (she of the razor sharp stiletto heels and rather vague moral compass) demonstrates a duplicity that could put even current politicians to shame.
Line of Duty 28/4/19

Erskine May and then he may not.

It may not be helpful but has anyone noticed the similarity between the family name of our leading parliamentary strategician (of the 19th century... Ed!) and our own dear PM? The sun in our hearts, our great leader, our great helmsperson, the sun in ou... (Get on with it if you would I have a dentist to see in about 2 hours...Ed.) Would that involve a procedure known as a brexit?
To return to the matter in hand. Could our present difficulties be a rave from the grave? Could the ghost of Erskine be returning to haunt Tess the vacuous? Some family feud unresolved over the years? (Jaysus!What, in the name of all that is good and holy, have you been smoking? That is her hubby's name. She was born a Brasier...Ed) Ah so that's what is smoking. You can't get any decent  coke for the old brassier anymore! Maybe it's a malfunction in her AI that has got us here, but anyroads,Tess I think the best plan is the oldest excuse in the school yard. A big boy did it and ran away!

Speakers' Wives

What japes! Mr Speaker Bercow intervenes in a long and sorry saga. By their wives' bumper stickers ye shall know them - the eyes to the right the nose to the left.

The Look of Unlove

I don't often comment on this Brexit Business and the fools, gombeen men and cunctators that have got us to this pretty pass. As the vote went down like a rat sandwich last night we were there, in spirit, listening to the wireless thingy that has  pictures... (Not listening to the Archers then? Missed a cracker...Ed.)
The pictures that emerged afterwards of the 'bloody difficult woman' gently weeping into the back of the Jag brought forth the memory of a comment by a wise colleague at the political demise of a previous female PM. To the statement  "Lord how she has suffered!" he replied "Yes. But not nearly enough!" However, paranoia took over. Do they want to get rid of her? Yes. If they do we are at least in for a very bumpy ride. The legacy of Article 50 without a deal is the quickest way down. Jump!
And with one bound they were free and heading south under the influence of gravity.

And now for something completely different a goat, a goat!
(Is that a Government Of All the ... Ed?)
Time for some T I think, perky, fair trade, organic, reviving and uplifting T.

Collectivisation

A Whats app explosion of collective nouns.
- A parliament of owls - surely its rooks?
- I think it is used for both.
- A dazzle of zebras is the best...
- I like that
- Well, I think owls and rooks might be more efficient than our current parliament.
- Hear, hear. It's just a set of thieving magpies
- Not heard the dazzle before. Good one.
- What about a Confederacy of Dunces
- so good John Kennedy Toole made it into a novel?

- What about a blaze of dragons?
- Dangerous in the current phase of the six nations of Rugby?

Stones

'Everybody got to get stoned'

Sam Bennett makes beautiful sculptures on beaches. Lots of cool pics of stones!
Little vid on the shore  or on Instagram if that's your thing.

(Grateful for small murphies...Ed)
Small Potatoes?

Ain't DNA Wonderful

This is what DNA gets up to when no one is, usually, looking.
Clever Stuff!

(I suppose you could call it a hard boiled egg, 6 minutes... Ed?)

DooH!
Many thanks to Memex, as usual.

Early Morning Guardianing

Ariel Dorfman hits the nail on the head with opinions about Roma, Alfonso Cuaron's film, in the Grauniad. ( have you ever noted that Roma is Amor in reverse, I thought being a Crosswordy type you would have that spotted right away...Ed?) No, I had not and if you don't get out of those PJs I will have a few cross words to say; half the morning has gone already.

Also the Guardian suggests  an idea that 'Little Matty' should be pursuing with some vigour in relation to the high cost of medication that holds users to ransom  -

... parents and the medicines group Just Treatment are urging the government to invoke “crown use”, allowing it to make cheap versions and pay Vertex a smaller sum in compensation. This would be very unusual, but not unprecedented. The principle that intellectual property rules cannot automatically outweigh health considerations is well established, and not only in public opinion; it is recognised in the WTO’s Doha declaration of 2001.

Good games on Saturday but...
And now a word from our sponsors:-
When forwards back and centres drift three quarters kick the can.
The day will end as best it must. A pint of plain is your only man!

(Do we get paid for that sort of thing and are we not at danger of being pursued by the Literary Executors of Himself...Ed?)
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and don't talk to me about money when you are sat there half dressed at this time of the morning. Casual dress for home workers is one thing but crimes of fashion are another!

Reflections on a Dead Parrot.

This Brexit is dead. It is deceased. It has passed on. It is no more .....
Sadly as we all know the Norwegian Blue Brexit is just resting - it is tired. The fact that it is nailed to the perch with a six inch nail has got nothing to do with anything.

I quote...

"Specifically, if you look at this map of Norway you will see the areas I have diligently coloured in blue. They are the locations where, if you search carefully enough, you will see many examples of the resting Blue Brexit. "  T. May (Head Girl, aged 13)

Sue Grafton

I'm not too sure when we ran across the Kinsey Millhone PI novels, or indeed, who we have to thank for pointing them out to us. However, they have been a pleasure and we have read most of Sue Grafton's output about the hard boiled female detective. The series is titled from -  A is for Alibi  to - X and I would recommend them to any addicts of  crime fiction especially the US West Coast before the mobile phone... I was looking for the last volume of her output, rumoured to be titled Z is for Zero for an Xmas present when I saw the paperback for the Y novel branded as the last ever  Kinsey Millhonecase. Sue died last year and of course I missed it like I miss so much. I was pretty sure that I had met her, (at Murder One ?) and thumbing through the shelves found this.

I'm so glad that authors continue to tell us stories and signposters like Elaine, as I think it was, gently point us in the direction of good story tellers!

Olympic Events

Note for future administrators.
New Sports - Kicking the Can down the road.
An  Illustration May be helpful.

Reading again

Mothering Law’s Sayings - 99 in a series
“All this reading will turn your brain into Train Oil.”
How this comes about or what the underlying biochemical process is I have no idea.
Nor have I the foggiest what is the chemical composition of Train Oil. Perhaps we could direct the research Labs of BP enterprises to investigate. They may know one or two chaps at Alpha Labs, they are deep in the territory of protein folding. Now where was I, steep tin territory...Oh yes, Australia!
I noted that on the On the Java Ridge, by Jock Serong  won a prize for a thriller “in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered”. Trying my local library for this volume I came across an electronic copy of The rules of Backyard Cricket,  an earlier book by the same author. Intriguing book very twisty plot  and had me reading it at 9.45 to the bitter end  in my pjs (Well past your bedtime I surmise...Ed?) a.m. before my porridge as it happens.
Maybe a gift for the (Sports) man in your life?  (other volumes and gifts are available ...Ed!)

Felinity

My parents had a saying that some thing or person was useful in a house where there was no cat.
You may take this surreal and gentle barb any way you wish! I am not a great lover of cats (Oh god no! We will be plagued now by cat lovers and the anti cat defamation society, by the owners of Tiddles and Pussy Willow and all manner of the felinatious fraternity. We should publish a retraction- immediately...Ed!)

... However, I  was taken by this fellow the other day.

I offer my sincerest apologies if it is a female or LBQTRSVP or some other thing! I was reluctant to pursue the matter further!

Who do you think you're kidding Mr Junker?

I accused someone the other day, inappropriately, and I thought in good humour, of being a Trot.
I was maundering through the Talking Politics website trying out the new search facility when I came across this,  the only item available -Sold Out- Did I laugh? Does the pope s*i* in the woods? Then I 'caught myself on'. Who's the Trot now? (???... Ed.)

God, I thought I could be obscure and no you can't have a sub (see previous post). Austerity has not gone away, yet. However, Talking Politics seems to be here to stay and  does provide information, opinion and a few laughs, intended or otherwise. Get it while it is good and hot!

An Aye for the Ladies

One of my favourite post cards over the years is a photo of members of the Women's Forestry Corps in Heathfield, Sussex. It is dated June 1918 and was taken by Horace Nicholls. Sadly it does not seem to be in the Imperial War Museum online collection or on interwebDuckDuckGo.
It shows two women at a grindstone sharpening an axe!

As this blog has testified I am little better than a point and shoot photo bandit.
Nicholls was the real Godfather in this ting of ours!
If you don't believe me have a look at the Horace Nicholls website and see the Slide Show.
I particularly like:-
12 - A group of female brewery workers, London.
21 - An English farm girl with her horse.
22 - An Inspector and a Sergeant in the Women's Police Service.
Those looking for cheap thrills and pornography can look elsewhere after boiling their heads, of course.
(Glad to see you back and in reasonable shape, any chance of a sub? ...Ed)