Thank you fellow Puffins for many a chortle lately. There have been some splendiferous insults directed at various members of our ‘soi-disant ‘ elite, really cheers me up. All very inventive!!
Whenever I think of TTK my mind, Reggie Perrin like, produces pictures of him kneeling in homage to a dead American criminal, farting about with a punch-bag and most cringe worthy of all sporting a head-band supported face mask.
Hard to keep up with all that’s happening; now we have speech coach gate, though whatever the lessons cost they did not work – or, dreadful thought, they did – and this is the new improved TTK so what must he have been like before?
I watched the whole of the Godfrey Bloom video earlier – I had high regard for him before, but that has been ratcheted up now, what an astute and forthright commentator.
It was very interesting to hear his views on Nigel and Reform. I, like many others, have been harbouring doubts and Godfrey has helped clarify my thinking and my conclusion is we have a great (Only?) opportunity with Reform as a party but not with Tice and Farage involved, and certainly not with the muslim guy anywhere near the reins of power. Sad to say as my hopes were up that the tide could be turned. I hope I am wrong.
Wonderful to watch Trumps’ Press Secretary in action; she certainly takes no shit and has the measure of the press corps though I thought the questioners were quite good as opposed to the first conference where some idiot tried to pin the egg shortage on Trump – after he had been in power less than a week! – ignoring the destruction of hundreds of thousands of chickens by the previous administration.
I have noticed lately that I am doubtful about the spelling of common words – are there two ss and two ps in this word or is it one of each or what? Signs of decline so I now have at hand a book called ‘Dictionary of Troublesome Words’ (Penguin) which I bought many years ago but have not needed so far. As my favourite poet has it :
The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner
Although I shelter from the rain
Under a broken tree
My chair was nearest to the fire
In every company
That talked of love or politics,
Ere Time transfigured me.Though lads are making pikes again
For some conspiracy,
And crazy rascals rage their fill
At human tyranny,
My contemplations are of Time
That has transfigured me.There’s not a woman turns her face
Upon a broken tree
And yet the beauties that I loved
Are in my memory.
I spit into the face of Time
That has transfigured me.W.B. Yeats
Had a pleasant little surprise visitor last week. A genial chap working salaried for the ONS going around finding people to interview so as to help Government knowledge of the country, or some such aim.
Took about 15 minutes and having collected personal information name – religion – ethnicity etc etc he departed and I was sent a £25 voucher to spend at a list of retail outlets, restaurant chains and other places.
Funny, looking back now I can’t think of anything substantive that we discussed. Still, I suppose it helps ONS justify their existence.
I envy the Yanks with Musk let loose upon the waste by government over there.
There are entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs. As a result of an ad I placed I was contacted by a start-up in London to train their accounts lady (Polish and very good) on the program TAS. a.k.a The Accounts Solution – a brilliant small accounting suite, the best I have come across.
The Director was the son/grandson? of an mp (no names no pack drill) who, with a professor of Medicine had set up a place in Chelsea which was in effect a small boutique hotel (12 rooms) catering to pre and post natal mothers. On site nurse, physio and masseuse and a fine dining restaurant.
Only accounts support was a chap who knew little about book-keeping or accounts but had kept some sort of numbers going.
A quite big cheese accountant was brought into as FD by some of the investors. A great chap, Bisley shooter and instructor to the Royal Marines’ snipers. Between the three of us we got a grip of the finances but it was never to be a going concern – I did an analysis of the rent situation to get a proper balance sheet sorted He was put out by that because he was hiding information from his current and potential investors. He ploughed through £4m of other people’s money and went bust the month I had forecast – October 2014.
Love the series by GQ on churches. My youngest girl shares with me a love of churches and |i wish I could spend more time visiting – |I have been to Notre Dame and other churches in France, Westminster Abbey, Lincoln Cathedral and others and there is something about these buildings that touches my soul.
On a pretty banal point does anyone remember ‘Daisy Damp Wash.’ In Portsmouth in the 1940s/50s they collected laundry and returned it a couple of days later ready to iron. Might be worth reviving such a service as we appear to be heading for a shortage of electricity to do our washing.
© Gillygangle 2025
