An Old Man’s Musings Part Forty-Seven

It has been an hectic time lately but I am coming through and starting to realise my plans. We have decided to spend most of the Winter in France, Tunisia and Italy. Involves a lot of planning and still need a Schengen visa for her indoors; the process has become more complex since our trip some six years ago. Her ‘Indefinite leave to remain’ permit has been replaced by an E-visa, which appears to be just an annotation in her passport rather than the physical resident permit issued hitherto. With the Home Office stuffed to the gills with ethnics, what did we expect?

We all suspected there were UK Troops in Ukraine and now that has been confirmed in a tragic incident in which a member of The Parachute Regiment was killed. I watched the opening of PMQs and it was sickening to hear both Stoma and Kemi vow to continue supporting Ukraine in it’s ‘struggle’. Now blood has been added to treasure. The stupid fuckers appear to have no idea of the cause of the conflict.

Not my Government.

I consider myself lucky to have volunteered in 1960, leaving the Army in 1977. I lost a few mates along the way but to travel, train, or live in such places as Aden, Australia, Bahrain, Cyprus, British Guiana, France. Germany, Kenya, Malta , Libya, Ceylon , Malaya, Singapore was a dream for a young lad from a council estate in Portsmouth, and then Liverpool in the days when National Service was just ending.

I left the Army after seventeen years; in my final four years I was an important cog in ‘ The Maroon Machine’ – they can’t take that away from me!

Now I see the Army is down to about 74,000 and they cannot find recruits. Scathing article today explaining that passing the recruitment work to Capita, with their woke ‘Snowflakes; ‘Soyboy’ and Dindu and Muslim target advertising has brought about this sorry state of affairs. The article did not mention the suggestions of national service but hey, that would be the only way to build an army now – the EU and Britain are deluded in thinking the coalition of the willies would be capable of facing the Russian Army.

Read a nice little piece about people who acknowledge courtesy on the roads. A wave of thanks to a driver who has stopped at a level crossing, a flash or two of turn indicators when a driver stops to let them into a traffic stream, such small events can brighten a day and are part of the innate values we, as British, hold.

I was doodling a list of traits which we (indigenous Brits) have instilled in us from birth:

Stoicism
Fortitude
Good manners
Helpfulness
Thoughtfulmess
Fearlessness
Consideration for others
Generous in giving
Self-deprecating
Bawdy humour
Friendlyness
Respect for our elders
Good parenting
Sacrifices for the family good

I could go on – anyone want to add those I have missed?

Fancied some chocolate so bought a Bounty and a Mars bar (both vastly downsized) The Bounty was ok but the Mars bar was horrible – I threw it away after a couple of bites. Ugggggg!

I do wonder about some of the programmers out there. Until lately I could log in to my online banking in two minutes. Today I have spent around two hours, on and off, going round and round in circles, also a couple of hardly intelligible conversations with Indian persons on the useless HSBC helpline. A week or so ago a box for date of birth was added to the login. Then I was told I needed the mobile banking app to enable security. I do not like using apps on the phone. I later deleted the mobile app as it appeared it was one of the problems.

Going back to the usual log-in method the system now does not recognise me and I must use the mobile app to reset security!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I once worked for a small software house and there were a few bright buggers there but nothing special. Now I suppose it is all jeets beavering away in Jaipur or wherever. If it were not for my overdraft I would change banks.

Even trying to sent this to SB I am stymied as I cannot scroll down to attach to my draft email. I will try again in the morning. Patrick Hutber’s law holds good ‘Improvement means deterioration.’

Just had a glass of pomegranate cordial, quite refreshing. Must also get myself some Dandelion and Burdock. Of course as kids we used to drink some but now, reading the benefits it could help with one or two of my conditions. Too often we forget the things that sustained our forebears, granny did know her stuff!

Great to see articles from new contributors, we may sometimes make extravagrant claims for the blog but by God am I glad I stumbled across it after the Fatty saga. Where else could you get news, commentary, education, food for thought and downright British humour and piss-taking all under one roof!

Talking of bawdy humour, we must not forget the songs – Mancunius spoke of the four and twenty and this verse from another song has been an ear worm for a couple of days.