I am not a doggie person but I must congratulate TiredofEUlies on her recent show awards. I know how proud my daughter and now my grand-daughter are when they return from riding events with their rosettes. Their efforts are still nowhere near the time, patience and sheer effort put into
breeding and showing.
We have many stars amongst us.
A word of thanks also to GQ for his pictures of WW1 soldiers, I hate to look at them; my anger boils over but we have a duty to remind ourselves of the sheer bloody slaughter visited upon those poor buggers in our name. Lions led by donkeys does not do it justice. I have visited some of the WW1 battlefields, words are not enough.
School closures, I do not ever remember any: we slogged through all weathers in our balaclavas, wellies and short trousers even during the Winter of ‘47. I recall trudging along with my satchel through what appeared at that age to be a snow lined trench.
Caught an edition of ‘an audience with…’ from I think, 1998. Peter Ustinov – what a man, what a raconteur, what an impressionist. Dearly missed.
Thinking of ‘Celebrities’ I had two brothers as accounting clients – they managed transport for the show ‘Challenge Anneka.’ The younger brother drove the truck. He was a crap driver – one day we went to an early morning meeting near London – he driving his company Golf Tdi. On the way he very nearly struck a paper boy in the streets of Aldershot, quite a hair-raising trip. We went to a McDonalds on the way – probably the worst meal I had ever eaten, first time and practically the last time I set my foot in one.
Talking of eating I have some recall of memorable meals – my first visit to France – canoeing expedition – we stopped at a small village and had baguettes, bananas and red wine, really great. Then in Paris on the drive home from a family posting to Malta I was running out of money. Went into a bistro and picked the cheapest item on the menu – scrambled egg on toast – it was perfect. Another time was in British Guiana – one of the locals who frequented our Sergeants’ Mess bar had a restaurant. He took a few of us over there and we had a great Indian meal. Memories, ah memories.
I enjoyed playing sports, particularly football and cricket but the hardest one I played was water polo in Malta, the Battalion team against a Maltese Engineer team.
I was a pretty abrasive footballer; played normally at left-half but on one occasion was playing left-back for Depot Para against the REME at Arborfield and captaining the team. Soon after the start I tackled their right winger fairly hard and things started to go downhill from there. Sometime later the whistle blew and I said to the ref ‘Hey ref, that’s a bit early isn’t it? It was! He had abandoned the game! Next day I was marched into the CO and asked to explain the report received. ‘Well. Sir. We were having a good contest but the referee lost control of the game.’ I got away with that one.
I never played at a high level but went on ‘till I was 45. I knew it was time to stop when my mind had the ball in the net but my feet were a yard or two behind. Also in one game I took the ball off an opponent and as he landed arse first in a puddle he said ‘Hey Grandad, if I had known you wanted the ball that much I would have given it to you!’ I ended at inter-pub level, my neighbour worked for Bordon Council and we played there of a Sunday. Interestingly one of our team was Ian Darke, the radio commentator. He was quite a useful player.
I very occasionally switch the radio on when in the car and I caught a few minutes of a discussion with a ‘Treasury Minister’ – dreadful incoherent mode of speaking littered with ‘okays’ – Turned it off. I was thinking that there are so many scandals because the job of an MP is not onerous, certainly the attendance in the chamber is pitiful and I do not believe they spend much time working for you and me but they have lots of spending money. Root and branch, root and branch but how will that come about?
This Amelia phenomenon is great – appear to be signs of a kickback emerging. Rupert Lowe has been standing up and making proper MP like noises but what from there? I do think he and Ben Habib could make progress together, but the more we read about events here and in the States the deeper the swamp appears.
I have seen a couple of interviews for the first time by Camilla Tominey. I do wish hosts would allow their guests to finish an answer without shouting over them.
Very impressed with Konstantin Kisin as a commentator on current events. I have seen glimpses of others who know their business but since I do not have tv nor generally listen to the radio I am a bit out of the loop. I do acknowledge that it’s the empty vessels which make the most sound and a lot of them seem to be employed by main-stream media and listened to and taken as gospel by the normies.
Flicking through Amazon Prime I was astounded to see Jurgen Klopp in an advert for Trivago! Maybe as a supporter of Everton I should be glad they had so little money to pay him he has to flog his name for shekels.
Driving nowadays is hard enough but I have noticed, at least here in Wales, that most direction signs are obscured by years of weather and grime.
I have no idea whether I am being spied upon and if I am, through what medium. I try to be discreet with what I put in emails and since I am a ‘nobody’ why would I be spied upon but just in case I propose a cunning plan. I would appreciate your comments:
Write your emails in a foreign language (possibly avoid Russian, Chinese, Ukrainian) and use an obscure tongue (Limpala, Fulani anyone?), unlikely GCHQ has experts in these and others standing by. Recipient reverses the text and Bob’s your uncle!. Obviously a key must be agreed beforehand.
© Gillygangle 2026
