Tag Archives: toothache

Loose Ends

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Charred Red Pepper

Just a rag bag of odds and ends to start the  day.

Woke up early but feeling full of energy. Completely unable to explain why as I didn’t sleep for long and I have a toothache. It is gradually subsiding, as I think it’s a gum problem rather than a tooth. I’m hopeful it will fade away soon.

Had an email about banning driven grouse shooting, signed it.  It’s not a great “sport” at the best of times, but there are all sorts of things wrong with it from a wildlife point of view, particularly the number of rare birds who are killed each year to “protect” the grouse.

Red Legged Partridge

I did think about adding a link, but if I did that I’d have to add links and have a balanced argument and I’m not very balanced on the question. One of the key points in managing a grouse moor is the illegal killing of birds of prey. A second is that you can never get a successful prosecution for it. The law seems simple enough – in England if your staff kill a bird of prey you are liable, but as no judge wants to imprison a big, and probably titled, landowner, nothing happens. At least in other countries corruption relies on money and politics, rather than ancient titles and who you went to (expensive) school with.

And then the postman arrived. Julia wasn’t happy as I couldn’t go to the door (no trousers) and on top of that, it means I’ve been buying on eBay again. I bought peppermint oil from there to repel rats and that’s OK. But a nice piece of Home Front memorabilia? Women are very strange sometimes.

That’s all for now. I have a wife to appease and breakfast to make.

I will be back later.

Pictures – “grouse” turned nothing up. “Red” produced a lot, but no Red Grouse. I know I have a photo but it was probably from my days of badly titled storage.

Redwing in Carrington

Homespun Philosophy, or Hopeless Drivel

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I started off with the intention of writing about police inefficiency, motorway roadworks, the cupidity of insurance companies and the general unfairness of life. Then I realised that life doesn’t care. Nor do the police, the Highways Agency or the insurance industry.

Commercially speaking, monopolies are bad, and the police, for instance, have no incentive to improve. Unlike the power industry I cannot opt to have Justice provided by Nottinghamshire Constabulary if I don’t find West Yorkshire Police to my liking. Having said that, it’s rather like having a choice between eczema and psoriasis, though without the spelling problems.

Same goes for the Highways Agency, if you don’t like the way they set out their roadworks you can’t use someone else who sets it up better. That’s why they are able to get away with shoddy signing and everlasting roadworks.

As for insurance companies, they have their uses, as do leeches, faecal coliforms and corporate accountants. It probably isn’t fair to criticise them too much, though anyone who can increase your insurance premium by  15% for no apparant reason then add another £50 because of a speeding offence probably deserves some stick. When they follow up by asking “are you happy with that?” they virtually guarantee that they are not going to do well in comparison to other unpleasant life forms.

That’s all for now.

After a cold day in the shop and a cold evening at home sorting insurance documents I am now going out for a cold drive through badly laid out roadworks to deliver Number Two Son to work.

You are very lucky this is only a minor rant with low-level negativity and minor misery. It could have been a lot worse, particularly as, six days after going to the dentist, I also have a raging toothache.

Time, I think, to grip life by something tender and give it a good twist. That will teach it not to mess with me.

The stamps are a homage to a well-known blogger – can you guess which one?