Quotes taken from The Tank Trapeze / Jerry Cornelious by Micheal Moorcock 1968

02.15     All telephone lines between Vienna and Czechoslavia were cut

03.45     Prague Radio and some of its transmitters were off the air

03.30     Russian troops took up positions outside Prague Radio building

03.45     Soviet tanks and armoured cars surround the party Central Commitees building in  Prague

0.47        Prague Radio went off the air completely

04.20      The Soviet Tass Agency said that Soviet troops had been called into Czechoslovak by Czechoslovak leaders

04.45      Prague Radio came back on air and urged the people of Prague to heed only the legal voice of Czechoslovakia . It repeated the request not to resist . " We are capable of defending these frontiers " it said .

06.25      Russian troops began shooting at Czechoslovak demonstrators outside the Prague Radio building

06.30     Prague television station occupied

07.00     President Svoboda made a personal appeal over the radio for calm . He said he could offer no explanation for the invasion .

10.00     The Czechoslovak agency Ceteka said that at least ten ambulances had arrived outside the Prague radio station , where a Soviet tank was on fire

11.15      PragueRadio said " The occupation has already cost twenty five lives "

12.28      President Svoboda was under restriction in the central Committee building....

Evie's unique fashion sense !

" Work expands to fill the time available... "

The strangest thing ive ever seen in my life / Angela Merkel's recent visit to Israel

Was this photo messed with or is it original ? Bizarre . Its too hot for TV to touch , but news papers and its  viral internet reputation has saved the day . I still ask my self if its genuine though...

Of all that glitters is not gold and of all thats gold does not glitter

The International Gold Organisation monitors the movement of the worlds gold reserves . It is deemed illegal to buy gold from a war torn country ( could this be for moral reasons ?! ) so how do you export your gold if you rule such a torrid country ? Well apparently you spray it silver ! No its not April fools day yet . I heard this on the BBC radio airwaves , so it must be true !

When I was looking for an engagement ring I wanted Silver . I went to a well known jeweller and asked to see what they had in stock . They said they had absolutely no Silver rings in stock because they had another shop on the opposite side of the street that specialised solely in Silver . A bit odd but I guess it simplifies things right ? Er,no because when I had finally chose the Silver ring I wanted In the Silver Shop I was told it was in fact made of  " White Gold " and this only looks like Silver . I rest my case !

"  Men of a trade rarely agree... "     People who make their living in the same profession rarely see eye to eye...

Movie Memories 1 - The Crow - It Can´t Rain All The Time

 



Obviously never been to Britain .... lol 

Mob rule , rules . Governments have fallen around the world , toppled by nothing more than groups of young men with no plan . The Ukraine is the latest example . These violent people who shed blood and die in the street ( or ideally a square ) are essential to add impetus to future change . These agents of chaos are the forerunners of  power shifts , but when change comes they are quickly justified in their past actions or are quickly swept away back to the ordinary going nowhere small time lives again . No , the new governments wont even remember their existence , never mind do them any favours or reward their lighting of the touch paper of explosive ground shifting change. Its the new way...

Boscastle flood 2004 reconstruction

  



Errrrrm......

The old and the new

Today I actually laid on my sofa and listened and slept to some music on my stereo . Its been quite a while since ive done that , in fact I used to do that after my daughter was born two years ago today . Slowly ive had less chance as the house has become a constant Evie zone . In fact as Rachel arrived home with a guest my peace was disturbed , but what I didn't expect was Evie so confidently removing my CD from the stereo and placing it on the table defiantly . I thought she was going to replace it with one of hers , but no . Just the removal of my music seemed the order of the day .She is only two today and already she is bossing me ! I put the CD back on  , but on returning to my laptop she had shut that down as well . As I said no peace today . Funnily she picked up this phrase and has spent the day saying " Daddy no peace " Well you have to laugh....

A subject I dont normally touch

There are certain subjects I avoid on this blog , yes really ! And feminism is one of them , but why ? Well basically its impossible to win any argument , not just because I am a man , but because not even women can agree with each other on this subject so I am certainly doomed to damnation if I try to make sense of the senseless . Let me give a recent example of this doomed to come to a satisfactory conclusion type subject .
   A report on the news said today that some girls at school were not happy playing certain sports as they made them feel unfeminine . It was suggested that perhaps cheer leading ( er yes really !) or a dance based activity may be provided for them instead . .Can you see a problem here ?  Well earlier on in the week the subject of gender typing was muted as being a problem in our schools when pupils choose their subjects . Pressure to confirm to stereo types was apparently being applied on them to choose traditional feminine subjects , this was seen as undesirable and restricting . Who knows if anyone was even denied the subjects they wanted ?
   So one minute its suggested girls should be offered more feminine sports to play and the next that feminine subjects may be wrong or a problem if over emphasised . I guess both camps are only wanting to offer CHOICE but how can one view ever be correct ? This is why I keep a million miles away normally from this subject . You can imagine the reception a man would get from both sides if he offered his judgement !!!

Also what is it about choices nowadays ? Everyone must have a choice , or be seen to . My generation grew up just playing what sport we were told to . The very idea of choosing or preferring another activity was totally alien to us . This certainly is a new way of thinking .

B.O. Braquo (NON OFFICIEL)

   



There is something about this French cop series , and there is something about this theme music too . Another great series that no one watches ...Mmmm just like The Wire then . Both are of a rare quality .

I am so sick of rain . I dont think I can take another wet day . All is a mass of mud . Walking anywhere off concrete or tarmac is close to impossible . The top three inches of soil is sludge . Its been the wettest winter ever recorded . We have had approximately half a meter of rain this winter . The land is turning a pale colour . Come to think of it so am I !  Everything is covered in mud . Im sick of it....

The Almighty - Takin' Hold

   

Ive got the anti-christ on my TV screen 
Selling household gods I dont need 
Give me something I can hold on to
This love , hate , love im going through....

HP Lovecraft

Im not the worlds greatest reader but I do enjoy a book on a regular basis . My standards are very high and very specific . The last book that gave me that feeling was Aliester Crowley's  Moon Child . This book was a dark story of magick but included some delicious humour and comic observations regarding its colourful characters ie : Simon Iff   . Now this is a good example of the standard of book I aspire to find .
   With this standard in mind I set out to read HP Lovecraft's  Mountains of Madness and was a bit disappointed. Yes this short story was good , but not remarkable and at times it plodded on . It was acceptable I guess , but I was disappointed , it not being as good as I was expecting . Of course to write a great author off ( no pun intended )  after reading one short story was a bit stupid , and as I read the second story , The Case of Charles Dexter Ward  I quickly changed my mind . Suddenly I cant put the book down .
  There is a certain darkness in the way the  horror of the story is always viewed from the point of an onlooker , not through the eyes of its characters . Nor is the truth ever totally revealed . The truth is always murky but your left in no doubt about its intensity . Again this hits the mark I find hard to find when reading .His writing style builds up true fear and dread like ive not often experienced in a book . A truly uneasy feeling is created and somehow the story feels 100% realistic in an everyday manner , despite its fantastic plot !  By the time Lovecraft has finished you feel the story is real . This is remarkable and I shall be looking for further books of his . Yes this particular story hits the mark !

R.I.P JVC

Tonight after a grand total of 15 years great service my JVC Boomblaster has lost its CD function and tape deck ( remember those ? ) quite literally as my photo shows ! The time has come to but another . The best feature about this model is the bass . Im not even sure many similar priced stereo systems can compare and of course my Boomblaster ( yes that's the models name ) is portable , well despite the heavy weight they still make that claim . The abuse mine has put up with over the years has been unbelievable as ive carted it from pillar to post as people who have seen me will tell you is a fair sight . Yes , portable is rather a large claim . Yes this is truly the end of an era . My next job will be working out how to use the new model . Lets hope some idiot hasnt ruined it . What are the chances ?  Er.... here we go again !

Warning : Prolonged use will cause damage

For the past 6 years I have lived with a soap watcher . In that time I have seen these trivial " fun " drama's become more and more violent , more and more depressing , include more and more shouting , screaming and conflict based and even nasty situations in their plot lines , and in characters they all portray . Tension , tension , tension is all they pump out . So why is this a big deal ? They are only " soaps operas " after all ?
    Well the problem is most are on T.V daily , and they all pump out this negative bile in their plot lines . As the years go by they have had to steadily increased the level of these shouty vile story lines or they fear they will  loose viewers if the other channels version is more deemed more dramatic  , hence there is an ever increasing shock factor being used . Films can be shocking but they are not pumped into your house everyday ( well not the same plot anyway ) The trouble is I feel the effects of this negative viewing is cumulative and after so many years I'm not sitting in the same room as this crap . I'm sure they are damaging people . I have come to hate these programs more overtime , they grate against my soul ( and that's no exaggeration )
  Its strange how strongly you can feel about something " trivial " over time . Add decades of exposure to something and you have the very real possibility of achieving total hatred of a thing . This takes time of course , but once achieved there is no going back . Of course you may even be quite surprised by what you project this level of hate onto . It maybe be something quite mundane , but that doesn't devalue your opinion . This leads me on to realise how others may feel about situations and subjects in life that I deem trivial , so I guess something good has come of this little rant !

Forgive me , what have I done ?!

Trying to improve the look of Golden I have completely fucked it up . I have done this in such a way Im not sure if I can get the old lay out back . Im not sure if blogger will let me even . For that reason its closed until I can figure this shit out !!!

Mark Carney / A man for all seasons ?

" Interest rates will not rise until people and business begin to share the economic recovery "   


When Mark Carney became the Governor of The Bank of England I must admit I was impressed with his good archetypal  male looks ( a potential James Bond ? )  and his smooth American / Canadian / English accent which he used to full effect in an ultra cool measured laid back style of delivery , but as he has back pedalled  to aid our government Ive quickly come to see him as just another clone !

http://youtu.be/yt0x3ITvV-k    Hah ha ha !

Today it actually stopped raining !

 

 

On going and total

Why do I bother buying magazines to read when I only get to look at them maybe twice in our house before they are either lost , or "  tidied up " and never seen again . This has been going on for years despite my best intentions otherwise !

Going green ? Er, thanks but no thanks

Ive never been a fan of environmentally friendly products . Washing up liquid that you need to use twice as much of to do the job is a good example . Another good example of uselessness , my solar panels (fitted by my Housing Association landlord  ) that have not made any difference to my electric bill , but someone somewhere will be getting a routinely paid subsidy for fitting them and a payment for the electric they produce , if that's anything at all .
  This week we have been testing a new tractor on demonstration and yes it has an eco -feature , an emissions regulator . This feature injects EXTRA diesel into an exhaust filter to clean all the pollutants out of it . They then are ejected into the air . So first it cleans the exhaust gases then periodically purges then out using extra diesel . Am I missing something here ? This silly system makes the tractor use much more fuel , so how is this good for the environment ?
  When this silly system kicks in a lot of flashing dashboard lights appear along with an annoying bleeping sound . Today the tractor had to stand automatically revving in extra fuel for 20minutes to complete this process . Again another example of technology getting the better of me .  Who is responsible for this ? Its a tractor for goodness sake . I know global warming is being banded around at the moment due to our floods but silly gimmicks like this are illogical but I guess legally necessary .
  And how have I fixed my laptop ? I started pushing all the keyboard buttons on at a time and hey presto I have action again . This sums up my week in a nut shell !

Its grim up North / South !

It has rained everyday since Christmas , well very nearly . I thought last winter was the wettest I would ever see but no , this winter has topped even that . The land is beyond saturated . It is a mass of mud . Today we brought all our sheep inside that are having twins several weeks earlier than normal . When a field is too wet for sheep to stand in then it really is wet . At least we are not under water like Somerset ( yes my holiday destination in June )  or near the river Thames . The days are dark and every week sees a new low pressure weather system  moving in on our drenched little island . Its grim !

My on line woe ...

Friday / Saturday / Sunday / Monday - In a holiday house with no internet

Tuesday - New laptop freezes

Wednesday - Storm downs Internet signal

Thursday - Storm takes out electric supply all day


Doing anything on line this week has been a battle . Sometimes its like that ....

Its the little things...

A few months  ago I wrote about how anything is possible with statistics if you measure in small enough increments, about 0.1% seems to be the going rate . A while ago the Bank of England head man Mark Carney said that when unemployment figures fall to 7% then it would be time to raise interest rates . This has happened now , surprising everyone ,  and there is a general election next year which is a bit awkward . Whats the solution ? Well the unemployment figure today just so happens to be 7.1% . Just short then suspiciously ! Anyway not that this really matters as he says today that the interest rate rise will now be based on " other factors " . Firstly this is moving the goal posts for political reasons ( but he has none in this country so I guess it must be for the benefit of others  ) Mmmmm.... and secondly if he didn't see this sudden unexpected  " growth "coming I must ask who the hell should have ? Or more likely I doubt whether it exists at all . Sometimes I believe they make it up as they go along , I really do ...

My new laptop has frozen . I have battled Windows 8 all week . I could scream !

Motley Crue - Merry Go Round

  

Im really enjoying this old album , and hearing it on CD is actually a lot better than on the old cassette I had many moons ago . The album is raw as a debut album should be but there is a closeness to the way its been mixed which makes it quite easy to listen too . A kind of intimacy . I remember noticing an energy about it back in the day and felt it capture a moment somehow . I was right as on reading the dust cover I see band member Nikky Sixx now writes that the album captured the spirit of that first moment before fame with all its raw youthful exuberance and enthusiasm ( remember that ? ) I found myself quite taken aback by the similarity of his views today on the album compared to mine  back in the day . I guess they pulled it off with style then . Yes Im really into my old metal at the moment . In becoming my Dad listening to Status Quo or todays equivilent !  Noooooooo !
 

A full circle

I was going to write a post about how complicated all modern gadgets were . Windows 8 , TV remotes ( remember when you only had 4 channels ? ) or my new digital camera that has umpteen settings but when I'm feeling tired the automatic setting seems to work perfectly fine ! Yes , everything that you used to do without any mental input  is now is hard work , especially when buying a new replacement . I don't mind figuring things out but I'll be damned if I want to do that battle  while trying to carry out everyday " pleasurable " activity's  Its got ridiculous in my life time . Whats the future hold ? Seriously , I'm not laughing here ! 
   Whoops I have written a post I said I wouldn't , never mind because there is a flip side . While messing around trying to import some pictures a few weeks ago I found my new laptop has a built in camera . At the time I wasn't impressed as It started spewing out photo's of me randomly . The irony of loosing the old pictures i'd taken at the same time resulted in some choice words and some very choice photo's to nicely match ! Anyway after a little more controlled action I decided on a new profile picture . Well I had time on my hands...
  Bored one night this last weekend ( no TV /Internet ) I also accidentally discovered some editing gadgets and spent a while messing around with them . I really enjoyed that and was very impressed with all the options . Like I said all this was discovered by accident , but there again most useful things are . This is a growing characteristic in my life . Imagine the changes in mind set that requires ! Trying to achieve something is futile . Only accidentally will you succeed . Such is the modern way I believe .

My new profile pic is on hold today as I mess around . On reducing it down to " profile size " it looses all the effects . Strange .
   

Of storms and squalls and quite unintentional isolation

I am going away tomorrow for a long weekend to a house by the sea that has no Internet or strangely a T.V either . Yet another storm is due this weekend so on returning I hope to  have captured some dramatic waves crashing ashore with my new digital camera . If this is my last ever post then you can safely assume the sea has finally taken me...

I like this sign

Of thieves and confidence scammers

Its coming up to nearly a year since I was scammed into revealing some of my bank details to a dubious individual in Nigeria . Yes , this is a modern tale of high tech woe and possibly worrying surveillance ?
  This story begins last Spring with the theft of several vehicles from our farm just before the busy lambing season . This has become very common in the countryside as the recession bites . Yes there is a recession , but you can call it stagnation if you prefer !
   Anyway I was stressed out at the time obviously so when my laptop broke also it was the bitter end , but then things got weird . While my laptop was being fixed at a reputable shop another I was using also started playing up . One day I received a phone call from someone claiming to work for Microsoft and he knew or got lucky when he said he could help with the problems I was having . How did he know about the broken laptop at the menders and the current problem I was having ? He talked me into buying some software and installed it remotely over the phone . Looking back it was stupid , but he was very good at suggestion , very good and I had other things on my mind as well  due to the thefts . No money was lost and only my pride was dented when the penny dropped I was being led on a merry dance .
   After the thefts and this con I really was angry at the tide of bile that life can direct at you and you will never see it coming ! This man I later found , like most conmen was based in Nigeria . He was well known and frighteningly I could hear a call centre full of people in the background which further vindicated that he was  in my minds eye legit as they say .
  Anyway all this was forgotten until this week when I again had laptop trouble and again I sent it to the same reputable shop to be fixed as I did last time . Guess what ? The phone calls started again , though this time I just hang up , and yes they sounded like a call centre . How did he or they know again my laptop was broken ? Well somehow they did and this is worrying . After last years thefts I sometimes think the world can turn on you and theres nothing you can do . There is a world of bad people out there and eventually they will get round to your neck of the woods . I was naive and distracted at the time which rattled me even more .
  Funnily a few days later by pure coincidence a youth knocked on our door saying he was from a young offenders institute and was offering to do jobs in our house for us . Of course I declined , but I even had to smile at the thought . What timing eh ?
  Oh and after all the news I watch im sure Africa is the cesspit of the world , but that's another story...

             "  Most important biological objects come in pairs.... "  Jerry Cornelious

Toddler Gear ?

Ive just finished watching the first episode of the new Top Gear show . This show used to be about testing new cars when they came on to the market place , but that was a long time ago . Today the show is about fooling around in cars and having set comedy situations and stunts . Yes its been quite entertaining and fun over the years  ,  the show has even exported  its formula around the world with some countries such as America  making their own version of the show . Royalties to the BBC are apparently huge !
  Ive heard it said that perhaps its time the show folded . After my 2 year old , Evie sat watching it saying the words " car , digger and bang " I though er , yes , that kind of sums up the show alright . If she knew the word explosion I guess she would have added that several times to . In the unlikely event of anyone having not seen an episode I think this antidote captures the essence of the show ! If Im watching a T.V show and my 2  my year old likes it then maybe the show has past its best and its day has finally come to finish , however popular it is  . Off course if your optimistic then you may say that a new generation of fans is growing . Er , I think that is looking a little too much on the bright side ! Having said that I have been known to enjoy an episode of Pepper Pig ( for the ironies ) Is there a plural of irony ? My spell checker seems happy with it , so I aint arguing ...

Is this just me ?

Ive just been to check my face book out and what do I see there ?

1 ) Someone has posted photo's of a named person violently abusing a dog

2) Various people doing " nominations " (get a life )

3) A graphic photo of a Cesarean birth ( disgusting , no I wasn't there for my daughters birth / future post ? )

4 ) An alcoholic joking about another injury that now needs an operation .

You can shop until your blue in the face but...

How do we find perfection ? Well we should stop looking for it for starters . Searching for something that's perfect " off the shelf " will lead us on a merry dance and only brings us frustration . Anything that I consider near perfect  , whether an item of clothing or a car was not always that way . This came over time as the items wore or I fine tuned them . Some things mould to you over time , clothes or even cars too . That's something I cant explain either . So maybe we manufacture perfection from what we at first find only  just acceptable . I am obviously only talking about material possessions here  . Of course when the items expire Im faced with the impossible task of replacing them . How can I replace something perfect that wasn't that way to begin with ? Well by starting with something that's only acceptable funnily . Hence im rarely satisfied with much I buy , but Its the only way !

Thunder and lightening outside and hail . This has the atmosphere charged , literally . I can feel it .

Nominations...sigh !

Nominations is the latest stupid craze for the fuckwits out there , the brain dead and the just plain stupid . The craze is to name a person to down an alcoholic drink in one then do a dare like jumping off a bridge for example , but I doubt that's at the more extreme end . Maybe this is going on because its January but ive got a feeling its something deeper . Once one person goes along with this stupid craze the pressure is higher for the next . Recently someone jumped into a freezing river near where I live after being " nominated " . If he had died then I would have said ; Well that's evolution for you , the dumbest take themselves out . Of course this goes on every weekend and we often see the photo's of those who fail to make it home at a weekend . Self inflicted stupidity gets no sympathy from me . Am I responsible ? No , do as you will , after all were all adults , but don't be surprised when its then your kids who decide take it too far ...

Ha , ha , ha ( hilarious )

I am growing increasingly tired of people who laugh at everything . As soon as any conflict even begins to approach them they laugh . For instance some walkers were in our way walking on the road as we were trying to move some sheep this week . You've guessed it , fits of nervous laughter . People are so quick to use this method to dispel tension , however trivial . Everything eventually results in laughter that is deemed even slightly awkward . Its beginning to get irritating .
   Of course there is always a group of people in the audience at a cinema who either laugh at tense or serious moments in a film . I sit there wondering just what is going on in their heads ? Fear , tension or just plain stupid ? Soon anything that promotes its self as serious will induce laughter . I believe its spreading as we become more tense and stressed as a country . Again its getting irritating. I guess its only a defence mechanism , but its still annoying !