What is Christmas these days?.

It could be that I'm not as observant as I once was, could be old age but I think it's once again this global conspiracy to turn people away from any and all traditional roots.

Do our lords and masters think that the masses will be easier to control? If they worship the great god of consumerism?

Years ago, mother started to buy presents in the new year sales for the next years Christmas presents. Apart from that then it would have to be the tally man for gifts and she would end up paying for them over the following year.
These days of instant credit and plastic no one thinks of the cost, it's just a case of sign on the dotted line and its yours at once. The first Christmas present that I can remember was a transistor radio made of Bakelite.

To call it a transistor radio well that's probably being kind. From memory it was 2 inches wide 9 inches long and about 9 inches high.

Not what we in this day and age would consider a transistor radio, these days we even build them in our watches, and mobile phones.
But I'm wondering again. It seems to get easier to let you mind wonder the older you get.

Christmas lunch was prepared by the women of the family, all of the shopping purchased, vegetables peeled and prepared along with the turkey(which was always fresh, no such thing as a freezer) but the men were the Christmas lunch chefs about the only household task they did for the year.

The women were sent to the best room, yes we had a best room, not allowed into it the rest of the year that was for posh people and visitors. There they sipped the small glasses of sherry that none if them really wanted, bottled Guinness would have been more to their tastes.

To be fair I can not remember a Christmas lunch from my youth that the food was not perfect which was amazing because the closer to eating time it became the drunker the men in the kitchen would become. Ensuring that after lunch they would leave all of the washing and cleaning to the women whilst they got on with the serious business of sleeping in the chairs.

Another thing Why do we always invite more people than there were chairs?
At Christmas you would have the family around, relatives, old people well anybody over 10 was old to me. That there was never enough chairs in the posh room, two armchairs and a two seater settee.

The chairs around the kitchen table were like Joseph's multi coloured coat, many colours and many shapes but at least we had them. Some of our neighbours had stools. If you sat on them you could get sea sick.
Do I consider that I had a deprived childhood, never thought about it before. Yes would be the answer to that question. There was never a lot to go around and what there was went down my fathers throat and into the tills of the local pubs. But that's the way he was brought up, like his father before him and his before him. No wonder its taken me 60 odd years to live down the sins of my father.

We get (the wife and I) invited to the brother in laws and his wife's home on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Not any other time of the year but we can tell not to intrude on them any other time. There used to be lots of old folk there for the "festivities" but they have all died and we are the new old folk.

Bugger me when did that happen?

- only you will know, is it worth bothering?

That bloody satnav

To think that an inanimate bit of plastic and glass can have a sense of humour would normally reduce me to fits of laughter. But today the bloody thing has reduced me to a quivering wreck.

I had been promising she who must be obeyed a trip to see the Blackpool lights for several years, well to tell the truth something like twenty years but who apart from her is counting?

We left the darkest parts of hobbit land (Cornwall) and ventured up country to where they don't speak the English correctly, bloody up from country gits. We expected since the ungodly do not understand my driving it might be an idea to break our journey half way.

So being all Internet smart I had booked a overnight stop at a Travel lodge at Cribs Causeway near Bristol. Big mistake most uncomfortable nights sleep in years and that's saying something. The bed was so lumpy I told the wife that if that's what they put people up in then we do not need a new one at home, I got slapped.

Well this morning we woke up both with more aches and pains than normal and muggins had to drive the rest of the way up to Blackpool. Bugger me the speed they silly buggers drive at on the motorways. Tis suicidal, it scares me and I don't mind saying I'm not looking forward to the trip home. But I am wondering.

The Satnav took us direct to the hotel that we are staying at in Blackpool, not a problem. Then this evening I thought let's a be clever, we are only here for a few days. Lets go and have a look at the lights tonight.

Great, go and see the BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS, THEY ARE WELL WORTH IT. however don't rely on the bloody Satnav to get you back to the hotel it has already taken you to once.

Because the black hearted, no mothers son, bitching, moronic, shit faced bit of plastic decided it had done enough work for the day and sent us five something miles in the wrong direction.

Even after I had reset it and put the postcode in again. No, off on our travels we went again and again.

Yes in the end after a couple of complete resets it did get us back to the hotel but not in time for dinner. So we had to make do with some greasy chips.


- only you will know, is it worth bothering?

Arrogant rich boys

Are we governed by a bunch of arrogant rich public school boys from the Tory party.

Were the British public so foolish as to believe that we wouldn't get the government we voted for?

Thinking back couple of years, it becomes apparent in my memory that we really didn't have much choice people who had ruled the country for the past XE years had made a big cock up.

What on earth made the country think that the Tory party would be our saviours. Were we so disillusioned with the Labour Party? That it clouded our eyes as to what the Tory party have always considered the answers and forced the country to go through time after time.

Well this time, they have really gone to town. They have almost dismantled the public health service, what they're doing to the disabled and the elderly should be considered a crime against humanity.

In fairness to the Tories, I don't believe that any political party has the answer anywhere in the world they all appear to be muddling along praying for a miracle that secretly in their hearts they know will never come. Are they making hay whilst time permits ? Are they stealing millions from the public purse in all countries whilst they can?

Certainly in the UK, they have done more to worry, no terrify the old and the sick/disabled. How they expect the vunrable in society to survive the massive cuts that they are imposing, Is beyond the imagination of any sane and sensible person. Just wait till next year when people get to understand just what they are proposing to do to the council tax.

For the unemployed, sick and disabled will have to find 30% of the rate of council tax and the subsidy that local councils have received from the government will be set at 70% of the rate prevailing. That's before Ian Duncan Smith gets busy with his wonderful universal credit.

I wonder what excuse will be used when people start to DIE BECAUSE OF THE CUTS!

But that's all right our ruling class the rich arrogant public school boys and their mates will not be worried. Company directorships, family money and yes let's not forget TAX CUTS will ensure that the champagne still flows.







- only you will know, is it worth bothering?