Blue Peter, eat your heart out

With a few bits of scrap wood and screws, we knocked up this fetching roof for the bird table. No longer are our feathered friends required to dine al fresco, but they can now safely nibble their nuts under cover.
Our main reason for putting on a roof was to attempt to discourage the wood pigeons from hoovering up all the seed and just leaving a few scraps for the other birds. It has worked to some extent. They perch on the outside, but do not go undercover, so now there is always some grub for the robins/dunnocks/collared doves/blackbirds/starlings/tits and the odd passing ostrich.
Okay, I lied about the ostrich.....

At last

The PC Nanny State (aka English officialdom) has at last seen sense.

For once, a member of an ethnic minority has not got their way. I am fed up to the back teeth of hearing of non indigenous people living in my country, forcing their values and beliefs upon me.

If you're not happy, then kindly leave if you will.

more here...

English anthem

A subject close to my heart which I briefly posted about a few days ago is supported by Jim White writing in the Telegraph.

And there are a multitude of us out there who agree.

There is a popular argument that 'Jerusalem' would be more appropriate.

What do you reckon?

F.A. Cup winners?

I am a happy Hammer today after last nights win over Man.City.

Makes up for the appalling performance on Saturday.

Come on you Irons

Bookworm Utopia

Libraries. Aren't they great?

Mrs K and I are avid readers and it is only recently that I have rediscovered the joys of libraries. And there is so much on offer these days.

Apart from the obvious books, you can hire audiobooks, DVD's, videos and music cassettes. You can surf the net, read the local and national papers all for free.

Why did I stop using the library?

England for the English

Why is it that whilst watching the six nations rugby, the English team sing the British anthem, whereas all the other participants belt out their own patriotic tunes?

And today, after the singing of the anthems, the band struck up England's unofficial and loved by many, Land of Hope and Glory. The commentary team repeatedly talked about the team line ups whilst the true English fans sung along to our song.

I heard today that Land of Hope and Glory was played whilst medals were dished out to English winners of the Commonwealth Games.

Isn't it about time we levelled out the playing field here?

When Great Britain is competing - National Anthem.
When HM is taking a bow - National Anthem.
When England compete - Land of Hope and Glory.

Nuff said.

Free pies

For all you connoisseurs of that glorious British icon, the pie, or alternatively all those fat bastards revered at football matches, here is your ultimate pie choice.

Woodland changes

Two summers ago, our dog walking paradise aka East Hoath Woods was radically altered in the name of coppicing.

This is a picture before the massacre. More photo's here.


Where once you strolled along sun dappled paths, virtually overnight you were exposed to the elements after the felling of many mature sweet chestnut and oak trees. It seems such a shame to come across the stumps of what were in effect, healthy and mature guardians of this tiny piece of ancient woodland. History suggests that a lot of the wood was used in the manufacture of Nelson's fleet

Even now, I find it difficult to get my bearings within the wood after great chunks were carved out of it. Some of the familiar paths have been eradicated and replaced by tracks used by the heavy machinery to extract the felled trees. Try telling the bluebells this. For years, nay centuries, the bluebells have been popping up their pretty flowers in the same old place. Some of these places are now right slap bang in the middle of popular pathways and I find myself delicately tip toeing around all the little fresh shoots straining to get out of the earth. I am mortified upon discovering I have flattened another young plant.

Coppicing, I am told, is essential for the healthy continuation of the wood. If the trees are not thinned out occasionally, the woodland can strangle itself and it is difficult for the sunlight to reach the plants striving to survive on the floor. A necessary evil, I suppose.

One good thing that has come out of it. It is easier to see Barney crashing around after squirrels now.

Latest score: Barney 0 Squirrels all the time

I shall try to get a picture of the after effects when out walking tomorrow morning.

Blue Tit heaven

For those of you interested in our little feathered friends rearing their young in your back garden, these nest boxes are a must for blue/great tits.

These 'Eco Hole Nestboxes' are manufactured from old recycled car seats. Completely weatherproof and long lasting with no negative impact on the environment whatsoever.

Already I have spied some interested birds giving it the once over. Fingers crossed.

So by buying these boxes, you are not only encouraging wild birds to nest, but in an environmental way.

Score mega brownie points.

Smug or what?

You can lighten your debit card at CJ Wildbird Foods.

Danger, grannies on the loose

I could not believe my old eyeballs when I read this article by Simon Heffer in today's Telegraph.

If you want to get nicked, get a hat.

I don't need to tell you what the greatest scourge of our times is. As you all know, it is old ladies. The older they are, the more evil and criminal they tend to be. And the really truly shocking ones are easily spotted, for they are inevitably found to be wearing that ultimate symbol of violence and depravity, the hat.

So full marks to the Hereward pub in Ely for spotting a mile off an obvious troublemaker, 82-year-old Betty Wilbraham, when she pushed her luck, took a diabolical liberty, and attempted to enter their premises wearing a titfer.

As the pub pointed out, public safety could properly be preserved only if Mrs Wilbraham removed the hat. She could then be easily identified on security cameras when she started to break bottles and smash the place up - as old ladies like her inevitably tend to do.

Mrs Wilbraham, rather perplexed, says that she always wears a hat, and that her late mother "wouldn't have set foot outside the house" without wearing one. So what they say about criminal dynasties is clearly true, then.

What next? The banning of zimmer frames?

"We shall fight them in the air"

Being a mere toddler, I was lucky enough not to even be a twinkle in my Dads eye when WW2 was being thrashed out, but there is nothing that stirs my heart and brings a lump to my throat more than the sound of a Merlin engine roaring overhead.

Yes, I am talking about that most beautiful of aircraft, the Spitfire.

This weekend, several of these wonderful machines flew over the Solent in recognition of seventy years since the day of their creation.

What a sight.

What a sound.

Being a Man of Kent, I often hear that distinctive growl whilst out walking in the countryside. At the height of Summer in the 'airshow season', they can occasionally be heard and seen flitting between airfields. It makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

We sure have a lot to thank RJ Mitchell for by giving us this superb aeroplane which was instrumental in defeating the Hun at our time of need.

Oh my brain hurts

Whilst perusing the ceiling tiles at work today (work is slow at the moment), I was puzzled over a phenomenon that occurred to me.

Why is it that a man of my age (I've just passed my half-century) cannot remember the beginning of a book when I am half way through, yet upon hearing one of today's new songs on the radio just a couple of times, I can whistle/hum/la-de-da the tune virtually note perfect with no encouragement from anybody or thing?

I find myself absent-mindedly joining in with songs on the radio without realising it.

I have a musical brain methinks and it is so bloody annoying when I forget characters within stories. Do you find yourself flipping back through the pages, trying to pick up the thread of the story?

Hopes dashed

Came across a great free web editor the other day. It goes by the name of BlueVoda and is absolutely brilliant if you are a thicko when it comes to HTML and all that. Like me.

You can create your own design webpages using drag and drop with no knowledge of HTML at all.

Great, I thought. I can design my own blog to my own specifications and all for free.

Problem #1. Any template designed by BlueVoda is not compatible with Blogger

Problem #2. If you wish to publish onto the net, you have to open an account (which costs sponduliks) with. Yes, you guessed it, BlueVoda.

Not quite free then, is it?

P.S. Does anyone know of any FREE (I am a tight git) gizmos where I can make my own template/blog with my limited abilities?