Well, the weather might be about to take a turn against Halloween. Maybe I won't have to fend off the hordes of trick or treaters after all, but perhaps the event could be marked with a bit of spooky story-telling instead.
With that in mind, I've added a new story to the QT website today. This one is a teeny bit creepy, just right for reading this evening by the light of your Jack-o-Lantern! If you fancy a look, it's called Black Dog.
Hope you enjoy it. Happy Halloween.
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Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Hurricane Sandy
As I'm sure everyone is aware, a super storm is currently battering the east coast of the USA. The footage on the news is horribly reminiscent of the film 'The Day After Tomorrow'. My thoughts are with all those caught up in it. Let's hope the damage wreaked is nowhere near as bad as feared.
Halloween Preparations
With Halloween looming, I've been looking for easy ways to prepare for the onslaught. Normally I look forward to it, but last year we had so many trick or treaters that within an hour we'd been stripped bare. It was like swarming locusts out there. I know, I know, Halloween is supposed to be scary, but this truly was the stuff of nightmares.
Maybe I could take inspiration from Marc Hagan-Guirey, an artist who recreates scenes from horror films using painstakingly cut and folded card, kirigami (like origami but even harder). Stunning they may be, easy most certainly not.
So, I suppose our carved pumpkin and coloured light bulbs will just have to suffice. This year we've bulk bought sweets from the local cash and carry. As tempting as it is to just to set them out at the front door and leave the trick or treaters to fight over them, a degree of effort has come to be expected of us. So no doubt I'll be knotting black wool into a giant spider's web in the porch again this year.
One year I'm going to go all out and make the house so incredibly scary that the little darlings will be too terrified to approach. I suspect it might take a bit more than folded card and a black wool spiders web.
Maybe I could take inspiration from Marc Hagan-Guirey, an artist who recreates scenes from horror films using painstakingly cut and folded card, kirigami (like origami but even harder). Stunning they may be, easy most certainly not.
So, I suppose our carved pumpkin and coloured light bulbs will just have to suffice. This year we've bulk bought sweets from the local cash and carry. As tempting as it is to just to set them out at the front door and leave the trick or treaters to fight over them, a degree of effort has come to be expected of us. So no doubt I'll be knotting black wool into a giant spider's web in the porch again this year.
One year I'm going to go all out and make the house so incredibly scary that the little darlings will be too terrified to approach. I suspect it might take a bit more than folded card and a black wool spiders web.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Changing the Clocks
On my morning news trawl I came across the story of a couple who have lived the last six years on British Summer Time. They no longer alter their clocks in Spring and Autumn. It began as an experiment to see if it would help tackle a medical condition, and they insist it works so well they've stuck with it. I find myself doubting. It sounds good, and as someone who finds the time change infuriating, not to mention pointless, I should be all for it. But how could you realistically live your life an hour ahead of everyone else?
I suggest we all just drop the whole nonsense of changing the clocks and keep the whole country in summer time all year round. And don't give me that rubbish about changing the clocks to give us more hours of daylight - the sun doesn't stay in the sky longer because we change the time. You get the same amount of day, just an hour earlier, which means night arrives an hour earlier. I've never worked out how that's supposed to be better.
I suggest we all just drop the whole nonsense of changing the clocks and keep the whole country in summer time all year round. And don't give me that rubbish about changing the clocks to give us more hours of daylight - the sun doesn't stay in the sky longer because we change the time. You get the same amount of day, just an hour earlier, which means night arrives an hour earlier. I've never worked out how that's supposed to be better.
Blogs of Note
The observant among you may have noticed a discussion between Richard and myself in comments on the post about working for your pension. In closing we both agreed that the topic would be a good one for 'John', which may not have meant much to most of my followers. 'John's' creator/ author, Jim, uses his character to ponder current affairs and political botchings, usually in the setting of a variety of taverns, fuelled by a bewildering array of ales. I'm delighted to say that Jim now has a blog up and running. He only has three stories up so far, but I'm sure he'll be adding more in the coming days. So if you're in the mood for some wry bar room politics, check Jim's blog.
While I'm on this subject, I'd like to put in another shout for Richard's blog. Richard's humour is legendary among the Café ThreeZero members, and is usually much in evidence in his short stories and poetry. Look out for his sea stories - they say write from experience, as a former sailor, these are definitely his speciality.
While I'm on this subject, I'd like to put in another shout for Richard's blog. Richard's humour is legendary among the Café ThreeZero members, and is usually much in evidence in his short stories and poetry. Look out for his sea stories - they say write from experience, as a former sailor, these are definitely his speciality.
Friday, 26 October 2012
Three for One
I couldn't choose which story to share with you today, so I'm going to share three. Go on, they're only small, and it is the weekend.
I'll start with the slightly sad one, which is the news of the closure of Ford's Southampton and Dagenham plants. The BBC has put together a short gallery of Ford Transits through the years, which is a rather nice way of paying tribute. I especially like the one carrying the dinosaur - transits must have been around even longer than I realised.
Next is a cute one. A bus driver was plagued by a strange noise on his bus, even his passengers noticed it, but he couldn't track it down until he pulled the panels off his dashboard. There, curled up fast asleep, was a kitten who had apparently clocked up some 120 miles as a stowaway. The kitten has now been adopted by a member of the bus company. When you look at the picture of the bus driver holding him, with the kitten's tiny paw on his arm, it's not too hard to see why.
And the last one is a funny. A reporter, whose wardrobe choice for presenting a piece to camera from a small boat is highly questionable, went into a panic when the fish she was holding suddenly started thrashing. She reacted in the only sensible way possible: she fell over backwards, into the arms of a startled official, leaving them both in an undignified heap on the floor of the boat. Sadly, I don't think it ended too well for the fish but, as that wasn't the original intention of those involved, I'm prepared to forgive them. The video clip is at the bottom of the Mail's article.
I'll start with the slightly sad one, which is the news of the closure of Ford's Southampton and Dagenham plants. The BBC has put together a short gallery of Ford Transits through the years, which is a rather nice way of paying tribute. I especially like the one carrying the dinosaur - transits must have been around even longer than I realised.
Next is a cute one. A bus driver was plagued by a strange noise on his bus, even his passengers noticed it, but he couldn't track it down until he pulled the panels off his dashboard. There, curled up fast asleep, was a kitten who had apparently clocked up some 120 miles as a stowaway. The kitten has now been adopted by a member of the bus company. When you look at the picture of the bus driver holding him, with the kitten's tiny paw on his arm, it's not too hard to see why.
And the last one is a funny. A reporter, whose wardrobe choice for presenting a piece to camera from a small boat is highly questionable, went into a panic when the fish she was holding suddenly started thrashing. She reacted in the only sensible way possible: she fell over backwards, into the arms of a startled official, leaving them both in an undignified heap on the floor of the boat. Sadly, I don't think it ended too well for the fish but, as that wasn't the original intention of those involved, I'm prepared to forgive them. The video clip is at the bottom of the Mail's article.
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Working for Your Pension, After You've Worked for Your Pension
Lord Bichard has come up with an idea so typical of the governors of our society that it would be hilarious, were it not for the fact that he appears to be in earnest: he suggests that retired people should have to work in order to continue receiving their state pension.
Bear with me. I'm taking a breather here while I order my thoughts.
Okay, the first thought is: haven't retired people have already worked for their pensions?
Second thought: most retired people I know already help their younger relations with childcare, and their older relations with health care, often leaving little or no time for themselves, or any voluntary work imposed upon them by the distant and rather clueless elite.
Third thought: don't we all look forward to retirement in the hope that we might have a few years of decent health left in us to at least do some of the things we've always wanted to? If we're forced to spend three days a week volunteering, we're not going to have a lot of time left for the hobbies we've always dreamt of.
And lastly, I'd like to deal with the suggestion that the younger generation is subsidising the older generation by paying the taxes that fund their pensions. Erm, I thought that was how it worked. Didn't the current pensioners do that for the previous generation? When you work, you pay taxes that fund pensions, benefits and public services. When you retire, your reward is your own not exactly spectacular pension.
I despair. I'm trying to think happy thoughts. Cute fluffy bunnies. Parties. Christmas lights. Vicar of Dibley. Cake. Aaaagh! It's not working!
Sorry, I was so exercised by the story, I forgot to post a link: pensioners should work for their pension.
Bear with me. I'm taking a breather here while I order my thoughts.
Okay, the first thought is: haven't retired people have already worked for their pensions?
Second thought: most retired people I know already help their younger relations with childcare, and their older relations with health care, often leaving little or no time for themselves, or any voluntary work imposed upon them by the distant and rather clueless elite.
Third thought: don't we all look forward to retirement in the hope that we might have a few years of decent health left in us to at least do some of the things we've always wanted to? If we're forced to spend three days a week volunteering, we're not going to have a lot of time left for the hobbies we've always dreamt of.
And lastly, I'd like to deal with the suggestion that the younger generation is subsidising the older generation by paying the taxes that fund their pensions. Erm, I thought that was how it worked. Didn't the current pensioners do that for the previous generation? When you work, you pay taxes that fund pensions, benefits and public services. When you retire, your reward is your own not exactly spectacular pension.
I despair. I'm trying to think happy thoughts. Cute fluffy bunnies. Parties. Christmas lights. Vicar of Dibley. Cake. Aaaagh! It's not working!
Sorry, I was so exercised by the story, I forgot to post a link: pensioners should work for their pension.
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