About 20 years ago, having moved into a new house I set about making the attached outbuilding into a more useful workshop. In truth, it had been the previous owners workshop, but the rotter1 had taken away all his very nice woodworking kit, and I had to start over again.
Funds were a little low, but I found some 4×2 studding and a cheap softwood tabletop and knocked up a suitable bench to start with. Later I added a couple of small vices and used an old bedroom chest of drawers for tool storage . Nothing fancy, but it served.
I miss-treated it comprehensively it for the next 20 years, for home brewing, bicycle repair, making stuff I needed, wood and metal working, etc etc. You know, the sort of things a man does. I used the corner for stamping out sanding discs until I realised the damage is it caused, and tested out chisel sharpening on the edge when in a hurry. I spilt oil and paint on it with gay abandon. So after all that time it was a mess.
But I took some satisfaction in knowing that every single ding, dent, scratch, stain, splash and mark had been made by me. Nobody else but me. It had character – I’d even dare to call it art.
But the whole place had become a mess. As a creative type I thrive on clutter, firmly believing that an empty desk demonstrates an empty mind. There is ALWAYS a more interesting and productive thing to do than tidying up, and who GAF anyway, since it’s MY mess.
BUT, the other evening a friend popped round and, in hindsight, it was a little embarrassing the state of the place. So spare time this w/e was devoted to a serious clear up, after which it all simply looks very untidy. I cleared all the clutter off the bench, got out my orbital sander and attempted to remove all the crud. I even added a coat of the first finish that came to hand – danish oil.
So now it’s all nice, and good to go for another year or two anyway. I feel good! (Except Liverpool have just lost in the FA cup, so not so good after all). Never mind, it’s only a game.
Not a rotter at all really. You’d have to go a long way to meet a nicer bloke. ↩︎
No – really, it’s true, and it upsets me greatly. You see, I’ve always seen myself as a nice guy doing his best to be fair, who takes people as he finds them, and whilst almost certainly a little flawed, is essentially one of the good guys. But I got up the other morning to find that I’m not just racist, but a product of “white British cultural values”, which rather points the finger at my family and friends too.
But before you start cancelling me for being the monster I clearly am, I’m sorry to have to say that if you live in the countryside (and presumably that includes Hasketon), you’re probably one as well.
How do I know this? Well an organisation called the ”Wildlife and Countryside Link”, which is a charity umbrella group whose members include the RSPB, RSPCA, WWF and the National Trust, made the claim in evidence provided to Parliament on racism and its influence on the natural world. The report makes claims such as:
the British countryside has been influenced by “racist colonial legacies” which have created an environment some fear is “dominated by white people”.
The country’s green spaces are governed by “white British cultural values”
The perception that the countryside is a “white space” prevents people from other ethnic backgrounds from enjoying the outdoors.
“Racist colonial legacies continue to frame nature in the UK as a ‘white space’”.
Obviously, it’s nonsense. In fact, it’s ridiculous beyond words. Nobody I know would even remotely qualify as a racist, and I’m pretty sure I’m not one too. I mean, where actually are these colonial legacies? The customs post in Blacksmiths Road; the checkpoint on the B.1079, the Boulge Road vigilantes? Madness. It’s woke inspired claptrap coming from people who like to knock British traditions, history and way of life and then in the same breath encourage us to be tolerant towards people who in some cases extend little tolerance towards us. The irony is that in most towns there is more open public space than there is in the countryside. It is more spacious of course, but most open spaces are farmland either under crop or being grazed, and you better stick to the footpath if you don’t want to upset the farmer.
I think a large part of the problem is that there’s far too many ‘activists’ these days. You know the sort of person – the people who feel strongly about their cause but aren’t really interested in taking part in a democratic process to further it. So, they shout loudly instead of seeking to persuade, block roads, wave placards or throw soup over paintings in order to gain attention. They’re simply annoying most of the time, (though they did happily prevent some people getting their child to a hospital appointment) and achieve very little apart from making themselves feel virtuous.
The slightly more intelligent activists find a way of worming their way into positions of influence on QUANGOs, charities, PTAs, Trade Unions etc. The head of the Wildlife and Countryside Link is a man called Richard Benwell, who very much fits this picture. People like him are more of a problem since they’re focused, cunning and driven. They’ve usually no useful contribution in the form of practical ideas, but they are good at what really turns them on, which is gaining and exercising power – especially over other people.
But here’s the thing: I, and many others, donate money to these charities because we like to see animals protected, we enjoy watching birds, we consider the natural world to be important, the countryside is important to us. What we DON’T do is donate money so they can use it compile a report that seeks to make us feel guilty for being white. It’s mad. I’ve not yet resigned my membership of the RSPB, but I’m seriously considering it.
So, everybody out there, please DO come to Hasketon. We’re all very friendly, and it would be a pleasure to see you!
Occasionally one hears about an elderly person suffering from ‘a fall’, and it being treated as a major incident. This had always seemed a little odd to me, since I’d often fallen over in sports, climbing accidents, cycling, etc, but what is the big deal, I used to ask myself? You fall over, you get up, and more or less move on. A bit like Chumbawamba, I suppose. Somebody hacks you down in a footie game and you simply get up and you kick the crap out of them at the first opportunity you get. It’s no big deal – everybody understands the process.
But that said, I had had some incidents where it haddn’t been so good. I recall in particular, whilst decorating my house (in my early 30s), I’d stepped down from a chair, put my foot on the curtain rail I’d just taken down, twisting my ankle, falling completely out of control and ending up lying on the floor, thinking, ‘what the hell just happened’.
That was a serious shock, but I put it down to experience.
But this afternoon, just after putting the rubbish out, I managed to turn my ankle on a very small stone in my driveway, and come crashing down in an untidy heap. It was wet, so I got up quickly and tried to carry on without making any fuss. Except that didn’t happen. I got up with a sore hand – which I’d landed on – crawled indoors, and sat there shaking. Why - I don’t know. Eventually I made myself a cup of sweet tea and gradually got my act together. (Actually, that’s a lie – I poured myself a generous glass of ‘Old Rosie’ cider, the best medicine in the world, and it really worked.)
So really, at the age of 65, and looking forward to getting my bus pass in a few months time, I’m starting to understand what it means to be old. I mean, obviously I’m not actually old really – I’m actually in my prime and enjoying retirment – but it’s a bit of a wake-up call.
And then the GP surgery rang up asking why I’d not sent them in the blood pressure readings they had asked for last week…
So I’m not actually old, but maybe I need to start being just a little more careful…..
This is for the benefit of the young generation who think it’s a bit chilly at the moment and maybe it’s time to think about closing the schools, taking time off work or just hiding inside and calling for ‘mummy’!
Look, it is not cold! I’m sorry, but it really isn’t. A bit chilly perhaps, and maybe time for a hat, but on the overall scheme of things, it’s very nice indeed.
Let me cast my mind back to winter 1962/3. I was born in September 1958, so I’d have been 4 years and 3-4 months, and to be honest, I can’t really recall that much of it. But in those days family Hughes lived in a small bungalow on the outskirts of Woodbridge. My Dad worked in Ipswich and cycled there and back every day. The heating consisted of a coke stove in the kitchen, the windows were single glazed and us kids kept ourselves amused in the mornings by writing in the frost on the inside of them.
But 1962/3 was particularly hard – you only have to consult the history books to confirm that. It didn’t really get much above freezing (32 degrees fahrenheit – no celsius in those days) for much of the winter. In particular, the river Deben froze over. No – really it did! Honestly. One day after collecting us from school my mother, along with several friends, took me (in my wheelchair) and my slightly older sister part of the way across the river near the tide mill. OK, it was probably hard frozen snow on the mud rather than river ice, but that indicates the severity of the cold. I gather my dad was not impressed with this jaunt, but respect to my mother really!
I’m indebted to Kevin Workman, who posted this picture of that time on the “Rural East Suffolk In Old Photographs” Facebook page recently.
I’ve got some new wheels at the moment! My much loved Skoda Roomster (brilliant car!) suffered a minor dent just before Xmas when a joung lad in a works pick-up truck reversed into it in Tuddenham village. It was a minor traffic snarl-up with a bus coming the other way and a queue of cars, including me trying to go the other way. He was only trying to help, poor lad, but mis-calculated a bit and put a minor dent in my bonnett. So on his company insurance my car was taken away for some minor work (two weeks, and counting at the moment).
So now I’m driving a hired Skoda ‘Scala’. (Why would you name a car after a jar of pesto?) It’s ok – new and shiny and clean. Everything is nice and tight and very responsive, so nothing to complain about really, though it is rather ‘vanilla’, with nothing to complain about really….
…except for the new “Driver assist” features. Now the “speed limiter’ I quite like – useful in traffic queues etc, but the disaster is ‘”Lane Assist”.
The well intentioned idea is to keep you in your lane if you doze-off on the motorway. It detects white lines and provides some resistance to turning the wheel if you cross one. Maybe not a bad idea on a long trip, but for general driving it’s a right pain. Imagine a back-seat driver who actually reaches in and graps the steering wheel when you cross a white line! You’d want to punch them, but according to the new world, this is what’s required. And it frequently thinks other road features are white lines too! You can turn it off, but every time you restart the ignition it re-enables itself, AND YOU CAN’T stop it! So either I get used to it, or EVERY time I start the car, I have to press a series of buttins to turn the bloody thing off!
If this is the brave new world, you can keep it! I want my Roomster back!
People try scam us all the time on the interweb, and usually it’s pretty obvious what’s going on. Let’s face it, complete strangers are VERY unlikely to give us large sums of money, even if they do claim to be Nigerian royalty. This one is a little different though, since it’s aimed specifically at website managers – like me, for example.
To be fair, it’s not a bad effort, but I’m afraid Ms. Onita (who is probably a ‘bot’ located somewhere in Russia) is going to have to get up very early in the morning if she wants to get a positive outcome here.
So – Onita, and I mean this in a very posititive way, I know you’re not real so please go away!
I trust this letter finds you. I am writing to address a matter of serious concern regarding the unauthorized commercial use of my copyrighted images, which were discovered on your website without my explicit consent (page titled ” The Sheeprug Pages. – Interesting thing that there was no time to follow prior to retiring. ” ).
Upon investigation, I have identified that my images are being used for commercial purposes on your platform without proper licensing or attribution. This constitutes a clear infringement of my intellectual property rights as the sole copyright holder of these works. I have also noticed that my images are being used on your social media profiles, notably: Facebook
The unauthorized use of my images has caused significant damage to my professional reputation and financial losses. I have consulted with legal counsel, and I am prepared to pursue all available legal remedies to protect my rights, including initiating a formal legal action and filing a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice.
However, in an effort to resolve this matter amicably and avoid protracted legal proceedings, I am willing to settle the dispute immediately upon receiving a payment of $500. This settlement amount is a fraction of the damages I have incurred due to the unauthorized use of my work.
Please note that failure to comply with this demand within 14 days, will leave me with no alternative but to pursue legal action against you. In such an event, I will seek maximum damages under the law, as well as injunctive relief to prevent any further unauthorized use of my images.
To facilitate a prompt resolution, kindly remit the settlement amount to any of the following wallets:
Upon receipt of the payment, I will consider the matter resolved, and I will refrain from initiating any legal actions against you. Failure to comply will result in immediate legal proceedings.
I urge you to treat this matter with the utmost urgency, as further delays may exacerbate the consequences you may face.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Please note that I have also sent out a hardcopy of this correspondence to your office.
The poem below, by an unknown soldier in the Sherwood Forresters, was published in the March 1916 editiion of the trench newspaper, “The Wipers Times”.
To My Chum
No more we’ll share the same old barn The same old dug-out, same old yarn, No more a tin of bully share Nor split our rum by a star-shell’s glare So long old lad.
What times we’ve had, both good and bad, We’ve shared what shelter could be had, The same crump-hole when the whizz-bangs shrieked, The same old billet that always leaked, And now – you’ve “stopped one”.
We’d weathered the storms two winters long We’d managed to grin when all went wrong, Because together we fought and fed, Our hearts were light; but now – you’re dead And I am mateless.
Well, old lad, here’s peace to you, And for me, well, there’s my job to do, For you and the others who are at rest Assured may be that we’ll do our best In vengeance.
Just one more cross by a strafed roadside, With its G.R.C.*, and a name for guide, But it’s only myself who has lost a friend, And though I may fight through to the end, No dug-out or billet will be the same, All pals can only be pals in name, But we’ll all carry on till the end of the game Because you lie there.
* G.R.C. = Graves Registration Commission, the forerunner of the Commonwealth War Graves Commision.
I’m taking the the slightly risky strategy of using figures from Wikipedia in this post, so apologies in advance if I’ve been misled by the internet.
The latest suggestion from HMG is that maybe if we switched to biofuel to heat our houses then the proposed 2026 ban on new oil boilers might not be necessary. Phew, what a relief….. but lets look at some figures.
Apparently the yield of biofuel from oilseed rape (brobably the best bet for biofuels in the UK) is about 1000 litres per hectare. Now that corresponds nicely with our own heating oil usage during the winter of about 1000 litres (at 60p a litre earlier in the year). We also burn about 2 cubic metres of logs at about £150 a c.ubic mitre. So roughly £900 a year keeps us warm through the winter in our modest country pile.
So from this we can see that we switched to biofuels we’d need about a hectare of arable land dedicated solely to us. NB, a hectare is 10,000 square meters – that’s an area 100m x 100m.
Now there are about 1.7 million houses in the UK that rely on oil for heating. Thus if we make the simple assumption that we are about the average (and we’re probably lower than that), then we need 1.7 million hectares of land to stop people living off-grid from freezing during the winter.
That’s a lot of land.
To put this in context, the UK had about 4.4 million hectares of arable land planted with crops in 2022. So, to use biofuels we’d need to use 1.7/4.4 = 38.6% of this to heat all the off-grid houses.
So we could all convert to biofuels, but we’d all have to go on a diet! And of course, some arable land is already being converted to solar power anyway, so there’s even less available.
Regarding the price, looking at the Tesco vegetable oil prices (a randomly chosen example), I see it’s about £1.70 per litre. That’s about 3x the price I paid for conventional heating oil, so of course i’d be only too happy to switch….NOT!
The major political parties seem oblivious to this. A shame, since they’re supposed to be running things!
This may be of interest to those of you who rely on oil or LPG for heating and, like me, may have been mulling over the need a new boiler in the near future,
One of the proposals in the government’s plans to hit their Net-Zero targets is to ban replacement oil and LPG boilers from 2026 – 10 years before an equivalent ban on replacement gas boilers. Don’t panic – it doesn’t mean you have to stop using your existing boiler, but it does mean if it irreparably breaks down you might not be allowed to install a replacement. There’s more details of these HMG documents: an overall strategy document, and a consultation document specifically relating to off-grid heating (i.e. oil and LPG).
Both documents state 2026 is the proposed date for a ban on replacement oil and LPG boilers – which is fine if your house is suitable for a heat pump, but not so good if it’s an older property where considerable extra costs might be involved. I’ve not seen any final decision announced yet.
I’ve raised this with Dr. Dan Poulter, who didn’t seem to be aware of the proposals either – odd, he’s only our MP and a member of this government!
If anybody has any more information on this I’d be very interested.
Update, 10th August 2023.
Independently of me the Daily Telegraph has started campaigning over this. Their latest article on the subject points out that Suffolk CC has warned the Environment Sec. (Ms. Coffey, MP Suffolk Coastal) that the ban is a really bad idea.
It’s behind a pay wall, but I’m sure they won’t mind me copying part of it here.
Therese Coffey warned oil boiler ban will hurt her rural constituents
Environment Secretary’s own council says move to help reach net zero will entrench poverty in her constituency
The Environment Secretary is facing a backlash in her own constituency over plans to ban new oil powered boilers that will “entrench” rural fuel poverty.
Suffolk County Council has told Thérèse Coffey that the proposed 2026 deadline should be delayed or significantly watered down as many families cannot afford to replace their oil boilers with pricey heat pumps.
The local authority warned that forcing families who live in remote areas to switch to electric heating would also leave them vulnerable when blackouts occur.
Tory members in her Suffolk Coastal seat are also urging the Environment Secretary to lobby Downing Street to abandon the policy before it is too late.
It comes as one of the party’s most senior MPs warned that the oil boiler ban risked leaving elderly people freezing in their homes and had to be ditched.
Ministers have been consulting on their proposals to ban the installation of fossil-fuel-powered heating systems, including oil boilers, from 2026.
It would be the first of a series of net zero deadlines to come into force, affecting 1.1 million homes in England that are not connected to the gas grid.
Almost one in five households in Ms Coffey’s constituency and the wider Suffolk area are off the gas grid, according to House of Commons library data.
That compares with an average of 15 per cent across England, Wales and Scotland as a whole.
Suffolk County Council, which is Conservative run, has said the planned ban is not “acceptable” and that it will not “achieve public acceptance”.
In its response to the consultation, the council wrote: “There is…a significant risk that existing inequalities and rural fuel poverty will be further entrenched.
“The proposed heat-pump-first approach also has significant risks in these circumstances, in terms of perceived lack of choice and public acceptance.”
Suffolk council’s evidence, which was submitted last January, said the ban should be delayed at least in part because heat pump technology was “immature”.
“The roll out date of 2026 is challenging, therefore it would be appropriate to consider a combination of both geographical and temporal phasing of this process,” it said.
It added that areas with high levels of fuel poverty needed “a more flexible approach” and that the “widespread use” of alternatives such as biofuel to power oil boilers should be allowed.
Adverse impacts
The council added: “A heat-pump-first approach will increase the vulnerability of households to the adverse impacts of extended power outages.
“Whilst the council supports the ambition of a 2026 end date for installation of new fossil fuel heating systems, it does not consider that the proposed approach is acceptable or will achieve public acceptance.”
One local Tory member said the ban would place lots of families living in remote properties in a “very nasty bind” and they accused ministers of ignoring their concerns.
“It is a real issue for real people towards the lower end of the income scale and it’s very worrying that the timescale is so short,” they said.
“It’s fine for second home owners, but for people who live here full-time and have to make ends meet it’s potentially a real difficulty for them.
“In terms of the people who live and vote here, if the Government does push it through I think it will lose the Conservatives votes in this area.”
Sir Robert Goodwill, chairman of the environment, food and rural affairs committee, became the latest senior Tory to urge No 10 to ditch the policy.
“We’re going to get elderly people in winter without any heating. I suspect the wait to get heat pumps installed would be longer than the wait to get a new boiler put in.
“We need to rural proof these policies. It seems once again this is a policy that is disadvantageous to rural areas that are off the gas grid.”
As I write this the BBC have suspended Gary Lineker from Match of the Day because he keeps airing his political views in defiance of his contract. Various pundits – Shearer, Ian Wright etc – have come out in sympathy and even some commentators are threatening to stop working.
This is brilliant!
Televised commentary has had it’s day. I’m sorry, but it has, although radio commentary is obviously still necessary. Do I want the inane, cliched witterings of a commentator throughout the game? Well occasionally it’s nice to know an unfamiliar players name, but other than that NO! Please give me the crowd noise and nothing else. Motty and Coleman were good in their day, but the latest crop really don’t compare.
I’ve been wat.ching he game for years. I even played it for a while. I know the game, I can see what’s going on and enjoy the way it’s played without help. Just shut up and let me enjoy the game with just the crowd noise.
Except of course, that the crowd noise we get is heavily tampered with since the broadcasters are fined by OFCOM if any bad language or unacceptable language is aired. Thus the ‘real’ crowd noise is manipulated so nothing intelligible is transmitted. A shame, because crowd noise it part of the attraction of a real game.
The big question though, is will I really like the result? I suppose I’ll let you know after tomorrows MOTD!
Update, 22:55 Saturday evening.
So… did I like it? Well here’s a few thoughts:
Very short – several 90 minute games condenced into 20mins, with no introductions at all, was maybe a bit too minimalist. Maybe there’s a compromise to be made, though it does highlight the tiny amount of actual football the BBC have actually purchased from the premiership.
Some more creative use of the real crowd noise would help too.
Regarding what seems to be turning into a strike in all but name at the Beeb, I wonder if the Beeb sports people haven’t rather overplayed their hand. As it stands there are several other content providers in the UK: Sky, BT, ITV, Amazon (occasionally) and several abroad such as Peacock, who also have recent games available for replay, plus if you want radio commentry, Talk Sport and EPSN. So really, how much would the Beeb and Lineker actually be missed if this carried on?
Once again, we seem to be heading in the direction of Trade Union mob rule. Now I’m not sufficiently versed in all the arguments on either side in order to say who is right and who is wrong, but what I can say, is it seems to be the innocent who suffer. (For what it’s worth, I’d like everybody to be paid more, but somehow the sensible person in me says that pay increases have to be, err, paid for by somebody – and currently, who has got the money?)
However, banning strikes seems to be a bad way to go too, since despite your contract with them, not all employers deserve loyalty.
Maybe strikes should be banned if those who suffer most from the strike (i.e. sick people, school children, students etc) are not in a position to actually change anything. Thus, yes, you can take industrial action, but only if that action directly impacts on the people who pull the strings, and not the poor buggers who are just trying to get on in life.
Having quietly been a republican all my life, it seems somewhat odd that I find myself closing ranks with the current Royals. They may well be a thoroughly dysfunctional family, but as our constitutional Heads of State they are somehow OUR dysfunctional family. Not, I hasten to add, that I feel they actually represent me any meaningful sense – clearly, they don’t. How could they?
I’d also note that becoming a republic would probably mean we have to have an elected president, and who would that be? President Blair, President Cameron… no – definitely not.
But anyway, when Ginger and Whinger set up their Archewell organisation, with its objective to, “unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change “, I thought, “what on earth makes them think that they are in any way able to relate to the situations that most other people find themselves in”. Pompous idiots.
But with the publication of ‘The Book’ it becomes much clearer. In fact, we can learn an enormous lesson from Harry. Not by following his wittering of course, but by taking great care to do the complete opposite. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that if you use that as a general principle, you’d be well on the way to becoming an absolutely top person!
For example,
If you really do want to, ‘unleash the power of compassion’, don’t go slagging off your family, friends and other people in public. You might not be able to see the contradiction, but everybody else can!
There is only one ‘truth’. Not everyone may have a complete grasp of it of course, but nevertheless, the truth exists and it is out there. What you remember (your truth) may well mean a lot to you, but if you later discover it doesn’t reflect reality, be prepared to accept you’ve mis-remembered. Sadly, ‘your truth’ is NOT as valid as ‘the truth’, no matter what your therapist may tell you.
Private conversations among friends or family should stay private. It’s called respect, good manners even. Would you want your friends divulging what you’ve said in private? Nope – thought not.
Deal with specifics, rather than simply using a vague scattergun approach. Especially, don’t make vague accusations of serious nastiness (e.g. racism) by other people unless you’re prepared to supply some evidence.
If you have a physical encounter with another willing person, it’s a matter for the two of you and nobody else. The old saying used to be, “Gentlemen never tell”, for good reasons of decency and privacy. By all means cherish the memory, but keep it to yourself. Really, we don’t want to know, and the other person will almost certainly not want us to know either.
Don’t take on the role of the victim, especially if you’re not one. If you’ve got shitloads of money, status and you live in a big posh house, enjoy it, but don’t tell people how hard it is being wealthy. It makes you look silly.
Don’t do drugs! Well, OK, you can if you like, and I certainly not try to stop you, but I think I’m right in saying that a drug induced, distorted view of reality does NOT help you see things the way they really are.
A little humility goes a long way. Be modest, and give other people the chance to chance to raise you up. It makes you look good. If, on the other hand, you set yourself up as important, you may be moved down the order, and other people will think, ‘what an arse’.
Be truthful and accurate. Little lies or mistakes remain minor of course, but if you tell them, we are less likely to believe anything else you say.
If somebody harms you an any way, and then apologises and you accept the apology, then that’s the end of it. It really is! If you later use this evidence against them, it shows you haven’t really forgiven them. And if you chose not to accept the apology in the first place, well that’s your prerogative of course, but it may make you look a little small minded.
Finally, don’t burn bridges. Really, don’t! This is partly for the practical reason that you never know when you might need a friend – or indeed, not actually want an enemy – but also because it’s far, far nicer to make other people feel good about themselves.
But just a couple of final comments: firstly I know I’ve not managed to live up to these ideals all my life. I know, I’m human….. but I do quietly try learn from my mistakes. And secondly, I know I should use primary sources, not newspaper articles, but I can’t do that without contributing to the coffers of Archewell, and I’m really not prepared to do that.
