The sins of the fathers

How dare they fire tear gas at families with small children? 

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35687257

If you were trying to escape from a war that was none of your doing, trying to save your family, and all that you're offered is a sea of mud with perhaps a tent, perhaps a few bits of scrap to make a home out of, wouldn't you try to reach something better? Try to give your children the chance that you thought they would have had, but which was snatched from you by idiots fighting for some obscure reason?

And that war is largely the fault of the USA, the UK and Russia, all of whom wanted the oil underneath the land there, and all of whom have been selling weapons to those who wanted to fight over it. The fault goes back further, to the Gulf War, the World Wars and before then - the rich nations have always fought over there.

Well, I think a cruise ship or three should be chartered by these governments and used to transport refugees to the three countries, where they should be provided with the means to start their lives again.

Our governments made the mess - it's our responsibility to clear it up. Yes, Europe was involved, but they have done their bit - or at least, as a whole they have. Our governments, who were far more deeply involved, should now play their part. These people are (largely - yes, we risk the occasional baddie - they're in all walks of life) honest, law-abiding citizens. They probably include doctors, nurses, teachers, and all the other professions the UK is now desperately short of, thanks to past government policies. So let's welcome them with open arms and work together to try to make the world a better place.

And before anyone says I'm spouting politics, I haven't bothered to check policy. This is my opinion, formed when I finally found out what happened in the Middle East in the past - it didn't feature in history lessons at school particularly. I wonder why?

Give to charity - lose your friends?

Do you ever make a donation to a charity instead of buying a gift? I often do the charity option instead of buying greetings cards, which I would then forget to post anyway!

Charity Matters, an electronic publication, says that a donation to charity in place of a gift may be around a quarter less acceptable than some donors think. A study at the University of Southern California asked 151 people to either make a £25 donation to charity on behalf of a friend or give them a gourmet coffee hamper to the same value. The givers and receivers were then asked to rate the gift in terms of overall appreciation, offensiveness, commitment to the friendship and thoughtfulness.

The recipients in the study were up to 27% less appreciative of the charity donations than the givers expected, and their expectation of thoughtfulness at 74% was much higher than the actual figure of 48% recorded.

The study concluded that the virtuous identity bought by the giver by the charity donation was only really of value to the giver and not the receiver.

However, those with a slightly more cynical outlook might think that since this study was conducted in the USA, a country with a more capitalist outlook than most, its findings may not apply directly to the UK. How many people do you know in the UK who would rather your gift went to a good cause than to buy some cheap tat that you would have to discreetly dispose of later?

Be careful who you see on stage

We thoroughly enjoyed Victoria Ironside's show at The Ropewalk in Barton this weekend (Saturday, 20th February 2016). I used to read her column religiously, back when I could find the time to read newspapers like The Observer - so that was a long time ago. She's still outrageously funny, but boy, did she make me feel old!

Yes, I get the creaks and aches she described. Yes, I emit that strange noise sometimes when I stand up. Yes, I'm becoming quite partial to a nap occasionally - which could be awkward, since I'm still working. But Victoria's several years older than me, so should I feel like that? Am I ageing prematurely?

And is the answer to do more to keep myself functioning at 'young person speed', or should I aim to do less so that I have time to do it at what is now 'my speed', and if I do the latter, will I slow down even more?

Well, having typed this much, my poor arthritic fingers are already aching, so I think I'll do what I usually do and be bad-tempered - some of the time at least. And I'll eat - I made some amazing spicy cheese biscuits this weekend. I know that's a Granny thing to do, but what the heck - at my age, that's what you do! And if I keep on putting on weight - well, I suspect that's also what you do at my age: many of my family certainly did!

So be jealous if you're still young - I'm going to do what I do best, and enjoy it :)

Don't drive like a fool

Most mornings on my way to work, I am overtaken just as I approach the 'end of 30mph zone' signs, so that I have to slow when I would normally be picking up speed. Not a problem for me - I can be patient - but it makes me really angry when the overtaking car does so in the face of oncoming traffic. They could wait a short while until the oncoming lane is clear, and by then the general flow would have speeded up anyway, but they don't. They risk their lives and those of others by having to get past. The fact that I'm a silver-haired woman in a Smart ForTwo probably really upsets these (usually) men in (often) Audi or Mercedes sporty models.

Well, I'm using my blog spot this time to inform these drivers that I DO take registrations, and I DO report them to the police, so if you've overtaken in the face of oncoming traffic, on a dangerous bend or a hill where you can't see over the crest, then don't be surprised if you get a visit.

If these idiots also upset you, then please, remember their registrations, make, model, colour of car, and anything else useful, and call 101 to report them as soon as it's safe. You could help the police to make the roads safer and allow them to get on with solving crimes instead. Win/Win!