Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:37:45 -0800WeeblyTue, 27 Jul 2010 12:24:40 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/07/rambling3.html
Incredibly, it's the best part of two months since I've gone for a walk. In fact, apart from some golf with my elder son in New England towards the end of May, the only exercise I've taken of any significance was a lengthy walk during that visit - when the conditions at that time meant that I spent over a day recovering from what probably amounted to  a minor case of heat exhaustion.

Since returning to the UK, both my better-half and I - although not 'technically' ill - have been suffering from what we have supposed are the effects of insect bites we received before we came home. Even now, we have to apply antiseptic cream to the affected areas from time to time. Anyway, for whatever reason, we have felt quite lethargic - in her case, unusually so; for my part, I'm pretty good at doing nothing if there's nothing to do.

Fortunately, the treadmill I bought a few months ago has helped prevent the joints from seizing up altogether. So, this afternoon,  I ventured out for a gentle stroll along some of the local footpaths and bridleways which require the least amount of effort to negotiate.

The first thing I noticed is how quickly the bracken has grown.....

The second thing I noticed was less attractive - and that was the rubbish which had been discarded (almost certainly by bikers).

The third thing which caught my eye was an interesting avenue of trees which had been planted by a recent arrival to the area. Somewhat cruelly referred to as nouveau riche by some of the indigenous population - and in a manner often associated with Premier League footballers - the newcomer bought a rather nice house with a fair bit of land only to raze the house to the ground and replace it with a building some have compared to a supermarket.

In time, although there was a perfectly adequate entrance to the property, it seemed that the new owner relished the prospect of constructing a rather grand new avenue of trees leading down to what could become an alternative entrance at the other end of the property........

The newly-planted avenue is shown above leading down from the house (part of which can just be seen near the centre of the photo and behind the new trees)........

Viewed from the opposite direction, this photo shows the end of the new row of trees as it headed towards a gate (left of photo) leading into a field which separates the newcomer's property from the road into which he had hoped his avenue would emerge. Sadly, however, he had failed to take into account the fact that the current owner had no intention of selling it. So the half-completed avenue now acts as a monument to what some might call the arrogance of 'new money' in imagining that 'old money' could be bought at any cost.

]]>Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:26:52 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/07/miscellaneous70.html
Amongst those with whom I enjoy a 'virtual' relationship within the world-wide-web, quite a few are much younger than me - and the likely reason for this age discrepancy is that I may have been chosen as a 'friend' or am being 'followed' because I'm Lloyd's dad. Going on from that, some of these acquaintances may have experienced a similar background to him; going to university during 'the Thatcher years', for example, and, as a consequence, developed a distinctly unfavourable impression of the Tories.

For whatever reason, these sentiments seem to be difficult to disguise - let alone ignore - and, since I sometimes have little better to do during an unwelcome retirement, I may have been guilty of a mischievous tweet from time to time in order to get a reaction. There is no malice intended and those to whom this might apply know who they are - and this is for them......

Almost as soon as I was old enough to have an informed opinion, I realised that I didn't feel a particular attachment to any political party. As time passed, however, although not always agreeing with their policies, it seemed to me that insofar as Conservative candidates were concerned, what you saw was what you got. Very few, for example, denied their connections with commerce and industry and it really wasn't surprising that their policies reflected that fact. 

Sadly, the same could not be said for many of those who claim to represent 'the left'. In my lifetime, from Harold Wilson through to Neil Kinnock and John Prescott, I can't begin to imagine how many Labour politicians were anxious to be seen to pour scorn on The Establishment - only to abandon their socialist principles the moment the offer of a lucrative directorship or a peerage came into the equation. If ever examples of poachers becoming gamekeepers were needed, look no further - and, although they are unlikely to admit it, I do wonder if some may have been inadvertently influenced by Churchill's words, " If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain." From their constituents' point of view, however, what they saw certainly wasn't what they ended up getting.

Interestingly, as if to demonstrate the wisdom of Sir Winston's words, as I have matured over the past half-century, I've voted for all three major UK parties. What's more, I voted for the Green party during the most recent election; so, it could be said that my political views have been fairly eclectic. That said, my contempt for those described in the previous paragraph is such that I would find it difficult to bring myself to vote in a manner which might contribute towards a Labour victory.

Now, these sentiments don't make me blind to the shortcomings of the Conservatives. Much though I admired Mrs. Thatcher for curtailing the entirely inappropriate influence the trade unions were enjoying in the sixties and seventies, I looked forward to the 'new dawn' promised by New Labour in the nineties - only to be amongst many who were disappointed by the deceit of Messrs. Mandelson, Campbell, Blair, Brown & Company.

It is in this respect (deceit) where I believe the right-wing of UK politics differ from the left - because, whether you agree with them, or not - what the Conservatives deliver is what is expected of them. In a nutshell and to coin a modern phrase, they do what it says on the tin. The same, however, could not be said of the Labour party during my lifetime and, whilst I sympathise with those who seem unable to recognise the difference, I find it very difficult to understand why.

So, to sum up; I despise anyone who knowingly purports to be one thing and turns out to be something entirely different. I find it much easier to respect an imperfect person (who admits to their shortcomings) than one who may be better - but not what they claim to be. Paradoxically - and to demonstrate this sentiment - as much as I deplored the damage he did to the reputation of this country (industrial action was known as the British disease during the eighties), when Arthur Scargill formed his own political party to stand against official Labour candidates, although I had no sympathy with his political views, the fact that he was true to his convictions persuaded me to send him a cash donation.

Finally, based on Sir Winston's theory on maturing responsibly, my own life, to some extent, could hardly be described as 'text-book'. For example, I started off voting Tory but graduated towards a more liberal stance. Further evidence of a rather back-to-front pattern can be seen in some other respects, too. Instead of taking a 'gap year' before a working life, I was nearly 60 when I drove across the USA, approaching 70 when I embarked on a solo visit to Patagonia and Peru and, as I write, I'm looking into the prospect of sailing around the south Pacific islands in a cargo-boat in an effort to re-live experiences I enjoyed as a DUKW driver during the UK nuclear tests in the fifties.

I'm sure at some time in my life, I will have claimed to be normal; so, perhaps, I should think again before being so adamant that I despise anyone who knowingly purports to be one thing and turns out to be something entirely different.
]]>Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:14:11 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/07/sport7.html
I've just read what I thought was a thoroughly disgraceful article  by a mediocre journalist who - like many of his ilk - is trying to impress elements of the public who don't appreciate Emile Heskey's contribution to English football by pouring scorn of his achievements.

Fortunately, thanks to the integrity of people who know a lot more about association football than this reporter (i.e. successive managers of the England team) Heskey's record of unstinting and unselfish endeavour for every team he has ever played for speaks louder - and with more relevance - than anything the press could ever hope to achieve.
]]>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:04:24 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/06/miscellaneous69.html
An acquaintance has pointed out similarities between a recent photograph of myself returning from a walk..........

                    ........and the cover of a book.........

......I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or give a 'V' sign.

]]>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 05:56:42 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/06/sport6.html
Following my recent remark about the effect they might have on the players prior to The World Cup, I'm reminded that I have, for some time, wondered why no member of the media (in particular, the gutter press) have put themselves forward to be manager of the England team.

I'm quite serious about this, by the way, because almost all of them seem to have had the answer to every problem once it has occurred; and that's the point "once it has occurred". Anyone can be wise after the event. Analysis of their forecasting skills, however, reveals that very few of them are much good when it come to giving an accurate prediction. Is it any wonder they are held in such contempt by almost everyone.


]]>Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:26:31 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/06/sport5.html
Barely ten minutes before they kick off their game against the USA, I want to put it on record that I would be a lot more comfortable about England's chances in the tournament if the media had put a little less pressure on the team. Their constant intrusion impeded the players' preparation instead of helping them.


]]>Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:16:50 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/06/miscellaneous68.html
Having been home for a couple of days, I've had time to reflect on our Golden Wedding Tour of New York and New England and have begun to realise (probably, for the first time) that advancing years are beginning to have an effect; if not (yet) upon the state of my mind, then, almost certainly upon my physical condition.

Now, I recognise there are factors which may have exacerbated the situation (jet-travel, different water, cuisine, time zones and weather conditions, for example). Furthermore, there are some irritations which can strike at any age; like these insect bites which I may have received during our last walk around Lloyd's garden.

---

Unfortunately, however, the fact of the matter is that I've rarely experienced so many minor complaints within such a short period of time - and the conclusion I have drawn from these somewhat aggravating circumstances is that my body may not be as robust as it was - and (more importantly) as I imagine it actually is. Perhaps, I should think about spending a little less time with my laptop and getting a little more exercise.

There may be occasions, however, when that might be more easily said than done......

.........Lloyd's family cat, Cato, making himself comfortable.

]]>Sat, 05 Jun 2010 08:57:44 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/06/miscellaneous67.html
In the original timetable for our visit to the USA, we had intended to return on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. However, when we made those plans, we hadn't known that the performing arts school which our elder grandson attends was holding an end of term concert on that very day. Obviously, it would have been extremely disappointing to miss the performance; so, I contacted Virgin Atlantic to change our flight to the following day.

Not really surprisingly, the students put on a good show and we were glad to have been there to see it. Furthermore, it was quite interesting to see Lloyd doing a pretty good impersonation of myself being 'father of the singer'.

Sadly, much of the following day was somewhat less enjoyable. For a start, it was hard to ignore an element of impending doom as our departure approached. Secondly, our younger grandson was feeling quite ill. He was, later, diagnosed with what is called strep throat in the States.

At the same time, having not expected us to be there, Lloyd had arranged to rehearse with his new ensemble. So, apart from strolling around to admire the work they had done in the garden during the visit, there wasn't an awful lot his mum and I could do.

All in all, it was something of a relief when the time came for Lloyd to drive us to Boston. By the way, there can be few airports (at Terminal E, at any rate) where it is easier to get from a car to the check-in desk and this - apart from an unfortunate encounter with the resident security jobsworth - contributed significantly towards a comfortable couple of hours as we waited to board our AIRBUS aircraft......

From take-off to touch-down, the flight was excellent and the wheelchair assistance at Heathrow was significantly better than we experienced at JFK. Adam, our younger son was there to meet us and although we felt quite well when we arrived home, it wasn't too long before jet-lag kicked in and we spent most of the day asleep - dreaming, no doubt, about an experience we'll cherish for a long time.

]]>Mon, 31 May 2010 18:29:16 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/05/miscellaneous66.html
Following on from my previous blog, I'm afraid the benefits I hoped to gain from a hot bath proved to be short-lived because it soon became apparent that I was a couple of stages beyond being knackered. In addition to suffering from the heat, I may have developed a slight case of food poisoning and, as a consequence, I spent the best part of a day-and-a-half recuperating.

Fortunately, I recovered in time to take advantage of a very kind invitation to visit a rather fine golf club - where, although I only managed to play the first nine holes, we were using buggies: so, I completed the course by just putting out the remaining holes before enjoying the excellent clubhouse facilities.

My wife and I worked in golf for the best part of twenty years and, when we left, in the late eighties, some progressive clubs were starting to take advantage of technology - using computers, for example, to assess handicaps. I doubt, however, if anyone in those days could have imagined golf buggies would be equipped with GPS systems that tell the golfer the exact distance to the hole (and where it is on the green) together with information such as the location of hazards and a comprehensive record of everyone's score. For my part, I was pretty amazed.

Since that enjoyable experience, although I've been kept quite active (visiting my grandsons' schools, a local mall, a bank-holiday flea-market, a BBQ and trying my hand at cycling for the first time in over forty years) the other highlight of my stay has been attending a Memorial Day Parade. Without wishing to make too much of an issue of it, it's hard to deny that many folk in the USA seem to place a higher value on demonstrating their patriotism than most of us do in the UK............

]]>Tue, 25 May 2010 13:47:13 -0800http://www.omnibusologist.com/8/post/2010/05/miscellaneous65.html
This is another one of those blogs which could fit into more than one category; so, as was the case last time, I've opted for 'Miscellaneous'.

Evidently, during my absense, the UK has been experiencing a spell of warm weather. Good for them - but, I doubt if it will have been as warm as it has been here, today - nearly 100 degrees (in old money) apparently. Great weather for doing nothing - but, not too comfortable for the likes of golf, for example.

Not long after arriving, on Friday, Lloyd kitted me out with a half-set of clubs and took me to the practice ground at his golf club. That seemed to work OK; so, yesterday, we met up with some friends of his and I managed nine holes without too much trouble. Not bad after eighteen months away from the game, I thought. What's more, I completed the game using the same ball with which I had started!!

Last night, we went to his local bar - where, amongst several others, I met the owner. Evidently, he's a keen golfer and we arranged to meet up for a game this afternoon. However, as I mentioned earlier, it's very hot; so, I chickened out - electing to walk to the Post Office which is on the other side of town.

On the way, I saw this sign - which amused me.....

Having enjoyed the walk to the Post Office, in a rather ill-judged display of bravado, I decided to take the scenic (but, lengthy) way back to the town - and, in so doing, arrived back at Lloyd's place soaked to the skin in sweat and absolutely knackered. Hopefully, the hot bath I've just had will help ease the pain.

]]>