BlackRat

Greetings one and all, it’s good to be back, I think.

Generic best wishes and commiserations where due, it’s impossible to keep up having been away for over a month visiting Uncle Sam.

It was definitely good to get away, love America and find it’s always a great place to visit. Interesting how they are experiencing similar issues to ourselves and also interesting to see that they have moved on from Covid with most if not all things open and seemingly back to normal.

Didn't manage to get to any model stores this time, but did manage to get to Bass Pro a few times…..if you’re into the great outdooors it’s always worth a visit.

No dramas on the trip out or back, although the Heathrow or Miami baggage handlers did manage to get my case ( always mine) mangled to such a degree that even a large roll of Gorilla tape and Gorilla glue was able to sort….. luckily managed to find a Beatles outlet near to us in the Keys so a suitable replacement was sourced at a good price.

Not saying how many cases we took…… But we counted them all out, and we counted them all back again.

Now the suns almost out, so, time to blow the cobwebs off the bike and have a tootle amongst the tourists down ere.

Stay safe.

Greetings one and all….back in Blighty.

Back to grey skies, potholed roads, litter everywhere, churlish officials and weed choked verges and roads…..That was just getting out of the airport.

The drive back was even worse and driving through Plymouth with the litter on the A38 was disgraceful.

The roundabout onto the Tamar Bridge was embarrassing….. welcome home and welcome to Cornwall…..hmmmmmm.

Woke to the good news re energy prices so decided Britannia is not so great after all. 
 

Need a holiday now :-)

No sentence should be there to act as a deterrent, it’s a pointless exercise.

People are only ever sorry after the event and if they are caught.

Some take great pleasure in inflicting dreadful pain and harm.

I joined the plod a firm and vocal opponent of the death penalty. I strongly opposed it with absolute conviction.

I left firmly believing  it in it, not as a deterrent but as a punishment.

Some of the things I saw give me nightmares still.

Greetings one and all from a hot and humid Florida.

Bit of a quiet day today for R&R by the pool, that all holiday villa rentals here seem to come with, happy days.

Think even the Grandson, with his endless energy has had enough of Mickey, Goofy, Avengers, Spider-Man etc and also wants to splash about doing, well not much apart from splashing about.

Seems they have similar problems here as home, just about every where we go seems to be advertising for staff and on several occasions now service has been noted as being poor, only ever had that once before in any trips to the USA.

Also noted some churlish and sometimes rude staff at Disney, unheard of before or pre pandemic, perhaps the worlds changed a little.

Re the NHS, let’s remember it is one of the worlds biggest employers! Certainly in the top 10 globally so it’s not a case of more money, it’s how it’s spent.

Look at the figures in the cold light, unbelievable sums. 
 

Just a quick add up of  friends ….at least 19 work for the NHS in some capacity, and that’s just off the top of my head.

Being involved with the public services for all of my career, and a school governor for something like 25 years I have seen unaccountable people waste many thousands of pounds.

Travelling around Europe and America, when I get back to Blighty it reminds me of some of the, let’s just say, underdeveloped countries I visited as part of my former role.

What I see now is a creaking infrastructure, pot holed roads, almost unusable round here some are, chewing gum strewn pavements, litter strewn streets and roads, bags of dog crap hanging from trees everywhere and the latest…..not cutting verges and public places ( laughingly called ‘rewinding’). Road repairs take months, we have had a water leak nearby for goodness knows how long but it’s in years, only a minor leak but how much has been lost?

It looks and is a mess.

Still I’m on vacation, the sun is shining and there’s cold Dr Pepper ( see what I did there) in the vast fridge with ice on tap.

Happy days.

Stay safe.

Greetings one and all….. just checking in from a hot and sunny Kissimmee.

Hope everyone is well……

Two weeks to go, will try and catch up when back in Blighty.

Stay safe.

Greetings one and all from a scorchingly sunny Florida.

Combined 60 th for me and Mrs BR and to mark my retirement after 42 years or so crown service.

Started planning this holiday in 2018 for 2020 but alas Covid meant it wasn’t to be….. rolled over to 2021 and had to roll it over again to this year.

Each time we added a bit, then a bit more so here now for 31 days with the family, making memories that will last forever.

So far visited Miami, the Everglades national park and now entertaining the grandson ( and me) with theme park after theme park.

Forgotten the sheer joy of being absolutely terrified at great heights and great speeds but if a 9 year old can do it….

Just as you start to flag you hear ‘Come on Gramps’ and it’s the best tonic to get you going ever.

Just Googling to see if there are any choo choo shops around, just for interest of course.

Take care one and all…. Normal service will be resumed at some point.

Greetings one and all from a overcast (as per norm) Kernow.

Ive been slowly going through my book collection and many have now been redistributed to either the railway minded pals (one gets the books and mags in exchange for him fixing my PC as and when required) and the rest to charity shops.

A recent trip to the Exeter show found me browsing through a second hand book store and realised several of the books were the same titles etc as I had given away.

Then the realisation that they were probably all from the same person who no doubt had croaked, kicked the bucket or whatever.

There’s still four double Billy Bookcases full and a load more up in the loft so there’s still a way to go.

The sad reality is quite a few bought for reference we’re only ever looked at whilst sat on the throne.

Still a good way to pass the time tho.

Greetings one and all……

Early start, watered back garden with last nights bath water ( every little helps), last coat of paint on house walls and then…..

Bike MOT…. No problems there and then a cheeky blast in the sunshine so blow the cobwebs away.

Bit more painting then weekend off, there’s only so much Paint you can slap about before one gets fed up!

Greetings one and all….. more painting today.

Someone I know once rubbed pile cream into an injury by mistake, instead of the usual Fiery Jack cream… the other way around doesn’t bare thinking about.

I don’t think they were able to blame anyone tho…..should’ve gone to Specsavers.

Good to see national panic and hysteria over the warm weather, at least it’s a break from the ongoing Covid… whatever next?

A level 4 national emergency? Really? Makes one wonder how the public services coped back during the day.

I was only 14 in the summer of 76….. was that a level 4 emergency? I do remember stand pipes and not flushing loos…..and a Scout summer camp in the best weather ever.

Still if the polar caps melt, and the sea level rises then it means as I live on top of a hill overlooking the estuary, I’ll have a house with waterside access etc …..happy days.

Dont forget….. for those who are unable to make any sort of decision about their own care….. Slip Slap Slop! 

Hi ho, hi ho, down the scaffolding I go……Easy peasy painting with a roller and scaffolding so now it’s cuppa tea time.

Dave, best wishes to you and yours today, I’m sure you’ll do Dad proud.

Greetings one and all…..19° And overcast, so what happened to the heat wave then!?

Still it’s good weather for house painting so up the scaffold I go. 
 

It’s not a chore as I have stunning views from up there, especially over Trematon Castle and the surrounding countryside….Annzzzum.

Chris…. Seems that lots of things have gone astray in the post, including several things I’m due from the ‘ we can’t cope NHS’…. I’m well overdue 2 years now) an asthma face to face and I still havent heard from the Mental Health crisis team re PTSD. Still the crisis was 20 months ago so I’m guessing the crisis was averted.

As I’m no longer tempted to jump off the scaffolding I’ll just enjoy the views and do some painting instead.

Have a great day, for those where the sun is shining on the righteous…..

Slip Slap Slop.

Greetings one and all from a wettish Kernow.

Up early and raring to go…..Royal Marines Troop reunion.

Off to meet my Band of Brothers, it’s going to be emotional.

What an inspirational human being…….

"to find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life".

Sound advice. Life is for living……we ain’t coming back for round two.