A Glorious Sunny Winter Day.

I knew I would enjoy today at work. I got up at 4 am and went out the side door to the carport. I looked up, and although it was cold and frosty, the night sky was clear. The moon and the stars looked great. I knew it would be a clear blue yet chilly day. 

It was indeed. I spent the day driving around the Fenland, close to Chatteris. I went to a small village called Benwick. Here, I stopped and drank in the glorious sight of the crisp morning. It felt like Heaven on Earth. I got out my mobile and tried to capture the moments as I walked along the river bank. It felt wonderful to be alive and out on this smashing day. 

England in the Summer Along the Bird Hides of the Fenland.

It was a very hot day indeed today. We decided to go to the bird hides of Manea, just passed the rickety old cottage between the rivers Delph and Bedford. These rivers are separated by a bridle path and a huge dyke that runs between both rivers.

In previous blogs, I have shown pictures of the flooded fen when the Delph burst her banks in the autumn. Today, and as expected, the lake effect upon the fields was gone. The river Delph was in clear view as was the lush green pastures stretching towards Ely. It was 31c but the heat was helped by a cooling breeze along the bridal path.

We were concerned about the heat for our little dog Darcy. However, this was unfounded. She seemed to love the freedom of running along the bridal path. In some ways it was sad. This time last year, our late dog Dotty would have been charging along the hides. Sadly, she passed away in November after a short illness. Cancer that claimed her very suddenly.

Darcy enjoyed herself.

Darcy is the new little companion. We lasted two days without Dotty. She left a void in the house. Darcy, in many ways, is just like Dotty.

We stopped at several bird hides and looked out towards the old cathedral in the distance. The spires looking distant and grey in the shimmering haze - far away on the other side of the fens. The sky was full of Terns. Seagull type birds twisting and turning in the clear blue. The sky was theirs on this occasion. Back at the bridge by the rickety old cottage was the bridge where an abundance of swifts was seen darting here, there and everywhere by the reeds and lilies as they swooped and chased each other. Also the dragonflies and butterflies by the reeds.

At one moment we heard a commotion. The sound of 'Kleep, kleep - Kleep kleep.' coming from over the dyke. The sound went on and on and got closer. I readied my camera as three birds flew over. They were Oystercatchers. They made for a wonderful sight.

The Oystercatchers made a complete racket in the clear blue sky.

All in all, it was a kind excursion that passed the late morning into the early afternoon. I took my camera and clicked away at various things.

Break the Law - Car Removed by DVLA - UK

I have noticed that there were a number of vehicles clamped in the village where I work. They were DVLA clamps with notices put under wipers. I've been told that the DVLA automatically knows if someone has not paid road tax for a car. Therefore, any vehicle on the public road becomes illegal. If a car owner declares SORN to the DVLA and keeps the vehicle off road - ie on private land, then they are still legal until putting the vehicle on the road. 

I noticed this car clamped for a few days, but the owner may not have paid the tax and removal costs. After a certain time, it gets removed by the authorities and sold at auction to recover costs. 

No getting away from it in this day and age. Pay your car tax or loose your car. It's harsh medicine, but there it goes.

All Out War by Tim Shipman (My Goodreads Review)

All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class by Tim Shipman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was engrossed in this book from the word go. We go through the whole process of how David Cameron was forced by his own Eurosceptics and UKIP pressure to do his famous Bloomberg speech. What followed next was the chain reaction and the underestimating of the Brexiteers’ ability to put together a substantial fighting force. This combined with events and powerful personalities brought about one of the most interesting political shock waves I can remember in my 56 years of life.

This book is very detailed and looks at both Remain in the EU and Leave the EU camps and the consequences that brought it about. We also see some egotistical characters in the form of Dominic Cummings and Aron Banks with their different aggressive approaches.

We get a good look at how David Cameron watered down his demands after the Bloomberg speech and then tried to sell it to the electorate, thinking he had got a victory for the British people and his ministers.

Every chapter gives the reader an interesting angle and development as we edge closer to the referendum day. It is not for the faint-hearted for it is packed with cunning ways to attract attention, good for one group and bad for the opposing. There are political guerrilla tactics employed as we move closer to the all-important day. This is a splendid and exciting read that lets you see both sides of the campaign including the in-house fighting.

It was a total war with battle fronts comprised of joint party cooperation on both sides. The organised pro-EU government-backed campaign led by the Prime Minister and the wonderful guerrilla adversaries from the Leave camp of Vote Leave, Leave EU to Grass Roots Out or GO. The whole thing is marvellous.

Cabinet ministers taking sides against their Prime Minister and joining opposing party politicians for a greater cause. Opposition MPs joining the opposing government for the pro-EU. This was a civil war at its very best where each side battled to win more than 50% of the electorate.

The amount of work that went into targeting specific categories of people. All the planning and application were mind boggling. This is one of the best political accounts I have ever read and on such an emotive and derisive subject. It certainly gives the reader a deeper insight and appreciation of the work both sides put in. Also the oversights and underestimating afterwards.

I would highly recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Noting in Shopping Centres Except the Quaint Old Buildings.

On Tuesday 2nd of May, my wife and I decided to go for a drive to Huntingdon. We often go here for a look at the small shopping centre. Sometimes we go to Kings Lynn or on other occasions Peterborough. On this day, however, it was Huntingdon. It did not take long and there was nothing we really wanted to buy. It was more for the ride out than anything else. We bought a few odds and ends but nothing we could not get in the local convenience store in our own town of March.

Along the way, we chatted about things and saw a few birds of prey in the clear blue sky. They always seem to like hunting over the fields. Once in the outskirts of Huntingdon, we noticed the old world feel of some buildings that were mixed with the newer ones. This was so as we walked around the shopping centre. I don't know whether it is me, but most of the town centres nowadays seem to lack any of the major department stores. There seem to be various types of cheap pound shops, fast food premises, estate agents, barber shops and tanning salons. All this with endless amounts of charity outlets. 

It all looked as though the actual town centre was in a state of decline, I'm sad to say. I think it is happening in most places nowadays. You can't find anything that flicks your interest anymore when going to town shopping centres. Unless you want to eat and have a coffee. There are also the nice old buildings that remind me of other times. 

    

  

When David Cameron Woke the Goblins?

At the Bloomberg speech, David Cameron woke all the dispirited goblins from none voting slumber? Many had not registered to vote. This was because no one political party offered them anything they wanted. Some were so unconvinced that they had not bothered voting for decades.

Then on this day of Bloomberg, it became something like the movie called Labyrinth, when the girl calls into the mirror and berates her baby brother and wishes for the goblins to take him away. She has to say the right words a number of times. We see the goblins behind the mirror saying, “She’s going to say it.” They gasp and hold their breaths, waiting with expectant glee.

And so did the goblins of Britain’s electorate. We sat enthralled on the other side of our TV screens.

“He just said it!” – A referendum on the EU.

Then the doors blew open and a prize big mouth in the form of Nigel Farage stepped up for the coming referendum campaign. “What’s said is said,” replied the wonderful wicked goblin king.
  

A few month later he was in the EU parliament inviting them to laugh.

We mischievous goblins had a noble fool in the form of David Cameron, promising this and that with ill-deserved confidence. We goblins knew he would come back with nothing because of the wicked loud mouth goblin king – our adorable Nigel – kept telling us.

Wow! It was so wonderful. We had our fool who believed he was a champion. He got re-elected by people who hated his party, but they wanted the referendum. No other party dared to offer such a thing and therefore none stood a chance. There was David Cameron promising everything to goblins who knew he would deliver nothing. Off he went to make a deal with an uncompromising dragon.

When Dave (Our Prime Minister) came back from his EU chat with his bag of empty sweet wrappers, he still tried to sell them to his electorate. He brought finance people and kings from far away lands to tell us stories of what would happen if we did not vote to stay in the glorious EU. The land of honey and gold where you can buy lots of wonderful things. All this for the price of sovereignty and a new political ideology imposed upon all, by unelected strange people from foreign lands.

Then the Brexit mavericks came out of the closet. One was a former mayor of London – an assassin who stepped up to wield the knife – another glory hunting fool chasing a dream. His name was Boris Johnson. Still, his loud mouth would be a great tool to scream for goblin support.

Then the clever ones stood behind him and some hid behind the foolish champion David. These were the real players who stayed in the shadows and watched the mudslinging. On the sidelines was our goblin king Nigel who could be as politically incorrect as he liked because the other Maverick Boris was doing all the P.C. stuff and could disown the goblin king at a distance. He gave Brexit the air of decency (Something needed because Remain campaigners were labelling Brexiters as racists.) A two-pronged, loud mouth, attack. One with nothing to lose and the other chasing everything. (Prime Minister of Brexit Britain) 

On referendum day the goblins all raced to the polls with great aplomb and the electoral turnout was bigger than any had seen for a long time.

I went to bed after casting my vote. I got up the following morning and turned on the news channel. It was very early and I was preparing for work. The news presenter was making the statement that the UK had reversed the decision of 1975 and was to leave the EU. I went back to the bedroom and told my wife. I could not help it. I had to wake her and let her know. She got up straight away delighted with the result.

I was so pleased. My Mother texted me. It just said, “Won.”

Then came the fallout from Europe, which was unsettling because we don’t dislike or have ill will towards our fellow Europeans. We just want our MPs to have ultimate power on things in the UK. Not governed by unelected people in Brussels. It was horrible to see some of the decent people of the EU voicing their dismay and upset. But it is not them we are vexed with. It is the unelected and unaccountable Presidents who keep hammering the EU ideology into us.

The UK must control immigration and when small up and coming companies want to sell the UK produce to Brazil or India; the EU should not make them fill out all the legislation necessary to comply with this trade. It cripples small business. It can’t grow.

When our elected people mess up, we can vote to be rid of them. Even if some of us goblins want to return to unconcerned slumber. The referendum gave us the one chance to sack the unelected governors of Brussels and us goblins went for it.

Now we have lost the loud mouth maverick too - hooray! hooray! Their jobs are done. The mayor is out of the running for Prime Minister as assassins never get the job anyway. Now the serious players are standing upon the stage. The assassin was, in turn, character assassinated in one foul swoop by his adjutant Michael Gove in a move worthy of a Shakespeare drama.

Meanwhile - the patsy is gone. Long live the loud-mouthed patsy - Boris Johnson. You did wonderfully well – now get lost and close the door on the way out - there's a good chap.

Nigel Farage will wait on the sidelines like a ravenous dog watching for any sign of a stitch up. I don’t think there will be and then this dog can run off into the field of obscurity. His grand work done. I would give him a little more appreciation than Boris, but he is not the kind of man we need in the diplomacy core.

Bring on the real players. The clever cowards – the quite rascals with no hearts, yet a will to follow the instructions of the electorate. There will be other rewards after the EU divorce for the newcomers.

I see Theresa May and Liam Fox – an English woman or a Scottish man. I know the English woman was lacklustre on the Remain side in the EU debate. She did not really declare. Clever lady! She sat in the shadows.

The Scotsman Liam Fox. Mild of manner, but calm and collected. A Leave campaigner that refrained from the scaremongering.

Theresa and Liam - two very level-headed people indeed. Now they are prepared to take on the long Kiss Goodbye with the EU.

Theresa May is firmly committed to the leave vote now it has been cast and there will be no back door stitch up or the second referendum. Out is out. All knew she did not like the way things were with the EU, but she was no maverick. She played it sensible and will methodically set about unravelling the EU ways from our UK.

Liam Fox often politely spoke of his disbelief in the EU and that the UK could get by outside of it. He was not loud but he let people know where he stood on the matter. I think Theresa might get the job of Prime Minister and Liam will be at her side during the Brexit negotiation. I also think Michael Gove will play a part too.

If they do bring in other Brexiters from other parties, I would like to see Gisela Stewart – the German lady in the Labour party. She was a grand Brexiter too.

To the foolish knights, the Mavericks, and the devious shadow lurkers – Thank You.