A free lunch?

My wife went to the gym cafe early this morning and thought she'd buy herself one of the sandwiches in the cold cabinet but was told she couldn't have one as they were yesterday's. He hadn't taken yesterday's sandwiches off the shelf or made today's yet. She offered to pay him half price. No, he said but she could have it for free! That meant they couldn't be liable if she was ill after eating it.

That's health and safety, of course. But my wife did a risk assessment - it was made yesterday and wrapped in cling film. It had been in the cold cabinet all day and night - so she decided it was OK took it.

So there can be a free lunch after all - as long as it's stale!

You'll never guess ..

A few weeks ago we found an offer of buying discounted vouchers to redeem at a well-known High Street store. You got 10% extra free. It seemed a good so we got some and were going to spend them next week when we went Christmas shopping.


You'll never guess which shop! Oh, you have! Yes, Woolworths! It's been going 99 years and the week before we go to spend there they go into administration. Still, the branches are still open at present, so the radio says. So must sign off, we're nipping down to Basildon Woolies today...

Life - Past, Present & Future

Today I came across a poem that I wrote when I passed the milestone of 50 years old. Of course that was 10+ years ago now. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy it. Perhaps doggerel is a better description than poem!

Life - Past, Present & Future

Shout hip hip hooray, I'm 50 today!

The prime of my life has now come my way.

No ageism here, 'cos 50's OK!

But casting my mind back to my youth if I may -

With no tele to watch, then games we would play;

A packet of sugar - one and threepence you'd pay

And decimal coinage was miles away!

And if one was happy, one said one was gay.

But back to the present, for here we must stay;

The legs start to ache, the hair's really grey

And even my suit is starting to fray!

But if from the subject I'm tending to stray

Let's look to the future; to stand, come what may;

Keep contact with Jesus, your fears he'll allay.

Whatever comes to you, just follow his way.

Now to misquote the advert, I'll finally say,

The Spirit each day, helps you work, rest and pray.

(Eric Baldwin, July 1997)

Dishonourable discharge for Sergeant?

So John Sergeant has bowed out of Strictly in case he wins it! It doesn't matter how the great British public vote. What if Lib Dem candidates at the next election worked on the same principle? [Just think about it!]

But the BBC have shot themselves in the foot. I won't be watching Strictly on Saturday now.

No need to unblock the chimney after all ...

I know I shouldn't be surprised, but I often am at the lengths some parents go to ensure their children don’t find out the terrible truth the father Christmas doesn’t actually exist. No, he doesn’t! Sorry if I’ve shattered your illusions but it had to happen sometime! You don't have to unblock the fireplace for 24 December!

Actually, I think we should not bring up our children to believe in Father Christmas and here are three reasons why.

Firstly, the fact is that we are lying to them. We tell our children not to tell lies, and then by stringing them along about Father Christmas we are in fact lying to them. It doesn’t seem to me to be a very good example to set to our children

Secondly, what about Jesus? When they find out that Santa is only a myth, what about the other story that comes out at Christmas, the one about the baby Jesus born in a stable? Isn’t that a myth also? If Father Christmas doesn’t really exist, why should Jesus? As I’m a firm believer that Jesus did and does exist, I don’t want children’s beliefs prejudiced by the mythical Father Christmas.

Finally, we give our children presents because we love them. Why do we assign away our love to an imaginary figure from Lapland? Our children need to know in as many ways as possible that we love them. So tell them the presents you bought them are from you!

End of rant! But do think on …

A cat conundrum

My sister in law wants to get rid of the thing she had for the cat, a kind of activity centre. If I remember rightly, it's a sort of wooden post that's matted, so the cat can claw it, and has things hanging from it for the cat to play with.

Anyway, she called it a cat playstation. Which made me wonder if there's a cat wii (this might make more sense if you say it out loud!).

I'm back.

It's been a long time since I last blogged. My apologies to all out there who read my musings. Excuses include a week's holiday in Spain. And may I say at this point that the rain in Spain actually falls everywhere, but especially Malaga!

It's all been happening here though. No, not the credit crunch, rising unemployment and all that, but the fact that John Sergeant is still in Strictly! The judges are appalled that the public are voting off better dancers, and Cherie Lunghi's partner James Jordan definitely wasn't happy!

But actually this is what the BBC wants. Even I may watch it next time, just to see John! So while everyone's rowing, the viewing figures are up and it's proving what the BBC knew all along, this isn't so much a dance show as how to get good ratings on a Saturday evening.

But I ought to say something about the parlous state of the economy. Today a CBI report came out saying things are worse than they thought. More doom and gloom ... But hang on a minute! What they are saying is they got it wrong in September when they thought things weren't too bad. And, of course, they got it completely wrong as they didn't see the credit crunch coming anyway. So as they've got it so wrong so often, why does this latest report snatch the headlines? My report on CBI's reports says, "C-, try to do better next time." But I don't hold out a lot of hope.