Folding your shirts

I've never been able to fold shirts nicely - or sweatshirts for that matter. That was, until we came across the Ikea chopping board!


All you have to do is lay the shirt "face down" and place the board on it, so that the board's handle is just on the collar.














Then smooth the shirt out and fold it over the edge of the board.














Then fold it up, remove board using its handle, turn the shirt over, et voila!















What's even better, the board comes in a pack of two - so that your daughter or granddaughter can fold up dolly's clothes also! (as long as it's a reasonably large dolly).













And I don't get a penny commission from Ikea!

More about signage

Another photo for you. The Council in its wisdom have put up a sign helpfully warning drivers of a roundabout and pedestrian crossing ahead.

However, if you want to go to the station, you may well miss it as the new sign just about completely blocks the station direction sign.

It makes you wonder who actually erects these signs.

A letter to the editor

I wrote a letter to the editor of one of our local newspapers but they didn't publish it. So I'll have to publish it instead!

It arose because just after Mr. Osbourne announced all his cuts, there was yet another announcement from our local council about their ambitious £1 billion project for the centre of Basildon. This time it included "inspirational plans". To fill in a bit of background, the council is currently building a big "Sporting village" and it was exposed recently that to help finance it, the Council is trying to sell off a number of open spaces.

Here's what I said:

Dear Sir

I was astounded to read all about the £1 billion revamp of the town centre of Basildon in your newspaper last week. And I thought that nice Mr. Cameron had said we‘re in a recession and need to make cutbacks! Or does Basildon Council exist in some kind of parallel universe? In fact, in the letters page last week, I read that the Council can’t even afford to trim the foliage along the highways (cutbacks halting cut backs, if you see what I mean). So how on earth is the Council going to afford all this? Or have they secretly agreed to sell off lots more open spaces around the Borough?

Another letter writer last week quite rightly bemoaned the appalling state of the Laindon Centre “regeneration”. If the Council can’t get that right, what chance has it on a £1 billion project?

Another thing I’d like to know is how much the Council has already spent out on fees to BWB to produce “inspirational plans”? How many hedges could that amount of money trimmed back?

Just to say, our own shopping centre in Laindon, mentioned above, is supposed to be redeveloped, and has been for a number of years now. But all that has happened, some years ago part of it was demolished, and hoardings surround it It really is a disgrace. One day soon I might take some pictures and share them with you.

By the way, I hope you liked the "cut back" pun in the letter.

Say cheese and let me have your passwords

The story of Google getting into trouble about their "Street View" service, where cars mounted with cameras drive round the world to obtain pictures down your street, continues. Yesterday in the paper it was reported that our privacy watchdog is investigating them after it emerged that as they drove down your street taking photos of your house, they also collected emails, usernames and passwords from any unsecured computer network they found.

Is it me? If drove down a street and took photos, I couldn't possibly - 'inadvertently' or otherwise - have collected stuff like that. It's a CAMERA, for goodness sake!

OK, OK! I realise it's a high tech camera and it's probably streaming the images in real time to a remote mainframe (see, I know the jargon!). But even so. How can you 'inadvertently' collect AND save such stuff?

Their spokesman gave the usual catchphrases. They are "profoundly sorry", they are "strengthening privacy", "more training", "better procedures", etc., etc.

It all sounds worryingly familiar doesn't it?

Spelling problems

Barstable is an area of Basildon; the Council knows that.

What it's not so sure of, is how you spell it.

Temptation

We recently looked at temptation in our Sunday service, as we have been studying the Lord's Prayer and got to "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil". We saw that "temptation" could be seen as testing - and the object of a test is to pass it. Similarly, the object of a temptation is to not yield to it, and so come out stronger as a Christian.

We sung a hymn which has all but disappeared from recent song and hymn books, Yield not to temptation. When I re-read the words, I was struck afresh by their practical common sense and their constant reminder to look to Jesus to help us in testing times.

I got eight copies of the words laminated, so if people wanted to keep a copy, they could. I have only one copy left, so there were those who did appreciate the words!

If don't know the hymn and I have sparked an interest, here are the words:

Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin;
Each victory will help you some other to win;
Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Chorus:

Ask the Saviour to help you,

Comfort, strengthen, and keep you;
He is willing to aid you,
He will carry you through

Shun evil companions, bad language disdain,
God’s name hold in reverence, nor take it in vain;
Be thoughtful and earnest, kind-hearted and true;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through

All who overcome now, God will give a crown,
Through faith we will conquer, though often cast down;
He who is our Saviour, our strength will renew;
Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.

Horatio R. Palmer, 1868

If you want to hear it sung, there are a number of versions on YouTube

The Commonwealth Games

Did you follow the Commonwealth Games? After so much gloom and doom before they began, all seemed to go quite well really.

Paul Hobson, writing in the Baptist Times on 1 October said about the Games, "It'll be fine. It's India". And those who have been fortunate to visit the country, as we have, will know what he means.

He ends his article by saying, "Do not be surprised if the 2010 Commonwealth Games are a huge success." I think he got it right! Except, perhaps, for the fact that England came third in the medals table, behind the host nation.

Actually, on the BBC web site they had alternative ways of showing the medals table. One was medals by population. We come a miserable 18th. But out front by far is Nauru which, with one gold and one silver and a population of 10,000, they are easy winners!

You may be thinking, where on earth is Nauru? Good question! Apparently it's a Pacific Island to the north of Papua New Guinea. Economically it's not in a good state, so especially well done to the Nauruians!

My return

First of all apologies to all my loyal readers. I realise it's been some time since I blogged, but I will try and do better in the coming weeks.

As always, you can check to see how many days, hours, etc it is to Christmas on the right hand side of my blog page. Which brings me to what started me blogging again. It's the old 'chestnut' of Christmas starting too early.

This morning Chris Evans on his breakfast show said that in his village the Christmas lights are already on! And, no, it's not a test.

And in Iceland you can get "Christmas at Iceland deep fill mince pies. Best before date 25 Nov. " Can someone tell them Christmas is actually 25 DECEMBER please?