Just back from the local sports centre gym. From the car park I witnessed some severe violence with hundreds if not thousands of local watching.
It was of course the annual recreation of the Battle of Evesham, where poor old Simon De Montfort gets chopped up every year. The event has become quite big over the years.
Sure it wasn’t one of the recent Stop The Boats protests 
?
That’s the trouble with this forum
Sex and violence
Not enough of them
Have some enormous brambles (very unwanted) growing in from next door . As I have been very slow this year I prioritised planting over weeding . The garden is a helluva of a mess and I have two dodgy knees and a dodgy shoulder
Normally I make my bramble and apple jelly when the elderberries and brambles are equally available but this year these were too good to miss .
These will be mixed with some cooking apples and reduced to a jelly . With the first jar opened on Christmas morning
We shouldn’t joke about it. The whole thing is deplorable.
I do the Guardian Sudoko every day. On Saturday they have an ‘expert’ puzzle, which I’ve failed to do for the past two or three weeks. But I did yesterday’s with no problems and finished it really quickly. It’s such a simple thing, though great to have managed it again.
Yesterday a trip up to Ross Lake Recreation Area in the North Cascades in Washington State. Which included a guided boat tour around the lake. Beautiful day with beautiful scenery, highly recommend for anyone visitng the Pacific Northwest. It is a beautful remote wilderness area.
Multiple hiking trail opportunities exist the suspended bridge is part of one of the trails.
Yahoo… Life is Sweet!
I agree that it’s deplorable… De Monfort (who has a university named after him) was a Norman and was a rabid anti-semite. Probably would have been a hero figure to the current group of English nationalists.
De Montfort University was formerly Leicester Poly. It was where I first saw the best band ever.
Which band would that be? 
Bucks Fizz
Not often envious, but that is an exception
Went for a coffee this morning whilst out shopping.
Me “A plain, buttered scone please”.
Assistant “Fruit or plain?”
Me “Plain please”.
Assistant “Do you want butter with it?”
I despair for the future generation.
They probably put margarine on it too 
The day started well, got up, fed the kitties, breakfast then coffee in the conservatory, whatsapped Daughter#2 to wish her a happy birthday, exchanged kitten photos with Wife & Daughter#1, changed some cat litter, mowed the lawns, yada yada yada.
Then Apple decided I needed to update iOS.
So iPhone on its charging station and iPad plugged into the PC, and off we go. Fifteen minutes later…one fully updated iPhone and one “bricked” iPad.
Well, let’s be reasonable; it IS their iPad, they just let you pay for it!
Got up, flew to San Francisco, hired a convertible Mustang, drove down Highway 1 as far as Watsonsville. The first stretch was dominated by Karl The Fog. Temperature around 18 degrees, roof shut. Then fog cleared, roof open, jacket still on. Into the backhills of California and got stuck in a traffic jam due to a brush fire. Temperature 39 degrees. Roof shut A/C on. After the jam road clear again and turned off the Freestate and onto the country roads. Roof down, still 39 degrees. On to Yosemite, 33 degrees, checked in, parked vehicle, ready for a cold beer.
We drove all the way down to LA in a Chevy Camaro, great drive the fog was amazing.
I was tempted to keep on going but the cross California drive was an amazing experience: so much variation in climate and vegetation in one day
We went from San Francisco up the Napa first. I was a bit disappointed with Napa there were more gum trees there than back home. Looking out our motel room made me think of the Hunter Valley (NSW).
