What to do this Saturday? Now we have reasonable weather again, a country walk sounded like a good idea. One by water even more so. But where to walk? Yesterday the idea hit me. I have seen Saddington reservoir from the garden of the village's pub, the Queen's Head, and remembered a very minor road that went past it from a cycle ride decades ago. Saddington reservoir was built to supply water to the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal and now has a sailing club. Despite the many minatory notices, it was possible to walk the length of ...
In the interests of balance I should point out that the agricultural depression in eastern Leicestershire has driven many labourers to take up piracy. That and the exciting uniform you get to wear. Saturday "Cast adrift" was perhaps something of a misnomer: "grounded" would be a better word. Soon after Tom and I have waded ashore, Alfred appears on the towpath. "I expect you want me to fetch help," he says without enthusiasm. "Gamekeepers, elves and so forth." Off we go at a brisk trot, and I do indeed seek help from those and many other quarters. Tomorrow the Flower ...
The version I have of "Ill Met in Lankhmar" has no internal divisions, so the third paragraph is: The two thieves also had the relief of knowing that, with the satisfaction of a job well done, they were going straight home now, not to a wife, Aarth forbid! - or to parents and children, all gods forfend! but to Thieves' House, headquarters and barracks of the all-mighty Guild which was father to them both and mother too, though no woman was allowed inside its ever-open portal on Cheap Street. This won the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novella presented ...
A large wooden barn behind a bungalow off Maghull's Park Lane was well alight around 4.30pm today. Merseyside Fire and Rescue were in attendance but I think they were having difficulty with the neatest fire hydrant and were having to run their hoses to one some distance away I first saw the thick black smoke whilst cycling a couple of miles away in Aughton and realised that the fire must be in Maghull. The smell of burning in Millbank Lane was strong indeed. Hope all are OK. Click on the photos to enlarge them
Some of my most popular and best posts have come from people pointing me at something I'd missed, highlighting a topic that might be worth covering or sending me relevant information. If you're one of those who have done this so far – thank you, you've helped other readers get more out of this site. I'm particularly keen to get a better geographic spread of stories on this site – and also to better represent the diversity of what happens outside of London (where I live and work) and Westminster (where so much political attention gravitates). Spotted a story you ...
Second paragraph of third chapter: The names of the Twelve apostles were, Simon Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Labbaeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot. This man afterwards betrayed Jesus Christ, as you will hear bye and bye. A not terribly remarkable re-telling of the Gospels for children, mainly interesting because, in line with the author's wishes, it was not published until after the last of his children had died, 64 years after Dickens' death and almost 90 years after it was first written. Readers will be interested to learn ...
More educative entertainment from Tom Scott, this time testing out the huge concrete sound mirrors that were built in pre-radar days.
So one of the things about my relationship with food is that I am very easily bored and like a lot of variety. I love to try new cuisines and techniques. But I am also a bit cautious about buying a big tub/box/etc of a new ingredient if I'm not sure I will like it - when I used to get a veg box a lot of the time much of it went into soup, which always felt like a bit of a waste... Therefore one of the things I do is, every so often, I get a Gousto box. ...
UKTV channels are officially back on Virgin Media I am now mainlining the Father Brown marathon that's showing on alibi. Egyptian curators denied visas to attend Icom conference in Wales The home office are bastards part eleventy billion and three. Local plan | Calderdale Council Are you a Calderdale resident? Here's how to join the consultation on the Local Plan Daniel Hannan has noticed that Brexit isn't going well. And he blames Remainers and the left "Perhaps, if no consensus has been reached about what Brexit should look like, it's because none of the people who've spent decades campaigning for ...
The deadline for amendments and emergency motions for Conference may seem like ages away but, believe me, 1pm on Monday 3rd September will be on us before we know it. The Conference will be discussing a wide range of subjects, from the controversial migration paper to animal welfare to decriminalising abortion to foreign policy to housing to fairer distribution of wealth to Lib Dem "priorities for a better Britain." Your mission for this weekend, should you choose to accept it, is to read all the motions to see which you agree with, which you don't like and which you think ...
Fri, 12:56: RT @allymcleangames: Important Working Lunch instructional slide RE introducing yourself https://t.co/b36mKleVnv Fri, 16:05: RT @TheEconomist: In most negotiations, being prepared to walk away is key. But Brexit talks are akin to bargaining for a parachute having... Fri, 16:58: High-Rise, by J. G. Ballard https://t.co/EL9AvsO2vP Fri, 19:35: Now We Are Six Hundred, by James Goss, illustrated by Russell T. Davies https://t.co/UaV2DTEwnz Fri, 20:48: RT @EU_Commission: Something fun for today #Archive30! In the midst of the 70s energy crisis, this animated cartoon of the European commun... Sat, 10:45: RT @DavidLammy: Toby, sorry you feel oppressed ♥. Feel free to share ...
Shrouded amidst a rather generalised and vaguely creepy paeon of praise to Denmark, cloaked in criticism of their Burqa ban, was some very nasty and unnecessary verbiage. I quote here his whole passage with the particularly egregious words in bold, so that I can't be accused of quoting Johnson out of context: If you tell me that the burka is oppressive, then I am with you. If you say that it is weird and bullying to expect women to cover their faces, then I totally agree - and I would add that I can find no scriptural authority for the ...
If it is clear alternatives voters are after in elections, then UKIP's Welsh members have certainly given it to them in spades with their choice of the person to lead the party in the Assembly and, if he survives that long, to represents them on the stump in 2021, when we next elect AMs. As the BBC report, Gareth Bennett, the controversial UKIP member for South Wales Central has won a three-way battle to lead the party in the Senedd. He becomes the fourth leader of UKIP in Wales since the 2016 assembly election, which considering they started with a ...
Well said, Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on Boris Johnson's burka rhetoric: The effectiveness of our democratic society depends on freedom of expression and the expression of offensive and intolerant opinions is generally not unlawful. Boris Johnson's use of language in this instance, which risks dehumanising and vilifying Muslim women, is inflammatory and divisive. Political figures should lead by example, conducting debates in a responsible manner and language such as this can inhibit legitimate dialogue. With the Conservative Party looking seriously as disciplinary action against Boris Johnson, it may be that people are looking ...
Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash Good news from the Guardian: A nine-year-old chess prodigy has been told he does not have to leave the UK when his father's work visa expires, a move that has been welcomed by MPs and chess organisations in Britain.Shreyas Royal has lived in the UK since he was three but was told he would be sent back to India when the work visa expires in September. On Friday, his father, Jitendra Singh, said he had received an email that morning, informing him of the Home Office's change of mind. "They just emailed me and ...
The headlines about the Government stockpiling medicines in the event of a hard Brexit will pass most people by. They'll dismiss it as Project Fear. For people with serious long term health conditions, it's all pretty scary, though. They know that they could well pay the price of right wing Tory Brexiteers' folly. Christine Jardine has a friend with Diabetes, who tells her story in Christine's Scotsman column, describing how she came close to death when he system got out of balance after a stomach bug: After 48 hours alone, dehydrated and struggling to breathe - with sky-high blood sugar ...
From the City Council : Dundee City Council has allocated money from its Common Good Fund to continue its grant scheme to support groups that wish to organise community events to celebrate Hogmanay. Applications are invited from Dundee based community groups and cultural organisations which are planning to organise non-commercial celebrations to mark Hogmanay. The celebrations do not have to be on Hogmanay itself, but can take place between Saturday, 29th December 2018 and Thursday, 3rd January 2019. This year, we are particularly looking for applications that : - Involve a wide range of the local community- Give a sense ...
