22 April – 50 tomato plants now 10mm high – labels are awry! so a bit random – plum, cherry, normal – whatever! I will put them 2×2 into pots in greenhouse = 16, then another 10 in pots out front and on patio. So about 30 to give away – Aaron and Kate have had a couple so far, Matthew might like a few and then the children. I also just put in basil seeds. Nasturtium are doing ok. Pretty woman lily seems ok, and bird of paradise lily slower, no sign of flame lily yet. Lemon trees are looking OK’ish. Wall flowers are blooming lovely. What else will come up? Exciting to see if evening primrose and chicory reappear this year. Rose plants look ok so I hope to have yellow, red, black, white, pink and more.
FORGIVE ME!
With the death of the pope I thought I would investigate the difference between catholics and protestants – I am not sure I have sussed it. The differences I came to hardly justify the horrible deaths by both over the centuries. It seems that protestants are believers in the bible per se – whilst catholics see the pope as being able to modify – seems sensible. Then the Eucharist – catholics believe it is the bodyand blood of christ and not a chunk of bread or biscuit and some wine – fucking stupid! So that is the difference? The catholic church is obviously mega rich thus making views of compassion for the poor rather empty, and the same is true for the protestants.
RELIGION
In the interest of getting my arguments correct
In England and Wales, the 2021 Census revealed that 46.2% of the population identified as Christian, while 37.2% identified as having no religion. Muslims make up 6.5% of the population, and Hindus represent 1.7%. In 2021, 271,327 people in England and Wales identified as Jewish, representing 0.46% of the total population. The majority of “Christians” that actually go to church and follow is about 8%. What is interesting is the weight exerted by Jews. My religious history is weak but I think it was Jews who were behind the death of JC. Whatever, but why the influence on the media – pro-Palestinian protests are castigated by the RW Press, why?
I cannot be a Christian as I do not believe in the bollox in the bible, however I do adhere to the rule of law that has developed, in no little part to the influence of the church. Despite the fact that greedy fuckers claim to be Christians whilst ripping the rest of the population off. I quite like the serenity of ancient churches, whilst still questioning if the money and time uwed to build them would have been better expended on the people! A visit to Pembroke made me ponder whether the church towers were actually rocket launchers! I was told the towers used to be white washed to make them stand out.
I am also a little jealous of those who believe – “something fucks you right off” – have a prayer and god will sort it! I am not so bothered by life after death – if god requires subservience he can fuck right off – misogynist twat!
Well I had better stop – greenhouse watered and at least 50 pots of tomatoes ready for a scorching summer and a bumper crop. I will plant a dozen in the greenhouse, but also another dozen in pots in the garden – this year will be hot!I think the labels are a bit muddled – cherry, plum and normal – whatever, those who get them free can have an interesting time watching them. Nasturtiums are also growing – I actual really do like the flowers! Lillies are doing ok, but not sure about last years “Flame lily’s”.
just made a lemon drizzle cake and took some down for the workers in the shop. Yesterdays herb, parmesan and chilli bread sticks were good.
On a hot summer – I have my fan. I am getting a new battery for the car tomorrow and will then get petrol and go to Draycott for jam strawberries – it is time to make jam for the family and friends again. maybe a double lot and visit Sainsbury’s in Cheddar for jam sugar.
POPE
Can it be true that Trump states that he should be elected the next Pope as he is the most qualified and cleverest person for the job!
Of course I made that up – but it is believable!
On the tariff front a Chinese airline has returned a new Boeing 737 Max – price tag $55million. With 20% of world market China is a major customer – and it has imposed a 125% tariff on American goods thus sneding the price rocketing. This could be good news for Airbus but I doubt they could increase production at the required rate? However Boeing has been struggling of late so this could mean a big problem, and the absolute reverse of Trump’s intentions to build American manufacturing.
TRUMP’S PEACE
Israel bombs hospital, deploys ground troops and employs a blockade to starve Palestinians – how is this not genocide? Meanwhile his bestie, Putin says there is a truce whilst continuing as normal. If this is peace on Trump’s terms the Ukranians and Palestinians will wish for something else.
Meanwhile back in the UK Ed. Milliband has come out swinging – denouncing the lies of the tories and Farage regarding Net Zero. Let us have more of this please. Lies should be called out, loud and clear. Unfortunately the lies are believed by the dull and ignorant! What is worse is the half truth – if we exploited remaining North Sea gas fields we would reduce imports of gas – from 97% to 94%! It is plain fucking sense that we should reduce reliance on gas and oil as quickly as possible, not only for economic reasons but strategic ones too! My own pet solution that would help the problem would be to reinstate the 20000 water mills in the UK (and add a few more). Not a great solution, but would provide power for about 100 000 homes – that is probably as practical as my use for chimneys! Houses rarely have fires so the chimney is a waste of space, and a source of damp! So use solar panels to produce electricity to raise a weight up the chimney when it is sunny. At night the falling weight could produce electricity? Oh well – back to the drawing board!
Time for a re-think about house designs. I am not a sensible person when it comes to fashion! But why do we use half the space of houses for bedrooms where we mainly sleep! There is a trend for more bathrooms and toilets – why? Does everyone get the shits listening to Trump? OK so my perfect house would have a big living room window facing south for maximum heating. Treble glazed! Then a large kitchen with a farm style table for eating. I think facing east so it gets the morning sun. What else – bedrooms – I am happy with a laundry basket X2 clean and laundry! A big bed cos I am a fat fucker! Then – no mirrors (who wants to see themselves after a night out, or even the morning after! bathroom has enough room for a good shower and maybe a bath somewhere in the house? garage/shed for keeping shit in! Certainly not the car! And whilst here – every house has the following which they use rarely! Power tool, lawn mower, kitchen appliances like a pasta maker, yogurt maker, etc. Surely a civilised society would find a way to share these things! But no – we all buy less than perfect versions regularly and make the fat cats happier as they counf profits! So I would suggest a model where people who join pay £200 which covers cost of equipment, and can be used to buy more. Booking equipment can be done online in advance – and as everyone knows each other, problems of double booking should be able to be resolved?
I have relegated my lawnmower to the depths of the garage – but why does everyone have one, and use them only once a fortnight`?
JK ROWLING
We all hate sore losers, but also it is not British to be a bragging winner. JKR arranged a publicity stunt on her super-yacht with a cigar and glass of something. As stated previously I know nothing about the debate, but I do know that I dislke opulent wealth being flaunted. Who ever the minority, if legal, must be protected by the law – it is our civilised society. Talking of which muppet face is dominating the pages with his ridiculous grin. If the voters in the red wall seats cannot stomach voting for Starmers Labour, I woould suggest abstaining is preferable to a master of deception and the publicity. What is it about the thick public that they fall for the likes of Johnson, Trump and Farage? I suspect it is a mixture of racism, misogyny and ignorance. They can be classed with Jimmy Saville and Hitler – charisma and no morality, wealth chasing and egoistic.
WAR
There never seems to be a problem with funding a war. Sudan and South Sudan are blighted by a horrific war with sexual attacks on children as young as 1 year old. Who provides the weapons? Both these countries are poor and the weapons and planes used are in general not locally made – who are the profiteers? We know where Ukraine gets its weapons and Israel too – how can Israel afford the air raids on 40000 locations and the 70000 tonnes of bombs dropped? USA funding I suppose although it has the manufacturing capability to produce its own.
Whilst on the topic I notice that politicians have stopped stating that Isreal has a right to defend itself – it passed that point a long time ago – now the words are vengence and ethnic cleansing.
HOW FUCKING DARE THEY!
Thw Sun newspaper today hedlines that Britain is broken. Yes there are problems – mostly inhereted from the last government. The NHS will not be turned around in 9 months. However this is a lovely country where the press is allowed to make damaging comments and decry the efforts of government. They are obviously appealing to the moaners amongst us – and they are a majority? We have a free education system, good roads, a NHS that will deal with immediate problems quickly and efficiently in the main. A society devoid of absolute poverty. We are fortunate to be living on this treasured isle. Our climate is near on perfect, although the weather can be disagreeable! So Sun editors stop pandering to the moaners and concentrate on the positives as well as the negatives (sewage, electricity prices, pot holes, NHS waiting lists, etc.). If Britain was failing, the £ would be falling rather than being buoyant, the bond market would have exposed this, as it did with Truss.
I am not sure whether to moan or celebrate the following! Kate Perry and others have experienced space travel – albeit for a very short time! Normal cost is $1 each but Bezos owns the company so his girlfriend presumably went free, and her crew got at least mates rates! The positives are that the crew reported that they saw Earth in a different positive way. The environmental damage done is probably immense, but … I am not sure if there is a but or that I know it! It was an all girl crew which in a male dominated way must be a positive. And as non- excutives with billions, hardly ‘normal’ people, but …… . I am not jealous either. On the negative side – would the money have been better spent attacking poverty and discrimination? Bezos gave his support to Trump so I hope an European alternative takes the place of Amazon in Europe at least.
The tec billionaires are acting like spoilt brats. Besos and Zuckenberg have $500 , $300 million yachts respectively. Mill and mine owners in the UK used to build stately homes, Ambani’s house in Mumbai cost £2 billion but is valued at $4.6 billion – which is on par with Buckingham Palace valuation! (Could Charlie sell?).
RIDICULOUS
Like Liz Truss and Boris Johnson before him Trump has become a parody of himself. His recent avowal to limit exemptions time wise is laughable. He maintains that he is doing it because of unfair trade practises. I think it unfair that avocados do not growin hedgerows in the UK and the Mexicans are just exploiting an unfair climatic system; similarly if Chinese workers have the necessary skills and work longer for less sober. As a trade unionist I am not happy with the last statement but one cannot ignore the fact that one BILLION people have be lifted out of extreme poverty world wide (mainly Asia). The main beneficiaries of this economic revolution has been the citizens of the west, Americans in particular.
So is Trumps plan to exploit migrant labour? No he is rounding up migrants, legal and illegal, and often illegaly and deporting them. Hmmmm. Me thinks he has not thought this through! Whilst the USA may have the capacity to increase car production (burning petrol and diesel), it is unlikely that iPhones will be built in the USA any time soon, at least not at a price the American consumer can afford. Globalisation has had victims too!
Not only are the tariffs a tax on consumers but the exchange rate is emphasising the price increases, the dollar is now 1.31 to the £, This is at least 5% higher than BT. (before Trump).
So Madagascar will have to pay a 10% tariff on vanilla! How does this help an American citizen? WTFK’s! Is it malicious or ignorance?
And then Bezos is putting his girlfriend and mates into space. Whilst I agree that it should not be a male dominated thing, exploring space, but this is a publicity stunt for rich fuckers.
TRUMP RETREATS
Whatever the wamkers in the White House say – Trump is U Turning. Firstly a 90 ‘grace’ period and then a exemption for smart phones and computers from tariffs. Is this due to any fool pointing out that the average American workforce does not have the ability to make them. Does the exemption apply to smart phones from China? His upping of the tariff for China smacks of someone with a small cock talking bollocks! The real reason for the backdown was the fall in US Treasury Bonds which the USA government needs to sell to cover its debt (and China is a major owner of them, and a major purchaser!). So Trump fell for the Truss trap of thinking he could out smart the financial markets. The financial world has little time for sentiment or political manspreading. As Truss found out, the markets are not political entities to be manipulated by delusioned psychopaths – they react to events and in the main, facts.
But fuck – we have the orange man baby for at least another 3 years. Will Americans smack him in the face with the mid-terms in 2026? I would not bet on it and could see a polarisation of votes red/blue across the states – they truly need a third party to prevent dictatorships by the deluded. Biden was not great, but also was not Trump! Sometimes we have to taste the bitter to avoid the acid.
The dollar might not be the go to currency for much longer if Trump continues to disregard the markets. The Euro with its many country conglomerate – is never going to be exciting – but may have an appeal for a safe haven for money. The Yuan will have to overcome basic discrimination as being non-white, formerly communist or at least not a democracy as the west interprets it.