It is difficult to read the mind of a despot, let alone a tosspot. So with Putin and Johnson the situation is serious. I find it interesting that the rhetoric from London and Washington is more hawkish than that of the Ukraine which seems fairly sanguine about things, saying the situation has not changed much over the last 8 years.
CAR TAX
POLICE – BURGLARY
and Geography! Police numbers have been reduced and paperwork increased. Why not employ retired people to interrogate the data produced on burglaries and similar crimes. Even simple mapping would help the rest of us take precautions. And yes I have read Richard Osman’s books! Why not?
IMPOTENCE
It is not viagra I need – but a way to vent my anger at the government. E-petitions are OK but only so far. I was thinking about a set time for sounding a car horn – like 5pm on a Tuesday, but in my sleepy Tory village I would be the only one (although someone else does occasionally buy the Guardian (and maybe 3 on a Saturday/Sunday). Readership of the Mirror is 2/3 whilst the nasty papers fly Mail on Sat -35, Times – Sat 15, Telegraph -sat 12, and the Sun with 15. Ah I am surrounded by old idiots!!! Maybe it will be Nicola Sturgeon time “Scotty – get me out of here!”.
VEGETABLE FRITTERS
Key is to get oil hot for the final cook (I am told), My take today is as follows:-
Put a 250g potato through the grater attachment of a FP. Same with 250g onion. Gently fry, then finely slice a red or green or yellow or orange pepper, and a chilli. Add to frying pan for a couple of minutes. 50g flour and 50g gram flour. 1 1/2 tsp salt. 2 eggs.
TRUSS TREATENS SANCTIONS
Will Chelsea be deducted points?
Yoghurt
I make my own yoghurt – cheap as chips! about 70p litre. What do with it!
https://www.eatthis.com/blueberry-pancakes/
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/bread-recipes/easy-flatbreads/
Suggestions welcome
UKRAINE
£896,681 SPAFFED
The cost to taxpayers of a study commissioned by Johnson into the the farcical idea of a bridge or tunnel to Northern Ireland. presumably the results were published on his staggeringly expensive wall paper?
Seriously why did it cost this much? Anyone with any knowledge of the Irish Sea knows about the trench with 1m tonnes of unexploded munitions – thus making the whole thing ridiculous to all but the deluded narcissist who thought of it in the first place. They even costed a tunnel at £209 billion and a bridge at £335bn. The investigation was led by the chair of Network Rail as he does not have enough to do.
MORE NEW HOUSES IN SANDFORD
Plans are being promoted for more new houses in Sandford. I am not a NIMBY and was vaguely supportive of new Strongvox estate. However there is a limit to growth. So the arguments are :-
Sandford is not ideally located for commuters – rather tortuous bus journeys to Bristol and W-s-M. No new job opportunities have developed in the village over the 20 years I have been here.
Whilst traffic is not a real problem at present, it soon will be if the Banwell By-pass goes ahead with eastern terminus at TowerHead. And the associated housing that will goo with it. It is not rocket science to suggest that each new property will create at least one commuter journey per day.
No new facilities have been created in Sandford other than a fenced off football pitch for the Primary School. I am aware that incompetence may have been behind the lack of a new village hall.
The village school I believe is at capacity and I would be interested to see how projections to include the new houses impact on the school. Churchill Academy will probably love it with their new facilities which is a positive.
A bit of geography! Sandford is a linear settlement at the foot of the northern slope of the Mendips. It has no focal point – the pub is at the western limit of the village, the church reasonably central/west, the shop and school central, and the ski slope to the east end. The swing park is tucked away to the south west. the council had an opportunity to create a cohesive village but have missed it. They should compulsory purchase land by the school to create a viable social hub which includes a new village hall – if needed? I am sure this will cause a few chokes! But is it financially viable? Would new facilities for the school be able to double up? Maybe a hall which is used by the school for gym, lunch and assemblies and the public the rest of the time?
The shop could also benefit from refurbishment?