Hambleton Bakery

Today is our last full day in Rutland. After breakfast I took our dog for a long walk. I had taken her on a bit of it yesterday. Today I took her on the rest of it. She loved it. Yesterday she came back a bit muddy but today there was a lot more mud. I guess that is what comes of the longer walk.  My wife was not too happy though.

Afterwards we went for a drive to get some lunch. My wife drove us to Oakham and while we did did somewhere to eat lunch, we could not eat there due to the parking restrictions. My wife and son found a record shop and may have bought a record. I took Leia to explore the town and started to explore Oakham castle, not that it is much of a castle, but the history that I did get to read was really interesting.

We returned to the Hambleton bakery which we had visited the day before. Then there was a lot more choice, but we arrived earlier yesterday. Today the first two dishes my wife wanted were sold out, but my son and I got what we wanted. After that it was a trip to a farm shop and then a drive to a supermarket to get items to clean our messy dog.

Our son is enjoying having a room to himself, and actually had loads of fun in the front of the car while my wife was driving. We have not heard from our daughter but we know she is alive as she responded to a message on the family WhatsApp group. She had been unwell earlier this week and we gave her some advice, but I presume that she is now better and is enjoying Vietnam, hence the silence from her.

Fingers crossed that dinner is a better experience at the hotel today! 

The art of the deal

First of all, the family. My wife, son and dog are taking a few days off in Rutland.  We arrived yesterday but today brought about some changes. We had arranged to have a room shared with my son, but he is taller than me now (just). He slept on a camp bed last night, but did not do well.  So we have paid for him to have a room of his own, but it is in a different part of the hotel.

Today we went exploring, getting some dog food for Leia (we had been told that the dog would be fed by the hotel when we booked it) as well as having lunch in a local bakery.  I went for a walk later with Leia, but came back with my shoes caked in mud.  Dinner has been nice, but my meals have not been as good as I had hoped. Yesterday my pasta was undercooked and today my son and I ordered steak to be served rare, for it to come as medium.  The steak was still good, but was not as good as we wanted it to be.

Now for Trump. He states that he believes Putin when Putin says he wants an end to the war. That is true, but Putin wants the capitulation of Ukraine, something he might get. With the relations between Trump and Zelenskyy worsening, the question arises as to if Ukraine will be invaded after all.  Trump stopping aid to Ukraine is one thing, ending the sanctions on Russia though will be even more damaging.  We saw what a great deal Trump agreed with the Taliban in 2020 about Afghanistan, a great deal that is for The Taliban. Back then he did not include the Afghan government in the talks, just as he has not included Ukraine in these talks.  Based on how well the last deal went, we can expect Ukraine to be speaking Russian in the next few years. 

Does The Manchurian Candidate think that the US started a war with Japan by attacking them at Pearl Harbour?

Donald Trump has done it again. He has grabbed headlines. This time, it is because he has agreed with Putin that Ukraine is at fault for Russia invading it.

There have been many on the left and the right who have argued that Putin is acting in response to the actions of the west, notably NATO expansion. I have discussed how this is wrong before, but am happy to do so again.  If any agreement was made about NATO expansion, the former nations of The Warsaw Pact would have become nervous once Russia liberated Transnistria from Moldova. Appeasement did not work then with Russia moving to liberate Abkhazia afterwards.  NATO expansion occurred after this, and there was a few years of peace before Russia liberated South Ossetia. The policy of appeasement lasted until Russia ‘helped’ Crimea liberate itself in early 2014, Russia starting the war in The Donbas afterwards.  During this conflict Russia shot down MH17 by accident but then denied doing so.  

Russia amassed troops on the border of Ukraine in 2022, and despite saying it would not do so, invaded. Though this time, they waited until after the Olympics (the Winter ones) before they invaded. Like Putin, I did not think that the war would last this long. I, like many across the globe, was surprised to see that Ukraine lasted. 

I want an end to the war, this being one where Ukraine regains its borders. I do not see anything close to that happening and the question now is if Trump will allow Ukraine to be invaded.

When Donald Trump complained about Mexico sending rapists to the US, I did not know that is because he wanted (alleged) rapists imported from Romania!

Apparently, Donald Trump wants the Tate brothers to be free to travel away from Romania.  I doubt he means that the extradition warrant that the UK has against them is to be enforced. 

We in the UK could send our people, not our best. We could send people that have lots of problems, and they could take those problems with them. There would be no need for them to be bringing drugs. And the Tate brothers would not be bringing crime as they have alleged been involved in criminal activity with US citizens already. They are considered rapists by some (though they are innocent until proven guilty). And some, I assume, think that they are good people.

I will admit to being surprised by this, but I suspect that I am going to be surprised a lot in the next four years. 

Leicester City vs Arsenal 2025

What a match.  I am hoping that we finish second.  Will I am hoping that we win the league, but I doubt that will happen. It is nice that we have more than three points between us and the chasing pack, but we have thrown away leads before and can give up this gap.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

My wife and I watched this for our Valentines date.  She had been out earlier to listen to an author she likes and from the sounds of it had a great time there.

As for the film, once I got over the face of Bridget Jones being almost fixed, I enjoyed it.  I know that this will not appeal to some, but if you liked the other three films, you will like this.  I know that I have missed out on some of the jokes as I cannot remember much of the second and third films, but I am sure my wife and I will catch up on them.

It made me appreciate being a father, being grateful for what I have, and yes, it did make me cry.  Yes it had flaws, an example being how quick it was for the school trip to take place, breaking and entering into a barn, and how it snows in London (yet rarely does).  But this film is in essence a fairy tale, and it is a very good one for adults. I am glad I watched it.  It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me grateful for what I have. 

Brexit failing the UK

I was surprised to find that the inheritance tax dodging Jeremy Clarkson has spoken out against Brexit.  I understand that many had fallen for the lies told about Brexit, an example being when Nigel Farage talked about how we could have a soft Brexit negotiating a deal like Norway or Switzerland.  

Like him, I find it hard to understand how people can say Brexit has been a benefit to the UK.  In fact, Brexit has been so bad, that many parties in Europe who had advocated leaving the EU, now do not do so (openly at least).  A big example of this is with the National Front in France.  And the reason for this is because those in Europe can see how we in the UK have harmed ourselves by voting to impose economic sanctions on ourselves. 

Illegal immigrants do the work that others are not allowed to do

Immigration and the stance of Labour towards illegal immigration is finally in the news today.  I was listening to The Newsagents about this and decided that Labour have gone too far. The person being interviewed said that immigration is unmanageable. 

It is right to listen to voters about immigration, it is right to ensure that bad employers do not exploit illegal immigrants. The RECORD numbers being deported should be publicised more, action on rogue employers should be taken and made public.

But, taking the Reform line that immigration is unmanageable is wrong and cannot be excused. 

My son is taller than me

Yesterday was a sad day for me. It was the day my son became taller than me.

For a little while, there has been a debate as to who is taller, but it is now settled. A few weeks ago, we met school friends of my wife and the consensus was I was taller, just.

Now I have to angle my neck (slightly) to look at him when we stand next to each other.  Needless to say, he is happier than I am with this. 

Farage and the NHS

 

Nigel Farage has stated that he wants to end the NHS. Let us look at an alternative…

Has Elon damaged the TESLA brand?

I love my EV.  I will admit that when it comes to fun, my previous Honda was better, but my current Honda EV is more practical for the family, just not for my job.  

My wife took a TESLA on a test drive a few years ago, and did not like it.  Friends of mine have refused to consider a TESLA thanks to Elon Musk, and they have been proven right as his politics have become more and more extreme.

The demographic of people who drive EV's are not really the parties that he has backed.  Admittedly, Musk has turned on Nigel Farage, but Farage has not been in favour of taking action against Climate Change.  But, the AfD in Germany are also Climate Change deniers. 

I do think that the world owes TESLA thanks for showing how electric cars can be so appealing.  But it does not owe anything else.  I wait to see if Musk will get Trump to try to make the EU buy more TESLA's but if he does, I can see that alienating people who wish to switch to electric cars. At least in Europe. His antics may not be an issue in other parts of the world.

Are we really going to remove Christians from The Gaza Strip?

Christians have lived in the Gaza Strip and from what I can understand, Donald Trump wants them to be removed and the land to be given to Israel. I understand that he does not care about the Muslim population of The Gaza Strip, but I am surprised that he wants to evict the Christian population, and also that his plans are supported by Christians in the USA. 

I also wait to see what stance Trump and his supporters have towards the Christian population of The West Bank. Jewish extremists want them removed. Will Trump allow them to be removed as well? 

Keir Starmer ate my hamster

The simple fact is that haters are going to hate.  And Starmer is going to be hated by a lot of people, unless he can show that he has changed our great nation for the better.  

He is hated by those on the right, that being before Musk joined in with this.  And he is hated by those on the left as well.  Needless to say, there are those who are going to love a book which sticks the knife into him.  I will admit that he should communicate better.  Labour has done a lot when it comes to immigration, which is not publicised as much as it can be.  Labour has ended many strikes which were harming our nation.  Hopefully, these changes will help bring about the economic growth our nation needs.

Brexit and the man who sold it to us

Driving into work today, I started to listen to his man telling us about the importance of not being too close to Europe.  He is the one who sold us Brexit.  And Brexit has been such a disaster for us, that parties in France who wanted a Frexit, have had to change their mind on this.  In Holland, the Far Right have had to pull back about Nexit as well. Basically, if Brexit was so good, other nations would want to follow us.  And they don't.

With Reform UK doing well in the polls, I think that they should be shown up for what they are.  The architects of Brexit, which has failed our nation.  

We should focus on what Nigel Farage wants for Britain, an example of which is a Free Trade Agreement with the USA (he said so in the interview), which would harm our farmers. Farmers which Farage says he wants to protect.  We should remind people about how free trade with Trump would mean allowing the US greater access to the NHS. Just a reminder, the US healthcare system and how it fails so many is an integral part of Breaking Bad and why the character turns to making drugs. It is the inspiration for the book (and later film) The Rainmaker, and of course the film John Q. Remind people of what Farage wants, and then they can decide if they want to vote for him.

Trump, NATO funding and Article 5

There appears to be a view that Trump would defend NATO nations in the event that US support was needed.

I think that it is insane to rely on him.  But, saying that, I think that the threat of invasion from Russia is low in the next few years, considering how many casualties Russia has sustained in Ukraine.  My issue is not if Trump would defend Europe (I do not think that he would), but more importantly, will US presidents who follow him decide to go along his populist line.  

Article 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each & every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members & will take the actions it deems NECESSARY to assist the Ally attacked. 

 

Many think that he would obey Article 5. I think that he would and would take the actions that he felt was necessary to assist the ally which had been attacked. Sadly I suspect that such actions would in essence, be nothing.  With this in mind, greater European cooperation on defence is needed, and I am glad Starmer has attended a meeting about this.  

Even Havertz scored!

What a game! The team did really well. I will be honest, I feared the worst.  We have not had the best record so far, but we won! I can go to bed, which will please my wife as I have been shouting while watching the highlights. 

And They're Off!

We woke up early today to take my daughter to the airport for her two months of travelling in Asia. As I type this, she is on a flight to Singapore. I think the dog has taken it the best out of all of us, but Leia has already been looking for my daughter around the house.

My son went though him missing her before, I have been more emotional in the past few days before she went, and it hit my wife at the airport itself.  The photo is what she sent to us from the plane before take off.

We all have our fingers crossed that she enjoys herself and returns safely.

Flo & Joan - A Song for Anti-Vaxxers

Yesterday, vaccination was in the media gain, thanks to Trump and his picks for people to run the USA.  I was talking about this with my daughter.  

She had not seen this video.  So we watched it together last night. I am going to miss her as she travels next month.  I did not really appreciate it, until last night and then she got loads of hugs, today as well.  I think I am irritating my wife more than my daughter now with how much I am going to miss her.  

Learning from history

Today was a day to remember from history.  Sadly, at times, it seems that the wrong lessons have been learned, an example of which is when Hamas decided to record the murder of Israeli civilians to remind Israel about the Holocaust.

On a more personal note, the rise of the far right across the west, with people like Musk trying to make it more acceptable, is another reason why we should never forget what the forces of hatred and intolerance did in the past.  I do not want to be sent to a camp in the future.  

It was not a red card

Arsenal won a game yesterday.  With our injuries, the win was more important than normal, even more so considering we should not have had a man sent off. I know that we are not going to win the title, but finishing second is better than third.

As for the family, yesterday my son and daughter went for a dog walk together.  It is the first time my son has joined us and Leia loved it.  She loves to walk, and loved Gosbecks which is where we took her, but loves it even more if several of us walk with her.  Hopefully, when my daughter travels next week, my son will keep me company on these walks.

Elon Musk and fascism

There is an argument that too many people on the left call those they disagree with, fascist. I agree with this and for a while, I felt that people like Rory Stewart were wrong to call people like Elon Musk fascist. And then Musk gave that salute. Twice. He knew what he did. He knew it would get people talking about it. And that was the straw that broke me.

In the UK, he has supported Tommy Robinson, famously calling out Nigel Farage because Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is too toxic for him. In Germany he has been supporting the AfD. I am not sure I would consider him to be racist (I have suspicions), but he does seem to be suffering from Islamophobia. 

Politics has become more right wing in the UK with Reform UK doing well in the polls. We have seen what has happened in America where they voted an adulterous abuser of women in the office of President over a woman. And I fear that Germany is going to go the same way as Austria and Italy. 

So, Rory Stewart, I was wrong about Elon Musk, and you were right. 

The stance of the US towards undocumented migrants

I do not like the double standards of those on the left in the USA towards immigration and the plans of Trump towards undocumented migrants working in the USA.

Based on the video, they have less pay, worse working conditions with a higher rate of death and disability at work.  If those on the left were so concerned about them, they should have helped them to become legal.  Instead, undocumented workers in the USA are people who are limited to what jobs they can do.  When they say illegal immigrants do the jobs that US workers will not do, they are right, because it would be illegal to employ US workers on those terms and conditions!

Starmer and deportations

There are those on the left who are not happy with the record of Keir Starmer on deporting those considered to be illegal immigrants.  Record numbers have been deported, but there is little in the news about this.  Which is silly considering how immigration is a major issue when it comes to how people have voted.  

Birthright Citizenship and Gun Controls

Trump wants to end Birthright Citizenship for the children of illegal (undocumented) migrants in the USA.  Is has decided to do this using an executive order, which from what many say, is not legal due to the constitution of the US.

What will be interesting is if this is allowed to happen.  If Trump is able to change the constitution using an Executive Order, then the next US president will be able to change Gun Control laws doing the same thing.  

It will be interesting to see how this plays out as I am not sure if those on the right realise the implications of this...

Blitz

Nominated for many awards, after watching this film with my daughter, I will be surprised it if does not win anything.  When it comes to looking at a film, a film should be judged on a few things, including how well it tells a story, as well as if that story is new. And I cannot remember many films which reflect how the UK was multicultural during the war.  

I trained in Whitechapel and when there, I learned about its long history of immigration. At the time, the immigrant population was mainly Bengali, but earlier, it had been Jews and before that the Huguenots. Set in The East End, the film reflected that. Many have said that the film is too woke because of this, and it may be that the numbers of non-white faces are too many. But I have not seen this issue of the UK reflected in many films. In fact, I feel some of the reviews of the film forget to reflect how the film addresses this.

I would certainly recommend watching this, and I may watch it again. 

Day one, second time around

I have been listening to the News Agents and some of what President Pee Pee (not that this matters anymore) has been saying, along with how many lies have been taken up by so many.

I know that in the build up to today, many people have tried to work out what Donald Trump is going to do, but one journalist summed it up best.  The bottom line is that Trump will do what he thinks is best for him, and that will also depend on who spoke to him last about an issue, so long as he likes them. 

Anyway, there is a lot of left wing anger about him including with this video...

Seeing my mother

I forgot to post about seeing my mother yesterday.  My wife had a school reunion to attend in London, and also had to meet friends back in Colchester later in the day.

As we were to travel to London, we took the children with us.  Sadly, due to roadworks, we were not able to spend as much time with her as I would have wanted and we were late to meet up for the reunion.  It was good to meet the friends of my wife.  I get on with the other husbands, and her friends as well.

Afterwards, we froze a bit on the way up.  I did not get a chance to charge my car and we had to wait while the car charged.  My son wanted to leave before it had a decent amount of charge, which meant that I could not use the heater, which meant we were very cold on the way up. 

But it was good to see my Mum, and one of my cousins who was looking after her.  It has been too long since I saw my cousin.  It was interesting seeing my mother trying to rest by watching Trump on the TV, but her anger must have got her blood pressure into the normal range!

On getting back, I did get to watch the Arsenal match.  But while I thought we were going to lose before the match, I was annoyed that we gave away a two goal lead.  

Texas Chainsaw 3D

When it comes to watching this, I have not watched the original, so cannot compare this film to it.  Overall, I liked the film, but it had some glaring errors.  One was the age of the character of the main character, Heather Miller who should have been close to 40 in age, but appeared to be in her 20's instead.  There are some other issues, but I cannot really discuss them without giving away a lot of the plot.  But despite these huge errors, I liked the film.  However, I doubt that I will watch it again.  

The Brighton penalty award

It was a disgrace.  Arsenal drew this weekend and we should have won.  While we lost a goal thanks to a penalty which should not have been given.  To be fair, when I saw it in real time, I though that the decision was a penalty, but we have VAR for a reason and the decision should have gone our way.

I have given up on the idea of Arsenal winning the title, but I would like Arsenal to finish in second place if we do not win a trophy.  

When it comes to the family, we took our Christmas decorations down today.  My daughter and I also went for a dog walk today.  She does not do this that often and considering that she will be leaving next month, I should treasure walks like this more.

Jess Phillips, Elon Musk and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon

 

I think that Jess Phillips is amazing. I love the way she communicates, I love her honesty and I love the way that she stands up against intimidation and injustice.

Elon Musk disagrees. Instead, he backs a stalker who has convictions for assault. Tommy Robinson has other convictions as well including fraud and travelling on a false passport. 

When it comes to British values, I know who represents our nation best and I am proud to be born in the same nation as Jess Phillips.

Should the Conservatives blame themselves for not investigating child abuse in Oldham?

The organised abuse of children in Oldham is in the news. What happened was horrific and evil. One of those involved was meant to protect the children who were vulnerable and abused. A report was published after this, detailing how the victims were failed.

But thanks to Elon Musk, a man who is supporting a convicted stalker, it is in the news again. The Conservatives have jumped on the bandwagon, but it turns out that the Conservatives decided not to commission the investigation that they are now calling for. 

Musk has been honest in what he wants. He wants Starmer to be out of office. He has managed to weaponise Twitter (sorry, X) and a lot of people now hate Starmer and probably will not vote Labour again in the next election, unless Labour can make the change they have promised, and more importantly, show the benefits of the changes. 

For now, I think that more attention should be paid to how Musk is supporting Tommy Robinson. Remember that this man, who is also called Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who has convictions for assault, fraud and travelling illegally using a false passport. A record that people should be reminded of. 

Nosferatu

Yesterday was a busy day. We went down to see my mother for her birthday l which meant we also got to see my youngest brother and his partner as well. The older of my two brothers has communicated with me on WhatsApp but has not spoken to me in a while, which is better that what has happened with my Mum as he has not spoken to her in ages.  

My Mother did ask me to get my brother to speak to her, but gave up when I told her not to keep annoying him. She then asked my wife to get him to speak to her, but my wife explained why she could not do so.  But is was a nice get together.

Later, when back at home I went out to watch Nosferatu. I only knew it was a film about a vampire.  I do like watching films knowing little about them, but I should have learned before that this was a remake of a film based on the book Dracula, which explained the many similarities to the film (I have read the book decades ago and cannot remember all its details to compare).  

It was shot very well, the plot essentially is the same as Dracula, but there are some differences. When comparing this to the film from 1992, there are some bits which are better, and some which are not. In fact, I would find it hard to pick which film I would rather see. 

It was interesting that many of the people who went to watch it met a stereotype, which I do not meet, well, to look at anyway. I had asked the rest of my family if they wanted to watch it and they declined. That was just as well as when I booked my seat, there were just a few left and if they came, we would have been sitting in different parts of the screen, or would have been right at the front. And not meeting the stereotype, we would have stuck out like sore thumbs! I know my wife would not have liked it as much as I did. My kids may like it in years to come, but again, I doubt that this is a film for them. 

Happy new year

Greetings all! It is the first day of 2025 and I am the only one awake in our house. Weather permitting, we are to travel to London later today to see my mother for her birthday. We had friends round to see in the new year, Leia having Louie round and they two got on mostly, until I set them off!

My wife had been in Elvedon the night before and I slept badly as a result, which meant that I passed out after midnight. But, I made it till then. My son had friends round and they left in the early hours of the morning, my daughter is probably sleeping off her celebrations last night!

I hope that all goes well this year. While everyone can say that the last one could have been better, I am grateful for the last year for others across the globe have had a worse time than me.

Anyway, happy new year to you all!