ramblingbloke

The exploding lawn mower article is now on the web.

Latest Rural Rambling Article now on line: War Horse, The Iron Lady and Kevin Bacon

"Now is the time that decides the future". Opening line of latest Rural Rambling. On web next week.

On a different note, wrote a piece for the Journal a few years ago about the hospital experience for elderly patients in need of care. It appears that little has changed in this respect throughout the UK unless you happen to be in Intensive Care (where the care is exceptional).  As always it is not easy to complain when you are sick, disabled or dead. Shocking state of affairs ignored by politicians.
The solution: raise the voting age at the next general election to those of 70 years and over. Anyone below that age ineligible. That should sort it out.
Article is here: http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/en/node/1814

I read that Michael Gove, Education Secretary, has decided that all holidays taken during term time by school pupils should be banned. Permission for such 'jaunts' is to be removed from the remit of Headteachers. For some reason the phrase "silly ass" comes to mind!  I suggest he reads this: http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/en/node/3075

New Rural Rambling Article

The weather has a spring feel to it today - in the north of Scotland anyway.
I am  seeing all sorts of gardening hints and tips for growing plants at minimum cost on websites at the moment, so it''s a good time to plug the book. Still in print, published about ten years ago, not too popular with the garden centres as it questions their validity (but not their cafes). Essentially a 'grow your own' plants and 'sell them' sort of tome. It is on Amazon but quicker to buy direct from the publisher - and an interesting publishing house it is too if you get the chance to browse their website. The book: In Pursuit Of Perennial Profit - The Pot Of Gold At The Bottom Of The Garden. That's it, my yearly plug.

Latest Rural Rambling - in the newspaper today (Ross-shire Journal) and online from Canada
Not too sure about that bit "...stockbrokers at the bar and spaniels under the table..". In the current political climate should it be the other way round?

Just back from collecting seaweed to spread on the raised beds. Needs chopping finely with the petrol hedge cutter. I look forward to that tomorrow!
Newspaper Rural Rambling Column in the Journal next week tells of  of Stockbrokers, Hogs, Spaniels and Olives.
Best Radio Program of the week: still the Tom Morton Show on BBC Scotland .It's all about the music. An hour and a half isn't long enough.
Current CD in the car: The best of the Bee Gees.
Most pretentious TV program of the week: The Review Show.
Best program on TV last week: Masterchef (nothing to do with the cooking, it's the commentary that does it for me)
The possibly impossible, but possibly possible comeback of the decade -  the Liberal Democrat Party if they manage to raise the tax threshold to £10,000 by Easter - and they don't put their foot in it and do something daft like endorse tax avoidance schemes for the impossibly wealthy. Or did they possibly just do that?
The most credible politician of the week: can't think of anyone, probably the hordes of MP's that say nothing when they really they should be saying something.
Most interesting Garden Website of the week: Beechgrove Garden . Possibly. They do a good TV program as well - nothing too pretentious. In fact BBC Alba do a good TV program in gaelic about gardening as well. Worth watching (seriously) even if you can't understand a word of it.

Temperature below freezing over-night so no need to start work until at least ten in the morning as everything will be too frozen. One of the perks of the job in winter - that's the optimistic way to view things.  I shall have a lie in. Excellent.
Just returned from seeing the film "Warhorse". Quite a good film - very horsey. I don't think I have ever written about horses (and there are plenty of them around here) but I did do a piece on donkeys and information technology a couple of years back.