Ken

Come Christmas I usually take several hours putting up lights in the garden, not to mention the tree inside. This year I'm torn between doing so again and to hell with the energy crisis, or not, and having a light free Xmas! I'm not an eco freak by any means, by and large I think it all the 'eco' thing is a load of nonsense, though I do compost my house and garden refuse; but then again I did that long before it became 'fashionable'. I have to admit that my hesitation in not putting up lights stems from the possible fact that people would disapprove of me doing so and would not be to save us from Putin and his affects on gas supply! When I see things like car washes going full blast and street lighting left on all night despite there being no traffic and indeed sometimes left on all day too because the 'timer' is wrong I wonder why I should bother! I think I shall certainly have my tree with all its lights happily blazing away but as for the garden, well I'm undecided; unusual for me as normally I don't care a 'monkeys' what people think! I think it is only going to take someone with an even lower moral compass than I have to put up outside lights and that will be the tipping point and 'up they will go'! I could always pretend ,I suppose ,that I have my own generator purring away in the basement running on cheap petrol from Spain!!!

A strange list! No umbrellas or grilled chicken; can't even buy my cat a warm coat!!!! presumably I can still get as pissed as a parrot if I want!!

My two favourites, apart from indicted former Presidents that is, is the Minister for Justice under investigation and the former Finance Minister imprisoned for money laundering! I suppose a close second comes the president of the assembly under investigation for his preferences regarding contracts to companies!!

Terrible creatures! I wonder if we simply kill every thing would the world be a better place, I don't this so!

Terrible year for mosquitoes here also despite it being as dry as a bone so I looked it up! It would appear that mosquitoes don't need stagnant water just any amount of standing water will do to breed. Even a saucer sized , quarter of an inch deep will do!! As they lay hundreds of eggs at a time just a few' puddles' will ensure a healthy supply of mosquitoes! I have a couple of large water butts in the garden for when there is a drought, no doubt they found them to be most suitable to breed!!! I suppose even watering plants could be a place for them to breed, they need only minimal amounts of water. Even just a damp patch will do!!

Absolutely, two wrongs have never made a right!! Best to stick to your guns and disagree!

There is more actually. Sarcasm being a form of wit is to make a someone aware of their own lack of knowledge or understanding on a given subject. Of course a certain level of intelligence is required to understand this and it is why sarcasm usually descends into acrimony!!

But you don't know if you have been bitten until it starts to itch!!! Apaisyl is quite good though. This year has been strangely worse than previous years. No doubt someone will blame Brexit!!

Oh very good! I've never heard that before!!

Oh really? I would never have thought that!

Exactly! What does that say about us? I had rats as pets when living in London!! People and their take on life is the problem, as I have found here!!!

It is human nature, I suppose, when someone sees a cat 'playing' with a mouse that they condemn the cat! Understandable as the mouse appears a 'friendly' little thing that harms no one; worse of course when a cat kills a bird. No one ever praises the cat that kills rats!! Famers invariably have several cats around doing a very good job in that respect. I have saved countless mice, birds and other mammals that my cats have caught, sadly not all. Cats are not 'playing' with mice they catch they are simply following an age old instinct regarding hunting. As regards 'feral' cats it is more likely the ones you see are domesticated and not feral. Feral cats would be hunting to eat, not play! As regards habits and smells--- Cats are inherently clean animals and spend a lot of time cleaning themselves. If, one should get close enough to a cat and it smells it would be because it is very sick and can't take care of itself. As for nasty habits, I don't know of any.

Hey, c'mon I have a reputation to consider!!!!!

Well actually he is a she!!!! It's a very long story but when her Mum turned up on my doorstep many years ago ( a wild cat not even feral!) I trapped her and eventually ended up at the vet where he x-rayed her and told me there were three kittens two male, one female. My wife decided on names for all of them but of course when they were born, on my lap by the way, we stuck with the names we had decided on so Jake was forever doomed to be thought of as a male and people are forever doomed to listen to the story!!!

The one in the picture, Jake. I have four would you like the names of the other three?

'White trash' is a racist and discriminatory expression of that there can be no doubt. There are many connotations regarding it and they don't have to apply simply to people of different colour. In the context of use by Banana it was quite definitely discriminatory. Simply dissecting the expression doesn't make it any the less racist. It is an unsavoury expression and anyone supporting it should be ashamed of themselves.

Introducing colour into your comment was wrong and you should know it! Had you said 'black trash' you would, without a doubt, have been in trouble. Fortunately for you and your liberal 'opinion' it would seem it is acceptable to say 'white trash'! Trying to deflect what you said by making childish remarks about holiday and friends doesn't wash with me, a racist remark intentional or otherwise is unacceptable.

Bull sh-it all you want. Yes, you can comment on your own race but why decide they are white trash? You don't know! Perhaps they were white trash or black trash or east European trash or simply Banana trash! Since when are you judge and jury?

Haven't been away yet. I go in January!!! Can you imagine the furore if the term 'Black trash' had been used, probably be a guest of macron's penitentiary system by now!!!

But quite obviously there are so why pick on a particular ethnic group claiming they were 'white trash'?

How do you know they were white trash and not black trash?

Well try to keep up to date!!

Now it would appear she wants to bring back opening of Grammar Schools, it gets better and better; though not if you have socialist tendencies of course!!! Grammar schools though stopped opening by Labour didn't stop the socialist elite sending their kids to Private schools! The plebs would have to make do with comprehensive! Well done Liz.

Maybe it's all the fresh air and mountain views around here but all the postmen and women have been great since we arrived 22 years ago. If there is a parcel too big for the box they leave it in a secure place by the house., always a wave or a smile. In complete contrast is the woman who works in the little post office in the village. Miserable vache doesn't come into it!! Then again she doesn't get the fresh air and and certainly doesn't have the views!!

La Poste was grateful to me!!! The postwoman , after delivering the mail reversed into an adjacent ditch and couldn't get out. Using my 4 X 4 I pulled her van out and she was on her way. The next day she arrived with a large freshly baked Gateau Basque to say "thank you". A lovely surprise; and a tasty one!