Destination Unknown

Well it has finally happened - the house is sold.

Last Wednesday at 12:00 lunchtime I slammed the door on the overloaded hire truck and for the last time left the place I had lived for many years.  I had taken a week off work to clear the place. I should have taken three.  The amount of rubbish accumulated over those years was incredible. I had hired a builders skip - I should have hired two.

It was a hard week. Up at six every morning and bed by eleven exhausted. Never again will I let myself own so much cr*p.

So what now?  Initial plan is to upgrade my rental from a garret to a house (again a rental). Then spend some time looking for somewhere that I would like to live - as the site says "Destination Unknown"

Well an excellent weekend. Back to the UK via Ryan Air (a huge raspberry to those that want to keep putting air-fares up) and back home. Plans for Saturday were scrubbed by the weather. Rain , Rain Rain. Still managed to fit in a visit to the local pub. You cannot beat a good pint of British beer.  And to soak it up - yes fish and chips.

Next day was off to Brick Kiln for a play day with the  Shire Landrover Club. Great day out with  a really nice bunch of people. The picture here shows my chums Ibex pulling out a Range Rover. Its not a defeat for the Range Rover as he was only shod on three of his wheels at the time.



On the Saturday I had called in to the local butcher. His wife was telling everyone about winning prizes for her sausages. Well would have been churlish not to buy some so Sunday dinner was pork sausages with chives and new potatoes. I must say they were delicious.

Flight back on Monday morning was interesting. Boarded ok for a 06:35 takeoff and then sat on the tarmac for three hours waiting for the wind to die down so we could take off. Still allowed me a couple of hours nap.

Heard on the news this morning that RAF personnel in Peterborough are being told not to wear their uniforms in public because the scum there are abusing them because of the war in Iraq.

Far better would have been to relocate 45 Commando from Arbroath to teach the good folk of that area a tad of respect.

So with apologies to Sir John Betjeman

Come friendly bombs and fall on Peterborough It isn't fit for humans now.

As I tucked into tonights dinner - a home made pizza I am reminded of the following -

Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.' ~ Dave Barry

cheers

I tend to listen to radio 4 on the web a lot. Just been listening to a heap of crap about the new slavery museum in Liverpool. Evidently we are supposed to apologise for the slave trade. What for? None of my family was involved in the selling of slaves. Bit of a pity really as I would not mind inheriting great grandads ill gotten gains. So more shit from the pc lobby. Aplogise - F*ck off

A voice in the wilderness - thanks Bill for pointing it out

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/02/terror_idiocy_outbreak/

/* Not all the judges get it, but this one does VS Richard Reid 

True according to Snopes.
*********************************

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it? Did you know his trial is over? Did you know he was sentenced? Did you see/hear any of the judge's comments on TV or Radio? Didn't think so.
Everyone should hear what the judge had to say. Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court. Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his "allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah," defiantly stating, "I think I will not apologize for my actions," and told the court "I am at war with your country."

  Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:  January 30, 2003, United States vs. Reid. Judge Young: "Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.
 
On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, 4 and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the  sentence on each count to run consecutively. (That's 80 years.) On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years again, to be served consecutively to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you for each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 that's an aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the government's recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines. The Court imposes upon you an $800 special assessment. The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further. This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.
Now, let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is too much war talk here and I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in this court, we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we reach out for justice.

  You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether the officers of government do it or your attorney does it, or if you think you are a soldier. You are not----- you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice. So war talk is way out of line in this court.  

You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You're no warrior. I've known warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and the TV crews were, and he said: "You're no big deal."

You are no big deal. What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?  

I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing? And, I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.  

It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very wind carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom. So that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom's sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.  

We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bare any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. The day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure.
Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America , the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.
See that flag, Mr. Reid? That's the flag of the United States of America   That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. And it always will.Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down."  

So, how much of this Judge's comments did we hear on our TV sets? We need more judges like Judge Young, but that's another subject. Pass this around. E veryone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say. Powerful words that strike home. God bless America!

/*

Most of the time my mail in in English so no problems reading it. Occasionally people will revert to their own language and I will get a mail in Dutch.
Using Babel Fish often turns mails into Yoda speak

TodayBabel gave me this "Friends , Are able take up you this?"

Guess I will just have to use the force ....

There is a peacock on the roof at the moment. Despite it being time he was roosting he prefers to sit there screeching instead.

Although normally nothing can stop me sleeping if he disturbs me then he will be invited to lunch tomorrow . .

Now that scumbag Blair is finally going I'll have to get a new slogan for my truck . . .