Y'know, Dear Reader, if the news from Across the Pond is to be believed, I'm inclined to think that if I was an American football player I might well 'take the knee' during the singing/playing of the American National Anthem ( Read more... )

Monday night I went to bed as usual.  It wasn't until I met BiL yesterday that I heard about what had happened in Manchester on Monday night.

A man had made a nail bomb, strapped it to himself and gone and blown himself up outside the Manchester Arena just as the audience were coming out.

At least 22 people were killed outright.  64 are still ( Read more... )

So President Trump has told the Saudi Arabians, and by default other Islamic nations, that it's up to them to sort out terrorist groups claiming to be Islamic.  You know, Dear Reader, the one variously referred to as Daesh or Isis or 'so called' whatever, among others ( Read more... )

The UK is working out how to leave the European Union.  The other member states of the EU are working out what this might involve from their point of view:- pay all the UK owes, pay a fine for leaving?  What sort of trade agreements should there be?  Should there be at least some sort of 'free movement' of people (Remember those who said that ( Read more... )

What should I wear ( Read more... )

Having rubbished the idea, it turns out H will be going into work on the Wear Your Christmas Hat/Jumper/Onesie Day.  I have nine days to make him a hat.

Let joy be unconfined!  A quick stash dive has revealed brown yarn.  In chunky weight even.  Christmas pudding hat here we come!  This may be a short entry.

Oh look, Donald Trump has come up ( Read more... )

Paris ( Read more... )

For several years now those wanting to get into Europe from the rest of the world have periodically made 'News'.  Up until this week the general sentiment, here at least, has seemed to be, "There are too many of them."   "Coming over here taking our jobs and homes."  "Stop them getting into our country."  "We take more than our fair share."  Even ( Read more... )

I was recently watching a programme presented by Dan Cruickshank on the archaeological treasures in the Middle East, Iraq and Syria in particular, and how ISIS/ISIL was destroying them or selling them off to fund themselves.  Various museums in Bagdhad and Mosul.  Nineveh, Babylon, Nimrud, Palmyra, to name a few ancient city sites.  The history of ( Read more... )

Last week was kinda grim, all the aftermath from the shooting in Sousse.  All those bodies being 'brought home' by the RAF.  Various people saying they'd never visit Tunisia, one of the most peaceful of the Arab countries, again.  Other people declaring that they were going to Tunisia, to Sousse even, because the Tunisians in the area were mostly ( Read more... )