Sensible warning ? ….
…. Not if it’s hidden under the food ….
… inside that same packaging !
HAPPY NEW YEAR
“Peace on Earth and ….”
Posted by Big John on December 24, 2017
I’ve been reading that, this year, it is almost impossible to find Christmas cards showing the traditional ‘Nativity’ scene, and I feel that this must be true because I have only received one card with a religious theme and that just shows choirboys singing near a snow covered church.
Now I have to say that, even as an atheist and knowing that the Christians ‘hi-jacked’ a pagan festival to make it their own, I regret that we seem to be losing sight of the message in the story of the first Christmas: So, let us not forget that it’s only a story …
… But a bloody good one !
HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
A ‘Diverse’ Festive Fantasy.
Posted by Big John on December 11, 2017
You may remember that this is the time of year when I go into “Bah Humbug!” mode, and this year is no exception, although, so far I have not seen that bloody ‘Coca Cola’ convoy on TV, there are plenty of other .. “Oh! Oh! Oh!” .. “Spend ! Spend! Spend!” .. adverts in every commercial break.
This year there seems to be more than a hint of a ‘PC’ element to many of those ‘friends and family gathering’ scenes so loved by the ‘retail giants’ and major supermarkets. You know, the ones showing the latest trend in flashy Christmas trees, fake snow everywhere and a dining tables loaded with food that most people would not dream of eating at any other time of year, or, like some I see seated at these tables, would never eat at any time ! .. for this year, every gathering seems to include not only white, black, brown and yellow people, and, of course, the mixed-race “dual heritage” family; but also women wearing hijabs, a Sikh in a dastaar and a dreadlocked ‘Rasta’, although so far, I have not spotted the yellow robe of a Buddhist monk.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m very much in favour of people of different ethnic backgrounds and religions getting together as, perhaps if it happened more often, it would go someway towards bringing about the Christmas message of hope for “Peace on Earth”; but do these ads ‘reflect the norm’ here in the UK ? …
…. I very much doubt it !
Posted in humour, rant, religion | 4 Comments »
‘Ginger Whinger’ to Wed !
Posted by Big John on November 27, 2017
Yes, it’s … “Oh! what joy time” again as we learn that ‘Hooray Harry’ is to marry his American girlfriend.
Well, at least she appears to have lived in the ‘real world’ and earned a living as a pretty decent actress, so I’ll tone down my usual ‘royal family’ rant and restrict myself to wondering how she will take to living in a world inhabited by some of the weirdest people you could ever meet ?
I bet that ‘er Maj is, even now, nervously waiting for the right moment to break the news to old ‘Phil the Greek’ that his new granddaughter is …
… ‘Irish – African American’ !
Posted in humour, rant | 2 Comments »
What Next .. The Fourth of July ?
Posted by Big John on November 21, 2017
‘Thanksgiving’ is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November when friends and family come together for a traditional meal.
It’s an American public holiday … IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US ! … despite all the efforts of those greedy bastards who wish to cash-in ‘big time’, as they have done with bloody ‘Trick or Treat’ and other US traditions. I have even seen it being promoted as .. ‘Brit-Giving’ !
Blimey ! .. the Pilgrims celebrated their luck at escaping from this country, although later generations of the Native Americans who attended that first feast were not so lucky.
Now, having had my little rant, I would like to say that I’m pleased to know that many British families join in this celebration with their American friends who live in this country. So, I hope that they all have a wonderful time, and wish all my friends and family across ‘the pond’ a very …
… HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Posted in family, History, humour, rant | Leave a Comment »
The granddad she never knew.
Posted by Big John on November 11, 2017
Some time ago I was talking with a cousin about our grandfather and his service during World War I, when she happened to mention that her ‘other’ grandfather had died during that terrible conflict and that she had his medals stored away in a drawer somewhere. We agreed that this was a pity and that I should ‘restore’ them as best I could, attach the original ribbons and mount them in a frame as I had done with my own collection of medals.
So, on this one day in the year when we remember all those who gave their lives in so many wars since that “Great War” I thought that it might be appropriate to show the result …
…His name was Henry and he served as a private in The Royal Fusiliers. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal. The frame also contains his memorial plaque, better known as ‘the dead man’s penny’. Henry is buried at Beaulencourt in Picardy. He died in September 1918…
…just two months before the war ended.
Posted in family, History, nostalgia | 3 Comments »
This is far more important than Brexit !
Posted by Big John on November 3, 2017
Let me say straight away that the perpetrators of serious sexual abuse should be exposed and punished; but, having said this, why am I not surprised that after the revelations about the disgusting ‘Hollywood’ goings-on by ‘Weinstein and Co’, we now find ourselves observing the ridiculous spectacle of .. ‘KNEEGATE‘ !
Now I know that our members of parliament are like a string of old Christmas tree lights .. ‘half of them don’t work, and the rest are not too bright’ .. but how, in this ‘touchy-feely’, ‘kissy-kissy’. “Mwa! .. Mwa!” world did they reach the conclusion that a touch on the knee or an inappropriate suggestion warrants so much valuable parliamentary time and such drastic actions ? It may be unwelcome, unpleasant and deplorable behaviour, but it hardly falls in the category of …
… ‘sexual abuse’ !
Posted in humour, political, rant | 3 Comments »
What next .. ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ .. ?
Posted by Big John on October 24, 2017
I see that the ‘snowflake’ students are in the news again. This time it’s poor old Bill Shakespeare’s more gory plays which may upset the poor little lambs, plus the ‘blood soaked’ tragedies of such amusing Greek authors as Euripides and Aristotle. One college has even warned theology students that they (I’m not making this up) may be disturbed by images of the crucifixion of Christ.
Well if that is the case I hope that the history students didn’t watch the first episode of the BBC’s new historical drama series ‘Gunpowder‘ because it would most certainly have given them a touch of the collywobbles or far worse, with it’s gruesome depiction of 16th century executions.
One scene showed an elderly naked woman being ‘pressed’ to death beneath a large door and heavy weights, and a young Catholic priest being ‘hung drawn and quartered’ with his body being disembowelled and hacked apart and his head dipped in tar and mounted on a spike: and all in the name of religion !
I’m not sure how historically accurate this drama about Guy Fawkes and the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ is, but so far it’s proved to be …
… BLOODY entertaining ! .. Interesting.
Posted in entertainment, History, humour, religion | 1 Comment »
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