Total Trivia- Take the Toolbox Quiz!

Are you a real man? Possibly not, if you happen to be a woman. On the other hand, are you a real odd-job person, the sort who can turn their hand to fixing and mending anything? Let's see if your tool-box fits the test. You can have one Man Point for every one of these items found either in, or near, your toolbox. And if you're a Woman, you can have a Woman Point. Fair's fair.

OK, here goes...

1) Totally abused screwdriver (straight line head) that has been used to open tins, mix paint, test for electrical current (very bad idea), poke holes in plasterboard, accidentally stab hand, serve as a makeshift chisel and basically BE THERE for you through thick and thin. Oh screwdriver, I love thee, trusted friend.

From 3000 years ago... a free gift

There's been far too much news lately- and then along comes the Chilcot enquiry (at last), turning our attention straight back to a string of decisions that took this country into war a few years ago. Iraq was already suffering, but as the man who pulled down Saddam's statue put it,
 '“Saddam is gone, but in his place there are 1,000 Saddams.” 
So yet again, the law of unintended consequences shows what happens when one massive decision goes horribly wrong if there's been no significant plan for working out what to do afterwards.
So... here's a free gift to counter all that News slapping us in the face, with 3000 years-worth of perspective. If you're not familiar with the Bible, don't worry. Just allow these ancient words to wash over you like poetry. Try reading them aloud, perhaps to the background of something playing in the background (Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto, 2nd movement?)

Taking Back Control

Words have power. ‘Taking back control’ probably swung it for the referendum Brexiteers, but there’s a little problem wrapped up in those three little words. Because we’re not in control. You won’t be choosing the next Prime Minister. You, personally, have no control over migration or the NHS or national sovereignty or any other of the hot topics bouncing around the airwaves or newspapers- and neither does Boris or Theresa or Andrea or Jeremy or anyone else. And that means, whatever you were promised and voted for about ‘Taking Back Control’ ain’t gonna happen, not really. You were sold a bum steer.

Exclusive timetable for Brexit: what happens next

The official Leave campaign have just released the following statement about their immediate plans for managing the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union:

Days 1-3: Finish getting bladdered and laughing at those Remain people. What were they thinking? Don’t they love this country, for pity’s sake?

Not a 'Tragedy'- Why Words Matter

When horrible things happen to people, one word is regularly used by news-gatherers to describe the unfolding events: 'Tragedy'. The Orlando massacre or the murder of Jo Cox MP were 'tragedies', apparently, according to some newspapers and the BBC news. Sorry, No, they weren't, and we shouldn't say they were. Now, this might be caused by sloppy English teaching when these news-people were wending their ways through school, but they (and we) shouldn't use that word to describe those events. Why?

The House and the Rat- a story completely unconnected to the upcoming Referendum(b)

Septimus Dingle was a man with a large old house and a family he loved dearly. But one day, his youngest daughter came to him and said that she was sure she'd seen a rat near her bedroom at the top of the stairs. Or it might have been a mouse. She didn't know. but it was always exciting to tell tales and see what her father would do next. And it certainly worked this time. 

The Curse of the Certain Sort of Granny

It is time to make a stand against Grannies. Or at least, a certain sort of Granny. There are too many of them, and government statistics reveal that they will form the majority of the British population by 2025. So like it or not, we are all turning into Grannies, or something like them. Some would say this is not a bad thing. After all, Grannies give you hugs, they bring you treats, and sometimes they even let you stay up late when they’re babysitting because Mummy's gone out ram-raiding.