End of month thoughts

 

Well it may be the start of a new month but in some respects it does rather feel more like finishing off various projects and playing catch up here not least for being away across the weekend.

For one thing I did find my abilities to think very much on my feet rather helpful as two trains were cancelled that I planned to travel on and take decisive action proved themselves most useful.

A delayed item, see last weeks post, finally arrived as that didn't get diverted away from Heathrow Airport and was stuck in the backlog, arriving yesterday morning and a recorded ordered a couple of weeks ago should be here today.

We did gain a new member at the forum who did pose the question of this business of dressing like we did is a kink and really unless you bring things from that world into it really no as you are just being that person you feel, you may be re-enacting things from then you enjoyed presenting as he did back then or possibly going back to that point in time mentally.

People of course can and do hold all manner of opinions but the thing about points is everybody's got one and it certainly would never be first time someone tried to say something isn't what you know you do.

I like the feel of just being back in that world, having some responsibility certainly but without the weight of adult concerns and obligations weigning down on me and when with those ewho are doing that "adult" stuff it feels very comfortable, even perhaps natural to me personally.

Who knows what this month might bring?

Delays

Sometimes you don't have to use something yourself to be impacted by the things causing issues  to those who do.

Plenty of things make their way here beyond say bank statements much from within the UK whither or not it's from Amazon, Evri or Royal Mail and in the main that's clockwork: You order it and within a few days it is just there.

There are times things do come from overseas, actually a lot of stuff comes into the U.K. and that is when things can get ahem...interesting.

Somethings come come on container ships which tend to be slower but as most of that is destined for UK distributors it doesn't matter so much although I can recall waiting over a month for a new Lens to come from Japan to the local camera shop for me to pick up.

Today much is flown in, sometimes on dedicated freight flights othertimes in space capacity on regular ones to major airports which is where the fire at the electricity sub-station that feeds London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday came into effect.

I had two items due from the U.S. that current political issues aside needed to be sourced from that had moved from their last U.S.step before being sent over and that was where the incident struck.

Seemingly some arrangements were made to divert fright flights with a  good number going to East Midlands Airport near Castle Donington so one item came via Royal Mail Monday, just a day later than anticipated.

In the end things got sorted but it just reminds you of how much we depend on things just being right.

Suits that would of suited

On a day where more grown up attention was on my disability benefits - and I can see some challenges to elements of those announced changes today - thoughts are more around other things.

Suits did feature a bit in eatly childhood  but rarely were they short trouser suits usually for occassions such weddings, formal party invitations and the like where what I'd wear in church was more "smart casual" and usually casual for Sunday School.

In a lot of ways I really missed that as not only was there something really disagreeable with them having "longs" but being unlined too the materials were either sweaty or very itchy just where you don't want itches and that itchiness sometimes carried over the the waistcoats rubbing against your polyester shirt.

Back then negotation over clothing was unheard off so the last suit I had was long even by 1979/80 I was getting somewhere in the shorts rebellion at least at home.

Lined short trousers would of been far more comfortable.

Governance in Staffordshire -changing times?

 Yes another more current affairs post but a bit more localized and in places bitter.

Current the area that is served by Staffordshire is serviced in two very different ways depending in which of the areas below you fall into and part of the complications come from the post 1974 changes that detached much of the south of the county from the area to the left of that which remained.

2: Newcastle Under Lyme

3: Staffordshire Moorlands

4:Stafford Borough

5: East Staffordshire (Uttoxeter,Rocester and Burton)

6: South Staffordshire (Detached Black Country)

7: Cannock Chase D.C.

8: Lichfield D.C.

9: Tamworth B.C

All 8 of these councils do provide services themselves but are overarched by another authority Staffordshire County Council who provide schools, social services, education, waste disposal and so on.

1: is Stoke On Trent - the city boundary which does everything with one council.

Central Goverment has called for whole of Administrative Staffordshire to be re-organized believing it would be more efficient and less confusing to have one or perhaps two single councils covering the area providing all of the services.

To complicate things it wants a overarching Combined Authority  over all of that but the patchwork of existing ones is messy from the original idea of more vast regional ones such as Greater Manchester and West Midlands to talk of almost a former county council area being one like Cheshire and Warrington or Cumbria which is quite small.

Really goverment should of had a blueprint for English Devolution from day one that set the broad boundaries - would a more focussed Black County, South Staffs D.C and Telford combined authority of  made more sense  and left Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire  to form another?

Staffordshire County Council favours a Unitary Donut just the the 8 Staffordshire District leaving Stoke totally detached as it feels it cause least disruption to existing arrangements but those arranges create difficulties for Education and especially Social Services where clients and and facilities don't align with council boundaries.

That was and remains a major issue from when Stoke became a unitary authority and buildings were in what was now the "wrong" council area.

To me that makes little sense.

It really comes down to a unitary all nine councils of the ceremonial county, removing that issue or splitting into North Staffordshire (area1,2,3 and possibly part of the old Stone Rural area) covering the whole of the conurbation I'm in and a Southern Staffs comprising of 4,5,6,7,8 and 9 looking more as that area and its needs.

The entireity being a Combined Authority for more wide ranging structural planning although to be honest Codsall, Wombourne and Perton in the South Staffordshire D.C. area especially are very much in the Wolverhampton and Dudley travel to work area and things connected around economic needs really align there than one that would have the "Greater Stoke/Newcastle" area as it's #1 priority and much work is planned with Wolverhampton council anyway.

Current Affairs

I dislike having to say anything regarding regarding current ffairs but given where we are right now, unable to rely on the United States tolook after Europe's interests,and  concerns I'm just going to have to as much as I keep stuff like that Off Forum.

Some might say to raise the question of security guarantees at a press conference about a Mineral Rights might be inpolitic but the suggestion that merely having a number unspecified of Americans working there patently does not guarantee a breach of ceasefire as even if a mine was not bombed, transportation from it might well be which would be driven by Ukrainians. What then?

So it's not unreasonably to ask about and for a short response "We'll talk that through later" reply to be given and move on but it is exceedingly likely a metaphorical grenade was planned to be tossed in show the Ukrainian president in a poor light starting from the frankly bizarre assertion that to wear what is his usual attire in the Oval Office is disrespectful.

Anyone who follows the news knows what he is likely to be wearing at meetings at which point blatant often pro Russian lies are being tossed into a massive rant by the President and Vice President the latter at one point seemed to me running the show than President Trump, just watching on enjoying the spectacle unfold.

And for challenging that, the Ukraine President is ordered out, no deal being signed.

Trump and co may feel they made him look humiliated but frankly you made your country look like it is run by school bullies where diplomacy and due process are no longer a given for incoming Prime Ministers and Presidents and has exposed the petulant infantile nature of your leader

Yesterday morning he announced he'd cut off all aid to Ukraine doubling down on his assertions that Friday. How the hell does that get you peace???? And leaving Ukraine unprotected for President Putin to blow to smitherines and take over.

Some "Peace" that is!

Your country is in state of disgrace and I do question if you even should remain a NATO member given your behaviour to allies (and I might add I'm no lefty).

Play and rec things

One element from last week was play and presents which differs than the sort of thing many of us had back in the day.

Colouring books did exist but in isolation rather than being part of an activity centre with a storage bag for different things and the things you might use such as your pencils or paints in small trays.

Crafts have come on to more colourful things more reminscent of older mole roles and activities such as ceremonial swords that would of belonged to warriors.

Given some reluctanence on the part of boys to get into arts and crafts, a wider range of options is to be welcomed.

We always loved dinosaurs so combining them into a foil art kit so you can make lots of colourful ones to rawr with is just great appealing in a way say flowery designs might not.

I just love them.

Denim

I've always had a love hate relationship with denim not least from attempts to put me in jeans which I found a bit clammy in the late Spring and Summer where I usually prefer something that rather breathes more.

Thus I always battled for shorts, originally sports shorts from 1979/80 in the summer or for play although these days you'll seldom see me in anything other than traditional lined short trousers.

But that's forgetting there was a point between the ages of of around eight and eleven where Mum did buy me the odd demin pair which are better in that way so would something like this with even pockets be good as 'playwear' for me?