Things I will not eat The world is not my oyster By way of a brief introduction these are things that form part of my Duck-it list: Things I plan never to do in my lifetime; some of which I have never done, marked (V) for Virgin; and some that I have tried and vow … Continue reading Duck-it List: Episode ONE
Category: social observation
Get one over on the Grim Reaper – draw up a Duck-it List
Jbuzbee / CC BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 Don't focus on kicking the bucket, just keep kicking the can down the road. Bucket Lists get so much coverage in books, on TV, in films, but the trouble with them is that they have a finite end. You either die having failed to finish your objectives, or you finish … Continue reading Get one over on the Grim Reaper – draw up a Duck-it List
Contains up to 90% nonsense
What are they up to? Here in the UK, TK Max proudly announced in its stores "Always up to 90% off". Wow! That sounds great doesn't it? But what does it mean? Let's explore the logic. "Always up to" practically means "never more than". They are guaranteeing that they will never discount by more than … Continue reading Contains up to 90% nonsense
Jessie Donaldson, Annie Besant, Rebecca, Bessie Smith, and all that jazz.
Rebecca Riots "Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act". So wrote Annie Besant, who was born in London in 1847. Radical sentiments for a radical woman. She might have had Jessie Donaldson in mind. Jesse was born in Bristol in 1799 and later moved to Swansea where she … Continue reading Jessie Donaldson, Annie Besant, Rebecca, Bessie Smith, and all that jazz.
Someday my plinth will come…
Or welcome to my Hall of Shame I have often casually wondered about statues in an uninterested kind of way. Ever since I was a kid, I was subjected to a forest of the bloody things. There seemed to be one on almost every street corner in central London; the parks and public spaces were … Continue reading Someday my plinth will come…
Floodgates, Watergates, Surrogates, and Castigates
When my local floodgates opened First of all, where do all these bloody "Gates" come from? They are clearly not all offspring of Bill & Melinda, so what’s the deal? I was reading Caitlin Johnstone's recent blog on Obamagate https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2020/05/14/why-obamagate-will-never-lead-to-anything-of-significance/, which is well worth a read by the way, when her use of the word … Continue reading Floodgates, Watergates, Surrogates, and Castigates
♫ No, you’re not too late to isolate, the natives are just dying♫
Apologies to Bruce Springsteen and to Mary, Queen of Arkansas This line, the original being No, you're not too late to desecrate, the servants are just rising, has been one that has stuck with me for years. It and its variants, have sprung, unbidden, into my head at all sorts of times, including in an … Continue reading ♫ No, you’re not too late to isolate, the natives are just dying♫
Hurrah! – I’ve just tested positive for the Campari virus
An attempt to lift the spirits* * Warning: some readers may find this article upsetting as it sets out to use the language of the Corona Virus outbreak humorously in the context of drinking alcohol at home during lockdown. I think I picked up the virus fairly recently on one of my trips to Italy, … Continue reading Hurrah! – I’ve just tested positive for the Campari virus
Measure for Measure – or not quite?
contains no added corona. This all started because my wife made an off the cuff remark about teaspoons getting smaller. Not the spoons that sit around in saucers, nor even the silver jobs that sit in the mouths of the over-privileged, but rather the items that the cooks among us use to measure materials repeatedly … Continue reading Measure for Measure – or not quite?
Even the sheep are in Flockdown
Journal into the Unknown...(8) I have dropped into a fairly healthy habit of early rising and getting out onto the byways around my neck of the woods before most of my neighbours get out of bed in the mornings. This is the time that I choose to exercise my right to exercise. It also means … Continue reading Even the sheep are in Flockdown
Mickey take and more 