Sunday, 3 January 2016

A pinch and a punch - but it's not quite the first of the month! - again!!



Well, Happy New Year to y’all. I know there will be some readers who live on the edge of the wet bits of England and Scotland, and we really do hope that they will not be materially affected by the effects of the weather. i\ suspect that if we had the amount of rain that some parts of the UK have had, we would be flooded too, by the Medway, although we are some way from and above its normal course. I must look for some spot heights on the OS map.

Christmas was at home with No. 1 son and family. They ended up moving from Derbyshire to Dorset on the 22 December! So we collected the grandchildren from Derbyshire the previous weekend, and they stayed with us until after Christmas when they were taken to their new home. I expected them to be all stirred up, but they seemed to take it like lambs. Might be different when they go to their new school. They have moved to a listed house in the centre of Sherborne, with no parking space, and a double yellow line on the road outside. The sort of circumstances where I would probably not remember where I left it after coming home the previous evening!

Other than that, December was pretty quiet, apart from the various shopping trips that were required. I had the pleasure of switching bank accounts, which is nearly as complex as moving house. They say that they look after all the standing orders and direct debits, but they never undertake to tell the important people – such as those who make regular payments of pension, salary, and such like to you. That is left to you. And as many of those are government organisations, in our case, well, we shall see………

It also involves closing the credit card accounts and opening new ones, and I wonder what that might have done to my credit rating.

Correspondence has been reasonable in December, and I offer the following, some old and some new


The recession has hit everyone really hard... 

My neighbour got a pre-declined credit card in the mail. 

Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can't afford batteries. 

CEO's are now playing miniature golf. 

Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen. 

A stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced. 

I saw a Muslim with only one wife. 

If the bank returns your cheque marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them. 

McDonald's is selling the 1/4 ouncer. 

Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America. 

Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names. 

My cousin had an exorcism but couldn't afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her! 

A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico. 

A picture is now only worth 200 words. 

The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates. 

And, finally... 


I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call centre in Pakistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck. 

+++

“Why are you here to see the doctor”? asked the nurse to the man in the examination room.

“I’ll tell you, but I don’t want you to laugh”, said Bob.

“Of course I won’t laugh,” said the Nurse to the patient, “I’m a professional. In over twenty years I’ve never laughed at a patient.”

“Okay then,” said Bob, and he proceeded to drop his pants, revealing the smallest adult male organ the Nurse had ever seen in her life.

In length and width it was almost identical to a AAA battery.

Unable to control herself, the Nurse tried to stop a giggle, but it just came out. And then she started laughing at the fact that she was laughing.

Feeling very badly that she had laughed at the man’s private part, she composed herself as well as she could. “I am so sorry,” she said , “I don’t know what came over me. On my honour as a Nurse and a lady, I promise that it won’t happen again.

Now, tell me, what seems to be the problem?”

“It’s swollen,” Bob replied.

She ran out of the room.

+++

An old geezer became very bored in retirement and decided to open a medical clinic. He put a sign up outside that said: "Dr. Geezer's clinic. Get your treatment for $500, if not cured, get back $1,000."

Doctor "Young," who was positive that this old geezer didn't know beans about medicine, thought this would be a great opportunity to get $1,000. So he went to Dr. Geezer's clinic.

Dr. Young: "Dr. Geezer, I have lost all taste in my mouth. Can you please help me??"

Dr. Geezer: "Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in Dr. Young's mouth."

Dr. Young: Aaagh !! -- "This is Gasoline!" 

Dr. Geezer: "Congratulations! You've got your taste back. That will be $500."

Dr. Young gets annoyed and goes back after a couple of days figuring to recover his money.

 Dr. Young:  "I have lost my memory, I cannot remember anything."

 Dr. Geezer: "Nurse, please bring medicine from box 22 and put 3 drops in the patient's mouth." Dr. Young:  "Oh, no you don't,  -- that is Gasoline!" 

Dr. Geezer: "Congratulations! You've got your memory back. That will be $500." 

Dr. Young (after having lost $1000) leaves angrily and comes back after several more days.

Dr. Young: "My eyesight has become weak --- I can hardly see anything!!!! 

Dr. Geezer: "Well, I don't have any medicine for that so, " Here's your $1,000 back." (giving him a $10 bill)

Dr. Young: "But this is only $10! 

Dr. Geezer:  "Congratulations! You got your vision back!  ; That will be $500.

" Moral of story  -- Just because you're "Young" doesn't mean that you can outsmart an "old Geezer"

+++

4 Worms In Church and a lesson to be learned!!!!

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed into four separate jars.

The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.

The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.

The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.

The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The first worm in alcohol . . . . . . Dead .

The second worm in cigarette smoke . . . Dead .

Third worm in chocolate syrup . . . . Dead.

Fourth worm in good clean soil . . .Alive .

So the Minister asked the congregation,

"What did you learn from this demonstration?"

Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said . . .
"If you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!"

+++

Way too close for comfort! – But very seasonal…


+++

This is an actual recall from one of our Cayman lawyers, J.W. Masters, otherwise known as "Croc". Australian.

The Floor is still wet
Culture is a funny thing. Men in the Caribbean whilst head of the family, are largely compliant when directed to do something by their women. Some women should simply not be crossed (see am dat your car) and I have had to give advice about some interesting crimes involving domestic violence. 4
In October both the Commissioner and I were in a meeting in his office and he had his radio monitor switched on. This is a most effective means of getting first-hand what is going on and man do you hear some funny and amazing things. Anyhow, the Commissioner says to me: “John, I hope that you don’t mind but we have a domestic where injuries are suspected and I wouldn’t mind listening in for a while.”

The story is that police get called to an address where shouting has been reported, it is suspected to be a domestic, police attend the scene and discover a man lying on the front lawn clearly deceased and his wife sitting at the kitchen table with the knife close beside her. This is where I start listening to the conversation (all identities are protected).

Inspector at radio base: “What is the situation?”

Constable: “The woman was cleaning house and told her husband not to walk on the wet floor and he ignored her so she took a big kitchen knife and stab him in the chest. He then walk outside and fall dead in the front garden.”

Inspector: “Where is the woman?”

Constable: “She is in the kitchen”.

Inspector: “Have you arrested her?”

Constable: “No, sir.”

Inspector: “Why not?”

Constable: (silent pause) - “Because the floor is still wet.”

+++


+++

Huge Bear surprises Ecobubble on photoshoot


Go to


for a really Happy New Year!

+++

Yesterday, I went over to the local Bass Pro Shop to get a small 9mm for home protection. 

When I was ready to pay for the gun and bullets, the cashier said,  "Strip down, facing me." 
Making a mental note to complain to the NRA about the gun control wackos running amok, I did just as she had instructed. 

When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the card reader!!! 

I've been asked to shop elsewhere in the future. 

They need to make their instructions to seniors a little clearer. Besides, I don't think I looked that bad...

+++

A WELL-KNOWN IRISH GHOST STORY
John Bradford, a Dublin University student, was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the midst of a big storm.

The night was rolling on and no car went by. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him.   Suddenly, he saw a car slowly coming towards him and it stopped.

John, desperate for shelter and without thinking about it, got into the car and closed the door...only to realise there was nobody behind the wheel and the engine wasn't on. 

The car started moving again slowly.  John looked at the road ahead and saw a curve approaching. Scared, he started to pray, begging for his life. 

Then, just before the car hit the curve, a hand appeared out of nowhere through the window, and turned the wheel. John, paralysed with terror, watched as the hand came through the window, but it never touched nor harmed him.

Shortly thereafter, John saw the lights of a pub appear down the road so, gathering strength, he jumped out of the car and ran to it.   Wet and out of breath, he rushed inside and started telling everybody about the horrible experience he had just had.

A silence enveloped the pub when everybody realised he was crying...and he wasn't drunk.

Suddenly, the door opened, and two other people walked in from the dark and stormy night. They, like John, were also soaked and out of breath. Looking around, and seeing John Bradford sobbing at the bar, one said to the other:

"Look Paddy...there's that feckin’ eejit that got in the car while we were pushing it!"
 
+++

A SCOTTISH LOVE-STORY...

A young Scottish lad and lass were sitting on a low stone wall, holding hands, gazing out over the loch.

For several minutes they sat silently. Then finally the girl looked at the boy and said, "A penny for your thoughts, Angus."

"Well, uh, I was thinkin'. Perhaps it's aboot time for a wee kiss."

The girl blushed, then leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Then he blushed. The two turned once again to gaze out over the loch.

Minutes passed and the girl spoke again. "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus?"

"Well, uh, I was thinkin' perhaps it's noo aboot time for a we cuddle."

The girl blushed, then leaned over and cuddled him for a few seconds.

Then he blushed, and the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch.

After a while, she again said, "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus."

"Well, uh, I was thinkin' perhaps it's aboot time you let me put my hand on your leg."

The girl blushed, then took his hand and put it on her knee. Then he blushed.
Then the two turned once again to gaze out over the loch before the girl spoke again. "Another penny for your thoughts, Angus."

The young man glanced down with a furrowed brow. "Well, noo," he said, "my thoughts are a wee bit more serious this time."

"Really?" said the lass in a whisper, filled with anticipation.

"Aye," said the lad, nodding.

The girl looked away in shyness, began to blush, and bit her lip in anticipation of the ultimate request.

Then he said, "Dae ye no' think it's aboot time ye paid me the first three pennies?”

+++

STRESS…


You pick up a hitchhiker: a beautiful girl.
Suddenly, she faints inside your truck and you take her to the hospital.
Now that's stressful.

But at the hospital, they say she is pregnant and congratulate you that you're going to be a father.
You say that you are not the father, but the girl says you are.
This is getting very stressful!

You request a DNA test to prove that you are not the father.

After the tests are completed, the doctor says the test shows you're infertile, and probably have been since birth.  By now you're extremely stressed but yet relieved.

On your way back to your house, you're thinking about *your* 5 kids at home….


We are reaching the end of this post. Have a really good, healthy and happy New Year.


:

Friday, 4 December 2015

Christmas is coming - again!

Slightly delayed this month - party because I wanted to check if I could still get in and out of a swimming pool - and I can!! - just. So I managed 16 lengths - 400 metres - and then got out, and was stiff for the rest of the day. But it is another step forward.

Otherwise progress continues in improving my ability to get about. Had another session with the physio today - another set of exercises to do - will probably take up an hour a day, but probably worthwhile at the end, although some of them are very uncomfortable.

Both sons are on the move. Leon got a promotion in Morgan Stanley and to celebrate moved house - 200 yards up the road, and still in Dulwich. Neil has been made a director of Lawrence of Crewkerne, big fine art auctioneers - and is moving from Derby to Dorset. This will probably mean some child-minding - if not the provision of temporary accommodation. At present the whole process is being held up by the inability of West Dorset District Council to get a local search back in less than 3 months. To someone who spent the first few months of his articles looking after the local searches for Bromley this is incomprehensible, but I am not minded to get involved.

Spent a happy evening a couple of days ago making sure that David Wheaton left the country for grand Cayman, which is where he belongs. Always a pleasure to see him.

Added to the administrative burden of living by deciding to switch bank accounts from Nat West, where my family has banked since before the First World War - literally - mainly because they have vastly increased their charges and no longer provide the items in the package that we want. Signing up instead with Nationwide, who do provide us with the necessary extras at more or less what NatWest have charged for many years.

Enough of the domestic stuff. This month has resulted in some interesting stuff - take your pick of the following:
 

*I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People get out of the way much faster now!*

*You can tell a lot about a woman's mood just by her hands. If she is holding a gun, she's probably angry.*

*Gone are the days when girls used to cook like their mothers. Now they drink like their fathers.*

*You know that tingly little feeling you get when you really like someone? That's common sense leaving your body.*

*I don't like making plans for the day because then the word" premeditated" gets thrown around in the courtroom.*

*I didn't make it to the gym today. That makes five years in a row.*

*I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.*

*Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet...*

*Old age is coming at a really bad time!*

*When I was a child I thought Nap Time was a punishment... now, as a grownup, it just feels like a small vacation!*

*The biggest lie I tell myself is... "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it."*

*I don't have gray hair. I have "wisdom highlights". I'm just very wise.*

*Teach your daughter how to shoot, because a restraining order is just a piece of paper.*

*If God wanted me to touch my toes, he'd have put them on my knees.*


OOH SO TRUE WHY PRESS 1

*Why do I have to press one for English when you're just going to transfer me to someone I can't understand anyway?*

*Of course I talk to myself, sometimes I need expert advice.*

*At my age "Getting lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I went in there for.*


JUST A WATER BED IN A GERMAN STORE
Note that the sign says NOT to get on the bed,
But, oh well..the best way to motivate people
to do something is to put up a sign saying: "Don't........!"
Turn on speakers and watch the surprised potential clients trying out the water bed.
 (It's in German, but you don’t need to speak the language to understand exactly what they are saying...)
Watch particularly for the last two ladies !    

+++

DOG FOR SALE

 

  A man sees a sign outside a house -
'Talking Dog For Sale .'
He rings the bell, the owner appears
And tells him the dog can be viewed in the back garden.

The man sees a very nice looking Labrador Retriever sitting there.
 
"Do you really talk?" he asks the dog.
"Yes," the Labrador replies.
After recovering from the shock of hearing the dog talk,
The man asks,  "So, tell me your story." 

 
The Labrador looks up and says,
"Well, I  discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young.
I wanted to help the government, so I told the SAS.
In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country
sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders.
Because no one imagined that a dog would be eavesdropping,                
I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years." 

 
"But the jetting around really tired me out,
and I knew I wasn't getting any younger
So I decided to settle down.
I signed up for a job at Heathrow Airport
to do some undercover security work,
Wandering near suspicious characters and listening in.
I uncovered some incredible dealings 
and was awarded several medals.
I got married, had a few puppies, and now I've just retired."           

The man was amazed
He goes back into the house and asks the owner
how much he wants for the dog. 

"Ten quid," the owner says.

"£10.....!!?  But this dog is absolutely  amazing!
Why on earth are you selling him so cheaply?"

"Because he's a lying hound...                
He's never been out of the garden."

+++




A QUIZ FOR MY VERY BRIGHT FRIENDS                                         

(NB: There are only nine questions!   So, try and do it.... )

This is a quiz for people who know  everything! 
I found out in a hurry that I didn't. These are not trick questions. 
They are straight questions with straight answers.. 

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. 

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 

3 Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? 

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? 

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? 

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them. 

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
 

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.
 

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'
 

Answers To Quiz (several lines down to discourage  cheating!):
 











  

1 The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends:  Boxing. 

2 North American landmark constantly moving backward: Niagara Falls .. The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute. 

3 Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons:  Asparagus and rhubarb. 

4 The fruit with its seeds on the outside:   Strawberry. 

5 How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle?  It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
 

6 Three English words beginning with dw:  Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...
 
7 Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar:  Period (full stop), comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 

8 The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh:  Lettuce. 

9 Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S':    Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

+++

 Sensitivity Training

A young Naval Officer was in a terrible car accident, but due to the heroics of the hospital staff the only permanent injury was the loss of one ear.

Since he wasn't physically impaired he remained in the military and eventually became an Admiral. However, during his career he was always sensitive about his appearance.

One day the Admiral was interviewing two Navy Master Chiefs and a Marine Sergeant Major for his personal staff. 

The first Master Chief was a Surface Navy type and it was a great interview. At the end of the interview the Admiral asked him, "Do you notice anything different about me?"

The Master Chief answered, "Why yes sir. I couldn't help but notice you are missing your starboard ear, so I don't know whether this impacts your hearing on that side."

The Admiral got very angry at this lack of tact and threw him out of his office.

The next candidate, an Aviation Master Chief, when asked this same question, answered, "Well yes sir, you seem to be short one ear."

The Admiral threw him out also.

The third interview was with the Marine Sergeant Major. He was articulate, extremely sharp, and seemed to know more than the two Master Chiefs put together. The Admiral wanted this guy, but went ahead with the same question.

"Do you notice anything different about me?"

To his surprise the Sergeant Major said, "Yes, sir. You wear contact lenses."

The Admiral was impressed and thought to himself, what an incredibly tactful Marine. "And how do you know that?" the Admiral asked.

The Sergeant Major replied, "Well sir, it's pretty hard to wear glasses with only one fuckin' ear."

 +++

BREEDING THE FAMILY PIGS..

A farmer had 5 female pigs.
Times were hard, so he decided to take them to the county fair and sell them.

At the fair, he met another farmer who owned five male pigs.
After talking a bit, they decided to mate the pigs and split everything 50/50.
The farmers lived 60 miles apart, so they decided to drive 30 miles each and find a field in which to let the pigs mate.

The first morning, the farmer with the female pigs got up at 5 A.M., loaded the pigs into the family station wagon (which was the only vehicle he had) and drove the thirty miles.
While the pigs were mating, he asked the other farmer,

"How will I know if they are pregnant?"
The other farmer replied,
"If they're lying in the grass tomorrow morning, they're pregnant.”
“
If they're lying in the mud, they're not."

The next morning the pigs were rolling in the mud, so he hosed them off,
loaded them into the family station wagon again and proceeded to try again.
This continued each morning for more than a week and both farmers were worn out.

The next morning he was too tired to get out of bed.   So he called to his wife, "Honey, please look outside and tell me whether the pigs are in the mud or in the grass."

"Neither," yelled his wife in response, "they're all waiting in the station wagon - and one of them is honking the horn!..."

+++

I knew a chap like this once – really!


+++

A couple was invited to a swanky costume party. Unfortunately, the wife came
down with a terrible headache and told her husband to go to the party alone. He
being a devoted husband protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need for his good time being spoiled by not going. So he took his costume and away he went.

The wife, after sleeping soundly for about an hour, awakened without pain
and, as it was still early enough, decided to go to the party. Since her husband did not know what her costume was, she thought she would have some fun by watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him.

She joined the party and soon spotted her husband cavorting around on the
dance floor, dancing with every nice woman he could, and copping a little touch
here and a little kiss there. His wife sidled up to him and being a rather
seductive babe herself, he left his current partner high and dry and devoted his
time to the new babe that had just arrived. She let him go as far as he
wished...naturally, (since he was her husband). Finally, he whispered a little
proposition in and she agreed. So off they went to one of the cars and had a
quickie.

Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away, went home, put the
costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he would make for his behaviour. She was sitting up reading when he came in, and she asked what kind of a time he had. He said: "Oh, the same old thing.. You know I never have a good time when you're not there." "Did you dance much?" "You know, I never even danced one dance. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill Browning and some other guys, so we went into the den and played poker all evening. But you're not going to believe what happened to the guy I loaned my costume to."


  That's about it. Have a great Christmas and a New Year that is even better than this year.