Some nights are good; last night
wasn’t one of them. I don’t like having the dogs on the bed, but I get no say
in the matter. I am generally asleep before they come up; you would think they
would arrange themselves around those already asleep… but no. I often find
myself hanging off of the edge of the bed fighting for a scrap of duvet. Last
night was one such night. Several times I got up and arranged the dogs only to
have themselves get back to how they were in the split second it would have
taken me to get back into my pit.
I was rather glad when the alarm
went off.
"er indoors TM" has been
shopping; I found some “Deluxe Granola
Super Berry” in the cupboard and some full-fat milk in the fridge (blue-top… none of that green-top rubbish)
and I scoffed it whilst watching “F is for
Family” before opening my Lego advent calendar. Some December mornings I am
struck with immediate inspiration with my Lego advent calendar. Today wasn’t
one of them. I sparked up the lap-top which my mind churned over what to say about
a Lego car. There was nothing of note either in my in-box or on Facebook (mind you I was up *early* this morning)
so I got dressed and set off to find where I’d left my car when I came home on
Saturday. In retrospect we should have bought a house with a drive; then I’d
remember where I’d left it rather than wandering the streets trying to find it.
It eventually came to light up
by Dan-Dan’s house (Dan-Dan being a sort-of step-daughter-in-law once
removed. Our family is rather complicated).
As I drove
toward Pembury (I'm on a week's secondment) the pundits on the radio
were discussing Jordi Casamitjana. This chap claims he was sacked from his job
by the League Against Cruel Sports after squealing to the world that it
invested its pension funds in firms involved in animal testing. In seemingly a
tit-for-tat move the League Against Cruel Sports claimed Mr. Casamitjana was
guilty of gross misconduct. (Well they would, wouldn't they?)
This chap is going to
the courts trying to claim that he has acted according to his vegan
principles and wants the courts to declare that veganism is a "philosophical
belief akin to religion" and so subject to the protection of the law
like other religions.
Apparently there
are legal distinctions between religions, beliefs and opinions. From what I
could work out it is quite acceptable to laugh at people who claim to have
invisible friends *if* that is their belief or opinion. But the moment
it becomes a "religion" you dare not say a word against their
invisible friend for fear of legal ramifications (to say nothing of plagues
of frogs off of God).
There were
those on the radio who felt that giving veganism this sort of legal protection
would just open the flood-gates to all sorts of other pressure groups wanting
such legal status which might cause no end of problems. It was suggested that
we might find ourselves in the ridiculous situation where all sorts of
activities and things would be both legal and illegal. Imagine the Hunt
Saboteurs declaring fishing being against their principles whilst
simultaneously the Piscatorial Alliance announcing that fishing is their
inalienable right. What happens then?
And then the
so-called experts conjured up all sorts of ridiculous scenarios in which the
"might-bes" played with the "ifs".
The Home
Secretary was wheeled on and was interviewed for twenty minutes. It never fails
to amaze me how senior politicians can be live on-air for so long and spout so
much hot air whist actually saying very little.
He was of the
opinion that the Prime Minister's Brexit plans *aren't* going straight
down the toilet, and glossed over the suggestion that he was in an increasingly
shrinking minority of people who shared that view.
As he spouted
meaningless platitudes I was very nearly tail-ended up the A21 by a lorry of
the Green Flag company. With miles of traffic going at single-figure
miles-per-hour did he really need to be quite so close to me for such a long
way? I wonder if trade was slack for the Green Flag company, and (specialising
in road traffic accidents) the driver thought he might drum up some
business?
I got to
work. The drive to Pembury is only eight miles longer than the drive to
Maidstone but takes half an hour longer. Work was good, but going home time was
better.
I had thought
about going to the Ashford International Hotel this evening. Tonight was the
closing event for the Ashford Snow Dogs and they were all being auctioned. If I
went I just knew I would bid money I couldn’t afford so rather than going I
tuned in on Facebook Live and watched the charity auction from home for two and
a half hours. The average Snow Dog went for between two and three thousand
pounds. None went for less than a thousand pounds. The one I would have bid on
(Park Life) went for three thousand six hundred pounds, and Doodle Dog
went for fifteen thousand quid.
In all over one
hundred and forty thousand pounds was raised for the local hospice.
The whole
Snow Dog thing has been rather good fun… a shame it is now over.
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