Cyclists Again!

It goes without saying what my views are on cyclists who use the pavements as I have made those views very publicly in my blogs.  Living as we do here in Sussex we often see well known personalities, mainly those appearing in theatre, who are for one reason or another visiting our city. 

Today, while taking our usual “yomp” into town we were confronted by Jeremy Paxman!  Yes, he of the TV.  He who famously asked Michael Howard the same question 14 times! He of the often razor like put down! Yes, the man himself, on a bike….. a bike…. I still can’t quite believe it.  Sadly, Mr Paxman was riding on the pavement and sadder still he was heading directly towards us and showed now sign of giving way to us mere mortal pedestrians from such a rural or provincial town such as ours.  We were peasants no doubt, blocking his path, standing in his way.

He cycled past us as if we didn’t exist, brushing so close to me that I could swear I smelt his cologne.  Not a word to say, excuse me, sorry or whatever platitude he could offer that would compensate for my having to step sharply aside from his frantic pedalling.

Mr Paxman, pavements are for people, roads are for cyclists!

Next time on Newsnight or University Challenge please try to remember that ordinary mortals always remember famous faces, especially when they are rude and inconsiderate. 

PS: Why were you not wearing a safety helmet, reflective vest and goggles for your epic cycle ride around Chichester?

For more on Mr Paxman and Cycling please click here

Alesha Dixon and Darcey Bussell on Strictly Come Dancing

Sunday morning, I wake up to this “news”, I quote from the “Sun” of course, (Not my paper of choice ) posted as a headline on an Internet Web Page – the headline goes:

“Fans blast ‘spoilt’ Alesha Dixon and ‘boring’ Darcey Bussell on Strictly Come Dancing”. 

Now this caught my attention only because I am a keen viewer of Strictly Come Dancing rather than an avid fan or just plain fan.  I like to watch the dancers progress in a manner that I would never have achieved in my ballroom dancing lesson days under the watchful eye of the late Howard from Selsey who was the most patient of teachers.  I could not and still cannot dance.  While we were having lessons we went to a company dance one evening and I had to position myself in the same corner of the dance floor so that I could remember what I had been taught… fortunately for the world of dance, I have given up.
OK back to “Strictly”.  I have been ranting for weeks now, in fact ever since the arrival of Alesha and the departure of the sometimes acerbic Arlene Philips who whilst older than Alesha she was after all a  professional dancer and I thought entitled to be a critic of the competitors.  However, Alesha could have perhaps got away with this had she been able to actually express herself in other than than show biz clichés and appalling grammar.  In other words better to say “that dance was very good and you were better than last week” than “that was yours, you owned it and you was better than you was last week”.  There was a brief period a couple of weeks ago when I was shaken to the very roots to hear Alesha (I am still worried about the spelling of her name actually) utter a whole sentence with neither cliché or misuse of the past tense.  Sadly the clichés and grammar are still driving me mad and added to that now is the simmering presence of no doubt fragrant and former prima ballerina Darcy Bussell who has joined as a judge for a short period.  Visually another item of BBC Strictly “eye candy” she has the right to criticise as far as I am concerned, her grammar is perfect and her speech clear and happily no clichés.  But oh so dull.  I wanted to see her strike out at the pompous acid tongued Craig Revel Horwood, or poke of Len in the ribs for his over enthusing or better still remind Alesha that she can’t dance!!!!!
So it’s back to the screen next week for the Final, will it be Chris or Ricky?  Who knows but what I know is that they only have to bring on the “dancing girls” to make my night!

It's that time of year again.....New Year!

Yes, New Year has passed and now it is the time for resolutions, diets and bargain hunting in the sales that seem to have been going since about last October. Big high street names falling by the recession laden wayside the likes of which we never thought would go down quite so rapidly.
Woolworth's disappearing like it has seems incredible and sad. I remember way back when Rolls Royce went bust just how shocked everyone was yet now all we see are hoards of shoppers
tearing at the remains of a dying animal. I have to say that trawling the sales I have not seen one real bargain, but then I suppose I am not seriously looking.

So, we have survived Christmas and also the contents of the large tin of Quality Street that has added several inches to my svelte and lithesome figure, the washboard stomach has gone the same
way as much of my remaining hair. But all in all, I could do worse! Alcohol levels are considerably reduced so I am NOT as "fat” as I could be.

So my resolution will be that I pledge to be back to my fighting weight by the end of February (and living in our own house too I hope).

Just before Christmas the last of our boxes and furniture arrived from Ibiza and thus the mystery of the missing tax papers and tool boxes was solved. Seems that our foolproof numbering and labelling system was "compromised" by our shipper! The old devil tried to fleece me on the Euro exchange rate by asking for payment at the rate on the day of delivery rather than on the date he actually said he would deliver! There was a 5 second stand off before he grudgingly took the bundle of notes from me and passed me a scribbled receipt in return.

The result is that I now have a room full of boxes and the remaining times of furniture making the spare bedroom looking a bit like Steptoe’s Yard.
I am not going to bore you with our obsession with "Financial Markets" as it has bored me no end too. But if interest rates keep falling and houses for sale seem even more scares, rare even, we will have to consider buying Iceland ( the country that is) so that we can be certain of where to live!

I was looking back at the many irritating things about 2008 (apart from the financial crises and Gordon Brown saving the world!)
and I found there were many so here are just a few!
• In the X-Factor there was Louis Walsh for being Louis Walsh, Dannii Minogue for her frozen face and having too many i's in her name, the little Irish Lad who cried a lot, Alexandra Burke for being hysterical and the voters who voted out the Spanish beauty Ruth Lorenzo.
• In Strictly Come Dancing's - John Sergeant, the "Dancing Pig", Craig Revel Horwood for being such a slimy creep, Jodie Kidd for being so tall, Jessie Wallace for just being a real nasty piece of work. I have to stop because I will run out of space here just on who I cringed at.
• George Bush, Gordon Brown and so many other Parliamentarians that made me grind my teeth.
So what have been the good things about 2008?
• The town’s people of Wootenn Bassett who have turned out onto the streets for each and every serviceman and woman killed in action and repatriated.
Sadly I can think of little else apart from the impending arrival of my daughter’s baby in 2009!! I suppose he started out in 2008 and at least he will grow up when thing are much improved as the world economy improves.

OK enough of this now, it's back to the obituaries to see who has left this green and pleasant world during 2008 and to see if there are names I recognise. It's also time to reflect on those friends and family who have passed over the last years also but it is also time to look forward to a happy and healthy 2009 to my reader!

Happy New Year everyone!