Hi Everyone
My father, you know the Junior Partner spent just six months when he was eighteen years old in the trenches on the front line in Northern France in 1918. Like many other soldiers, he hardly ever talked about his experiences except to say that he had seen many terrible scenes. That experience shaped the rest of his life. At the start of the conflict in Gaza I said in my Rubbish what I am sure many others also thought, that military power would not eradicate Hamas as the blind rage of Israel promised and that it would breed another generation of terrorists seeking revenge for their lost childhood and, in many cases, their homes and parents. We never seem to learn lessons as previous efforts have not wiped out ISIS or even the IRA. Now the futile effort has reached a new low as reports come in of seven aid workers who have been killed by separate drone attacks on three vehicles who apparently, were not even close to each other at the time. Netanyahu says "that can happen in war" while a military leader is "deeply sorry for the grave mistake ". I think again like many others that those aid workers are far braver than any soldier ordered to fight in this conflict as they are not able to protect themselves with weapons. This week's events have triggered an outcry from world leaders and a demand for full and transparent facts about the incident but do you realise that nearly 200 aid workers have lost their lives in Gaza. Where was the outcry then? I would like to ask you two questions to ponder. Will any of those aid workers receive bravery awards, as soldiers do, by their country, and will any of the political and military leaders standing well back from the frontline ever receive the punishment they deserve?
The owner of the shop about three doors from Betty's Fish Shop was a very different character. Like Betty, he also wore a jacket and trilby but there the comparison ends. He was a very quiet man who walked every morning from his home over a mile away to open his shop on time. Like the Fruit, Veg............. shop, his was also two terraced houses knocked into one but was even larger as he, unlike the Senior Partner, did not live at the property. I suppose you would describe his shop as something for everybody, a treasure trove of craft materials like knitting and embroidery items, small gifts, birthday cards, and many other essential items. What also attracted people to his shop was his penny library stacked with romance, westerns, and action books that people needed to escape from the wartime rationing and restrictions. His books cost one penny to borrow for a week and it seems hard to imagine now that that would earn him a good percentage of his living. I was a regular customer as he had rows of Biggles and Famous 5 books. Biggles was a flying hero who battled with the enemy in nearly one hundred books, always making it back home in almost one piece otherwise there would not be nearly a hundred books. Then there were twenty one Famous 5 books about a group of adventurous children. I think that I read every Biggles and Famous 5 books in his library which means that the Senior partner gave me over one hundred pennies to spend in his shop. Perhaps she was not as tight with money as I have always imagined. One thing is certain, however, is that the Senior Partner did not spend her pennies on romance novels.
As a young boy, the Senior Partner allowed me one sweet each day and that was only if I had eaten all my lunch. By my reckoning that meant that a small bag of sweets lasted for about a month. Eighty years on the Main Contractor tries to control my biscuit intake. It seems that whoever comes into your life with the story remains the same.
My friend and longtime Rubbish reader sent me some really good one liners and quotes so I have used some of them in just a thought this week.
Just a Thought :
Some people are like clouds, once they disappear it is a beautiful day.
It's weird being the same age as old people.
I would love to grow my own food if I could get some bacon seeds.
Brian