Some Things Never Change

Hi Everyone

One of the first jobs I did when I went to work for the Funeral Director and the bricklayer of dubious ability in 1960 was to prepare a final account for a contract that we had completed. I got the quotation for the work that we had done, the drawings and the costings. From that information, it was obvious that we had lost money as the costings were higher than our quotation. The work involved installing land drains across a large field to allow floodwater to drain into the River Trent. The drawings showed that we had installed nine land drains across the field. When I presented this information to the funeral director, he said that he thought that ten land drains had been installed. Now, if he was right, we could then charge the client for an extra length of drain, turning a loss into a profit, Later that day, I walked three times across that enormous wet muddy field, each time counting nine land drains before the Funeral Director accepted what was obvious from the beginning. I suppose the lesson from that Rubbish is that, however hard you try, you cannot change the obvious or in the case of our political leaders, the truth. 

This week I read that the biggest airport in the world is going to be built in Saudi Arabia. It will have six runways and will take five years to build. Here in the UK we are planning to build a new runway at Heathrow airport in London. It should be open in ten years time. Can someone tell me why it takes us twice as long to build 15% of an airport? Also this week, a TV personality has appeared in court charged with a number of serious offences. His case will be heard in June next year. Now we are “fast-tracking” nine new reservoirs in the south of England to combat possible serious water shortages. The first one is due to open in 2036. Eleven years to dig a hole for water? Construction of the HS2 rail line between London and Birmingham, approx. 140 miles, started in 2017. It is estimated to open in 2033, and that does not include the completion of Euston Station. Three years ago a planning application was made to build helicopters on a site just down the road from here. Three years ago, the Planners promised a decision “in weeks”. We are still waiting for a decision. I think that tells us a lot about Britain today.  

It suddenly occurred to me this week that something serious was missing from my life. Then it hit me. The football season had ended. The problem is that the Junior Partner took me to my first football game seventy five years ago, and despite the fact that in all those years we have only won one major trophy, and that was fifty three years ago, I still keep thinking that next season will be the one. So on 8th August I will be there again in my world famous weatherproof green jacket with twenty odd thousand other experts who think they know more than the team manager. The only thing that most of them will agree on is that the referee is rubbish. I call it the world famous green jacket as I have worn it at every home game for the last twenty years. It stands out as there are very few ae green jackets in the crowd, and certainly not the same vivid green colour. All you have to do is watch the highlights of each game on YouTube, and if you look closely enough, you will find me. I bet you cannot wait for August to come around.

Just a Thought :   

My friend drowned recently, we put a life jacket in his coffin. It is what he would have wanted.

I tried to sue the airport for losing my luggage. I lost my case.

A referee walks into a bar………..   Then some chairs, and then a table.

Brian