Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

Very few modern politicians have lived full lives with ordinary jobs, or military service. They tend to move from student politics to internships to junior roles before being put up for election. Or to slide smoothly along in the wake of jolly good fellows who went to the same schools and universities, and whose family knows their family.

This makes for a homogenity of outlook which is destructive for the country and also for a weakness of character. They have not been tempered in the school of hard knocks and this present set of circumstances may well be the first major reversal of fortune many have encountered.

If you spent half your lifetime doing honest labour down a mine or in a factory before trying for political office, it's likely you'd have a bit more character.

Real life is no place for sissies. It requires gumption, a willingness to smile grimly and get on with it. If they current crop can't find their backbone, we're better off without them.

I have been busily weeding, and have had a couple of mates drop in for visits, the on-site consumption of strawberries, and future arrangements for shared propogation of fruit bushes. No one mentioned the EU at all.

I gave one a lettuce and helped myself to one of the feral chards, currently the size of a lettuce, which was growing on a potato baulk. Have parked it, roots and all, in a jug and will eat it as a cut-and-come-again salad.

My 2015 feral chards are presently 6.5 feet tall and seeding freely. One packet of chard seed about 6 years ago has seen me in fresh saladings 12 months of the year ever since.:rotfl:

ivyleaf

Lyn When you mentioned the orchards that had been grubbed up, it reminded me that here in Kent we have Brogdale, where the old varieties of apples, and other old varieties of fruit, are kept going Perhaps one day we'll have them on sale here again!

[Deleted User]

I know Brogdale very well IVYLEAF when we lived in Kent we were relatively close and loved to do the autumn open day and walk through the orchards, do they still sell you a bag and let you try all the old varieties of your choice? I loved the cookery demonstrations, in fact have several written down in my notebook that are made regularly. There are many places that have old apple varieties, we visit West Dean in W. Sussex in the autumn now, a bit of a drive but worth it, it's an arts and crafts college in a magnificent old house and they have proper walled gardens and succession houses and a walled orchard with a thatched apple store. Not as big as Brogdale as that houses the national apple collection but West Dean holds the national Chilli Collection and has lots of old apples and pears, good for a visit if you're ever down in Sussex.

thenanny2die4

I've not been on here for ages but thought I'd take a look to see what you're all saying about the situation. This is clearly my spiritual home and it's reassuring to find my own thoughts being echoed here.

I'm currently on holiday on the island of Gozo and the locals have been keen to discuss the referendum. Only one person has said they disagree with the result, on the basis she's concerned about her annual month long UK holiday. Everyone else has said they believe we're right to vote out and take back control of our own country.

GreyQueen

Oh look, the twittering classes who are so enamoured of democracy are busily and fraudulently undermining it:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/26/petition-for-second-eu-referendum-may-have-been-manipulated and the Police are having to remind people like zoe/144! of postcode BR8 7RZ that she is commiting an offence by inciting people to illegally use her postcode to register on the 2nd referendum petition.

Some interesting facts from Elections in Europe; A Data Handbook by Nohlen and Stover.

Poland EU referndum; turnout 58.9% of which 77.6 yes and 22.6 no.

Hungary EU referendum; turnout 45.6% of which 73.8 yes and 16.2 no.

Estonia EU referendum; turnout 64.1 % of which 66.8 yes and 33.2 no

Latvia EU referendum; turnout 71.5% of which 67.5% yes and 32.5% no.

UK EU referendum turnout 72.21% of which 48.11% yes and 51.89 no.

First thoughts; the turnout in the UK was higher than most other countries. Most EU countries had to change their internal legislation prior to the own referenda as they would not have been valid with a turnout of under 50% of eligible voters. And you can see that well under that in Hungary were fussed enough to vote.

If our referendum results aren't sufficiently good enough to stand, what about the rest of Europe's?

BTW, Zoe/144's postcode is on the boundary of two wards (Hextable and Swanley Christchurch & Swanley Village) under Sevenoaks District Council in Kent. I do hope she gets prosecuted, along with anyone else trying to undermine British democracy by out-and-out fraud.
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[Deleted User]

Second thoughts, after first ones which are still feeling slightly stunned by a) the result, b) the reaction to it which seems to be showing people in their TRUE colours, c) The reaction of our own politicians who I always thought were grown ups, seems I might have been wrong, d) The reaction of some EU bureaucrats who I also thought were grown ups, wrong twice then!!!

I'm going to wait for the dust to settle and see what actually can and does happen!!!

milasavesmoney

For almost two weeks we have had the kitchen and a bedroom floors torn up to fix a cracked leaky drain line.
I have not been able to cook except on the outdoor grill or microwave as the stove is inaccesable.
No laundry was done until this weekend because of the line connecting to this drain. The plumber was able to fix the washing machine line and cap it at the T joint so Hurray!! clean clothes and sheets.

The kitchen is still being worked on and more floor will have to be jackhammered up. I have a houseful of company coming this next weekend, so I told the plumber it has to be completed to at least drain fixed and concrete for the floor slab poured and dry. He has been coming and going because he has other jobs and it's just a two man plumbing business. But it has gone on long enough!

The lesson I have learned is that my son and I are very adaptable to circumstances and my husband is to a lesser degree. He has about come to the end of his patience with the plumber. He's tired of grilling and the microwave. I think human character comes out in times of disruption.

I have very much admired the repeated 'we will get through this' attitude you are all showing. You are a determined, hardy and enterprising nation. Your young people will be getting a lesson in why that is so as you navigate through the next years. Older generations always have to teach the youngsters. The young think life can be learned with education. They do not know that there is so much more to living well. Not their fault, just lack of experience.

[Deleted User]

I think our youngsters are going to get a crash course with a very steep learning curve MILA, pleased to hear that your re-build is getting completed, I wish you a working kitchen sooner rather than later.

ivyleaf

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I think our youngsters are going to get a crash course with a very steep learning curve MILA, pleased to hear that your re-build is getting completed, I wish you a working kitchen sooner rather than later.

Hear hear!

Re: Brogdale, I haven't actually been there but they come up to our local City Farm once a year and hold an Apple Day where you can indeed try them all. I haven't been to that either as it's on a Sunday and we seem to forget about it, and last time it poured with rain anyway,but will try to make more of an effort this year

[Deleted User]

Bought some freeze pops from £land and, amazingly, given our "idiot guides for everything" society, there are no instructions on them.