May I recommend to those of you with a television with the ability to catch up, the rather wonderful “Nothing like a Dame” which was shown on BBC2 this afternoon and is a documentary of conversations by the four “Dames”, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright, who discuss their lives and careers with some brilliant archive footage which is extremely interesting and downright funny in parts, well worth watching.
I have very little to say about the last Grand Prix of the season, except to say the way the stewards behaved was definitely not cricket nor fair play in any way shape or form.
HAMILTON WAS ROBBED OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP, THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY ON THE MATTER!
Recently in America a Kentucky Republican Congressman Thomas Massie posted a Christmas message from his family showing them all holding some sort of massive firearm, sadly just a few days after the recent school shooting in Michigan which was considered by some as fairly bad taste.
I must say I’m not entirely surprised as there seem to be considerable numbers of Americans who feel they should be armed to the teeth, although God knows why unless they are worried that anarchy is about to break out, or they want to start World War Three, or finish it, who knows.
Should hostilities break out I have some bad news for the Massie family for I have a Christmas message showing a photograph of my latest purchase and Santa was kind enough to deliver it complete with ammo.
Happy Christmas, but be careful what you wish for.
In 2017 I arranged a tour of Lincolnshire to see as many places which were associated with the famous Dambusters 617 Squadron with friends in the Bentley Drivers Club and during that tour one of the chaps presented me with a large toy black dog to acknowledge the hard work I had put into organising the trip.
It then became a tradition that we awarded the dog to a fellow member as we saw fit every year or so and everyone who received the dog looked after it until it was time for it to be awarded to another chap in the club, although this never became an official Bentley Driver Club award.
Last Sunday at our Christmas lunch the black dog was awarded to another fellow and at no time was the name of the dog mentioned, in fact it was referred to as the Guy Gibson award but I was later led to believe there was some uneasiness from a couple of the children and one of the adults attending as to the implication of the dog’s name.
Personally, I’m very much against this modern trend to change and remove things from history as proved by the situation here where people were concerned about the dog’s name and yet at no time was there mention of his name, they have already removed the dog’s name from his grave but everybody still remembers his name.
Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis will know that some time ago I had to say goodbye to my beloved dog Theo, I was heartbroken when he went and think of him still on a regular basis for he holds a very special place in my heart and I imagine that would be how Squadron Leader Guy Gibson must have felt about his dog.
What seems even sadder is that the dog was run over and killed on the very night when Guy Gibson and fellow members of 617 Squadron were risking their lives on the famous Dambusters raid.
Guy Gibson did not survive the war and as someone who has also lost a very cherished dog I can’t help imagining how he would feel if he could look down now and see how people are treating the dog’s memory just because he was innocently named Nigger.
This weekend myself, Angella and Members of the Eastern Region Bentley Drivers Club gathered on a decidedly chilly 28th November at the rather splendid 16th Century listed Tudor house, Seckford Hall in Woodbridge, Suffolk for our Christmas luncheon with a goodly number of members braving the elements in their older Bentleys.
Some of the early arrivals took the time to enjoy the lounge with its welcoming and warming wood burning stove before proceeding to the bar for drinks before luncheon with the usual toasts to Her Majesty the Queen and W O Bentley.
When luncheon was over Eastern Region Chairman, John Godwin addressed the room and proceeded to present the Guy Gibson Award to David Ward, the award itself is a large black toy dog which was first presented on an earlier Dam Busters Tour of 2017 and is given on the spur of the moment for “no particular reason at all,” but well deserved none the less.
A group photograph was taken in front of the Christmas tree with the Guy Gibson Award taking pride of place at the front before returning to the bar again.
On the basis that you can’t have too much of a good thing seven couples had elected to stay the night when the others had departed so continued the festivities until sometime later, including an impromptu quiz on World War Two and I think it fair to say, a good time was had by all.
Angella and I had the most fabulous time at Riviera Swing over the weekend, I must say thank you to all those who organised such a splendid event, especially Mark and Hoc for the three hours of dance classes on Saturday and Sunday.
It was brilliant to meet friends both old and new and are really looking forward to more of the same next year, we should have taken more photos but we were too busy enjoying ourselves so we just have the one to post.
I have just found a link which also tells the fascinating story of The Battle of Barking Creek, the first casualty of World War Two in a friendly fire incident.
My play is based on the facts of the Courts Martial which took place at Bentley Priory .
The following is a short film showing the story of the incident.
Tens of thousands of people from all over the world have made their way to Glasgow to demand more action on climate change.
Leading activists such as Vanessa Nakate and Greta Thunberg will address the crowds in Glasgow, while elsewhere in the city, protesters from Scientist Rebellion blocked a road bridge over the River Clyde and have been arrested.
It is estimated there are 60.000 protesters taking part in the protest march, with another 100 climate change demonstrations planned for other parts of the UK while events are expected to take place in a further 100 countries including Kenya, Turkey, France, Brazil, Australia and Canada.
OBVIOUSLY ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THE UK AND ALL OVER THE WORLD WHO HAVE MADE THEIR WAY TO GLASGOW TO TAKE PART IN THESE PROTESTS HAVE ALL WALKED THERE OR COME ON THEIR BICYCLES, AFTER ALL YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO GET THERE BY OTHER MEANS AND ADD TO GLOBAL WARMING WOULD YOU?
Here are a couple of pieces which I have taken from the G20 and COP26 websites which make interesting reading.
Firstly from G20.
The G20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet.
The forum has met every year since 1999 and includes, since 2008, a yearly Summit, with the participation of the respective Heads of State and Government.
In addition to the Summit, ministerial meetings, Sherpa meetings (in charge of carrying out negotiations and building consensus among Leaders), working groups and special events are organized throughout the year.
Secondly from COP26.
In the run up to COP26 the UK is working with every nation to reach agreement on how to tackle climate change.
More than190 world leaders are expected to arrive in Scotland, together with tens of thousands
of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for twelve days of talks.
So to sum up, a few days ago in Italy 20 of the world’s leaders together with their government representatives have been having a jolly up in Italy, an event which takes place yearly and having just finished they have then flown to Glasgow to meet up with another 190 world leaders.
They are also bringing with them massive motorcades of ludicrous proportions and tens of thousands of negotiators, government representatives, businesses and citizens for another jolly up which will last for another twelve days.
The end result of this shindig of gargantuan proportions involving vast numbers of air flights, massive motorcades, especially of American tank like vehicles to transport the American President will be that those of us who have driven moderately and taken no flights at all will all be told that we have to stop this sort of behaviour as it is leading to global warming and the death of the planet and be forced to purchase vastly overpriced electric cars with no infrastructure to support them.
Perhaps to accuse all these well meaning world leaders of hypocrisy may be going a tad too far, I will leave you, dear reader to decide but I think the well know expression, if you live in a glass house, you shouldn’t throw stones seems to sum it up for me.
Insulate Britain protesters have this morning proven themselves officially as mad as a box of frogs and personally I’m wondering if these people shouldn’t be locked up for their own protection.
Apparently they have decided that entering a live motorway and walking on the white lines towards the oncoming traffic is a sensible way to protest their cause, these people don’t seem to have the brains they were born with.
I have on numerous occasions pointed out that it is only a matter of time before one of them gets killed and at this rate it won’t be much longer before it happens, let’s hope they don’t cause a major accident and take some innocent motorists with them.
One assumes they are unable to see the potential danger of their actions rather like the Suffragette Emily Wilding Davison who in June 1913 at the Derby at Epsom walked in from of Anmer, the race horse owned by King George V, it is said she thought the horse would go round her and had not expected to die.
So here’s a piece of advice for the Insulate Britain protesters who whilst walking towards the oncoming traffic are not expecting to die, take it from me that rather like the kings horse who was unable to to avoid Emily Wilding Davison a 40 ton lorry is also unable to take avoiding action if you are barmy enough to walk in front of it.
BE WARNED!
The Diary of a Country Bumpkin 