Weekly Waffle

The Weekly Waffle from Wilko News will not be published until Thursday but in the mean time you can view for free my Sunday Supplement from one of my photoblogs >>> HERE <<<

See you tomorrow!!

Bad Company

You better like this after all the trouble to find, reasonable quality, live Bad Company with the best ever classic line up, not the track I wanted but please enjoy Shooting Star. I won't make myself feel any older by saying when it was!!!

The Wednesday Waffle!! This week complete with side notes!

Ok – Saint George’s Day, the patron saint of England, scandalous really that more than 60% of English people don’t know when his feast day is. Compared to over 85% who know when and go out and celebrate, St Patrick’s day.

The place in the world where St. Georges Day is celebrated most – Canada. 

For St. Patrick’s Day – yes America! 

Don’t even get me started on the Scots and St. Andrew or the Welsh and St. David!!

Oh don’t mind me it has become an annual rant and it’s more tied in with flags and customs than it is to do with any form of patriotism.

Wilko News staff members, former work colleagues and a former Chief Executive* of my former workplace know better than to start me on flags! Even friends who refer to me as ‘Flagman’ only do it out of politeness so I don’t go on about it!!

(*Little side note #1 - I have no idea why I put Chief Executive with capital letters, he didn't deserve them then and he sure doesn't now!!)

Oh so now you expect me to mention how a ‘Jack’ is only on board a ship, how ‘our’ union flag can be hung up side down and how half mast is not really half mast, well I’m sorry, I am not rising to the bait!!

Happy Saint George’s Day!!!*

Psssst it is today 23^rd April but you knew that didn’t you, after all look out of your window and see all the flags!!! 

(*Little side note #2 I had a sign done for my photo blog >>>HERE<<< hope it turned out ok.)

So did you avoid falling out with your loved one/betrothed/other half over the enforced four day holiday which is called Easter. Well done if you survived because statistically it is the very worst time of the entire year for domestic ‘fall outs’. This is apparently due to the fact that it is the longest time of the year that most families are forced to be together when they don’t choose to be, like for family holidays. Weather’s not that brilliant and a lot of attractions don’t fully open until half the weekend is over and then there’s arguing over the amount of eggs that each other is eating!! 

Checking around and about the Wilko News staff members I think we are all exempt from the fall out zone for various and different reasons, either through shift work or areas of work at Easter – oh and of course I can’t lose can I? Well I don’t have a significant other to fall out with!!!

How lucky am I? *

I can wait for the bus to pass my flat before I leave to go out and get it!! Now though it’s becoming dangerously competitive, albeit with myself! Now I am waiting for it to pass before I even put my shoes and coat on! And listen to this for sheer daring excitement…. Bus passes…. Turn computer off, pack my bag, put shoes and coat on and go to shop to buy some over priced item so I get the correct change for the bus on the way to the stop…… and still catch it with seconds to spare. Living on the edge stuff!! I haven’t missed it yet! Do you think I’d be telling you this if I’d missed it? Ha ha!! 

(*Little side note #3. Have you ever played that word game where the last line of a story or the last word of a sentence  becomes the first word of the next story or sentence? With that in mind re read the bit that starts... Well I don't have....... How lucky am I?) 

April 22nd is Earth Day

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Happy Easter.

Wilko's Weekly Waffle, just type in WWW......!!!

Have had so much fun with this website this week, Measuring Worth. 

Here’s just a couple of things, postal related.

This week in 1860 the first US Mail was delivered by Pony Express. The riders had to ride between 75 and 100 miles at a time, carrying loads of up to 20 pounds, each day for seven days to get paid at the time $20. Incidentally the horses were changed every 10 to 15 miles but they didn’t get paid at all!!

Meanwhile around about the same time in England a postman was paid 12 shillings a week for walking up to 16 miles a day for seven days.

This website will calculate what those wages are equivalent to now, or any year you choose. Go on yourself it’s amazing, also a bit complicated without the user guide.

I chose 2012, I also chose the income value calculation.

The Pony Express $20 equates to $3560.00 and the Royal Mail 12s 0d equates to £562.20.

One other thing the exchange rate in 1865 was $4.88 to the pound as opposed to now $1.60…….

I’m sure all of my readers can imagine for themselves how much fun you can have, especially if you use that site alongside your favourite history site!

What has happened to the good old fashioned Mother’s Maiden Name security question? Memorable place; First pet’s name; Favourite famous person. These surely don’t seriously have a place in this digital age?

Ok ok yes I know I’m only posting this to cover up my embarrassment at not recalling my most memorable place!! I guess that what comes of having both your mobile phone and savings bank accounts with a high street grocer!!

Here’s a quote that I saw on a bookshop’s bag,

 “Words cannot do justice to the pleasures of a good bookshop.”

I think that is very clever in a subtle sort of way.

So do you have problems sorting out names for your folders of photographs? No, you’re lucky!! It may be because you haven’t got as many folders to name, don’t forget I can take a 1000 pictures of nothing in half an hour! As one or two Wilko News staff members can testify to!!

One of my latest ones… codoal4. So easy hey? No stupidly enough even for me! I have to open it up to see what I’ve put in there. The 4 is April I knew that. Codoal? Cows, Donkeys and Alpacas. 

What!! You didn’t know that!!

So this picture may have the name of HAHE14

15 April - 25 years on.

HILLSBOROGH DISASTER

Matt&Sarah Modern in Madeira

I have no problem blatantly promoting my son and his fiancee as they approach the end of their current contract and head for their next adventure.... in Croatia.

They themselves call this the Modern Mix '14 but I just call it superb!!

Wilko's Wednesday Waffle.......

 As well as not getting as many people reading this, Tuesday’s are really a bit pointless aren’t they? Always been traditionally ‘ramblers’ day. 

Oh don’t get me wrong nothing I like better than to be go out for a long walk with like minded people… my problem is that ramblers are not my kind of people! 

I have been for walks with the Rambler’s Association. “Oh where’s Simon?” 

Oh he’s back there taking 100 pictures of nothing! 

“Well he better hurry up – he’s going to miss out on his soup and sandwiches at the pub!”

Simon would rather do things at his own pace and do his own thing thank you!!

So yesterday I was out walking, avoiding the ramblers and doing my own thing, so I thought, while I’m down this way, taking 100’s of pictures of nothing then I’ll go to the RSPB nature reserve spend a few hours there. After all the sun was out and everything was right with the world. 

Until I discovered the sign. ‘CLOSED TUESDAY’. 

Just hope all the birds and wildlife take full advantage of not having the public ogling them on a Tuesday!

No worries while I’m on my way home I’ll pop in to Ness Gardens for an hour or so, I’ll try and get away with showing my expired Friends of Ness card and get in for nothing! 

Until I discovered the sign. ‘CLOSED TUESDAY’.

Oh my word another major institution closed on Tuesday to avoid the ramblers. Nothing for it I’ll go down to the new café on the footpath have a nice coffee and a muffin and a read of some of the amazing local history books they have there.

No muffins left and all the books being read, very busy. So I say, “You are not usually this busy on a Tuesday are you?” “No we’re not but it’s the rambler’s they have just started calling here, Tuesday’s is their day you know?” I’ll have that coffee to go please!!

I’m not safe today either I have just discovered Deeside Midweek Walkers that change from Tuesday to Wednesday on alternate weeks. Knowing my luck - you know what's coming don't you?

Also to do with days. Finally after all these years, Liverpool, where there has always been Eight Days a Week, (Beatles yes?) is finally getting a Friday’s, so maybe now it should be Nine days a week? I am of course talking about TGIFriday’s opening in Liverpool One complex shortly. Not before time I might add.

Has anyone ever seen the irony in having a complete Roman hypocaust, all to do with underfloor heating, in the basement of the fast(ish) food that needs the most heat – jacket potatoes! Could only happen in Chester! Crazy, mixed up city!!

Visit the remains of the Roman Hypocaust beneath SPUD U LIKE, Bridge Street Chester. Here’s some pictures from Spud U Like's Facebook page. >>>CLICK<<<<

At the top of this page there is now a tab marked LINKS, feel free to click on it to see where else you can find me!         

Welcome!!

Yes first the News then the shop!!

Swan story.....

NO NOT HERE, OVER  >>>>HERE<<<<

Wilko's Wednesday Weekly Waffle!

Do you know, the more you deal with banks, the less you want to deal with them. I think we should return to the time of bartering and trading and with that in mind, ready for that return, it is me that is stockpiling all the salt and taking it out of its primitive plastic packaging and re-bagging it. It is me that is emptying the supermarket shelves of all the salt. It is me that is combining all the Lo Salt, Rock Salt, Sea Salt and No Salt back in to one usable Currency Salt. You’ll be sorry when you realize you should have followed my lead!!

Overheard, no actually so loud I couldn’t fail to hear it, “I’M NOT STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET F#*$%@G ARGUING ABOUT THIS!”

Actually – yes you are! The actually quite alarming thing about this was that it was a couple older than me, who, my guess would be, had probably been married for an unseemly long time. So I wonder how many thousands of people over the years have heard that same thing?

People watching/listening #2. A guy probably in his 70’s at Chester Bus Exchange – what a strange thing to call a bus station, don’t you think? - sees a young far Eastern person, possibly Chinese but possibly not, looking at the bus timetable. This young guy is the eyes and general enquirer, best English understander/speaker for a group of about 15 other excitable far Eastern mixture of sub 25 year old guys and girls. Brave older English guy starts a conversation using unconventional sign language, very slow pigeonish, Englishese, and pointing at the bus timetable, you know like you use in a chippy you’ve not been in before!!         

So they wanted to go apparently to Cheshire Oaks and much gesticulation and pointing had the group directed correctly to the #1, good job really it wasn’t the #84 hey? Much nodding, smiles and grace from first of all the young man and then the entire group of visitors. Gold medal to the helper!! He even carried on and pointed to the bus as it got to the stand and he rightly looked pleased with himself, he had done his good deed for the day. You’re thinking where’s this going, aren’t you? 

Ha ha!!! So am I!!!!  

I  too was going to Cheshire Oaks so I also wanted the #1 and was thinking OMG this far Eastern group are going to be fun on the bus! 

Then as if initiated by some secret code the far Eastern group of visitors went marching off, en masse, and got the X2 at the stand behind. The X2 does not go to Cheshire Oaks so therefore it was the wrong bus! I had to pass the now bemused helper to get on the bus and said as I passed, “You just can’t help some people can you?” To which he replied, now doubting himself and all his wonderfully graphic instructions, “Maybe the X2 goes there now!” 

Yes mate maybe or maybe not!! 

Who knows maybe one day you’ll get on a Stagecoach bus in Cheshire and find a group of far Eastern travelers still looking for Cheshire Oaks. Anyway I had a quiet journey and Cheshire Oaks, a lucky escape!!

My picture of the week over on Pixel Rainbow can be found >>>> HERE <<<<