I was pleased about a snippet of news heard the other day, - The RSPCA have a new head bloke and he has said he wants to take the organisation back to what it was started for - using the funds that people donate to them for protection of cruelty to animals. They spend millions every year calling out vets where they are not needed and I can give you an example.
A friend of ours rents a field one end of which is beside a main road, here he keeps ponies and cattle, he's a bit of a wheeler-dealer but never neglects his animals. He has an elderly donkey in this field that likes to lay down or sit like a dog - and every now and again some " helpful" person will ring the RSPCA and say there is a neglected donkey dying in a field.
They call up a vet and our friend who all meet in the field, where our friend demonstrates that if the donkey wants to get up ( like when a bucket of food is waved under his nose) he is up and walking in no time. The vet says there's obviously nothing wrong and leaves but the RSPCA person has to justify the call so spends hours grilling our friend " There's no water supply" - Yes there is, it's at the other end of the field. "There's a piece of rubbish in the field" - Yes the field is beside a main road - people chuck rubbish in - our friend clears it when he finds it and eventually.... " A feed bucket has a crack in it". The RSPCA person says he will have to report this and keep our friends name on record. Our friend cannot speak to the RSPCA or find out what details are kept on file about him - they are not obliged to tell anyone what information they have, they can prosecute him without him knowing why. He is now listed in EXACTLY the same way as another farmer who left animals to die, didn't remove them from the building, had no paperwork for his cattle and had been banned from keeping livestock before anyway. Fair?
On Saturday we went to visit my sister and brother-in- law in their new home now they've moved back into Suffolk. They are in the village just up (down?) the road from Col's dad and brother, also the same village Col's Nanna and Grandad lived in when they were alive and not far from where we lived between 1980 and 1992 so we know the area well! They have lots of things to do in the house but will soon get it sorted I'm sure. On the way home we (just me really, as Col went in the hardware shop over the road) called in HERE. This wonderful treasure trove of pretty things wasn't here when we lived in Cotton and Bacton, which is probably a good thing! If I didn't already own several jugs, I might have been tempted by this
Their website only shows a fraction of their stock and at Christmas they seem to cram in even more bits and bobs. ( Note for Sadie-There's Lots of Pink and Gold things there! ) I didn't buy anything in the end and Col just picked up Duct Tape and a Carbon Monoxide alarm from across the road.
I came home from my sisters with this, which until I got my stitch picker and needle and thread out, said 2012. I made it for them when they moved house 4 years ago, so it's now been updated and makes me feel less guilty about not getting around to making them a 'New Home' card this time round!
Did you watch the institution that is the Eurovision Song Contest? We watched a bit but it was pretty bad and I went to bed way before the end. I was surprised next day to hear who the winner was (really?)and not surprised that UK rolled in 3rd from last!
On Sunday morning we went to our nearest "car boot sale", this is in quotation marks because it is the most pathetic, full of tat and rubbish boot sale that I have ever seen. Shan't bother again that's for sure, my bag came home empty, no good going to sell books there as most of the buyers were not speaking English! ( Oh- controversial! and un PC)
I've had great fun going through the bibliography from the back of The Button Box book. Several of the books listed I already own and others I've borrowed and read, but there were many more that have now been highlighted as possibles to borrow from the library and somehow four books that the library didn't have and were just 1p (forget the postage!) from Amazon jumped into my virtual basket - and will be on their way soon - Oooops.
Look out for a TV programme starting on Friday - based on the book by Nina Stibbe about her time as a Nanny in an unconvential 1980s London household. The book was funny and a good read so hope the mini series is just as good.
Monday was quiet, the meter reader came to read the meters and I couldn't remember where they were! Duh. It will be our first gas/electric bill here - it will be a shock I think after not paying for heating or hot water for 20+ years.
Thanks for comments on the last few posts.
Back in a trice
Sue
