On a Scottish theme of Remembrance on this New Years Eve

Now that I am a Laird of Glencoe (!) I've had a dig around.

Now here is a beautiful song from a Scots Australian, about the First World War in France sung by an Irishman with a big Scottish element featuring soldiers of all kinds. Hows that for "diversity" - that's the kind I approve of.

And on a similar note a wonderful and sad  song by Harvey Andrews, Margarita.

Takes me back to those childhood days of Grandad, aunts and uncles. Still in the shadow of the wars despite it being the 60's, 70's and 80's. I miss the camaraderie and sense of community back then - all gathered around the piano in the Jolly Fitter pub on a Saturday night whilst I played outside with the other kids drinking Vimto and eating crisps.

All my grandfathers, fathers and two of my uncles war medals are in my proud possession some mounted, and others yet to be.

At the turn of the year I remember them all and drink a whiskey or two to celebrate their lives.

Rest in Peace Mum & Dad

RSPCA - shock, horror revelations. Well, not really.

Well, there we have it.

Whilst the RSPCA have been persecuting Hethrop Hunt and blowing £320,000 in the process it turns out that THEY needlessly kill thousands of healthy animals every year - using Bolt Guns !!!

No painless injection whilst the poor creature has a final cuddle. Just leashed up, drag it round the back sheds, and BANG.

I saw this coming after being a trustee for another animal charity and seeing the RSPCA close up (not nice). When they gave their support for the hunting ban I cancelled my subs 7 years ago and demanded my last two years subs back. And got them.

The RSPCA is just the Paramilitary arm of the criminal/crazy Hunt Saboteurs.

I'm a Laird

On the day that the New Years Honours are announced I feel that I should announce mine.

As we all know - in the past you became a member of the aristocracy through birth, theft, murder or intimidation.

You obtain many modern honours through bribery, political corruption, nepotism, arse licking and time serving.

Not good.

I meanwhile have paid for a conservation plot in Scotland with money earned, not stolen, and haven't had to kiss a politicians daggy arse in the process.

The Hobbit

Eventually got to see it yesterday. Hobbiton still looks like old Bromsgrove district - as Tolkien intended.

The superfast frame speed was good - no headache as some people said.

Some of the scenes over long and some of the fights to ridiculous but overall the quality was there.

Not a bad effort all around. The book was written for a younger age group - Tolkiens kids - but it has transferred well to suit a wider audience.

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The insanity of anti-hunt people

Following the debacle over the Hethrop hunt prosecution where the RSPCA lost over £320,000, filmed 100 hrs of hunting, wasted 1000's of man  hours by RSPCA and Hunt Saboteurs for a 15 min clip showing an accidental kill I show here a marvellous example of the mentality of people about foxes.
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Urban fox warning

7:20am Tuesday 13th July 2010 in Your View

WE live near the Perryfields allotments, which are known to be populated by many foxes.

We have within the last week lost a cat and are sure that she has been attacked and killed by a fox.

While we have no evidence of this as a fact we were told by a neighbour that she heard a terrible cry and screeching of an animal being attacked on the allotments the night we last saw our pet cat.

Indeed it was about this time last year when we lost another cat that just went missing without a trace. We now suspect that she was also a victim of the urban fox.

Both our lost cats were not wanderers and were neutered small female cats micro-chipped with collars. It seems too much of a coincidence that they have both gone missing.

I just want a message to go to our local community that they should be mindful that foxes are potential killers of domestic animals and not to encourage them to come closer to houses by leaving out scraps of food.

My personal view, for what it’s worth, is that the fox has a right as any other animal for existence and I am totally against fox hunting as a ‘sport’.

I do, however, believe that we should keep a boundary between the domain of the fox, which should be the countryside, and not in urban areas when they become a threat to domestic animals.

John Hughes, Crabtree Lane, Bromsgrove

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The highlights are mine. Perryfields is hard up against open countryside and the domain of the Albrighton Woodland Hunt.

Read it here...........  http://bit.ly/WaRObd   as well as the replies.

Freezing.............brrrrrrr

Awoke to find it about 6 below.

Good weather for stacking wood and going for a walk - no mud.

Had a wonderful Thai last night - meal that is. Oh I wish...maybe one day.

Tried out the new gun last w/end - Browning GTS Elite. Brilliant. All the others were very impressed with the gun and my shooting - and I'm not even used to it yet. A good buy.

Wife has adopted a cat - white with angora hair and one blue eye and one green.

I'm reminded of Blomfeld when I sit and stroke it. A sure sign that cats are bad for your state of mind.