A very inconsistent blogger

So long since my last post which is quite prescient!

Much water under the bridge....sold up in the UK and permanently in France now. Enjoying the peace, countryside and sports. The food wonderful and weather now picking up.

Must get posting again. 😁😁

I told you so!

Back last September I forecast the unravelling of the situation we, in the West, have sponsored in Syria.

This won't be a long blog but lets join up the dots.....

We encouraged an Arab Spring.

We did this by destabilising North Africa - we helped kill Gaddafi and now that country is falling apart and has opened up as a gateway for millions of illegal immigrants to Europe from sub saharan Africa and all the screwed up Muslim states.

We aided and abetted the Muslim Brotherhood to take over Egypt. This resulted in many deaths, rapes and persecutions. The Coptic christians were targeted and many killed whilst their churches burnt.

We aided Sunni rebel attempts to overthrow President Assad in Syria. Previously the country was pretty stable, secular and minorities protected. Now minorities - including the Christians - are now being murdered and driven out by Sunnis.

Those same Sunnis have now invaded Iraq and, as of today, are a few miles from Baghdad. In the process they have "acquired" significant assets both military (mainly US), cash - more than £300m making themselves the best funded terrorist group in the world and control an oil refinery.

The Kurds have pretty much declared a separate state.

Now who are thee Sunnis? Well, they are the sect that runs our "ally" - Saudi Arabia .

Saudi Arabia is the fount of the Wahhabi sect of Sunni that is extreme and funds the building of Mosques across Europe and funds terrorism via Al Qaeda and its offshoots. They are also behind the founding or taking over of schools in the UK to train the next generation of Jihadists in our backyard.

Turkey has supported the rebels in Syria - Turkey is majority Sunni!

Turkey has not lifted a finger to stop the slaughter just over its borders.

Turkey jails more journalists than any other country, established the Ottoman Empire, has become increasingly Islamised and is closing down the secular state established by Attaturk.

Our UK Government (and the US) want Turkey to join the European Union with open borders to all it's Muslim citizens - and millions more from surrounding Muslim States no doubt !

Iran - a majority Shi'ite nation is coming to the defence of the majority Shi'ites in Iraq. They also support the Shi'ites and Alawites in Syria. Hezbollah is Shi'ite and opposed to Israel.....

Russia supports both Syria and Iran - if only to stop the chaos spreading to former soviet republics and across Turkey on the south coast of the Black Sea. Russia has a naval dock in Syria and a large fleet has entered the Mediterranean. The Black Sea is a huge Russian naval and military base - which has since been reinforced by the takeover of Crimea.

As for us, we are pulling out of Afghanistan - which will revert back to the Dark Ages. Nuclear armed Pakistan is proven to be playing both sides, we have declared that we will not re-enter Iraq, the Russians and Chinese have stalemated us on Syria, Israel must be shitting itself, Iran will be sucked in, Egypt will be sucked in, Turkey will be sucked in, Lebanon will burn up.

War, oil shortages, terrorism at home and abroad, civil unrest, massive movements of people - including into Europe and esp. the soft touch UK

Getting the picture? It's a Game of Thrones. The pieces are falling into place.

If you go down in the woods tonight......

It's not just the Wild Hunt you need to worry about when you go into the woods .....alone.

Jonathan Kelly - the Ballad of Cursed Anna

A modern take on my mythology

The Storm of Harry-ca-Nab by Uffmoor Woods Music Club

Hope they don't mind....





Heres looking at you kids.....

Glad to see the back of 2013.....

What a year - illness and separation but light at the end of the tunnel and wishing I'd been a tougher, more insightful and less sympathetic person 20 years ago.

Thats Life.

And it goes on....

So, Carpe Diem and 2014 is going to be better.

So mote it be!

The weather here has been pretty bad - not dangerous, just wet, windy and miserable. Christmas though - Yule if you like - has it's purpose and the warmth of a fire, friends and family and seasonal food and drink brightens it as it has for generations before.

The Boxing Day Hunt went well at Hagley Hall - more popular than for a long time.

..and these beauties broke some hearts!

A revelation - so glad I got it

Just tracked one down - they are like hens teeth - a Swiss Ranger Volcano Stove for backpacking.

I was tempted by the Kelly Kettle but at the high price PLUS accessories it can run out to £60-£70.

I have bought the Swiss stove for £11.50 new and in its original packing,

Result..

It takes twigs, pine cones almost anything. Plus a gel burner, hexamine blocks or trangia spirit burner. Very versatile and light.

Now I just need to get out and use it. May spend a night at the Dodford Inn for a "not so dry" run. Camping, booze and entertainment.

Have already got a Trangia which is just superb but relies upon meths which leaves you with the problem of running out - meths is not as easy to get hold of as it used to be. H&S mania no doubt.

Prepping - my thoughts since my last post

As I said before, I thought US Preppers was something to laugh at. Just paranoid people.

But the UK riots, terrorism, environmental issues and particularly the threatened Syria war (and its ramifications~) have made me think afresh.

Firstly I should say that I have always been a prepper - I just didn't know it!

But lets consider what it is.

It's simply insurance and who doesn't take that out?

Example:- You insure your home. That covers such things as floods, earthquake, fire, theft etc etc.

But what if there was a serious flood - we have had a few over the last few years. Yes, you can get the damage repaired, eventually, by the insurance company. But before then you could be stranded with no electricity, clean water or ability to get food and cook it. That is a very real possibility. Think of all the floods in the UK, Australia and New Orleans.

It is sensible insurance to have a supply of food, water, fuel and a means to keep warm etc.

Thats prepping!

Now for me.

Ever since childhood I have loved the outdoors and wandered miles through the woods and farmland. I became a very competent fisherman - winning good money in competitions from the age of 12.

I was always "Army Barmy". Loved my guns and knives from age 5.

I joined the Territorial Army, kept fit, learnt hill climbing, camping, orienteering and survival/evasion skills.

I am a pretty sharp sporting shot at both moving and static targets and have accumulated shotguns, rifle, air rifles etc.

I am an accomplished, if reluctant, DIYer.

I always carried a small GOOD* bag, just never thought of it that way - it was just a bag of "essentials".

I have studied self sufficiency and have a farm in France that could easily become a smallholding should I need to go down that road.

I can cook, prepare/preserve food, understand nutrition.

So, I only need to have a focus for those skills and BINGO I'm a prepper! I even have all the gear...

I just woke up and realised that over the years I have unconsciously acquired all the skills and kit required.

AND WHAT'S MORE - IT'S FUN

~ Ramifications = Distrust in our politicians, potential for war, home grown terror and consequent civil unrest

* GOOD = Get Out Of Dodge