Warmish, wettish and wobblyish at the Castle this two sleeps
to go morn, the Crimbo shopping is all sorted-one Crimbo meal in a box, a
parsnip, six mince pies, custard, a bit of Crimbo cake and a partridge in a
pear tree.
I have treated myself to a new “smart phone” which runs on
android 2.2; I will let you know how good it is when I have worked out how to
turn it on.
I staggered into the garden yesterday and believe it or not
there are snowdrops in flower!
And the interweb thingy is still dropping in and out-I still
blame the Government.
According to (I will never take a Lordship) John (I really
needed a new fake beam on my house) Prescott if U-Turn Cam pops his clogs Silly
Billy Hague is the most likely candidate to fill his boots.
Oh joy.....
Allegedly:
Osborne & Little, the luxury wallpaper and furnishings
firm run by Sir Peter Osborne, the Chancellor's father, has posted a loss and
predicted tough trading conditions ahead.
The £32.8m turnover company, which has glamorous showrooms
on the Kings Road in London and in Paris, Munich and Milan, paid one director
£736,000 in salary and pension contributions.
But no dividend was distributed to its shareholders, led by
Sir Peter Osborne, who founded the firm with his brother-in-law Antony Little
in 1968. George Osborne retains a 15pc stake via a trust.
Sir Peter, the 17th holder of a hereditary baronetcy, said
the rise in raw material prices had reduced its gross margins to 53pc and that
had directly led to the loss.
Osborne & Little made use of its banking facilities with
HSBC, drawing more heavily on its invoice financing and its overdraft during
the year. The overdraft is up for renewal in January and the directors said
they were confident the bank would renew the facilities.
Oh dear what a shame....
A runaway gritter
hit black ice, skidded down a hill and crashed into the garden of an Inverness
home.
Audrey Barnett, 40,
was woken by a loud noise on Tuesday morning and found the vehicle embedded in
the front garden of her home.
The gritter’s crew
was unhurt, although a neighbour’s car was also damaged in the crash.
“I heard a loud
bang, and thought, this sounds close. I looked out of the window and there was
a snow plough sitting in my garden,” Mrs Barnett said. “It had bashed into my
next door neighbour’s car, then through the dividing fence and completely taken
out the top half of my garden.
“I could see two
shocked men in the plough. They opened the doors, and the driver got out and
fell on the ice before they came over.”
Having offered what
help they could and given Mrs Barnett a council phone number to ring, the men
then reversed the vehicle and left. Highland Council officials visited her
house on Tuesday and confirmed they would rebuild the garden and foot the bill.
Ironic or what....
Photography tuition company Red Cloud has launched the
contest to find the country’s most inept snapper.
Entrants have included blurred faces, missed animal shots
and extreme close-ups that go so far they miss the subject.
Organisers said they want to prove even the most hapless
photographer can be turned into a budding pro.
‘We think everyone has the potential to take great photos
with a little help and training,’ said Red Cloud founder Lee Brown.
Pictures should be submitted, with the photographer’s
permission, to badpics@redclouddays.co.uk before the end of February.
Competition entries can be viewed at www.redclouddays.co.uk, where people will be
able to vote for their favourite ‘worst’ image.
Already sent in my entry...
Andy Simpson says
his new delicacy of Brussels coated in finest Belgian chocolate are selling
like hot cakes at just 25p each.
Andy, who has a
store at the Elsecar Heritage Centre, near Barnsley, South Yorks, came up with
the idea while on one of his regular visits to schools, where he teaches pupils
about the origins of their favourite treat.
The 49-year-old
said: "I am always looking for something new and with Christmas
approaching Brussels sprouts immediately popped into my mind.
"I decided to
try them out on customers and they are proving popular and I'm hoping to sell a
lot more to people looking for something a little different to have with their
Christmas dinner.
"I know
Brussels sprouts are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or loathe them. I
like them, they are a nice chocolatey shape but I must admit they are an
acquired taste."
And finally:
Cabin crew from a Philippine airliner who danced to fame
after incorporating Lady Gaga into their safety demo have learnt a new routine
set to Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas.
Manila-based Cebu Pacific airline gained fame by dancing through their
safety routine to the backing of Lady Gaga, but this time have updated it for
the festive holiday period. The Philippine airline says the choreographed dance helps passengers pay more attention to the demonstration, which instructs passengers of how to use their seat belts and life jackets.
Candice Iyog, an airline spokesman, said: "Now that it's Christmas, we wanted to bring a little more fun into the flight."
They haven’t been watching the news have they...
And today’s thought:
Angus
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