MEA CULPA NUMBER - MANY

 I'm so sorry or, as we said in 3P back in the day, "Mea Culpa".

When tidying away kitchen dishes tonight while waiting for the pie (chicken, potato and leek) to cook I took the ceramic container that we put vegetable cuttings in, out to the composting bin in the garden.

Here's a look at the container (after I'd emptied it).

The ceramic container

The lid with the invisible mending that I suspect didn't fool The Old Girl

The complete package

We keep this under the sink and put vegetable cuttings in it. It's a great little unit which we've had for  more than 20 years and, apart from its little accident (neither of us admit to it) it's still intact.

I'm sorry that I've never featured 'Bin' in earlier posts but, here it is.

Oh, here's a pic of my pie which I'm about to cut into:

***POST CANCELLED*** - NUMBER TWO

The Old Girl is away for the rest of this week so I thought I'd get down to some posting to catch up from my banishment from the study. 

Unfortunately I got busy preparing a pie for dinner (chicken, potato and leek) and then had a long bath so didn't get around to writing the post.

Here's a synopsis of what it would have been though:

1. Some sort of pun in the title.
2. A music video clip, cartoon, image or a photo I took relevent to the title.
3. The narrative, interspersed with quotes from Wikipedia and images.
4. Summary.

The cancelled post was to be about the the WDC (Whangarei District Council)'s flood plan and  coastal hazard changes as they effect Whangarei Heads area where I live.

I apologise for the cancellation but hope to bring you a similar post at a later date.

In the interim, since many someone Richard may have enjoyed the previous one, here's a gratuitous and inappropriate cartoon to keep you going.

***POST CANCELLED***

 I promised to write a post on the attic lights installation.

This was supposed to go along the lines of:

1. A photo of the attic ladder.
2. A photo of the attic as it is currently (dark).
3. Narrative of the job to be done.
4. Some pics of the string lights I bought from Bunnings.
5. A cartoon or funny image of a useless handyman getting entangled in string lights.
6. A photo of the hammer (not rubber) to be used and the cable holders.
7. Running narrative of the job in progress.
8. A photo of the installed lights (bright).
9. Another cartoon deemed to be appropriate.
10. Maybe an inappropriate cartoon.
11. A photo of the attic ladder back in place and the hatch closed.
12. Job done.

Well, this morning I installed the string lights and I'm very happy with them. They are better than I anticipated and I'm going to buy some more to cover the whole attic area. The Arlec 5 x 9W lights can be linked safely to 3 other sets. You'll have to wait for this update however as The Old Girl has just driven off to Auckland until Sunday so I don't have a car to get into town.

I forgot to take before and after photographs which is why the post has been cancelled.

Sorry about that.

Here's a gratuitous and inappropriate cartoon to make up for it.

NEW POST - THE WINE GUY

 RAMBLING

The Wine guy wrote a new post (see above).

Actually he didn't and knows nothing about it. I wrote it but now can't be arsed about copying and pasting it back to my own blog. Damned computers. I wrote the post while unaware that I was logged into The Wine Guy site, Bummer! Damned The Prisoner Zinfandel.*

* The Prisoner Zinfandel is one of The Old Girl's favourite wines. It's rich and very powerful (close to 17 degrees alcohol). She opened the bottle on Saturday and, as she's off the Auckland tomorrow for a few days I thought that I'd  finish the bottle off. Damned Zinfandel.

ASPERSIONS

I've posted previously on the hassles of shopping for women. Here's one of the posts: UNDER PRESSURE 

The other day when shopping in the supermarket The Old Girl had added to the list  - Johnson's facial wipes.

Of course, there were none of those in stock so I bought Neutrogena facial wipes instead.

That was wrong apparently as, when I returned home she said "Matey, when I write down what I want and they don't have it, don't substitute. OK?" Sheesh!

I'm heading off to the supermarket later this morning and noticed this item that she's added to the list-  'rooting hormone'. What the fuck? (apt). What the hell is 'rooting hormone'? Is it some sort of Viagra? What the hell is she suggesting? Even if I did ask shop assistants for, well, assistance, and I don't,  I'd be too embarrassed to ask for 'rooting hormone'. Sheesh!

OKAY THEN

 

JUST FOR RICHARD

 Sorry.

JUST FOR ROBERT

Robert's looking for exactitude in our blogging posts:

"I missed the point. There is a golden rule in writing a scientific report or research article, "Say what you are going to say, say it, then say what you said"."

         - Robert the apathetic sanctimonious sinner and toilet cleaner 27/11/22

I looked for a second opinion:

Oh well. I'll stick to what I do whether I'm right or not.

NEW POST - THE PHILOSOPHICAL CURMUDGEON

 

ENTITLEMENT

RICHARD WAS NAKED*

 * Just kidding. This is a family post and besides we do pride ourselves in having taste in The Curmudgeons Incⓒ.

It was good reading Richard's latest post - it harks back to his original blog (he's now on version 3). Unfortunately I caught him out in a bit of recycling when he began the post with this:

"Hold on" I thought, that sounds familiar.

I  looked through some old files and found this that Richard sent me back in 2001. He posted it, by old fashioned mail not by computer so I had to photograph it and download it for you (2 pages).

I accused Robert of regression in a previous post, maybe Richard is going (back) down that path as well.

SOME MORE GOOD NEWS.

 I have some good news for you readers.

The Curmudgeons Incⓒ is updating its marketing presence and has hired a PR company to produce suitable marketing collateral.

First up is The Curmudgeon's new business card.

Further business cards will be produced for all of the curmudgeons and associates (except for The Curmudgeonly Luddite who doesn't believe in such nonsense).

Following production of the business cards we will be producing a range of high quality T shirts, caps, coffee mugs, pens and, for select markets-rosary beads and bass bags.

Readers will be able to enter into sweepstake competitions to win items from this merchandise and details of this will be announced soon.

Please stay posted.

INTERVIEW *10

 Well, we made it! Double figures in the interview series. I'd like to thank all those who made this possible - the interviewees, the other Curmudgeons and of course the readers without whom none of this could have been possible.

Thanks also to Malcolm Muggeridge, David Frost and Angry Jesus who, over the years have provided inspiration.

As you know I like to keep things topical in the interviews so, drawing from a significant event in the blogging community I've asked Richard of Richard's Bass Bag to join us to discuss his, previously unknown, interest in entomology or biology as he terms it.

THE CURMUDGEON: Welcome Richard, it's good of you to come to visit to discuss your latest activity.

RICHARD: Thanks but just a word of warning - Angry Jesus doesn't like that image you used of him.

THE CURMUDGEON: Oh, why? I thought it fitted his name.

RICHARD: No. Don't you pay attention? Are you like Robert and go about not reading things and just saying "I read it" ? If you did read my blog and, in particular, Angry Jesus's blog you'd see that he uses a softer, more caring image and has a hoodie. Sheesh!

THE CURMUDGEON: Sheesh! Keep your hair on - and, while we're on that topic, maybe it's time that you got a haircut. Look - this interview seems to have got off to a bad start. You know me, I like to be fair and non-judgemental. I just want to know what makes you think you're an expert on insects now?

RICHARD: Biology? Yes, I studied that at school you know.

THE CURMUDGEON: Did you? So what's this then?

RICHARD: It's a Daddy Long Legs.

THE CURMUDGEON: OK - then what's this?

RICHARD: It's another Daddy Long Legs.

THE CURMUDGEON: Right. Can you see a difference between them?

RICHARD: Well, now that you mention it, the first one has a longer nose. It's a 'sniffer' Daddy Long Legs.

THE CURMUDGEON: You just made that up. It's a bloody mosquito.

RICHARD: Nah, Mosquitos are made from plywood and powered by De Havilland Gypsy-12 engines.

THE CURMUDGEON: Ha ha  very funny. Have you managed to identify any other insects in your 'biology' studies?

RICHARD: I've got a bee.

THE CURMUDGEON: Where? In your bonnet? Hahahaha .....

RICHARD: No, it's a bumblebee.

THE CURMUDGEON: OK, show me.

RICHARD: Here it is - I call it Mr Bumble.

THE CURMUDGEON: Mr Bumble? Oh, yeah, Oliver Twist - I see but but but but - that's a bloody hornet man! Have you been stung?

RICHARD: Well, the guy who sold it to me overcharged me quite a bit so ... yes.

THE CURMUDGEON: This interview is sliding into the ridiculous so we'd better leave this. Can you get Angry Jesus to contact me so I can apologise? I don't want to get smitten or anything knowing how his family take umbrage at the smallest things.

RICHARD: Righty-o. I've got to see a man about an ant anyway.

THE CURMUDGEON: Good luck with that and make sure that it doesn't have 8 legs and a red back.

RICHARD: Er, OK, Ciao.

YEAH, MERRY CHRISTMAS

It was suggested to me today (yeah, thanks Sister Mary Lucille and your instillation of my conscience) that I've been a bit mean to the other bloggers.

OK, so they have failing memories but .... they are old!

Anyway, Robert posted a few days ago that he's already installed a (synthetic) Christmas tree in celebration of a pagan ritual and surrounded it with gratuitous gifts.

OK, if he can live with the hypocrisy why should I care?

We don't 'do' Christmas trees at our house and, in fact, never have. What we do have though, living up north, are 'natural' Christmas trees in the abundant Pohutukawa trees that flower around Christmas time. This year though, due to the unusual weather patterns over Winter and Spring the Pohutukawa are flowering early.

Just over the road on the right

Just over the road on the left

Normally these don't start to flower until the second week of December and come into full flower later in December. This year it looks like full flowering mid December.

Our favourite of the three (they all seem to have different hued flowers) is the one in the neighbour's front section that has very deep coloured, velvety red flowers. To date, apart from lots of budding there are no flowers. The amount of budding though (the white spots on the tree) looks like there will be an explosion of flowering around Christmas time.

This will make me a very happy chappy and much less of a curmudgeon.

What's the opposite of a curmudgeon? I'd better get a blog set up just in case.

ARE THEY SORRY?

 Richard and Robert are both confused as to the name of a nun who taught them back in Primary school.

See in this post :SISTER MARY

Fortunately the Sisters of Mercy have a prayer that they can say:

PRAYER FOR KIDS WHO ARE SORRY

"God, if I were lost in a fieId of tall weeds at night, would you help me? If I cried “Help!” would you turn on some heavenly searchlight and show me the way out?
Sometimes I do something wrong, I feel like I’m lost in the weeds out in the dark. The more afraid I get, the more I end up walking in circles. I try to hide how frightened I am, but you know.
Thank you, God, for understanding when I get lost in fear and sin. I’m sorry for the wrong things I’ve done, and I want to do better. With your help I know I can. Thank you for always welcoming me home when I’ve been lost in the weeds. Amen"

OK, that would probably do for the next time they get lost in the weeds

If they were to get scared by being lost in the weeds they could always tack on this prayer as well:

"My God, will belong to you forever. Teach me to trust in you because I know you love me and will always be near me.

Help me always to obey you though it’s hard. Take from my heart all fear.

Help me never to be sad, but always joyful, knowing that you are my God and that someday I will be with you in Heaven.

Amen"

The Sisters of Mercy have most things covered and also have a Suspice:

I think that covers it. Thanks Sister Mary Catherine.

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

SISTER MARY

SORRY TO SPRING THIS ON YOU

 Let's talk about blog post series.

Hey! I just had an idea - this could become a series itself - like an infinity spiral:

This is in keeping with the theme of the post as you will see if you can be bothered to keep reading.

The blog series in question today is Richard's inaugural one on springs.

Yes, springs! It's as if the guy has broken one. Or sprung a leak. Or come unsprung. Or it's because spring is in the air. Ha ha - we have more but .... moving on.

Richard wrote two posts in succession about springs. WET SPRING and DRY SPRING

He used this image both times.

He then went straight to talking about the weather (maybe an allusion to the season of spring  - who knows?). Either way the allusion was tenuous and the pun pedestrian - but you need to know that Richard is quite old and he lives in Lower Hutt. Enough said.

The posts in fact had nothing to do with springs or Spring. Go figure. They did have though, a connection, even though it was only in the title and the lead image used. Let's give him credit for that shall we? It's his first foray into a post series I think which is why I used the word 'inaugural' earlier.

For the non-3P readers here's what Oxford Languages says about the meaning of 'inaugural'.

Keep up the good work Richard and don't come unravelled by the lack of comments on those posts. Just remember that Robert loves likes you.

THE WORM TURNS

 Readers of Roberts blog, all two of them may have noticed that Robert's 'affection powers' have been downgraded from 'love' to 'like'. 

Robert used to 'love' everyone he came in contact with - now he 'likes' them.

I don't know why Robert was demoted but suspect that Trent Horn might have ratted him out to god somewhere along the line.

Anyway, here's a Corey Mohler cartoon to cheer him up.

ROAD TO NOWHERE ....

..... but, with changes, hopefully somewhere.

Around the country The NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi)  has been seeking community input as to the changes wanted in each area. I've attended our local meeting and have made a submission to the local community association as well as to Waka Kotahi.

I live in a rural area with roads designed for slower cars and for e lesser density of traffic. What were once completely rural areas now have new housing bringing increased traffic and greater dangers. At present, and has been the same for at least 20 years we have an open road that has varying speed limits from 100kph on most parts, 70 kph on two sections and 50 kph on sections that run through the 'villages'.

The problem with his is that on the road from the built up area of Onerahi to the end of the road at Ocean Beach Whangarei Heads there is probably only one short section where 100kph is safe or even possible. The rest is hilly and windy road with tight corners and on a poorly cambered road. 80kph at most is the safest speed on the best buts with 60kph on at least half of the sections.

At the meeting and in the various council and Waka Kotahi reports there have been many submissions suggestion multi- speed restriction so that the 30km stretch of road could have speeds of 80, 70, 60, 50, 40 and even 30. This is going to extremes. I voted for 80kph maximum with 50kph through the villages and down to 40kph when going past the two schools where children are likely to cross. I see this as common sense and hopefully this will be implemented.

We've lived here since 2009 and have seen lots of accidents - or the aftermath of them with cars in fields, off the road or upside down in ditches. On one notorious corner not far from where we live cars frequently go off the road and end up in the mangroves. When it is full tide this is dangerous. Two weeks ago, while we were having a spell of bad weather, in a 3 day period 5 cars went off the road at this corner, ending up in the sea and one of these was fatal with the driver drowning in his upside down car. Speed and not driving to conditions is a factor in most of these accidents but the 77 year old guy who died was a driver for a local school bus, past editor of a driving magazine and a vintage car enthusiast. I expect that he knew how to drive to conditions. 

Close to this corner is a boating marina. Boaties tow their boats away from this after a day out fishing. The more irresponsible bastards don't drain out their boats properly before driving off instead, opening the drain bungs and letting oily (fish oil and diesel) water leak out all over the road behind them. With this mess on the road, when it rains, it creates an extremely dangerous situation with a current road speed of 100kph. I've always been wary of this corner (approached by going downhill to an 'L' shaped right turn) and have taken the corner at 60kph at most. It took this chap's death for the council or Waka Kotahi to put some temporary barriers up and they are now erecting safety signage. Hopefully in future this will be a compulsory 60kph area.

Last night was stormy - thunderstorm- rain and high winds. In the early hours the local fire station siren sounded twice - several hours apart. The siren (a WW2 air raid siren) automatically sounds when there is a traffic, fire, medical or coastal emergency triggered by the 111 calls. It is to alert the local volunteer firemen who turn up, at all hours of day or night within minutes and then the fire truck heads out.

This morning, when I drove into town I saw a wrecked car, upside down in the ditch about a half mile from home. This was definitely the result of speed and stupid driving and may have been a stolen car.

I've seen about 6 wrecks like this in about the same place over the last 13 years. Hopefully, with sensible speed regulations* there will be fewer of them.

* Not everyone is in agreement with the safety oriented changes going by comments at the meeting I attended and on Neighbourly (Facebook) with the speed dicks and dickesses who drive powerful cars and think that they're good drivers scoffing at the proposed changes. It's those people I'd like to see in a ditch as empirical knowledge is the only way that they will learn to moderate their driving behaviour.

LIKE WOT HE ROTE

I just got a jolly good telling off from Robert in a couple of comments on a recent post I wrote:

 

The post that the comments relate to is this: LOOKING BACKWARDS TO TOMORROW

I responded to Robert suggesting that if his Mary of Agreda didn't actually write in a childish, low-brow way then Robert himself may somehow have translated her words from adult-speak to child-speak.

 It's probably just as well that Robert didn't take up art restoration as a career.

BEFORE

AFTER

POP UP

 Does anyone have an idea what this is and how to get rid of it?

It pops up after I've accessed Google.

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

WHERE'S THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?

LOOKING BACKWARDS TO TOMORROW*

* Yes, I know that I've used that title and referenced it in posts before but the Jeannie Lewis album from the early 1970s is very good and the song Rocelli Kaharunta is outstanding. Unfortunately I can't find this on this newfangled internet thingy but maybe the readers can. It's well worth a listen to. The best I can find is a sample of it: HERE

Today let's talk about regression. Not regression analysis which is a set of statistical processes for estimating the relationships between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. We'll leave that to the pointy-headed statisticians. (Note: One of the many courses I studied at university was Statistics and Computing). No, here we're going to talk about regresssion in psychological terms:

"Regression is a psychological defence mechanism in which an individual copes with stressful or anxiety-provoking relationships or situations by retreating to an earlier developmental stage. Regression may be seen at any stage of development in both adults and children when someone behaves in a way that's immature or inappropriate for their age."

           -  By Cynthia Vinney, Verywell Mind October 24 2022

No prizes for guessing who we will be studying today then.

Hey! You were wrong. We're not looking at Richard of Richard's Bass Bag, we're looking at Robert of Robert the apathetic sanctimonious sinner and toilet cleaner.

I commented on his most recent post:

You might consider this to be a bit rude but, I stand by it.

Here's a link to the post: CHRISTMAS IS FAST APPROACHING

If you went there and read the post you'll see what I mean.

In it he wrote:

"It turns out that Joseph took a vowel (sic) at the age of 12 to be a virgin all his life too.
When Mary, reached the age of 14 it was advertised in Jerusalem that she was up for grabs. The temple was packed with hopeful husbands.
Mary, of course, was beside herself.
She only wanted God.
But a rod was passed around and it burst into flower when Joseph held it.
So, the handsome 33-year-old became her husband."

He accompanied it with images like this:

 That childish diatribe and the kitschy image is like the nonsense that the nuns at Catholic primary schools put in our heads. It's fatuous and puerile and says a lot about the naive and jejune young women who were cloistered in convents and who had an unrealistic view of the real world. I remember one young nun 'teaching' us this crap. Her name was Sister Mary Lucille. We called her (behind her back) Sister Mary Loose Wheel which I guess was kind of prescient.

I can't understand why Robert, a nearly 70 year old, tertiary educated man can not only buy into this stuff but, without any sense of irony, promotes it through his blog and, as he has told us, shares it with family, work colleagues and random strangers at his church services.

Regression then.

Cynthia Vinney goes on to say:

 "Studies have shown that regression generally decreases throughout adulthood. A longitudinal study with European-Americans showed that between adolescence and the age of 65, use of the defense (sic) mechanism of regression decreased. However, after 65, regression increased, which the researchers attributed to the challenges of maintaining adaptive coping strategies in older adulthood."

And then, in conclusion (sorry about her American spelling):

"Often telling an adult that their behavior is uncharacteristically childish or age-inappropriate will enable them to recognize  what they're doing and determine how to respond to whatever is causing them distress in a more productive way."

I pick up on that final statement, hence writing this post. The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ takes pride in not being judgemental and in trying to assist and educate its readers.

Thank you for your time.

WET WET WET ....

..... not these guys: 

 I was going to say - "Not these guys but they certainly are wet" but then, while downloading the link and pasting it I listened to the song and, I admit that it's not too bad - kind of along the lines of 10 CC's "I'm not in love' and The Hollies 'Air that I breathe'. So - I'll just "let it go".

****************

An old age pervert pensioner I know published a post that seems to expose one of his fantasies.

WET SPRING

If you did access that link we apologise for any offence caused as The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ take pride in not lowering the tone of our posts with salaciousness, prurience, low brow humour and scatological references. Any recriminations should be directed to the author of that post, OK? Right - moving on.

In the post (if you went to it via the link) you will have noticed that the old guy has a soft spot (not a wet spot we hope) for Sister Strapper who seems to have struck resonance (See what we did there?) with him.

"On a return visit to the church shop, Sister Strapper reported to the young man who gave her a sandwich that she was sleeping much better since the picture of Danie went up. She donated the picture of the other guy to the shop."

This reminded me of something ...... oh yes ... this: 

Well, good luck and male hormone vitamins to the old guy. Whatever floats your boat I guess. I hope that he enjoys his .. er... discussions with Sister Strapper.

 

KEEPING THE PUNTERS HAPPY

A regular* reader, we'll call Richard** asked for an update on a post I wrote about the kitchen water mixer:

Well, I have good news for him. Yesterday I replaced the washer that I cut out of a bit of rubber with the new 'official' one I bought as part of a kit. The tap mechanism works fine - neither too loose nor too tight so The Old Girl's happy (which is the point of the exercise really).

 

* He doesn't eat as much meat as Robert does.

** His real name is Richard.

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

THE MORE OBSCURE CATHOLIC SAINTS - PART FOUR