The Black Country

Today I drove home through Netherton. Netherton was famous for wrought iron and anchors. The Titanic anchor was made at the Hingley Works in Netherton. Later Netherton was famous for Ma Pardoes, - the Old Swan, a pub that brewed excellent beer. Some time in the nineties Ma Pardoes gave up brewing and became a boring pub.
Anyhoo, driving through the heart of the old Balck Country, in Netherton, I noticed a group of dodgy looking young lads, standing all around the local council 'outreach centre'. This centre gives out money to dead beat failures in a failed attempt to prevent them looting and raping. It really does, using the logic that if a ruffian has money provided for him he won't go on to rob people to provide for his evil perversions. Ho hum .

Scary !
Some girls scared by a few cows had to be rescued by the Coastguard, then when one of them 'felt a bit cold' she was taken to hospital.
I feel a bit cold, so I had better be taken home and fed with brandy and cocoa then massaged by a big breasted nurse until such a time as I feel better.
What larks !

Yikes !
The Live Earth (liv erf) concert was on last weekend, and I, along with mostly everybody else in the whole fucking world, didn't watch it. I am very bad and no doubt my weekend spent doing stuff in my garden contributed far more to Global Warming (now called Climate change because it don't seem to be getting hotter) than the poptastic stars that entertained the masses from various venues across the globe. Red Hot Chilli fucking Peppers; tossers, Madonna; past it, all the rest; who they ?

When I was in the garden I heard some of the low-lives that inhabit the 'houses for povs' across the way, they seemed to be talking like retarded children. Yet these half-wit folks have free housing, a wad of cash off the Government every week, and probably free drugs and booze as well. So that makes my years and years of wearing myself into the ground to earn a crust for my family look stupid. Why fucking bother when I could get it all for free. Bastard scroungers, I hope they all catch the Mange.

Well, I found myself watching the tour on Saturday, Sunday and yesterday. And enjoying it, in spite of my thoughts that the whole thing was corrupt and doped. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't but the race is a brilliant spectacle and I don't think that I could miss it. The best thing is the ITV4 coverage with Gary Imlach and Phil Liggat, much better than the Sean Show on Eurosport. Which is just rubbish. Ho hum Getting fatter, might do 10 mins round the block on my mtb this evening just so I don't forget how to ride a bike.

Shed

Fun weekend. Knocked the old shed down on Saturday and that was fun, didn't take much to smash it up, it was well rotten in some places. Got all the contents out on the patio. Discovered some old cycling stuff such as my lovely Carradice saddlebag, now almost 35 years old and after a clean still looking good. I wonder if a modern nylon bag will last as long ? Also lots of very rusty bits of axles from cottered chainsets, blocks and indeterminate junk, I even threw some away !
It didn't rain until sunday afternoon when I was thinking about going for a ride, plus all the stuff was all over the garden.