Deflated

I am not writing this for you to read but for me to re-read.
Normally content and optimistic but not today with the realisation that I am likely to be related to those who would do me down and profit from my trusting nature.
To help rid myself of this malady I regurgitate these rotten findings, like I have recently had to do after consuming  a spoonful of  stale chicken pate. 

The trigger was finding the front offside wheel of my Volvo V70 flat and dangerously worn on its inner edge, due to a bad misalignment in tracking.  Dissapointed with my trusted local garage for having caused this at a recent job, related to an engine drive belt fitting and/or the later replacement of a front wheel bearing. Both my daughter and wife were similarly unhappy with the work done on their own cars here.  A  second screen washer motor  failure and a brake pad sensor error respectively, neither of which should have happened. I cannot afford to give the benefit of the doubt again.

Each garage I have employed to care for my vehicles over many years has behaved in this way, with the exception of the one that re-bored an MG TC engine block in 1964 at a cost of £65.
I escaped another garage rip-off attempt by a VW main dealer that said I needed a new alternator. A smaller garage fixed the fault with a high pressure jet of air for one tenth of the cost. 

A Bee in my Bonnet

My loving wife and confident, told me early this morning my hair looked SCRAGGY and to expect a haircut later today. What will be - Will be.  But I was treated to a cup of tea in bed, a small price to pay for straight honesty.

On the radio, the BBC is polluting airwaves with moralist phylisosophical rants that tell everyone, prepared to listen, how to think. Followed by some dreadfull  barbershop choir.

Here is my Apiary news letter. 

The early December inspection revealed one colony has perished and the hive to be plundered by wasps, and later by numbers of bees from the three remaining hives nearby.
Veroa treatment was carried out on the three surviving hives and all is well with these colonies. I prepared myself with bee suit and respirator and chose a day with very light airs. About 1.5 grams of oxalic acid was vaporized in the base of the hive and the proceedure from start to finish lasted about 10 minutes for each one. As usual each hive behaves slightly differently from the next. One is quite defensive and attack my veil. No.Two is oblivious to the job in hand and continue flying, No. Three is much more sensative to my touching the hive and create a loud buzz  at the slightest disturbance. This latter colony is one given me by my brother and a split from early last year -  it was rapidly running short of space. Now it looks to be flourishing again and most likely to require splitting once more, come the spring.
Little else to do as regards the bees appart from closing off the veroa undertrays and plugging the extra vent holes.  The vaporizor is a simple 12v device with a long handle and heated cup connected to a battery.  The respirator mask is worn to avoid breathing in the noxious fumes.

Land of the Free

"Land of the Free" once included the ordinary American, but today includes the freedom of a US cop to kill as this cop did, equipped with an AR-15 rifle with the phrase “You’re F—ed” etched onto his weapon.
This cops' own hip camera records the murder, yet he is acquitted  ; The victim face down.

Meanwhile at the well defended White House, sits a neurotic, narcissistic president in office clearly unfit for any such chair.

Little wonder then, why many settlers and their descendants dig-in with a bomb shelter, arm themselves to the teeth, store provisions, head for the hills, or emigrate like never before.

An American president in bed with Russia and Israel. A supporter of the National Rifle Association.

Courtesy of the Washington Post is the report "I study Liars" and it says quite a lot about Trump;  Perhaps that is exactly how he wants to be remembered.

My latest Watercolour

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St Peters, Exeter.  Original  51x33cm  

A letter to America

Horrific news is breaking in the UK and inevitably in the wider world of the unfolding tragic massacre in Las Vegas. Just another in a long line of masssacres, due in large part to the unfettered gun lobby and its associated American industry.

Your president is silent on the issue of gun control and pretends to hold out his heart felt sympathies to victims and their families.  What fool has spawned to lead your gun toting society!
I would not presume to speak for anyone else on such a life or death issue as this, and if you are an American reading this blog, it will inevitably make for difficult reading.
Your president Trump has spoken of obliterating a whole country - namely North Vietnam, which would result in millions of deaths. He pretends to be concerned about the deaths of just fifty nine Americans - one millionth of the number of deaths he threatens.
Trumps' hypocracy knows no bounds when one breath speaks of  deadly threat, then the next breath speaks of heartfelt sympathy.
All Americans will have heard the first commandment "though shall not kill".

3,000 Dollars mail order.

I suggest all America is responsible for many of the troubles seen in our world today. Much stems from the desire to bear arms, and not least from the unexpected consequences of holding to this mantra.
The battle cry of one sick mind has been allowed to run riot in an otherwise peacable community and the resultant carnage knows no bounds. It has been copied from previous events of a similar type, and inevitably will be copied in future, so long as the prevailing nature of the American phsyche holds to its present course.