Curious?

I just have to comment on this.
After I had finishd my previous post, I used the "spellchecker" to ensure I hadn't made any spelling boo-boos.
It highlighted one word which surprised me.
Blogger spellcheck does not recognise blog as a word.  You'd think it would, or would you?

Really?

I was very surprised to read this article.
Apparently "cash strapped Bits" can't afford to eat healthily.
I'm sorry, but it should say lazy Brits can't afford to eat healthily. During my adult life there have been several times when cash has been tight, but I have always been able to put a decent meal on the table.
I will hazard a guess that it a question of priorities.
When I was young, my parents weren't flush, but they got by. Mum and Dad's first priority was that we ate well.  This was put before other luxuries.  There was always enough food, even if we didn't have the latest trend in clothes, or any other consumer "must haves", that are only "must haves" due to advertising bombardment for the particular product.
I am so glad my parents had this outlook on life, as it rubbed off on me.
At one time whilst I was married my husband was made redundant, and it was a good three months before we were in a position where we absolutely had to go shopping for store cupboard staples, thanks to a chest freezer and a garage where we stocked sacks of veg, and fruit.  We also grew veg in our garden, and soft fruits.
All the meals I made were from basic ingredients, the only tinned products I regularly used were tinned tomatoes, and my children did like the occasional meal of baked beans.
It is a myth that baking meals from scratch is expensive.  Granted setting up a store cupboard takes time and doesn't happen over night, but I suspect the people who opt for ready meals are lazy, or were not brought up with the same basic principles I was.
In answer to your question, did I take cookery as an exam subject, the answer is no. Taking food/cookery as an exam is a whole different blog post.
The government have scrapped their "license to cook scheme" which is a great pity.  Our food teacher still follows the rough guidelines, but then again, she was on the right track before it was introduced. Again, another topic for another post.

Well isn't that what they are employed for?

A couple of days ago I heard an announcement on the local radio.  It made me think, must be a slow news day.  The announcement was concerning the county's road gritters.  It said something along the lines of "The county's gritters are ready for action"
Am I being pedantic here?
Surely that is what the gritters are for?
To be ready for action in case of icy road conditions?
If that is correct, why feel the need to announce it on the news?
I know some people might say, but we were caught out by the cold snap last winter.
Why?
It seems to me that every November we get a spell of prolonged icy road conditions, usually around a week. It should be no surprise to the council, who surely look at long range weather forecasts.
It's like announcing after a school holiday that school crossing patrols will be ready for action.  It is what is expected from the job, or even "teachers are prepared to teach the children in this coming term/half term"
Perhaps the radio announcer had been to a course of "stating the obvious classes" and wished to put them to use.

American Election

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how vehement the supporters and opposition of the two parties are?
For example, Donald Trump calling the re-election of Obama a travesty, not just in private, but on TV.  My friend, Blue, said she'd heard of one business man who was going to close down his business if Obama was reelected.
I'm sure no-one here is in the same class of nuttiness.
When our election comes around again, do you think there will be nutters coming out of the woodwork in support or against any of our potential PMs?  No, me neither.  After all to deserve such devotion, the person needs to be a strong character, and I don't think we've had one of those since Margaret Thatcher.  A "nice" persona seems to be the blueprint for our potential PM's.  Although I do think it would be fun if Boris Johnson decided to stand as an MP.  Just imagine what a field day the media would have, and Boris, I don't  think he'd mind.  Mind you, I would expect Boris Johnson to stand for the raving loony party, and not the conservatives.
(No disrespect to Boris, I admire the man.)  Plus could you imagine him having a regular audience with the Queen?  No, me neither.

Knickers!

OK....how many of you out there have bought a pack of 3/4/5 pairs of knickers  only to find that at least one pair has substandard sewing?
Then take into account how many of us say anything!
I have two sons, and to my knowledge they have never suffered the same problem!
Hey....knicker makers...if we pay for a pack of 3/4/5 we expect ALL pairs to be serviceable, not a percentage of them!
Quit making substandard knickers...the workers of this country can't afford it

Is it winter yet?

Ok, autumn half term is almost over, and I think there has been one totally dry day. It has also gone colder, but is it going to stop cold?
I wish I knew.  I need to prune Bertie Budelia, but if I do it and it warms up again he'll bounce back .
You see, the temperature says it's getting colder, yet my azaleas and geraniums all have new growth on them.  This year has been like at least two mini years and I don't wonder that the plants are not sure what is happening.