Tuesday 4 January 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR?....


Happy new year folks. I'm still recovering from eating too much (especially of the chocolate variety), trying to get to see most of my friends and family and trying desperately to catch up on some well needed relaxation and sleep. 
And what a start to the year it's been already....
That well known hotspot of the tectonic plates sitting just slightly East of the San Andreas fault line ie Ripon in North Yorkshire, had an earthquake last night. My goodness, it was even felt as far afield as Blackpool where I can confirm there was a slight rumbling around 9pm last night which was quickly dismissed as indigestion following a heavy session of chocolate brazil nuts. I imagine last night's earthquake brought about some pretty satisfied Yorkshire women who finally felt the earth move after 30 years of marriage. 
Yesterday saw the passing of actor Pete Postlethwaite aged 64. Steven Spielberg described him as 'the best actor in the world'. The British press have described him as 'a national treasure we didn't know we had'. 
Coronation Street character Tracy Barlow, the epitome of the panto villain got her head bashed in. Of course, Corrie being Corrie, there was a plotline of several characters who are likely suspects. My money's on meek and mousy Claire Peacock. You heard it here first.  
The dreaded VAT went up to 20% yesterday with the UK seemingly going on a nationwide spending spree to avoid the tax increase. My spending spree took me to an outlet to spend £6.50 on a new lamp shade with a grim determination to beat the taxman. 
There's rumours of David Beckham returning to the English Premiership on loan from LA Galaxy. Spurs appear to be the hot favourites to sign him up and it will be great to see him back on home surf. 
The England cricket team are continuing with good form to win the Ashes series at the final test in Sydney. Ricky Ponting bowed out with a broken finger and a not too dissimilar look of a dead man walking. The glory days are over for Australia I fear, but they'll be back. They are just too damn good, but for now and being English, I'm going to savour an English victory completed in emphatic style as it doesn't happen very often.
And finally, just when we got used to not skidding all over the place and having major closures to airports and train services, the big freeze has returned once more with more snow and sub zero temperatures. 
Roll on summer....  

2 comments:

  1. Yorkshire women are mocked at one's peril, FFB. Wasn't Nora Batty from Yorkshire?

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  2. Yorkshire lasses are fine - it's Yorkshire men that bring out the mocking from Lancastrians.
    The character Nora Batty was indeed a Yorkie, although the actress who played her (Kathy Staff) was originally a Mancunian. A strange and slightly morbid bit of trivia for you is that my aunty's funeral/cremation directly followed Kathy Staff's... Dukenfield, Manchester and it was bloomin' freezing.

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