Category Archives: Christmas
The Grauniad — Christmas 2017
Posted by on December 29, 2017
For those who are not aware of the pre-Internet age, this was the early days of computing, for the amateur enthusiast PCs were unaffordable but motherboard kits were available, which cost more than some modern Notebooks. It was so long ago the term geek wasn’t in common use. For excited techies the kit they’d assembled was programmed in machine code and loaded by cassette tape as floppy discs were expensive (a simple program could take 15 minutes to load). In fact all memory was expensive at that time.
The Worm That Turned — Christmas 2017
Posted by on December 28, 2017
Language being one of the many subversive elements used to change society, which is now moving inexorably towards that portrayed in ‘The Worm That Turned’. How long will it be I wonder before this transformation is complete? The male becoming mere chattel, a plaything, not worthy of education, relieved of his suffrage.
Read more of this post
‘Like you know’ — Christmas 2017
Posted by on December 27, 2017
Vagueness is on the march and it isn’t just formal education that has brought this about, firstly television, then the Internet, and now mobile phone texting, all impact on both the written and the spoken word. Read more of this post
A letter to Dorothy Dix — Christmas 2017
Posted by on December 26, 2017
Letter to Dorothy Dix
I am a sailor in the New Zealand Navy. My parents live in Whangarei and my brother-in-law is living in Melbourne. My father and mother have been busted for drug running and they depend on my two sisters, who are prostitutes, for a living.
My only brother is serving a life sentence in jail on conviction of rape and murder, and my uncle is a High Court Judge who takes bribes. My other uncle is on trial for lighting fires in a National Park which burnt down 93 houses.
I am in love with a Thai prostitute who solicits around the Auckland wharves. She says she loves me, but she knows nothing about my family background. We intend to marry as soon as her illnesses clear up. Me being white does not bother her at all. When I get out of the Navy we will open a brothel in Hamilton and my two sisters will work there to keep the business in the family.
My problem is that I want to marry this girl and have an entirely open and honest relationship with her. The burning question is whether I should tell her that I have a brother-in-law who lives in Melbourne? Read more of this post
Vulpes alopex — Christmas 2017
Posted by on December 25, 2017
Some years ago Charles posted ‘The Boxing Day Hunt – Perfect Entertainment after Christmas Bingeing’ it looked to be an interesting post on a one time favourite rural pastime. I have no idea if fox hunting per se is still a rural pastime, but I do remember ‘the hunt’ and the following story makes a good Christmas Day homage to A. P. Herbert and Norman Thelwell. Read more of this post
Xmas 2017
Posted by on December 24, 2017
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;The children were nestled all snug in their beds;While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
Compassion?
Posted by on December 23, 2017
This week on Facebook: Last week I posted and wrote about altruism. The connection with Christmas-time was not altruistic but rather borne out of vaguely remembered and selective memories of Christmasses past, especially those that had an emotional connection. Read more of this post
Altruism?
Posted by on December 16, 2017
This week on Facebook: I once asked a young man that I saw wearing an ichthus what church he belonged to: only to be informed that he didn’t know what an ichthus was and wore it for ornamental value only. Then a few a few Christmases ago asked a group of youngsters who said that they were carol singers, but when asked didn’t know what a carol was. I offered no response to the young man but said to the carol singers that if the wanted any money they had to sing a carol (which they eventually did). The ichthus has long since lost its meaning — much as a crucifix with a little man adorning it has — and carol singers no longer appear at Christmas. Read more of this post
