Miscellaneous Matters - Money, a Submarine and French Neighbours

Odd title to this blog post because nothing specifically came to mind over the past week as being  so unusual as to warrant its own blog header. True the nation's financial state was the subject of much wringing of hands and mincing of teeth (mixed metaphors there  somewhere) but the debate about  who is to blame  and who is paying for what has raged for so long now and I have already mused over my tuppence worth.  The French reaction to their official  retirement age being increased to 62 when countries around them including the UK are fretting over increasing pensionable age to 66 and upwards seems  prima facie a little petulant.  I surmise however that there is a feeling in France that the whole way of life there  is at risk of being homogenised if not eroded away and that might be the real reason for their protests.

However on a less sombre note about the French, I liked the reported cartoon in one of today's newspapers, The Times I think. Apparently the cartoon depicts the Astute nuclear £1.2bn submarine aground off the Isle of Skye with two RN sailors looking aghast until one of them comments  hopefully to the effect  that that is one of the ships we are to share with the French as part of the MoD financial cost cutting exercise.

Sometimes reading back through blog posts reminds me that matters which are posted about once do not necessarily go away. Thus the bread making machine did not prove to be a 9 day wonder but is producing great bread so reliably that it  is hardly worth commenting further about.

 Boris Bikes too though worthy of comment and photographs even when first introduced I now take for granted rather like say SW Trains - there when you want them - well usually anyway.

The aftermath of the Pope's visit is positive too and I like the Sacred Heart parish idea of putting blog space on its website for comments and photographs from  those in and out of the pews.

There is much to be said for letting  the significance of events thoughts and  experiences whether dramatic or routine, develop and mature quietly.