Friday 13 November 2015

Go go go you old rocker

Hiya. The cavalry has arrived across the road, looks like it's all hands on deck. DynoRod has just pulled up to sort out a problem with the drains, so I expect I will have to wait for the bricks to appear at the front. My view is blocked by vans however, so I will have to keep popping upstairs to look out of the bedroom window for any movement involving men carrying bricks.

In the meantime let's have a Friday Frippery, meaning odds and sods. I have chosen this yoootooob clip as an introduction, You are on my mind, by Crispian St Peters. Love it, foot tapping sixties music to sing along with.



So, what's on my mind? All sorts. I watched a Panorama programme on BBC iplayer yesterday, How Hackers steal your ID. With cyber crime increasing all the time we all need to be aware of it. We should be very careful about the information we put out on the internet. No one is 100% safe from being ripped off, scammed, robbed, trolled, and bullied. People have lost their life savings through crooks spinning a yarn, lying and cheating their way into victims bank and credit card accounts. I try and do everything I can to limit my vulnerability to scams. Banking details are not safe anywhere, even banks get hacked. I will not bank online. I do not shop on the internet, no Ebay, no Paypal, no Amazon. I limit my direct debits and prefer to pay my bills with a cheque into the bank, or over the counter with cash at a Post office. Have a look at the programme, now on yoootooob, and see if it doesn't scare you, because it sure as hell scares me.



That Katie Hopkins is now a permanent fixture over on The Mail, she has built up a following since her appearance on The Apprentice and is now well known for her acid tongue. I'm not sure I would want to put myself in the firing line like she has, I can only assume that money is her motivation. When the press started reporting on her nasty comments she was vilified, but now the tables seemed to have turned, a lot of people are backing her and agreeing with every word she says. Very weird. Shame that those who are most opinionated and gobby are rewarded by big wages, and those who quietly get on with their meaningful and fulfilling lives as a valued member of society, get very little payment. I am reminded of the saying, what goes round comes round. I believe that having a clear conscience and being at peace with yourself is much more preferable to always having to look over your shoulder.

I don't watch cookery programmes, not interested at all, so I know hardly anything about Nigel Slater, but the Mail calls him a no nonsense chef so I was prompted to read on. Seems he is a straight talking guy without the need to be offensive. He is calling for people to return to the basics of cooking after an obsession with complicated recipes.He goes on to say food is now worshiped and fetishised, and some foods have been victimised and banned from plates. I will go along with that. He has written ten cookbooks so I suppose he knows what he is talking about. There is too much fannying around with food, it doesn't need dressing up, tarting up, it is not there to look at, it's there to eat. I don't know about you, but I eat with my mouth, not my eyes.

Notice the difference? One of my many favourite songs of the sixties.





Still performing, still enjoying himself at the age of 75. You've got to hand it to these old rockers, they can still get your feet tapping.

Going to check on the bricks, DynoRod has gone and the sun is out. The weekend is almost upon us again, enjoy. Catch you soon. Toodle pip

6 comments:

  1. Always a good read. I might disagree a tad about food. While some chefs have gone if the rails in presentation, I do eat with my eyes. A well made plate that is visually appealing adds to my enjoyment. Good catch on the bricks.

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  2. Hmmm, I have a slightly different "take" on the eyes/mouth thing. I'm not much of a cook by any definition, but I've found that even a simple sandwich or a sliced apple on a pretty little (thrift shop) dish gives me more enjoyment than the same eaten in hand. Unless I'm eating outdoors...nature is the best visual "sauce" for any food, in my experience. :)
    Have a lovely Friday, Ilona!

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  3. I bank on line and buy things on line - if I get hacked etc...well, I dont really worry too much about it....the risk is quite low but we all have to decide how risk-tolerant we are; I worry more about climate change and diabetes....
    Have to laugh about Nigel - he and his fellow t.v. chefs have gone a long way to fetishizing food. Delia is the only one who started off o.k. but now she has got airy-fairy too. My mum cooked better than any of them but did nt have a t.v. show or books...

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  4. Hello.The Crispian St.Peters song was put out over here by Peter,Paul and Mary who did a folk version that was a hit.The St.Peters version is good...I am not risk tolerant of financial transactions online.I do not pay bills online,purchase goods and services,or register myself.Unfortunately,whether we pay by paper or not the record and info of these transactions is fed into a database by the institutions and companies providing the services.If their data base is hacked our personal account info is either for sale, or misused without our permission illegally etc.Not much to be done there.We can however,be vigilant and more aware of the cons and thievery taking place by phone and internet and knocks at the door.I lost faith in security protocals when the Canadian governments system was hacked and very sensitive personal info was obtained by the cyber thugs much to their chagrin.Scary stuff.On food, well...I think it's another niche to be exploited and is very profitable for those in the biz.Personally,I like it simple,wholesome in taste and flavour and content.Serving it up nicely,simply and appealingly happens more often than not here depending on the day,subject to change.I eat to live not live to eat,but do feel that good food and drink enriches our lives and cultivating that is healthy and positive.Love"breaking bread"with family and friends.Your insightful remarks on the rewards in society to those who are bottom feeders is right on the mark,Ilona,sadly.Ah,well.Interesting and thought provoking read today...just like chatting over the fence,ha ha.Thank you for sharing,D.

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    1. Destemona, I think you are confusing PP&M's "Last Thing on my Mind" with the We Five's "You Were on My Mind." My all-time fave song (circa 1966) by a group that turned out to be a One Hit Wonder. I have the CD, also a later album that they made. I never could understand why this group didn't go all the way, until I listened to the second album. I am guessing the albums came out too close together and We Five never had the opportunity to record much original material. The first album had a lot of fabulous covers; the second album, not so much.

      BTW, those of us in the US (and possibly other countries) cannot play the Crispian St. Peters song, probably due to copyright stuff. I don't think I've ever heard of Crispian St. Peters, but then I don't get out much, LOL.

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    2. Thank you mikemax,for the background info,it's interesting that like so many things in life,timing is everything(re[: the music industry)and there were so many one hit wonders... and yes,I did confuse them... and Crispian St.Peters was unfamiliar to me too.So many good oldies out there. :-) D.

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