Who calls the shots.

 WARNING  💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

·

1h

I know people are frustrated about the pace of change. I am too. Getting our country back on track will take time, but despite the chaos we inherited, we're making progress. Wages are rising faster than prices. Waiting lists are down. Inflation and interest rates are falling. This year, Britain will turn the corner, and you will start to feel the change we promised – in your bills, in your community and in your public services.

When I was busy getting my own life sorted out, busy getting a job, busy earning a living, trying to establish a life that I was happy with, I had no interest in politics or what was going on in the world. I ignored all that sort of thing.

My dad was the news addict, his daily newspaper was read over and over again, he devoured every word until the ink became smudged and it became a crumpled mess. It ended up in the grate when the fire was laid out the following morning.

Back in the day, my expectations were that the elected Government would sort out all the rules of what would be the best course of action to take, regarding the UK's role in politics. How naive I was. Nothing to do with me. I watched wars come and wars go, and never understood who was fighting who, and for what reason. I still don't get it.

The awakening for me was when we were told that we had to get a certain treatment. If we didn't we would all drop down dead, as was shown in videos coming out of China. Enough to scare the 💩 out of anybody. I watched and waited to see what happened next.

Back to Starmer. He is still peddling the 💩. His tweeeeets are full of it. His words are spewed forth from his staff of course. He talks about inheriting chaos. What was he doing when the other side were in? Did he challenge anything that he didn't agree with? No of course not. He was just biding his time until it was his turn to take over the reigns. He knew it would come.

He said he is frustrated about the pace of change. No he is not, because he has no control over how fast or slow things are progressing. His masters dictate what happens next.

Wages are rising! Nope. How many people will be losing their jobs in the scramble for the scam net zero? What happens when farm land is lost to solar panels, wind turbines, and new sprawling house builds linking village to villages, spreading out from the towns. Don't worry, AI will be the new God.

So what is going to hit us next? Maybe this will sort out the mess. Just one of the many conferences coming down the line in 2026. Fancy a trip to Dubai in April?

TOKEN2049

@token2049

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Don't worry about what is going on at ground level. It's the big boys that call the shots. Instructions will filter down. Who has the most money shouts loudest.

As my header says, 'Love my life', and I do.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your Sunday. Toodle pip. ilona

Wrap up, it's cold outside.

Good evening.

Today I went through all my sewing bits and bobs. Perhaps bits and bobs is the wrong description, there is tons of it collected over the years. Anything you might need for hand and machine sewing. Haberdashery I think is the correct name. Some of it inherited from a friend who passed away. Her family gave it to me. A lot of it has been given to me by the ladies in Crafty Club, and Coffee Morning. I have tidied it all up in five drawers which should make it easier to find things. 

It was sunny this afternoon so a walk across the fields got me out. Boy was it flipping freezing. Extra layers were needed. A skirt over the top of trousers, over the top of leggings, over the top of leg warmers, with two pairs of socks. Big jacket with big furry hood fastened tight around the ears. 

Every year there is a patch of sweetcorn planted along the edge of a field. I have never seen any harvested for human consumption, it is usually left to rot. There is a wood nearby so I think it is food to fatten up the pheasants before the shooting season. I could probably pick some and cook them up for tea, but I can't be bothered. I'll stick with the frozen variety.  

Not sure why they have put a wire fence around it. Maybe it's to keep the deer out. 

Keep moving, it's too cold to stand around. No sitting on the bench today. The landscape looks a bit bleak, no deer or hare sightings. Nothing to take a photo of. I looked down. Oooh, that's nice. I can see pictures in the puddles. You can find art everywhere if you look.  

I was so cold, I took the shorter route along the road to bring me back into the village. I came across my friend Brian walking his dog. He has the biggest wolfhound you have ever seen. Almost up to my waist. This is the second one he has had. The rescue knows he loves big dogs, and when the last one died they contacted him to ask if he would take this gigantic one. The dog just plods around alongside him. I will try and get a photo if I see them in daylight hours. It was almost dark when I got back. 

Now it's time to eat. The heating is on, the cats are all in, and Mayze is laid on her cushion in front of the gas fire. All is well.

Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up tomorrow. Toodle pip.   ilona

How much do I pay for things I need.

Good afternoon. 

I have just eaten lunch. More veggies. Now I want to go out in the sunshine. A walk across the fields. 

Here is a video I put out on the channel yesterday.

 

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views

2 Jan 2026

It doesn't matter how much money I spend on something I need. If I can afford it I buy it. If I cannot afford it, I don't buy it, and shop around for something cheaper. If you are contemplating buying something it is a mistake to ask others what they paid for the item. Everyone has a different income. If you are thinking of making a purchase, check out prices with the person or company who is selling the item. Comparing yourself with what others pay is pointless. You need to know how much money you are prepared to spend.

Thanks for popping in. Enjoy your weekend. Catch ya later.

Toodle pip.   ilona

What I did, what I ate, what I saw.

 Good evening. 

Here are a few quick photo's from the last couple of days. 

This is a public footpath. It looks well and truly churned up by the tractors going up and down to access the turf fields. No litter here, but when I come out onto the road at the end of it, there will be lots of litter to pick up. My bag is already half full. 

There is something striking about a row of skeleton trees against a moody sky. I have photographed this scene before. 

 

Lunch yesterday.

Lunch today, eggy bread omelette and beetroot. 

I wanted to take photo's of these decorated houses in the village, before all the lights get taken down and put away for another year. 

I wanted to get the moon in one of the pictures. 

This display is a stunner. If you stand there for five minutes the colours change every few seconds. 

That's it for tonight. Mayze is waiting for a cuddle. 

Have a good weekend. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Is it real, or is it fake.

 Back again. 

If you are not sure if the videos you see online are real, or AI fakes. Bob Moran has written an interesting piece giving some pointers of what to look out for. He is one of the good guys, and he is real  by the way. Here are some extracts.

Bob Moran

@bobscartoons

AI-generated videos that attempt to fool you into thinking they were filmed by somebody on their phone always have a few giveaways. There are so many of them appearing every day now, it's probably worth knowing what to look for, beyond the obvious melty faces and extra fingers.

Assume all video clips are fake. Don't react to anything instantly. Stop and analyse it first, particularly if it appears to confirm an opinion or concern of your own. "Look at this man attacking a disabled child in Berlin."will pop up from some idiot like David Atherton with "Who wants to bet he's a Muslim?", and then it has 40k likes, and Elon quote tweets it with "Bring back the death penalty" and everyone goes bonkers and the whole thing was fake. It never happened. But hundreds of stupid imbeciles have asked Grok whether it's AI, and Grok said it wasn't, so it can't be, because AI will always be totally honest with us about itself, won't it. 😕

Today, everyone's sharing the clip of one of those women who allegedly slept with a thousand men in 24 hours (which didn't happen) getting baptised. It's an AI clip. There's also some video of police uniforms that were abandoned in New York when that Muslim communist guy was elected mayor. That's also AI. Yesterday there was one of some woman walking through New Years celebrations somewhere being pelted with fireworks or something. It was AI. Almost everything is AI now. I don't know what it's going to take for people to grasp this.

You can read the full article here. 

Now I am going to do a village walk. 

Catch ya later. Toodle pip.   ilona

When enough is enough

Good morning.

I knocked this video out yesterday. 64 comments so far. I read them all and answer a selection with my supportive and positive head on. 

2,040 views 1 Jan 2026

I explain in this video. Most people want to earn more money. I am the exception. For most of my working life it was always important for me to enjoy my job. The wages were a bonus. As long as I have enough to pay my way, I am happy. Money does not motivate me. Now in retirement I have enough to cover my outgoing costs, so I don't need any more. Also I don't want the commitment of churning out more videos. Freedom is what I am about now. Freedom to come and go as I please. Now everything I do is at my own pace.

The sun is shining but it's flipping cold. 

Have a good day. Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

Be ready for change.

Good morning. 

Ten hours into 2026. I was asleep in bed before the clock struck midnight.

This was my grandparents house, where they brought up five children. I spent the summer holidays in this cottage in the middle of the countryside surrounded by fields and farms. The freedom I had then is still in my heart and in my mind. It will not be silenced.  

There will always be changes throughout our lives, and we have to adapt to them. Nothing stands still. Some of the changes being thrust upon us at the moment, will not be to our liking, so we have to find ways of navigating through them. This can only come about by taking responsibility for our own lives. 

I will continue to do this throughout 2026. 

I hope my health holds out, both physically and mentally. The only way this can happen is if I am happy in my own skin. If I can ride the storm, and win the game, I will smile. If I cock up there is only me to blame. 

Make your own plan dear reader. You can't change how others react, what they do, what they say, but you can change how you deal with it. 

I wish everyone a happy and fulfilling, and prosperous 2026.

Toodle pip.   ilona