859 days ago
Nope, It is not that obvious. The mother-in-law has not arrived yet. Only kidding. About the only thing I dread about this family Christmas is the penalty I pay for being so goddamn green.
1222 days ago
Gosh, the tree and its oak barrel container are heavy but a friend and I somehow got it inside for its 16 days of warmth. Then it will be back to the garden where it has lived for the past year, gaining about two and a half inches. I reckon it is now just under five foot nine tall.
1457 days ago
This is my day of peak recordings – 7 hours of interviews and bearcast underway. I kid you not. apart from bearcast it is all great material for the Shareprophets shares show on May 9. I have just done the Jim Mellon recording which should knock your socks off. Poor man, he is trapped in lockdown in the Isle of Man but seems to be bearing up well. Anyhow, buy your ticket HERE. In this podcast I look at Eurasia Mining (EUA), Scancell (SCLP), 13 Energy (I3E), Arden Partners (ARDN), Petra Diamonds (PDL) and Intu (INTU).
2898 days ago
You guys think that I am wandering around in a T-shirt and shorts. Boy you could not be more wrong. For starters, when I am up at the hovel I always wear sturdy black jeans and long boots. You never know what is going to slither out of the bushes and bite you. I want some protection.
More importantly,
3578 days ago
As you know I am this summer starting the reconstruction of a Greek hovel snapped up by the Mrs. Please do not regard this as an investment. There is more chance of making money from Quindell (QPP) shares than from buying hovels in Greece. Actually that’s a lie. There is zero chance on both counts.
I shall post updates all summer of my progress but I start with the news I received two days before arrival. That is to say that our lovely estate agent Susan from The Real Mani ( who - as her name suggests comes fro an Isle of Man family) reported back on Tuesday that when visiting the hovel she had encounter a rat in the only room that is (vaguely) habitable – the room henceforth known as my bedroom for the summer.
Hmmmmm. I try to look on the bright side. If there are live rats in my bedroom at least it means that the snakes have not managed to penetrate that part of the building. Things can only get better from here.
3704 days ago
My poor cats, they must be getting culturally confused. Tara & Oakley were born in the Isle of Man although like 99% of Manx Cats they have full tails. Rescued by me from the MSPCA they then came over to England with me but having to watch me heaping abuse on England whenever the rugby is on. So are we Irish daddy?
Of course on Sunday they will suffer extra confusion as this household stands shoulder to shoulder with our Celtic brothers in Wales. Come on the sheep shaggers please put the old enemy to the sword. Humiliate them!
But the confusion gets worse for in taking them to a new vet for their booster jabs the Mrs made the appointment. Being a deluded lefty, the Mrs is not Mrs Winnifrith but has retained her own (Indian) surname. What say you? Political correctness gone mad?
As such the cats have come back with a form showing that they too now have an Indian surname. Born Manx, naturalised English, adopted Anglo Irish and now finally Indian. Such is the melting pot that is Britain today but it is understandable if Tara and Oakley are this morning feeling a little culturally confused.
Incidentally the vet said both cats were in great nick although Oakley (the one with three legs) was a little on the plump side and could do with a bit more exercise. Plus ca change on that front.
3794 days ago
Devoid of an internet connection at home I have been forced to spend the whole day in the pub and as I embark on my third large Rioja I am trying to be careful that I do not write anything too silly.
As such I make no comment on the picture of someone below who is clearly a master investor but came up under the google search “robber capitalist.” Should you wish to post a suitable caption in the comments section below feel free. The deadline is 9 AM Friday.
Last week I asked you for a suitable caption to this Nigella themed picture.
3854 days ago
I guess you think that Halloween is what you celebrate on 31st October (All Soul’s Night) but long before this tradition got going the Celtics celebrated their New Year on 31st October and in the Isle of Man they still do: welcome to Hop-tu-Naa.
We may not be in Ellan Vannin this year but at London's quirkiest Celtic Italian restaurant Real Man Pizza in Clerkenwell we will be celebrating anyway. And so the carved swedes (known as turnips on the Island) will go up as lanterns not just on Hop-tu-Naa itself but also the day before. We would encourage you to sing Jinnie the Witch. And we have a special two course menu available for just £10.
4156 days ago
I admit that one reason for light blogging is that I was led astray by Lucian, the Goddess and a few others at the Real Man Christmas drinks. I feel a bit fragile today. I am too old for all of this. But there is another reason for light blogging – Oakley (my cat) is back on the Vet’s operating table as we speak.
Greedy vet one clearly feels a bit guilty about the fact that he has stiffed me with an £846 bill and the operation has failed. Oakley’s leg was so weakened by the tumour that the skin cannot heal. And as such Oakley is off to a charity vet today. I shall leave without £140. Oakley will leave without one of his legs.
I know that he is just a cat. And I am all too aware that there are humans in much worse shape. But it is still not a day that I expected to come. It has all happened rather quickly.
I was trying to think of some convoluted and clever sentence involving the flag of where Oakley was born (the Isle of Man) – the triskelion , three legs. But I am a bit too hungover and worried to string words together. I am told that the Old Boy can have a good quality of life with three legs but somehow that seems a little hard to believe. To misquote animal farm “three legs good, four legs better.” It will all be over soon and then back home for a restful Christmas. Extra duck for Oakley.
