A rant directed towards B'ham City Council & central government.

Generally speaking my neighbours are lovely people, they really are. However sometimes they make me shake my head in disbelief at their blindness, their stupidity & cause me to wonder what fucking planet they are on.

Yesterday two of my neighbours told me that they are applying to Birmingham City Council for a grant that exists to tart up your front gardens. This fund apparently provides hanging baskets & garden plants. Bloody hell!! The same neighbour has let two hanging baskets his mom made him die (in fact I watered them daily up until I went to Ireland & he has 3 dead sunflowers still standing in his front garden since 2009! Decorating his frontage are traffic cones, a 'Road Closed' sign that has been there since July 2010 & bits of broken pallets his mates leaves him for his open fire.
Today, the news on Radio 4 announced that the government is thinking of making severe cutbacks to library services. They are contemplating closing libraries to save money. There is even a suggestion to open libraries in pubs & supermarkets! Where in the sweet fuck of creation is this Fascist government taking us?? What are they thinking off? On the one hand for example, they want to reduce alcohol consumption & cut binge drinking, so they increase alcohol taxes, then on the other hand they want to install bookshelves next to beer pumps. "A pint of Guinness, a lager & lime, a packet of dry roasted nuts, Oh, & can I have a shuffti at the latest Sebastian Faulks novel please(?)" Bollocks.

Then we have the City Council giving money to lazy bastards who can't be arsed to do a bit of weeding in their garden or fork out a few bob for a couple of border plants, let alone clean up the shit outside their front window. Bugger this garden grant-get someone to clean up the rubbish & litter on my street & KEEP KINGS HEATH LIBRARY OPEN!!

Jesus this country is crazy, better still I think I'm crazy for putting up with the crap I receive from the government, the City Council, my neighbours & my relations & children.
Its about time I responded to these people in the manner of the 'grumpy old man' that I am & told them all to "FUCK OFF!!"

The last time......

This weekend saw the end of an era. God what a momentous year its been so far, & what with my old moms failing health there could be more momentous events waiting to unfold.

At the weekend end my eldest daughter-Claire come down from Tadcaster to stay with us. We had a lovely time. However, the time was tinged with the some sadness as it was the last time that Claire will visit her family home under the named 'Claire Woolley'. On August 14th in Dingle Co Kerry Claire will become Mrs Maloney. Nevertheless less we rejoiced in some style-there was even a fight (for old times sake!) between Claire & her younger sister Esther! We said goodbye to Claire at New Street station on Sunday evening as Miss Woolley waiting for her train to York.

Goodbye Claire Woolley.
Hello Claire Maloney.
Whatever your name is Claire, you will always be my little girl.
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