Milestone

I must admit that I do not like any sports that involve animals. However, I take my hat off to Rachael Blackmore who rode Minella Times to victory in yesterday's Grand National at Aintree, Liverpool. It is the oldest and most famous annual steeplechase in the world. In coming home first, Rachael Blackmore - a 31 year old Irish jockey - became the first woman in history to win the race.. After 182 years, to see a woman on the winners' podium was something really special.

Afterwards, she told a TV Interviewer, "I don't feel male or female right now. I don't even feel human."

By the way, only one horse had to be euthanised  after yesterday's taxing four mile race - a seven year old (gender unknown) called The Long Mile. May he or she rest in equine peace.

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Nutmeg Gnocchi with a chilli courgette sauce

This is a therapeutic and easy supper dish 

I made it from scratch today

Here is my masterclass 

You will need

2 potatoes

Garlic

Chilli x 1 red

Butter

1 cup flour

Nutmeg

1 egg

1 courgette

Seasoning

Parmesan 

Mash 2 potatoes and allow to cool

Grate one courgette, chop three cloves garlic and finely cut one red chilli

( this is for the sauce) 

Measure out Half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg

Put one cup of mash into a bowl add nutmeg

Add One cup of plain flour 

Add one egg

Mix and kneed into a dough

Cut into quarters 

Roll into rough rolls

Cut into 3/4 inch pieces and flatten sides with fork 

Boil a saucepan of water and drop gnocchi in. Meantime fry off chilli, garlic in a little oil and large knob of butter. Season well.

Wait for gnocchi to float

Add courgette and fry gently until cooked

Add gnocchi and ensure all is heated through

Season well if needed , add Parmesan cheese and Basil 

Eat with rocket salad

Bloody lovely

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41 Guns?

 

The ruins of the Elizabethan house Siamber Wen located just a stones’ throw South of the centre of the village

According to the village Facebook page there was going to be a 41 gun salute to the Duke Of Edinburgh at midday. I went to collect eggs from the livery stables and managed to snap a brief video of the “ excitement” from the centre of the village.

The salute took place on top of the Gop 

You can here me and villager Mandy discussing the spectacle




On my walk I bumped into Affable Despot Jason who is a staunch republican.

“ 100,000 dead from covid and they are shooting guns off the Gop for Philip...makes my piss boil” he commented ....not his usual smiling self. Mrs Trellis passed with her over erect bobble hat on, and she waved 

Jason and Mrs Trellis ( with Blue)

Jason invited me for a drink in the garden.

More sporadic gunfire echoed over the valley as I headed for home.

The sun is shining and the sky is an azure blue 

I’m making home made gnocchi in a chilli and courgette sauce for supper  

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Liar

The political leader of this great country is an inveterate liar. Lying comes as easily to him as breathing does to most people. His lies have been well-documented and yet he continues to get away with them. It is as if his life is charmed. He's like a roguish young lad with tousled hair denying that he scrumped the neighbour's apples even though his satchel is stuffed with the stolen fruit.

In June 2019, as Great Britain was  heading towards a general election, Johnson was asked by Talk Radio's Ross Kempsell how he likes to spend his spare time

This was Johnson's bizarre response: “I, well, I like to ... paint. Or I make things. I like to ... I make, I have a thing where I make models of, when I was mayor of London we built a beautiful – I make buses. I make models of buses. So what I do, no, I don’t make models of buses, what I do is I get old – I don’t know – wooden crates ... Right? And then I paint them. It’s a box that’s been used to contain two wine bottles, right, and it will have a dividing thing. And I turn it into a bus. I paint the passengers enjoying themselves on a wonderful bus.”

Johnson was smirking as he poured out this drivel - as if it was some kind of hilarious Old Etonian mind game. The thing is, no one has ever seen one of his cardboard buses and it is 99.9% certain that he has in fact never made one. It was all a lie. Naturally, he has never apologised for making it because he never genuinely says sorry about anything.

I remain utterly baffled as to how our country has ended up with an ego-maniacal buffoon at the top. The blatant lie that I have alluded to  here simply shows the true character of the man. There have been far more serious and impactful lies such as his three word election slogan - "Get Brexit Done". Will it ever be done?

Of course most national leaders lie strategically or cunningly twist the truth. It is part of the territory but  in a western democracy with a history of basic decency in high office, Johnson's  propensity for lying and then getting away with it is quite staggering.

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