Thursday, February 22, 2018
Thursday 18-02-22 I Beer
I tried that Nanny State on Tuesday night, the low alcohol beer made by Brewdog. It was okay. The crazy thing is that it is only 0.5% abv, which means that, as I had two bottles, I only consumed 0.33 units of alcohol. At least, that was before I had a glass of wine... That was more like one and a half units.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Friday 18-02-16 I A Nice Day Out and Coco
Yesterday was the first of two days off. It’s half-term and TW is working yesterday and today, so I have stepped into the breach and taken responsibility for childcare. Except that TE is away on a two day rugby course, TMO was away on a sleepover and had been since 1pm, so it was just me and TY.
We went into town and had lunch at Pomodoro e Mozzarella, which was lovely. And, quite reasonably, kids eat half-price during the week (Mon-Fri). You’d think that, if that is the case, they would get smaller portions, but no, their pizzas are exactly the same size as the full price versions. We’ve been there before and will go again, for me their Napoletana pizza is the best…
The lunch took just about the right amount of time, so we had a few minutes to pop into WHSmith and get some sweets for the cinema. I’d booked tickets for Coco, which turned out to be a lovely film. TY, who is eight, had said that she’d quite like to see Black Panther, but I think that was probably aimed at a slightly older audience. I’ll be able to let her know one way or the other, since I am going to see it tonight… Anyway, Coco was brilliant. It’s a very colourful film, quite literally, based around the Day of the Dead, which is not another zombie film but a Mexican tradition. I had a little tear in my eye at the film’s denouement, but then I have form in that regard. For example, Scrooged always makes me tear up at the end, and I think that might be because apparently that final call to arms was improvised by Bill Murray. Anyway…
It was a lovely afternoon, and time spent one-on-one with my childers, any of the three of them, is time well spent.
TTFN.
We went into town and had lunch at Pomodoro e Mozzarella, which was lovely. And, quite reasonably, kids eat half-price during the week (Mon-Fri). You’d think that, if that is the case, they would get smaller portions, but no, their pizzas are exactly the same size as the full price versions. We’ve been there before and will go again, for me their Napoletana pizza is the best…
The lunch took just about the right amount of time, so we had a few minutes to pop into WHSmith and get some sweets for the cinema. I’d booked tickets for Coco, which turned out to be a lovely film. TY, who is eight, had said that she’d quite like to see Black Panther, but I think that was probably aimed at a slightly older audience. I’ll be able to let her know one way or the other, since I am going to see it tonight… Anyway, Coco was brilliant. It’s a very colourful film, quite literally, based around the Day of the Dead, which is not another zombie film but a Mexican tradition. I had a little tear in my eye at the film’s denouement, but then I have form in that regard. For example, Scrooged always makes me tear up at the end, and I think that might be because apparently that final call to arms was improvised by Bill Murray. Anyway…
It was a lovely afternoon, and time spent one-on-one with my childers, any of the three of them, is time well spent.
TTFN.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Saturday 18-02-10 I Brexit, an itch I can't scratch
I read with interest today that the EU are beginning to decide what Brexit will look like. It is unsurprising that someone has stepped into the void where British leadership should be, but I guess someone had to.
The current Brexit planning seems to want no hard border with Ireland, but also no customs union. I think the two things are irreconcilable, and I’m not quite sure what Theresa May / David Davis are aiming for. Unless they are trying to scupper the whole shebang, maybe?
Michel Barnier said that the Brits are going to have to make some decisions, and quickly, if they want to get everything nailed down by the self-imposed March deadline. Now, he is saying that if the disagreements are not resolved, any transition period could be in doubt.
This is the issue though; the UK are throwing out some “blue sky” thinking, and desperately hoping that something sticks. The position papers they published last year were sent out into a vacuum, nor were they properly assessed or tested by analysts. Now, I expect, the negotiators are getting to the hard end of it, and the question should be “how will that work, precisely?”. But it seems that Davis and his team think that their function has been fulfilled – “we’ve given you a proposal, now make it work”.
Every time I hear a Brexity spokesman on the radio, they suggest that we will be out of the customs union, but we still want free trade with the EU countries. “We don’t want to impose tariffs on their goods, and we don’t see why they would want to impose tariffs on ours”, they say. Unfortunately, that isn’t how trade works; if we are outside the EU, then we will be subject to tariffs; this is the way it has to be, because the EU needs to treat all trading partners the same. If they don’t impose tariffs on us, the U.S. can open a trade dispute with the WTO, as I understand it, because the EU would not be treating their trading partners equally.
It’s all a big mess, and I don’t see any way out for this government. They have painted themselves into a corner with all their red lines (no ECJ jurisdiction, no hard border in Ireland, no customs union, etc.) and I don’t believe they can deliver what they promised. Let’s see how it goes, shall we?
TTFN.
The current Brexit planning seems to want no hard border with Ireland, but also no customs union. I think the two things are irreconcilable, and I’m not quite sure what Theresa May / David Davis are aiming for. Unless they are trying to scupper the whole shebang, maybe?
Michel Barnier said that the Brits are going to have to make some decisions, and quickly, if they want to get everything nailed down by the self-imposed March deadline. Now, he is saying that if the disagreements are not resolved, any transition period could be in doubt.
This is the issue though; the UK are throwing out some “blue sky” thinking, and desperately hoping that something sticks. The position papers they published last year were sent out into a vacuum, nor were they properly assessed or tested by analysts. Now, I expect, the negotiators are getting to the hard end of it, and the question should be “how will that work, precisely?”. But it seems that Davis and his team think that their function has been fulfilled – “we’ve given you a proposal, now make it work”.
Every time I hear a Brexity spokesman on the radio, they suggest that we will be out of the customs union, but we still want free trade with the EU countries. “We don’t want to impose tariffs on their goods, and we don’t see why they would want to impose tariffs on ours”, they say. Unfortunately, that isn’t how trade works; if we are outside the EU, then we will be subject to tariffs; this is the way it has to be, because the EU needs to treat all trading partners the same. If they don’t impose tariffs on us, the U.S. can open a trade dispute with the WTO, as I understand it, because the EU would not be treating their trading partners equally.
It’s all a big mess, and I don’t see any way out for this government. They have painted themselves into a corner with all their red lines (no ECJ jurisdiction, no hard border in Ireland, no customs union, etc.) and I don’t believe they can deliver what they promised. Let’s see how it goes, shall we?
TTFN.
Saturday, February 03, 2018
Saturday 18-02-03 I Ahir Shah at The Old Market (1st Feb 2018)
On Thursday we went to see Ahir Shah at The Old Market in Brighton. TW had bought the tickets as a Christmas present, and I was looking forward to it. I didn’t know who Ahir was, and I’d never heard any of his stuff. But he was interviewed by Richard Herring on his RHLSTP, and apparently he was short-listed for the Edinburgh Comedy prize in 2017.
He was good. I liked his set, I liked where he was coming from. He was absolutely suited to a Brighton audience, being sort of lefty / liberal. He made some really good points, and some sharp analogies. He was preaching to the converted though, it being Brighton. Even when he wasn’t being laugh out loud funny, he was thought-provoking and interesting. I’d be interested in seeing his future material, and how he builds on what he’s already achieved.
The Old Market is a lovely venue, we’ve got some friends who have staged productions there before, but unfortunately we’ve never made it to their shows. I think we’ve probably been missing out. While we were enjoying a pre-show drink, I noticed that they were advertising Fleabag, and nudged TW. She bought tickets later that night, so we are definitely going back at least once. And Rob Auton is performing his show “Hair” there at the start of March, so I might be going back sooner than planned.
Before going to The Old Market we went for dinner at the Kanok Thai restaurant, which was delicious. We each chose a starter and a main course, and all the dishes were lovely. We left not feeling over-full, and refreshed ready for the evening’s entertainment. I would certainly recommend it as a good place to eat.
So that was our Thursday. Dinner out, wine and a comedian who confirmed all our views of the parlous state of current affairs. What more could one want from a night out?
TTFN.
He was good. I liked his set, I liked where he was coming from. He was absolutely suited to a Brighton audience, being sort of lefty / liberal. He made some really good points, and some sharp analogies. He was preaching to the converted though, it being Brighton. Even when he wasn’t being laugh out loud funny, he was thought-provoking and interesting. I’d be interested in seeing his future material, and how he builds on what he’s already achieved.
The Old Market is a lovely venue, we’ve got some friends who have staged productions there before, but unfortunately we’ve never made it to their shows. I think we’ve probably been missing out. While we were enjoying a pre-show drink, I noticed that they were advertising Fleabag, and nudged TW. She bought tickets later that night, so we are definitely going back at least once. And Rob Auton is performing his show “Hair” there at the start of March, so I might be going back sooner than planned.
Before going to The Old Market we went for dinner at the Kanok Thai restaurant, which was delicious. We each chose a starter and a main course, and all the dishes were lovely. We left not feeling over-full, and refreshed ready for the evening’s entertainment. I would certainly recommend it as a good place to eat.
So that was our Thursday. Dinner out, wine and a comedian who confirmed all our views of the parlous state of current affairs. What more could one want from a night out?
TTFN.
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