Whatever next - mixed keepie-uppie?

Breakdancing at the Olympics?  Say it isn't so!  I've posted about this before, but I would ban any so-called "sport" which relies on scores given by some sort of expert jury.  So out would go gymnastics, out would go diving, out would go ice-dancing and so on.  Let these activities have their own competitions, and good luck to them, but let's have the Olympics decided on the empirical bases of citius, altius, fortius as it was always meant to be. 

Size does matter

Just had sardines on toast for lunch - lovely. But did you know that there's no recognised definition of a sardine?  It's just a small member of the herring family, and what makes it a sardine, is its size.  Here in the UK, if it's less than around 6" it's classed as a sardine, and if it's longer than that, it's a pilchard.  So if it stays in the ocean, it will eventually grow from a sardine into a pilchard - same fish, and also nice on toast.

Whither now?

Lots of calls for some time to "take a no-deal Brexit off the table".  But how do you do that?  It always strikes me as like trying to prove a negative.  But then, I think the problem is that there are two types of a no-deal exit - what I have labelled an accidental no-deal exit and a deliberate no-deal exit.  If we leave on March 29th (which by the way I think is definitely an "if") and we haven't managed to strike a deal, then that would be an accidental no-deal exit.  On the other hand, there are those - and always have been - who simply want to leave, and are not interested in whether or not there is any deal.  Leaving on their terms would be a deliberate no-deal exit.  And I think it is this latter scenario which can be "taken off the table".  In other words, we can set our face against intentionally leaving with no deal, but leaving having tried and failed to strike a deal is - Parliament having rejected the only deal available - outside our control.

R.I.P.

Gordon Banks (the first Banksey).  A great goalkeeper and a great human being.

Hello there

Sorry for the hiatus - my computer threw its teddies out of the pram, and it's taken a long time to get it functioning again.  I have to say that the break has not been all bad news - I've really enjoyed not having to scrabble about every day finding something to post about, so in future I think I shall not post unless it's really something I think is worth saying.  So don't expect daily posts from now on.  Anyway - I'm back!

Explanation

The titles to the last couple of posts may resonate with readers who remember the last war.  There were lots of shortages back then and a cartoon character called "Mr Chadd" started to appear as graffiti chalked all over the place.  It depicted a bald-headed man peering over a wall with a question-mark over his head.  Underneath would be written "Wot - no [whatever shortage the cartoonist wished to highlight]?  

Wot - no fish?

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, and in a sort of "I'll see you and raise you" move, Waitrose are introducing vegan "Fishless Fingers".  Made from seaweed - as the name suggests, they mimic fish fingers.  Whatever next?

Wot - no sausage?

In what could be described as a seismic shift, Greggs are to introduce a vegan-friendly (whatever that means) sausage roll.  Presumably this is in response to public pressure, although whether this is general public pressure, or pressure from Greggs' own customers is not clear.  I imagine that the acid test will be the effect on sales.

Won one, lost one.

I'm sure we all know that Shakespeare wrote a play called Love's Labours Lost, but did you know that he is also reputed to have written another play, entitled Love's Labours Won - which is lost?

Personal

A happy New Year to you all.  We don't make such a big thing out of the changing of the year as they do in Scotland, where yesterday is known as Hogmanay, and such are the celebrations up there that they have two Bank Holidays to get over it - today and tomorrow are both public holidays in Scotland.  So they celebrate the ending of the old year, whereas we make more of a thing about the beginning of the new one.  Either way, I hope 2019 brings you joy and good fortune.