Greed

''He who lives a life of greed always lives in want'' - Bumper Sticker on the back of a clapped out Oldsmobile seen driving in the slow lane on the I-75 between Miami and Naples , Florida. Also known as ''Alligator Alley '' as it transverses then northern boundary of the Everglades National Park. Home to more 'gators per square foot than anywhere else in the world.

Mensa Membership

 Feeling down on your mental prowess ? Wishing that your parents were smarter and had divulged some of that intelligence into your gene pool ? Does it always seem as though the other people in your life are quicker on the mental ball ?

Well fear not. There is hope for us all.

Go to any airport terminal and check in for a flight. In my case T3 at Heathrow. During the processing of your departure you will suddenly find yourself King / Queen of the intellectual pool and Stephen Hawkins will seem like a dwarf on the brain scale in comparison to the pride you will feel concerning your own mental ability.

Seriously, where did the great man above get these people ?

Who thinks's its OK to check in a bag weighing 4 tonnes and not get charged for it ? Come to think of it who sells those bags  in the first place ? Who think's that despite several signs stating its "Bag drop off only'' that it's OK then to try and check in themselves and 14 children ? Get an effing computer and do it online like it says !! If the sign says ''no liquids allowed'' since when does a litre bottle of Highlands Spring mineral water not qualify as ''liquid''. A sign saying ''shoes off'' has always meant to me '' take your shoes off''. Similar and quite obvious to me is the sign stating '' laptops out of their case''. Sweet geesus ! Oh my Lordy how dumb can some people be. Very dumb is the obvious answer. I love it then too when people get all stroppy when they are asked to do any of the above. As though they have been accorded some privilege in life that nullifies any request by the authorities to do what every other person has been asked to do.

 You can see why then as I walk into the departure hall I feel an automatic qualification for membership to Mensa should be winging its way to mailbox, and we haven't even boarded the flight yet.

The flight...ahhhh 9 hours to Miami. Now that should be fun.

Or b.

Autumnal colours

If England does anything well then it has to be its seasonality and the process of transformation that takes place as we move from one season to another. Nowhere is this more evident than in the parklands surrounding the river Thames here in Richmond. It is not hard to take a decent photo when it's nature that provides the view.

Study window view

Richmond Hill Park

Autumn colour stained bench

River Thames

Local resident

Hunting bears

Went and looked at a few houses that were for sale. They were 142, 143, and 144 on the long list of houses we have looked at since we made the decision to buy here in London. Was explaining this to a good friend who espoused the following analogy.

A hunter goes looking for a bear deep in the woods and comes across a picnic ground, complete with picnic table and bench. To his delight a large bear is rummaging through the remains of a family picnic.
Raising his .22 to his shoulder he takes careful aim and pulls the trigger. The is a loud bang and once the smoke has cleared he looks down to where the bear was and sees nothing. Fustrated he walks down to the picnic table to look for the bear. Suddenly there is a tap on his shoulder and as he turns he realises it is the bear who then grabs him by the collar of his shirt, bends him over the table and violently sexually violates him.

Left battered and brusisd the hunter stumbles home to consider his revenge.

The following week the hunter returns with an ever bigger gun, a .308.

Again he is delighted to see the same bear rummaging through the rubbish at the same picnic ground. Again he takes aim and pulls the trigger and again once the smoke has cleared the bear has disappeared. Infuriated the hunter runs down to the picnic ground and again there is a tap on his shoulder and again he is sexually abused by the bear in an indescribable manner.

The following week the hunter returns , but this time with a military issue Chey Tac M200 with which he has no doubt he will be able to fell the bear.

Again he sees the bear in the same spot and so takes aim, pulls the trigger. As the smokes clears there is no sight of the bear. Wrought with angst and pain and anger the hunter runs down to the picnic ground where yet again there is a tap on his shoulder.

This time however the bear stands there and says

'' Hey come on , let's be honest with each other, you're not really here for the hunting are you ? ''

Quote of the day

Whilst you are alive, make every attempt to travel first class, because if you don't spend it, your heirs will.

Cleared for takeoff

Right. The clock is running. ETA form LHR to MIA is October 30. Course starts Tuesday November 2. Time to drag the books out, dust off the pen and calculator and do a little study. Or.....procrastinate a little longer. As an aside I walked into a convenience store the other day that advertised itself being open 24/7. So I asked the clerk behind the counter. '' You're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week , 365 days a year, right ? '' ....''Yes''....came the reply. '' Rightio then why is that you have locks on the front door ?''