Thursday 27 August 2009

Wilf on patrol.



The 'font' is away for a few days enabling both me and the boyz to rapidly regress to our feral ways. This means that I can dress as unstylishly as I like in old shorts, hawaiian shirt and floppy sun hat while the boyz can go sniffing and ferreting away in the olive groves to their hearts content. The 'font' disapproves of my natural dress style believing anyone bumping into me would dig into their pockets for 50 cents and suggest I go and get a cup of coffee and a doughnut. How many visitors are we likely to have at six in the morning I ask?
Today, we were all up bright and early, out in the glorious post-dawn morning sunshine, cutting down old vines and carting off the cuttings to an ever growing mound of dessicated vegetation. It's against the law to have a bonfire during the arid summer months so the pile of grass ,olive and vine cuttings has grown over the last twelve weeks to rather impressive (the font might say alarming ) proportions - come cooler weather I'll be out here in a flash with a box of matches to send our miniature Gibraltar skywards.Wilf and Digby lay contentedly in the field watching the activity with an air of proprietorial indifference . They like to pretend that they are brave, independent spirits but whenever my pruning took me too far away from them they would stand up and saunter over to join me as if to say 'don't worry we're here now'.
Interesting article in the Washington Post about healthcare. Every year 700,000 Americans are forced into bankruptcy over their medical bills. In the UK, France,Germany and Japan the number of medical bankruptcies is zero.
Spoke last night to a friend who works in the Treasury in London. He can't understand why everyone is acting as if the economic crisis is over. Sure, the banks have been saved but now the reckoning is at hand and the financial maitre'd is hovering over the table with the bill in his hand. A hike in UK sales tax to 20% and income tax to 25% would 'only' raise about £25 billion of the £75 billion that will be needed each year to service and paydown the recently incurred debt. This tells me that there's a huge wave of government cutbacks in services on the way - what's the betting Britain will be hit by a rerun of 1970's industrial action next year?.
The 'font' has just been on the phone to remind me that the mayor is coming this morning so must go to have a shower and upgrade my tout ensemble.

8 comments:

kks said...

wilf you are too cute...do you carry your ball everywhere? funny about your dress....don't think the dogs could care less, as long as you are there!
i tend to agree about the economic payback....

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

So just where can one get a cup of coffee and a doughnut for 50 cents?

Wilf, as usual, is so very handsome.

Lynn

Angus said...

kks- yes, Wilf carries a ball, or failing that a soft toy, with him wherever he goes. Must be a sheepdog thing.

rcsj - you're making me feel my age. I'm trying to think how much a coffee and doughnut cost me when I was a post-grad in Atlanta 30 years ago. A beer was a buck then which is all I can remember. In London today you couldn't get change from five bucks.

Whispering Walls said...

The 70s are back already - did you see the football riots?

KB said...

I think that Wilf looks even more fierce with that ball in his mouth. What cute dogs!

Same thing happens to me - the 'devolution' when my husband leaves town.

Healthcare in the US is a disaster, I think. I have a 'pre-existing condition', and if I weren't covered by the large group at my former workplace, I'd be completely unable to get any insurance. What a terrible system. I'm hoping that maybe Obama can get the Senate leaders back to negotiating a bill.

shane rocket said...

wilf, do you poop with the ball in your mouth? my monte does... just wondering! :)

i agree with KB our healthcare stinks.

Maxmom said...

Hey there and
GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA!
Thanks for visiting our blog!
May we say - besides the beautiful pictures, we love your writing. You have a knack of conjuring up your paradigm and allowing our own dreams to run rampant. Oh to work in the Tuscan-type countryside!In contrast; our own reality of this beautiful land is dire. Global thinking is the bottom of the think tank in poverty strewn communities.
Good luck with your writing and bloggin. We will most certainly be following you.
Lots of licks
MAXDOG IN SOUTH AFRICA

Angus said...

ww - i've just googled to find out what wonders took place in West Ham - how depressing

kb - you should hear him bark with it in his mouth - he sounds like an 80 a day dog

sr - theer are certain things that a PON won't do and that's one of them

Max - love your photos. We'll be following events in RSA closely