KNITMAN

Video: Perhaps the Best HD View of Earth From Space Ever – The Atlantic

knitmanyarn — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:13:28 +0000

Video: Perhaps the Best HD View of Earth From Space Ever – The Atlantic.

A PALTRY ONE MILLION POUNDS!!!

knitmanyarn — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:36:27 +0000

There is a lot on controversy going on here because the CEO of RBS (an 82% state owned bank since the ‘crash’) was awarded a million pound bonus on to of his 1.2 million a year. He has now decided not to take it.

I don’t think this has anything to do with morality but much to do with jealousy! People are jealous of his success and money, they are not morally outraged, they just fool themselves they are.

If I employed a man or woman and their work stopped me losing money and GAINED me 2 BILLION, I would expect a decent person to be morally outraged if I only rewarded him with a 1.2 million salary and a 1 million bonus!

Now what I DO object to is the fact the USA govt and UK govt bailed the failing banks out. I especially wish that people would remember that it was a RIGHT WING US govt that bailed out the USA banks.

I find it astonishing that less fuss was made about that by the American people than they do at the ‘evil’ of healthcare for all! Oh, yes, we will pay billions to stop a bank failing, and keep the rich rich, and making them richer, but NO, fuck you, die if you can’t afford health care. Yes, we will have socialised military, agriculture, education but healthcare? Are you insane? Um, yes i suppose I am by your terms!

Most people wrongly assume I am a lefty. It would be wrong to assume I am a righty. I am neither.

What gets me about the ‘small government’ people, is that they say they do not want, and rightly so, a government directing their lives. Yet they want to control the lives of OTHERS! They want to control people’s sexual behaviour, they do not want ALL to have the same rights, they do not want women to have control of their own bodies. I think their belief in ‘small government’ is bulldust.

What about the idea that helping out the poor, the unemployed, the sick etc be left to charity.

ARE YOU KIDDING?

This will mean that people will be more controlled that by a government that cares for it’s people REGARDLESS.

Oh no. Charities will refuse to help people they do not approve of. And YOU may think it would not affect you because YOU are not a ‘minority’ but you can bet your life that the day will come when YOU will not be approved of and if you end up in the shit, you will be denied care, compassion, help because YOU will not be approved of because if left to charity, the basis upon which people will be helped will be completely arbitrary.

It is morally reprehensible to allow people to suffer and die, to be homeless, jobless, and sick and not help them.

We live in a capitalist system and part of it will always be that there will be unemployment and the underprivileged, and the old, the sick, the disabled. AND those of lower mental capacity.

This is the BIG lie that people have swallowed: that we each can through our own endeavour become rich. That is NOT true. It assumes we all have an IQ high enough, have good health, and have talent enough in the RIGHT thing that will bring riches to us.

We also shamefully look down upon those people in low paid job doing work we look down upon yet these people ALLOW us to live the way we do! Bin-men, sewage workers, road workers etc are all vital to our way of life.

I think that we need to take care of our fellows. there are those whose attitude to the sick, the mentally challenged, the disabled etc is ‘tough , we don’t don’t owe them anything’. I can’t say anything to that except that mankind does NOT need such people.

NONE of us exists in a vacuum. We all exist with the help of others. Had human beings not become altruistic, I would not be writing this and you would not be reading this. We would not exist.

We all have a right to be who we are. WE have a right to live without a government telling us who we can be or what we should think. We have the right to be as free as is possible. (Total freedom is not possible-anrachy will destroy us all-the more freedom the less security. It is a balancing act.) Government has NO right to dictate to people how they live with Each other, how they raise families, who they marry etc.

It is right that we, the people, care for the people, and that we therefore allow Government to provide, with our money, healthcare, education, security. Laws to stop the strong destroying the weak.

We must find a way of stopping individuals elected to govern us becoming powerful and controlling. They must ALWAYS be reminded they are OUR servants, we are not theirs. We need make sure ORDINARY people make up the majority of government. Being governed by people who are most rich is clearly not working! Nor will it ever. Likewise, we can’t be governed those who think we should all be the same and that no one be rewarded for excellence.

I am fully aware that my thoughts are just that. i am not smart enough to organize a raffle let alone a government! I am smart enough to know right from wrong and it is simply wrong that we do not care for our fellows and that we try an control who people are.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE SO SO

knitmanyarn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:34:25 +0000

Well I didn’t ‘get away’ with anything. Can barely move this morning and my legs feel pulled taught. I knew last night I wasn’t getting up to swimming because I could just feel the ‘being run over by a lorry’ feeling was coming on.

This does NOT mean I will abandon the new exercise. I
will do it some more but if this continues to be a problem, I’ll stop. It’s a no impact exercise -crosstrainer- so it ought to be okay but that rather begs the question why am I so bad today if it’s going to be okay? Well, it could just be that my muscles hurt cos they have been doing what they are not used to? Or the crosstrainer movement is bad for me. I only feel tired after a swim, not in pain even if the swim was painful. The crosstrainer got my heart going though-clearly as I was drenched when finished!

Good news is I weighed myself and am 4lbs lighter so I am getting closer to losing all the weight I gained over the year or so of not being able to exercise to my usual level. At least. when I think about it, the weight gain over almost two years was not bad at all. I lost over 100lb in 2005 or thereabouts and I have kept all but 14 off. Now I have lost 7 of those again. That is one of the major pains about my condition-I put on weight very easily, have to be rigid about what I eat AND get enough exercise. This is why I get so grumpy about not exercising. It’s also why, no matter how crap my day has been, if I have swum, I feel it was a good day.

My boys Chase and Christophe are 10 weeks and 1 day. They are both very good, super movers but completely different from each other in type.

I prefer Chase as he looks more Apso to me (and to John). That and he is very affectionate and clever. He gives both his paws now and is so pleased with himself he gives them as soon as I look at him!

Christophe is higher on the leg, more athletically built, not much different in head. He is striking when he moves and appears to have a longer neck BUT his coat lays flat whereas Chase’s coat is thick and stands out. Christophe might be what I complain about-a super moving well built hairy dog with a passing resemblance to a Lhasa Apso that a lot of judges will fall for. The only way I am going to know is to run both on until grown.

I have done little knitting recently. STILL working on the same socks and same sweaters as I was weeks ago! I have done a fair bit of dyeing though and I have sold well. Maybe because I remembered to advertise!

It’s miserable and wet and cold again. Yes, I live in England but one can always hope! I would prefer much colder but dry.

LIGHT OR DARK?

knitmanyarn — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:49:08 +0000

SPONTANEOUS DAY OUT

knitmanyarn — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:50:01 +0000

We had a lovely day out at the Queensgate Mall. The first thing that caught my eye as the lift door opened onto the first floor of John Lewis was a brightly embroidered bedspread which i immediately bought as a throw for my armchair. It was one of those ‘instant just the thing’ things. I also bought a pair of closed Bower & Wilkinson headphones. These, when is use, cannot be heard by anyone else. Not as good sound wise as my Grado 325 is but still very good but most importantly if John is watching snooker or some other dull thing, I can listen to my music with out him hearing my music too.

I also bought a flower pattern shirt for M&S and also more underwear! I have a thing for M&S underwear. these are all base layer underwear-lon legs, long sleeves, close fitting, thermal, thin, and stretchy. Lovely. On my legs I wear a pair of these M&S, a pair ok Nike ski trousers, and on op of that, a merino angora mix long johns. On the top I wear M&S long sleeved vest, another two vests, one thicker and brushed, then my shirt/jumper. Then my coat and hat. Finally I manage to keep warm. If it is colder, I wear my hand knit socks, as always, but with very thick fleece lined socks.

John bought a few history books. Tried to get him to buy clothes or shoes but to no avail. ‘I have two pairs of shoes-nothing wrong with them’!!!
We had a good meal in the cafe at John Lewis. I had cooked chicken with cauli and carrots. I was very pleased.

Be Gay And Be Proud!

knitmanyarn — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:40:51 +0000

NOT A SIN

knitmanyarn — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:21:43 +0000

Irk! Horrid and wet. No wonder Luque and Whitney stayed upstairs when I got up. They must have sensed it. I eventually got them up and out but they just huddled the doors. MG, Pussy, Ada and pups all went out, did it, and the 3 grown ups came back in but the puppies thought they ought to bathe first.

I did not swim. I awoke tired and sore and started the usual argument in my head and them it dawned on me that it isn’t a matter of right or wrong! It would be different if I decided to not go ever again. That would be bad for my health. To decide not go because I am sore and tired is reasonable.

As always my winter lightbox has done it’s job. I am not slow and lethargic or down. Just 20-30mins a day-or those days when it is dull and grey like today.

Am into the final stretch of my latest pair of socks. Which reminds me I have yarn to sort and label and put in my shop.

ANCIENT AT 25!

knitmanyarn — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:48:31 +0000

All chores done on this very cold morning. White with frost. The puppies are out and loving it. They don’t care it’s cold. The adults only went out long enough to relieve themselves! Won’t be able to pick up do do till later today and they have started to defrost a little.

Have a busy day to day. Am going to Boston (Lincolnshire, not Mass.) and will leave here at 10.30am. Possibly back by 2.30pm.

I was sensible and did not go swimming knowing I had to do this today. It still p’s me off though that I can’t do both!

I am generally feeling better all around though despite a more or less constant hip pain which interferes with sleep. Normally the pain is shared around various parts which is easier. Tho maybe it’s just that my hip joint gets used a lot and so pain there is more annoying. My hands whilst stubbornly refusing to work properly at least are not burning constantly.

I am on the one hand pleased with myself for having become much better at pacing myself, which deciding not to go swimming because of my trip today is doing, there is a part of me resentful that I have to.

And whilst I know it is superfluous, I have recently found myself getting irked at kind people suggesting this is ‘age’. I can’t ignore it and have to point out that my difficulties are not age related! Not that i’m bothered about getting older but I am not old enough to be this stuffed! seriously. I have progressively got worse since my 20′s. One doesn’t have age degeneration from one’s 20′s! And it’s not normal ageing that relegates a man to using using walking stick and wheelchair in his mid 40′s! Blimey, maybe some people think 40 is ancient! More understandable if the comments came from teens but no, they are from the more mature people. I wonder how they got the idea in the first place. Anyway, for some unfathomable reason, it irks me.

DEFENDING MY OWN

knitmanyarn — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:46:49 +0000

I was training the puppies to walk on a lead.

A woman came along with her largish terrier loose-off the lead. I immediately stood in front of my puppy and when made noises for the terrier to go. He ignored me and as he got closer I moved my walking stick toward him which he promptly walked into.The woman all the while was saying ‘he won’t hurt it’.

I personally don’t give a f*ck! She should have had the dog on the lead, it’s the law, and she should have called him off as soon as she realised he was approaching a little puppy (or any dog).

She reacted to me as if i had been really unbelievably mean bad I bet she went home and said some awful man hit her dog! I said nothing to her at all because I would have been very rude. I just said NO loudly a few times, to no avail, to the dog.

The dog seemed like a really nice chap, well cared for, handsome but he should NOT have been off the lead.
In marked contrast to the woman walking her Pit Bull who as soon as she saw me and puppy she crossed the road. Now that is a RESPONSIBLE dog owner. The dog just eyed his breakfast as he went past forlornly.

MG Pups Indoors

knitmanyarn — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:05:29 +0000