Walking in the Shadows

Random musings from Warwickshire on life in general... Things that make me laugh, make me cry, things that wind me up beyond all endurance - and everything in between.

Death of a legend

I got home this evening, and Mum mentioned that one of the founder members of one of my favourite rock bands had died...  Then she said it was Magnum.

I went onto Magnum online, and saw this:



The lead guitarist of Magnum.  The statement read as follows:


From the Clarkin family:

On behalf of the family it is with profound sadness that daughter Dionne is sharing the news of the passing of Tony Clarkin.

Following a short illness, he died peacefully surrounded by his girls on Sunday 7th January 2024.

“I know that Tony has touched so many people through his music in so many different ways. I don’t really have words to express what he meant to me right now as the grief is too fresh.

As many of you know Tony had a great affinity with animals. It is the family’s intention to set up a charitable trust in his name to aid this cause, further details to follow. Please do not send flowers or cards, as he would have much preferred expressions of sympathy to go to charity in this way.

It was a privilege to call him my Dad.”


“I didn’t look to live forever”


The world is a poorer place with your leaving Tony.  You were a true gent.


Karen

I know if I could live forever
Nothing would change to better
Nothing would change at all


Secret Santa - bang on!

 It's the time of year I used to dread at my previous company...  The dreaded Secret Santa.  Because it was very rare that I actually got anything I liked...  Think I only managed it 3 times in the 18 years
I was there.

But not here.  Both times the gifts have been bang on for me - last year was a "Voodoo doll" - and don't mind admitting that gets used when someone really annoys me.

This year - perfection.  I'm known for my love of Carnivorous plants (my computer background is a Heliamphora specimen that I saw in Kew Gardens (The Princess of Wales conservatory has a collection of carnivorous plants I would have sold a very good friend for glue to have!)



So, this year I wasn't too worried...  But opening my Secret Santa left me speechless.  Simply because it was the *last* thing I expected....

A pair of socks.  Not just any socks - they're from Dolly Cool....



Yes - they have Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. And considering I grow Venus Fly Traps, they're perfect.

So all that remains for me to do is say "THANK YOU SECRET SANTA"

Ah well, guess I should call this quits - I'm on lunch and need to eat.

Back when I get chance....


Karen

I gave no thought to wisdom
It all but vanished in the haze
This fragile hand of fortune
Had changed and turned it all to grey

Cameras replacing mirrors blamed for spider housing crisis

I make no apologies for posting this - it's had me laughing when not much else has made me smile recently.


Enjoy.


Karen

When things never happen like you wanted
Dark nights always keep you in the shade
Some words would be better left unspoken
No joke there’s a price that must be paid


No one thinks of the little guy' says friendly neighbourhood spider.

TopGear.com's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring...


The rise of cameras replacing wing mirrors on EVs has triggered a housing shortage for spiders, it is claimed, with the number of eight-legged stowaways in sharp decline.



Cameras - which are typically sleeker than traditional mirrors in order to cut aerodynamic drag - don't offer enough surface area on which to anchor a harmless-yet-unsightly cobweb.

Wide-angle lens cameras also tend to be entirely sealed, meaning spiders have nowhere to hide while you dismantle the web on your 1.0-litre Corsa that will be entirely rebuilt by tomorrow morning.

"I thought the advent of auto-folding mirrors was bad, but this situation is much, much worse," explained a spider, who asked to remain anonymous. "It's getting harder and harder to find somewhere to live.

"Manufacturers don't seem to realise we need simple, affordable housing, not this luxury stuff that only the top one per cent can buy. Where are my hundreds of eggs going to hatch?"

"Eventually we're just going to have to move into your car proper: under the seats, hanging from the headliner, inside the instrument binnacle,” it added, before whispering: 

“We could be anywhere.  Like the sound of that? Huh? No. Now spec that Ioniq 5 with real mirrors like a respectable human being and we'll consider the matter closed."


The wheel bearing - AGAIN

What was I thinking?  Those idiots that serviced my poor little 208 in September last year have made a real mess of my car.  The driver’s side wheel bearing has now been replaced, but it looks like they managed to make a real mess of the car.

I was asked if I had any suspension work done…  Yes – when the idiots allegedly dealt with the passenger side wheel bearing and wheel hub.  Well, it looks like they fitted the wrong one to the car.  So, it’s got to go back to the garage that has replaced the driver’s side bearing and get the passenger side sorted out.

The garage is going to strip the car down and take lots of photos for me, so I can blast Peugeot customer service about the idiots – and I will *never* let them near my poor little monster again.  

The so-called main dealer here in Banbury is a garage I would recommend – TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE.

I’ve still got work to do, so I’ll call this quits for now.

Back when I get the chance / my temper has improved….

Karen

Like a broken wheel stops turning
You ain't going nowhere
Now you've got to heal that burning
Or you ain't got a prayer
Like a broken wheel

The verdict? A wheel bearing.

I've taken the monster to AJ Automatics and the verdict?

A bloody wheel bearing.  Not the gearbox torque converter as I feared.  The difference?  A repair bill of £250 instead of £2500.

Tony was a real gent and explained that the noise is coming from the driver’s side front, and apparently, the torque converter on the Monster is on the passenger side.  

He said that some garages would take advantage – tell me that they could sort the gearbox issue for £1000, then sort the wheel bearing.  Result? No noise and a large bill.

So, it’s back to Banbury Autos to get that sorted out.  Part of me wished that AJ Automatics were closer to home, but now I know where they are, it’s a garage to keep safe in case of gearbox emergency.

Ah well, time to call this quits – my kindle is calling me..  I’m nearly finished Ben Macintyre’s wonderful book – Operation Mincemeat.

Back when I get the inclination to put my kindle down...

Karen

When things never happen like you wanted
Dark nights always keep you in the shade
Some words would be better left unspoken
No joke there’s a price that must be paid

More problems with the car

I seem to be cursed when it comes to automatic gearboxes on a Peugeot. I know there are people who will say that this is one of the things that you expect when you drive a French car (excuse me – I know that German cars also get gearbox issues – the Porsche Tiptronic is far more temperamental than my EAT6), but unfortunately for me, I like my Peugeot.

So, I have taken the advise of the garage that told me I have an issue with the gearbox (they think it’s the torque converter at fault) and booked it into be looked at by a company in Aylesbury – AJ Automatics

Yes, I know it’s a way from home (just over 60 miles), but they are gearbox specialists. The only drawback is that I may “lose” the car for 2 weeks (I’ll use two weeks holiday to get this sorted – not fair to ask Mum to bring me to Banbury every day). But if they can get my little monster back on the road, I will be more than happy.  

The only thing I am not looking forward to is finding out how much this is going to cost me. But I know one thing – I doubt very much if it will be as expensive as taking it to the local Peugeot stealership here in Banbury. 

And there is no way on this earth I would let *them* near the monster again – especially after the mess they made of the poor little thing in September….

Ah well, time to call this quits – I’m coming to the end of my lunchbreak and the playpen is calling.

Back when I get chance

Karen

When things never happen like you wanted
Dark nights always keep you in the shade
Some words would be better left unspoken
No joke there's a price that must be paid

The snowflakes strike again….

I make no apologies for posting this – it comes from the Independent newspaper and sums up the whole mess that the “woke” brigade are trying to cause. As usual, I’ll put my thoughts / comments at the end of the piece.


Critics reject changes to Roald Dahl books as censorship

Critics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colourful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers.

A review of new editions of Dahl’s books now available in bookstores shows that some passages relating to weight, mental health, gender and race were altered. The changes made by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Random House, first were reported by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Augustus Gloop, Charlie’s gluttonous antagonist in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which originally was published in 1964, is no longer “enormously fat,” just “enormous.” In the new edition of “Witches,” a supernatural female posing as an ordinary woman may be working as a “top scientist or running a business” instead of as a “cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman.”

The word “black” was removed from the description of the terrible tractors in 1970s “The Fabulous Mr. Fox.” The machines are now simply “murderous, brutal-looking monsters.”

Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie was among those who reacted angrily to the rewriting of Dahl’s words. Rushdie lived in hiding for years after Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 issued a fatwa calling for his death because of the alleged blasphemy in his novel “The Satanic Verses.” He was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in New York state.

“Roald Dahl was no angel but this is absurd censorship,’’ Rushdie wrote on Twitter. “Puffin Books and the Dahl estate should be ashamed.’’

The changes to Dahl’s books mark the latest skirmish in a debate over cultural sensitivity as campaigners seek to protect young people from cultural, ethnic and gender stereotypes in literature and other media. Critics complain revisions to suit 21st century sensibilities risks undermining the genius of great artists and preventing readers from confronting the world as it is.

The Roald Dahl Story Company, which controls the rights to the books, said it worked with Puffin to review the texts because it wanted to ensure that “Dahl’s wonderful stories and characters continue to be enjoyed by all children today.”

The language was reviewed in partnership with Inclusive Minds, a collective which is working to make children's literature more inclusive and accessible. Any changes were “small and carefully considered,” the company said.

It said the analysis started in 2020, before Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company and embarked on plans to produce a new generation of films based on the author's books.

“When publishing new print runs of books written years ago, it’s not unusual to review the language used alongside updating other details, including a book’s cover and page layout,’’ the company said. “Our guiding principle throughout has been to maintain the storylines, characters, and the irreverence and sharp-edged spirit of the original text.”

Puffin didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74. His books, which have sold more than 300 million copies, have been translated into 68 languages and continue to be read by children around the world.

But he is also a controversial figure because of antisemitic comments made throughout his life.

The Dahl family apologized in 2020, saying it recognized the “lasting and understandable hurt caused by Roald Dahl’s antisemitic statements.”

Regardless of his personal failings, fans of Dahl’s books celebrate his use of sometimes dark language that taps into the fears of children, as well as their sense of fun.

PEN America, a community of some 7,500 writers that advocates for freedom of expression, said it was “alarmed” by reports of the changes to Dahl’s books.

“If we start down the path of trying to correct for perceived slights instead of allowing readers to receive and react to books as written, we risk distorting the work of great authors and clouding the essential lens that literature offers on society,” tweeted Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America.

Laura Hackett, a childhood Dahl fan who is now deputy literary editor of London’s Sunday Times newspaper, had a more personal reaction to the news.

“The editors at Puffin should be ashamed of the botched surgery they’ve carried out on some of the finest children’s literature in Britain,” she wrote. “As for me, I’ll be carefully stowing away my old, original copies of Dahl’s stories, so that one day my children can enjoy them in their full, nasty, colourful glory.”

Now I grew up reading Dahl – he was one of my favourite authors as a kid – along with Tolkein and others. My friend's children (who are 20 & 21 respectively) have grown up reading his books and are perfectly happy adults.  

One is an apprentice at JLR and the other is a second year student at the University of Birmingham. 

The trouble is, if we pander to these precious few who seem to think that children can’t cope with reading such things, we are going to raise a generation of little princes and princesses who cannot cope with the real world.  

Salman Rushdie, summed up this feeling rather well…

Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read.

If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people.

I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it.

To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended.”

So, in summary - I have this final thought...

LEAVE OUR BOOKS ALONE!!!

Back when I calm down - after I've read something that will give the woke brigade a touch of the vapours - Diddly Squat: 'Till the cows come home.

Karen

Keep your night light burning
I'll come through the wind and rain
Keep your night light burning
I'll be with you once again