Reigns Eternal

Friday 28th of February 2025 saw a showdown in the White House in Washington DC. President Zelensky wasb treated like a naughty child by Trump and his bully boy J D Vance.

This showdown leaves no doubt that Trump is a traitor to the western world by cosying up to Putin. There was no need for the fiasco that happened and it started three or four days before when Trump called President Zelensky a dictator and acused him of starting the war with Russia. It is clear that this is not the case because Russia invaded Ukraine. It did not go all Putin’s way though, Putin thought Ukraine would colapse in three days. It is now three years later and Ukraine is stiil defending itself and has even taken part of the Kursk region of Russia.

It is clear that Europe is on its own now as we cannot trust America to help bring peace and NATO cannot trust America either. The vote at the UN saw that when America sided with Russia, China and North Korea. We need to look to ourselves and Europe to defend Europe, which will meen spending greater sums of money on defence and we need to build our own planes and weapons and shun the equipment being imported from America. Europe and the Commonwealth need to stick together and sideline America altogether.

There is an old saying be careful who’s hands you tread on when you climb the ladder because you will meet them on the way down. Trump treading on President Zelensky as he did needs to be careful, because when Putin brings him down which he will do President Zelensky will be standing tall.

Today was the Chesterfield May day Parade, The march is held this year on the 40th anniversary of the Miners Strike of 1984/85. This was a devisive strike which saw a goverment hell bent on destoying the mining industry and the associated communities. It was the same government that saw the destuction of many heavy industries and the privatisation of many of our public services. None of the services privatised are now ownd by British companies. Even our railways are opperated by the French, Dutch, German and Italian Ralways.

It was a great march starting at Chesterfield Town Hall on Rose Hill and finishing in a Rally at New Square Market. There were four great speakers from the NUM National Union of Mineworkers, Unison, the PCS union and a speaker on the War In Palastine. One thing is for certain that the present day government is making the same mistakes as the Thatcher government of 1985 and is running this country into the ground. The speakers from the unions were speaking of their fight to save public services such as the NHS, Education and Social Care from destrution. It was a sunny day and the rain held off for us. looking forward to next years march and rally, and hopefully under a new and more respectful government.

Royal Mail Fleet Proposed Pay Rise

Robert Fowler said that the pay rise is worth 13.1% over two years, this is a lie he is not taking in to account you will be working more hours and you will lose on overtime multipliers.

The truth is the pay rise is worth 5.2% over two years £35994.92 for 34.5 hours + 5hours overtime/37978.46 for 39.5 hours*100 = 94.8% which leaves a difference of 5.2%

for weekday and a Saturday it is worth a 8.2% over two years £40408.32 for 34.5 hours + 8 hours on a/ £44040.10 for 39.5 plus an 8 hour Saturday and £50.00 Saturday premium *100 = 91.8% a rise of 8.2%.

For weekday and 8 hours on Sunday it is worth 6.1 % 43801.68 for 34.5 hours and 8 Hours on a Sunday /46.640.10 for 39.5 hours +8hours + £100 Sunday Premium *100 = 93.9% a rise of 6.1%

You also lose on the overtime multipliers for weekday is a loss of 5.1% Saturday is a loss 11% and Sunday is a loss of 33.5% the gain of £50.00 Saturday Premium and £100 Sunday Premium dose not cover the loss.

All the available evidence sugests that working less hours makes people more productive. We were half way through a four year deal to cut hours, which was giving employees more time with the family. Royal Mail have renaged on that aggrement an want to increase the hours of work and reduce the hours employees spend with their families and going against predicted fact. Add to that there will be an exodus of new staff from the Royal Mail Garage network when we are finding it hard to recruit. Even some of the managers would be better off working on the floor. Royal Mail are shooting themselves in the foot by alianating their staff. In some respects I am glad I am near the end of my working life, This 378 year old institution has been good to me over the last 38 years and I am sad to see it being destroyed by a senior management that care more for their pockets that the staff and the British Public.

Taken at Hastings with a 100 to 400mm lens, This juvenile Herrin Gull standing on the beach.

Munching The Grass

Taken with a 12 to 100mm lens from a moving train. Thes group of dear were standing and grazing for around three hours while we went from East Grinsted to Sheffield Park changed Trains to the Golden Arrow Pullman Dining Train then went return to East Grinsted and return to Horsted Keynes before changing trains and returning to East Grinsted.

Castle Hill

This was taken with a 100 to 400mm lens with a 2x tele converter giving a focal length of 200 to 800mm taken from the peir at Hastings looking up at the castle on West Hill.

Looking at the Covid death toll today made me think how lucky we are to a marvelous institution as the National Health Service.
The last time we had a worldwide pandemic was in 1918 with Spanish Flu. The death toll in Great Britain was 228000 against a population of 34000000. It was 0.671% of the population.
Today the death toll is 105571 against a population of 66790800 and is 0.158% of the population. Even if the final death toll is 250000 it will still be 0.374% of the population.
To reach 0.671%of the population the death toll will be 448166 deaths.
It is testament to the NHS that our death toll is relatively low. This does not remove us from doing our part in keeping the death toll low. We still need to social distance, were our masks when in shops and shopping centres or when social distancing is difficult.
Keep Following The Rules even if those in power do not.

The last year has been difficult for all of us because we can not gather together with friends and family out side of the nuclear family unit. But some people live alone and do not even have that interaction. Those of us that have computers we can use Facetime, Zoom, Skype Whats App and Teams, through which we can see our friends and family.

It is not only adults who suffer with lonelyness, Our children are also suffering with not going to school with their friends and having to be schooled at home. There is anecdotale evidence that children born in the last year are not progressing as they should because of the lack of social interaction. Like all of the great apes we are social animals and we need the the interaction with others for our sanity, to grow and to find our place in the world.

We will get through this pandemic and our bodies will learn to deal with this corona virus and we will get back to normal. Incumbent upon us all is to respect nature and stop taking space from the wild animals. It is posible that this virus came from a pangolin that was taken from its native Africa to China where the virus jumped to a bat and then to humans. The Pangolins have had this corona virus since the begining of time and it is just like an ordinary cold to them.

The common cold is a corona virus and it is a killer to people who have never been subjected to it. History does show us if we only look, when Spain, Portugal, France and Great Britain were building their empires we went all over the world taking whatever country we liked and we unwitingly spread the common cold to counties that had never had or even heard of the common cold. The cold spread like wild fire among the the native peoples and killed of many of them. But the native people got used to the cold and brush it off as much as we brush off a cold. Just as the native peoples got used to the cold we will all get used to Covid 19, and by the grace of God the vaccines will work on all the mutations of Covid and its spread will slowed.

Untill the spread can be slowed keep to government advice and stay at home if you can wear a mask when you are with people inside buildings and as much as humanly possible keep 2 meters apart and help yourselves and others stay free of covid.