SEASON'S MEMORIES

I'm not like those Curmudgeons in CURMUDGEONS INC.ⓒ who don't like Christmas.

It's true that I don't follow religion and all that nonsense but Christmas for me brings back happy family memories.

This is the music my parents listened to which I too like now:

BERLIN CABARET

DECK THE HALLS WITH ....

...... no, that was a different time and place. In New Zealand Christmas time is in mid Summer.

No snow covered pine trees, blazing fires and holly. It's more like beach trips, swimming, outdoor BBQs and getting drunk in the sun.

I'm going to catch up with some old friends and go for a frolic.

"I'm sure that I could pull these birds if I tried"

I could ask one of my neighbours to join me to make it a double date but I'm worried that as he's gotten older he's also gotten stranger. Maybe it's the medication interfering with the chardonnay.

I've noticed that my friends are getting stranger as they age. I cannot see a difference in my own behaviour as I feel that I'm still thinking as ,and doing the things the same as, when I was twenty. I guess it's just them and inferior genetics.

After some beach frolics and, with luck some hanky-panky I think that I'll climb a few of the mountains around where I live. When I say mountains they're not like the ones I remember as a boy with edelweiss growing at the top. No, they are called mountains just like the Welsh call their hills mountains. At the top of these it's usually manuka, and punga growing with, if you're lucky (and quick) some electric puha. This can really get the Christmas spirit going (not that silly old Holy Ghost thing).




Since Benny died I haven't had anyone to correspond to who has the same religious, political and national  socialist outlook. The new guy is OK, more on the socialist leaning side. I like him because he stirs things up a bit. I wish he'd really have a go at all of those mealy-mouthed christians catholics who follow him but I guess that he has to toe the line a ..... hold on.... he doesn't have to toe the line. They can't impeach a pope -they can murder them as has happened over the ages and I think as recently as 1978 with John Paul I, but that's just a risk of the job, surely.

"What do you think Goddy?"

The new guy Francis wants to change The Lord's Prayer. That's good. Richard's goddy pal Angry Jesus has  had a half-arsed go at it see: HERE

But the silly old guy can't even get his pope's sorted out so I don't hold out much chance of his new prayer being accepted.

Anyway, Francis maintains that the current wording that says "lead us not into temptation" is not a good translation because God does not lead humans to sin. His suggestion is to use "do not let us fall into temptation" instead.

Personally I think that this is just being a bit pedantic. Catholics and other christians are not exactly known for their attention to detail and understanding of facts and reality so as they've gone on for ages parroting this prayer, why change it?

Oops! I think I've wandered off my Christmas them there. Sorry about that and Fröhliche Weihnachten.

PUNISHMENT

Mein Gott!
This is the sort of thing that went on in my homeland years ago. Thugs in the night intimidating innocent and not so innocent citizens.

This Baxter and Angry Jesus need to be given a lesson.

I'll volunteer to dish it out.

PHOENIX

TROY - SINEAD O'CONNOR

She was so beautiful - and that voice!

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"You will rise,You'll return,The phoenix from the flame,You will learn,You will rise,You'll return,Being what you are,There is no other Troy, For you to burn"

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 I feel as if I've risen from the flames like that Phoenix. I've kept low for the last three years just getting on with my business but have been stirred.

Yes, I know what you're thinking - you think that the new Labour government has been the 'alarm clock' but you're wrong - not entirely though. It's very exciting for sure and I'm hoping that things will go very well Trevor Mallard fiasco or no Trevor Mallard fiasco. At least we don't have a ponytail-pulling pervert at the helm.

I'm a realist, an opportunist and a chameleon so adding phoenix to my attributes is easy. I've seen many changes in social order, political affiliations and socio-economic situations and have been able to adapt myself to suit. Recently the rise of corporatisation is having widespread effect on everyones lives so will have to be considered.  Our lives are now being more led by commercial companies than by religions or governments. Many of the biggest corporates hide themselves behind a facade of 'social usefulness' so aren't recognised, particularly by the younger generations as being the avaricious capitalists they really are.

Modern social media, computer and global retail companies - you know the ones are getting away with things that used to be frowned upon and even illegal - like tax evasion, tax avoidance, anti-competitive practices, transfer pricing - all sorts of things that the capitalist railway barons, mill owners, shipping owners and oil companies of yesteryear used to do.

Anyway. I've risen and come to the realisation that sometimes, if you can't beat them it's better to join them. A social media friend - Good Kiwi Bloke alerted me to the fact that THE CURMUDGEON has reinvented itself and created a phenomenally successful enterprise named CURMUDGEONS INC. which is a tight association of leading edge blogs. The core of these are wholly owned subsidiaries of
CURMUDGEONS INC. but there is the opportunity to be financially linked which GKB and me will explore.

Annexation incorporation is the new religion so we'd all better get praying.

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

I've been living quietly for some time in my chosen country, keeping a low profile (well I am quite short) and enjoying the relatively non-political climate that exists here.
Day to day life is not political. I can shop, play, work and perve on observe my neighbours without peril.

All has been good.

In the past it hasn't really mattered which ruling party has gotten into power as basically they've had the interests of the country at heart.

 Sure, in the past National stood for the landed aristocracy and well heeled professional classes

and Labour for the working man.

This changed in the 1980's, interestingly under two Labour governments who blurred the distinctions between 'the working man' and the new entrepreneurs who mostly turned out to be absolute dishonest asset stripping bastards. Even the so called good guys like Graeme Hart have made far too much money that has to have come from the pockets of deserving millions of Kiwis (note how the bloody media this week fawned all over this bum because he's bought a 75 million dollar bloody boat - and didn't even spend that in NZ).

Now, in 2014 the field has changed and definitely not for the better.

True Blue National with the vested interests of landed aristocracy, new plutocrats and still the well heeled business classes have had their ranks swelled by the traditional Labour voter who has become wealthy through an overheated property market.


Unfortunately the Labour ranks have been diminished through defection and the vote split by the advancement of a whole lot of whining and scrapping minority parties who simply would not have existed prior to the introduction of the ridiculous MMP.

Basically the country is on the brink of disaster.

I've seen it before in a previous lifetime.

Overriding of the people's will because 'the people' have split themselves.
Look at National's record recently. A couple of examples are total disregard of the majority's opinion on asset sales and alcohol regulation reform.



Result. Fascism.

TRAMPING

I found my old campaign boots today and decided to try them out.
I don't go out much nowadays so I'll be wearing them around the apartment tramping from one room to the next.
'Tramping' is I think a peculiar New Zealand word meaning to hike. Why 'tramp' I wonder?
Tramps were men of the road - either out of work or not interested in working who made their way from town to town to town living on hand-outs. The modern day equivalents are the down and outers you see cluttering up doorways in the main cities.

Richard of RBB's brother has just written and produced an album  on the life of one famous old New Zealand tramp. His name was Shiner (not Richard's brother, his name is Chris).

See the link here:

THE SHINER

American's use the word 'bum' instead of tramp when referring to vagrants and travellers. 'Tramp' to them is a woman of dubious morals. It's an example of the differences in language that can lead to misinterpretation. An American in New Zealand saying "I picked up a bum on the road the other day" would undoubtedly draw strange looks. Similarly a New Zealander in the USA saying "I think I'll go tramping today" might be misinterpreted.

Anyway, off I go to the kitchen and I might scale the wardrobe later.

RAINING TODAY

I don't mind the rain. It gives me a chance to indulge in my drawing.