The business of Britain leaving the European Union is a fiasco and I never thought it would be anything but. Nobody seems to have a clear agenda or even an understanding of how to move forward. The only solid fact is that it is costing us as a nation both financially and reputationally.

I really do think that if we were given the facts and figures in the first instance then there may have been a much different outcome for the Vote.

When our politicians signed up to join the Common Market it appeared a sound proposal but like today we were kept in the dark about the hidden agenda and made the wrong choice. I am all for free trade and communication with Europe but do we have to bow down to all the nonsensical agreements that spew out of Brussels? All Nations have their own particular cultures and customs and not every law or agenda will fit.

We should be in a position to write down what we want and how we deem fit to proceed and if the the Brussel Bullies don’t like it then we should just walk away completely. When their goods and services are put out in the cold they will soon come begging to sit round the bargaining table. Just look around and see how many cars we import from the Continent. Take a peak at labels on clothing and food and see how much is bought in from Europe. Many positions of work are filled by overseas people and there is a genuine need. However, none of this would change as it would cripple the European economies and the World Powers would not allow this as it would affect their ill-gotton Gains. We may even become a tax haven for their likes.

As we will never been told the honest facts about Political agendas then there is little point in trying to make an honest choice when voting. Take a pin and where it falls make your mark.

Whatever the World Leaders do you can bet your bottom dollar that they have no interest or investment in the needs or wants of the people. Their only  aim is to garner power, wealth and fame to feather the indulgent nests they call home.

I just cannot see this “Brexit” move ever being solved within the foreseeable future and the costs to our Nation will just increase as a result.

In my mind there should never have been a vote to leave and those energies should have been used to broker better deals within the system that was already in place.

Leave or remain? I have no understanding of the benefits for either as there is no understanding of the leaders debating the arguments.

For the  most part we were quite fortunate with the weather last week and this week we could have been in a new season or different country but this didn’t stop some major disasters occuring which have left many in despair and others hopeless to remedy.

I know we can’t all be everywhere all the time and to answer all the what ifs and if onlys would be futile and impossible, so maybe fate plays a part here or it is just what it is. I don’t know but one thing I do know is it is very saddening and heartbreaking to have to stand by and not be able to help.

Words of encouragement and support and empathy seem so hollow and utterly empty to the point or worthlessness. Without a magic wand what else can be done?

Last week I received a call to check on a friend’s home. So off I went through the snow and wind to see what the problem was. My knowledge of plumbing and electrics is very limited so I stopped of at a mate’s house who kindly offered to help.

I opened the door and was confronted by a rainstorm inside. Water was streaming down the walls, pouring through light fittings and any joint or hole it could find. It was dark, cold and wet like a disaster area. Luckily we managed to stumble on the stop cock and turn the water off but the damage had been done and sadly there was little we could do but sweep the water into the wet room and down the drain. All because a pipe joint was badly sealed and failed in the loft of all places. There was a little silver lining. The bed and most of the clothing were in an area that was dry do we lifted as much as we could from the floor and onto the bed.

If I was heartbroken then how would the owner feel? If my thoughts were of total hopelessness then I cannot imagine what a crushing feeling my friend would experience. I do not have the emotions to understand how they must feel.

In the subsequent days I visited the home the problem was not quite as bad as it was on that dark, cold evening but it is still a mess.

I just hope that somewhere down the line everything sorts out for the best.

Now this is just one problem and for some it may seem quite minor as the water was clean and it was stopped before too much damage ensued and my friend has somewhere to live. Many others have experienced days of homelessness due to flooding, blown electrics, failing heating and collapsed roofs. Others have been snowed in and some of the very unlucky have lost loved ones and friends.

My thoughts go out to all of these people and I pray that there is some fortune and hope to come for them.

It puts my own problem of a blown electric socket, which caused my dishwasher and washing machine to fail and stop working, as trivial at best. A quick trip to the local hardware store fixed this and all was well an hour later.

Please, please, please keep an eye on loved ones and property at this time of the year and act as quick as you can if you notice a problem. This is all I can offer as way of support but if we all work together then it can be a major defence.

Moving house is a stress. Starting a new job is often tough. Going to a foreign destination can be fraught with language difficulties and strange customs. Meeting someone new can be frightening.

Imagine being faced with all of this at once and more. Take time to think what it would be like to be faced with the enormous emotions and frustrations that would be placed in front of you every minute of every day.

Leaving loved ones and friends is a massive upheaval but add that to forgoing a job, financial security and everyday customs then the  picture evolves into one of immense confusion and heartache.

It is okay to travel on holiday either alone or with friends as most have the comfort of knowing that it is only a temporary state and, lets face it, it is fun to experience different things for a short period of time.

Moving to a country where one has little command of the language, customs, food and laws it is tough. Finding work is easy if one likes to be humiliated, used, worked like a machine and rewarded poorly. Favourite drinks, food and toiletries can elude one and the feeling of isolation can be crushing as communication is all but impossible for the complex social interaction us humans crave.

I, for one, cannot imagine how hard this is and why one would commit to such impossible terms but many do for numerous reasons.

I  guess that is why groups and small communities within established societies grow. Here one can meet like minded and culturally understanding patriots and the sense of belonging is shared.

Its not until one experiences circumstances and situations that views from the other side of the table can be seen and felt. It is all too easy to push away what we cannot easily get to grip with and beliguer their ignorance but life would be so much better if we all helped each other and were less self absorbed.

I am not a father. Phew! I hear the masses cry. One Lord John is quite enough for the world and the world is not big enough for another generation of this kind. But father I am  not and it is very hard to empathise with those who do have children. I struggle to comprehend what it is like to live separately from their children in nearby towns or streets so what it must be like to endure when those same idols are in a different Country is beyond me.

And all this is done so we can make new relations and lives together as couples?

It is ludicrous, harebrained, illogical and questionable but it goes on all the time in the hunt for happiness and companionship. Do I understand the reasoning behind this and why so many put up with such nonsense? No. All I do know is that we will experiment and see this trend repeating itself again and again, and again in the generations and years to come.

So spare a thought for the genuine immigrants who want to make a life in different Countries and also remember that emmigrants  are only so when they are leaving their own Country.

I am all for doing work and when called for doing hard work and going that extra mile to deliver a gold star service. I despise those who sponge off the state and have a better standard of living just because they are work-shy and lazy. Who is to blame? The State for giving such outlandish handouts or the people who adjust their lifestyles to suit the System? Both probably. Its sucks the majority of our taxes to pay for it.

But are they so stupid? Lets face it, they are given a house, free this-that-and-the-other, money for food and and living expenses and who knows what else.

In some respects the hard working people are the stupid as we are treated like modern day slaves, paid insulting amounts, have to fund our own accommodation and living expenses and contribute to the rising Tax Bill.

The greed of the senior management and business owners shows no bounds and it has become normal in today’s society to cream off huge salaries and bonuses to create this top heavy style of living.

Its seems fine to cram eight hours work into a six hour working day but charge ten hours to the customer and this is achieved by bullying, harassment, cut-backs and immorality. Is it really justified to pay an employee twenty thousand a year but reward the boss two million? That equates to two employees working a lifetime for one years pay and this seems fair and just.

Are we only good for one thing, to line the pockets of the already wealthy class with no regard for health, lifestyle, living standards and morality? Are we just things to wear out and throw away when broken like an old machine or tool? Our Victorian forebears fought long and hard to narrow the divide between the boss and worker and this has now all been washed away and ignored. I am convinced the only reason the work-house is not re-introduced is because there is no space left to build them.

Work the middle classes, tax them in every way possible, leave no room for aspiration and herd them like sheep to a taxed grave. Ha Ha Ha….we have you and own you.

The two extremes of our community are not that far apart. On the one hand there are the ones that are happy to take the ballooning Welfare Payments so they can remain at home and come and go as they please and on the other we see the “rich” pleased to use the skills of the employee to line their pockets so they can enjoy the lavish playgrounds beyond the normal dream. The only difference between the two ends of society are the venues and vistas.

Unfortunately most of us have to wallow in the middle of the quagmire which becomes increasingly difficult to sustain a normal existence.

So either grow thick skin, lie, cheat, bugger, be corrupt and corruptible or take the moral road to justification and sleep easy.

The only other option is to become a dog or cat or not think about it.

I quite like browsing online and reading reviews about products and goodies and buying online can be relaxing and, if ordering clothes, one can try on in the comfort of the home without pushy sales people ooing and arring over how good each item looks.

I thought a trip to Oxford would be fine. Primark was the store to visit so it would be quick and easy. Jump in the car, drop it off at the Park and Ride, catch the bus and then walk to Primark. Then its just a matter of choosing a couple of items and then repeating the process in reverse. Leave at eleven and be home by one thirty.

Yeah right!! How wrong can a man be?

Leave at eleven and get home at four thirty. It was okay though but it was so tiring. Five and a half hours, four of which were being steered about shops was exhausting. A full-on day at work was less demanding. I have no idea where folk get the energy or enthusiasm to shop regularly and that is before the bills arrive at the tills. And this was a short trip with only a few stores visited, most of which was overpriced tat. I guess I am not fashionable.

However, I was a good chap. I didn’t moan or make any obvious signs or shows of boredom and carried the bags and baskets and gave my opinion when asked.

Actually it was not that bad for an occasional thing to do on a Sunday and it was far better than sitting on the sofa, eating crap and watching television.

The oner very sad sight was the amount of homeless people I saw sitting in doorways and wrapped in blankets. I appreciate some are professional beggars but I bet many are genuine cases of hardship. Freezing cold weather and utterly miserable. It does make one stop and think how lucky we are to have somewhere warm and comfortable to call home rather than a windswept doorway or hard street bench.

Shopping then. A leisure activity I will leave to those who enjoy it and have reason to tackle the high streets. For me online or no shopping is the way I shall continue my habit.

We all need a car, right? We all know how many vehicles we own or need when we move into a new property? We are told what is acceptable and is not. So why are our streets so full of inconsiderate parking?

Add this to an increase in population and a decline in public transport and increase in train travel and the problem is overwhelming.

When one visits or looks at parking in, say, Europe we find very few cars out on the streets. They are either in the garages or on a driveway. The streets are therefor used for what they are intended (to drive on) and traffic flows smoothly and efficiently.

It was revealed to me recently why this could have been caused in part. After the World War Two conflict America gave huge loans to Europe, including The UK, to help rebuild and restructure the damage caused by years of destruction.

Most countries used this aid to good use but what did we do here in the UK, we spent it on our National Health Service set up and Benefit System. Very little was done to improve our infrastructure and we just patched up the mess as cheaply as possible, a sticking plaster repair if you like. It is little wonder we have been left with outdated street plans, unmodernised roads and poor quality town centres.

New homes are built with communal parking, garages and some driveway space set aside for the car but often these homes are bought by people with more than the allotted cars for the space provided and have no intention of using the garage for it’s purpose of use.

There is a case for an excuse for garage builders of the past making the size unuseable for the modern car as the width and length of vehicles have increased over the decades but why build a brand new carport or garage which is not fit for purpose? So many are either turned into extra rooms or are used for anything but the car.

A friend of mine is horrified to see garages full of junk and rubbish yet their second most expensive possession (after the home) is left out on the street in all weathers and at risk of being hit by other drivers or target of vandalism. But No One seems to care.

The flow of traffic is constantly being hindered by street-parked vehicles, the pavements are blocked and damaged by cars mounting the curbs to give a narrowest space for traffic to squeeze through and pedestrians can find it hard to be seen properly when needing to cross the roads.

As for the emergency services!! It must be a nightmare for them and I suspect many lives are lost or properties are needlessly ruined as a result of a lack of speedy access.

Why move into a property with five cars when there is only room for three off the street? These folk should be fined. Its a different matter if one has guests as there may be no alternative but this would be a temporary matter.

I appreciate our older terraced street layout has it’s limitations and street parking is unavoidable but quite often some of the busier ones are made one way to allow both sides to be designated to parking.

It won’t be long before our, once beautiful and envied, island become one huge car park and it will be easier to walk from car roof to car roof than is will to navigate our shrinking streets.

The only other option is to develop underground parking for all our homes or build our homes on stilts leaving space under the ground floor.

Most Home’s have a letterbox of some description and as a postie I have come across many different and unique designs. However, what makes some householders believe in not identifying their homes? Guessing a house number or name is wrong. Mail can go to the wrong customer, emergency services can waste valuable minutes trying to determine which Home or owner needs assistance, deliveries of any kind can be delayed or not delivered and visitors may wander around and thus miss the start of a party.

Placing a simple piece of paper in the window or on the door as a temporary fix whilst choosing a more pleasing design is fine. Think how annoying it would be if the Councils didn’t put up sign posts or street names and you had to guess. When you go shopping and there are no price labels on goods or aisles aren’t identified then see how many complain or have to ask. I guess it’s like the car drivers who use the roads with faulty indicators (😏😏) or who just can’t be arsed to use them to inform other road users but bleat when they are cut up or cause an accident when it was their own stupid actions that caused the incident in the first place. No thought for others.

Now as for letterboxes. On the whole most are quite acceptable but any postie will tell you that there are many that fall very short of this mark. Why place a box at the bottom of at door? Okay, there maybe a fancy window or such like thing preventing its placement in the middle like most normal designs but in these instances either have a wall box or a cut out in the brickwork. No one likes to bend down and struggle so why expect the delivery person. Then there are the vertical slots with the spring arms, fine when both hands are free but a nightmare when carrying a bundle. Then there are the tiny little cast iron boxes that one has to bend a postcard to get though it. Oh and the dog guards that hinder almost everything including the dog and householder.

More recently I have noticed modern house builders are using an almost impossible system on their “safe by design” houses. These new homes do not have a normal key hole lock on the inside of the door but instead employ a turn latch for quick exits in times of emergency. No real problem there until it comes to the prat who thought that they had to put a plate on the back of the letter box to stop one being able to get a hand through the narrow slot and thus turn the lock and gain entry. It results in nothing being able to be posted. Even without this guard in place, and for those with extremely flat hands and arms, it is impossible to reach this lock from the outside so why on earth anyone would deem it necessary to add it is beyond me. It’s like wearing two belts and braces to hold up trousers with an elasticated waistband with ties. Dumb health and safety at its very best with no regard for the delivery persons scraped knuckles and cut fingers and what little mail is delivered is crushed, creased and damaged.

I have come to the conclusion that no letterbox is actually tested by a postman (oh but it looks so good) and it must be so expensive for a house builder to place a number on the sold home that it prohibits them from adding one.

So the next time you come home to your comfy, clean and safe house take a minute to look at a few simple things. Firstly, is there a clear name or number displayed in an obvious place? Secondly, do I have a postbox and is it in a post-friendly position on the door? Finally, is the delivery point actually useable or does it just look good?

If the answer to any of the above is no then sort it out or suffer the consequences of delayed or non-delivered items, damaged deliveries and fatal accidents due to compromised emergency access.

Sometimes it is a really bad idea to be different.

I guess most of us take our senses for granted and why shouldn’t we? I mean they work most of the time and never ask for any reward or thanks but I do stop and think sometimes how lucky most of us are.

The other day someone told me that a relation had gone blind due to a suspected stroke. After eighty years of sight this must be frightening, strange and very upsetting and the emotional trauma must be huge. One minute everything is in focus and colour and the next blackness. How does one begin to cope and come to terms with that?

Loosing any one of the sensory gifts we have must be very difficult but I can’t imagine any worse than blindness.

Why is it then that some folk risk their fortune by not taking necessary precautions? I see people using grinders and disc cutters with no eye protection or ear defenders and it shocks me to see this. It only takes a small fragment to fly off and its game over. One may not notice the effects of noise when young but believe me it can sneak up on one in later life and can impair one’s quality of hearing sound.

I guess that’s the point. We take these things for granted until they are gone or damaged and so often it is too late then. There is little point saying if only or what if once there is a problem so is it so hard to take steps to prevent these causes?

I understand that the other senses will increase to try and compensate for the loss of another but they can never replace them. No matter how much support we can offer or alternative prosthesis that are available they can never match the loss.

Not being able to smell a tangy fart may seem great but being unable to enjoy the scent of a new born baby or a meadow of flowers is tragic. No taste!! Without smell taste is redundant. Foods become a bland mass of the same.

So bear a thought for our senses and they are the essence of life.

I don’t know enough facts about Global Warming or Climate Change but one thing I do know about is weather as it is a daily accompany to my work and life.

There is only one weather that aggles me and that is “Wind”. I hate it unless listening to it from the warmth and safety from bed. It is utterly beastly and just causes so much stress and anger that it really shouldn’t bother.

Okay, there are those perfect summer days of cloudless skies and warming rays fom the sun that make life outside a pleasure and need. Not too hot, comfortable in shorts and enough vitamin D to make the S.A.D. sufferers and happy as a happy thing on happy pills.

Rain has its justifications as our lives and plants rely on it. Just think how boring the “Seaside” would be without our oceans if there was no rain to feed them; “oh I’m off to the side for holiday”. Still one wouldn’t be attacked by sharks.

One thing I do know is that our weather is changing and the seasons are becoming a bit out of kilter. Where have all the bitterly cold winters gone and the gloriously never ending summers? Are we just seeing a pattern change or a world disaster?

I guess The U.K. has always been renowned for its unpredictable weather and thats is in part its beauty but it would be a far nicer place without high, blustery wind. Breezes are good, gentle blows are fine but raucus, unruly and badly behaved wind it rubbish and I hate it.

In our modern times it still amazes me that one can drop a packet off at a post office or put a letter in a post box and like magic it turns up at the intended destination. We take this service for granted and yet it still seems to work. Okay, there may be a few mishaps and at times things may go utterly wrong but when one takes into account the millions of items that are mailed every day then the percentages are very low. This isn’t an excuse but an inevitable truth. Every business has problems and bugbears and its something we have to live with or insure against.

The increase in online shopping has seen a massive shift in how the Mail Services around the world operate and packets are quickly replacing the decline in letters but how many of us spare a thought when clicking on the buy button on the website? How many recipients make provisions for their parcels  to be received without having the need for a notice to be left stating an attempt was made to deliver your goods but you were not at home?

The Mail Delivery Person is in a loose, loose, loose situation and is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If the customer is not at home then there is the dilemma of finding somewhere to leave the item, doorstep or take it back to the depot. Unless the goods are given directly to the customer then they could be stolen, damaged by the weather or left undetected and that just is no good for anyone. However, if the item is returned to the office then the householder has the hassle of trundling across town, asking for a redelivery or arranging for their goods to be returned to the sender. But what alternative can there be? Go to a shop, browse, choose what you want and carry it home? At least one is safe in the knowledge you will be at home to accept the delivery as it is you who is delivering.

The amount of times I hear people complain that they were in and a card was put through their letterbox and the delivery person didn’t ring the bell or knock. Its all very well being “at home” but when you hear a knock at the door then you have to open the door and acknowledge the presence of a delivery. Its not the fault of the delivery person or visitor if your doorbell doesn’t work or can’t be heard in some part of the house or garden. Maybe music was playing or one was taking a shower. There are any number of reasons but its definitely a two way street. Does anyone really think that these guys want to take back all of their delivery without attempting to give it to the awaiting customer?

As for dogs and pets. These on the whole are nice, friendly or restrained creatures owned by considerate and responsible people. There are some who this seems below them and it is, in their minds, acceptable for professionals to be attacked and injured in their line of duty. I can tell you this is not acceptable and it is not the animal’s fault but the ignorant human owners and they should receive much harsher punishments.

Throughout the year the mail continues to travel. Every delivery person has to endure all the season changes, weather and traffic chaos that is experienced every day and at times some things can get damaged as a result. It is a fact of life and there is little that can be done to prevent this.

Oh and now for a bit of a rant at the lack of common sense observed by some senders. Don’t expect a package wrapped in flimsy paper to get to its destination. Think about it. Address things properly and plan for the worse. You only have yourself to blame.

The next time you click online or open the door to a smiling delivery person spare a thought for what goes on behind the scenes to ensure everything goes to plan. It may appear to be magic but a lot of hard work and experienced planning goes on before the final reveal.