Festive Poetry where Harry Potter meets the Night before Christmas. . .

Yes its time for an old favourite from the Past

I know its another repeat But I like it. .. but then I would I guess.

Was the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Santa for Wizards would turn up there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of muggles danced in their heads.

And Hermione waving her wand, an eye in her lap,

Had just settled her brain for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

Ron sprang from his chair to see what was the matter.

Away to the window Ron flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to Ron’s wondering eyes should appear,

But a Drunk Harry Potter, with eight tins of strong beer.

With a little can opener, so lively and quick,

Ron knew in a moment Harry must be feeling quite sick.

Then into the night a voice suddenly came,

And it whistled, and shouted, and called Ron by his name!

"You’re my best mate Ron you cute little Vixen!

I’ve had a great doner kebab at a party in Blitzen!

but I’ve been sick on the porch! and the top of the wall!

but must dash away! Dash away! because I might be sick in your hall”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So up on the house-top Ron he just knew,

With a sleigh full of Toys, was Hagrid drinking Homebrew.

And then, in a twinkling, Ron heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As Ron shook his head, and then turned around,

Down the chimney fell Hagrid with a terrible sound

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bottle of gin he had tied on his back,

And he looked like a madman, about to attack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how scary!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose rather hairy!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like Banshees in the heath.

He had a broad manic face, was incredibly smelly,

And he shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was grumpy and plump, spitting bits of food on a shelf,

And Ron cringed when he saw him, in spite of himself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave Ron to know he better watch what he said.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

Giving a nod, out the window he then chose!

He sprang to his sleigh, and to Harry Potter gave a whistle,

And away they both flew like the down of a thistle.

But Ron heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Here Harry I know of this bar that is open all night!"

The British vote to Bomb Syria. . . . . A viewpoint

Yesterday the British Government voted to join the massed forces of the Good the Bad and the Ugly in the Bombing the Islamic terrorist group known as IS, ISIS ISIL (or now something else) in Syria. There have been heated arguments on both sides as to what is the correct thing to do.  Well that is strangely a rather easy question to answer although I am not aware that a single politician actually said it yesterday. You see the fact is there is no right thing to do and no one can truly predict what the outcome would be from either option.

The terrorist group formally known as IS, ISIS,ISIL are a truly bad bunch of people with distorted views and delusions of their own future and afterlife. Bombing them can keep them suppressed but it will not actually destroy the ideology or even totally destroy the group. But not bombing them, folk argue allows them to grow in strength so it is something we have to do.

Now I have been a little annoyed by David Cameron and his less than truthful assessment of what will happen in the long term.  Up till now Britain has been restricted to bombing Iraq, but a key point in that is, the present Iraq government had asked for this assistance. They are not an ideal government but the west smiles and grit’s its teeth and does its bit to help. Britain has now joined a large group bombing Syria against the will of its government, a government supported by President Putin who is also bombing various anti-government forces in Syria including the ones us lot say are the goodies. Most of these other groups have their own agendas and don’t like each other.  So Britain in its own small way (we have not sent a large number of fighters) has joined the continued destruction of an entire country with no long term plan.

   

You see this is where David Cameron has annoyed me, he says that once IS, ISIS, ISIL have been destroyed as a force, something that will involve proper ground troops (not a ramshackle mix of folk who are against the present Syrian government). Then President Assad will quietly go and a new democratic government will run Syria and all will be well. . . . Now I am just a chap out in the hills but even I can see this is not what will happen, President Assad of Syria is not going to quietly walk away while he has the protection of Russia. President Putin of Russia is hardly going to let the West get its way in any negotiations.  There are no Credible Ground forces in Syria except the Pro-Assad Army and even if they were able to take control some of these groups are almost as bad as ISIS. It is very likely that in three of four years time we will still be bombing Syria and looking for a way out or the conflict could escalate into other counties in the Middle East leading to a bigger and more dangerous war.

Plainly doing nothing is not a solution either, but I really think the implication by the British government  that it will all be OK after a couple of years of coalition bombing is misleading the British Public.  Our track record in the Middle East is not good I do not see any countries where we have left them as a happy stable democracy.    

I Spy With my Little Eye something beginning with C . . . Yes Christmas is not far away

Now one of the things I did today was go out and do a small bit of Christmas shopping, partly because we have an advent calendar with little boxes and they need some small and hopefully practical or jolly things in each one. This means I do not have long as it is my job to fill all the odd numbers, and the 1^st December is not far away. However I am bitter and twisted and a very grumpy chap and on top of that it was wet windy cold and dark today so as I wandered round a large complex of a store a few miles away I was not doing well.  One of the problems I had was finding small interesting or jolly things that were small enough to go into our advent calendar. Each year I think to myself I must make more stuff for Christmas, but then the great holder of the hands of time suddenly spins them round and I don’t have time to do it. I am sure he does this on purpose and is secretly laughing at me.

Anyway I got a couple of things and still have many things I wish to make and do, so I may be away for a couple of days. . . . . or at least not posting stuff that is of the moment, interesting and makes any sense. . . . . . . . . . We will see. 

I have noticed through the strange medium of social media that some folk have put up and decorated Christmas trees . . . . . . WHAT it is not December yet. Don’t folk remember what Christmas is all about, it is the old pagan midwinter festival where for a couple of days we all have a good time . . . . . . OK some might be celebrating the Baby Jesus, but he was born in October; but which ever you celebrate the one common point is, it does not last for several weeks it is a few days.  It all went wrong when the multinational companies decided we all needed to spend loads of money on stuff rather than actually all just smiling at each other and making sure the little old lady next door is warm and has something to eat.  I know I am no different to everyone else I buy stuff and play the game and watch The Great Escape on TV like all the other folk do. . . . But I have sneakily made a few rather posh looking paper chains with plans for some other bits also.

So just to warn you all my posts may reduce for a few days or so while I plan my plans to get stuff done. Ho Ho Ho . . . . Phew.      

Global Warming, Chaos theory and the Mask from Spectre

The World is a strange and complex place as we all know with its many conflicts that lead to fighting wars and death. And every now and again I will stick my pointy stick into the debate and make a few comments. Of course these comments do not make a difference, well none that are perceivably visible to the masses. Although as I have said many times one of the more interesting aspects of Chaos theory, (which as we all know is the butterfly in the Welsh valleys that flaps its wings, which in turn leads to a terrible storm in Antarctica.) is that my small blog might just lead to world peace. . . . . . Yes OK that is mad but the point is everything is interlinked in such a way that I could say that it is just possible that my actions could in the end effect your actions.  

The reason I mention this tonight is because I was a little amused to read that the vast majority of people today are less worried by climate change than they were in 2009. OK that sort of thing happens but apparently one of the reasons is to do with the world economics. It appears that folk are concerned that spending huge sums of money on reducing green house gasses could make the world economy even slower and we will all be worse off.

Well this might be true, but it is also true that at some point global warming regardless of the cause will make the planet more and more difficult to live as we do. It seems that most folk would rather have a good time now and not worry too much about the long term future. It is not a surprise as it is this logic that make folk take out huge loans with terrible interest rates in order to have the good times now. And its not just individuals entire countries will overspend in order to maintain a lifestyle we all think we deserve.  And despite Mr Osborne our Chancellor of the Exchequer saying he is trying to balance the books, it was his lot that messed things up in the eighties and set the present mindset in the minds of the masses.  

So you see what the future holds according to Science is extremes of weather, which here in the UK will mean droughts followed by flooding and terrible storms and no one will have and money just a posh phone and a big television.  But it will mean they will be able to watch the extreme weather on their TV and then tweet about it.

I’m sure I had something important to mention but I can’t remember what it was now DAMN. I really need a new brain.

OOOOoooo I started working on that mask I said I would make. It is apparently the skull mask from that spectre film with James Bond . . . It is a bit trickier than it appears to be. Well it is when you have a budget of 53p to make it; I suspect the budget for the original one was rather more. . . .But I like a bit of a challenge. It is a cunning design to get right but I have it sussed now

I must do a bit of Christmas shopping too as well as make a few Christmas things. . . Busy busy busy.