S-Westerly

Slavery has been pretty well endemic since human beings first started living as other than hunter gatherers. Moorish raiders regularly raided western Europe for slaves right up to the 16th century. The biggest money maker for the vikings was slavery. What made the African slave trade so vile was that it was the first and possibly only time that chattel slavery was based on race. Prior to that slavery was pretty much an equal opportunity horror. As long as you weren't too young or too old (in which case you were probably just killed) you'd meet a market demand somewhere. Still reckon China's track record is worse than ours. By ours I mean any European country with the possible exception of Belgium in what used to be the Congo.

I'm up for that! Even my wife calls me grumpy grampa.

Wait till she trips through the kitchen wearing a broad belt a strappy top and heels on her way out with friends. Gone through the door before you get a chance to start roaring.

True, we followed the Portuguese into the African slave trade several hundred years ago. We also ended it. As to the Chinese they made do with enslaving their own people, much as they still do today. Ask a Uighur or Tibetan.

To be fair the Singaporeans are largely ethnic Chinese and you should hear their opinion of PRC Chinese. Not good. That said some of the Chinese I've met have been the most racist and arrogant pricks you could ever hope to meet. Their economic colonialism of Africa would make the most imperial Victorian Brit weep with envy.

Yep, it rather pissed me off that I had to buy a centre stand as an extra.

Well I have to say my current dentist who I've had for about 12 years now is bloody excellent and damned near painless even when doing root canal stuff. NHS as well. Not surprising his practice has an enormous waiting list.

You want to try having toothache on a ship weeks from anywhere. Not recommended and highly unpleasant. Deepest sympathy though as it seems never-ending.

TOTY is stretching my tiny mind. I don't think you should be allowed to hold it for two years running. So my vote this year won't be for six. Probably looking at pole dancing Chinese bike riders although I may have got a bit confused there. Comes of being a gammon.

So you still sitting alongside in Belfast or gone someplace warmer?

I'm no fan of the EU but I think you're reaching a bit to blame them for the weather! Typical gammon.

Some real bast*rds out there. Deserve locking up without a key.

Oooooh. Someone's been sipping at the "let's troll sauce"!

When I was first at sea there were a lot of crusty old jolly jacks with tats that looked awful. A consequence of age and having them done in a back street tattooist in Singapore after a night on the lash. Fair put me off. Of course roughty toughty sailors are vanishing fast. I was cast into a slough of despond when I overheard my (male) second mate and an AB discussing the relative merits of various types of hairbands to wear under a safety helmet. What's even further psst a sell by date than gammon? Cos that's me.

In my working life I had one colleague called John Thomas from North Wales and another called Richard Head. The latter was aptly named as he really was one.

Why what'd he do? Myself I have an allergic reaction to spanners whereas my son in law would have them surgically attached to his hands if he could so once the bike gets its last warranty service next month he'll be doing basic stuff.

Nah its next week as I am sorta quarantined. According to HMG I'm exempt by virtue of occupation but given that to get home i have to pass through 2 of the world's major airports family pressure means I have to behave. Don't fancy sleeping on the sofa.

My mind is duly boggled.

Preferably not on some weird Chinese thing with more tassels than a pole dancer.

Yeah I'd forgotten that one.

Did you see the idiot who was saying we'd minimise the risk of infection if we opened all our windows? Sit down for dinner wearing all your outside gear. And what if its raining? Common sense has obviously flown south for the winter.

Tea in the morning?! Gaah retch, retch. Has to be black coffee and made by me as otherwise its dishwater. My parents had a Teasmaid thing once but my dad reckoned it were crap.

Well it actually is a good evening as I'm home. Now I just have to endure house arrest for a bit then can go and retrieve my bike from Barnard Castle. Don't have to quarantine due to my occupation. Typically weather here today has been decent next week will almost certainly be crap.

Actually my wife really likes pears and I don't mind them. Trick is trying to get them at their best. A day early and they're like wood but a day late and they're mush.

The government already does that. Hence the panic to find the £40 billion to replace fuel duty.