Kevin's Watch

To a certain extent yes, but (certainly in this country) the independent press is still serving a valuable function. It's largely them who exposes a great deal of the corruption etc. that goes on.

--A

A valuable function

Indeed.

--A

Totally agree - but one must never be blind to the hidden agendas behind the headlines. The media is a powerful tool for shaping the public perception/opinion/position ............ chiefly to chime with the position that best advances the interests of those setting the headlines.

Interesting that Nigel Farage should have made the suggestion that there should be a second referendum on Brexit having at last secured the successful result (for him at least) after years of tirelessly fighting for the first. Could it be that having been frozen out of the top tier of UK politics by an establishment that never had any place for him, win or loose, he is grabbing at his main (and only) chance at remaining in the limelight by suggesting what on paper looks like the craziest of kicking your own sandcastle down in the history of political activity. Perhaps it was always the 'being up there' that was the thing rather than the successful completion of the task?

Mmm.. interesting, yes maybe its his last ditch attempt at relevance..

Not a Farage groupy lol

Yes- Farage is up there with Boris and Donald as politicians who come across as funny, but who in reality there is nothing funny about at all.

Yesterday's The Sun outdid itself in it's front page headline with the following

Married MP Bone's Physiotherapist Lover

Under the headline MP Peter Bone was shown leaving a house with the woman 20 years his junior with whom it is aleged he is having an affair. As judicious use of an apostrophe as I have seen in many a year!

peter wrote:Yes- Farage is up there with Boris and Donald as politicians who come across as funny, but who in reality there is nothing funny about at all.

Yesterday's The Sun outdid itself in it's front page headline with the following

Married MP Bone's Physiotherapist Lover

Under the headline MP Peter Bone was shown leaving a house with the woman 20 years his junior with whom it is aleged he is having an affair. As judicious use of an apostrophe as I have seen in many a year!

I think that thinking is too much work...

--A

I particularly like the aspect of my job that it requires no thought of any kind from me in order to perform it. My having to think comes at a higher rate than these guys are willing to pay.

Whats your job Pete?

I'm a shop assistant in a seven eleven store in the south west of England Skyweir. I only do mornings now, but previously did the whole gamut. It was difficult, demoralising and occasionally downright dangerous; never was minimum wage so hard earned as by workers in the convenience store trade where you graft like your life depends upon it until you are ready to drop ........ and then you keep going and do it some more.

Sounds awful. Yeah convenience stores and gas stations up there for targetability

Sorry 2 parter ... lol

How did you get into the convenience store trade. Dont you also have an online business. That must be quite a juggling act.

I think...that Peter does not have an online business iirc.

--A

You are correct Av, I absolutely do not have an online business and I have no idea where the idea could have come from (other than one of the ambiguous and frequently misleading posts I am often guilty of!

As to how I became a retail assistant in a convenience store ........ shall we say a long and tortuous route of missed opportunities and bad decisions made over the course of a life lived to the full and at the extremes of what most people are fortunate enough to experience.

Mmmm......??? Yes - that just about covers it.

peter wrote:...over the course of a life lived to the full and at the extremes of what most people are fortunate enough to experience...

^And there's the important bit. ^

--A

Peter you obviously know this, so apologies in advance ... your utterly wasted in the convenience store trade youre intelligent, what about low management business.

Home delivery service of some kind. Service of some kind. You on Facebook .. even gourmet food baskets .. truffle spice mixes, select a few items you might make, work out how youd package them, costs involved.. you can get labels printed cheaply - design yourself..

All you need is a do it yourself Wix business website, an active Facebook page, Vistaprint business cards, car magnets, all can be produced cheaply.

Do what we do, Animal Minding. British people love their feathery fur babies.

Home handyman services ... mmm... anything but that.. If you were any teenager or individual sure great .. convenience store work might be convenient. But your not that guy

You flatter me Skyweir - alas I find a few short years from retirement I have not the energy to 'start again' with a new venture of the sort you describe (although a guy I know recently returned from Japan has an interesting idea involving cryptocurrency that might be worth a punt).

Oddly though, I find that even though my actual job requires no thinking, that frees me to perform a role that I would never have imagined existed (and I doubt anyone else ever has either). I have become a network hub; I know thousands of people, know what they do, want, feel and often what they need. I can offer encouragement when they are down, advice when they are confused and laugh with them at the vagaries of life as it unfolds. On no few occasions have I put people together to their mutual advantage and by drip feeding small observations over the days can introduce them to ideas that they would not normally consider. Now I have put the 'louster' years in the store behind me, I find I can live with my job ok (as long as I'm not messed with). I do no harm and I hope a little good. It's enough.

Well said.

--A

Amen brother .. very well said. And I get your status in life. I have to say I love retirement.. lol .. 56years and this is the best time of my life. We have super annuation but cant survive on that so we put together an Animal Minding business model and its low earning but great fun. Dont want to sugar coat it, its work, but enjoyable work. Even shovelling horse shit is ok.

Plus having come back to the Watch, ... its not that dissimilar to wading through some of the shit I read in the Tank lol yeah half joking hj

Nah but seriously it is the best time of our entire lives.

Yeah my younger years were great, windsurfing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing and abseiling .. they were great times and memories.

Having kiddlywinks, collecting kiddlywinks, were all part of those years. The Watch, my career, which is very, very different to where we are now.

But I wouldnt change a single thing .. with the sole exception of one thing .. but lets not dwell on regrets.

Not about flattering you Pete. Just surprised.. but its great youve crafted a way to lift others around you. It costs nothing to be a breath of fresh air, cheerful or kind. Your networking as you framed it, sounds great. So, so very nice there are people willing to do what youre still doing, in the world.

Smile and the world smiles with you .. or so the saying goes. Ive found it be true though. LOL