Sanders of the Thames...

Scrobs Senior spent several years with The Royal Engineers in Nigeria after the war, presumably to create a place where they could build bridges, and get ready for independence.

Here's the old boy in his canoe, and the caption which goes with the second pic says 'CSM Nana Columbus, the best African I ever met'!

Just because I well remember him wanting to settle in front of the television to watch 'Sanders of the river', here is Paul Robeson singing the canoe song, which was apparently filmed at Shepperton, hence the lack of crocodiles and big snakes...

Canoe song.

More pics as requested by The Venerable Thud...

Chewings...

Scrobs has had a few problems eating of late, whereby swallowing was becoming a bit of a chore, and it was making both Mrs O'Blene, (and also Scrobs, who was trying to do the actual swallowing) somewhat upset and side-looking  at the consequences.

Scrobs' good business/friend chum, had also experienced these symptoms some time awhile back, and he'd had a rough time getting to grips with the reality that something wasn't quite right, and being the lovely bloke he is, he soldiered on.

While good chum was going through this turmoil, Scrobs found that he was getting the same symptoms, and yeah, it ain't pleasant...

Scrobs' chum was 'seen to' by a special surgeon and is - apparently (in his case, just bloody right), in fine fettle, as I hope to find when we order several glasses of vino in a few days time, and we'll compare notes!

Funny old thing, ain't it? You've got this far, (68) and have escaped the awful nasties so far, but then a silly old squeeze occurs somewhere down the gullet, and then you think, 'well, why the f*** did this happen now'!

Reevers (RVI) has posted that he's recently been through far, far worse, and I'm so relieved to hear that he's still OK, so there's a great result for everyone!

Hey-ho and off we go - it's all ok now, and the subject can just about rest...

The pic is a recent view of Scrobs interstices, and I hope will become a David Bailey icon - one day!

'Turrets' to Brussels - about three hours max...

I listened to the local Kent News this evening, to hear what the immigration people in Dover were doing to ensure that all my County's people were safe and not facing any threats, due to the proximity of the murders in Brussels. I expected to see the officers on duty in Dover, and other places like Ashford, The Channel Tunnel, Ebbsfleet and yup, even St Pancras.

Nope! The 'reporters' or their autocue zombies, just spouted out inane comments on animal welfare, and hospitals that don't come up to standard! Oh yes, and some poor sod in Biddenden was killed during a burglary, which isn't right of course, and I actually know where he lived, poor chap, There are still plenty of feral thieves in this neck of the woods

What a pathetic, ill-informed, local news service we have, here in Kent. They have the usual 'Darwin slot' when some fat useless idiot is denied treatment for an excessive obesity condition, and muggers in Folkestone aren't allowed to be foreign.

But, we have to pay for Operation Stack, when the Frogs deny access to Calais! Our roads are stuffed with trade-losing lorries, and we have to cough up for all this, as - wow , do you believe it -  there's no budget for a new place to chuck all those juggernauts into, while Europe festers in such disarray.

I can't wait to get out of the disgraceful blasted EU, which was foisted on us all by that bloody man Heath. We were all sold a pup, and now the consequences, for this Kent man, are - Piss off!

Addictive time-wasting...

Elder Daught told me about this, and as I did reasonably well on the standard 2048 app, I thought I'd have a go...

I warn you, it really does get to you!

Bookface yarn...

Presently, I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same Facebook principles. 

Therefore, every day I go out on the street and tell the passers-by what I have eaten, how I feel, what I have done the night before, and what I will do tomorrow. Then I give them pictures of my family, my dog, of me gardening and spending time cleaning my car. I also listen to their conversations and I tell them I love them. 

It works! I already have 3 persons following me: 2 police officers and a psychiatrist.

Off his trolley...

Silvio, an 80-year-old Italian goes to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor is amazed at what good shape the guy is in and asks, 'how do you stay in such great physical condition?'

I'm Italian and I am a golfer,' says Silvio, 'and that's why I'm in such good shape. I'm up well before daylight and out golfing up and down the fairways.
I have a glass of vino, and all is well.'

 


"'Well' says the doctor, 'I'm sure that helps, but there's got to be more to it. How old was your Father when he died?'

'Who said my Father's dead?'

The doctor is amazed. 'You mean you're 80 years old and your Father's still alive. How old is he?'

'He's 100 years old,' says Silvio. 'In fact he golfed with me this morning, and then we went to the topless beach for a walk and had a little vino and that's why he's still alive. He's Italian and he's a golfer, too.'

'Well,' the doctor says, 'that's great, but I'm sure there's more to it than that. How about your Father's Father? How old was he when he died?'

'Who said my Nonno's dead?'

Stunned, the doctor asks, 'you mean you're 80 years old and your grandfather's still living! Incredible, how old is he?'



'He's 118 years old,' says the Old Italian golfer.

The doctor is getting frustrated at this point,
'So, I guess he went golfing with you this morning too?'

'No, Nonno couldn't go this morning because he's getting married today.'

At this point the doctor is close to losing it. 'Getting married? Why would a 118 year- old guy want to get married?'

'Who said he wanted to get married?"

Toilet duck...

The first moments of watching Father Jack, were taken up with Father Ted berating him for partaking of the comestible, commonly called Toilet Duck!

From then on we were totally hooked on the humour, the fun, and the idiocy of the whole programme, which was originally meant to be serious, apparently!

Goodbye, Father Jack!

'Feck off', comes the standard response...