Saturday Stories

 

Saturday . . . the end of the week.   Most people's first of a two day off weekend. Time to relax and do not a lot if anything at all.   Time to have a bit of a lie in, extra kip, an indulgent breakfast, and to catch up on all of the news of the previous week.   This is my first in line of what I hope will be many . . . Saturday Stories.   The stories which have caught my eye and mind in the run up to today.

My Saturday Stories for this the first week of October 2013 . . .




The National Lottery here in the UK decided to double the price of their main Lotto game from £1 to £2, apparently the first hike in price since the lottery began in 1994. The rise, the first since the lottery started in 1994, is part of a package of changes including bigger prizes, says operator Camelot. Prizes for matching three numbers will rise from £10 to £25. Average jackpots are predicted to rise to around £5m on Saturdays and £2.5m on Wednesdays.  Camelot says this will mean more money for charities. It has raised £30bn for "good causes" since 1994.

Lots of people have said they will boycott the Lottery, instead buying tickets from the Health Lottery, which remain at £1.

What do I think?   Lots of hoo haw . . . but people who buy lottery tickets will still buy them irregardless of the price.   Lots of grumbling, but you have to be in it to win it, and regular players will still buy their tickets, just in case "their numbers" come up.  It would be a shame to have that happen and not have purchased your ticket.

The real winners here are the people who save their money each week and don't buy lottery tickets.  Although, admittedly,  I do feel very tempted to buy one when the jackpots get really high.   Who doesn't??




Branston Pickle is one of the most popular pickles in the UK.  A sweet and spicy pickle, composed of chunks of crisp vegetables (swede, carrots, onions, cauliflower and gherkin) in a tangy brown sauce, it is one of the major components of the Ploughman's Lunch and Cheese and Pickle Sandwiches.  I do admit to having somewhat of a fondness for it.  

 It was reported this week that a Branston pickle lorry was on its way to a Somerset farm, when it hit a low branch. The lorry shed part of its load in the road - just a few miles from . . . you got it . . . Cheddar!!

Talk about irony!

 

I can remember as a much younger woman, and harried mum, nicking a facecloth from a hotel room we had stayed in as we were travelling across Canada one time.  I had a sick child (someone was always ill when we were travelling) and had been using it to keep their fevered brow cooled down.  (Sounds good at any rate!)  I did feel very guilty about that, proof positive in being that all these years later I still remember it!

Well, there are always going to be people that go over the top.  This week a young couple, celebrating the husband's birthday at a hotel down in Swansea, made off with . . . the entire contents of their hotel room, including the pictures on the wall.  They had partied in the city all night and were caught by CCTV early in the morning when the wife was filmed  walking out with a rather large suitcase, containing dressing gowns, linen, the contents of the mini bar, and the pictures from the wall.  The husband was also seen to be passing the television out of the window to his wife.  They were caught when the husband dared to complain about his bill, saying that there had been no television in the room.

DUH!  And apparently this is not the first time it has happened.  Perhaps at that hotel, but by all accounts it is a common occurrence!

When I win the lottery, I'm going to replace that facecloth I took once upon a time.



One Direction have announced that they will be holding a mammoth seven hour live stream as part of 1D Day, which will take place on 23 November.  Be still my heart!  They claim to have found a unique way to give back to their many dedicated fans from around the world.  This will be a whole day dedicated to all things "One Direction."

I am old enough to remember Osmond and Beatle mania.  I hope the wee girlies enjoy their treat.



Seventy-eight-year-old Tona Herndon of Oklahoma was already vulnerable in every way when her purse was stolen while visiting her husband's newly dug grave. The thief's mugshot flashed across the TV screen after he was caught and 15-year-old Christian Lunsford recognised the culprit right away. The man was his wayward father, who had been in and out of prison for years since leaving two years after Christian was born. The 15-year-old then did something quite remarkable. He took the $250 which his father had given him for his high school band trip and gave it to the white-haired widow.

The story gets even better though because this generous woman then gave this money back to the lad, telling him that she wanted him to take his band trip.

 "You're not who your parents are. Even if they do raise you, you can become whatever you want to be." ~Christian Lunsford

I love a happy ending, don't you?

 

A former policeman who saw a man in a balaclava running down the street grabbed him and pinned him up against a wall . . . only to realise he had stumbled on a film shoot.    That would have been embarrassing I guess, but it's nice to know that there are still people out there who are not afraid to jump in and help when they see someone in distress.

 

 Early morning viewers around the UK were shocked earlier this week when they tuned into ITV's popular Lorraine show to see a topless woman on their telly screens.  Viewers took to Twitter to express their shock at being assaulted with nudity so early in the morning.  It was part of the television show's efforts to promote awareness of Breast Cancer and was a part of a demonstration in order to show women the proper way of self examination for breast abnormalities.  There was nothing sexual or titillating about it in the least.    I for one applaud their efforts to promote this type of thing.   Anything that helps to save lives in the face of this terrible disease is a plus in my books.

I took this photo of Mitzie yesterday afternoon.  I had baked a cake and was taking pictures of it on the table in front of the window, and I think she thought she could will some of it into her mouth if she stared at me long enough.  What usually happens when she wants something is she will stare at one of us until we figure out what it is she wants and give in . . . yesterday it didn't work.   Well, okay . . . it did a little.  I did give her a crumb.   Hmmm . . . can you imagine what it would be like if all we had to do is stare at something or someone until they gave in and we got what we wanted????

That's an interesting thought.  War would be a very different kettle of fish I think for starters . . .

She, however . . . is in the Dog House this morning, having left a mess on the kitchen floor to greet me when I got up this morning.   She is laying on the sofa looking very guilty at the moment.   I shall put her out of her misery soon.

A quote to carry through the day:

✫¸¸.·´¯`✫
Regardless of whatever you are going through,
have faith;
make hope your sanctuary.
Nothing will last forever and at the end,
whatever happens to us is nothing but small stuff.
What we are experiencing
is part of what we need to live in order to be greater.
There is no other way to grow or learn but by experiencing. Remember... ✫¸¸.·´¯`✫
"It's not what happens to you,
but how you react to it that matters."
~Epictetu

  

Baking in The English Kitchen today . . . Squidgy Lemon Cake.  Scrumdiddlyumptious!

Conference day today!  I can't wait to hear all the talks. 
Have a great Saturday!
Love and hugs!