Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[MANTIS01]

I once saw a piglet try to squeeze it's fat little body through a gap between a corrugated tin sheet and a concrete floor. halfway through, he realised that he wasn't going to make it and decided to go back, that was when he realised he couldn't do that either. He contemplated this for a while, trying first to move forward, and then backward. When it dawned on him that he was stuck, he started to squeal.

That squeal was the most hair raising, teeth shattering, ear splitting noise I have ever heard, until I played The GUKPT at the Vic that is.

We had a woman on our table who's voice made the piglet's squeal pale into insignificance. It sounded like a thousand witches dragging their fingernails ac cross the devils backboard. She told us that she had won the pub quiz last night, then went home and won the $100 re-buy on Stars, and that she had won a satelite into today's event.

She just didn't shut up for a second. I am convinced that she has learned to breath in through some orifice other than those of her face.

The moment she started speaking, the guy to my left spilled his complimentary measure of house red, my little pot of milk went sour before I could tip it into my tea, and the glass in someones spectacles shattered. When I went outside during the break, traffic passing the Vic was pulling in to the kerb and waiting for the fire engine to pass....

She was a loud woman.

Stunningly funny and well-written. wp.

A thought concerning the negative association about thieves and Gypsies. From my perspective I think a difficult obstacle for Gypsies to overcome is the temporary nature of their community within the permanent local community. I mean, if there's a thief living in an area permanently the whole community is gonna want to wheedle that thief out. But if a group is set to move on your perspective could be that a larger % of that community is gonna be less inclined to bring that thief to justice vs the % in the permanent community. Now I don't know whether that's true or not, but it could be a perspective that contributes to negative associations about crime.

[RED-DOG]

A thought concerning the negative association about thieves and Gypsies. From my perspective I think a difficult obstacle for Gypsies to overcome is the temporary nature of their community within the permanent local community. I mean, if there's a thief living in an area permanently the whole community is gonna want to wheedle that thief out. But if a group is set to move on your perspective could be that a larger % of that community is gonna be less inclined to bring that thief to justice vs the % in the permanent community. Now I don't know whether that's true or not, but it could be a perspective that contributes to negative associations about crime.

Lol!

Forgive me if I'm being thick here, but I've read this half a dozen times and I still can't quite grasp what you mean.

[RED-DOG]

I was driving home the other morning at daybreak. As the sun rose, I happened to notice how it lit this field, burning off the mist in the process.

I thought it was beautiful. I stopped the car and tried to photograph it with my phone but the pic doesn't really do it justice.

Click to see full-size image.

 

[RED-DOG]

Helped a friend out today to run some cars in to the scrapyard. Turns out old man Penfold that owns it is a Gypsy, had these vans parked next to his house which is inside the scrapyard. Thought the pic maybe of interest to you Red.

What a great pic reenot. Thank you.

Penfold is a venerable Gypsy name. Where is the scrap yard?

Yard is in South Molton, Devon. Old man Penfold is Ray and his wife is called Vatshia (sp?)

How much do those caravans go for ? price for in that state, and done up.

It all depends Kev. That one is pretty basic with little or no ornamental chamfering, fretwork or gold leaf etc.

Prices range from a few grand to over 100k.

This model belonging to my father will give you an idea of what a really good wagon looks like.

Click to see full-size image.

[Colchester Kev]

Helped a friend out today to run some cars in to the scrapyard. Turns out old man Penfold that owns it is a Gypsy, had these vans parked next to his house which is inside the scrapyard. Thought the pic maybe of interest to you Red.

What a great pic reenot. Thank you.

Penfold is a venerable Gypsy name. Where is the scrap yard?

Yard is in South Molton, Devon. Old man Penfold is Ray and his wife is called Vatshia (sp?)

How much do those caravans go for ? price for in that state, and done up.

It all depends Kev. That one is pretty basic with little or no ornamental chamfering, fretwork or gold leaf etc.

Prices range from a few grand to over 100k.

This model belonging to my father will give you an idea of what a really good wagon looks like.

Click to see full-size image.

You never fancied getting hold of an old one and starting a project to restore it ?

[RED-DOG]

Helped a friend out today to run some cars in to the scrapyard. Turns out old man Penfold that owns it is a Gypsy, had these vans parked next to his house which is inside the scrapyard. Thought the pic maybe of interest to you Red.

What a great pic reenot. Thank you.

Penfold is a venerable Gypsy name. Where is the scrap yard?

Yard is in South Molton, Devon. Old man Penfold is Ray and his wife is called Vatshia (sp?)

How much do those caravans go for ? price for in that state, and done up.

It all depends Kev. That one is pretty basic with little or no ornamental chamfering, fretwork or gold leaf etc.

Prices range from a few grand to over 100k.

This model belonging to my father will give you an idea of what a really good wagon looks like.

Click to see full-size image.

You never fancied getting hold of an old one and starting a project to restore it ?

Oh God yes. One day.....

[MANTIS01]

A thought concerning the negative association about thieves and Gypsies. From my perspective I think a difficult obstacle for Gypsies to overcome is the temporary nature of their community within the permanent local community. I mean, if there's a thief living in an area permanently the whole community is gonna want to wheedle that thief out. But if a group is set to move on your perspective could be that a larger % of that community is gonna be less inclined to bring that thief to justice vs the % in the permanent community. Now I don't know whether that's true or not, but it could be a perspective that contributes to negative associations about crime.

Lol!

Forgive me if I'm being thick here, but I've read this half a dozen times and I still can't quite grasp what you mean.

Yeah lol Tom, it's not the first time people have failed to grasp what I mean. My theory is the negative crime bias is attributed to "the outsider" rather than specifically to the Gypsy. I play a bit of poker with some Gypsy guys and when we talk about crime they say stealing within their own community is more frowned upon than stealing from the gorger outside world. A more serious offence if you like. But that's not equality is it? That's like a bias thought process which favours one group of people over another. Likewise, the gorgers return that bias, so when Gypsies move into a permanent community and crime increases they have a bias thought process vs the temporary outsiders, and an excuse to exercise it.

I think that bias of thought is just human nature. We tend to suspect the outsider more, we don't trust the outsider as much, and we think crimes against outsiders are a spot less serious. I think that would be true for any two different groups. But it's especially so when one group is temporary and another different group is permanent. This theory is obviously directed at the general instinct of people. And that general instinct can accelerate in some people to the point of discrimination. At the very least it's gonna make someone skilled at picking negatives about the other group. I bet if you gave some Gypsies those post-its they would be shit hot at picking negatives about gorgers. Maybe ignorance would be high on the list? Anyway and most importantly, and I need to stress the point, all of the above could be proper bollox. Please don't read it more than once Tom, you're an intelligent guy, so just read it once, and if it makes no sense let's both just agree it's bollox.

[RED-DOG]

That's a great post Mantis. What's more, I agree with most of it.

[MANTIS01]

That's a great post Mantis. What's more, I agree with most of it.

Sweet. So you can apply the theory that negative bias is a result of unfamiliarity/temporary rather than ethnicity to the practical example of your own situation. I remember reading in this diary about when you first landed at your current mannor. There was immediate hostility from the permanent community and that made for unsavoury reading imo. I bet you coulda handed out those post-its and got loads of negative comments. But over time as you have become a permanent and familiar fixture in that community you have seemingly acquired the respect of your neighbours. So those post-its will be more positive than negative now. So the familiarity has erased the negative bias. But check it out....you're still a Gypsy. Your Gypsiness hasn't changed, only your familiarity has. So this is why I say Gypsies face a challenging obstacle, that being the temporary nature of their lifestyle makes acquiring familiarity an issue.

Also, as people, if we're only passing through a place we tend to have less respect for the environment than if we lived there permanently. I'm currently reading a book about Everest and the dude climbing the mountain was shocked at how much rubbish there is up there. But that's cos the people that drop it are never coming back. So it's easily dropped. But that's not a Gypsy habit, it's a human habit. Pick any temporary gathering of any people and those people will drop rubbish....eg Glastonbury. But you don't drop rubbish in your own back yard. Do people treat a hire car with as much respect as they treat their own car? So people who expect Gypsies to drop rubbish formulate that opinion because they inantely know their own attitude to a temporary environment is a spot less respectful than it is to a permanent one.

[RED-DOG]

While taking the dog a walk yeaterday, I happened across this little Ménage à trois.

So, in the spirit of the reverse sheep game, (Except this is straight forward and it's a Dog game not a sheep game)

What is the difference between frogs and toads?

If a male frog is called a bull frog, what is a female frog called?

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

I also noticed a row of bungalows, each with a patch of lichen growing in exactly the same place just near the chimney and I wondered why it grew in that particular place and nowhere else on the roof.

It's a smokeless zone, the chimneys haven't been used for years, so wasn't for warmth. And it wasn't because it was a sheltered spot, they were on the exposed side of the chimney rather than in the lee.

So why does it grow just there?

Click to see full-size image.

[Colchester Kev]

I reckon it has something to do with the weather ... that particular spot is sheltered from wind, sun, etc by the stack ... so probably right conditions for the lichen to grow.

[RED-DOG]

I reckon it has something to do with the weather ... that particular spot is sheltered from wind, sun, etc by the stack ... so probably right conditions for the lichen to grow.

Sigh... Do keep up Kev

"it wasn't because it was a sheltered spot, they were on the exposed side of the chimney rather than in the lee."

[RED-DOG]

BTW- I did work out the answer after a while.

[thetank]

As a working hypothesis, I think it has to do with that being the wettest part of the roof.

The rain falls on all slates of the roof equally, but the second highest slate will only have the water from the highest slate running past it; the lowest slate will have all the water that fell on the higher slates run past it ergo the lower part of the roof is the wetter.

As for why it grows on one side of the chimney and not the other.

The chimney probably provides shade on that region of the roof during the hottest part of the day. Less evaporation of the water then, it remains the wetter part of the wettest part of the roof.