The Official Nonsense Thread

[Minty]

Right now feels like Christmas when I was a wee boy, can't concentrate & stomach doing backflips, wishing the hours away & knowing it's going to be near impossible to get to sleep from excitement.

The one difference is hoping Santa isn't going to take a steaming dump in your bedpost stocking.

[Caspin]

Couldn't wait any longer and had to get up to find out how it's going. Not well. Gutted. Looks as though Glasgow voted Yes but not enough of the rest of the country were behind them. I'm so sorry, Minty.

I didn't sleep much last night as at 2.00 am a huge storm started. Then when it went quiet outside it got noisy indoors, with some loud clicky insect being trapped in the bedroom. I can't find it to let it out. So, going to be one of those weird delirious days today, tired and disappointed.

[Minty]

Knew it wasn't going to be when Clackmannanshire voted No, one of the areas Yes was expected to take. Weird that West Lanarkshire, Glasgow & North Lanarkshire all went Yes (the three areas it was reckoned Yes had to win to stand a chance), but ended up losing everywhere else.

The Tory backbenchers are already vowing to scupper the proposed extra powers the No campaign waved at the last minute. Knew that would happen. After decades of moaning how badly Westminster treats us, Scotland had a chance to sort it for good & bottled it.

This time next year we'll be moaning about a privatised NHS, more using foodbanks, & will have no one to blame but ourselves.

[Caspin]

Yup. It's so depressing. Having said that, so many people have suffered under the coalition (and even those of us who haven't really suffered directly but do give a poo about people other than ourselves) have a chance at a general election next year. I suppose it's possible that things could still change for the better and I am going to try to remain optimistic. I don't have much faith in any of the main parties but the current situation is no good at all. I was glad I went on that NHS march a few weeks back because sometimes you feel so powerless and then it's good to see that there are other people from all walks of life who have realised that action is needed and who are willing to fight for what matters and then it doesn't seem so bleak and hopeless as before.

Either Scotland will get the extra powers promised, or else those promises will be broken, in which case I hope the Scottish people will shout from the rooftops about that and expose the liars.

At least you've got your new job. That's one crisis resolved at least!

[Minty]

If I thought the day couldn't get any worse, I was wrong. Everywhere was really weird today, wherever you went everyone was incredibly subdued. There was trouble in George Square Glasgow tonight as Rangers fans & morons from Northern Ireland went to cause trouble & some girl who had a saltire was beaten up as it spilled over into the surrounding streets.

Salmond resigned saying perhaps it would be best for someone else to be leading the Scottish end of negotiations with this proposed devolution max all over the UK: before an hour had passed Cameron was saying the famous much vaulted "Vow" would need "rewriting" & Milliband said he wasn't going to agree to it anyway - all less than 8 hours since the official declaration of the result, they'd reneged on their "vow". British democracy, best in the world.

[Caspin]

Oh dear oh dear. Always going to be a few morons out looking for trouble no matter what the result.

Most of the day I cycled through waves of being sad, then anxious, then angry. I nearly got into an argument at work with someone who was pleased with the outcome and was ever so keen to tell me how I should feel about it, but I instead just asked him to drop it. What's done is done. Fortunately I was very busy today and had remembered to take my big headphones so I could zone out and crack on. I couldn't look at the drivel on the news so didn't know about Salmond resigning until this evening.

This evening I spent a few hours having a drink with a good friend from Spain and was able to talk it all through. He's much more cynical than I am (or more realistic, some may say).

Yeah, now we sit back and watch all the backtracking on the "vow". They're all about getting an English devolution equivalent now. Scotland's needs are forgotten already. Seems that you are spot on at the mo, Minty. Haven't got the lottery numbers or anything, do you?!

My eyes are stinging. I need to get some sleep. Night night. x

[Caspin]

Wow, another storm last night. That's three in 24 hours. Thunder, lightening and very heavy rain. I looked out this morning to see whether my lavender plants had been well-watered or simply crushed and washed away (happily, they are fine). If only the world felt shiny and new after that deluge. But it doesn't; the clouds are back and it's muggy and oppressive again.

Today I must rest my hands a bit, as the RSI in my right hand is quite bad and I have to work tomorrow followed by another busy week. I definitely need to look into getting a track pad for my work computer - all this mouse clicking is not working out too well. So I think I will not use the computer to play games today, I will just read my book and maybe watch some silly TV. Need to relax and be calm.

In other news, Ollie has a bad chest infection it would seem. Get well soon Ollie.

[Minty]

Ollie? Where are you communicating with him? I can't even remember the last time I heard from him

I'm thinking will anyone score a better goal than the first Hull one on Saturday

Liverpool got the last laugh after losing to Alf Garnett FC with Man U getting clobbered by the Fosse. One of the best fightbacks I can remember since Wigan's famous turnover of Arsenal cost them the league title a few years back.

I was shocked going into Glasgow today to see how much referendum related graffiti there is, most of it derogatory. There's also a lot of shop windows & flats still with saltires on display. I'm surprised the mood is still this ugly, & in knee-jerk Labour vote Glasgow of all places. There's rumours the Greens & SNP are going to give Tommy Sheridan a clear run against Labour leader Johann Lamont in the next Holyrood election & against Margaret Curran in the GE. If he was to win either, the fun would really begin.

I discovered from our neighbours that the foxes are trashing the gardens earlier at night, & that's why I haven't been spotting them. Between 9 & 11 appears to be their time, possibly because it's getting too cold for them later, but maybe because they're trying to avoid all the mad midnight dog walkers round our way.

[Caspin]

I stalk Ollie on Twitter. At least that way I know he is OK. You know how I worry.

I'm sorry to hear about the graffiti. It seems that lots of people are talking about the referendum in terms of it being a catalyst for political reform in the country, but to me they just sound chaotic and panicked. I wonder how many No voters regretted it the next day.

Our foxes are very well-behaved compared to yours, or maybe they trash other gardens. The only creatures to ever damage our garden is the gardeners.

Yoga tonight but it could be tricky as the arthritis in my toes is killing me today. Maybe it is detecting the changing seasons. I'll be like a human weather vane in a few years!

[Minty]

Discovered the foxes aren't as daft as they seem. 85% of all slugs are underground at any given time, but if there's tell tale munching on the leaves, in all likelihood they've buried themselves immediately after to let their meal go down. That's why they've been digging at the base of plants that have had leaves chewed.

Still a pain in the rear, & if that fox craps on my doorstep again it's getting launched!

It has turned very cold up here, mostly down to the cloudless nights with the lovely red skies. I had a battle doing the gutters today as the wasps & magpies both objected to me cleaning out their larder. Here we are with less than a week until the end of September & the vespic bar stewards are still hunting for beasties to feed their larvae with, meaning their nests are far from running down to close down day. I wouldn't mind a few incredibly cold days next week to finish them all off in one go, so long as the sun comes back after.

On the other hand it will kill most of the garden off in the process. Grin & bear it, Minty!