Comments from Grumpy’s Followers

It’s about time that the faithful followers of this blog had a mention. The regular comments of encouragement keep me going. They also provide ideas for future new blogs, as well as additional material that I could and should have included first time around. Here is a sample:

My favourite was received after one of my humour failure periods.

“You have obviously run out of pep pills or illegal tobacco, as your blog hasn't appeared since the 5th April. I can let you have some aspirins as well as other assorted pills associated with old age. It doesn't mention on the leaflets in each packet that it helps blogs but you never know - maybe we've found something and can be rich and famous like the chaps who founded Google and the computer software company who everyone knows but I can't remember.” From My Dad

“The boy’s a genius. He must have got his talent from his Dad.” - From My Dad

“Many thanks for the blogs. Is it necessary to be completely crazy to enjoy your blogs? Even if not, it certainly helps. Once I thought I was mad and now I know that I am just crazy” – John Appleton, who has known me since I was 9 years old. Yes, it certainly helps you to enjoy my ramblings, if you are just a little bit loopy.

By the way, he was the only person to know that “Boots and Rags” were two dogs that we had when I was a boy. (Remember? New BROOM Methodology – oh well, never mind).

My most vocal supporter (if you can be vocal by email) is David Gray from Bakewell. Privately, he is known as Grumpy’s cousin. A recent contribution may strike some chords: “How about a blog slot on why the Netherlands are so good at cricket, but Kenya still haven't worked out which end of the bat to hold.”

He also added: “Which brings me on to petrol and diesel........ Why are they now selling petrol and diesel through the same coloured pipes? It used to be green for petrol and black for diesel; but now they are increasingly both black! Why? ......... Do they want people to get confused? Have they run out of green pipe in the world? Perhaps they got a good deal on the black pipe. Answers to all major supermarkets please“

Oh yes – he is really getting into the mood.

Bill Hall, previously of the Financial Times, gave much needed encouragement and technical support in the formative stages of this Blog. He has asked for a blog on “What's wrong with Scottish football?” and added the following suggestions

1) The Scottish referees strike. Why could they not import a few strike breakers from South of the Border? Instead they have been looking all over the place for foreign referees, just so long as they are not English.

2) There are only two teams that matter in Scotland - Celtic and Rangers, and at least one of them, if not both, ought to be in the Premiership. Manchester and Liverpool both have two teams in the premiership and they are not much different from Glasgow. Just think what it would do to Glasgow's international reputation if they had a premiership club. They might have to rename themselves as Glasgow Rangers or Glasgow Celtic to get maximum effect.

After all Cardiff City and Swansea are second and third in the Championship and at least one of them could be promoted to the Premier League next season.

One of my old Oxford friends commented on the use of the Harvard Business Review as a cure for insomnia. “But if you want a real cure for insomnia, try Keynes' General Theory. I have proved beyond all doubt that three pages are at least as good as a couple of temazepam tablets. I suspect it is also more obtainable and portable than HBR.” So insomniacs of the world – there’s your answer.

Marilyn Sadler of Shenfield, Essex fame suggested that you could count how many Eddy Stobart lorries you see whilst travelling and keep a log of all of the lorry names which are located on the driver door – apparently each Eddy lorry has a different registered name. Now there’s a thought.

That’s all there’s time for on this blog. Sorry to those of you who have sent me comments, but which are not published. It could be your turn soon.

Please keep the comments coming in.

Important (and serious) notice: No comment or email to me is published without the writer’s permission, so your secrets are safe with me.