The Grumpy Old Blog

  I have just read a disturbing and rather ignorant post with people saying they would not support the RNLI because they pick up immigrants from the sea. Sorry all. It's not the RNLI's fault at all, and those comments are shameful. The RNLI is competely unfunded by the government, yet their volunteers go out in all weathers to rescue thick, implanted-teethed, tattooed, TikTok plonkers, brains enlarged by steroids, who think its alright to go off sailboarding in a force 7 gale off the coast of Scotland.   Have they ever been out in a RNLI lifeboat to rescue British plonkers such as above who are just braindead, thoughtless asshole themselves?   I have! And it's not a night out in the pub shouting obscenities at 22 spitters with ridiculous hair on a giant TV screen while you wear a gambling company-emblazoned team shirt, made by a half-blind child in Bangladesh for $4 that you paid £85 for!   Will you be sitting at home in Tenby, settling down to watch King Charles on ...

Well done to everyone involved with Sport Relief in raising almost £40milion and especially to the fantastic Zoe Ball for raising a thoroughly amazing £1million-plus on her own. Bet dad Johnny must be so proud. Astounding. P.S. Also, delighted to see that 3 of the 11 homeless people sleeping in doorways along Manchester's Deansgate this morning now have little put-me-up-tents. Not that I'm advocating too much charity should begin at home. But at least three of these unfortunate people can now cough and sneeze in the comfort of their own now-enclosed pavement slabs. Oh! And that after 8 months of chaos they have now resurfaced Bury New Bottleneck Road as part of the £800,000 "Village" improvement that no one in the area wanted nor were consulted on. I'm just chuffed, as a council tax payer, that the cash-strapped Council indeed had some spare cash to waste, er, sorry, I mean spend on this. Well done to Councillor Backhandcash for pushing it...

Graham Walker, the "wild" man of the Grumbleweeds tragically succumbed to cancer this week. Graham, together with drummer Robin Colvill (who I am delighted to add is very much alive!) were a wickedly funny and entertaining duo - not that the rest of the group were slouches when it came to entertaining people! I grew up in a house that adored the Grumbleweeds - good old fashioned entertainment, a little bit of innuendo and plenty of laughs - never for one moment suspecting that I'd ever "sort of" get to know them a little. I first "crossed swords" with Graham (in a very amusing and charity way I might add - and apologies the exact circumstances are now a little hazy) as a result of a fund-raising gig for the RNLI the late Bernard Manning had 'sponsored' at his Embassy snooker club on the Rochdale Road in Manchester ['Embassy', yet Bernard never smoked!]. What happened was that Bernard 'handed over' his club for nothing for...

I'm a big fan of giving no longer needed or wanted, perfectly-working or nearly new stuff to charity. And with a shop from one of the country's finest hospices, St Gemma's, almost on our doorstep, they always receive first refusal. However, that doesn't stop the flood of plastic bags coming through the letterbox from a rich panoply of charities, some of which don't even have a presence in Leeds, others of which I've never even heard of. A bag dropped on the mat this morning (the 5th charity bag to so do since Friday - our area must be recognised at either extremely charitable, or extremely gullible) from Against Breast Cancer UK, and a very worthwhile charity to boot. However, it wasn't directly from the charity themselves, although they will reap minor benefits. It was from Recycling Clothes Company Limited (www.recyclingclothescompany.co.uk), and they made the bold claim that: "We will donate £75 per tonne of textiles received". Wond...