Post 215: Rebuild Completed

More snow fell through the week and Britain seemingly ground to a halt. The press were up in arms, soliciting blood from politicians and council leaders alike; ''how can this be allowed to happen in one of the worlds richest countries?'' People took a few days away from work, buses stopped running, a few flights were cancelled, the schools were closed.... and the fun sponges were quick to whine and complain. It was snow, lots of it,.. probably the most snow that we've had in almost twenty years. Inconvenient for some but an absolute hoot for those of us who used the time to rediscover our childhood for a few glorious days. Looking around my local area in Essex, it seemed that this was one of the all too rare occasions when parents actually connected with their kids,.... and that's got to be a good thing. 'Work' was still there on Thursday morning, ... but at least people had something different to talk about at break time. If it happened every year then I'm sure we'd be better placed to deal with it,... but I still wouldn't be investing in snow-chains,..... just a better sledge.

It was good to see England beginning the Six Nations Rugby with a victory over Italy today, but having had my operation only two hours earlier, I resisted all urges to cheer them on their way too enthusiastically. It was interesting to see that the tournament is still sponsored by RBS, .. ''The People's Bank''. Earlier this week they thought that it would a good idea to pay it's rocket scientists multi-million pound bonuses for achieving the largest corporate loss in British corporate history. They're the same people who lost RBS billions of pounds and brought them to the verge of bankruptcy, the same people who decided that it was a good idea to give massive mortgages to low earners and then sell them on to investment banks like Lehman Brothers before buying them back, all dressed up in new shiny new packages and calling them 'Assets'. RBS defended their decision by claiming that if they didn't pay such bonuses, they'd loose their best people to competitive banks. Unscrew the jar and take a whiff, ..... yes it's bloody coffee. Don't worry about 'loosing' them, ..... sack them. Besides,.... where the hell are they going to go? The last time that I looked the banks were letting staff go and certainly not recruiting. Retail bank staff, the only people that we as regular customers are ever likely to meet probably deserve bonuses for having to deal with the crap that's been dropped onto them from the rocket scientists above, ... but the rocket scientists should be named, shamed and dismissed,... certainly not rewarded. What a company dose with it's shareholders money doesn't usually bother me, ..... but when I've become an accidental shareholder myself, .... it certainly does.

I'm writing this under the influence of strong drugs, .... but this time legally so. I've just returned from the Chelmsford Medical Centre where this morning they rebuilt my body. Not quite six million dollars worth of reconstruction and possibly not to it's true former glory,.... but I'm definitely one very happy chappy. Perhaps when the drugs have worn thin I wont be feeling quite so chipper, .... but at least I'll be able to walk once more without the need to keep one hand firmly in my trouser pocket. Apparently everything went well; they put me to sleep, I woke up completely fixed and within four hours I was back in my own home. It smarts a little when I move and the scar they assure me will vanish over time, ..... but not so aesthetically pleasing is my new 'Brazilian'. If anybody sees me scratching over the coming weeks, it will have nothing at all to do with footpegs touching tarmac on a motorbike. I assume it will be similar to growing a beard, .... but I'll resist all temptations to reach for the razors.


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