Bootleg alcohol, Madonna and the Now Show

The #makeitlessavaliable tag has faded from my Twitter.  Anyhow, 'Twas a bunch of Alcohol Control guys wanting to make licensing more strict in the UK so as to bring down alcohol consumption and make you live to 102.  Without dementia.

I had noted, previously or maybe Twitter, that increasing the price on alcohol would possibly have an impact on the illicit trade. My post grad disseration on European Economics what I got in Amsterdam was on 'Tobacco and Alcohol Taxation in the EU', hence part of my dog with bone attitude. So while my crystal ball is a tad cloudy on house price prediction or interest rates (although let's watch the Greek Economy unfold, with or without Glee) only a week after my last comment and this one comes out about illicit alcohol in the UK sold in shops up 27%, yes that is licenced shops, not Dodgy Dave down the pub or some car boot sale.  So minimum pricing won't make it more attractive to anyone looking to make some extra profit.

The UK is only slowly getting around the idea that if you tax and restrict something happens.  And I understand there is a need to restrict but I don't want to get into 13 year olds and contraception right now.

When Grumpy Husband was at University in Scandiland the Chemistry Department would check your moonshine for methanol rather than ethanol which would have been nice for the consumers or this stuff or this student at risk or going blind. 

Anyhow, love this app which is scaring me not in the least.  It just looks like 'Heat' magazine, cellulite and the official sponsor or a major UK sporting event.  Which Evil are they trying to scare you off...

They haven't touched the roots of Her Madgeness. 

Anyhow a related Scandiness and Alcohol from the Now show at 20:59, so gotta love.

See, it isn't just me and the illict stuff. ;-)

This is now compulsive listening at Wisteria Heights (Malmo in the UK HQ).  I think this 5.45 is  my kids '4 Yorkshiremen' sketch that they will recite at the back of a chemistry lab.  Senior Mastermind

Q: Complete the following sentence: Young people today..

A: Don't know they are born.

Q: Correct.  I will accept but the answer I was looking for was 'Spend all their time on their computers' What well know phrase shoud be used before making a rascist comment?

A: I'm not a rascist

Q: Correct. Which legal measure, if restored, would solve all the nation's problems immediately and overnight?

A: Bring Back Hanging

Q: Correct. What drawback would this present with certain groups of young offenders?

A: Too good for them

Q: Correct. Who is Britain's sexiest man?

A: (Quivering, sotto voce) Alan Titchmarsh

Q: Is correct.  What was the title of Edwina Currie's memoir of John Major and his dress sense?

A: 50 Shades of Grey

Q: No, you have got confused there but I understand why. When did your children buy you a mobile phone?

A: Christmas 2003

Q: Correct.  And when did you turn it on?

A: Last August. 

Q: Correct.  And what happened?

A: It reminded me to call the vet

Q: Correct and that is the end of that round.

Just loved it and kids repeat it with the Queen and the Duke of Kent in the Edwina/John roles (the confusion is great) from a previous reference. You gotta love... I do!!!

Some about me

The boys are 11, 9 & 7.  I went back to work (full time) after 9 years at home and some time as a trailing spouse on ex-pat trip to Sweden where the 2nd was born.

I was spurred back to dusting off my CV when Grumpy Husband (GH) got pneumonia and was off work for 6 months in the end.  He has had a couple of more bouts since and survived yet another round of redunancies at XXX since.  Me getting back to work sorted the school problem so went for the house upgrade near new comp in posh area rather than the religous etc option.  For the sprogless, private is roughly £1,000 a child a month including holidays and after tax. If I have ever had 1,000 pence left over at the end of the month it has been exciting. I am of the School that balks at throwing away food and spending money on food out.

Anyhow, my first 2 are one school year apart so once I have got started to trying to get uesd to one at Secondary the other will start.  Meanwhile the house is nice and I can avoid GH most of the time but co-parent.

Kids have got friends round now and they are having a ball on the trampoline (apart from youngest who has his second head injury today. Other sustained on end of husband's bed as they played ipad monopoly. God knows) The neighbours kids are the Home Educated kids of the Ethical Investor who lives up the road.  As an ex-earth mother, i can only take my hat off to such life style choices. I like dropping mine at school for the best day ahead.  For all...

New record spend at Costco today of £571.  Previous was £400 and only a normal amount of booze.  One tray of Stella, 6 box of Cava and some vodka.

Had to take GH to hospital on Friday with possible pneumonia but appears OK, only there a few hours.

The things these guys will do to get out of their Laundry Week and unloading a Costco shop.  My Mum is 80 and still working as a nurse at a old people's home (no irony) in part due to my dad's gambling problem.  Booze does not seem to bad.

Smile

Nobody puts a (Bristol Mother Sucker) baby in the corner

Ahh there was a  protest about being able to feed a baby as you should, where you should.  Thanks Tigerlilly Quinn for the heads in. What beautiful graphics and pictures on your page.

This was a story about a mother feeding her baby, and not using a bottle, asked to sit in the corner.  As it happend to be a cafe just over from the Occupy Bristol site and just around from the Council House and a well connected Mum. The result was a B- feed in and police horses deployed.

I did think the cafe owners' written response was well crafted and Tigerlilly acknowledged that well. 

I was lucky to be in Sweden which has v  high levels of breastfeeding (90% of 6 months, I believe) so not an issue there when I had given birth to my second  boy,t en years ago. Also when you are on your second you need to deal with your first and the other can just join in.  I walked down Malmo highstreet when second was three days old and in a crossways sling, nursing, pushing the double buggy (a great 3 wheeler from Mothercare, the technology has so moved on). I felt relaxed rather than empowered.

My point: I was surprised it is still an issue about feeding in public but, then again, not.  Who wants to drink a latte in the ladies' toilets...

Well done girls!!!! And babies :-)

Plus Tigerlilly you sound knackered.  I had kids that never seemed to sleep likes others did. 

My eldest was lucky as I did the homepathic teething crystals, polically correct stuff.  Then I got a tooth infection and found if we both had some bonjela (intially it was calgel, after 3 days I did not care) and the correct dosage of nurofen, 30 minutes later we were both enjoying each others company.  You can alternate nurofen and calpol and it does help. 

My three boys have been at a chess match today, so it has not impaired their development.

And they were also nursed after I had drunk wine...

;-) Take care girls!!

Breast milk not the same without alcohol

I had seen something in the Metro about a 'Lactation Vote' or something and was thinking that an former Earth Mother should have a view or such things.  

Instead I found the University of Bath quiz on mimimum pricing and had a very sensible time submitting my views.  Glad to see Dick P had also had some fun with the thing. It was too early then for a glass or anything.

After all those tedious questionaires at the doctors etc when you just state 14 units is all you ever consume, it was nice to consider how much one could consume with an open budget.  In which case it could be lovely to consume more if they made it more expensive.

With this in mind I rather enjoyed some 'Want Cake But Can't Work Out The Recipe' stuff from NZ.

First a poll to raise the minimum drinking age from 18 to 20 to reduce young adults drinking.  You can bet your little cotton sockies that a whole load of sensible people over the age of 25 were all for this one.  'Something must be done' The poll is for a higher age to buy drink from an offie than at a pub.  Poor politician that votes for keeping it 18 for both.  They will look so louche.

The idea is they will go out to drink and be kept on the straight and narrow.  And won't ever preload (drinking a bottle of wine while putting your make up on and dancing).

Then (8 minutes later) this one on minimum pricing which won't work

"Prime Minister John Key says he is not convinced a minimum price for alcohol would work because it could force people to drink poorer quality liquor, instead of drinking less."

Well, if you live in a country that exports fine quality wines then you might like to make sure the locals quaff the stuff rather than something else...

Obscure wonderful writer. Elizabeth Taylor

One of my early boyfriends (ie before 25, can't remember if I mean age or notches) had only been allowed to listen to Radio 4 if home ill. I have made note. He was a scientist but had a great ability to link things in. I cannot prove cause and affect but I lived abroad before the internet and iplayer. And didn't have a TV let alone a laptop.   I was able to get LW Radio 4 and it was a life line, as it was when I was a stay at home Mum.  Thinking women's crumpet and all that.

There were the times with LW when boo, sucks when cricket was on which could overide the News Quiz and the Archers for hours.  Then days.  Must have had to amuse myself with cats' cradle.

Anyhow, loved the quality moment when I heard the Book Programme on an author called Elizabeth Taylor.  No, not that actress etc. An exquiste writer. Nice to hear a bloke liking her.  She writes about manners and tightly observed emotion, published works, 1945-1968ish.  They describe her in the programme as 'Not chick lit'.  I read her work when anything with a Virago green jacket and arty picture or an orange falling apart Penguin fiction were my breath of fresh air and where I wanted to think.  I was living in Northern Europe when I read a 'Game of Hide and Seek'. I have cried at many things but only a couple of books.  This was the first one: I wanted to have written it but couldn't; the characters' plight was something I wanted to explain to the rest of the world.

That happened not to be that interested. 

I have only a hazy memory of it now, so anyone who has read it recently can tell me how wrong I am.  However the reference in Wiki to Elizabeth Bowen, a more tricky writer towards the end, ties things together for me, when I felt noone else knew this stuff.

Comparisons are made to Jane Austen.  Book Programme says she is not a feminist, I disagree for Elizabeth Taylor from when I read her I wanted to relate to passion, feelings, complexity and making ones' own way. 

I like to think she would have always worn lipstick before she went out.

And if that makes me a non feminist, I am making sure the lipstick hue suits me.

 Malmomum

Have you ever lived anywhere where they made it less available

This lot here, Balance NorthEast, have just had a conference on alcohol (don't worry, any taxpayers have probably funded it, heads up to the Institute of Economic Affairs report) as they all enjoy a worthy cup of tea afterwards like this chap. 

They want to make alcohol 'less available' and Tweet on it.  They bemoan the amount of sales through supermarkets.  2/3s of sales apparently.

Well, that's great.

Funnily enough in Malmo, Sweden, 0% of alcohol sales go through supermarkets.  Unless you count low alcohol beer as alcohol.  Plus the jar of figs in cognac I bought once, then never opened.  Must try them on the kids to see if any effect :-). 

Oh bl**dy hell, those figs work.

Should you be a full time alcoholic with independent means, Sweden is the place for you.  You can buy wine, beer and firewater (brannvin) from the State Monopoly (Systembolaget) any time between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm on a week day.  But not the supermarket.

Around the year 2000, the system (due to EU bullying, I believe) went and allowed Saturday mornings, 10.00am to 1.00pm to be included in the heady mix.

Also no price promotion or online supermarkets sales.

So guys, there are plenty of ways to make it less available.  Make the most of your opportunity to sign up for 'Sam' (I may vomit.  However not to overdue alcohol consumption.  On this occasion)

MalmoMum

Almost a Shock. Almost a Horror. No it's Filing

How to get the Grumpy Husband (GH) to do some filing for the first time in over 2 years.  Go and see the mortgage man as previous whatever rate had run out.  Very pleasing to the eye.  The filing that is.

All three boys have made it onto the chess team and have been off to a sport and chess day clutching water bottles they won (yes, we can never lose enough of those) and pretty good results.  Chess started off as a bit of cheap childcare on a Friday afternoon.  Then Driven Dad joined the crew and things got serious in a nice way.  It has been a joy to see them bloom and my nerd worries are nowhere around.  They even managed sensible grown up thinking like 'If I use my DS on the bus I may feel sick so I won't' and came back with their spending money as cake and drinks were free.  Also too tired to want to come to a rainy birthday party with me.

What a shame...


Ah, he has found a few changes to the accounts. Oh, well.