Stamps and awards

It's a Friday so after updating my Wordpress back ups and doing my usual scouting blog  on here - link at the top - I'm writing this weeks blog.

Stamp collecting always was a thing with me but in connection with another interest of mine that does tie into alb age regression life with me I received a small parcel that contained the following unfranked stamps that I thought so interesting I'd write something  about them.
Going from the left we have a stamp commemorating the "The Most Ancient Nobel ORDER of the THISTLE Tencentury of the Revival, Middle right one female authors Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre and the European Assembly Elections from 1979!
By when this gets printed paws crossed Automattic Inc should be running Tumblr assuming my tumblrs are still up and intact rather than Yahoo/Verizon /Oath Holdings Inc so we'll see what their plans are for that place we use are.

On Thursdays Blue Peter a new Badge (right) was launched to tie in with BBC Music Day on Sept 26 by the British singer Ed Sheeran and the show featured an appearance by Sir Paul McCartney.
Sir Paul said "Music was really important to me growing up and I hope this badge will inspire more kids to get into it."
The badge will be awarded to boys and girls from five to fifteen years of age who
*  Writing in to Blue Peter saying how the enjoy MAKING music
*  Ask a parent, grandparent or teacher about their musical memories
*  Tell Blue Peter their top three songs of all time
As someone who played music at school and enjoys musical performance I think this is a good idea especially for those who may find academic interests hard going.

While I'm not so sure he should have what suggests to someone brought up when I was a ash tray on that table, I am happy to have reverted very much to looking like the eternal schoolboy in so many ways I am with a minimal adult role and presenting openly the way I am simply because vast chunks of what I need to function as an adult simple are not there and all else leads to assuming far more than I capable of.  
Summer has passed with heavy showers earlier on in the week so it's as well I have new waterproof jackets for when I'm out that do look good with my usual uniform on.

4,000 editions of The Beano

After last week's post we move to something that did happen last week, last Wednesday to be exact when the long running children's comic - and there was  time when comic didn't need that bit in front of it - marked its 4,000th edition on September 4th.

The main theme running through Beanoland, the imaginary world of all the comics characters live in is the future through such devices as time travel although for some of us it might seem the comic inhabits a different world than that we grew up in which is hardly surprising I guess.

One issue I have with it in its current form as a child who read this from the age of at least seven is the stories I loved from the time such as Dennis The Menace, Minnie The Minx and the Bash Street Kids set in a fictional school while still carried bare little resemblance to the origins we knew.

That's a simple summary of what's changed with Dennis-he no longer is a menace being mean and getting punished for it as we did and much the same applies with Minnie The Minx who doesn't get smacked and the cane has been removed from the Bash Street Kids school.

The problem I have with it is that simply these are long running stories whose characters haven't changed were formed in the era when that mirrored the lives of boys and girls and  for today's youngsters it's no more odd than the world of Lord Snooty and Pals was to us but we enjoyed the story set that past.

Moreover, when Dennis isn't allowed to menace really he loses his reason for existence, the bit of us who could be cold, mean spirit and who got punished for it which provided a tone even for those boys who were  - and I'm not condoning bullying - where people like them could see bad behaviour called out and and dealt with.

Simply not showing bullying does nothing to prevent it where showing it affirms the reality that as children we knew and know happens.

There is nothing at all wrong with including newer stories that reflect modern ideas, that have greater diversity in terms of gender and ethnic origins matching that of today's boys and girls liking many of the newer stories, it is simply that I cannot let pass how I feel about what has happened those set in the past as it marks it's 4,000 anniversary.

A boyish week

As some may be aware there's an awful lot of political discourse going on at the moment and I've said about as much as I feel like saying on that on Tumblr but the practical upshot is I need to switch off from it
One thing I did decide to do during the week was to get my Lego out and play with it making things that just came into my mind rather than following an set designs.
An advantage of sorts with such an approach is I need to think as I am going along about the pieces I need from what I have what bits I have, tweaking the design as I go along which helps with my thinking skills.

On thing I made was this simple one room shed-house that took me about an hour and a quarter from start to finish that was fun to make.

I also played some Beach Boys records I had talking to a few people I know about them as their music was a part of the background I had growing up. There's a up to date list of them on here but as you all know I don't do long reviews and that.

Another thing I did was read these two compilations of classic 1950's and 60's Roy of the Rovers cartoon strips that originally were issued in the Tiger comic where our here gets to join Melchester Rovers and battles for promotion as well as clashes with egotistical playsers abound.

I came to Roy of the Rovers in the 70's but by then much of the backdrop had been established so reading this brought them to life being very much the kind of boys comic I loved even if you were wobbly footed on the pitch.

Finally I had my hair - I do have hair don'tcha know - put in a crew cut as not much had happened with stylistically for years and I felt a more traditional boys cut was something I'd feel more  comfortable in.
I feel this more is me now when I'm walking or kickin' a ball about.

Autumn uniform - check and replace

Seeing it is the start of autumn term here I did a bit of stock check of my uniform ready to resume.

The most important thing was my shoes were somewhat worn on the soles and joins so I bought a new pair which as I am unable to fasten shoes needed to be velcro as are a fair number of Junior Boys shoes if our district is anything to go by.

Do not die of shock but I got two pairs of genuine ex Prep school new/old stock pull over grey socks with two green bars in actual children's shoe sizes as I am more 'child sized' and so adult size stockists aren't always able to supply things in my sizes.

That you see is where these others do fit in as plain grey ribbed socks because they are what boys do wear and so are in my size off the peg from school suppliers which is as well as I seldom wear anything other than school shorts all year around.

I also had some new boys slippers which is well overdue as I haven't any for a while actually.

Finally my old Peter Storm weatherbeater/ cagoule is showing it's signs of age so I bought this new red one with white trim around the zip and decent zipped pockets as there is nothing that irritates me more than pockets cut to one side with just a press stud at best to hold them any anything in them still. 
They just don't work especially when scouting or hiking with things easily falling out.