The Olde Sweet Shoppe - Kingston-Upon-Thames - Londn!

Kingston: Xmas Joy – Gee’s Birthday & Big Game – All on the High Street! (6.12.2025)

The greedy amongst us could still exercise “individualism” – whilst the workers sought a collective path to inner and outer freedom. Oh, how lucky we were! We all thought a Socialist Revolution was just around the corner and the UK would become a Soviet State! Then, the ogre of Thatcherism hove into view and hit us hard – and the workers lost all the hard-earned gains made with our blood toil before and during WWIi! Our children listen and ingest this deep meaning. Today, the Olde Sweet Shoppe is owned by an Asian family – but the male owner treated me with respect – and in so doing – he earned my respect. As an Englishman, I thanked him for treating my family with respect and politeness. Unlike the fascist, I don’t particularly care about who takes my money and processes my order. I wamt to transform the process away from exploitation – and not harm those who are active within it. There are many “White” English who are as ignorant as sh’t out there! They do not get a Free Pass from me just because they happen to have been born “English”. English people should behave to a higher standard – not lower.

Representatives of disabled artists pose for a group photo during an exhibition held at the Sensory Experience Gallery of the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 21, 2025. Featuring artworks created by disabled artists from Shanghai, the exhibition kicked off here on Friday. Under the guidance of inheritors of intangible cultural heritages, these artists infused their love for life and reverence for culture into their works. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

China: Exhibition Held at Palace Museum Highlights Artworks Created by Disabled Artists! (21.11.2025)

When my article “The Invalidation of the Worker” was printed in the far-left British Press – many responses were from Union representatives stating how naïve I was to think that People with Disabilities should be treated with “Equality” and possess equal “Access” to the wealth a capitalist society possesses and has to offer. In other words, the leaders of the working-class in the UK were of the opinion that Person with Disabilities should resign themselves to a life of terminal unemployment, poverty, and exclusion. And that was coming from the left! The right-wing and far-right approach simply talked of “removing” the problem – whilst being very careful not to explain exactly what they meant. Even so-called “Communists” thought the Disabled were surplus to requirement – ignoring the fact that Disabled people helped to assemble tanks in the beleaguered factories of Stalingrad.

Gordon Cree seen knitting on Game of Wool. Photo: Channel 4

UK: Shetland Organisation of Knitters “Shocked & Saddened” by Representation in Channel 4 “Game of Wool” Show! (7.11.2025)

Small patterns in Fair Isle are referred to as “peerie patterns”, but Leask has said they “would never” refer to them as “peeries”.

“That’s never been used by a Shetlander,” she said.

“A lot of Shetlanders have said they have never even heard of that.”

Leask described the misinformation in the show as “frustrating”, and said knitters locally spent a lot of their time having to clear up similar confusion with visitors to the isles.

SOK worries now that Game of Wool will have a further damaging effect on misinformation around Shetland knitting.

“The SOK are having to stand up for ourselves,” Leask said.

“The term Fair Isle is going to be lost. Fair Isle is being used when what they are making is not Fair Isle. It’s appropriation.”

And she also railed against Game of Wool as a whole, calling the first challenge – to knit a Fair Isle tank top in 12 hours – “just unrealistic”.

Oakham Castle - Rutland!

Rutland: Visiting Oakham Castle – the Land of Large Horse Shoes! (29.10.2025)

As we are staying in the Rutland area – we decided to visit the Castle after I saw a so-called “Auditor” who compromised the “good will” of the institute by deliberately igniting a pointless conflict about flying a drone over the property. We felt that we should visit the site, behave properly and with civility, and defend the good culture of England. These Auditing thugs are making money out of YouTube (most are unemployed and are working on the dole) by following a movement which emerged out of the political far-right in the US. Indeed, Rutland is the only place we have visited that is so democratic that we were allowed to “sit” in the Judges Seat whilst the Magistrate’s Court was not in session. We were told this was allowed as the Court “belongs to the people” who pay for it through taxation.

The Emei Mountain stone on Mount Rigi

Chinese Stone from Mount Emei Found in Switzerland! (25.10.2025)

According to reports, on Sept. 29, 2014, a 2.6-metric-ton conglomerate rock from Mount Rigi was installed at the Golden Summit of Mount Emei. In return, on July 31, 2015, an 8-metric-ton basalt rock from Mount Emei was set up at Rigi’s summit, Rigi Kulm.

According to the Leshan municipal government website, Emei and Rigi officially became sister mountains in 2009. The two sides agreed to exchange rocks to be placed at both summits as symbols of friendship.

The Mount Emei stone is a basalt rock formed around 260 million years ago. It is 2.6 meters tall, 1.5 metres wide, 1.5 metres thick at its deepest point, and weighs about 8.05 metric tons. (Gong Weiwei)

Playing Cricket in the Back Yards of UK Cities!

UK: British Council Film Archive ([1950] – Cricket Documentary! (25.9.2025)

At his peak, however, he was a very good all-rounder wielding the bat and ball. When a child, my father taught me all the rules of cricket and this is why I know a) how to play the game, and b) what is going on when watching it (we support Leicestershire County Cricket Club – and we watched them play once). I have tried to teach my partner and children – but the modern youth now have the internet to take their attention! I have played “in-door” cricket – as well as cricket on a proper pitch – and I never wore a helmet (I couldn’t afford one). When standing at the crease – the mind must be calm and expansive – clear and reflective. Peace and self-control must permeate reality – whilst the bat and ball must be properly utilised in a technically perfect manner. There is no hatred for the opposition – or unnecessary attachment to one’s team-mates – all are equal to the true gentleman. This is why I refer to cricket as a form of English Confucianism!

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