Tag: pet

Workers of the World Unite!

UK: The Early 1980s Were Great Days – I Worked at the Interpet (Dorking Town) & the RNIB Tape-Recorder (Wallington) Factories! (15.7.2025)

Nowadays, of course, everybody and their cat listens to audiobooks – but this was certainly not the case then – or for many years afterwards (apps have replace all this industry and mechanisation). This all came about due to the system of free universal education the UK had then (Thatcher abolished it in 1988 if you remember). I spent a year or so at a College in the Reigate and Redhill area between 1983-1984 – before relocating to Hereford (all free at the point of us and paid for via collective taxation). In the Wallington factory I was put to work on the assembly line with the man sat to my left explaining my job. He had managed to come through the UK education system and remain totally illiterate (which is a remarkable feat considering the high calibre of State and Private (Public) education in the area – although neuro-diversity was not recognised at the time) – but to his credit he liked Bob Marley (this was interesting as he was White).

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Warm Placed Safely Back in Garden!

Paignton: Slow Worm [Legless Lizard] Found in Mum’s House! (15.4.2025)

We think there is a colony in the back-garden as they are protected by Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) – meaning it is “illegal” to disturb these animals. Slow Worms may not be killed or injured for any reason – and wild Slow Worms are not usually to be taken as pets. In the wild, Slow Worms can live up to 15-20 years – but in captivity a Slow Worm has reliably lived to 54-years. We think this is a male – as Slow Worms are waking-up and coming-out of hibernation – seeking to eat and breed. This Slow Warm was placed safely back in the grass!

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Zebra Finch Fledgling: A New Baby Bird Has Arrived! (24.10.2023)

Around 21-days ago I heard the tell-tale signs of high-pitched ‘squeaks’ emanating from the bird nest in the aviary! This group hatched a baby a few months ago (in the Summer of 2023) – but this poor little creature only lived for around a week – despite the colony of birds trying their best to help his survival. Nature is cruel. However, this bird is strong and healthily aggressive – and we can tell by his markings that he is a ‘male’. He has just left the nest and is sat on the floor of the cage – flapping his wings and occasionally ‘chirping’! The colony of birds are all exhibiting excellent parenting skills and group compassion! It is a joy to behold!

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Email: Sneaky Chinese Seating Arrangements!

The two other Chinese men went down with the ship and were drowned! When the Chinese survivors got to the US – they were ‘arrested’ (due to the ‘Chinese Exclusion Act’ and the fact the Ku Klux Klan was receiving tremendous local and national support for all six Chinese survivors to be publicly ‘lynched’ for their alleged crimes) and were put into the Concentration Camp kept for Chinese people on Ellis Island – the lesser of two evils, surely! Representatives of the (UK owned) Donald Steamship Company managed to ‘retrieve their property’ around April 19th, 1912 and spirited them away! Ironically, the US government ‘relaxed’ ALL Immigration red tape for arriving non-Americans out of sympathy for their plight – providing they were ‘White’!

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