The One- eyed Rumanian

A discussion on necromancy and the skills of Dr John Dee was followed a little later by an exchange with a couple of Pentacostalists who pressed a tract on me which advises that I can be washed in the blood of the Lamb. Ever likely the poor thing is looking a little peaky

A friend told me that he knew an Irish Nurse whose maxim was “Never resist the call of the stool"

Work. A discussion on how strange Biddulph Moor is. Man buys bundles of sticks for heater or is it for engage in witch burning?

Roy the former security bloke has a list of records that he hates hearing over the supermarket system. They include Lyin Eyes by Eagles, anything by Billy Joel, Christmas time by Cliff Richard, and that really annoying Hello one with the young Canadian woman with the whimpering voice. I agree with him on that one.

 The one eyed Rumanian appears with girlfriend and begins to fondle her breasts in front of me. Of course it could be his sister and Borat might be correct after all

Person buys People's Friend with picture of Scottish Highlands. I wonder what the content is like? I suppose its short on car alarms going off, helicopters pursuing youths through urban landscapes and cries of " hit him Tracey" in the night.

Work. Man moved from Droylsden to Leek. Could not be happier. " No more car alarms, no more helicopters overhead, no more shouts in the night " hit him Tracey".

Work. Sold Colliers Cheese. Pity that there are no pits left for the Colliers to eat the cheese.

My first domestic tiff for some time in front of me. The bloke big raw boned farmer type is bullying his rather timid wife. I imagine that it will be too much and that one day she will hit him with a shovel and then feed him to the pigs (As long as we don't get the bacon). It will be like a rustic Cluedo. Mrs McGregor with a shovel in the cess pit. But only you dear reader and I will know the truth

On a not very clear day you can see Crewe

I have a week off and so we went for a walk up to the Cloud above Congleton. Its about 800 feet high. The view was not very clear. Crewe was visible and that was about it and no distant views of the Welsh mountains. On a very clear day you should be able to see well into the Clwydian Hills and Liverpool and in the other direction Manchester and Winter Hill. Alderley Edge could be seen just to the right. Some one told me that on a June day in 1996 they were on the ridge looking towards Manchester when they saw a very odd multi rainbow effect above the city. They were witnessing the IRA bombs being detonated in Manchester and the strange view was down to the light being reflected in the millions of shards of glass.

We met up with a friend Simon Daniels and we spoke of a walk up to Morridge one winters day. We passed a line of washing on which was a pair of very large bloomers which Simon described as belly smackers. They reminded him of his grand mother who used to go to the same knicker man on a stall at Longton Market for years

The wind and the sun

I had a very abrasive woman at the till who was ordering me around as if I was a serf. generally and I realise that there is an element of generalisation about this the most up tight lot are those from the south of England. As a rule of thumb the most chatty are the furthest north and south of the London area. I was chatting to an elderly woman who used to work in a shop in Kent who rather confirmed my view.

I later told a woman the Aesop Fable of the Wind and the Sun. In my experience you get the best out of people by simple things like eye contact, a smile and engaging in pleasantries. I don't think its a hard trick to master

Woman from Hull. I once saw an article in a Manchester magazine about a Zombie film that had as a strap line when Hell is full than zombies will stalk the earth. Someone in the East Yorkshire place had substituted a U for an E in Hell. A friend told me that he had never seen poverty in the way that he saw poverty in Hull.

It was raining today and I was moved to burst into the song from Annie "The sun will come out tomorrow"

The net closes in

"Where's the Soreen? Doreen", I cheerfully say to a middle aged woman. "Its years since I recall that she says.  She thinks the name Doreen is set for a revival. I doubt it

Job losses headlined in the local newspaper. Man involved says that people from the Building Society have been offered work in Manchester. The cost of working in Manchester would be about £30/ 40 a day extra when you consider travel, rail fare, driving to station, parking. Is it economic? You have to wonder.

Newspapers full of pictures of Stuart Hall. All the icons of British Childrens TV of the 60s and 70s seem to have caught up in some form of scandal. I say that they will be after Zebedee next

Alpine Climbers

 Man with sweatshirt with the words" Ah mon genoux" explains that he damaged his knee whilst climbing two years ago in the French Alps. It was near a shierak and he explains what exactly one is- an ice overhang. Strangely this is the second time I have heard this word. I heard this word sometime ago on Radio 4 on a discussion on a terrible accident on K2 when several climbers were killed when a shierak gave way

 Woman wants me to check her empty bags. I have never done this and will not I am a trusting soul. She says she had to do this when she shopped in the States. She lived in Glastonbury, Connecticut for several years and this is what they did. Do they think all shoppers are thieves in New England ?

Strong beer bought by man. Beer bought by JW Lees of Manchester. 7.8 proof very much a case of Goodnight Vienna if you drink too much of this or at the very least Goodnight Crumpsall, I recall seeing a 19th century photo of a man being carried out of a Manchester pub with the caption " the fastest way out of Manchester"