Merry Christmas one and all.

 The Liverpool of my childhood was a magical place, I still love Christmas (Liverpool less) but those days just seem to have been a more simple time and I miss it, who needs the chaos and non stop media govt barrages of today? anyway enjoy your Christmas folks.

Get out of town

Some people wouldn't be seen dead in Liverpool it seems, I'm rather fond of the old place myself.

What to say?...how to say it.

In my travels around America I enjoy speaking to the various people I meet as I go about everyday life.....but do they enjoy speaking to me,or more precisely do they understand me? Most Americans when speaking to me seem bemused by my obviously English accent but they are confused as to my exact origin,the most popular attempts at my origin are Ireland and Australia. I take the time to explain that I am in fact English born, but due to my birth in Liverpool I am graced/plagued by a very distinctive and sometimes unintelligible accent known as 'Scouse'. Scouse,with its Irish/welsh origins is one of Englands most recognisable accents (as spoken by The Beatles) but for a non speaker it can sometimes be a bit of a handful. Americans also tend to be interested in the fact that only a couple of miles from my home accents begin to change rapidly and soon become so different as to be upon occasion mutually unintelligible,something that doesn't happen too much in America. My baby daughter Princess OTW is only learning to talk just now and despite my best efforts has already developed a mini Scouse accent...imagine a very babyish voice say words ending with k.....darkkkkk!.....I see a fortune in private schooling ahead!

England

I watched this clip today to cheer myself up as my summer here ends and I return home in the near future. Nulabour and its fellow traitors in the media can try as they might to destroy our country but it is still there....and always will be. To make this perfect I would have pictured my favourite chippy,Liverpool's skyline and my garden!

cheerio!

I spent last day in Napa yesterday before my leaving for good old blighty on sunday...bollocks! The day consisted of helping Vinomaker rid his land of the plague that seems to haunt him...the rest of us call them trees. All in all it was a pleasant day as winter in Napa isnt exactly onerous....downright balmy to tell the truth.The various trips upto Napa have given me the information I need to make a desicion as to the type of project house I'm looking for and where in the valley I want to buy....so a succesful trip. The whole trip has been made more interesting by the acccelerating political process,endless fun to be had watching professional pols turning sommersaults for the public. The differences between everyday life in America and that over the water was cast into stark relief more than ever.Americans may not feel as free or rich or safe as they once where..but in contrast to U.K. its still a veritable paradise..well for me anyway. But as all good things must come to an end I am ready for getting back to an England that seems more beleaguered than ever, a prospect made slightly easier by the people I will see again and the little things one misses when away...footie results while eating scouse on a saturday takes some beating..once a scouser etc!