flanerie

Hurrah for the Lords!

Yes! Thank goodness for them all – each and every unelected one of them.

Manchester does not (yet) get a super-casino.

A Manchester MP – Tony Lloyd, claims that voting against the casino would be a “vote against Manchester”. I beg to disagree. Do we not already have enough knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing morons infesting the place? Why try and attract more?

“My city and my constituency is [sic] still one of the poorest parts of this country”, says the MP. So of course, I suppose he believes the casino would make people richer? I’m sure it would make a hell of a lot of money, but it would all be taken from the pockets of his constituents – not put into them.

I applaud the decision of the Lords. If the so-called super-casino were ever to become a reality, Tony Lloyd’s constituents and city would be all the poorer – culturally, financially and spiritually.

Every little hurts

I am proud to be able to say that I am no longer a patron of Tesco’s supermarkets. The many reasons why this is an excellent idea are detailed at Tescopoly. I was increasingly fed up with all the packaging, the terrible effects on British farming and dairies, and the fact that so much produce is flown in from far and wide.

Why buy New Zealand lamb? Really – what’s the point? I buy superb quality lamb born and reared not 20 miles from my front door. Why buy apples imported from Italy, the USA and from all other points of the compass, when our own traditional apple growing businesses should be supported?

I now exclusively shop at independent, small farming businesses, markets and cooperatives, and I urge everyone else to do the same – you may be surprised at the lack of extra expense. Now I’m doing better “home economics” with buying a big joint of meat and making it last for the best part of a week (including the bones, for stock), my grocery bill has actually gone down. Fresh veg from local producers, in particular, is both better and cheaper than the insipid, over-packaged supermarket veg (the varieties of which are chosen for their longevity on the shelf rather than for any considerations of taste).

I will doubtless revisit this topic, but for the time being, here are some recommendations for food shopping in the Manchester area:

Unicorn Grocery – a cooperative in Chorlton (no meat or dairy products, though)
Bury Market
N. Knowles and Son – butchers

Finding good quality sources for food is a piece of cake – look at the Big Barn website for a searchable database.

I’m back

*dusts cobwebs off blog*

Hello. I’m still alive – and will be blogging again. The lovely Miss Despina has already given you a run down on what I’ve been keeping myself busy with over the past year or so. And now I will venture back into the blogging fray.

But…

Most blogging will be going on at my professional blog, which I set up last year and then left mothballed, much like this one.

Can’t stop now though – I need my beauty sleep, so as to be ready to get my wisdom teeth yanked out in the morning. The fun never stops.