There seems to be some progress as regards a ceasefire as talks continue in Paris and elsewhere.

M.H.O.
Hamas is getting round the negotiating table mainly because Gaza is overrun by Israeli soldiers who have a strategic strangle hold on Gaza therefore stifling Hamas, in other words Hamas is getting it's butt kicked. Hamas needs to take stock and the only way they can do that is to create a breathing space by playing along and stalling for time at the talks {i.e. a ceasefire} so they can regroup. I don't think Hamas really knew what behemoth they had awoken in Israel when they raided in October, but they certainly know now and they are paying the price along with many thousands of innocent people on both sides.

Hamas has always said it is the sworn enemy of Israel, so the upshot is why should Israel give them an inch!.......How is it going to end? it's anyone's guess, but you can rest assured the killing will continue.

After watching last nights Question time the usual topic arose concerning Gaza. Jill Kirby {columnist} was on the panel and she pretty much said {or tried to say} what I was thinking but she got shouted down.
Everybody is screaming about the high death rate in Gaza {rightly so} and why isn't there an immediate ceasefire, but from what I can see of the situation is yes Netanyahu firstly wants revenge but also to be rid of Hamas. He's possibly seen what happened in the previous conflicts concerning Saddam Hussien and Gaddafi years ago, forces went in and "liberated" the countries and toppled the dictators then just left leaving a vacuum so the rebels who were routed were able to return and those countries are virtually back to square one, all that time money and moreover lives lost and for what.
M.H.O.
I believe Netanyahu's philosophy is not to get into that situation, he sees it's his job to annihilate Hamas completely and avoid Hamas ever returning by completely wiping them out at any cost, and as everybody can witness it's not easy and it's bloody.

Apparently there's a page you can go to on the Council website I believe it's called "Fix my road or street" something like that where you can report potholes on your street.

If you want to see potholes at their worst just go round the Arkwright roundabout on the way to Bolsover it's beyond a joke.

Latest on Hagg hill....... the potholes must be breeding, there's new ones every time I go along that road.

Update on the update.....Hagg hill is almost as bad again, kids with seaside buckets and spades could do a better job. It's false economy to just keep going back to the same stretch of road and fill in potholes it must be quicker and possibly cheaper to re surface.

If I have to watch a cookery programme, then it is Rick Stein, who goes to some great places to cook, and he isn't one of those over-enthusiastic wannabe gobby celebs...

Yes Rick Stein has come along way since his debut on one of Keith Floyds cookery shows, unfortunately he's not one of my favourites and as it turns out he is not very well liked amongst the people living in Padstow either {or as it's referred to now Padstein}. I remember visiting Cornwall in the mid 80's with friends and the four of us had booked and visited R.S. restaurant in Padstow, along with a couple of drinks each the bill came to just shy of £160 and that was almost 40years ago so what's he charging now? I have also found out he now has competition in Padstow, another "chef" has set up camp and opened up a restaurant there and he's just as expensive.
 

Every time they put the stamp prices up it's another nail on the R.M.'s coffin.

Lets face it the vast % of what drops on your doormat is junk nowadays, but good or bad this is what is helping keep them afloat.
I was a latecomer to technology {computers mobiles and the like} not till I was in my 60's and I still haven't fully grasped all it has to offer, this is why I still insist on hard copies of my bills etc. by post, even though I can usually look it up on line. There are some companies I deal with that tell me they will charge me for a postal bill, for example EE charges £3:80 per posted bill and it probably costs them 50p tops to send it out, but I work on the principal of while ever I need a posted bill delivering there's a need for a postman/woman.


 

Latest on Hagg hill....... the potholes must be breeding, there's new ones every time I go along that road.

Most of this countries woes can be attributed to the fact we no longer have our own manufacturing base.

The troubles with cargo ships in the Suez canal...the troubles with Russia are just part of why we are struggling. We no longer manufacture goods here for our own internal market, we have to rely too much on imports and that isn't good.
Once upon a time we and our products were the envy of the world, we exported far more than we imported safe in the knowledge it was top class merchandise, and what we did import was vital, when was the last time you shopped and picked a product with the British kite mark on?
We are now relying on cheap Eastern imports, most of which {especially electrical goods} are turning out to be cheaply made and dangerous the vast percentage of our gas and electric comes from abroad especially with electric we are pumping millions into a French electric company to build nuclear power stations here and very little building work is being done, one site I believe is 15 years in the making and is still far from complete, even the solar panel farms we erect in our fields are made abroad.
Even our national bus company {Stagecoach} is German owned, same with the water companies owned by foreign companies.

We need to go back to manufacturing our own goods and start showing the world we can still be a force to be reckoned with. The British brand has been diluted so many times over the past sixty odd years it's no longer recognisable.

Start producing BRITISH cars, white goods other electrical goods etc. stop relying on foreign imports, if it could be produced here don't import it.