Turning into my road on the way back from the Osteopaths last week I froze at the police presence. As someone who suffers with Policeophobia (fear of clowns) I broke out in a sweat, there was even one on my doorstep. Thinking that maybe one of you sneaky readers had phoned them in a bid to help my mother break out from her under floorboard dwelling I approached cautiously, but I needn’t have worried, they were just going door to door due to all the burglaries in our area and letting us know they were stepping up patrols and handing out UV pens, the burglars obviously weren’t that worried either because they came back on Saturday to commit another one.

There has without doubt been an increase in burglaries in the Watford area recently, but lets face it as justice goes there really is absolutely no deterrent whatsoever.  If they get a short sentence the only suffering is boredom, and if they get a longer sentence they get to use the facilities, game of pool, TV, learn a course, three meals a day and as one young lad told me  “Best part is you don’t even have to pay rent” which just about sums  up what a rubbish system we have.  Surely something’s wrong  when you  have good honest people on the outside struggling to eat and pay for heating to keep  warm?                                        Watford Observer:

What’s the answer?  Well I’m all for rehabilitation but there needs to be a punishment that’s so hard and horrible that people don’t want to go back and I believe that to be a Boot camp run by ex army. I think there shouldn’t be a choice of food, it should be eat what’s in front of you or go without and there certainly shouldn’t be any of this ludicrous human rights allowed……what about the rights of the victim?  So what are your thoughts and what would you like to see happen ?

& while you’re mulling that over, it will give me a chance to tell you  about a new regular little feature.  After last weeks article where I mentioned Mike Harleys challenge to run a marathon in 28 EU countries in aid of the charity  Invest In ME  http://www.investinme.org/    many of you contacted me via facebook to say you were grateful for links and looking forward to following his journey, and seeing as I know of quite a few exciting challenges  coming up I thought I’d share them with you.  So this week we have another Mike, Mike Shepherd, who is running  The north pole 2015 marathon spurred on by the fact his daughter Beth has ME .  If that wasn’t awesome enough, Mike had a pacemaker fitted in 2012 making him the first to attempt this Chilly challenge.  You can read more about it on his Website: http://www.shepherdfitness.co.uk/  follow Mike on Twitter: @NorthPole2015ms    and if you fancy donating  : https://www.justgiving.com/Mike-Shepherd/ 

                  Watford Observer:

                  Watford Observer:

You’re probably wondering how I’m going to get from the topic of the North Pole to Valentines day huh?   Well as the saying goes “Cold hands warm heart” did someone mention heart? & Shaboom!  We’re there.

Not that I’m in any rush you understand?  the mere mention of the word has me reaching for the antacids.  So  Valentine was a Roman priest chappy put to death on February 14th AD273 for refusing to give up his Christian faith……...yeah, how romantic?  turns out the day coincided with a Roman festival called  Lupercalia that was held in honour of the gods Pan and Juno. The festival was said to have been bought to Britain by the Romans but the early Christian church frowned upon it, however, unable to stop others celebrating it they linked it with the name of St. Valentine, who became the Patron Saint of Lovers.  

I’m sure that somewhere in the deep dark depths of my body there is a romantic bone hibernating under fluff and cobwebs but if it knows what’s good for it,  it will stay there. Me and relationships are the same  as me and maths when I was at school,  failed miserably and just never understood it, hence being a  happy singleton & lifelong bachelorette ……Amen.  

                    Watford Observer:

But for  those of  you that indulge I wish you a very happy Valentines  day…….now pass the bucket.

                                     Til Next Week, Stay Blessed

                                        Back Before Elvis XXX

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