Today I have mainly been V5.0

At least you are wearing your seat belt.
Saved £100 right there!

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That’s exactly what I’m wearing.

It’s the strap of a Freitag bag that is made from upcycled artic tarps and car seatbelts.

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Oooh, get you Mr Woke :smirk:

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Up onto Dartmoor with 3000 others to protest about the freedom to wild camp.

(The dozy looking one to the left of the banner)

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I know I don’t need to tell you this but push-fit waste is the absolute fucking worst connection you will ever get.

When you are fucking on sorting this, seek out all other waste runs and rip them out and use solvent.

Or compression (McAlpine).

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So the event today was organised as a response to a high court ruling that found in favour of a Dartmoor landowner (hedgefund manager) and which removed the right to wild camp in the one remaining part of England where it was legal to do it.

Dartmoor National Park has since negotiated some kind of arrangement with some of Dartmoor’s landowners but it’s on a permissive basis (which could be withdrawn anytime) rather than an open entitlement to camp on the land there.

The organisers of this event aren’t happy and seemed genuinely surprised by the turnout today. I guess it was similar in scale & feel to the mass trespass events that occurred in the Peak District 90 years ago.

Gathering in the village of Cornwood.

Speeches before heading up to the moor.

Participants had been invited to bring drums & other musical instruments as well as banners.

My phone battery died at this point.

Once upon on the open moor the crowd gathered while a few made further speeches & then summoned the spirit of the moor, Old Crockern who magically appeared from the top of the hill surrounded by a band.

A good afternoon, there are plans for another event in the Spring if the restrictions aren’t lifted.
Even at an event like this, there’s evidently a simmering discontent about perceived inequality (in society generally) amongst participants. I imagine we were all breaking Suella’s new protest laws as well although the few police on hand weren’t that bothered.

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You made the papers!

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And the bbc coverage

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Called 111 yesterday as the boy has a bad wrist and the pharmacist suggested to get an x-ray. Spoke to the “go through the list” person, who said that a nurse would call back. Who did - at 5am. Thanks for that.

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Thats pretty much par for the course in my experience.

Have to say my most recent experience was positive. Rang 111 a bit after 7a.m. due to serious pain from Sciatica. Went through the list then said the’d contact my GP who would then call me. Yeh right I thought. A bit after 8 the surgery rang and I had a GP appointment by half ten.

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Not such a bad thing.

The night Mrs VB called about my brain haemorrhage she said:

“He thinks he might have hurt his neck. But now the pain’s moved up through his whole head. He’s got dizziness and visual disturbance. He can no longer stand. He’s confused and his attention is coming and going. He’s nauseous.”

What they seem to have heard:

“He thinks he might have hurt his neck.” That’ll be Category 2 then. We’ll get round to it when we’ve got a minute.

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I liked this little clip from yesterday. They were very lucky with the weather & the golden light by the time we got up to Stall barrow.

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Old Crockern reminds me of a Shoebill :grinning:

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Doesn’t take much imagination to see the dinosaur lineage in that!

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Nurse: go to St Albans hospital to get an x-ray.

St Albans hospital: no appointment? Fuck off then.

Lovely.

We were invited to the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations for a couple in the village.
They arrived for their vow renewals in a 1939 Bentley Sport Tourer (also a village resident)…

Service in a superstition room…

Then lunch at The Nelson…

Great day all round. It never hurts to get a free feed and watering :drooling_face:

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A pleasant walk in the woods.

I fully expected to see a Hobbit emerge from the trees.

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Firming up the gig schedule for the first half of the year. A couple more gigs booked.

Also priced up a couple of nights in mainland Europe for a gig and I’m looking at ~£500 travel and hotel before you start budgeting for coke and hookers. Yeah, might have to swerve that one.

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