Will you take my unwanted gold items?

So, now we have it: the final demise of the economic system!

Today I received the following message from my bank ...

"Following years of declining cheque usage, extensive research and reducing acceptance amongst retailers, the Payments Council has agreed to an industry-wide withdrawal of the Cheque Guarantee Scheme on 30 June 2011.

In line with this announcement, from 1 June any renewal and replacement Visa Debit cards will no longer carry the cheque guarantee logo and customers with these cards will no longer be able to guarantee cheques.

You can continue to use unguaranteed cheques, where accepted, and cheque books will continue to be available in the usual way."

Now, retailers won't accept cheques.
I won't need to carry a writing implement.
We've all got to remember (and be secretive about) various PINs, passwords and security questions.
Britannia has disappeared from our coinage.
The Bank of England has no gold reserves, but appears confident that the loyal tax-payer will cough up to fund the nation's debt.
We are obliged to have 'plastic' money. Cards, of course, are derived from hydrocarbons - fossil fuels - consumption of which should be minimised if we are to avoid global conflagration.

Bring back promissory notes, say I.
(Such notes, of course, must be written on recyclable paper manufactured from wood-pulp obtained from sustainable forests.)
Let us barter goods for services.
Let us cautiously re-embrace mutual trust.
Re-open those ancient debtors' prisons!

Here's another anecdotal piece of nonesense ...

I have a friend who recently applied for a credit card.
"No," said the banks.
On enquiring, "Why not?" she was informed that she didn't have any 'credit rating'.
"But I've never had a loan/debt/overdraft in my life!" she responded.
"Precisely!" replied her advisor.

No debts = no credit!
That doesn't make sense to me.

Now, what was my mother's maiden name?!!!

For Amy

Here's a tune I'd like to share.
It was written by Charlie Laurenson, a Shetland Island fiddler, for his wife, Maggie-Ann.
Charlie, still living in Shetland, is a relative of my wife.
He generously gave her this manuscript (without copyright) when we visited in 2000.

Please play it.

Being Saint Patrick's Day ...

Here's his breastplate ...



I first came across this song as a tedious dirge in my local church. Under the direction of a formidable choir-leader, Miss Belchamber. We were AWFUL!

Then I discovered Rita Connolly with orchestration by Shaun Davey, recorded on The Pilgrim (Tara Music, 1994.)

Then I found this pretty lady.

Is she miming?
Her mother assures me that she's not!