Finding a New NHS Dentist is a Pain in the Arse

So I thought that now as the old ticker is more or less sorted l'll get the nashers done, but finding a new NHS dentist who'll take me on is a pain in the arse.

Sheringham won't take me back because I didn't make an appointment to see them last year, and they won't bend their rules a little even after I told them that the reason I couldn't see them last year was because I was ill.

When Mr. Jolly Lived Next Door

When people of a certain age think of Nicholas Parsons, they probably think of Sale of the Century. The phrase “live from Norwich, it’s the quiz of the week!” was made all the more special if you lived from Norwich, even though we found out years later that the show wasn’t actually live. Although to be honest with you the sight of Nicholas Parsons trying to convince people to buy mink coats, rickety-looking caravans and brown and beige family saloon cars for knockdown prices didn’t exactly appeal to me at the time.

Mr. Parsons’ appeal to me changed a great deal on the night of March 5th, 1988, when we found out that a certain Mr. Jolly lived next door.

Taylor Swift is Better Than You....and the Baby Jesus

I was browsing through Twitter the other day, as you do, when I came across this little gem, posted on Christmas Day. Here’s the screenshot:

Songs That Are 50 Years Old In 2020

Here's something that may make some of you feel old, a selection of songs that reach the ripe old age of 50 in 2020, songs that were either originally released or hit the UK charts in 1970.

Only 28 at the moment. More will be added later. Enjoy!

Bye Bye WWE!

Today is a big day for those who watch professional wrestling on television here in the United Kingdom, because today, December 31st, 2019, after over thirty years, Sky’s contract with World Wrestling Entertainment comes to an end. From tomorrow all WWE programming will be available on BT Sports. I don’t subscribe to BT Sports, or the WWE Network for that matter, so for the first time since the summer of 1989 I won’t have access to any new WWE material.

And you know what? I’m really not that bothered about it.

Wouldn't You Rather Wait For Good Service?

Having just come from the pharmarcy at the surgery, where everyone who joined the que behind me moaned about not being served quickly, I now have the urge to ask this kind of question again.

Would you rather wait to be served properly be a medical professional, or would you prefer to be rushed through the system in the way some supermarkets rush through their customers?

It's Been Almost Twenty Years.....

So it occured to me the other day next year will be the 20th anniversary of The Two Sheds Review. From the proverbial humble beginnings in a long-forgotten e-mail newsletter it grew to the point where it was syndicated to twenty-plus website and news sources at one point, with a monthly combined readership of over half a million people.

It helped local wrestling promotions gain the type of worldwide promotion they'd never experienced before. It helped the careers of both veterans and rookies. It continued through both personal and professional heartache, and ran almost constantly until events took my life in a different direction in 2016.

So I'm Having Another Heart Operation.....

So yesterday was my long-awaited trip to the hospital for two more tests and a consultation with the cardiologist.The outcome is that I'll be undergoing a procedure called a Cardioversion early next year.

World Mental Health Day: A Question For You

Here's a question for you on World Mental Health Day:

Is it okay for a mental health "advocate" to accuse others of faking their mental illness?

I'm not going to name this person, all I will say is that this person has suffered from mental health problems themselves but has taken to social media on a number of occasions to accuse people of faking things like depression.

Screw It. If My Ex-Boss Wants To Call Me A Liar.....

Screw it. If my ex-boss wants to call me a liar then so be it. The people that matter, the important people in my life, know exactly why her business closed down, and if she wants to tell people otherwise then that's her choice. If she wants to continue to score points at my expense because it makes her feel better, and makes her look better in the eyes of her friends and family, then that's her choice as well. 

Remembering the Alphans

It was twenty years ago today, on September 13th, 1999, that the world suffered one of it’s most catastrophic disasters of all time, because it was on that day that our moon was blasted out of it’s own orbit.

In truth, the accident was entirely mankind’s fault. The governments of the world, for some stupid reason, had decided that the moon was the best place to store waste from it’s nuclear power stations. Out of place, out of mind, as the old saying goes. But this practice came back to bite them on their backsides when a massive nuclear explosion rocked the moon, sending it hurtling into deep space.

Cromer High School Blog: A Quick Message for You All

A quick message to you all:

It's been a bit of a hectic 24 hours since I posted my blog about my experiences at Cromer High School, now Cromer Academy. At the time of writing it's been viewed nearby 1,000 times, and has been shared quite a few times on Facebook as well.

I've also had quite a few messages from people far and wide, some who were at Cromer High the same time as me, some from people who were in the same year as me, and some from people I've met and become friends with in the years after. All of them have offered support and praised me for speaking out about my experiences back in the 80's.

Sorry Cromer High, But I Won't Be Celebrating Your Anniversary

Today Cromer Academy, or Cromer High School as it was known when I went there, celebrated it’s 70th anniversary with an open day, a day in which former pupils and staff members gathered together to share memories of years gone by. Yours truly wasn’t one of those who attended. The reasons why I didn’t go are simple, because to be completely honest and blunt with you Cromer High School failed me.

It's Just a Series of Job Interviews, Isn't It?

So the question that almost everyone in the United Kingdom is asking is who will be our next Prime Minister. There’s currently six fellows trying to get the job, and they’ve all done their best to secure the votes of the Conservative Party faithful during yesterday’s television debate and today’s media hustings. Well, almost everyone, because the front runner, Boris Johnson, was rather conspicuous by his absence from both of these high-profile events.

What a lot of people don’t realise is that these events are essentially job interviews. These well-educated men are more-or-less being interviewed for the most powerful job in the land. Yet Boris doesn’t seem to think he needs to attend these interviews.

My Day in Court: The Statement That Wasn't Needed

Those of you who read my blog and who follow me on social media will know of the problems I've faced with regards to my former employer at Claws 'N' Paws in Sheringham. Needless to say that it's been a very messy situation, and it's a situation that led me to instigate Employment Tribunal proceedings against her in an attempt to get the wages she still owes me.

In the run-up to the hearing this past Friday I conducted countless hours of research so I knew what to expect. To help my case I wrote a statement that I intended to make during the hearing. However, I never got to read this statement, mainly because my former employer no-showed, which meant that as she had no defense to offer the Judge ruled in my favour.

This meant that the statement I had prepared wasn't needed. So instead of shelving it I've decided to post it here. The statement basically tells of the situation I and my co-workers were placed in the run-up to the shop's closure, how we were treated, and how my former employer behaved.

As far as what exactly took place during the hearing, I will probably write a blog about that day in due course, but it's probably best to leave it until I get the full written judgement from the tribunal.

Life Will Go On For Jamie Oliver

Companies going out of business is nothing new, especially in times made more uncertain by the UK’s fragile government and it’s attempt to leave the European Union. One search business that hit the headlines this week was the restaurant chain owned by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The staff at his restaurants are in for a difficult time. The majority of them didn’t know that something was wrong until administrators turned up at their front doors to shut them down.

New Fiction Addition: The Dawning of the New Age

As war ravages mainland Europe, a strange force attacks both Allied and Axis targets, while a powerful force makes plans for the New Age that is to come.

Originally written in 1994, The Dawning of the New Age is a prequel story to what turned out to be the biggest Anglo-Force story I'd ever written, featuring not only the "original" war-time Anglo-Force team, but also some of their allies from Marvel's The Invaders and DC's Justice Society of America. You can read the full story by visiting the chapters below.

New (Old) Fiction Addition: Inauguration: Full Story Now Online

Legendary figures from across the galaxy gather on Babylon 5 to witness and celebate the inauguration of new Federation President James Watt, but there are those who want to disrupt the event.

With a cast of dozens spanning three Star Trek series, and the first appearance of characters from Babylon 5, "Inauguration" was, at the time, the biggest story from The Valkyrie Chronicles unique universe, and you can now read the entire story by visiting the links below.

Why I Backed a Winner, and Why I Couldn't Vote for John Lee

So it’s over until the next election in a few week’s time, and if the local elections in England are anything to go by then we all apparently voted the way we did because we’re so fed up with the way the government and the opposition have handled Brexit.

If truth be known Brexit never entered into my thoughts when I cast my vote in the Suffield Park ward of North Norfolk yesterday afternoon, and neither did party allegiances. I voted for the person who I thought would be a good representative for the area, someone who has a track record of putting other people first, and that person was the Liberal Democrat’s candidate Emma Spagnola.

Don't They Knock on Doors Anymore?

Tomorrow is election day here in England, with most of the country going the polls to elect members of their local and district councils. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the current national problem we have here with Brexit, it’s more to do with things such as rubbish bin collection, park maintenance, you know the sort of thing.

In my part of the world, the Suffield Park area of Cromer, there are three candidates, one each for the country’s main political parties, looking to get my vote. Each of them have gone about campaigning in their own way, but I have to admit that I’m a little bit under whelmed by the whole thing.