I'm still struggling with the bug.
I've been stuck on the couch feeling crap and watching endless telly.
I've seen a whole series of programmes this week on food and farming and slaughter practices and the reality of farming and debates on ethics and all that sort of stuff.
A lot of it has been difficult to watch, but I forced myself.
I think everybody should be made aware of certain realities of where our food comes from.
One of the shows was called "Lie of the Land" and it featured the life of a dairy farmer.
He was a likeable sort and it made interesting viewing.
In one scene he supervised a purge on rats with some terriers.
The rats got chased into the open and then the terriers went into a frenzy and fatally munched them.
This reminded me of an episode in my childhood.
My Dad had a job as a headmaster at an "Approved School" (that's "Young Offenders' Institiution" these days).
He was friendly with the caretaker who bred terriers ; and one of the benefits of having the terriers was that it kept the rat population of the premises in check.
I remember him demonstrating how he trained the terriers to go for the rats.
When a terrier pup was 12 weeks old, it was deemed ready for "rat training".
He caught about 20 rats over a couple of days and kept them in a large wooden barrel.
He then dropped the pup in with the rats, put a lid over the barrel and sat on it.
All hell broke loose within the barrel...a deafening cacophony of squeaking and growling and scratching.
After a few minutes there'd be silence and he'd let the pup out.
All the rats inside were dead, and from that moment any time the pup saw a rat it would instantly go into attack mode and kill it.
Isn't that a charming, rural tale?
I'm not saying I approve of this, I'm just submitting evidence.
If one day I'm accused of going on a killing spree at my local Scotmid store, I will testify that witnessing this event as a 7 year old warped my mind, and since that day the "voices" in my head have commanded me to spray the people at the cold meats counter with automatic gunfire.
I'm joking of course!
4 comments:
If I ever hear of you rampaging around campus with an AK-47 it'll remind me of the time your dad put you in a barrel with a bunch of students and sat on the lid!
M G of D
Enjoying your new material Jimbo - your regular missives are a move forward - I feel a new setlist coming on....
it probably won't last...! :-)
How's the diet going?
Did you tell the famous Arran joke when you were there?
Q "Is that Goat Fell?"
A "No...it's just sitting doon...!"
oh how we laughed....
I'm eating considerably less but to no great effect thus far...
So it's all downside and no upside but I'm persevering..
"Sitting doon" indeed
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