The Law of Unintended Consequences
BY JIM WEBSTER I don’t often apologise to the government of the People’s Republic of China but I confess I have been somewhat sceptical about their sincerity when it comes to cutting carbon emissions. But apparently they are trying. The government laid down strict limits on the amount of energy that could be used in various provinces. But when lockdown ended, there were a lot … Continue reading The Law of Unintended Consequences
Is Brexit to Blame for Everything?
BY EFFIE DEANS I have finally come to my senses. I repent. If only I had a time machine I would go back to June 2016 and vote to Remain. I began to realise what an awful rotter I was when a mysterious new virus began to emerge from China. It was obviously caused by Brexit. If only I’d not voted to Leave then Prince … Continue reading Is Brexit to Blame for Everything?
A Prayer for Comfort
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine I trust that You are well and healthy. Having suffered the super cold last week, may I recommend that You do Your level best to avoid it. This Sunday I would like You to consider the human need for comfort. What does the Bible say about comfort? 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our … Continue reading A Prayer for Comfort
Playing the Mental Health Card
CSM EDITORIAL There is an individual who has been pestering high profile women for over a decade. From the comfort of his bedroom he searches each and every listing about them online. He questions those close to his victims. He follows victims on social media using aliases. He is highly organised and what the police call a ‘professional troll’, although he is yet to distinguish … Continue reading Playing the Mental Health Card
Supermarket Etiquette
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN The War Office sent me up to Lidl last Sunday in search of a tub of mango sorbet – only sold there – which she needed to accompany a post-roast pudding. She insisted that I return before half ten as I was needed for rugby matchday taxi duties for my eleven-year-old. Guests were coming for lunch, and we were running a tight … Continue reading Supermarket Etiquette
Milking It
BY JIM WEBSTER I’ve spent a lot of time with milk cows. Milking them isn’t a cheap hobby. A lot of dairy farms have a business model which resembles a hosepipe. You get in quite a lot of money from the milk cheque but then it moves down the hosepipe at speed, and sprays the money out to your suppliers and the bank. Hopefully enough … Continue reading Milking It
Transtoryphobia
BY TARQUIN SUTHERLAND After last week’s storm in a soy latte that was the Labour Party Conference and the frankly hilarious inability of the comrades attending to be able to define just what constitutes a ‘woman’ even in this day and age – an imbecilic debacle to be forever known as ‘cervixgate’ – we have the Conservative Party Conference in full swing now held in … Continue reading Transtoryphobia
The Inhumanity of the Animal Rights Lobby
BY IWMC We should never forget that The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established 50 years before the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In August, Ndoskoy Sangau (9), Sangau Metui (10), Sanka Saning’o (10) were killed by lions in a nature conservation area. It was a brutal reminder of the growing risk of human wildlife conflict … Continue reading The Inhumanity of the Animal Rights Lobby
Misandry & Murder
BY EFFIE DEANS If there is a terrorist attack committed by a British Muslim, we are not allowed to make generalisations about Muslims. For instance, if I wrote a sign saying “End Muslim violence” this would be considered to be Islamophobic and racist. If there were a murder committed by someone who had arrived in Britain from Turkey, it would likewise be considered xenophobic and … Continue reading Misandry & Murder
A Prayer for the Mentally Ill
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You and Your families are well and prosperous. This week I would like to draw Your attention to those suffering from mental illness. This could be someone You know, even someone close to You in the family or at work. At times it may seem like a lottery You never wanted to win, either knowing or … Continue reading A Prayer for the Mentally Ill
Buxton’s Rambler Plague
BY JAMES BEMBRIDGE Regrettably I have come to the conclusion that most ramblers (at least those around here in Buxton and its surrounds) ask for directions simply to make sport of inconveniencing the locals. It is but one method of irritation in an arsenal of many. Others include an obstinate refusal to observe public footpaths, and – encouraged by shows like BBC’s Springwatch which present … Continue reading Buxton’s Rambler Plague
Lockdowns: Entrapment of the Global Economy
BY BERNADETTE SPOFFORTH You cannot shut down an economy without catastrophic long-term damage. The damage of unintended consequences permeates like the butterfly effect, reaching industries and supply chains not even originally considered. From copper to turkeys, all products are made somewhere, and all services are provided by someone. Those who enjoyed their 18 months of “rest” will blame Brexit for the inflation that hits their … Continue reading Lockdowns: Entrapment of the Global Economy
Farm to Fork
BY NICK PEARCE Providing a seasonal tour of a traditional farming year, passionate beef farmer Joe Stanley seeks to bridge this knowledge gap and inform the reader about the journey their food takes before it gets to the plate, revealing the realities of modern agricultural life for a British lowland farmer. Drawing on a lifetime of experience, he strips observations of the countryside and agricultural … Continue reading Farm to Fork
The Arrogance of Ignorance
BY DANIEL JUPP The above came up on my Facebook newsfeed as one of those pronouncements that goes viral, having attracted the applause of many people on the Left who share its sentiments. It was written by a US college professor called Peter Bolland, and it struck me as saying something important, just not for any of the reasons Professor Bolland asserts. It is, of … Continue reading The Arrogance of Ignorance
A Shadow of a Labour Conference
BY JON ALEXANDER It’s Labour Party Conference time again which means all the nutters are out on social media deluding themselves that next election they’ll be in government. It’s the political equivalent of a full-moon and gives us enough laughs to see us through those dark winter nights which will soon be fast drawing in. Already today I’ve been accused of being a “beta male” … Continue reading A Shadow of a Labour Conference
Live Life to the Full
BY ALEX STORY After a week away from home, I walk in. Not a sound. I take a few tentative steps into the flat. I open the door to the living room. There in total silence, my four children, each with their own devices, slouch on the sofa. They barely notice me. For a second, a pair of eyes zeroes in on me, only to … Continue reading Live Life to the Full
Keep on Trucking?
BY JIM WEBSTER Why would anybody be a lorry driver? The pay dropped because companies employed cheap labour from abroad. To an extent that is still happening with delivery drivers. We’ve had a charming Bulgarian man come into our yard looking for somebody else (we’re just the postcode). His only sentence in English was ‘I am from Bulgaria and don’t speak English’. To show us … Continue reading Keep on Trucking?
A Prayer For Those with Cancer
VICAR Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well. This week I have sensed a change in the air, as autumn descends. The farmers are busy around here completing harvest and the children are back at school. There is a normality about after a year and a half of extraordinary circumstances. Let us hope that We are over the worst of … Continue reading A Prayer For Those with Cancer
Tiers Before Bedtime
BY TARQUIN SUTHERLAND Is the fact that we appear to be staggering blindly into a two-tier society worth crying about? It should be. Tears of remorse, maybe? Or as in ‘for crying out loud’? The comedian Geoff Norcott recently cracked a gag about the position we have found ourselves in, it goes: Person 1: “Do you regret voting for a Conservative government?” Person 2: “I … Continue reading Tiers Before Bedtime
Crab Curry
BY RUCHIRA GHOSH Ingredients: Crabs, ( 500 gm) cut into pieces 2 Potatoes, cut into halves Onion paste 1 teaspoon Garlic paste 1-1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste 1-1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon Red chili powder 1 tsp Cumin powder 1-1/2 teaspoon Coriander powder Salt , as per taste 1/2 teaspoon Sugar 2 tbsps tomato puree 2 Green chilies 2 Cardamom pods 2 Cloves 1/2 inch Cinnamon stick 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder 3 tbsp Mustard oil Method: Clean the crabs with … Continue reading Crab Curry