Canada Bob

Most Bookies operate a self exclusion thing, after all gambling is an addiction, so they have a legal/moral/ethical obligation to have self inclusion in place, not that they are ethical or moral, it's simply to save them from litigation. The odd thing about this is, why they let the bloke carry on betting if they knew he'd sort of banned himself. At the end of the day, business is business, it's all about taking {not making} money, I doubt that a drug dealer would want to ban one of his best "clients", what makes a Bookie any different... On a lighter note, will Jack Duckworth get his money on that Yankee, even though he's lost his slip ? you can see how that's going right now, "no slip, no money" and I've seen that card played more than once, going back over 40 years ago. A mate of mine had a 22 quid Yankee up {a massive stake in those days}, he didn't lose his slip, it was a postal bet with Hills office in Glasgow, here's how that went... After the first 3 went in he phones them up to ask "how much is going on the last horse" they tell him "about 700 quid" we go to watch the race in a local Bookies and the horse wins, he phones them back later to ask how much he has to draw, {about 5 grand} and they say... "we can't find the bet" !!! {even though a settler had told him what was going on the last horse}, and that's what they stuck to for months, even though he got a Lawyer involved, finally his Lawyer was going to appeal their License... they paid him... b*stards... Bottom line is though, Bookies are RUTHLESS, but Jack will get his money, as you would from almost any High Street Bookie these days, but some of the small fry will still argue the toss with you, IF they think they can get con you... If you have money some r sole will want what's yours, might be a Bookie, might be a woman {even one with a wooden leg, she'll still throw it over you if you're rich enough}, but there's more animals in the pack than these, pretty sick hey. Canada Bob.

Just got a call from them, they are on Weymouth today..

They are off to the Pub now, seems like Telford won in a canter :008: they must have enjoyed the match, me mate Graham could hardly speak on the phone, been shoutin' for Telford for 90 minutes :rolleyes02: How did I miss out on that :019: they're never far off that lot when they wade in... Canada Bob.

Hmmm, looks like the lads were right, they just phoned me as they're queing up for the Bovril, Telford are 2-0 up before ht, and I've nowt on 'em :008: Canada Bob.

Just had a phone call from one of the lads, they are off down the road tonight to watch Leigh RMI get beat by Telford. They say it's a cert as it's only 2 weeks ago since the reverse fixture, and Telford won that 6-1, since then Leigh haven't improved, but Telford have. They've gone for Telford in a BIG WAY at odds around 4/6, but I'll leave it, there's easier fruit to pick on Sid's tree... Canada Bob.

That's easy enough, it's the best time to flog off all the stuff you still have on the shelves before the end of the year, sigh... Canada Bob.

OK, on a more serious note... Why don't mosquito's die of malaria ? Canada Bob.

Why is there 'lectric still in the wire, when you've used it ? Gas aint like that ! Canada Bob.

I know it's a bit late to find out, but for those outside the UK who can't get the Scotland v Italy game on the telly, I hear that Betfair have it live on a link on their site... Canada Bob.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/765251/fire_fart_funny/

If it carries on like this, we'll be back to Planet of the Apes :003:

Don't know if you've all seen this already on your side of the pond, but it's just arrived in Canada... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKdQC-hbY7k Canada Bob.

No way ! That's just digitally enhanced and all that, the "white bird" is a natural talent ! Canada Bob.

Seeing is believing ! http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09...this-dance.html Canada Bob.

Letters from Iwo Jima, I think that was the title, something like that, but a very provocative movie in my book, make you wonder `what it`s all about` the hellish things that humans do to one another, just because they think God or some such thing is ?n ther side` seems to me that we can be a dangerous lot. Amazing how we can`t seem to live and let live hey... I`ve seen that Band of Brothers series, and again it takes the Hollywood edge off war, it aint fun anymore when it`s real people, with real families that you can relate to that are getting ripped to bits by shrapnel, cut down by a hail of bullets or setting men, women and children on fire... Me Dad and his brothers all did their bit in WWII now I can see why they didn`t have much to say about it when they came home. It`s not what Hollywood has fed us over the years, it aint Rambo in real life, it`s ferking horrific. I don`t know how they coped with it when they came back from WWII or the Falklands, or Iraq or Afghanistan, seeing what happened to their mates, or seeing what they`d done to the ?nemy`. It`s somewhat sobering enough watching stuff like that on the screen, gawd knows what effect it has on folks who see it happen right infront of them... Canada Bob.

Just watched Iwo Jima, expecting it to be all action, although there's plenty of that, it's one of those movies that makes you stop and think, sickens you to the gut a bit wondering how the **** we could do that to each other. It's >60 years since all this went on, and how times have changed... There I was, watching it on a Sony TV, a Fuji disk spinning round in a Pioneer DVD player, and so on, watching the brutality and humanity play their roles on both sides, makes you think... If you haven't seen it, it's well worth getting hold of... Canada Bob.

Hope you get it sorted Jb, he'd have been welcome here for a couple of weeks, just too far to send him on the bus that's the only problem... He'd like it wanderin around the forests round here, lots for him to take a look at... Canada Bob.

Don't know where I'd start, in the last 26 years weve lived in Ontario for 6 years, Quebec for 2 years, 17 years in Nova Scotia, and last year in Prince Edward Island, other than that we've visited the rest of the Provinces from time to time... As mentioned by Scotty, the middle bit {Saskatchewan & Manitoba} is an ocean sized prairie, Farmers and the like round there. Alberta has lots of nice places to see, but it's "Costa Tropo" these days. So, starting from the West, and working towards the best, grin, here's a brief review from me. Hard to beat the natural beauty of BC, long as you don't spend all yer time in Vancouver or Victoria, yet you could easily do that and have a great time, the views from the ocean towards Vancouver are spectacular. Between Vancouver and Victoria on Vancouver Island {that confuses folks}, in the Straights of "Juan de Fuca" {named after an unpopular Diego I'm told}, you have the Orca {killer whales, and salmon almost as big}. The whales aren't whales at all though, they are a species of Dolphin, magnificent beggers though. To see them leap clear out of the water is an experience you'll never forget. There's lots of great sea fishing, and I think that even for a non resident it's free to fish in the ocean, but check on that first. For "further & betters" check out the link below... http://www.hellobc.com/en-CA/default.htm The downside of going from Scotland to western Canada is the cost of the flight, and the time in the sky, probably looking at 12-14 hours, looks like Zoom fly Glasgow to Vancouver and to Calgary. If you went with Air Canada, BA et-al, you'd be dipped in it... Leaving out Alberta, mostly due to the flight times and the expense, the next place to consider would be Ontario. No ocean there, so no free fishing, no whales and so on, but the Great Lakes would fool you into thinking you were "at the seaside". I'd be here all night going on about "Upper Canada" best to take a look at what the Ontarians have to say for themselves, via this link... http://www.ontariotravel.net/TcisCtrl?site...amp;language=EN Lots of places to see in Ontario, most folks take in Niagara Falls, and although it's an hypnotic sight, its gone the way of Blackpool, "kiss me quick" and all that. Other places to see would include Toron'o, you'd have to take in a Baseball game there, {when in Rome and all that}, but there's lots to see and do there... Other places to see would include, Kingston and Ottawa. To get to Canada the airline of first choice for me is Zoom, out of Glasgow, modern 'planes, well maintained, and fares that can't be beat... http://www.flyzoom.com/index.cfm?fuseactio...Dsp.dspRouteMap If we don't fly Zoom then we book through Canadian Affair... http://www.canadianaffair.com/ Quebec, well, Quebec City has it over Montreal for me, but Montreal is great, especially if the fireworks competition is on, THE BEST fireworks display anywhere in the world ! nowt like it... Some absolutely beautiful places in Quebec, including... http://www.ssadb.qc.ca/en/index.htm I don't kick with me left foot, but this church is the most magnificent church that I've seen in North America, it certainly has a spirit of its own. This place is the North American Lourdes, with a reputation to match. I dropped on the village gassing the car up one time, on my way from Ontario to Nova Scotia. I decided to take the "alternate" for that read the quite/scenic route, on the left/north bank of the St Lawrence Seaway... That was about 15 years ago, now it's the only way I travel through Quebec, a very beautiful route that follows the St Lawrence. Crossing at St Simeon {towards New Brunswick} on the ferry is the best way to go, you're likely to see the Beluga {small white} whales... http://www.quebecmaritime.ca/vacation-acti...rry_202_ang.cfm Lots of places in PQ that deserve a mention, but again check their link... http://www.quebecweb.com/tourisme/introang.html Only one warning about Quebec... stay away from the women and the mosquito's, both are know to "eat Men with strange accents" they eat 'em alive, and I'm not kiddin' they are the fastest women on the planet, they like our accents the broader the better, and we tend to like theirs, grin... Best not get into that, or we'll get right off the beam... Next Province heading East is New Brunswick, 50% of the salmon caught in Canada are caught in the rivers of NB, mostly around the Miramichi... http://www.wilsonscamps.nb.ca/atlantic-salmon-fishing I know one of the best ghillies in New Brunswick, if you're into fishing then Darrel Warren is your man... http://www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/guides.html For most folks New Brunswick is fishing or hunting, just fishing for me, I c*nt shoot anything that hadn't held political office, to me a bear looks better in the woods, than on a mantlepiece... Saving the best till last, grin... take a look at the link... http://novascotia.com/en/home/default.aspx You can make a case for almost anywhere in Canada to see "how the other half live", or to taste the Canadian Experience, but Nova Scotia makes a lot of appeal if you want the short hop, just 5 hours or so across the pond, GLA to YHZ {Glasgow to Halifax}, and quite often the return tickets run less than ?200 plus taxes etc. I'd be hear alnight singing the praises of New Scotland, the beauty of the place, the great sea food, lobster second to none, and oysters that are the envy of the world. It starts at great food, and great accomodations, then add the micro breweries, the fishing and sailing, more whales than I've seen anywhere else, 35 in 5 hours, 5 different species, including 50 to 70ft Humpbacks, that let you come to within 10ft of them, gazing eye to eye, that's another memorable {to say the least} experience. The fishing is again free in the ocean, no license needed for that, I've never seen a Permit Man in the 26 years I've been here... Part of Nova Scotia is Cape Breton, the Cabot Trail is a must see... http://www.cbisland.com/index.php and you can't miss going to see the Bay of Fundy, where they have the biggest tides in the whole world... http://www.bayoffundytourism.com/tides/ Or the Highland Games and the Pipe Bands... http://www.halifaxhighlandgames.com/festival.asp Or the golf... http://www.golfnovascotia.com/ Aye, I'd say that Nove Scotia is more Scottish than some parts of Scotland, the Pipes, the Games, the Lassies, what more could you ask for... http://halifaxhighlandgames.com/games.asp Spoilt for choice is how it is, I've not even mentioned Prince Edward Island nor Newfoundland, nor the Via Rail train that travels from Montreal to Halifax, one of the classiest rail journeys in the world, still silver service on the train... http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_atla_hamo.html I guess it all depends on what turns your crank, if you like fishing or sailing, or what, but the link above should give you some idea. If there's any way I can help just let me know, I'm sure that you'd like it here, enough to stay for most folks... If I knew a better place, I'd be living there... Canada Bob.

I know your offer is for the US Clacher, and if you decide to head for Florida then I'm pretty certain that I could help you get a job there, at least something to help get you on your feet. Although FL is a great place to visit there's too many Diego's there for me, it's a wearying experience being greeted with "Hola" instead of "How do", so Florida in small doses is all I can take. As for Canada, well 26 years here, and having now lived in 4 Provinces, I can't find a better place in the world to live, for a lot of reasons. It's not the Rockies, or the rivers, or the lakes or the forests that make Canada a great place to live, it's the folks who live here, mostly immigrants by the way, there's more of us, than there is of them {the home growns}. Last time I looked at Stats Canada there was about 33 Million folks living here, approximately 15 Million were born here, the rest of us climbed aboard one way or another. No matter where the folks came from or what the mix is these days, you find that Canada isn't a socially stratified society, they don't care if you're a floor sweeper or a CEO, folks welcome you into their neighbourhood and into their activities as though your a long lost cousin. That's my experience anyway, no doubt it isn't everyones, but I'd say that's the way it is for most folks. So it's the people that make Canada a great place to live, the respectful attitude that they afford each other, the way it used to be in Wigin 40+ years ago. If you hanker for your roots, if you like all things Scottish, then you won't miss out on much here, especially in Nova Scotia {New Scotland}. They say that of the 1 Million folks who live in Nova Scotia around 70% are Scottish within 3 generations. We have the gathering of the clans each year, thousands come here for that, we have more pipe bands than you can shake a stick at, even Highland Games and so on. No Scot would feel a loss of his heritage in Nova Scotia, nor in many places in Canada. Add to that, you can hop on a 'plane from Halifax and be in Scotland faster than you can get {by train} from Inverness to Wigin, yea really... and at the prices of rail tickets these days, the flight would cost you less too, $199 {100 quid, return} is often available from Halifax to Glasgow. As I've mentioned, I've had me ups and down, went from signing off F18's {as an airworthiness Inspector} to clearing snow from peoples drives in Winter, and then to picking peaches in Summer, a wild ride indeed, but loooking back I'd have chosen that rather than take a quiter path through life. One thing I've learned Clacher is, the only things we really regret are the things we didn't do, "scarpe the deim" worked for me. As for other folks considering jumping ship, well, the unemployment rate in Canada is around 6%, not sure what it is in Old Blighty these days, but when I go back there near everyone I know is out of work, most of them still living in the same house they lived in 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. When I'm here I don't know anyone {other than the brother in law} who's out of work, yet he's living better than most folks with Professional careers in {say} Wigin. Right now Canada can't find enough workers, been that way for a long time, but worse than ever right now, mostly due to the incredible demand for all kinds of able bodied folks out in Alberta, where even truck drivers can earn ?2,000 a week. Anyone with a trade can make big money out there, you name it from brickies and all building tardes, to industrial electricians, draughtsmen, welders, mechanics, etc. The wages tend to be higher in Canada than in the UK, the taxes are about the same, but the big ticket items, cars, houses etc, the stuff that can really make a hole in yer wages, are around half the price that the same type of house would be in Wigin. I sold a house last year in Wigan for ?249,500 {$550,000 Cnd}, that house stood as 1 of 26 on 1.4 acres of land, {the whole street on 1.4 acres}, all the houses detatched by the way... I bought this house in Nova Scotia for $100,000 less, this house stands on {its own} in 2 acres of land, on an estate that is centred around a golf course {Glen Arbour}, with 6-7 lakes stocked with trout, and yet I rarely see anyone fishing, should mention there's no such thing as "Private Stretches" here, for $15 a year you can fish anywhere... The car I have costs ?5,000 less here than in the UK {a VW Jetta TDi} and petrol/diesel right now costs around .47p a litre, and the locals think they're being ripped off ! Check the standard of living that a blue collar guy can afford over here, have a look at this web site, almost every house in Canada that's for sale is listed on here. http://www.mls.ca Take a look what ?250,000 {average price for a detached house is now in Wigan} buys you in Nova Scotia, ?250,000 is around $550,000 Cnd. Check this one out, one of the neighbours, asking price around ?235,000, you'd get it for ?225,000 easily, all the homes on our estate come with lifetime memberships to Glen Arbour Gold Club, you don't see that in Wigin... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=5933173 Or this if you like fishing right from your own backyard, ?235,000 would buy this... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=5974214 Here's one we nearly bought... ?225,000 would buy you this, right on the ocean too... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=5540194 If you don't have ?200,000 or more to spend this is what ?125,000 buys you in Nova Scotia. http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6043811 Or this... better fishing here than in the Leeds and Liverpool... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6040236 Here's one if your into older homes... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6078862 ?110,000 would get you this with it's 7.5 acres... http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6078862 Or your own 80ft sandy beach for around ?120,000. http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?vd=...pertyID=6078879 And so it goes... I don't know anyone back home living as good as this, best that most of them have done is to buy their own house from the Council, you don't get a lake or a golf club or a beach with that. Best move I ever made, coming to Canada... Canada Bob.

Hello Clacher... I could spend the rest of the night telling you why you'd do well in North America. Even though Canada would be my first choice I've spent over a year in the U.S. and I've seen folks from back home who have done better than they could have ever dreamed of "back home" it's still the land of opportunity. Like other folks I've had me ups and down in the last 26 years, since I jumped ship, but I've never regretted it, and I have to say I've lived a better life than I would have done if I'd stayed in Wigin. Go for it Clacher, one thing that you'll find helps is, your accent will {almost} make you a celebrity in the new world, yea really, you'll be made more welcome because of it due to the attitude that most folks have over here for "the old country". If there's any way I can help you then I will, have you any thoughts on where in the US you'd head for ? might even be able to help find you a job... Good Luck with it, carpe the deim as they say, or grow old and regret that you baulked at the chance... what is it they say, we only regret the things we didn't do {when we grow old}. One thought re the gambling, there's less appetite for it {in general} over here, folks don't need to gamble to get what the standard of living they'd like, it's achieveable by working for it, so the last thing to do is work and then throw it into the Bookies satchel. Bottom line ore here is, you don't have to be a Millionaire to live like one... Canada Bob.

Don't you hate it when somebody steals your parking spot, worse still when it's a woman :008: http://www.holylemon.com/Parking-Expert--v484.html Canada Bob.

I think you might need this e-mailed invite that Joost send out to download and log on to their system. Check this out - it's called Joost and it's a new way to watch TV on your computer. Here's an invitation for you. Joost has all the things you love about TV, with some of the internet's best interactive features. It's free and easy to download. Get it at: https://www.joost.com/download/CZoxLpOB.pAV...sBGCPdm2Aw.html After downloading Joost, you'll be asked to log in using your Joost Name, or to create a new one. Canada Bob.

If you're interested in TV via the internet take a look at... http://www.joost.com Lots of {free} stations from around the world, soccer even, well worth checking out. Joost is by invite only right now, but you should be able to download the software and get on line, no fee's or anything, and full screen stuff too, way better in definition than TVANTS etc. Canada Bob.

The politicians, both Municipal and Federal, desperate for these immigrants' votes not only overlook this stuff but encourage this kind of inherent isolation. Well said Scarlet, the pandering the b astards do for their own self interest knocks me sick... It's not even as though they believe in the cr*p they spout, it's simply their way of staying in power. The trouble is, ALL the political parties are pandering for their votes, where does that leave us, other than heading for Australia, maybe... Immigrants respect that we don't practice a sort of reciprocity, where folks get the same "rights" in our lands as we might get in their countries. Unless you're a Muslem you can't even get into Saudi Arabia, {unless they need the skills you have, then you get a work permit}. If they "need" you, they'll have you, but not as an Immigrant, just until your jobs done, then off you go. Add to that while you're there, you won't be publically practicing your faith, you won't be getting a grant from the government to build a kirk either, and there's more than one been jailed or thrown out for no more than carrying a Bible. If they can't "accommodate" us, why the **** do we feel obliged to see things their way, b*llocks to that... If we speak up we're condemned as racists, yet we are entitled to live our lives to our values in the Western World. Other than the Jehovah's knocking on yer door on a Sunday morning, there's no one ramming religion or their way of life down yer throat in our neck of the world. We have learned to tolerate the differences between us, we don't behead folks because they refuse to attend our church, but if we don't keep this lot on a short lead they will enslave {or murder} the bleedin lot of us... Canada Bob.

Hey, she was a Big woman, that's how... Reminded me of a time {near 40 years back} when I was parked up Rivington {near Wigin}, with this real fat bird in a VW Beetle... when I got her into the final furlong she **** near put the shocks through the floor. We were parked up on a gravel road, right on the edge of it, and I could "feel the earth moving" the gravel was crumbling under the "impact" and by the time I got out, to get back "in the front" the car was near ready to roll down the hill. Odd how you remember stuff like that aint it, but the fact that we were about 30ft from the edge of a quarry seemed to etch it in my mind. Stigmatized me psyche that did though, whenever I hear anyone ask "did the ground move for you" I can't get the thought of her and me old VW shaking about out of me mind... She were a Big Lass that one, saw her a few years back, she'd frighten a Police horse now... Canada Bob.