Today felt weird.  I was up early, burst into tears several times, felt more useless fat and rubbish than I have in a long time. I ranted about people for a long time about things I feel really strongly about and made me wish this was an anonymous blog so I could talk about them here but can’t. Grrrr… Even the most cryptic or cryptic posts would still be obvious so… yeah.  I’m holding my peace about that.

More ranting followed about two stories but not for the reasons the journalists that were presenting them wanted people to rant about.

The first story, and the thing that has been heading up the news reports all day is the collapse of XL – a holiday company – that has left 65,000 people ‘stranded’ on holiday and more unable to go on their holidays.  This morning a report on the BBC was doing the usual wandering around the airport talking to those who could longer go in particular a family of four going to Disney in Florida.  Yes, very sad that they won’t get to go but this is not the point.

The family had two school age children in the party.  I’m not sure but I’m guessing nearly all the schools are back.  Now if that family is willing to take their kids out for the THREE WEEK holiday they were going for then thank God they can’t go.  Letting your kids miss three weeks at the beginning of the school term is irresponsible.  There isn’t a day of school that should be missed.  Some schools in my area fine parents £30 per child for taking them out of school.  It is up to the school how much, others fine up to £100 and threaten to withdraw the place of the child at the school.

Now I know holidays are more expensive during the school holidays and that’s why parents will want to go during term time but something has to be done to stop this.  Something real.  Not another namby pamby policy by our ridiculous government who never seem to…. grrrrrr!!!! Okay, maybe I am still angry.

The other one made me rant for about 30 seconds and then laugh.

Yesterday a story broke about Professor John Wells, the president of the Spelling Society (yes, there really is one) made some suggestions about how to make the English language easier to spell and deal with including the following:

  • Short vowel sounds

Drop the final e from words if the preceding vowel sound is short: Give becomes giv but love remains love

  • Double consonants

Allow double consonants when the preceding vowel sound is short: River becomes rivver; model becomes moddel

  • Danger, Anger, Hanger

Replace the soft g with a j: Danger becomes danjer
Use a double g after the n if the sound is hard: Anger becomes angger
Use a single g if the sound is elided: Hanger remains hanger

  • Embrace Americanisms

Many people already use an s in “practice”, as in the US. Also, the American version of organize with a z is accepted. Why not thru?

  • Abolish the apostrophe

Get rid of the two types of its (it’s and its) as it is hardly likely to confuse your meaning. If removing the apostrophe is a problem, then leave a space: We’ll becomes we ll

  • Their, there and they’re

They all sound the same and the meaning is unlikely to be lost if we just use “there” in each case

(Yes I lifted that from the article on BBC World Service)

You can imagine why I was angry…

Today on our local news there was the rebuttal. (I only wish I could embed this)

The two things that made me laugh are at 00:02

“…if you couldn’t spell proper.”  That would be properly?

and 00:16

Did they deliberately choose a book with the American spelling of prioritizing on the back? In England, darling, it’s prioritising.

And right now my priorities are:

  • apologise to my readers for being a crabby cow today.
  • stop now being they all run to pastures far far away
  • go to sleep and end this day.

Sorry!  I really am… this is what I get for not having an anonymous blog.