LITTLE BADGE - WIMBLEDON BADGE 'O' THE MONTH JUNE

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Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

FLAMING JUNE....(said in a course Australian accent). We were spoilt in May with Sunshine a plenty. The water utilities companies started rubbing their hands together and suggesting that we would run out of water if this warm spell continued into June. They were readying themselves to bump up the cost of water, while under investing in piping...oh and that little thing called reservoirs! But how can these companies build more reservoirs when they have sold off the land....Doh!

The Global warming gang came out from under their tinfoil covered caravans and started suggesting that this is it....we are all going to die because another polar bear died and an icecap melted a little.

The religious nuts started babbling about god punishing us for his sins (shouldn't have sinned then should he....if he were in fact real) and this is it...it's the beginning of the end of the world.

Now I'm not a betting man..... but I was pretty sure June would prove to be wet. It traditionally is, and yet each year people forget about it like a forgetful aunt.

We all know it will rain in June......because Wimbledon is on! Guaranteed water from the sky.

Which also means that we are guaranteed a visit by Sir Cliff. Who can forget his assault on peoples ears on Centre court that year when everyone was fed up with all the rain and the lack of tennis play. Yet Sir Cliff took it upon himself to selflessly entertain the baying crowds. And because we are British and all closet Sir Cliff fans we all sang along and enjoyed every minute of it. A true British living legend. The English Elvis and an annoyingly young looking bloke for over 70yrs old.

It's a national tradition to mock Sir Cliff, and to try and poo poo the fact that he had a hit in every decade. Got to admit..... no one can listen to 'Wired for sound' without having a sly smile and thinking....TUNE.

But like rain, Sir Cliff goes hand in hand with Wimbledon. It would not be a successful tournament if the aviator sun glassed Sir Cliff did not turn up in the Royal Box. I mean...he is Royalty isn't he.

And even though those naughty people at Wimbledon Tennis association  invested heavily in a roof for centre court so the viewing public would never have to see a repeat of Sir Cliffs rousing pick me up music again....he will still be there.... somewhere, so keep your eyes peeled.

So it is with great pleasure.... that we promoted 'I saw Sir Cliff' badge to Badge 'O' the month in June. It is almost like aligning the planets and stars.....Rain....Wimbledon....Sir Cliff.

Of course all the attention should be on Andy Murray.... but he has enough pressure on his shoulders. If only Gregg Rusedski and Tim Henman could have broken through earlier and won Wimbledon so we do not have to hear about this being the first British (British when he is winning...Scottish when he is not) player to try to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry last won it in 1936.

No for us this year...even though I love Wimbledon Tennis fortnight, the sport we will be following is spotting Sir Cliff in the crowds and spotting people wearing our lovely Wimbledon badges in the audience. Now available in 38mm so easier to pick up on BBC HD... in between those tennis balls whizzing back and fourth over that net thingy.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

LITTLE BADGES - BADGE 'O' THE MONTH FOR MAY

www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com

Hi

The virtual kettle's on..... So while I let it boil I just have this to say

Well it's that time again...yep....after the event. May came and went, and has been filed away for yet another year under M.

We like to promote a badge each month to the lofty position of Badge 'O' the Month and May was no exeption. Normally it takes us 3 quarters of a bottle of whisky and some real heated discussions. "I like this one"..."Well I like this one", "Well I don't like this one as much as this one"....etc etc.

But May was a little different, thanks to me being in at an opportune moment. I happened to backing up some files... and the doorbell rang. My first thought was... could this finally be my delivery of a unicorn that I have been paying monthly installments for over the last 12 months to a helpful chap in Unicorn Land with a Manchester bank account. The postie would definitely have to ring the doorbell to deliver that.

So I rushed down the stairs with pure excitement in my heart...Only to open the door to two ladies wearing black and holding a leather satchel each. I looked past them obviously to see if they had the unicorn around the corner, but alas no.

Instantly my...'oh-dear-lord-what-are-they-trying-to-sell-me' demeanor came over me.. Which involves the standard opening of the door with one foot lodged behind the door and my arms crossed in front of my chest. But they were smiling and it was a nice day... and they said good morning which is a rarity from strangers in London.... so I relaxed.

And I'm glad I did, as I had a lovely little chat for the next 30mins with them.

The upshot of our conversation is... I am going to Hell in a handcart. Which may seem a little harsh from people that smiled and said good morning to me not 29minutes before hand.

The good thing is.... I have no belief in Hell and hand carts although very popular at one time or another are fast going out of fashion like an ipod generation 2.

I knew something fishy was going on when they did not offer me cheaper gas and electricity than my current supplier (who they actually never know who you are with anyway so how would they know). After telling me what a lovely garden we had, they asked me if God was in my life. I said "I hope not we can't afford the council tax for him too". I think then it dawned on me. They were selling something so I went straight back into arms across chest folded mode.

The older lady of the two, then tried to put a pamphlet in my hand, which I said no thank you to. She then said, can I read you a section from the bible, to which I replied "sure".... and then "if you don't mind I will read you a section from Alice in Wonderland". The older lady did a very good blank look at me and proceeded.

Now Although I have read the bible (bloody had to at school and for RE.) I cannot remember what she was saying as one of my neighbours walked past and I waved at them.

I politely told them that that is all well and good and is a nice little story but that is were it ends for me. It is a nice story. As I started to close the door, the older woman looked at me incredulously and said.... Do you not believe in God.

My default setting is Atheist/humanist. I believe in science and proof.

She then showed me a copy of Watch Tower or whatever it is and said that they too believed in science and had scientists writing in their magazine. I had to stop her in her tracks and point out that their religious believing scientists had written in their magazine...but what they did not have was a counter argument, or a name for the scientist and his qualifications. I had to point out that the Watchtower was paid for by their organisation and would not print anything that did not agree with their beliefs.

She then directed me to the bible again and said it was all written down in here.

I had to tell her that the bible was written by people over a period of 1400 to 1800 years by upto 40 different authors. Who wrote down what they had heard on the grapevine from scholars and disciples.... and well what with chinese whispers and the human need to exagerate everything....Well then I can no more follow the words according to the gospel of the bible, a fine work of fiction, as I could do by following the equally talented writings of C. S. Lewis as gospel.

I set them the task of repeating back to their others exactly the words I had used with them on the doorstep without changing one word in the retelling. Hell I know the 22nd cub scouts of Northampton were a little backward but even we understood that when playing chinese whispers with 24 of us that the phrase "Johnny smells of old lettuce leaves" eventually came back as "Johnny smiles, shoots and leaves".

What absolutely flawed me though was their reluctance to take Evolution into the equation in any shape or form. I was stunned. We were all created magically.

Based on the recorded dates and geneology in the Bible we are expected to accept that the world came into being in 5500 BC or about 4000 BC. This geneology is based on ADAM and EVE getting it on and creating humans in the image of god...... But earth came into existence.... wait for it...roughly 4.6 billion years ago.

I asked them if they had ever visited the Natural History Museum....Where you can actually see evolution happening...Not live but in front of your eyes. But they said they had scientists that could disprove evolution.

I for one evolved from sludge and debris and the right scientific conditions... and hell yeah I was an ape boy. I admit it. The way I still act around people...is proof positive I evolved from the ape world. Just ask my wife.

I prefer to set my beliefs on truths and facts as much as I can and I cannot bring myself to live my life by a work of fiction however much of a blockbuster it is. But we are living proof that evolution exists and thousands of years down the line our future selves will look back on us in Museums and try and get there heads around the fact they they in there hovering brain capsules actually had podgy bodies like us.... and somehoveringbrainthing will still argue we came from God.

So, For me.... I had to go with 'Hands up for evolution' to show my support for my monkey brothers who made me the man I am today.

Now does anyone want any nits picking.

Well, I can hear the kettle has just finished boiling so

Milk and sugar?

Join us in our little shop for a virtual cuppa www.thebiglittlebadgeco.com