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Friday 9 November 2007

Aren't You Whatsisname's Brother?









Ernie Jackson, the LEAST famous of the Jackson brothers.


I am, I confess, somewhat of a valetudinarian but for the last few days I have had good reason to be concerned about my health......because I've been ill!
My spirits have, consequently, been pretty low but they always say there is someone worse off than yourself and evidence of that fact came to light today which has cheered me slightly.
I was listening to a Parkinson interview with Sir Dicky Attenborough, which I had taped, when the beardy little luvvie (a genuinely nice chap, by the way) made mention of his "brothers". First of all, there was "Dave", he said. I had to smile at the older brother's use of the diminutive which just didn't seem to fit the god-like being behind Life on Earth, The Blue Planet and Pither's love of the natural world. Then Dicky said he had another brother - John.
My mind immediately wandered off the interview and I began imagining what it must be like to be John Attenborough - the LEAST famous of the Attenborough brothers. Poor sod! A documentary on the wireless this evening then turned my attentions to surely the most unfortunate sibling in the history of humankind........James!
While waving a cheery goodbye to my devoutly Christian readers (see ya' Frank!), I will point out to anyone who doesn't already know that James is widely believed to have been Jesus's brother. How bad is that? What a bummer!!!
What must life have been like for a man who grew up having Jesus as a brother? Parties must have been a nightmare!

"Greetings. I am Jacob, begat of Jonathan, begat of Esaw, begat of Bathbellbetumin, he who purveyeth mysticals balms, ointments and developeth films in 24 hours."
"All right, mate. I'm Jim."
"Hail Jim! May your grapes grow juicy and round, although not those up your bottom."
"Cheers. Wanna drink?"
"A little wine for my soul's sake. So, Jim, how do you manage to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's?"
"Yer what?"
"What do you do for a living?"
"Oh! I'm accountant for a small carpentry business."
"Truly an honest calling. Tell me, have you come to this place of wine and plenty alone?"
"Nah! I'm with our kid."
"Pray tell, where is this 'kid' of whom you speak?"
"He's over there, turning the contents of the swimming pool into Chateau Lafitte."
"A miracle!!"
"Yeah! Flash get! He does a lot of that."
"I notice that thy 'kid' doth stand on the waters of the pool and not on the side."
"Oh arr. That's another of his party pieces. If you hang around he'll 'ave a go at the buffet later - there'll be bleedin' loads by the time 'e's finished with it.
"And what doseth thy kid do, for to bring bounty unto thy house?"
"He's the Blessed One. You know? The son of God. He is the saviour of mankind. He has come to purge us all of our sins."
"And that's his job, is it?"
"Yup. Course, If I'd passed me 11-Plus I........."
"....and you say you're an accountant?"
"Yup."
"Do you mind if I go and talk to that other man over there?"

Being an atheist I am tempted to go on but, being also a bet hedger, I think I better stop there......and before I am smoteth from above and cast down into the eternal fires of Hell, there's nothing for Grantham - apart from illness.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could always pray for some burning bush...

Barry Lawrence said...

Ahmen to that, my child!

I, Like The View said...

the photo of the missing Jackson brother reminds me of that scene from Far From The Madding Crowd where the sheep have all eaten something that has made their stomachs bloat up with gas and someone stuck something into the stomachs of the sheep to let the gas out before they all exploded

I think it was Far From The Madding Crowd anyhow

(sorry not to have made a more valid contribution to the debate)

Barry Lawrence said...

ILTV,

Yes, it WAS Far From the Madding Crowd. My O-Level set text, would you believe? (he'd only just finished writing it then!!)
I always empathised with Gabriel Oak although when it came to sheep bloat I think he was wrong - I would have got a man in. Anyway, they all ran off the edge of a cliff in the end anyway so he wasted his time.

Vicus Scurra said...

I am afraid you have been reading a very poor translation of the New Testament. As every schoolboy knows, James was the younger brother of Jesus, (remember, Mary was a virgin prior to the birth of JC? Duh!), and therefore James was unlikely to refer to Jesus as "Our kid", this term usually being reserved for describing a younger sibling. The Gospel according to Gordon clearly states that James referred to his big brother as "old clever bollocks", in a surly and snearing manner, clearly untouched by the divine atmosphere that had pervaded his childhood home. Joseph was equally unimpressed, not surprisingly, resenting JC's father. "Another pigging article in the Nazareth Star about him and the sodding lepers", was a frequent complaint.
I hope that this helps.
The one that I feel sorry for was Mavis Stalin, who devoted her life to helping the poor and undereducated, and was constantly derided by those who found her brother's politics not to their taste.

Barry Lawrence said...

This is the problem with quoting varying translations of 2,000-year-old texts. You see, the University of California version of the Gospel According to Kevin which is in my possession quotes Joseph's most frequent complaint was: "Immaculate conception! Immaculate bloody conception!! Bollocks!!! It was that night when I was at the Stable Makers' Conference, wasn't it? Who is he, woman? I'll rip his bloody 'ead off!"

The Birdwatcher said...

Whats wrong with being an accountant? I am frequently mistaken for being an accountant and I consider it a compliment. In fact it makes my day when it happens.

Hope your feeling better.

I, Like The View said...

mine was Romeo and Juliette! that explains a lot, doesn't it. . .

;-p

Anonymous said...

Hee hee! I like the buffet bit :D

Malcolm Cinnamond said...

Holland football legend Marco van Basten's older brother is called Stanley. True.

WEDNESDAY, 21 NOVEMBER 2007

SHORTS DON'T MATTER! 1. From the greatest programme ever made about association football, Barnstoneworth United FC manager Mr Dainty delivers one of the finest English soliloqiues of all time.......and afterwards, spare a thought for the club steward's wife Vera (YOU ONLY HAVE TO WATCH HALF OF THE CLIP!!).

Monday, 12 November 2007

Not everyone who agonises over their life is a painter. Some of us agonise because we're NOT painters.

....And On the Subject of Great Public Services

I know most of you have heard this marvellous song by those doctors who are the Amateur Transplants......but I think the video is a nice addition. P.S. If there are kids in the room I'd shuffle them out before hitting play.

...There's More

On the subject of those great doctors, here is their version of More Than Words which presents their challenging views on women outside Watford. The very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither, coming from Cumbria, is a huge fan. Again, get those kids out of the room!

Leave Britney Alone, Ok!!!

Oh...........my............God!!!!! My heartfelt thanks go to BGT for this. I won't say much more, I don't need to. Mr Loony of Loonytown, USA (I think it's a bloke, anyway), says it all. I fear he may be wound too tight for.....well.....well for everywhere, really!

Tuesday, 18 September 2007.

I wish I'd sung this! For non-Americans, and with apologies to all the smart arses out there who already knew, the FCC is the Federal Communications Commission and it monitors TV and radio output in the States - a sort of broadcast police - while the EPA is the Yanks' so-called Environmental Protection Agency, a body which does exactly the opposite of what it says on the can. (P.S. We went to the same school, you know? Eric and me, that is, not George, Martha, Dick and Condoleeza and me. I don't think they went to school.) P.P.S. Please see below if you are I Like The View, Malc or Doris.

To Make You Laugh and Cry

I was listening to this on a Sunday, the very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither is a Catholic, Tom Lehrer is one of my all-time heroes and this is one of his best.............no other reasons. On a more sombre note (and with thanks to Fish for coming up with this Woman's-Own-passes-the-time-in-the-dentist's-waiting-room nonsense), why not get a computer to tell you that you are a waste of space and your life is a sham of a mockery of a farce? Ok, it's from one of those poxy dating sites but...go on, take the test. You ain't got much to beat!!
This Is My Life, Rated
Life: 4.2
Mind: 4.1
Body: 2.7
Spirit: 8
Friends/Family: 1.6
Love: 0
Finance: 5.9
Take the Rate My Life Quiz
Apparently, in my case, "computer say 'no!'"

I First Saw This When I Was Little - And Loved It! I Hope That Explains a Few Things

Fuck, Fuckety, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck

It has been pointed out to me that, particularly for one whose profession is supposedly literary, my language is getting worse. My use of the "F" word is, I am told, far too prevalent and hence loses impact. To those who share this view I suggest you watch the following:

Tony Blair Isn't a Burglar - But If He Was.........

In the spirit of Gustav Holst's Jupiter and Manfred Mann's Earth Band, I feel like raising a smile today. The Big Green Thing alerted me to this and, for no other reason than to raise a smile on an otherwise crap Wednesday, I think it has to be shared. Grantham shall not have him - when he gets out of prison.

Life On The Edge - No Net.

I was wrong when I feared it might be a dull weekend, what with my pals being away, my soon-to-be ex-wife in rehab and only the dogs to play with. How wrong can a man be? This much fun must surely be illegal? Just click to see the japes and hoots I am having! Click again to see how things got REALLy exciting! Tomorrow we're going to chase pigeons.

The Good Old U.S. of A. - Guardians of Freedom and Democracy. Nothing to Be Scared of, Then?

Be honest........

IT'S THE QUIZ OF THE WEEK! JUST SCROLL DOWN AND HIT "FULL QUIZ".