A funny smell hangs over Wycombe (From Bucks Free Press)

A funny smell hangs over Wycombe

2:49am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Blogs By ivor

There was a definite nip in the air on Friday lunchtime.

The coldness put an extra spring in my step to try to help keep me warm as yours truly promenaded around Wycombe town centre.

Making my way down the High Street I was shocked to see an elderly lady standing beside one of the market stalls feeding the pigeons with some form of bird seed.

It's bad enough that the town is blighted with the infernal air rats without passers by actually encouraging the pesky pigeons.

As fast as the seed was thrown out the feathered pests gobbled it up. Surely the hungry people of the world need feeding before the avian daredevils who swoop down on us as we walk along?

If it hadn't been for the cold weather, and an approaching policeman, yours truly would have given the old lady a piece of my mind and told her in no uncertain terms exactly what my opinions of feeding the pigeons is.

Onwards I walked towards the complex.

Sadly the CD shop now has a large closing down notice in the window.

As shoppers milled around there was a tinge of sadness in the air at the impending closure of one of the few useful shops left in that part of town.

Looking through the window the shelves were still full of goods just waiting the be taken home and played on a CD player to bring cheer to someone's day.

I decided not to go in as I always feel that when a business closes it's best to remember the shop as it was at the height of its glory rather than in the decline of its last few hours.

Seeing that trusty shop standing there condemned to closure brought a tear to my eye indeed after seeing one of my favourite shops in such a state of distress my good self was left feeling quite down and unhappy.

With lunchtime time nearly over I decided to cheer myself up and nipped into a nearby chemist to avail myself with a several squirts of aftershave from one of their many 'tester' bottles.

My good self may have left the complex smelling sweet but I could not help thinking of the funny smell (or should that be pungent odour?) that's drifting over our country, indeed the whole world in fact, created by the bankers whose reckless dealing started the economic downturn.

With their sharp suits, fast cars and big bonuses they have seemingly got away scot free and left the ordinary people to pick up the fallout from their calamitous dealings.

Even my good self has had to make cutbacks in these recent times but others have been, or about to be hit even harder.

Once again the ordinary people pay the price for someone else mistake.

On my way home I called in at a local petrol station to fill up my trusty car. To my horror the high-octane fuel which my car needs was retailing at £1.44 per litre, or £7.85 per proper gallon.

It is any wonder the people did not have and disposable income to spend in the shops? The public are being fleeced left right and centre for every penny they have.

What do you think?

Comments(83)

buser says...
10:27am Sat 23 Feb 13

Making my way down the High Street I was shocked to see an elderly lady standing beside one of the market stalls feeding the pigeons with some form of bird seed.

Well 'my good self', the pompous, self-righteous, perhaps needs to take the blinkers off and look beyond the narrow confines of his own, selfish world. So the pigeons are a nuisance, so you, if a policeman had not been around, had the right to intervene. Did you stop to think WHY the elderly lady felt the need to feed the pigeons? NO! Was she lonely, sad, did she have anybody to cars about or anybody to care about her? All you saw was SELF and the pesky pigeons.

In the village there was a very old lady, who regularly walked her little dog along the road. She wore the same clothes all the year round. The kind lady in a local shop did her best to help her but you never saw the lady with friends or family. This week there were police cars and an ambulance outside her house. The neighbours had raised the alarm as they had heard the little dog barking. When the police gained entry the lady was dead. She had lived for her little dog but there was nobody to mourn her passing or even look after the dog. We now know she was an artist, a hoarder, probably a wealthy lady who perhaps chose to live the way she did with a little dog to love and love her. Who knows? We all need to be loved and needed. Perhaps the pesky pigeons, on this occasion were also fulfilling a human need. As I have said, try and look beyond the good self who cannot help being obese but eats packets of biscuits and drinks pop in bed, and as previously suggested, think of others not just self.

You have now written two waffles about how sad 'my good self' is about the closing of a shop, seemingly, a huge sadness, enough to move a grown man to tears apparently. You boast about your huge home, your antiquated gas guzzling cars, you don't consider the pollution you cause nor the plight of the homeless as you promenade around. You worry about the luxurious life style of and smart dress of some, all of whom have gained their wealth at the public's expense, and write a missive about the scruffily dressed unemployed all of whom, according to you are scroungers. Perhaps a lot less assumptions and a load more facts and research would help to make you a more plausible journalist.

Making my way down the High Street I was shocked to see an elderly lady standing beside one of the market stalls feeding the pigeons with some form of bird seed. Well 'my good self', the pompous, self-righteous, perhaps needs to take the blinkers off and look beyond the narrow confines of his own, selfish world. So the pigeons are a nuisance, so you, if a policeman had not been around, had the right to intervene. Did you stop to think WHY the elderly lady felt the need to feed the pigeons? NO! Was she lonely, sad, did she have anybody to cars about or anybody to care about her? All you saw was SELF and the pesky pigeons. In the village there was a very old lady, who regularly walked her little dog along the road. She wore the same clothes all the year round. The kind lady in a local shop did her best to help her but you never saw the lady with friends or family. This week there were police cars and an ambulance outside her house. The neighbours had raised the alarm as they had heard the little dog barking. When the police gained entry the lady was dead. She had lived for her little dog but there was nobody to mourn her passing or even look after the dog. We now know she was an artist, a hoarder, probably a wealthy lady who perhaps chose to live the way she did with a little dog to love and love her. Who knows? We all need to be loved and needed. Perhaps the pesky pigeons, on this occasion were also fulfilling a human need. As I have said, try and look beyond the good self who cannot help being obese but eats packets of biscuits and drinks pop in bed, and as previously suggested, think of others not just self. You have now written two waffles about how sad 'my good self' is about the closing of a shop, seemingly, a huge sadness, enough to move a grown man to tears apparently. You boast about your huge home, your antiquated gas guzzling cars, you don't consider the pollution you cause nor the plight of the homeless as you promenade around. You worry about the luxurious life style of and smart dress of some, all of whom have gained their wealth at the public's expense, and write a missive about the scruffily dressed unemployed all of whom, according to you are scroungers. Perhaps a lot less assumptions and a load more facts and research would help to make you a more plausible journalist. buser

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buser says...
11:38am Sat 23 Feb 13

Please explain! If your motives were honourable, and okay the pigeons are a nuisance, what possible difference did it make that a policeman was near by? If there had been no policeman it would be okay for you to approach the lady and admonish her? I have to say, you sound like a distinctively, furtive, shady character! No wonder you try to remain incognito.

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
11:59am Sat 23 Feb 13

Come on you pigeon lovers - get furious!

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
12:19pm Sat 23 Feb 13

buser wrote:
Please explain! If your motives were honourable, and okay the pigeons are a nuisance, what possible difference did it make that a policeman was near by? If there had been no policeman it would be okay for you to approach the lady and admonish her? I have to say, you sound like a distinctively, furtive, shady character! No wonder you try to remain incognito.

I think I know who you are - you were once rude to me about Milo the Dog when he was minding his own business off the lead when you were outside your workplace - if it's the little old lady with the shopping trolley who also feeds the squirrels near the Dyke then she would have seen you off you daft b u g g e r!

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
12:22pm Sat 23 Feb 13

This sounds implausible in any case (not often that happens with your blog) - I've never seen the little old lady or anyone else feeding pigeons in the town centre - someone would say something as pigeon poo is a nuisance in town.

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buser says...
3:29pm Sat 23 Feb 13

You don't suppose that the 'funny smell' is emitted by I for 'promenading through the Eden with his umpteen squirts of sample aftershave? That surely must be enough to frighten the shoppers.

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
11:58pm Sat 23 Feb 13

.

There was a definite nip in the air on Friday lunchtime.

If igor were Japanese then it would have been a nasty Nip.

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fishyfingerz says...
11:58am Sun 24 Feb 13

i like pigeons, unfortunetly they are not in season until september.
try them with a nice red wine gravy.

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
12:09pm Sun 24 Feb 13

fishyfingerz wrote:
i like pigeons, unfortunetly they are not in season until september.
try them with a nice red wine gravy.

I have a feeling that feral urban pigeons would not be so nice.

Though a bloke got into trouble for trapping them in Trafalgar Square and selling them to West End Restaurants I seem to remember about twenty years ago.

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Alberto The Great says...
12:29pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
12:44pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?

We'd all be locked up for life by now if it were.

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Kiwipuss says...
12:50pm Sun 24 Feb 13

buser wrote:
You don't suppose that the 'funny smell' is emitted by I for 'promenading through the Eden with his umpteen squirts of sample aftershave? That surely must be enough to frighten the shoppers.

Instead of having to nip into a local Chemist to get a freeby squirt of aftershave, why didn't he put his hand in his fat wallet and buy some, (Like we all do) Come the summer it'll probably be 'Sun Cream'

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tom.marlow2 says...
12:53pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?

No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
12:55pm Sun 24 Feb 13

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.

.

All efforts are welcome!

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
1:11pm Sun 24 Feb 13

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
We'd all be locked up for life by now if it were.

They'd have re-introduced the death penalty - but hopefully tested it on the Great Blogger of Evil first.

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buser says...
1:40pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Oh Tom, I cannot compete, nor do I try to do so, with Lawrence, Demoness, Usevelt, Craig, Fishyfingers and all the other great comment writers. I appreciate that a lot of Ivor's missives to the world are drivel, designed as winde ups, but surely, if you enjoy having a say and joining in, you should feel free to do so. Aside, they seem to be a very welcoming crew, and the banter is fun.

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tom.marlow2 says...
1:47pm Sun 24 Feb 13

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.
.

All efforts are welcome!

Actually, I have just noticed that my infernal spell checker removed the word "not" from my comment which should have read "No, just not very interesting"

But my point that Lawrence pretty much has the whole thing sewn up still stands. He is the Wiggo of Ivor baiting - unless of course he turns out to be the Armstrong or Contador.

I prefer to challenge the science deniers like Peter Simpson and Bill Williams

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
1:52pm Sun 24 Feb 13

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.
.

All efforts are welcome!

Should have said ' All contributions are welcome!'

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
1:54pm Sun 24 Feb 13

tom.marlow2 wrote:

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.
.

All efforts are welcome!
Actually, I have just noticed that my infernal spell checker removed the word "not" from my comment which should have read "No, just not very interesting"

But my point that Lawrence pretty much has the whole thing sewn up still stands. He is the Wiggo of Ivor baiting - unless of course he turns out to be the Armstrong or Contador.

I prefer to challenge the science deniers like Peter Simpson and Bill Williams

I think it's satisfying at times and quite interesting - challenging the science deniers is a complete waste of effort.

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ImpeturbableLawrence says...
1:55pm Sun 24 Feb 13

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

ImpeturbableLawrence wrote:

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.
.

All efforts are welcome!
Should have said ' All contributions are welcome!'

(My stupidity not the new fangled spell checker!)

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featheredfriend says...
1:59pm Sun 24 Feb 13

tom.marlow2 wrote:

Alberto The Great wrote:
Is the sport of Ivor baiting illegal?
No, just very interesting. I cant compete with lawrence so I dont bother any more.

Me neither.

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ivor says...
6:11pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of buser at 10:27am on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Yes, I think I did have the right to intervene after all everyone knows the pigeons are a nuisance.
~
Sadly I did not enquire if the lady feeing the birds was lonely however surely it would have been better to walk down to the Rye and feed the magnificent swans and ducks rather then the manky town centre pigeons?
~
Being a single person I know all about loneliness and what is does to one. Sadly there is nobody around to love me. Your story about the old lady in the village is most moving, I often wonder if anyone would raise the alarm if I passed away and one day my blog failed to appear? Maybe I should write a blog on the topic?
~
But I really am saddened to see nipper turned out of his kennel in the complex, the passing of that CD store will be a sad day for Wycombe.

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ivor says...
6:11pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of buser at 11:38am on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Well, it's hardly a good idea to have a conversation, which may become an argument, with someone if an officer of the law is in the vicinity....

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ivor says...
6:11pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of ImpeturbableLawrence at 11:59am on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Lawrence, apart from one old lady nobody loves the town centre pigeons....

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ivor says...
6:12pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of ImpeturbableLawrence at 12:19pm on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Yes, the old lady did ave a shopping trolley. From what you say it sounds like it was best that I didn't get involved especially if a policeman was around....

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ivor says...
6:12pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of ImpeturbableLawrence at 12:22pm on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Well I am saying something!

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ivor says...
6:12pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of buser at 3:29pm on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
I can assure you that I have very good taste in aftershave, indeed I consider myself to be an aftershave connoisseur. What can be better than a delicate fragrance wafting through the air as one passes by?

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ivor says...
6:12pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Re the comments of ImpeturbableLawrence at 11:59pm on Sat 23 Feb 13
~
Careful or one of the PC brigade will declare you a racist for that comment....

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