Things I don't care about

As usual, I was reading the Times today whilst having breakfast in Tesco. A Saturday ritual. Today there are 80 pages - not including the separate Sports, Weekend and Magazine sections. As I skip through each page, I am struck by how little that is written I am interested in.

Front page: picture of Elon Musk with Donald Trump and a black eye (Musk's not El Presidente's). I don't care about Musk, he's extremely weird. I don't even care enough to be sorry for his son, who will grow up permanently mocked for having the name X Æ A-Xii. Trump I do care about because he's a consequential personality, potentially affects my life and the lives of those I care for. The only admirable thing about Elon is his fierce determination that humanity should settle extraterrestrially and his actions to begin the process of that happening. Space adventures are exciting; humans settling on Mars would be thrilling. I just don't want it to be him.

Defence pledge by Labour. 3% of GDP to be spent on defence by 2034. Don't care - 9 years away, governments are generally useless so won't happen anyway. Ignore. Turn the page.

Miliband, Blair, royal gifts, migrant return hubs. Don't care.

Cabinet anger at attorney-general over Nazi remark. Misleading, mischievous reporting; storm in a teacup. Farage with a pint of bitter. Here today, gone tomorrow so no need to care. Limit yourself to one glass of wine a year, says former drug tsar. Seriously, I can understand why my two sons never read newspapers.

Prince Harry.

Russell Brand.

Gerry Adams. Now there's a blast from the past.

Airlifting gorillas in the Congo. A whole page of interesting stuff.

Druids, witches, Sadiq Khan and cannabis, funeral costs.

Have-a-go Jenrick. Confronting fare dodgers and knife carriers. All very noble but you're filming yourself? Not so noble, Kemi will be 'avin' a larf. Slightly care because these buffoons could theoretically be the government in 4 years' time.

Pronunciation of 'mischeevious'. My friend Tony will care.

Teenage hackers and supermarkets, the Princess of Wales (of course) promoting a brand of sunglasses. The royal family sponsored by themselves. No different from Jenrick really.

Page 40, halfway.

La Scala in spotlight after Gaza protest. Teenage Texan wins spelling contest. In Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a Mayan city dating back almost 3,000 years. This remarkable news gets one tiny paragraph whereas "Kate" got half a page.

Page 45, the start of the Business section, followed by Money, Weather, obituaries, reader's lives - skip, skip, skip, skip - and finally the crossword. Which I don't care about on a Saturday because it's a prize puzzle, which I'm not smart enough to do, and doing it online doesn't have the usual Check (i.e. cheat) button.

30 minutes to browse whilst eating breakfast, a further 30 re-reading whilst writing this. £4

But I don't care; I can just go and check out the Sports section.

Retiring to Cornwall

21 Years Later – A Personal Perspective

By an 81-Year-Old Man with Arthritic Knees and No Love for Pasties

It’s been 21 years since I retired to Cornwall. I made the move in my early sixties, looking for peace and a change of scenery. Now, at 81, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on that decision — the good, the bad, and the bits in between.

Here’s my honest assessment of what retiring to Cornwall is really like, from someone who’s lived it.

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The Pros

1. It’s Undeniably Beautiful
Cornwall is a stunning place. Even if you’re not one for long walks (and I most definitely am not), you can’t help but appreciate the views — especially from the comfort of a car or a bench. The coastline, cliffs, and open skies are often reason enough to stay put.

2. Quiet Suits Me Fine
If you like peace and quiet, Cornwall delivers. The slower pace suits retirement well — less noise, fewer people, and not much pressure to be anywhere in a hurry. For someone who enjoys their own company and doesn't crave community events, that’s ideal.

3. A Good Place to Think
With fewer distractions and a calmer pace, it’s a decent place to read, reflect, or follow your interests. I spend my time keeping up with politics, watching Ipswich Town matches (from a distance, sadly), and playing the occasional game of online chess. Cornwall gives you the time and space for that.

4. Less Urban Stress
After years of working life and traffic jams, there's something reassuring about a place that moves at its own gentle rhythm. Fewer crowds, less rush, and no one tutting if you take your time at the post office.

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The Cons

1. It’s Not Built for Arthritic Knees
The landscape may be beautiful, but it’s not always practical. With hills, uneven pavements, and very little flat ground, getting about can be more effort than it’s worth. A car helps — but even short distances can feel long when the knees aren’t cooperating.

2. Public Transport is Patchy
If you don’t drive or one day can’t, you’ll find that buses here operate more on optimism than frequency. Access to services, especially health-related, can be limited depending on where you live.

3. Tourists Everywhere (Sometimes Literally in the Road)
Summers bring a wave of holidaymakers, which makes even the most relaxed Cornish village feel like Piccadilly Circus. Roads clog up, beaches overflow, and everything becomes a bit more difficult.

4. Not a Football Hub
As an Ipswich Town supporter, I’m far from the action. Local football here isn’t quite the same, and there’s no stadium buzz or matchday energy. You rely on TV and online updates — which is fine, but it’s not the real thing.

5. Cornish Pasties Are Everywhere
I know this might be Cornish blasphemy, but I’ve never liked them. Unfortunately, they’re treated like a food group down here. You’ll be offered one at every turn — even at places that should know better, like petrol stations and funerals.

6. The Social Scene (or Lack Thereof, If You Want It That Way)
Cornwall is known for its tight-knit communities, which is great — if you’re into that. I’m not. And to be fair, you can keep to yourself quite easily here. But if you're used to a bit more structured social life without the need to join in, it can feel a bit isolating.

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In Summary

Retiring to Cornwall has its charms and its challenges. For someone like me — who likes his football, enjoys thinking over chatting, and doesn’t fancy a stroll or a pasty — it’s been a mostly quiet, scenic place to grow old.

Would I do it again? Probably. But I’d tell anyone considering it: make sure you like your own company, invest in a decent chair with a sea view, and bring your own lunch. 

It's all over

The football season has finished. Ingloriously.

Ipswich Town got relegated, the team which finished 17th in the Premier League won a trophy, Arsenal finished 2nd in the league, got to the semi finals of the Champions League and won nothing, there is no more football until the 8th of August. Awful.

Except. It's not all awful.

Arsenal Women won their Champions League final against hot favourites Barcelona:

Whitstable Town, home town of my younger son, won the FA Vase:

Charlton Athletic, home town of my co-grandparent Trevor, who doesn't like football but panders to my interests by pretending to support them, won the League One playoff final (no trophy) and got promoted to the Championship, where they (on the way up) will meet the afore-mentioned Ipswich Town (on the way down) and Trevor will no doubt refuse to take me to their match at The Valley.

Then there's the Women's European Championships, where England (the holders) are one of the favourites. In Switzerland from 2nd July. No-one has yet volunteered to take me.

So summer perhaps won't be universally awful. The sun has just come out.

11 out of 14

I rarely read the Times2 section in the Times but today I did, triggered by the headline "14 foods you should eat every week (including chocolate)".

I'd be the first to admit my nutrition diet is erratic at best. Superfoods, low carbs, fresh fish, ready meals, pizza, classic pub meals, all have their places. Overall I think (optimistically) a balance of duty and pleasure.

I thought I would try reading the detail of the two page article and was soon into "our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects", "rich in oxidant-rich flavonoids, naturally occurring polyphenol plant compounds that are a force for health improvements such as reducing cell damage........". Enough! Just tell me what I should eat!

So here's how I scored on the 14 "essential" foods.

1. Bananas. I'm ambivalent about bananas. On the one hand they give me energy, taste good and are an essential ingredient of my favourite smoothie, on the other they are high in carbohydrates and hence potentially fattening. I give myself half a point because I'm off them at the moment.
2. Oats. I use oat milk in my (pretty much daily) smoothies. I definitely don't like porridge but my daily granola is oat-based. Does the milk count? I say yes - one point.
3. Beetroot. I really like the taste of cooked beetroot but it's too much bother to do. I use pickled beetroot in vinegar (out of the jar) in salads. I'm giving myself a (possibly controversial) point.
4. Black tea. One every morning with breakfast, decaff and with milk. Tick.
5. Nuts. I eat so many (mixed) nuts I'm tempted to give myself a bonus point. But I'll just score the one.
6. Oranges. Satsumas, often replaced by "easy peelers", are my favourite and eaten with my granola cereal nearly every day. Tick. If they are in the fruit bowl too many days they become "difficult peelers".
7. Apples. I'm a bit fussy about apples. The tarter the better, hence there are always Granny Smiths in my fruit bowl. Score one.
8. White button mushrooms. I don't dislike mushrooms but I don't eat them regularly. Nul point.
9. Yoghurt. Yep, always in the fridge.
10. Olive oil. Extra virgin used for cooking. Tick.
11. Eggs. I'm ambivalent about eggs. Occasionally I'll think about them, buy some and make an omelette. But I eat them as part of a Tesco breakfast twice a week. Health benefits possibly counteracted by hash browns but I think this merits a point.
12. Beans, peas and lentils. Don't like lentils. Not sure whether baked beans as part of the above-mentioned cooked breakfasts counts. I'll say probably not.
13. Berries. Like nuts, lots of these, particularly raspberries and blueberries. A definite point.
14. Dark chocolate. Yep, daily. Big tick.

No mention of Classic Magnums, sadly, But a healthy eleven and a half points. And this has made me hungry, so time for lunch. Off to get my flavonoids.

New day, new word

We all know where Kaliningrad is.

It's a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea, surrounded by Lithuania and Poland.

No it's not. Apparently - and this is news to me - it's an exclave not an enclave.

An exclave is a part of a country that is separated from the main part and surrounded by foreign territory. An enclave is a territory that is completely surrounded by another (single) territory. Example: Lesotho:

It's possible for a territory to be both an enclave and an exclave. Check this out:

Llivia is a Spanish town separated from Spain (and hence an exclave from Spain's point of view) and an enclave within - and surrounded by - French territory.

Who knew?

The Romans did; it's their fault. I think. Anyway, you'd think someone (Donald?) would sort it out.

17th beat 16th

Further to my recent post

https://usedtobecroquetman.blogspot.com/2025/05/theyve-given-up.html

the big match took place last night. The 17th place team in the Premier League beat the one placed 16th, won a big trophy and gained entry to the Champions League next season.

I can see this being a new way to play in the League. Crystal Palace gained entry to next season's Europa League by winning the FA Cup last weekend. Get ready for them sending out their reserves to play next season's Premier League, focus all their efforts on winning the Europa League and being in the Champions League the following season.

Why do it that way? This season the team in 17th, currently with 38 points, got into next season's Champions League. The team likely to finish 2nd, currently with 71 points, got into next season's Champions League. Why bother?

I suppose the answer is that there is considerable jeopardy in that approach. 38 points might get you relegated, for a start. Or you could lose the Final to a flukey goal, as happened last night. I'll let you know if it catches on.

For the record, for those readers who know little about football, a flukey goal is worth exactly the same as a beautiful goal.