I have written a few posts about Kirstin Baybars and her delightful Ostrobogulous creations. Peter Hoot and the Ostrobogulous is that kind of particularly niche topic that means that when people search Google for inspiration, they may well come across me.

This has meant that visitors have got in touch directly to share their memories and photos of their Peter Hoots. You can see some of that engagement in the earlier pieces, see links below.

When Pam from the States got in touch, I was able to help her, through David Ward, source a replacement for her Peter Hoot that was lost when she was a child.  

And quite recently a lady called Jane got in touch with me because she wanted to find her Peter a new home. I offered my help and, long story short, I ended up buying a second owl for myself.  

Twit two    

Peter Hoot 2 was brought to life relatively recently. It was an old kit from Kristin’s shop, but one that had never been sewn together. Back in 2018 I think, it was finally constructed and then sold to Jane.

This Peter is presented in brown and orange (they are my favourite colours) and he has a proper seventies look about him. He is larger in size (though technically a medium) than my original owl and that makes him a nice companion.

After buying him, I found a lovely photo of Kristin with her newly commissioned parliament of Peters. No. 2 is in the picture. Very cool!

It turns out that Sarah Harrop, who has the best collection of Ostrobogulous creations in the country (and helped me in my research for my earlier posts) actually took the photo.

Kristin passed away in late 2021 and so finding this photo of her with the Peters felt rather poignant. I never got to meet her in person, which I always thought was a shame.

And Aristo too
Since 2013 when I first wrote about Peter Hoot, I have also acquired an Aristo clown. This one is an original and he shows his age, but he sits on his throne in the lounge, and I think he looks terrific.  I really fancied having one of these … it took me a long time to find one.

Related links:
07/02/20 Kristin Baybars and the Ostrobogulous 
07/07/20 More on Ostrobogulous Toys 
​Meet Peter Hoot from the zoo of the Ostrobogulous 11/13 - you'll have to scroll down a little

https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/tributes-to-kristin-baybars-the-toymaker-with-a-shop-of-dreams

Since Donald Trump came to power I have found myself getting more and more appalled by his behaviours and his apparent belief that the truth is whatever he says it is.

Trump might be American, but he is just like Putin, Xi Jinping or Yong Un when it comes to the playbook of power. For example:

• Lie until something becomes the truth because others have given up questioning or believe it to be true because they have heard it so often.
• Bully and threaten others with force or the removal of friendship if they don’t give way (Greenland, Mexico, Gaza for example).
• Do everything to hold on to power by removing dissenters from office.

The man is a narcissistic, egotistic megalomaniac and arguably a criminal too. The world is a much more dangerous place than it was before he came to power, and I think we all have reason to be quite afraid. He doesn’t care about the planet, decency, honesty or integrity and instead promotes division, aggression, expansionism and capitalism.

I don’t know how he can spout such lies (Ukraine started the war, Zelensky is a dictator, Putin is a genius etc.) to the world without being embarrassed. He seems to believe his own bullshit.

To me, America has always been a great and inspiring country, a place associated with living the dream – the united states of aspiration if you will. Now I am thinking that the USA is losing its shine and appeal. For the foreseeable future, Trump will be America’s own dictator, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll look to amend the constitution so that he can be in power for longer.

The next four years are going to be uncomfortable for the rest of the world.   

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Update 02/03/2025

Since writing this post, Zelensky was on the receiving end of an orchestrated mugging by Trump and Vance in the notorious televised meeting at the White House. I listened and was angered by the diplomatic indecency.

There is a well-known saying “with great power comes great responsibility” and so as not to forget, Trump would do well to have that tattooed on to his body. He shows none of the tact and diplomacy that befits someone in his position.
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I was slightly heartened to read in the news over the weekend that protesters have been taking to the streets in the States to show their support for Ukraine. Hopefully there were far more Americans upset by Trump’s antics than were visible in New York, Boston. Los Angeles and Vermont. They voted him in and, because he claims to be acting on their behalf, they need to manage his outrageous behaviours.

The media is full of Artificial Intelligence (AI) news, most recently thanks to the rise of DeepSeek.

In my working life, AI is starting to reveal itself. Its application for the written word and for language management is already firmly established.

AI is here to stay and there’s little point in fighting it too much, but I’ll be honest, I am not altogether comfortable with it either.

For the written word, I see AI as a bit like a microwave ready meal (lots of salt, sugar and ultra processed stuff). It’s cheap, quick and easy, but it’s not good for your health, and you really could still do with knowing a bit about nutrition and how to cook.

Then there’s the news today that the Doomsday Clock has been revised to 89 seconds before midnight. Here’s an extract that references AI from this BBC news article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgmkdz0297o

"The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists also warned that "an array of other disruptive technologies advanced last year in ways that make the world more dangerous".

"Systems that incorporate artificial intelligence in military targeting have been used in Ukraine and the Middle East, and several countries are moving to integrate artificial intelligence into their militaries.

"The organisation stressed that all these dangers "are greatly exacerbated by a potent threat multiplier: the spread of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories that degrade the communication ecosystem and increasingly blur the line between truth and falsehood".

I recommend following the link and reading the whole piece, though it’s not cheerful at all. 

AI may, or may not, be helping edge us closer to Armageddon. So, with that in mind dear reader, I am making a pledge. This website will not utilise AI for any content generation. The nonsense you read here is all my own making, it will reveal the shortcomings in my education and awareness. If there are mistakes, I own them.

In this space AI will henceforth be an abbreviation for ‘Adrian’s Insights’. Possibly quite a lot less useful to you than DeepSeek!

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Up until recently there were a few things, like the Northern Lights, that I had never seen in my life.  A live badger was another example.

Having seen dead badgers at the roadside hundreds of times, I finally saw a live one late one night in East Sussex. And last night, I finally saw the Northern Lights. Both things curiously life affirming.

To be fair, seeing the lights in the UK, in anywhere not classed as ‘the North’, is unusual. 2024 has been a particularly active year for the sun and its solar flares. In May the country was treated to a light show … and I only found out about it the next day. Damn, that was annoying!

You have to be in the right place at the right time to see the Aurora Borealis, and that isn’t easy. I know people that have been on holiday in the artic circle and not seen the lights.

Since May, I have been on a mission to enjoy the phenomenon. I have downloaded apps and started following online those in the know about these things. I have been out many times to try and observe the light show and have failed because it didn’t travel far enough south. I even spent time learning all about the camera settings on my iPhone so that when I finally got lucky, I could capture the moment.

This month has seen a lot of solar activity, but rubbish weather made it difficult to observe, that didn’t stop me trying anyway.
 
Last night though I was forewarned, and I was ready. As darkness fell, I was outside and was delighted to finally see the solar show.

I have shared a few of last night’s photos for you to enjoy. The Aurora was visible to the naked eye, but the camera (in night mode, no flash and a three second exposure) really captures it well. To the naked eye, I could see the red in the sky but it was nowhere near as defined and vivid as in the photos.
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I thought that seeing it would scratch an itch, or be a tick in the ‘done that’ box, but I think now that I will continue making the effort to see the lights as often as I can. I am much less bothered about live badgers.

I went to see Frank Carter and The Sex Pistols at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on 26th September and had an absolute blast. Here's a gig review of sorts.

August and September saw the band perform three fundraiser shows at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush; they were so successful that five extra UK dates were announced. I failed to get tickets for the fundraisers and then didn’t even know about the extra dates until the last minute.

I became aware of the Kentish Town date on the 24th September, just two days before it happened. That event was sold out in less than five minutes apparently, so I didn’t hold out much hope that I’d get to go.

But luck was on my side that day, I was able to buy a fan-to-fan resale ticket on Ticketmaster, it cost me more than it would have done if I could have got one earlier, but not a lot more, and I didn’t care … I was going. And I haven’t felt that excited about a gig since I was a teenager. 

Getting to the gig on the day though required a series of obstacles to be overcome, and at times I felt that things were conspiring against me getting there at all.

This post is therefore in two parts, the nightmare journey and then the joyous outcome from some persevering.

The not good stuff

Plan A
The challenges started around lunchtime when Trainline advised of delays and cancellations on the line into Euston. It turned out that there had been a fatality around Watford Junction and that various tracks were closed at the scene. The knock-on effects to the travelling public were significant.

Plan B
Given that I was uncertain that my train ticket would now get me to and from London in a timely fashion, I made a decision to drive into the capital instead. I made my way to Burnt Oak, parked up in the tube station car park and wandered up to the station to find it closed. A station operative advised all of us gathered outside that a tree was down over the line and no trains were running.

Plan C
So plan A and plan B had failed and I had to come up with a plan C on the fly.

This time the thinking was I needed a Northern Line tube station with a car park, that wasn’t in the congestion charging zone. I settled on High Barnet and plugged the postcode in the satnav. Only seven miles distance … but a 28 minute journey!

Once I made it to HB, it transpired that the only way to pay for the parking was via an app. So that meant downloading the app, registering the car and then adding the payment card.

That must have wasted another 5-10 minutes – and by then I could feel the anger, aggression and anti-establishmentarianism starting to boil up. Arguably perfect for a punk gig.

The car park at Burnt Oak was free, no such luck at High Barnet, that car park is expensive.

But I got on the tube and made it to Tufnell Park. Why there you might ask, well Kentish Town tube station is closed until the end of the year.

Once out of the Tube Station a walk down Fortress Road was required … and of course it was tipping down with rain.

But despite the stress and the setbacks, I made it to the gig on time.

The good stuff
But even having made it on time and watched the support band - yes, you guessed it - there was another problem. I think the Pistols were due on at 9pm, but come the hour, an announcement was made over the tannoy that there had been a medical emergency.

I didn’t hear it properly and, given my evening to that point, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that one of the band had taken a turn and the gig was about to get cancelled.

Original band members Paul Cook (68), Glen Matlock (68) and Steve Jones (69) were joined by stand-in front man Frank Carter (40). The majority of the band and the audience, me included, were of an age where medical emergencies are a lot more likely than they used to be.

It turned out though that an audience member had been taken ill and rushed to hospital, so the gig would carry on just later than planned.

At 9:30 I was right at the front when the band came on and launched into its set. The place erupted and from then on it was bedlam – moshing, crowd surfing, surges forward, drinks thrown around and the crowd singing along to every single song.
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Frank Carter was the consummate front man; he had the audience eating from the palm of his hand, hanging on his every word and laughing at his gags. And he repaid the loyalty from his admirers by launching himself into the audience and singing whilst moshing or crowd surfing. He’s not a big guy and he even joked that he might be 5ft 7 in terms of height, but 7ft 5 in terms of energy.

He had the punk sneer mastered, the jumps and leaps sorted, he even threw in a little bit of mincing to thoroughly entertain the crowd.
  
Frankly (pun intended), Carter was brilliant, funny, and his boundless energy and enthusiasm was captivating.  His challenge to step into the shoes of the legendary John Lydon was huge, but he absolutely nailed it. He brought the whole place alive in a way that the rest of the band couldn’t have done without him. By comparison, the other chaps weren’t particularly animated at all.

In fact, given Lydon’s age, I don’t think that he could have achieved the impact that Carter had on the O2 Forum.  I know that Pistols die-hards will baulk at that, but there you are.
 
The band played everything from the legendary Never Mind The Bollocks (NMTB) album as well as a few other tunes, one of which was ‘My Way’.  Getting to hear those songs live and loud was life affirming and damn nearly spiritual for this ageing rocker. The full set list is shared here:

1. Holidays In The Sun
2. Seventeen
3. New York
4. Pretty Vacant
5. Bodies
6. Silly Thing
7. Liar
8. God Save The Queen
9. Submission
10. Satellite
11. No Feelings
12. No Fun
13. Problems
14. EMI
15. My Way
16. Anarchy For The UK

I was down the front near the barriers in the middle of the stage and from the first chord was in the thick of the pushing and shoving. By the end of the gig, I was soaked in sweat and a little bruised. As well as having a good view, there was another upside, when Steve Jones threw his guitar picks into the audience, I managed to catch two – result! The scramble for those was as energetic as any of the moshing.

To borrow a sentiment from My Way, 'regrets, I have a few' … but the only one I’ll mention is that I didn’t buy myself a tour shirt from an outside ‘non official’ vendor. There was this yellow NMTB shirt printed front and back (better than any of the official stuff), but the purveyor didn’t have my size left. He said ‘the shop is just down there’, pointing south down Fortress Road. I was rushing though and really didn’t have time to go back. I wish I had made more of an effort now.

I did try over the next day or two to track a shirt down by phone. But trying to find a source proved fruitless, not that I am exactly surprised by that given the Del Boy nature of the illicit tee shirt trade. That said, if any of you know anyone, who knows of someone who may be able to help me, please get in touch.    
   
To wrap, I know that I have already used many superlatives, but even days later, I am still buzzing about how good this gig was. The challenges getting there now comedic in terms of their impact rather than stressful.

So good was the show that I have watched it twice more since getting home. If you take a trip to YouTube and look up Simon Sanders https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xob6rTbjTw&t=147s​ you can see the whole gig for yourself.

Do it, do it now!
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I have been struggling to buy Marmite peanut butter for weeks now. As it was my go-to jar for spreading on my toast in the morning, I was beginning to get rather concerned. 

So, being proactive, I got in touch with Unilever customer services to ask if there were any issues.

It turns out that the product has been discontinued or ‘delisted’ in Unilever speak. 

I was gutted to be told this news. I thought Marmite peanut butter was the best thing since sliced bread … and Marmite itself.

There is a possibility that old stock may be lurking in retailers around the country, but that is in effect that. So dear readers, friends, family a plea from me. If you find some, buy it for me. I will be very grateful.

I appreciate that the demise of my favourite spread is a first world kind of woe, and in the scale of bad news, it’s so pitiful as to be unnewsworthy. But FFS, another one of life’s simple pleasures has gone.
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Today’s post is about the demise of Tupperware. The 78-year-old company has filed for bankruptcy in the US and its future is looking bleak.

To be frank, I didn’t know that the business/brand was still around, but then I didn’t know that James Earl Jones was still alive at 93 … until he wasn’t anymore.

I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for Tupperware, I grew up with the stuff and even have it in my kitchen all these years later. My parents still have their Tupperware too. I am pretty sure that my mum organised a Tupperware party or two when I was a kid.
 
Some of my orange and yellow items from the seventies are pictured here for your enjoyment.

As another brand faces death, I am sad to see it go. Like Woolworths, C&A, Littlewoods, Debenhams, Unwins, Bejam, Rumbelows, Tandy and Wilkinson, Tupperware just didn’t have the staying power, or the connection with today’s younger generations.

It’s a sad fact that the older generations that were so familiar with the brand, and trusted it too, are diminishing in the same way as the business.   

I think Tupperware was just too good really; I am still using things that were made 50 years ago and maybe that’s part of the problem. Tupperware wasn’t disposable in the way that so many things are these days. You didn’t need to keep buying replacements, and by so doing topping up the company’s coffers.

Unlike the ceramic stuff from back in the day, it’s not easy to smash and that meant a longer life than other kitchen essentials … again not great for the company’s profit and loss account.

I hope that the brand gets a reprieve. it’s not beyond doubt. Hornby lived to fight another day, maybe Tupperware will too.   

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I am finding myself getting more and more irritated by public apologies. In our increasingly media fuelled world, it is now commonplace for people to feel the need to say sorry to everyone for saying or doing anything that has ruffled some feathers.

Recently Raygun, the Australian break dancer who brought cheer to the Olympics, has felt the need to apologise to those who felt offended by her Paris performances.

I happen to think that her dances were some of the most entertaining things I saw during the games, and they generated more coverage for the art form than anything else I have come across since the 1980s.

To those that think she diminished the ‘sport’, I think that they just don’t appreciate the value of the international spotlight that Rachael Gunn shone on breaking. Without her, the new Olympic category would have gone by largely unnoticed.  

When I read her apologetic, concessionary responses to the moaners and assorted killjoys, I was frustrated that she felt the need to justify herself.

In my opinion, if I inadvertently bump into you in the street, spill your beer, break something, forget your birthday, or arrive late to a meeting, I will apologise without hesitation.

On the other hand, if you are someone I don’t know and can’t look in the eye, and you are upset by my opinion, this blog post, or the facts that I listen to heavy metal music and am a fan of the Vauxhall Viva HC … I couldn’t care less. I will not apologise for having different opinions, likes and interests to you. End of.

I would find it refreshing if our celebrity folk when challenged were just more honest and stuck to their guns - I would have liked Raygun to have told all the naysayers to f-ck off and develop their own act instead of whinging about someone else’s. 

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In the recent prisoner exchange with Russia, I was really pleased to see that Vladimir Kara-Murza, the Russian-British journalist was one of the individuals freed. In my opinion, he is an extremely brave man, and someone the world should listen more to.  I was expecting that he would go the same way as Alexei Navalny, which would have been another grievous loss to free speech and free thinking.

The media coverage suggested that Putin thought he had done better out of the exchange that the West, and I am not surprised. Here’s my take, Putin locks up innocent people on trumped up charges and following dubious legal processes … then swaps them for proven and justly tried criminals and, in this case, a known assassin.  You can see why he thinks he did better out of the deal.

While referencing Putin, the power plays between Russia and Ukraine are fascinating. From being invaded to actually doing some invading. The Ukrainians have taken the fight back to the Russians and I can’t help but think that after two and a half years, it is about time the dynamic changed a little.
  
In other swap news, I was worried when Biden stepped down from the US election in favour of Kamala Harris, not because I thought Biden was capable of running the States for another five years, but because I thought he’d just end up gifting the election to Donald Trump.

The thought of Trump getting back into the White House bothers the heck out of me. The fact that he is the candidate most supported by Putin (and, according to the BBC, Kim Jong Un too) should bother everyone. And that’s before you consider whether (or not) Trump’s a criminal who, once back in power, would pardon himself.

Kamala Harris has stepped up to the campaign challenge and is gaining more and more traction with the US media. I wish her the best of luck.

In the UK, our election saw the Tories swap places with Labour. To my mind, that was inevitable because Sunak and his predecessors had repeatedly made such a hash of things that they couldn’t have expected to stay in power. But as to whether (or not) we have swapped austerity for prosperity, only time will tell.  

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I thought I would share an interesting exchange of dialogue with the East Riding Of Yorkshire Council about parking in Beverley. The story, shared in chronological order below, is clear and doesn’t need more context.

While I wasted £4.50, the council has now wasted significantly more in terms of having to engage with me. In prodding the council, and discovering that the data backs up my position, I am sharing what I see as an injustice … and that is worth £4.50 any day of the week.  

And why bother whinging at all? For me it was a matter of principle, and nothing ever changes if no one complains. The council has made more than £1,200 over 13 months by poorly sign posting parking charges in just one street in Beverley, and that needs addressing.

If you are ever in Beverley town centre on a Sunday, don’t get caught out as well. If I hear any more from the council, I will let you know.

23/01/24
to [email protected]

Dear Sirs,

On Sunday 21st January I visited Beverley for the first time and parked on North Gate Within, outside Pizza Express. Having paid £4.50 into the parking machine and taken my ticket, I was told by a resident that I actually didn’t have to pay on a Sunday.

The reason for my complaint is that the parking signs on the poles on the road, the stickers on the sides of the machines, and even the electronic read out on the machine itself didn’t make it clear that the charges didn’t apply on Sunday. I had to get my glasses to finally find the information on the machine’s printed information panel.

I wasn’t the only person caught out in this way either. I feel that almost every effort was made to not make it clear that parking was/is free on Sunday, and I'd like a refund.

Whilst £4.50 isn’t a lot in the scheme of things, I feel frustrated enough to write this complaint. 

The parking experience marred an otherwise lovely visit to Beverley. 

Kind regards,
Adrian

25/01/24
[email protected]
Message for the attention of Tiffanie Huntley
Ref: TH/Baldwin_250124

Dear Tiffanie,

Thank you very much for coming back to me regarding my earlier complaint.

In response to your letter, I accept that I am at fault and your position that users have some responsibility for paying attention. What I absolutely dispute though is your assertion that the 'free on Sunday' messaging is clear and adequate. The posts on the roadside of North Bar Within state 'pay and display', they do NOT state Monday-Saturday. There are large stickers on the sides of the machines that make no reference to time limitations. And, the electronic readout on the machine doesn't state 'free on Sunday' on a Sunday.

There is a metal plate on the front of the machine that details the charging time limitations if you take the time to study it - I did after the event and assure you that the time limitations messaging does not jump out. You state that the machine gives you a readout that confirms the time expiry of the parking, before you hit 'submit' - I suggest that is the least likely thing that a user will check.

To determine if messaging is clear and adequate, perhaps I should make a freedom of information request to East Riding Council to ask about how much money was taken during 2023 and 2024 YTD by parking meters on Sundays on North Bar Within. If the messaging is clear, rather than just adequate and to the minimum requirements, I should find that the machine takings are negligible. Bearing in mind I saw others loading coins into the machines, I suspect that the minimal time limitation messaging isn't clear and is instead a money earner.

Legally, I guess the messaging is adequate, morally, I think there is a lot more that the council could do for the benefit of the town's visitors.

Kind regards,
Adrian

 [email protected]
21/02/24 
Ref:  TH/Baldwin_250124

Message for the attention of Tiffanie Huntley

Dear Tiffanie,
I write further to our previous correspondence. Following on from our exchange on 25th January, I raised a freedom of information request.

I have attached the response here because I think that my assertion, that your North Bar Within Sunday parking charges messaging isn't adequate, is accurate. In 2023, more than £1000 was taken on Sundays, and in 2024 to the 29th January, almost £100 had been taken inappropriately from visitors to Beverley.

Morally, I am owed £4.50.

I will decide what to do next in terms of sharing my insight more widely.

Kind regards,

Adrian