Owlie and a bottle of wine

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Owlie and a bottle of wine

by tylluanpenry @ Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 – 10:43:21

It's been too wet to photograph Owlie these past few days. The lens gets misted up or worse, raindrops on it, so I've given up until we have some sunshine and then Owlie can be revealed in all his glory.

As we're having visitors this weekend, I went out to buy a bottle of red wine to saturate the planned Lasagne... on the back I read 'Please drink responsibly and remember that abstinence one day is no excuse for overindulgence on the next day.'

Oh, puhleese!!! This is a bottle of wine. Soon I suspect I shall have to be fingerprinted in order to buy it, or worse, have to produce a little card that will be stamped and swiped to make sure I'm not buying too much wine (too much according to whom, I wonder?)

I know all too well how horrible it can be to live with alcoholics. That said, I don't believe that today's social drinkers are tomorrow's alcoholics... some people are happy social drinkers, some are horrible the moment a teaspoonful of Mateus Rose gets past their tonsils.

Some people love a drink. Some people don't. Some people, alas, live only to drink.

But I really don't appreciate some patronising claptrap telling me how to live my life.

The saddest thing is that the people who should be reading and listening to the message may no longer be able to see straight anyway....
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17 Comments to Owlie and a bottle of wine

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- Usksider ^Pro
- http://www.usksider.co.uk
- Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 10:48:50
It's all getting a bit beyond isn't it? No, not the weather... although that's completely beyond were you to ask me... no, the damn drink responsibly thing.

Beats the hell out of me why, considering you can drink legally at 18, you need to be 21 to buy booze in a supermarket.

I'm not in favour of the mass binging that goes on by any means, but come on Britain, do we really need this level of Nanny-state?
- - tylluanpenry
  - Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 15:42:07
  My father used to say that a person either had to discipline himself/herself, or accept discipline from a third party - the alternative was anarchy. The idea of self-discipline is now hopelessly old fashioned, leaving the field clear for the nanny-brigade to step in and start their finger wagging.
  
  The trouble is they wag their fingers at the wrong people.
  
  I agree that since you can buy booze legally at 18 it's ridiculous to insist you should be 21 in a supermarket.... or to insist that you must either look over 25 or produce ID.
  - - Usksider ^Pro
    - http://www.usksider.co.uk
    - Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 08:41:00
    That's just the thing though isn't it? Self discipline seems to have flown out the window... we've been encouraged to live lives on perpetual credit... don't worry if you can't afford it, just go out and get it anyway... the attitude of live now and sod tomorrow rules... very sad really.
    - - tylluanpenry
      - Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 10:15:58
      Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die - who'd have thought that old chestnut would come around again???
      - Usksider ^Pro
        
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        Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 10:19:58
        
        ...and with such a vengeance too...
        
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- menhir
- http://www.myword.blog.co.uk
- Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 14:41:58
After the recent news when the Welsh Education Secretary was not pleased with boys' SATS results, low reading ability being the concern, I doubt whether;
a) all the punters could read the patronising guff on the label,
b)if some could read it, would they understand the message
c)and a bit of simple plain language in any language Welsh/English/Gaelic/Celtic/Doric for those who can understand words, would be more appreciated; the clever 'reach the drinkers' friendly stuff, is not! The educators/advertisers have got it wrong.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 15:44:49
  Nicely put as always, Menhir
  
  I didn't mind the 'drink sensibly' message, but to seriously tell people that just because they abstain one day they shouldn't go over the top the next is the frozen limit.
  
  It was, after all, this government that introduced the idea of 24 hour drinking. I felt that gave out completely the wrong message...
  - - menhir
    - http://www.myword.blog.co.uk
    - Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 20:39:38
    There are many thoughts on the 24 hour drink ruling.
    
    First there is the psychology - introduce the idea, much as the Europeans drink. There were plenty of grumbles about the lack of permission before it was given. It doesn't mean European mainland countires don't have alcoholics, they sure do. However, the other side to that coin is, if it is officially available at all times, people won't be gasping for it and guzzling at alarming rates during the brief or controlled times it is available. That in fact, may have happened though I haven't seen any definitive research on it.
    
    Second, the 24 principle has largely 'dried up' because the majority of publicans won't open for 24 hours. They have permission to do so, but they do not. It does mean though, that bars which could not open at wholesale markets in the early hours now can do so. It also means that bars don't have to be closed during the daytime, but the vast majority are for obvious reasons. People still drink around their work hours and socialising habits.
    
    Third; the price of booze, like cigarettes, and fuel, are becoming prohibitive and this is biting in to everyones' purse or wallet and either limiting what people do or stopping some from going to bars and pubs altogether, more so, than the smoking ban did.
    
    Fourth; messages or not, the thinking processes have not changed, the method and style of doing the drinking probably has. It will take more than one or two generations for the transitions to learn to sit comfortably in society.
    - - tylluanpenry
      - Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 10:22:04
      I think my opposition to 24 hour drinking has been the increase in drunkeness I've seen in our nearest city (Cardiff) since it was introduced. At one time people drank until throwing out time (around 10.30 usually) made a bit of noise and went home. There they were free to drink some more if they wished, but at least they were not vomiting over the streets or in taxis or getting into fights on quite such a grand scale.
      
      What has happened now is that at any given hour of the day there is always somewhere open serving alcohol. And I agree that people have to drink around their working hours - but only if they're working. A lot of people cannot be working given the amount of alcohol they're consuming.
      
      Yesterday (Saturday) I popped up to the Brecon Jazz festival which alas is now little more than a glorified booze-up. I saw one man of about forty vomiting into a drain in the main street, surrounded by cans of beer and cheered on by his friends...
      
      This wasn't happening even twenty years ago. It's not good for society to equate puking in public as having a good time. As you say, the method and style of drinking has certainly changed....
      - menhir
        
        http://www.myword.blog.co.uk
        
        Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 11:10:21
        
        Sounds like what you saw was booze bought off-licence and used in public at that Jazz event. There is more off-sales drinking and in public, that makes us aware of it, or we are aware of it because, the media say it is worse and we notice it as a result, and maybe it was there. If it was there, police were more visible on the streets and moved the behaviour out of sight.
        
        Remember, the Salvationist movement started because of demon drink, the problem is not new. Now, we have media that can highlight events, create events for publication, we've seen that too.
        
        I wonder if there is a bit of reverse bravado here, 'if we're accused of something most of us don't do, we may as well do it and so stand correctly accused.'
        
        Making excuses for horrid drinking habits is not my style, and I don't support what we see, especially when it is so disgusting. There are codes of conduct to be observed by publicans, but I do not believe what we see, is, in the main, people who have only bought their booze in pubs.
        
        A friend and I were refused admission to a hotel bar some months ago. We were sober ladies wanting a quiet and sociable place to chat over a drink. The reason for refused entry that was given, was that the bar was full with guests and was too busy! The refusal was illegal as we were not in any of the categories for refused entry to a bar. Apart from complaining to the owners who are not on site, who would have done nothing about it, perhaps complain to the licensing board, (doubt whether that would do any good) the best I can do, is let local people know about this when the opportunity arises. Quiet times are when hoteliers and bars want their local people most of all.
        
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        tylluanpenry
        
        Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 15:47:51
        
        You are quite right to draw attention to the fact that many people buy their drinks via the supermarket or off licence rather than in a pub.
        
        I didn't notice the gentleman in question just because the media have been foaming at the mouth about drinking in public of course; it was difficult not to fall over him, lying across the pavement with his head in the drain. And of course, as you say, this isn't really a new phenomenon at all.
        Circa 1800 there were about 200 gin shops around the perimeter wall of Cardiff Castle alone!
        
        I was astonished to read of you being refused admission to a hotel bar with your friend... Even my aunty was never asked to leave when she stuck her foot on a table and started singing......
        
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        menhir
        
        http://www.myword.blog.co.uk
        
        Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 17:23:28
        
        We were pretty astonished, 'miffed' in fact that we were refused admission.
        
        I could never be accused of dramatic and rowdy behaviour in a public place, not even the enclave of a hotel bar! Your aunty sounds like fun.
        
        200 gin shops around the walls of Cardiff, geeze, and we think we have problems.
        
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- avrilo
- Saturday, 09. Aug, 2008 @ 17:15:08
A bit of the pot calling the kettle black (now where did that phrase come from?)
You just have to listen to m.p.s in parliament to hear the drunken roars, trying to say 'hear hear' but not being sober enough to say it clearly.
I agree that the warning on the bottle of wine is uncalled for. Reeks of the nanny state not practicing what they preach...

Your Owlie sounds interesting and very visible to all passers by.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Sunday, 10. Aug, 2008 @ 10:23:36
  That's very true, I reckon more than a few MPs sit in the house when they're in their cups, so to speak.
  
  I'm looking forward to enough dry weather for me to go and photograph Owlie soon.....
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- Doralene
- Monday, 11. Aug, 2008 @ 11:42:40
I agree hun; it's like those damn ads that display the diseased lungs in order to turn people off smoking. Well I don't smoke, why the hell should I have to look at it? And if I did isn't that my business. I know all the pros and cons; I don't need someone trying to bully me into acting a certain way.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Monday, 11. Aug, 2008 @ 13:14:14
  I quite agree - and apparently they're going to do the same with diseased livers on bottles of wine. Given that I like wine with a meal, this could well put me off my dinner.
  
  I swear if I vomit, I shall sue
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- miramaze
- Wednesday, 13. Aug, 2008 @ 16:13:24
Wine complements food so nicely. The note on that bottle is a real kill joy . Pointing fingers seldom works.

ENJOY xxxx
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