(For Meades)
As I sit here contemplating some home-cooked food, I ponder on how life has almost turned a full circle. I left the UK in 2003 after a life-changing event, determined not to return, as I was disgusted with the capitulation of my home country to the forces of Evil (Dubya and Tony). My destination was the Antipodes, and the future lives of choice were either greeny hippy builder or vintage motorcycling zenistry, the two alter egos of my adult life.
A revulsion to “eco leaders” in green stripey trousers [Ed: Meades will be devastated], and hippy chicks that talked the talk and then bailed out to live with the first available solicitor / advertising exec with a big bank balance when times got hard, made me realise where my true social standing lay: a motorcycle guy (or gal) is a motorcyclist first, and a political animal second. It’s a disease.
So how the fuck am I living in semi-rural northwestern Connecticut, armed with a green card and the prospect of naturalisation next year, and more to the point, how come I am eating a meal consisting of venison curry (freezer stocked by rednecks), organic brown pilau rice, and a side of home-grown zucchini, tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic, all free from either my small veggie plot or from local friends? Worse still, I occasionally spend evenings playing with axes in a community-owned wood. What the fuck?
We live in interesting times, and while occasional observances are fine, perhaps it would be good to explain a little about my home, a run-down industrial town in northwest Connecticut; or, as a friend of mine’s father constantly asked her, “So what exactly is in Konneckticut?” As a middle-aged, widowed singleton, I have to say it’s largely about toys, but as I have resided here far longer than anywhere else in my adult life, and appreciate other aspects more and more, let’s do some background; it’s easy to do a wiki search on Connecticut.
Here is a personal précis:
Connecticut is known as the Constitution State after the “Connecticut Plan”, the proposal by the CT delegates to the Continental Congress that is credited with saving the assembly from acrimonious break-up, and leading to the ratification of the Constitution in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. The framework was supposedly based on the first articles of the New Haven colony from 1639.
Population: 3.7 million, in an area of 4849K square miles; that is to say about the same as Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Essex combined. The capital is Hartford, centrally located, and all the other major population centres are along the southern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. They are all a bit odd down that way. That’s where a lot of the money is too, as it’s within the commuter belt of NYC. (Also where the money isn’t, paradoxically: large parts of Bridgeport and New Haven make the Broadwater Farm Estate look like an agrarian paradise.)
State politics: the Communist State, nailed on to return two Democrats to the Senate, due to the large cities. Everywhere outside city limits is Trump territory. Sixth highest taxes in US states, and pretty good welfare support for poorer citizens, about as good as it gets, in fact. Must be why everyone seems to want to move to the South.
Early history: surprisingly, largely unexplored in the early years of colonisation, half-way between the Dutch in NYC/Hudson Valley and the Pilgrims in the Boston area. Groups of colonists seeking more religious freedom than on offer in Massachusetts (they are all a bit odd up there) started settling the Long Island Sound and the navigable reaches of the Connecticut River in the 1630s. Turns out that the Pilgrim fathers, fleeing political and religious intolerance in the mother country, were pretty keen on imposing their own even more extreme intolerances on the early colonists. The knock-on effect of this was the demand for self-governance in the fledgling settlements across New England (anarchism by any other name), which in turn kindled the fires that started the Revolutionary conflagration 140 years later.
I will leave the fates of indigenous inhabitants to scholars of such subjects, except to say that the shared custody of 4849K square miles of luxuriant temperate forests, lakes and streams, bounded by coastal regions unbelievably rich in fish and shellfish was fairly exchanged for a few beads, some hatchets, a lot of illegally brewed alcohol, and a couple of casinos. It’s all documented.
There are only a few of them left, so they made out like bandits. People like to assume that most of the Pequots, Mohawks and Mohegans generally wandered off to join their brethren further north and west, and they all lived happily ever after.
Geography: a bit of everything, but particularly a lot of lakes, hills, and rivers, the proliferation of which would lead to the Connecticut River valley becoming the heartland of the early American industrial revolution in the 19th century, some forty to fifty years after the process began in western Europe. Also thickly forested; almost all old growth had been cleared for farmland by the 1850s, but the opening up of western lands and the civil war led to huge areas formerly under cultivation being abandoned, and the regrowth continues apace.
Industry: in the early years, plenty of water power running from the upper reaches of the Appalachians to the west and the Berkshires to the north provided the power to make things. There are abandoned mill ponds and races everywhere in the woods, which are also crisscrossed with old stone walls from abandoned farms. Small forges and foundries gave way to larger factories in the 1890s, and led to wave after wave of European immigrants to work in them. This town is particularly strongly represented by Italians and Polish/Ukranians.
Wars lead to profits. A local high-end carriage manufacturer was the only major casualty of the civil war (all the rich guys wanting fancy carriages were down south), but the local brass mill developed the first easily mass produced bullet casing; the Union government bought loads of them.
Elsewhere in the State, they made the weapons that they needed, Colt and Winchester being possibly the most famous. Innovation and ingenuity being a natural part of the yankee character, local discoveries are too many to mention, from cotton gins to condensed milk and rubber vulcanisation, sewing machines and needle bearings. Manufacturing became a mainstay of the local economy through into the 1950s and 60s, but the writing was on the wall as cheaper labour and power supplies elsewhere started to take its toll.
Natural history: you name it, we got it within spitting distance. Deer aplenty, raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, and bears all seen rambling regularly in my neighbourhood; wild turkey roam in small herds. Me and the boys in the factory next door stood around for a good while last week watching a couple of red-tailed hawks learning to fly, and the mill dam is an excellent spot to throw a worm and catch a small brookie or rainbow trout now the factories have all closed – that is, unless the bloody bald eagle has been by and had ’em all, or scared them away, but he’s fun to watch too. Friend of mine had her chickens eaten by coyotes two weeks ago, and another friend has seen two mountain lions in the last year, not ten miles up the road. I’ve not seen a coyote or mountain lion; both of these are relatively recent returnees to the state. Connecticut is also ground zero for Lyme disease, we have deer ticks a plenty.
Signed, sunbeamtim.
Ovally Balls 
@bb
Well Boris did a tour of our local* Catholic schools this morning. Rather confusingly there were kids there in full school uniform in August pretending to have lessons as BJ walked in.
*Described as “East London” on the news to add further to the confusion.
LikeLike
BB – waaay too cool, me. But if I had been watching, I’m sure I would have noticed a certain je ne sais quoi of blog coolness rubbing off on them.
OT – and there was me congratulating myself on my deductive reasoning for thinking, Ah, OT lives in East London, then! I was also confused by a picture that appeared to show a young man in school uniform at a girls’ school.
LikeLiked by 2 people
@thauma
They may have miscaptioned it as the secondary school is a girls school put the primary school is mixed. To be fair the journalists seem to be mighty confused about the entire thing so I can’t blame them.
The Catholic boys tend to go to Campion which TomP has heard of. Despite being in a fearlessly football dominated area they are big on rugby. Apparently Saturday morning rugby is compulsory.
LikeLike
This lad was not in primary school, or if he was, he was some sort of freak. Looked like a 17-year-old rugby player.
Journos are notorious for this sort of thing; whenever you have a brush with them, you realise that most news is just made up.
LikeLike
Oh, it’s the photo that is currently at the top of the G’s live blog:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/aug/10/uk-coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates-schools#img-1
LikeLike
@thauma
Ha – nope that’s definitely the ultrahigh-security fences at the girls school.
However that guy isn’t a pupil, he works at one of the sports camps they run there over summer.
LikeLike
He works for Premier Sports who run a lot of those things round here
LikeLike
Ah okay, I had taken it for the school gym kit!
LikeLike
@thaum
Turns out he’s called Berty Frith, which is an excellent name. Makes him sound like someone who scored the winning goal in a pre-Wembley era FA Cup final
LikeLike
Utna, was ignoring big Papa cos yes he is on top form, the others I would just be expecting a lot more from. On paper its a really good team, but they are touch and go on the top 8.
Saw Manly a couple of times at Brookvale too, Crusher Cleale and Cliffy Lyons, Des Hasler, Dale Shearer,Kevin Ward, the two shirts I came home with in 88 were Manly and Raiders, the Manly one got worn more. Nephew still has the Canberra one, he was born there in 1987. Did you see the Des Hasler interview before last weeks game ? Funny as .
LikeLike
OT – ‘Berty Frith’ sounds like someone who’s escaped from a PG Wodehouse novel into Watership Down.
LikeLike
For the love of dog – quite literally, as I’m trying to get one – can someone find me a person who will fix a garden gate in the Midlands? I have been trying for weeks, and apparently no-one is available.
LikeLike
@thauma
To be fair Berty Frith sounds like someone who went to school with Boris.
He’s actually from Dagenham so it’s unlikely
LikeLiked by 1 person
OT – I wouldn’t be so sure
https://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk/news/education/from-dagenham-to-eton-elias-talks-about-first-weeks-at-top-boarding-school-1-2835821
LikeLike
Also:
https://www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk/news/education/dagenham-park-pupil-going-to-eton-1-6754903
LikeLike
There’re loads!! 6
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/a-level-boy-10-is-off-to-eton-6437306.html
LikeLike
I said “unlikely” not impossible.
Population of Dagenham is about 212,000. So 6/212,000 is 0.003%.
Highly unlikely.
LikeLike
https://www.bodgers.org.uk/
Try these guys Thauma, must be a half skilled carpenter amongst the bunch.
(From days of yore, I know there were some highly skilled guys , and some not so)
LikeLike
and of course, Martin Birch RIP
One of the first gigs I saw :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Utna, my guess is you are watching highlights reels. I’m watching 2 or 3 full games a week, Raiders every week. £0 to go at the moment in the Penrith game, Starling has just come on, and he is the only guy with a spark in the backs. If you compare Williams to Cleary in this game, it’s night and day so far, George wandering sideways, lazily offering the ball, and then passing to a forward to get clobbered. Cleary in the same situation is all snap and crackle, same move, twice the speed, and holes open up in the Raiders defence.
Across the board, Raiders should be better on paper.
I agree Whithead has looked good, but I think 5 disallowed or fumbled tries in the last three games, the form guys ( Chriton Panthers, Charlie Staines) will get all five.
LikeLike
Cheers, SBT – not sure that re-attaching a wonky gate-post is quite their line of work? But I can ask!
LikeLike
SBT – there’s a list below of all the stuff he worked on either as an engineer or producer (or both). Some real classics on there (including CJ-pleasing ‘Argus’).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Birch
LikeLike
Marvellous to read your words again, utna. Keep well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Deebee, Schoeman’s business partner is a Zimbo. He explains the Pioneer stuff on the website. Talks about his family going to Rhodesia, before the territory was so called. Talks of it being the “New World”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OT, Campion used to supply players to Saracens. The year group below mine had Diprose, Daren O’Leary and a guy called O’Herlihy, who was also really good and played for England schools. I trained with O’Leary and played a couple of games with O’H.
An ex of mine went to Sacred Heart.
LikeLike
Eugene was his first name. Strange that I struggled.to recall that.
Coopers etc also had strong teams. That was the big Havering derby.
LikeLike
OT – actually, the Eton student population is 86.35% from Dagenham.
LikeLiked by 1 person
@tomp
Coopers is the big school round here that people would sacrifice their grandparents to get their children into. Peter Scrivener went there I think. Massive on rugby and hockey, less so on cricket, at least that’s the impression I get
LikeLike
The footballer Paul Gascoigne has confirmed that producers are searching for an actor to portray him in a new film based on the memoir Gazza: My Story.
Can’t fucking wait. I hope Cips eventually releases a similar book and we can see whoever plays him being hit by a bus.
LikeLike
TomP – I didn’t go onto the website and had no idea his partner was a Zimbo. Just been onto the site. More than just a massive wink at Zimbos! Wonder how many there are in Edinburgh though? I wouldn’t buy anything from a shop that glorifies the colonial era in Africa, that’s for sure.
LikeLike
@Craigs
William Bendix was the first ‘Gazza’ actor that sprang to my mind, which says dog knows what about me.
LikeLike
Colin Farrell could do Cippers, bus included.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thats quite the list right there, BB.
Must be time for another one. Never been a big Maiden fan tbh, but this album kind of hits the spot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
MrIks – Google tells me he’s deid though. I was thinking Joe Cole for young gazza, Jason statham for old gazza.
Danny Dyer for Cips. Similar personalities.
LikeLike
Mr Iks’ Mighty Wolves ready to take on Sevilla in the Equally As Mighty Europa League Quarter Final!
LikeLike
Oh dear. Mr Iks’ Not-So-Mighty Wolves now a goal down to Sevilla. Sevilla have been the better side though, but Wolves will regret missing a penalty in the first half.
LikeLike
Never mind BB. This seems exactly right for how far the Mighty Wolves have come, and how far they still need to go.
They remind me of Wales at the RWC, getting a bit worn out and threadbare in the knockout stages.
LikeLike
I’ve had a star studded few hours. Last night I stood near Ravi Bopara as his lad’s team played against my lad’s cricket team. Needless to say our lot battered the opposition.
This morning I popped to the Co-op and as I was leaving I crossed paths with the one and only Berty Frith. I didn’t say anything.
LikeLike
Ironic that the best cricketer you met was in co op.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The idea of England stars Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell playing for the Chiefs in Super Rugby next season has been described as “unbelievable”, “great for the game” and “awesome for spectators” by two of Super Rugby Aotearoa’s leading players.
About time we in the Northern Hemisphere gave some help to those struggling Kiwi sides. It’ll be good for the game’s development all the way down there.
LikeLike
Chiefs need the help it appears
LikeLike
Spectacular storm in embra last night. Hours of thunder & lightning, rain etc. Kidz slept through the whole thing.
LikeLike
Make them sleep outside, chimpster. That’d probably ensure the lazy tykes don’t sleep through the next one.
LikeLike
I know. Been too soft on ’em
LikeLike
Just checking in between “staycations” (not in the original sense of the word) – we were in SE Ireland last week and next week we’re in Galway. Managed to agree house swaps with folks who fancied coming to Kerry.
Biggest pain with a swap is having to have the house spotless … I’m worn out from cajoling, shouting at my three sons to pick up stuff, put stuff away and generally not leave the house looking like we’d been burgled
Interesting ATL – thanks SBT… one always associates Connecticut with “kind of” New York overspill / commuterland ….
Although, long, long time ago – I caught a train from NYC to Providence (IIRC) and taking a road trip around Boston, Maine etc – listening to New Brunswick radio and for the first time encountering the heavy influence of Scottish accents on the Maritime accent. Somehow came back to NYC by train via an overnight in New Haven. (Our original plan had been to see Iggy and the Stooges in Memphis or Nashville or some place in the near “South” – maybe St Louis??) . Anyway, you soon get an appreciation of another US – not the one you see on tv/film
Great to hear again from Utna… maybe when rugby re-starts a few more will drift back
Our seniors are back training, plus a couple of youth teams. Looking to start U14s back next week – although GAA season is still active – but we’ve a “responsibility” to provide a chance to play rugby for those who want to …even if the “stars” are likely to be tied in with (gaelic) football for a while yet.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Let’s face it. World Cup finalists are pretty thin on the ground these days in New Zealand, they could use the experience and skill Itoje and Farrell would bring.
LikeLike
Chimpie, just had a thought. You cook for them already so they’ve probably suffered enough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tomp – they were probably in some kind of coma from the trauma they’d endured at dinner last night.
LikeLike
Trisk- yep very much so in the Southern parts, there is a little pocket up here that makes it just too far for easy commuting, no trains, altho decent rural properties have been snapped up at an amazing rate in the last 5 months.
LikeLike
Didn’t cook last night Dinner might have gone better if I had.
LikeLiked by 1 person