So, yet again, at the point where you had all given up on the Beard, and hoped, dreamed, known, that the hirsute one's blog had finally given up the ghost and disappeared, suddenly, with only a little warning, like a sudden bout of norovirus induced vomitting, he returns, complete with bad spelling and incessant use of far too much punctuation!!!!!!

So, was it really November, I hear you ask, when the irritatingly over-paranthesised Beard last posted? Well, according to the evidence available on the worlb wibe wed, it surely was... and now it seems to be March, and so much water has passed under the bridge that some of it is on its way round for a second go...

But I digress...

A lot of stuff has happened in the last few months or so... not least of which was that Beard Junior has not only become legally able to drive, but that he has purchased and insured, entirely through his own efforts, a vehicle of his own, to whit, a nice shiny red Ford Ka, built in 2005... so mobility is now his watchword... a watchword that inevitably smells rather of dog, due to his form of gainful employment as an animal care assisitant... but more power to the young man... his dream is not only being followed, but being followed by himself, which is more than most of us can say...

On the subject of dreams, the one about the teeth has reared its ugly tongue again... (you know the one... you dream it too, and if you don't, I can assure you, you soon will....)

But again, the Beard fails to get to the point, if indeed there is any point... and lest you, dear reader, think that that may be a depressing thought, allow me to correct you.. for life indeed, from a personal point of view, is indeed pointless... now, from the angle of the species, and of the ecosystem, then there is obviously a lot of point to all life... but let's be honest here... ask yourself this... what did your mother do? And her mother? What about her mum? And hers? And hers? Getting difficult? Ok, who was your most direct ancestor in 1513??? It was only 500 years ago, after all? Chances are, you have no idea... and if you do, then find something else to do, rather than digging up the past...

The fact is that in 500 years time it is almost certain that no one will remember who you were or what you did... some of us, yes, the bridge builders and famous authors maybe... as an aside, there are young people today who don't know any Beatles songs... and I met one who, at the age of 14, had never heard of the Beatles... which should be a lesson to us all...

Now, some of you are feeling down.. and I understand why... but I believe that many of us miss the point of pointlessness.... let me expand... which is something I've been doing since I was born, so I should be quite good at it... although, as y Father often pointed out to me, there are ten miles between should and is... and there's no bus... but yet again I digress....

The fact that nothing we do really has a point is a liberating thing.. imagine... if nothing we do relly matters, then we can do anything.. obviously, we should moderate that by only allowing ourselves to do that which doesn't affect others badly... but that's a moral issue, and technically (although horribly) doing bad things doesn't really affect anything in the grand scheme... but once we accept that the amount of harm and good we do is virtually zero, we can concentrate on the things that really matter, like enjoying what life we have...

As an example, the Beard is aware of at least one school colleague who has worked for over twenty five years doing a job he hates... and why? Because he thought it mattered... then suddenly he realised that it didn't... and mourned for the years when he could have been having fun.... and there are so many of us in the same situation...

As for the Beard, liberation from toil beckons... his workplace for the past 13 years is closing down, with the loss of nearly 400 jobs, and much wailing and gnashing of teeth... imminent redundancy has changed the attitudes of many involved, but the Beard remains determined to fill his remianing dys wth jollity and good customer service right to the end, safe in the knowledge that his role in life is small and unimportant... and so he may as well gain happiness, pride and goodwill in doing his job well... and as for the despair at being unemployed... well, the Beard has long held Mr Micawber to be one of his heroes, and is absolutely positive that something will turn up... if the Beard gives it enough of a nudge...

For the real truth of living in the Western world is this... that even the poor tend to have enough... rarely in this country does anyone starve, rarely do they unavoidably freeze to death, or get savaged by wild animals... there are people in foreign parts (such as Warwickshire) whose idea of luxury corresponds with our idea of a slum that needs clearing...

And talking of slum clearance, Mrs Beard and yours Truly have recently returned from a trip to the lovely city of Berlin, where much happiness and high-place malarkey took place, including a trip to Spandau, the Cathedral, Alexanderplatz (which I can recommend over the apparently more popular and far too Americanised Potsdamer Platz....) On the trip I managed to se Hooded Crows, a bird I've not seen since a Scottish trip nearly twenty years ago, Goshawks and a Crested Tit... which was nice... and Mrs Beard enjoyed herself immensely, having finally strolled under the Brandenburg Gate and loitered on Unter den Linden...

But time draws on, and the rest shall emerge another time... but until evrything that mattrs doesn't and vice versa, Wisebeard salutes you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!