Time Flies

Just For Tonight - One Night Only

Mercia Chapter Founder Jewel

I recently bought this jewel in Edinburgh. It is slightly damaged with chipped enamel but still very colourful. I would be grateful for any information anyone can give me about it. Thank you.

Pappadom

Considering the affinity 1iz has for all things spicey, the news that GB may face a curry chef shortage must be concerning. It appears that immigration laws are limiting the number of new chefs entering the country and, as a result, curry may become a thing of the past. This is made even worse by rising Basmati prices so leading to a shortage of rice. What is going to happen to those who believe that a good Saturday night involves too many lagers followed by something hot remains to be seen.

Scooby

OK, this really is going to be difficult to do a picture a day, but luckily I have cats

Covent Garden

I like the idea of developing a photo blog. Every day I will take at least one photo and put it on here. I keep being hit by a wave of realism that tells me I don't have enough hours in the day. So we will see what happens. But, for now, I had time to stop at Covent Garden today, here are some of the results.

The Player: I ended up watching a string quintet. It was obvious that there was a ringleader, driving them all on.




The Romeo: He played the crowd, wooed them, loved them



The Cellist: I never quite worked out how she could hold the cello and move so freely. The red jacket was a great splash of colour



The Girl: it was a stand-off. How close could he get, how embarrassed would she be. She stood her ground well.




The Jump: They were playing a piece from Carmen

A Second Jump: Not sure which I prefer

Holiday Complaints

According to Thomas Cook in the UK, some holidaymakers are just never satisfied. Here are the top ten most bizarre and genuine customer complaints received by the firm in recent years:
1 On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food at all.
2 The beach was too sandy.
3 I bought a snorkel and swimming mask for my six-year-old son, but he was too upset to use them as the fish frightened him.
4 It rained on my birthday.
5 Topless sunbathing on the beach should be banned. The holiday was ruined as my husband spent all day looking at other women.
6 I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts.
7 It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned.
8 We bought 'Ray-Ban' sunglasses for five euros (£3.50) from a street trader, only to find out they were fake.
9 None of the hotel staff was English, and the tea didn't taste the same as at home.
10 I would like to complain about the price of alcohol in the resort. It was too cheap and I woke with a hangover every day.

Scream

An american judge is coming under fire today for saying that there are times when torture may be allowable. At first sight this appears a terrible thing for a judge to say. But never trust the media to give the full story when half a story sounds better (just ask the archbishop). At least, as I understand it, the judge was given teh great dilemma question. That is, a plane piloted by terrorists is flying straight for the twin towers, in front of you sits one of their accomplices and he is the only one that can give you a way to stop it, to save all those people. Do you stick a needle under his fingernail to make him talk?

I believe torture is wrong. But in that instance, I really don't know. It goes against everything I believe in to say that in that one moment torture could be allowed, but it also seems ridiculous to say that I wouldn't allow one person to suffer in order to save hundreds. There is no right answer because this is a hypothetical and, as such, give the judge a break.

Up and Away

No, sorry, this is wrong. What message are we sending when someone with this many drug and alcohol problems is able to get 5 awards - is this really the kind of person we should be looking up to? If you heard her acceptance speach then you have to admit she was high. There should be a rule - you can only receive major awards if you are a decent and upstanding person, an example to us all.

Rugby Round-up

Wales continue to show improvement. A ruthless coach who will drop players or substitute them even when they are doing well may be giving them an extra impetous. An impetous that is clearly lacking from the England team. So nearly threw the game against Italy, much as they did against Wales last week. Little learning there then. And a pity for Ireland that their come-back was too late against France, a close thing.

Varekai- Cirque du Soleil

Oh yes. Been waiting for months. And it was so worth it. Went to London today to see Varekai. It's been two years since we last saw Cirque live. And seeing them makes us question why we even try with the wannabe shows that are around. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can match the Cirque. Both acts were an hour long. Both acts felt like they were ten minutes. Spell-binding stuff. Mind you, I have to admit that the Aerial Straps, shown here, verged on to the homo-erotic, two men naked for all but a basque clasping each other as they swing to amazing heights.

I loved Allegria when we saw that. I was worried that today would not live up to my hopes and expectations. I need not have feared. Very different shows. Allegria was more circus, Varekai is more theatre. We had ringside seats, the very front row. The acts were smiling and winking at "A" who loved the whole thing. Beautiful costumes, great music (although Allegria was definitely better on that score), and speed combined with death defying stunts. Not a safety harness in site despite the jaw-dropping heights they go to.

Heaven.

Win or Lose

I was interested to see the Tories have plans for reforming the lottery. I have recently stopped buying a lottery ticket. I once won over £1500 and I used to regularly win £10 or so, and as such I suspect I finally broke even. Which I know isn't exactly the aim when it is to help charity.

I fully endorse the idea that the money from the lottery isn't going to the right places at the moment, that projects which should be covered by the government are being subsidised. To such an extent that I am disillusioned with the whole scheme, hence no longer buying a ticket. So I am all for a redistribution. But in other areas I am not so sure. I can't help but smile at the idea that they will cut the amount spent on admin, to make it more like a normal charity. I am sorry, I really am if you work for a charity, but my experience of trying to work with charities and other good causes is one of despair. The inability of such organisations to actually get things done often defies belief. Offered money and sponsorship they often manage to actively discourage the helping hand. They mismange and fail to drive a project. I understand why, volunteers also have a life so it is difficult to manage everything, but it is a major cause of frustration and leads to a decision to no longer be involved.

Could I Mean You?

I can think of a couple of regular readers who would agree wholeheartedly with the following:

Nickelback - How You Remind Me

Dragon Up

OK, I promise this is the last time I will mention the Wales England match. But you have to forgive me, be fair, last time Wales beat England at Twickers I was mid-way through university (and even more worrying the great pretender Capriano {for non-rugby followers he is hoping to get Jonny Wilkinsons place} was only 3 months old). So I think a week of milking it is reasonable, I might have to wait another 20 years for another opportunity.

Anyway, great quote from Lee Byrne (not my favourite player, I think he can be quite weak but anyway) which sums up the match very well. Coming off at half time he reports feeling "look they've thrown all they've got at us and they're just 10 points up - Ten points. And we haven't even played any rugby yet."

Now, we may ask why Wales hadn't played any rugby in the first half. It is quite an accurate comment. But at least they did in the second.

Breath Deeply

Well isn't that interesting. The smoking ban seems to ahve turned London into a cafe culture. Well, a cafe culture with a problem. The problem being that it is too cold. It appears that smokers cannot have a drink or a meal without a fag. So they are willing to sit outside on the streets of London to drink or eat. I have never seen so many restaurants with outside seating. And the people sitting outside are wrapped up like mummies to keep warm. Thick coats, scarves, and I am still trying to work out how they hold the cutlery whilst wearing gloves. It would be amusing if it wasn't so sad.

Ice Cold In...

Some days just don't go according to plan. Having still not fully recovered from yesterdays match (I woke at least 5 times during the night thinking it was just a dream, sad but true), today we were meeting my parents for lunch. The problems with being ill over Christmas and a hectic schedule meant that we hadn't seen each other for ages. Seemed easiest to meet half way. We picked a restaurant half way that "A" usually likes. The idea was lunch then a walk along the river. Which would have been fine. But you might have noticed it's been a bit cold recently. So the walk was off the list. Then we got to the restaurant to find their heating system had broken down. We decided to brave it. Big mistake. We all ended up eating lunch still wearing our coats. Hot drinks at the end were needed just to warm up. The whole thing missed the kind of atmosphere I was hoping for.

England 19 - Wales 26

I thought about it. I thought about it long and hard. But hey, on Friday I was given a hard time by certain England supporters who were just a bit too cocky. So, I finally decided I have to mention it. Now I admit, Wales didn't play particularly well for the majority of the game. However neither did England. And in the last 20 minutes Wales suddenly managed to pull it together. That might be because, by then, a large number of Ospreys had gone off injured (I still can't quite fathom how 13 players came from a team that a lying near the bottom of the league) . And, to an extent, England did self destruct, with wild passes going astray and a general lack of cohesion. But there has to be credit as well. Within 5 minutes of the start of the second half England were 19-6 ahead. At that point Wales looked dead in the water. It would have been easy for them to capitulate and for England to pile on the points. Instead Wales rallied, kept a belief, and came back again and again. And then finally managed to bring it together and show good running rugby and adventure. The last ten minutes were nerve wracking, my heart trying to beat out of my chest as an unbelievable result turned into reality.

The Bare Essentials

German (it had to be didn't it) tourists can now book to take part in the worlds inaugural "naked flight". Although you have to wear clothes in the airport, the moment you are on board the plane you can strip off. The rules of the flight - the crew will remain clothed at all times, no hot drinks will be served, and no ogling or groping (differentiating between eyes wide open in fear or ogling may be difficult).

And the cost, they admit is expensive. It's the reason why that worries me. "Because the plane's very small". Now, my ever increasing experience of planes is that you tend to get a bit too close to your neighbour anyway, it is impossible to avoid bits touching. And on a small plane. I am cringeing just thinking about it. Although, thinking about it, it isn't the first flight that is the problem, it is the return, sitting on a warm seat which has half an hour earlier had someone elses sweaty bottom parked on it. Rubbing back and for from the turbulence. Eww.

{This post was not deamed suitable for graphic supporting material]

Know Your Films

Whoops, it would appear that Woolies haven't been employing movie buffs. At least, so you would have to think after hearing that they were selling a bed for six-year olds. A range that they had decided, in their wisdom, to call "Lolita". The Lolita midsleeper combi is the kind of PR coup that marketeers dread.

Which Way

The Gough Map is the oldest known "true" map. Before the Gough Map everything was based on a combination of religion and superstition - the "here be dragons" type of map. But with the Gough map we can se a relatively true representation of the UK. The orientation is rotated 90 degrees, but once you realise that east is up it all makes sense. Interestingly it does make the UK look a bit like an old shoe in shape. Not helped by things getting a bit vague once you get to Scotland, and it is here that the shape is the least accurate. But consider this was drawn around 1360 and you have to admit it is a fine effort.

Apples to Cider

Interesting concept. Walk to India with no money. Mark Boyle has put aside two and a half years to walk to India relying on peoples goodwill. He hopes to get food and lodging in return for odd jobs. The aim is to show that money is outdated, and to show us how we could be helping each other. The "Harvest Walk" is inspired by the help villagers used to give on the farm without expecting payment.

All credit to him, wonderful concept. I am not sure that we need to move away from money but I can see his ppoint. I do think he may hit a problem at the Channel. I am imagining the conversation at the ticket desk "one way ticket to France please" "£60 sir" "er, I don't have any money" "£60 sir" "no, you see, it's OK, I don't believe in money" "yes sir" "I want to show the world we can do without" "yes sir, well maybe you can do without a free trip to France"

One For Me, One For You

So first it's Peter Hain. Then Labour get revenge by naming Derek Conway. Then the Conservatives go and name the guy who named Derek Conway. It is turning into a complete sham. All reminiscent of the cold war. We'd shoot one of their spies, so they'd shoot one of ours, then we'd arrest one in retaliation for that, ad infinitum.

I wouldn't mind so much, but I can't help feeling that if they put half as much energy into running the country as they do having scandals (both part of and the dobbing in) then the country might be in a better place than it is now.

Walking

Name In The Box

I was listening to more stories about the american election today and I began to wonder who on earth would run for president anyway. I mean, don't get me wrong, I can understand why people have in the past. But now? Bush has made such a mess of the country (and world) who on earth would want to take it on?

Mount Rushmore

Oddly enough last week I had at least two seperate conversations relevant to this post by Dog Collar. It is to do with the way life has changed. In the old days travelling meant that you couldn't be contacted. Even when I started this job, only 7 years ago, once I was on the road it was hard to get me. Yes I had a mobile but that was it. Now we have mobiles (with better coverage), we have wi-fi, we have 3G. Although I still use the out of office message it is very unusual for me not to reply within 24 hours. We have added layer uppon layer of technology in the thought that it improves our lives. In fact it does the opposite.

Thinking time is now a thing of the past. When you couldn't be contacted then you had time to mull things over, consider new ideas. But now everything is instant. Replies are expected. This is actually a backward step. We spend so much effort dealing with the now that there is little time for the future.

I think how things must have been when the only options were snail-mail and land-lines. There would have been no point expecting things to be done by tomorrow, or even by the afternoon. A normal turn-around must have been a week. Everything slower. Everything more considered. It must have been wonderful.

Morning Walk

Feel the Force

(Thanks to Horse Wrestler)

Star

In this present
This definitive, unmistakeable, now
Where all my pasts have lead
From where my futures
Draw away


And in this now
I long for that past
Wishing
We had been bound
In one perfect moment
By a shooting star

wdydwyd

"Why do you do what you do?" is a simple question, but hard to answer. A new weekly blog for "wdydwyd?" is updated every Monday with a selection of people's answers to the question.Some examples: "Because otherwise I'd be punished" "To be connected to the world" "Because I'm afraid to do what I don't do" Each one is a photo -- usually very visually striking. It's a community-art project where people have submitted photos from all over the world.Follow the new blog. Bookmark it or subscribe for free. http://www.wdydwyd.com/

I believe that I have mentioned this site before. It has had a revamp so that it will nowbe more like "Post Secrets" by the looks of it, with weekly updates. It needs to get up to speed.


Find more photos like this on wdydwyd?

Deep Down

Finally Tower Colliery has closed for good. For 14years it has been a symbol of welsh defiance. It has been credited with changing the political landscape and to allow the first steps to devolvement. It is put forward as an icon against Maggie.

In fact, Tower colliery is a demonstration that Maggie was right. The collieries couldn't survive as they were. They were losing money. And for a big national company it would cost too much to get the juggernaut structure to turn around. The National Coal Board was dying. There was nowhere to go. But instead, after closure, the miners each donated £8000 of their reduncy pay and bought the mine. A small, streamlined structure, a privatised structure no less, was able to trim the operation so that it could make money for another 13 years. The fact that it has run for 13 years is important for those working there as it has given them a life, but it is too short a time compared to what a government would have had to invest and it would never had made a profit for a national company.

Tower colliery stands for many things. It stands for the pride of the welsh. It stands for the individual against the corporation. But, surprisingly considering its history, it also stands for the success of the Conservative policies and for privatisation over nationalisation.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now

So Peter Hain has finally resigned. And yet, listening to politicians toady, we should think he has done the honourable thing, that he should be admired. Sorry, no. The honourable thing would have been to resign at the beginning. Instead he has tried to bluff it out. Only when the police have got involved has he had to give up, admit defeat. This was not honour, this was desperation.

London Calling

So the Houses of Parliament are a good place to start



Then playing on a bridge



And trying to work out if I like this next one


Next was the path along the Thames,


But with a bit of editing it becomes monochrome and I kind of like this more, it takes on a wintery feel I think

Roar

"A" was worried that I would be lonely while I was away. She insisted that I took Mr Lion with me for company. Although yet another thing to carry wasn't on my wish list, I do find it hard to refuse her. So I ahve spent the last 4 days with Mr Lion. When I started it was fine, he could fit in the suitcase. But one of the mysteries I find about travelling is that even if I don't buy anything it seems to get progressively harder to repack the suitcase. And we got to the stage today where the suitcase was full without Mr Lion in it. End result, I wander around London with Mr Lion in my computer backpack. Which is a soource of great amusement to all the policemen out on demonstration. And also to those in the meeting I was attending.

Follow That Cab

Later I get a taxi to the train station. I am early, as ever is the way. I meander around the station, wondering how to spend the next hour and a half. As I wander my hands get cold. I put them in my pocket. I feel my keys. “Strange” I think to myself, “I thought my keys were in my bag”. Oh. Yes. Knew there was something I was supposed to do. Leaving the keys for the hire car at the hotel reception would have been a good idea. So I have to speed over to the taxi rank and explain that I need to be taken to the hotel, but I then want them to wait while I drop off the keys, and then they can bring me back. Nice driver says OK. We get to the hotel. I say “I’ll leave my bags here so you know I won’t run off”. I go in, hand over the keys, accepting the looks from the receptionist that indicate I am a can short of a six pack. I go back out. No taxi. NO TAXI. My bags. My camera. My, well a lot of things. I glance up the road and there is my taxi. The driver obviously decided to move up the road a bit to get out of the way of the traffic. I run. And as I get close she does a u-turn and starts heading back towards the hotel. I am now on the wrong side of the road. I run across, very nearly coming a cropper in a conflict with a Merc. I run towards the taxi. She crosses back to the other side of the road, so she is now facing the wrong way up the street. I run back across, I get to the taxi, hand on door, and she starts reversing. Finally after nearly losing a few toes, I manage to make my presence known and she lets me in. Back to the station. And still enough time to sit and wait for the train. There are times when being anally retentive about travel and being early does have its uses.

Exams

The following starts as something I found amusing but actually it becomes more serious as it goes along. And I accept that I may be open to some criticism, but bear me out.

I am sitting in the bar of the hotel waiting for my lunch. I have a few hours to kill before my train. The hotel is interviewing for positions and I can overhear the conversation behind me. Or at least I can overhear the questioner, but the interviewee is too quiet.

The first question I hear is “What makes you want to get up in the morning and clean rooms?” And I am thinking is there anything that could make someone get up in the morning and clean rooms. I mean, “what makes you want to become a surgeon” yes, “what makes you want to defend those in court” yes, “what makes you want to travel” yes. But clean rooms? Seems an unfair question to me. I think about my house when I was a bachelor. To be honest, to a degree I can think about my house now. Cleaning never was high on the priority list. For a good few years after I was married I did take on the mantle of cleaning the bathroom, but somehow I have managed to let that slip, maybe “J” got fed up waiting for me to do it. Cleaning is important, of course it is, I would hate a dirty hotel room (in fact there was someone else’s toenail on the floor in my room and that just isn’t pleasant) but I can’t see it as an inspiring reason to get up in the morning.

Then the next question “Have you ever gone beyond the call of duty for a guest?” The girl must have asked, as quiet as a mouse, what that means. The interviewer replies “it means have you ever done anything that a guest wouldn’t expect. Have you ever surprised a guest?” In my mind I can think of many ways a maid may surprise a guest, none of them are the kind of thing that you would admit in an interview. It appears that this girl has done nothing that she is willing to divulge to surprise a guest.

But this is where I stop being amused. Because I start thinking. I can’t tell how old the girl is because her head is down, her hair hanging in front, hands either side of her face. She is so quiet. I am not sure if she is even answering. She is obviously scared. And the interviewer is barking at her. No attempt to make the girl comfortable, to put her at her ease. Each question makes it worse. I can feel the pit that she feels she is descending into.

I look into that pit, that abyss, that yawning chasm, I am reminded that in the here and the now we are still producing children who can’t write their name. Those who are abused, bullied, demeaned. Who are driven from their homes. Who don’t know the meaning of family. Who are grateful for any opportunity to climb one step above the gutter line. Who won’t be worried about the stock market crash because they are simply worried about where their next 50 pence will come from.

And the final question I hear, “Tell me about a time in your life when you felt proud?”

Silence

OK Go "A Million Ways"

Watch and enjoy

Knees Down

An evening approximating a pub crawl has done nothing to appease the loneliness but only served to aggravate the crankiness. I am tempted to ask where has my youth gone. But then again, my iPod has just started playing OK Go and "A Million Ways" and I am happy.

Overpacked

It was especially nice to indulge myself slightly because, on a personal side, this trip to Edinburgh is not turning out as planned. I have brought rather a lot of stuff with me for three days, anyone seeing my case would think I have rather over-packed. This is because I had two plans to take up some of my spare time. The first was masonic, as I was planning on visiting an Edinburgh Lodge. However, after a rather delayed train trip yesterday I was so tired by the time I got to my hotel that I really couldn't face organising anything. So that meant I brought my suit and my masonic case with me for nothing. Then I also brought my camera and some gear. I was hoping to take some photos. But rather than the nice snowy scenes I was planning on, instead what I have got up here at the moment is damp, grey rain and sleet. A better photographer than me might be able to make something out of it, but it has defeated me. Mind you, it does mean that I can spend my time reading, which is never a bad thing.

Old And Older

I don't get a lot of time for browsing through antique shops and second-hand bookshops these days. It was very nice then to decide, after an afternoon working in a hotel room, that half an hour fresh air while the shops were still open wouldn't be a bad idea. And I found an antique shop with a rather nice masonic jewel, and a bookshop with a couple of nice old poetry books. A very pleasant half hour.

Live and Let Die

The second of the Bond series. Another gripping story. Again Bond isn't the kind of hero he appears in the films. He is driven by inner demons that lead him on to the next day, the next fight. His demons give him the strength he needs, lady luck gives him the rest. I find it interesting seeing a very different character to that I grew up with watching the films. It is obvious that it is written in another time, another political era. But it also shows attitudes in another time. It has to be read with a slight suspension of what we now believe to be politically correct.

Party Time

A friend has recently been complaining about the smoking ban. Not because she smokes, but because it has put her off boys. Apparently it's all to do with nightclubs. In the old days nightclubs smelt of smoke. Not the nicest of smells, but bearable. Now (I am reliably informed, I no longer frequent them) they smell of sweat and farts. And the nearer you get to a group of blokes the worse it gets. It seems it is so bad that there is a two foot zone around them that it is impossible for girls to penetrate without fainting! So even if they spot a guy they like the look of, they can't actually get to speak to him.

I had never realised that the smoking ban was also going to act as a birth control system. I await with interest some stats on teenage pregnancies before and after the ban.

Thunderbolt Next

At the risk of developing a theme to this blog, once more I will say that someone high up doesn't like Gordon Brown being in charge of the UK. Ever since GB came to power we have been hit by one disaster after another. However, the gods have realised that GB has not taken the broad hints and have now decided to make it more personal. I take it that the plane nearly striking GBs car at Heathrow was a figurative shot across the bows.

Pen and Pencil

Children can sometimes give you a momentary glimpse of the future. At five years old they can give you an idea of what it will be like living with a teenager. Having had a meeting at an EU building this week I was able to pick up some of their branded paper. I thought "A" would like it so I brought it home. Last night I gave it to her saying "I brought you some paper you can scribble on" (look, I know it isn't very exciting, paper, but that's not the point before you tell me I am a meany). Her reply "I don't scribble Daddy, I do proper pictures". Suitably chastised I retired from the room.

Splash

While sure that I was alerted to the existence of I Lick My Cheese" by my friend over here, rather strangely I can't find actually evidence to support this theory. A search on her blog does not show an entry for the book.

Anyway, digressing. So, this is a book about post-it notes that get left by flatmates alerting you to the fact that they found your crusty undies, they threw your joint in the bin or they lick their cheese. Having been a flat-share in my student days I thought I might enjoy.

Well, it is possible that those days are too far away because this book didn't really do much for me. Too shallow, too quick, not enough background, and I didn't appreciate the authors humour. Not my best read.

However, there is another possibility as to why it didn't work. My flat mates were not really note writers. Generally we were rather more direct. Still emblazened on my memory is the Saturday morning when I felt a lie-in was necessary having had a late night tripping the light fantastic in Glasgow. One of my flat mates had other ideas. He felt I should be up revising. He came in and woke me up to tell me so. I simply turned over and tried to go back to sleep, a perfectly sensible option I felt. And I heard him leave the room. Vindicated I thought. Approximately 5 minutes later he came back in. And proceeded to empty a bucket of cold water over me. Direct action you see. A post-it would never have got me out of bed!

Chipmunk Fishing - A Weird Hobby

Indoor Chipmunk Fishing - Watch more free videos

Hunger

Brussels never fails to catch me out. I mean, it is the centre of the EU. I always think it should be vibrant. So I think that I am safe arriving with a late flight. Imagine my disappointment/frustration/annoyance/resignation to find, at 2315 hours, after I have checked into my hotel, that there is nowhere to eat. I wander for three quarters of an hour in rain and wind but finally surrender to the obvious fact that the entire city is closed, and for dinner I make do with a can of water and a packet of biscuits from a vending machine.


In fact, I tell a slight lie. I did find one place that I could have got a drink and some food. And it was tempting. But I finally decided I was not so desperate that I could justify going in a strip club. After all, I couldn't work out just how I would justify that on expenses.

Yawn

You know what, today is one of those days when I wish I had something to say but my brain is really too tired to think, and too stupid to take me to bed.

One For Me, One For You

To be clear from the off, I carry a donor card and I think more people should donate organs. However, I think it is entirely wrong to go for an opt out policy. It is incredibly emotive. My medical side means I am personally not too bothered, after all I am going to go for cremation so please make use of any spare parts that I have not worn out (although I feel as though there may not be many of those). But many people feel very strongly about this, some because of religious reasons, some for no more than it makes them feel queasy. Whatever the reason, this is about respect. We have been given our bodies, it is up to us to decide what to do with them. The state has no right to assume ownership after our death.

KerSplosh

We watched "Flushed Away" this evening. During the X-Factor we ended up with the family tradition of eating dips on Saturday night and "A" enjoys it so much that it seems mean to stop just because the series ended. It is proving a bit of an effort to find something on TV on Saturday nights however. But tonight we found "Flushed Away", which we hadn't seen at the cinema. Now, many of these childrens films I end up disappointed with. "Cars", "Ratatouille", "Finding Nemo", I don't find any of them live up to the hype. But I have to admit that "Flushed Away" had me laughing throughout. Specifically the slugs, bursting into song and adding the backing tracks. I might be sad but it kept me amused.

Golden Handshake

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with a Prime Minister taking us to war and then later joining a company that are set to make a massive profit from that war? This seems to take cynicism to an altogether unprecedented level. I am not sure if this is a golden handshake, or more one dripping with blood.

Hot

I may be wrong, indeed please correct me. But wasn't there something promised about a national debate before any decisions were made? And, even worse, it went to french contractors.

Short Back

So here I comment on the fact I don't like Johnny Depp. And, having just seen a clip for "Sweeney Todd", I believe that I am utterly and entirely justified in my dislike.

I Vote Vinick

I have to thank "The West Wing" for at least giving me a vague idea of what is happening in american politics. Don't they make it confusing? I am not sure why it has to be so complicated.

Barack Obama (isn't that an unfortunate name, is it like an order? he is just asking to be heckled) doesn't do it for me. He doesn't seem to have any real presence, I can't look at him and believe. And I am not impressed by what I have heard either. This is going to sound very shallow because I am not talking about content. It is the way he speaks. It may be that I have only heard certain soundbites, but he doesn't seem to have any finesse, any nuance. All I have heard has been loud and uncontrolled. To inspire, the voice has to speak with poetry, to know when to be quiet, when to be loud, when to implore, when to demand. I don't hear any of this.

And Hilary. Now that's an interesting candidate. How much baggage does she bring with her? How does she manage that baggage? Because it is mixed baggage. Bill may not have been a good man, but he was a good president. When he wasn't too busy with cigars and not having sex he managed to do some very good things. And, as I understand it, Hilary was behind a lot of those good things. She had a lot of influence over his decisions. She could be an amazing force for good.

Avast Me Hearties

Last night we finished watching the Pirates of the Cari... (hold on, I need to go and check how many "r"s and "b"s there are)... Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Now I am not usually a Johnny Depp or a Keira Knightly fan. But in this trilogy they are good. The second film of the three was a little slow at the beginning but picked up after 40 minutes. And apart from that 40 minutes it was all fantastic. The third is a long film but one of those that seems to pass in a blink. A great mix of humour and action. Special commendation to Bill Nighy, despite an amazing amount of make-up and a fantastic mask, the facial expressions were still recognizably him. The third is a complex film, with a number of interweaving plot-lines, some of which don't come to an end, but it is the complexity that makes it good, in that you are constantly having to guess how it is all going to turn out. It is never clear, as in the first, whether Captain Jack Sparrow is very clever and plans everything or is just extremely lucky. If you haven't yet seen these films then go and watch them now. I was very sceptical before I saw the first one (as I say, not a fan of the main cast) and I expected it to have been very over-rated, but I am willing to admit I was wrong.

Whose fault

There is a supplementary question to the one about tribal culture being compatible with democracy. And that is whose responsibility is this terror masquerading as ppolitics. And, sadly, Britain has to bear the brunt of this. Most of these countries were colonised by the empire. And it was this colonisation that brought the idea of democracy. Many good things came about through colonisation, we brought sanitation, education, transport. But we also brought the potential for bad things as well. And when we could not hold our position in these countries, when in one way or another we were evicted, we then shirked our responsibilities to support and maintain. Politics interfered with what was right. We put our power, our might, behind those that we thought would best serve our interests. And we set up a false structure, a paper house all too easy to blow over in the wind.

Hear Ye Hear Ye

If you know me then you will understand why I have Google set up to send me notifications everytime that avian influenza, foot and mouth, and bluetongue are mentioned in the news. And to be honest "avian influenza" tends to tell me about the things you would expect it to. The other two subjects can be a bit more of a surprise.


Foot and Mouth seems to often get converted into "foot in mouth" and seems to feature heavily among politicians and sports personalities. Every other day seems to find a politician having said something they shouldn't.


Bluetongue is even more varied. I get messages about the bluetongue lizard. I get messages about the bluetongue stadium. And even more interesting I get messages about Bluetongue lager.


My education is expanding in ever unexpected ways.

Croak Croak

No, not a return of my flu. Instead I have discovered that it is the Year of the Frog. And no again, this does not mean that the french are going to win all sports this year. It really is the Year of the Frog, and Sir David Attenborough is the patron. There is actually a serious side to this, apparently frogs throughout the world are succumbing to a fungus and they are gradually dying out. So if you do see any frogs you may want to consider giving them some Canesten to take home.

Two Tribes

Considering the current levels of violence, an important question to ask is "is democracy compatible with a tribal system?" In Pakistan we see that the leader of a party must come from a particular family line, rather than because he (or she) is the best candidate. This results in a situation where a young university undergraduate, with little experience, changes his name so he can run the party. This seems, at best, farcical. His press interview was not inspiring, did not make the viewer believe that he could fix the massive problems ahead. But he is chosen because of his family.

Think about the established democracies. These did not occur overnight. They took a long time to develop. And they certainly did not develop straight from a tribal system. There were many steps, importantly gradually changing the balance of power and forming a nation first. Unfortunately in some countries democracy has been forced on them, before the first steps have been taken towards a united country. This leads to a situation where tribes (clans, families, castes) still believe that they are likely to be oppressed by the others, the "them and us" is still very embedded in the way of life. This of course then leads to situations where people are accused of cheating. Of those, once in power, trying to protect themselves and their tribe.

I Knew It

You Act Like You Are 31 Years Old

You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! You're responsible, wise, and have enough experience to understand a lot of the world. You're at the point in your life where you understand yourself pretty well. You are figuring out what you want... and how to get it!

What Age Do You Act?

Bang Bang

Midnight, and the new year was heralded by all the fireworks that now seem obligatory. I didn't see them (being already in bed). Of course there is always a worry when you have pets that firewroks will scare them. This is not a concern in this household. Our cats actually got onto the bedroom windowsill to ensure that they has a great display and could see it all.

Christmas Week

I really have spent the majority of the Christmas week holed up in bed. I know it isn't bird flu, but can't confirm whether or not it is real flu vs man-flu, but whatever, I have felt rough. I do not recommend this as a way to spend Christmas. I am definitely on the road to recovery but still have no energy and very quickly feel washed up. This has, obviously, taken the edge off Christmas.

However, I don't like to dwell on the negative, and like to find an upside where possible. So the good news is that, for possibly the first time ever, I have actually lost weight over Christmas. Even better is that I haven't spent the entire week in a state of perpetual flux between "merry" and "bladdered".

Still Sick

See title, update over.

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas

Cough

What a b.....y stupid day to get ill. Dry, ahcki9ng cough, no energy, aching all over, and a headache. Great!

By An Open Fire

So last night I decided to play around with the new digital camera a bit. Oh, I do like being able to see the results immediately. Makes it much easier for playing around with exposures. Now, I know these aren't quite right, unfortunately there is a blue reflection which is from some Christmas lights, and the bottle needs to be three quarters full, and in an ideal world the wine in the glass needs some legs. But I think (b) is the winner for now.

a)

b)

c)

Cue, Action

I never thought I would say that the end of the XFactor would be a dilemma. But sadly it appears to be so. We had got into this "tradition" of sitting down together to watch it and have a tea of dips. "A" loved it, as much because it was a family thing and us all sitting together on the sofa. So without it what can we watch. And there really was nothing else tonight. "A" had the bright idea that we could all watch Peter Pan (the Disney cartoon), well sorry but that wasn't going to happen. I am not spending an early evening wathching Peter Pan. We bought Polar Express for her recently because we thought she enjoyed it at the cinema, but she didn't want to watch that. In the end we settled for Madagascar. Could have been better, but could have been worse (High School Musical 2 being a current favourite of hers).

Holidays A'Comin'

I am sometimes asked if I miss being in practice. And the true answer is "never". But especially not when I have just finished work for the Christmas break. In practice there is really no such thing as a Christmas break. If you are lucky then you get Christmas Day off. But you know that the Christmas week is going to be busy. Gastrotomies on dogs that have eaten too much turkey fat. Dogs with chocolate poisoning. Cats which have argued with the carving knives. I won't go in to full details, especailly of trying to stitch up a dog after emptying its stomach, and the floor being covered with half digested turkey fat (sorry, did I go too far there?).

Anyway, time to relax (as long as our turkey gets delivered on Christmas Eve, otherwise panic and sausages for lunch). A decent break, and not one phone call expected at three in the morning to get me out of bed (Sal, that is not a challenge).

Whizz Whir

Or I think you are completely mad, and I run from the room the moment your back is next turned

Don't Click

So what I used to do, and what I think black and white is so good for, is go down to public areas and take pictures of people. Crowds, individuals lost in the crowd, etc. Today, rather short notice, I needed to go to London. So I thought it would be a good opportunity to take my new camera. Set it to monochrome. And try to get some atmospheric shots. And lucky me, I was going to be at Euston. That should be good. Quack Quack Oops. Apparently you are not allowed to take pictures in train stations. I ahve been told. After I took a photo. A rather insistant man came up to me, with two policemen in the background, one of whom was carry a gun. And he told me I couldn't take photos. And then he had problems understanding that I was saying sorry and that I wouldn't do it again. He got more and more agitated explaining that it was security, and it wasn't allowed etc. I just calmly said I understood, I was sorry, it didn't use to be a problem, I won't do it again, I'll delete the one photo I had taken if it helps. And had to repeat myself again and again. After a three minute lecture he finally realised that I wasn't complaining, wasn't being trouble, and was genuinely apologising. And I felt lucky to get away.

Click

Very excited. My new camera arrived today. Finally taken the leap of buying a digital SLR. The Canon EOS 40D. Not quite as complicated as the picture here (look closely at the different buttons) but certainly more complicated than the EOS 30 I have been used to. But really exciting. I am especially looking forward to the fact I can swap between colour and black and white at the press of a button or two. Sometimes I really like black and white photography but it can be a pain when you haven't completed a film (for a while I did run two cameras, one for colour, one for black and white). Anyway, recently I haven't been taking a lot of pictures but now I will start again. Looking forward to it.

Hee Hee Hee (Which Do You Do?)

Top Vote

So the Lib Dems have voted David Cameron as their leader. No, sorry, I mean Nick Clegg. No, No, listen to the way he talks, how he moves his arms, it IS David Cameron. Can't be, can it? Or is this what he meant by bringing them together, head up both parties and pool the votes.

Closed Case

So go back to this story that the NHS have a £2 billion pound surplus. Then compare and contrast with this one, that they are closing down two of the few places that can treat specialised psychiatric illness. Doesn't make much sense does it? Even ignoring the social side of such a service, the economic arguments to keep the hospitals open are strong as they prevent more serious injuries and violence that would involve the police as well as the NHS. Short term thinking leads to a further step backwards in the long term. Politics controlled by a balance sheet.

Fa La La

It was bad enough that he got to the final. But it is a travesty that he won. Leon cannot sing. That is the downright truth. He misses more notes than he hits. Rhydian however has a fantastic voice, and I am not ashamed to say he can bring me out in goosebumps with the emotion he puts into a song. So how did Leon win? I really think I need to get the TV checked because I heard something very different to other people obviously. The relief is that Leon will be a one hit wonder, whilst Rhydian will, without doubt, be given a contract and go on for a long time. In this case talent defintiely was the loser, I am just not sure what made the untalented one win.

Footsteps

Action - No, Please, No, CUT

How could a world leader (in the broadest sense) think that it would be a good idea to make a video of his dog and release it to us all. It appears that this is a tradition at Christmas and that this is in fact the 6th in the series. I suppose it is meant to be inspiring although in reality it is fairly cringe-worthy. In fact, if you can make it to the end, it gets worse. Because there is a guest appearence by Tony Blair, at his most embarrassing. This is a man who remains desperate for attention, any attention, and has no concept of shame.