Archive - Wednesday 5th January 2005
Why all the fuss? If people want to take part then that is fine and if they think the idea is misguided then there is no pressure to take part. I have been taken aback at the media minutes and column inches that have been devoted to people quibbling about what - in the grand scheme of things -pales into insignificance. I can't help wondering whether some of the empty vessels that are making the
Barbara and Derek (neighbours) came along for a post Christmas meal and presented me with a large box. Many unwrapping later I came across a postcard depicting James Beattie (see earlier blogs) written (presumably in his own fair hand) with the words "To Sandra, Hope this will help you recognise me next time! Best Wishes" There was also a little kiss next to the signature but I bet he does that
Phone call from Nick (son) in midst of New Year Eve activities describing a problem with one of the party goers and asking advice. Can report that all ended well.
Answer: Spend the time with friends and neighbours. Why? Because it keeps me rooted in reality and I can have a glass or two and walk home safely! Usual routine in Sycamore Close (ever since we had a barbecue -yes you read that correctly - to celebrate the Millenium) is to gather in one of the houses, eat and play silly games. Most years we have turned the telly on to get the timing right
How I managed to restrain myself and refrain from posting I shall never know. Ultimately though there was nothing I could do except watch with horror like the rest of the world (and donate money like the rest of the world) . The one thing that has been appalling has been the tendency for the media and some politicians to carp and criticise. The one thing that has been truly heartening has been the
Apologies to those who looked at the blog over the Christmas period but I decide to take a break from all things political in order to recharge my batteries for the year ahead. It is now back to business as usual but first it is time for a quick update.
In recent days several people have found Liberal England thanks to the New Year carol I posted the other day. I know it from a setting by Benjamin Britten in his collection of children's songs Friday Afternoons. (Come to that, my Christmas verse by Robert Southwell comes from Britten's A Ceremony of Carols.) What does the New Year carol mean? The website School of the Seasons gives some background: Trefor Owen describes the context for this song in Wales. Very early on New Year's Day about three or four o'clock in the morning, groups of boys came
When the Independent went tabloid I wished it well and often bought it instead of the Guardian. But I have become increasingly irritated by the way its front page tells me what to think every day. Today, for instance, the front page acted as a cheerleader for the three minutes' silence for the victims of the Indian Ocean tidal wave. Little sign of independence there: for a sceptical view you have to go somewhere like the Spiked website and this article by Josie Appleton. Yesterday's front page was much worse. "Could the tsunami disaster be a turning point
Honestly, one AM starts a blog and suddenly they are all at it. Leighton Andrews has now officially launched his blog making it three of us in all. All we need now is a Plaid Cymru AM to join in and we will have a complete set.
Lucy Mangan's column in today's Guardian is a witty diatribe against astrology and assorted other superstitions, such as essential oils and magnet therapy. Many readers, especially if they are inclined to a sceptical and rationalist view, would have been punching the air and cheering. But others would have taken deep offence. Their cherished beliefs were described in no uncertain terms as "a stupendous bucketful of brown shite, infused with extracts of mendacity and exploitation and waved over a shadowy pool of gullibility left over from ye olden times." Not only that, but the writer did something no
As the property boom is comes to an end home owners everywhere are nervously watching the property pages to see how their investment is faring. Neighbours are talking about the cost of property in their street and how much Mrs. Bloggs got for her home when she sold it a few weeks ago. Estate Agents' windows are being scrutinised for a clue as to whether to sell up or sit out the inevitable slump. In a way it is a pity that all this gossip and inaccurate speculation can be dispensed with. For some streets it provided a sort
If you are on the main page of this blog, on the right (someway down), you'll see the 3 most recent comments on the HaloScan comments section. This is possible through using PHP, Comments RSS Feed, JavaScript, MagpieRSS, and the Blogger Hack I post about a few days ago.
North Somerset Council is presently in the throws of getting to grips with its proposed budget for 2005/06. To normal(*) folk that means what is the council going to do about council tax bills and how will services be affecting for April onwards. As is traditional, the Labour Government has given North Somerset a "very generous settlement" - otherwise taken to infer an above-inflation increase
Over the holiday period, I have taken a break from blogging. I tried to resist the temptation to do much other than spend time with my family this year and recharge my batteries ready for 2005 and the challenges it brings. This year will see, almost certainly, the long awaited (by me at least) General Election. I am looking forward to it enormously and am confident that the Lib Dems will again
The BBC are airing this on BBC2 this Saturday, as somebody who has seen it twice, and have the soundtrack, I think it's quite funny that people are already complaining. In the letter from mediawatch-UK to the BBC they say The continuous stream of obscene and profane language, as well as the debauched behaviour that characterised Mr Springer's TV shows, is unacceptable and will alienate a large
