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March 31, 2007

I Haven't Laughed That Much In Ages ...

Seaside towns all seem to have that same wonderful clear light and as we turn the corner towards the water I feel that familiar rush of excitement.

We’re taking a trip back into K’s past today to visit an aunt and meet up with some of her friends. If you enjoy learning about people and their lives there’s a lot of things to digest about today. Paintings, houses that summer holidays were taken in and schools that were attended.

Presents delivered we’re off for a leisurely lunch with her aunt before finding a pub next to some water for an afternoon of laughter and the odd glass of wine under a sunny sky.

Some Good News...

Anyone who watched BBC4’s Tube Night the other day may have seen the Arena programme featuring Ted Batchelor, the lost property manager’s attempts to re-unite a urn containing cremated human remains with the family who lost them.

Annie Mole over at Going Underground reports :

Amazingly the family have been found, thanks to John Fisher, an amateur genealogist who took it upon himself to find the family. Quite how he did this I don’t know, but the family had the urn amongst some luggage which was stolen from a British Rail train. Thieves had taken the bag with the urn onto the Tube and discarded it when they realised it was of no value to them.

Now Molly Maile has finally been reuinited with her father’s ashes.

London Underground Tube Diary - Going Underground’s Blog

In another part of the blogsphere amazing news from Petite Anglaise on the results of her recent doocing :

I won. A year’s salary, plus costs. I will only get this compensation if my ex-employer does not lodge an appeal (they will have one month in which to do so once the written version of the decision is published in about a fortnight’s time). But right now, the principle is enough for me. Round one to petite anglaise!

Petite Anglaise

Amazing news !

March 30, 2007

Four For Dinner ...

The problem with Ragu is the time it takes to cook in the oven.

Four hours is long time to sit and smell beef, pork and wine cooking slowly away. But the end result looks worth it. With lasagna made for Martin and me, spaghetti bolognese for Richard and Joanne, wine opened and some cheese from the French market for afterwards it’s almost dinner time.

March 29, 2007

South to Siam ...

Luckily the day ended with smiles which was good as it had so nearly started with tears.

Joanne wears her heart on her sleeve and any emotion is clear to see. At 8:00 this morning her face wasn’t a happy one. Not surprising when your mum is heading to Thailand for a couple of weeks and you’re about to be the only woman in the house.

Deciding what to grow in the garden to eat (flowers out of favour and vegetables in) and what to cook tomorrow took her mind off it but the trip to school was a little clingy and, unlike the other day when I got pushed out, there was a hug as I left.

This evening all was fine and she was back to her old self running ahead of us eager to get back home. Later I stood in my kitchen heating the Thai curry and rice that Fhai had made for me wit the sun streaming through the window and smiled. The smells of Thailand and the sun’s warmth made me think back to when I was there and hope that Fhai has a good time in the land of smiles.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A 76-year-old Malay Muslim woman from southern Thailand who got on the wrong bus 25 years ago and ended up living at the other end of the country has been reunited with her family, officials and domestic media said on Tuesday.

Unable to speak, read or write Thai, Jaeyaena Beuraheng boarded a bus in Malaysia thinking it was bound for Narathiwat, one of three Muslim-majority provinces in Buddhist Thailand’s far south.

Instead, she ended up 1,200 km (750 miles) to the north in Bangkok. Her predicament grew worse when she boarded a bus she thought was heading south only to end up in Chiang Mai, another 700 km to the north, the Nation newspaper reported.

She eked out a living as a beggar for five years before being arrested in 1987 and put into a centre for homeless people in a nearby province, where she has remained ever since.

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Missing for 25 years after getting on wrong bus

March 28, 2007

Chinese Takeaway ...

So, I have to bid farewell to my Chinese readers. Not because I want to but because the Chinese authorities have blocked this site.

I can’t say I’m surprised. Writing about Tibet and China seems to have been a feature of this blog over the years. Openly writing about sponsoring Tibetans in exile in India must have also caught the censor’s eye.

How do I know this ? Well, thanks to the Great Firewall of China which allows web masters and bloggers to check if their sites are blocked.

So, just in case the censor is still reading, here’s a little reprise of what shouldn’t be read in China :

March 27, 2007

Unfair ...

“Playing fair is a central precept of both citizen journalism and blogging.”

Principles of Citizen Journalism | Center for Citizen Media

Clearly that hasn’t happened for Kathy Sierra.

As I type this, I am supposed to be in San Diego, delivering a workshop at the ETech conference. But I’m not. I’m at home, with the doors locked, terrified. For the last four weeks, I’ve been getting death threat comments on this blog. But that’s not what pushed me over the edge. What finally did it was some disturbing threats of violence and sex posted on two other blogs… blogs authored and/or owned by a group that includes prominent bloggers.

Creating Passionate Users: Death threats against bloggers are NOT “protected speech” (why I cancelled my ETech presentations)

I’ve been around the ‘Net for a while and seen people bully, hate and manipulate from the comfort of a warm ISP but to see this erupt and affect such luminaries as Kathy Sierra and Robert Scoble is upsetting.

Maryam and several others here at PodTech asked me about it and are concerned since the same sites that are attacking Kathy also mentioned me and Maryam. Maryam is really freaked out about it. So am I.

Taking the week off ォ Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger

Already the bloqsphere is talking about the use of OpenID as a means of stopping this senseless bullying.

Blogging was supposed to be challenging and fun. Not the place to threaten and hate it seems today to have become.

March 26, 2007

From Little Acorns Grow ...

I stand in Joanne’s classroom and around, and below me, children bustle around at the start of their day.

I’ve seen her coat peg (luckily labeled to save me remember exactly where it is) and where to put the sandwich box. Last nights homework has been handed in and her bag is in her drawer.

I try to make out the other accents of children and parents. Polish, Arabic, the slight hint of the broad county accent I grew up with.

In most mix of peoples there’s those who do and those who don’t and a mother asks the teacher if there has been any homework recently. Both sets of eyes turn to her daughter as the answer is yes. A quick check of her drawer reveals the stash of work.

“You can go now”, says Joanne pushing me out. I look back and wonder just what these children will do with their lives and where they will end up years from now.

March 25, 2007

Sunday Lunch at the Shack Cafe ...

The Shack Cafe sits at the end of the row of beach huts, a small brick building which presents it’s blind, bricked wall to the sea.

Stretching out from either side of it two long lengths of promenade are today full of people, dogs and children swaying on this year’s roller blades.

It’s a day for firsts. The first weekend of Summer, the first time that people are opening up their beach huts. Cleaning and painting them they take the chance to get things sorted before the summer.

For me it’s the first time I’m at the sea for Sunday lunch. You don’t get a chance to put your own sugar in the tea at the Shack. Hidden at the back of the cafe, with beach balls and flippers hanging from the ceiling, it’s done for you.

I sit on one of the chairs and drink tea, eating my hot sausage roll and turn my eyes to the sea.

March 24, 2007

Wonders of the World at the Bottom of My Bin ...

“I just knew you were ill”, said Martin.

I pushed my arm further into the recycling bin and asked, “Just how big are these stickers ?”

There’s a lot to sort for next week. When to walk to school; when to meet and eat; whose off when in the weeks ahead.

Richard picks one of the larger pieces of gravel off the stones in the front garden stands on it and swings around. There’s a grinding noise as pebble bites into flagstone. I make a mental note to get another bag of gravel to cover the front garden as the realisation of where it disappears to every year hits home.

“We’re meshing - I just knew you were ill.”, Martin continues as I triumphantly pull the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa stickers from the depths of the bin …

March 23, 2007

An Unexpected Email Calls ...

To be honest I haven’t done that much today.

For the last few days I’ve had a cold and this morning it arrived in full force. Consequentially the day’s been a bit of a write off with only the essentials completed.

As I tidy up in my office, however, an unexpected email arrives …

March 22, 2007

Cold Store ...

Since I got this new fridge I’ve had a problem with bottles.

Like some inverse Tardis this fridge seems to be the same size on the outside but a lot smaller inside. Gone is the large drawer at the bottom in which I’d stack bottles of beer and for these last months the beer has moved from place to place. The last straw was the increase in size of the Hoegaarden bottle which moved the beer from the door to the shelves where they have lived, precariously, ever since.

But now I no longer open the door cautiously or have to wedge the butter against a sea of glass. Thanks to Stef Matheou’s simple but effective Raka Staka I now have an organised fridge.

You may remember Stef from Dragons Den where he was made an offer of investment but turned it down :

“They wanted too high a percentage.”

“It was a really good, positive outcome because I was on TV for 12 minutes and a lot of people will have seen it.”

Taming the dragons in their lair

Luckily for those of us with a dis-organised fridge and bottle issues he is still trading so head over to RakaStaka and get some fridge organisation.

March 21, 2007

Girl, Put Your Records On

There’s something about Corinne Bailey Rae which will always be linked with summer.

On a day which started with snow and ended up up in the cavernous cold of The Guildhall that’s probably what we needed. Walking onto the stage with a mug of tea it was good to hear her apologise for the five month wait we’d had to see her.

Bailey Rae still considers herself a rock chick at heart (she has good cause to as she was originally signed to the prodigious heavy metal label Roadrunner Records) and threw in a few covers by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin because, as she explained, “we think you like to listen to lots of different styles of music”.

Aside from this is was all the favorites from the album with the odd new song. I’d mentioned on the way down how disappointed I’d been to see Alicia Keys. The basic problem was the stage performance and presence didn’t match the record. Not so tonight. Corinne engaged with the audience, explained the background to the songs and was backed by a stella nine piece outfit.

Oroh Angiama was solid but not loud on bass and Sam “Blue” Agard played an amazing set on drums and sported a very cool pork pie hat. In some ways stripped down from the strings numbers like Call Me When You Get This were even more impressive, soulful and reminded me of the great arrangements of Quincy Jones.

So, until you can listen to this gig on BBC 1xtra from midnight on May 26th get a flavour of just how good this band are here and get a little summer in your life.

March 20, 2007

Ashes to Ashes ...

At the time Arbib, an experienced photographer who has covered protests like these for seventeen years, who was covering the protests for the Guardian and BBC Wildlife, was standing on public property, having just photographed trees in the park being cut down at the park by npower contractors.

As the security guards approach, he can be heard on the video soundtrack reassuring them: “I’ve no interest in taking pictures of you guys, alright ? None whatsoever.”

During the incident, which was recorded by Arbib on video, the solicitors repeatedly refused to say who they were working on behalf of.

In the clip, the security guards are seen videoing the serving of the injunctions.

Arbib told EPUK: “I have been covering these protests for some time now, so I know the security guards were unlikely to lay a finger on me. But had I been younger or less experienced, I would have found it an intimidating experience”.

Editorial Photographers UK | Npower places injunction on EPUK member covering environmental protest

What npower is doing at Radley Lakes should concern us all. Not just because they are taking waste ash from Didcot power station, which contains such things as arsenic, and using this to fill in an old gravel pit which is the home for wildlife including Red Kites. What is perhaps more concerning is the way this large company is using the courts to prevent the media reporting on what it is doing.

The report on the experiences of Adrian Arbib, a professional photographer and member of Editorial Photographers UK goes on to explain :

When initially contacted by EPUK, npower said that the injunction only applied to protesters, and not bona fide press photographers.

“This is nothing to do with the press”, said a spokesperson. “ This is to do with the named persons on that injunction. It is not intended to bind the media in any shape or form”

However, when pressed to explain why a credentialled press photographer had been served with an injunction by their solicitor, npower said: “The injunction does not stop media reporting. It is just designed to prevent any details being published (photos and personal details) which might lead to the identification of individuals working at the site.”

However, this would appear to contradict the wording of the injunction, which prevents “the Protesters….photographing or videoing the Protected Persons”. Earlier in the injunction, the term “protesters” is defined to include “any person who has been given notice of the terms of this Order”.

Indeed it is difficult to imagine how npower could not “restrict media reporting” since Arbib or any other photographers served with the injunction will now not be allowed to photograph any of the company’s activities at the site.

UK Indymedia reports that it’s not just the Press who are being gagged :

Anyone who visits the lakes is likely to be followed round by a pair of burly security guards who are looking for the opportunity to have a confrontation. Someone visited this morning and reported his path barred by three security men from NPower, threatening that if he tried to go past them, he was in breach of the “injunction” and they would have him arrested because no one is allowed within 5 feet of a Security Guard or NPower’s property.

UK Indymedia | Radley Lakes Injunctions

We all need to be aware of this trend and expose and discuss it before it becomes commonplace. For more on Radley Lakes visit their website or sign the e-petition.

March 19, 2007

Cold Clear Air ...

I seem to have spent all of today avoiding the snow.

Cold at home, 10 minutes later at Sainsburys the ground and cars were covered in snow this morning. At lunchtime I managed to get out for a walk but the moment I closed the door the snow arrived here. Five minutes later the sun was out and the sky was blue. The roofs of the sheds steamed in the sunlight.

At work it’s been a day of missed opportunities and cold, frosty receptions to requests for help.

Maybe it will be milder weather tomorrow.

March 18, 2007

TV Heaven

Full from a great Sunday lunch (unusually eaten out and not up to the usual standard but still enjoyable) with a slightly too large brandy I’m setting down to an evening of TV heaven thanks to BBC Four.

There’s an old black and white British Transport film; a Patrick Troughton vintage Dr Who; an Arena film (another thing on my Most Ideal Job Ever - an Arena cameraman) and a repeat of Metro-Land.

I’ve already seen a Tube train with a wooden slatted floor, those odd wire and plastic straps that I was always too small to reach up to and the old, large ticket machines with illuminated faces.

Can’t wait till the Autumn and the re-opening of the London Transport Museum.

Tip of the hat to London Geezer for telling people about this TV feast and let’s hope our loss won’t go on for too long.

March 17, 2007

Saturday, Saturday ...

I’ve spent the day shopping : new shoes, new shirt, bunch of photography magazines, PCI USB card for a Linux box.

After all this retail therapy I’m off out for a night on the town. Catch you all later.

March 16, 2007

Why I'm Not To Be Trusted with a Beer and a Laptop ...

With Joanne and Richard in the front room on the sheepskin rug watching DVDs the laptop was left lying unused.

As Martin and I enjoy the odd beer or four I surf around looking for tickets to see bands. It’s ages since we went to a gig. Too much time organising work and not enough time planning days and evenings out.

There’s a certain look of suprise from Martin as I move from site to site and an even greater look of surprise as I reach for my wallet.

“You’re not buying those are you ?”, he asks. “I have”, I reply with a smile.

Roll on September !

March 15, 2007

The Ides of March ...

Caesar was on his way to the senate-house, he greeted the seer with a jest and said: “Well, the Ides of March are come,” and the seer said to him softly: “Ay, they are come, but they are not gone.”

Plutarch • Life of Caesar

They aren’t gone and nor are the things at work I’d hoped would disappear today. Things just seem to be taking more time than I anticipated for all sorts of reasons….

March 14, 2007

Self Protection or Self Deception ?

“Two weeks I think and we will have the worst of it over, just three projects to complete and more time to devote to them.”

I pull the car up and wave at Martin and Joanne as I finish the call and take off my earpiece. “Where have you been ?”, says Joanne over her shoulder as she scoots away on her bike. “Walk ?”, asks Martin and I park the car, change and head after them to the park.

Six in the evening and still light. We wander and talk as Joanne cycles around the park stopping every now and again to describe to me some complicated task I need to undertake to measure her speed and time taken. “You stand here and count every branch in the tree and if you haven’t finished by the time I come back you have to chase me.” She cycles off again and I look up at the tree and it’s hundreds (thousands ?) of branches. It seems a lot more achievable than the tasks I’ve had at work of late.

I feel cramped, I need to be outside and I need to have all this work finished. We turn and head to the swings again. I wonder if it really could be soon over or if I’m deceiving myself to get a little distance from the stress.

March 13, 2007

The Problem With Tuesday ...

“We both agree that the world would be a far more sensible place with a 3 day weekend and therefore a tidy resolution to the problem of Tuesday. Until such an era begins, I’m stuck with a day in the week that doesn’t fit.”

Casper’s Musings: “What are Tuesday’s for?”

He has a point. this Tuesday just didn’t fit. As priorities were reset and people diverted to other tasks I may as well have taken the day off and headed for the sea.

There’s an old Spanish proverb which states: “En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques”. Roughly translated it means, on Tuesday, neither get married nor begin a journey.

Make your Tuesday a little more interesting and head over to Casper’s Musings and watch him embarque into the world of blogging ….

March 12, 2007

What Would Gordon Say ...

I let the car roll to a stop behind Martin’s and turn off the engine.

Outside it smells of evening, a hint of damp in the air mixing with a coal fire somewhere. It’s the first time I’ve got home from work in daylight.

I close my eyes and wonder what would Gordon say and see again his face with that matter of fact grin.

“You gotta do what you gotta do, it just needs done”, I hear him say in his broad Scottish accent.

He’s right and it’s just what he would say if we were talking over the mess that this has become.

I smile. Of course he’s right and I close the front door behind me.

Tomorrow is another day - it just needs doing.

March 11, 2007

The Sparkle from the Fairy Cakes ...

“You’ve got glitter on your face”, laughed K.

The whole meal had been full of laughter. From Sophie’s paparazzo posing with my camera to Honor’s child care abilities and the plans for the upcoming festivities

I’m not sure if glitter is a good idea on fairy cakes but the wedding pictures will be amusing ….

March 10, 2007

Not For Sale ...

“It’s not for sale”, said the lady in the stall smiling as our faces dropped. It had seemed ideal.

“Well, actually it is”, she continued, “I’m sure it will be loved”. She handed it over carefully, almost sorry to see it go, and I wondered whose it had been when it was bought from new.

Once again Portobello Road had come through …

March 9, 2007

The Andy Fitchett Effect ...

andyfitchett.jpg

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Why I will be at my own wake

“I’m a lucky man and have had a lucky life. Many people don’t get a chance to say goodbye to people when they die but I have.”

It was surprising enough to see my name on the BBC News site and more of a shock to understand why it was there. Diagnosed with terminal cancer Andy planned his own wake as a means of thanking all those closest to him :

“I realised I wanted to thank them all for being part of my life and being my friend, that’s why I decided to organise and go to my own wake. The next day I also want to ring up those who don’t turn up and ask why, as a joke.”

Sadly, he didn’t make it to see the day. His friend, and BBC presenter, Sandy Martin, paid him this tribute :

“Andy was an amazing person and I feel privileged to have been part of his life. He was a warm, generous man who wanted to make the world laugh.

So if you knew Andy or were touched by his story raise a glass to him and make someone laugh out loud - it’s called the Andy Fitchett Effect.”

I’m off to raise a glass to Andy.

March 8, 2007

Gay Pride ...

“If you want to talk you’d better sit in the quiet room - we have a stag and hen party in tonight”, said the waitress as she pulled my pint of bitter.

We settled for the quieter room and studied the blackboard for what to eat. One thing about Karen, she knows all the best country pubs and this was no exception. I often drive past the turn off but haven’t ventured out this way in years.

As I tucked into my pidgeon breast salad to start we caught up with each others news and what was happening to who. By the end of the second course (I had the cod wrapped in ham) the background music had given way to piano.

“Have they got a real piano here ?”, I asked as the playing segued from Dancing Queen to Angels and the sound of voices joined in. “It’s a hag party”, explained the woman behind us, “He’s gay and out with his friends”

So, that’s how Karen and I ended up being seraneded until closing time with songs from the shows in a small country pub.

March 7, 2007

I'm Not Wild About Harry ..

Hi Harry,

I’d like to say it’s nice to see you again, but I’m afraid it’s not.

I like the reworked flyer, the smaller Cross of Lorraine works better but is still not very appropriate given it’s lineage. You also seemed to have dropped the Christian Unity Party and Knights of St. John branding in favour of the more succinct KOF STJ C.U.P. U.K. which I have to admit reminds me of a UK postcode.

So, what wisdom have you written to me about this time ? “Was your parent, grandparent or great grandparent born in Britain Pre 1939? If you can answer yes, you are British”. Only one parent Harry ? What about all those people born since 1939 ? What about me ? My mother was German but became a citizen through naturalization?

I see you still have issues with identifying proper nouns, “Great”and “Drug dealer” really don’t need a capital letter. Punctuation is also still causing you some issues as well I see. It’s rather quaint to see comma’s added in later with a Biro which lend this a rather hand crafted air but you do need to be careful where you place them :

“God gave this Great country to you, no one can take from you what God as given, politicians, many of whom are neither British nor Christians, have sold for money, favours or voters, what belongs to the British Christian we will take back everything that is, has been ….”

Many are neither British ? Well,

“People wishing to stand as an MP must be over 21 years of age, and a British citizen, or citizen of a Commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland.”

Who can stand as an MP?|UK Parliament site

Sounds rather British to me ? In fact exclusively so.

“history is the future your History is your future”. More proper noun issues and a rather conflicting view of what history is: either it is the past or it is the future. If we asked Voltaire what history is he would say, “History is the lie commonly agreed upon”. Fortunately, not many people agree on the lies you peddle.

“the conspiracy to destroy the British Christian, as to start by destroying the youth. You are not taught at school what your forefathers did for the world.”. Along with the correct usage of the proper noun, punctuation and spelling it would seem.

“In the recent past British Christians alone took on the Dictators of Europe, and won. The free world owes a dept to British.”

Haberdashery perhaps ? That’s a department and a British one at that. British Christians alone? I think not.

We probably owe a debt to Russia. 64% of all Allied deaths were Russian. 2% were British.

“No money should leave British until every British child as a decent home”

Dropping your h’s there ‘Arry. Surely if money isn’t leaving Britain our balance of payments goes wrong ?

“Their children were educated free including ‘University’ and ‘yet’. They burn our flag. Why are the British Christians children treated as second class in their own country”

Perhaps due to their poor spelling and awful grammar Harry ?

“Ajaz Hussein, of Manchester was caught with a crate of petrol bombs, he was about to use. He was not prosecuted, it was decided it was not in the public interest to prosecute him. When in reality he and all his family should have been deported immediately.”

We’ll skip over the punctuation errors (as I’d hope by now you are getting the idea that this is not your strongest suit) and turn instead to what you are trying to say here. This is another unsubstantiated quotation so it is a little hard to examine the fact but what strikes me here is the fact that, in this instance, you have chosen to ignore a chance to quote from the Bible. Remember “the sins of the fathers should not be visited on the children” ?

You seem on safer grounds with, “do unto others as you would have them do onto you” despite the typo. (it’s do unto you, by the way) but you seem to be suggesting this as a justification for something far more sinister. “Being a Christian does not mean being a victim….he did not make them bow down before him, and Jesus did not tell his followers to let someone take their house, their wife, their child, their country”. Perhaps we need to mention Leviticus 19:18 here, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself:” and Leviticus 19:34 “But the stranger who dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt”.

What really concerns me is that you seem to be moving into the same business as Old Moores Almanac and Mother Shipton. I feel, as a blogger and recorder of life that I need to document your prophecies here so we can keep track on them. So,

  • Tony Briar [sic] will die a violent and bloody death. Sad news for the Briar family and a little hard to keep an eye on. Luckily you move onto more safe ground with “I pray to God, and ask that Blair will be kept alive to remind the British people he has murdered”. Tony to live a year seems a wise bet.
  • A contingent of British Troops will be slaughtered in Afghanistan. Possible, but let’s hope not.
  • American will be devastated by earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions. I feel we are on safer grounds here and we can monitor the volcanoes here.
  • America will fall into a deep decline. Again easy to track so let’s keep an eye on it.

It would, in a perverse way, be nice to know more about you but when I Google Harry Veevers de Sandilands sadly it’s just me and Dizzy over at Dizzy Thinks who seem to be struggling to track you down.

Well, in closing, I’d like to leave you with a quotation from Grandmaster Jean de la Valette of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem :

“The service to the sick is the supreme command.”

I hope that this has been of some service to you.

March 6, 2007

Take a Walk on the Mild Side ...

Today has been amazingly mild and warm.

Almost clear blue skies, people in shirt sleeves playing football in the park and, back at home, the upstairs windows all full open to air the Winter out of the house.

With all this Spring going on it’s time to restart the War on Clutter, this time in the dining room which is rather more dangerous than it sounds as this means tackling The Cupboard With the Drink In.

I predict headaches ahead.

March 5, 2007

Work to Rule ...

“I’m on a work to rule”, said John, oddly reflecting my mood of yesterday. “I’ve done my free half hour, how long are you working tonight?”

The answer is not long. I want to try the less is more approach and see how quickly I can extricate myself from this still with everything achieved.

It’s not been a great day. Two days left things in the hands of people who didn’t really focus on getting things done and the reason for the long hours of a few weeks ago has slipped back to the mess it was. It’s taken all day to unpick it and put it back on the rails.

I head back to the mass of email, but this time with an eye on the clock.

March 4, 2007

Reflecting ...

It’s clear after yesterday that things have to change.

With a little space from work and home, some time away, I can see the toll that this is taking on me.

I can’t keep working at this level and I can’t keep putting off the things I want to do.

Things simply have to change.

March 3, 2007

Waterside ...

“I brought you here because you said you needed to be near water”, said K as we walked into the hotel suite.

It’s true that I did and this trip came as a complete surprise and left me touched that she’d listened so closely to one of many rants about work and had picked out what I really needed.

As I walked around the balcony surrounding the suite and listened to the birds I felt all the stresses drop away. There was no computer, the phone was on silent and the back room with all the hassles of work was miles away.

Being forced to do nothing is sometimes the best thing that can happen. We sat and watched TV with the curtains pulled back from the large windows and watched the sunset. We fed the swans in the dark, sipped champagne and watched the lunar eclipse.

Absolutely perfect.

March 2, 2007

Three Candles ...

“I’ve never seen so many bottles, it’s like an off licence in here”, said K as Anne and Paul unloaded the selection of wine they had brought.

Tonight there was a houseful at Martin and Fhai’s. With K, me, Tony, Anne, Paul, Daisy, James, Jonny and Joey as well as the children and themselves to feed the kitchen table was pressed into action along with the dining table.

I’ve known for a while now that Paul and I share the same birthday but this has been one of the few times that we have been together to celebrate. With Joanne’s birthday only a few days past there were three special events to celebrate and three candles on the cake to blow out.

March 1, 2007

A Journey to My Past ...

Everyone has a story to tell every day - you just need to find it.

Nervously she approached the builder. “Can you tell me please why you came to this bagel shop and not the one next door ?”, she asked. He turned his tanned and weather beaten face to the microphone and said, “Not now love, I’m busy”, and went back to the task of sticking the spoon into the large bowl of white sugar on the counter for the fourth time.

It took me two trips down Brick Lane to find this place but it was worth it. I’m not really sure why I chose this shop. Something about the door being on the left. Standing there and looking around I felt like I’d been here before. I recognised the odd two level shelves on the walls and the racks of bread. The last time I’d been here I was a child. I’m sure we had latkes and I remember being amazed at how busy the place was. Behind the counter people wore white coats, shouted at people with odd accents and tried to hustle people out as quickly as possible as more people crowded in to be served.

“She doesn’t want to talk to me, I’m Irish”, said the woman who served me. From the back of the shop a Nigerian man came out carrying bags of rubbish. I wondered where all the Jewish people had gone and decided to have salt beef and a piece of cheesecake.

By the time I was served the woman with the tape recorder was outside. “”No, no, no it’s not a bay-gal, it’s a bi-gale”, the man corrected her as he leaned against the wall in the sun and, at last, I heard the accent which I remembered being here forty years ago.

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