Something will kill you in the end

I heard on the radio this morning that a study has found that in older women even one glass of wine a night may lead to an increased chance of getting breast cancer. Colleagues were worrying about this over coffee (which is probably likely to do even more damage than wine). I take little notice of these things! I figure that when you get older something has to kill you eventually. Maybe by drinking alcohol it is more likely to be cancer but then drinking a glass of red wine may mean I'm less likely to die of a heart attack. I'll take my chance with the wine!

Reminds me of the time when BSE was discovered in cows and sales of British beef fell. It was selling for next to nothing at the time and I remember an interview with a pensioner who was happily buying a large piece of best steak. "What do I care about getting BSE in 15 years" he said. "I won't be here then and I haven't been able to afford decent steak for years!

First signs of spring

I have been reading about the signs of spring on others' blogs and there are signs here as well. The daffodils are pushing through the soil and the snowdrops are out at Ian's place. It gets light before I need to get up and it if I leave work on time it is still light. And finally.. the children are playing on the street after school.

Ups and downs of life

My brain has been very busy lately which has made it very difficult for me to find the energy to write. (Or maybe I am just getting too old to cope with more than one thing at a time!) The weekend was spent talking toilets (again) and plasterboard. We are going over to France for three days in March to plan the next stage of the building project. Eurotunnel have just scuppered our plans of taking a van full of stuff over by imposing a limit of 3 cubic metres load in all vans for 'safety reasons'. We have been trying to work out how much 3 cubic metres is when it is not packed in a box with much hilarity and some frustration at the lack of clarity from Eurotunnel! Anyway, the plan is taking shape (it is funny how in the end it always does!).

I am enjoying my new car more than I should really. However, the tyres were worn unevenly and I didn't like the way it handled bumps. Ian is a bit of a health and safety man when it comes to tyres and recommended that I purchased two new decent ones. I like to talk about places where I got good service as opposed to constantly moaning about bad service and so we headed over to a place called Dartford Tyres. There are two places of that name but the one we went to has no website and is just a shop front in a small parade opposite a trading estate. The front of the shop was busy, the service was quick and efficient, the staff were funny and hard working and the prices were considerably cheaper than anyone else. You can find them at this address.

99, Burnham Rd,Dartford,KentDA1 5AZ

Costa geriatrica no more

According to The News of the World, living here is grim

with appalling parallels to Channel 4 comedy drama show Shameless.The only difference is the total absence of anything remotely funny

Although I have had my experiences over the last few years this is not my perception of the vast majority of people who live around here. It is interesting to see how first one family and then a whole community can become demonised, egged on by the press and a desire to make some fast money at whatever cost. The media and Internet attention on what is essentially a fairly unremarkable story is far more than it deserves. For what it is worth, this is my opinion.

There is no way that I think it is okay for two people that young to become parents but these things have been happening since time immemorial and life has continued.

I doubt there would have been so much fuss if the lad concerned did not look so young.

When it comes to anti-social behaviour having a baby is better than stabbing other young people or setting fire to buildings! (At least it is about life and creation and not death and destruction).

There will always be people that will try to exploit others (including their own children) for their own personal gain.

My experiences of the local social services and police services is that they are quite good and try and work with the local community.

The local community is quite proactive. When the council tried to close the local library people rallied together and established their own community library which is still going strong.

That said there really isn't a great deal for young teenagers to do. In the USA teenagers go to the mall and here they have sex. (Not all, I hasten to add).

Will people still think of this town as Costa Geriatrica? I doubt it!

Now, if , on hearing of this story, the tabloids had looked at the community library, the community centre (opposite the house where they have been camped out) and after interviewing people thought, well, this is quite a nice community but it seems they do have a few problems with bored and lost teenagers...and then maybe, rather than paying out thousands for another exaggerated story, decided to invest the money in a community project, or into something that might prevent these things happening in future..now that would have been a story!

We are (in)famous

I guess it was only a matter of time before we became national news here on the South Coast. The reason for our infamy concerns the case of a 13 year old boy who has become a father. This story was plastered all over a national tabloid paper and provoked the predictable outcries from all around, who jump on the bandwagon to get their voices heard. Well, as it happens the said happy family live only a stones throw from here. As I was leaving work on Friday I noticed an outside broadcast vehicle heading off and I wondered what had been going on. Meantime Ian was watching the news before leaving home and phoned.

"Lovely, put the tele on. I'm sure I'm looking at the street round the corner from you"

Sure enough I switched on see some local faces that I definitely recognised talking about how sad it was and what they would do if their children did something like that.

The following day a few people were gathered near the house concerned but other than that all carried on as normal. I talked with the neighbours.

I asked if it was really true that this 13 year old was the father. True he seemed more than happy to own up but monogamy is not something that is rife among sexually active teenagers. Well, it turns out that there are several other in the mix and a paternity test is following to determine the true state of affairs (so to speak). (The most worrying thing about this story is the bit that says that the family spokesman is Max Clifford.)

Did the family get paid by the tabloid paper for the story? The general opinion seemed to be yes and various amounts were suggested. (Given the involvement of the above publicist I would have thought it unlikely it was done for free).

It was also rumoured that for one of those involved it was not the first time that they had sought publicity, appearing on a well known TV show to discuss their sexual appetite. I hasten to add that I don't know exactly who this is or whether it is true!

Finally there was some indignation that many of the people interviewed who were concerned actually did not lead blameless lives themselves!

In the end, as I often do round here, I felt for all three children at the centre of this.

Valentine's cake

This weekend valentines day fell on a Saturday. Ian cooked dinner and I made a valentines day cake. The base was chocolate (soaked in cherries and cassis-next time I would use a stronger alcohol). The top was a white chocolate ganache. It was my first attempt and worked reasonably well except that next time I would use a slightly better chocolate. I had originally planned to decorate the top with white malteser chocolates but unfortunately they all got eaten before I made the cake!

So you'll think of me all day

Yesterday was spent on public transport. Bus to station-train to Brighton-train back -bus to other part of town- walk back- train to East Croydon- (got on wrong train)- got off at Selhurst-train to London Bridge-train to Sidcup. All this was because I was picking up my new car from Ian's house and driving it back! I finally got in at 10.45 in the evening!

During the morning I kept smelling a rather nasty urine smell. First I thought it was from the Station (drunken men peeing on the platform), then the toilets on the train but when I could still smell it sitting in the classroom I realised that it might be something on me! Had I stepped in something nasty? I started smelling all my items of clothing, shoes, bag etc; and then I found it. My hat had a distinct smell of cats pee! The mystery was solved..when left to his own devices Mandi the cat usually feels the need to assert his authority by making everything smell of him. Although neutered he still manages to smell pretty bad! He must have got my hat the day before and decided to make sure I remembered him all day!

What do you do at this point? I had already worn the hat all morning so any nasty smells were already all over my hair. Do I take the smelly hat off and have a cold head or do I continue to wear it and keep a warm head but accept that people will just think I am the mad woman who smells of cat?

Social networking sites for the elderly

I am on Facebook but its a strange place when you are older. Most people my age are on it to keep in touch with their kids while they go off around the world! My 'friends' are mostly parents. When I do have a 'friend' under 30 I can't understand them anyway as they seem to speak a different language. Take a look at this from my nephew. Consider that he spent most of his formative years in private education and is not a member of any ethnic minority group.

easy bro hows shit in england.... im havin the best time of my life bruv...... call me got some heavy shit to tell you, your not going to believe it mate.... i cant belive it honestly!!!!! hope your good.... i have one heavy tan as well.... x

The perils of work

I have said before that my brother works for the Royal Bank of Scotland and recent days have not been easy for him. For the last few days his office has been picketed by protesters. Last week they pelted staff with snowballs as they turned up to work and today he was booed. He has been quite lighthearted about it but as his older sister I can't help but feel cross that he has to put up with this during what is a stressful time for him as well. He was after all just doing his job in the way he was paid to do it. If he still has a job in the future and people want him to do it in a different way then he will but I don't think he deserves that sort of abuse every day.

In the meantime amidst fears of redundancy he is making sure that all his health problems are being treated through his private health insurance before he looses it. He has an appointment to have is varicose veins removed very soon!

Silver loveliness

I am really exited as I bought a new car today! Well, not totally new but a two year old Ford Fiasco, Silver edition with loads of little extras..the most important one being that the first three letters of the number plate are LOV! I knew as soon as I saw it sitting there in it's Silver loveliness that I would end up buying it and some good luck with regard to the price (the dealers had marked it up incorrectly and agreed to honour the marked up price), I decided to buy it on the spot. Looking at other similar cars I think I got a good deal. Will post a picture when it is actually in my possession.

Tai Chi and me

I have just started to learn Tai Chi. One thing that I realised is that I have developed much more patience with myself than I used to have. I first tried to learn Tai Chi when I lived in Canada and then again when I lived in London. However I never managed to stick it out to learn the form properly as I got too frustrated with the slow pace. Learning Tai Chi is like learning to rub your head and pat your belly at the same time. After 4 weeks I know 4 moves in a total of 24 so maybe after 6 months I will get to the end!

And then it was gone

The snow has gone from here although Ian tells me that the side roads in London are still quite bad. I remember the snow 19 years ago as I was living in London then (was it really that long ago)! Everything shut down for a day and then we finally got back to work. I spent a day sledding over Alexandra Palace. The side roads remained covered in ice for about 10 days but I don't remember it causing quite such a commotion as now. (Perhaps I just didn't listen to it).

Making a drama out of a crisis

Reading about record heatwaves in Tales from Down Under is a little surreal as we sit here in what the News tells us is the worst weather since 1991. I can't help but think that this is a mis-perception on the part of the media as looking out of my window it doesn't look that bad. I got up and turned up to work today to teach on my module only to find out that the University was closed due to bad weather, although the roads were actually better than they have been on many other occasions.

Ian left at the same time to take the perilous drive up to London, amidst tales of jack-knifed lorries, serious traffic jams, road closures etc, only to find that, with the exception of a few roads around his home, all was clear and he had a pleasant journey.

The trend of reporting incidents, weather, the economy and day to day events in the most over-exaggerated tone, thus making an everyday event seem like a crisis is probably in part responsible for the feeling of doom and gloom pervading everywhere.

On the way out of work I saw the cafeteria manager; a Scot. "If we stayed at home everyday it snowed in Scotland then I would never have had any schooling". We laughed. I worked in Canada for a couple of years and you wouldn't dare to be late for work due to the snow, let alone not turn up!

The downfall of the car industry

I have decided to buy a new car. I was hoping that my ancient Ford Fiasco would last until we went to France but recent driving has convinced me that its days are numbered, my savings are doing nothing in the bank and with a crisis in the car industry I should be able to get a good deal on a car. Well, that is what I thought, so after checking my bank balance, we made a trip to the local Ford dealers prepared to spend if there was a good deal to be had. We wandered around the lot for a while with no sign of a salesman and as it was cold we entered the sales room. A couple of salesmen were engaged with clients and in a room out the back several others sat chatting. We looked around the few cars in the room and eventually the receptionist asked us if we wanted help. We asked if we could see a salesman and she scurried off to find one. However, the room of men were unmoving and dismissed her instantly. She returned and said that there was no one available and could we come back later. At this my loathing of salesmen in general overpowered me and I said we couldn't and couldn't resist pointing out to her that if they had been more willing to help that they might have sold a car that afternoon. I would have been less annoyed if the receptionist had not insisted on addressing all her comments to Ian and not me who was the person paying for and driving the car!

Time for the car sales industry to join the 21st century or go out of business!

We are looking on the Internet and have seen a good price on a new Ford KaKa!

The tower gets its hat!

Ian has just phoned in a panic as the builder had just sent him some pictures and the roof of the tower wasn't as he had imagined. (He also had a bad day at work and is getting a cold so was feeling fed up). I had a look at the pictures and I think the roof looks okay even if it isn't how he had hoped. He was reassured. It's hard to have a house built when you are 700 miles from the builder!

All in a weeks work

This week I have been rather busy on visits to students and preparing for an even busier week next week, and at the same time, trying to fit in some routine hospital appointments. Wednesday was my day for my six monthly check up at the hospital. These are usually pretty quick affairs as fortunately I have continued to remain well. On Wednesday the clinic was busy and my consultant was wandering around. He bounced over...

"Hello, how are you? I haven't got anyone with me at the moment so I thought I'd come over and say hello. Would you mind seeing the registrar today? It would be good for her to see you I think?"

"I'm fine, and no, I don't mind"

"Are you still mountain biking?"

"Well, I haven't been so much lately but I did go skiing again"

"Oh really? Where did you go?"

(there then followed a brief conversation about ski resorts in France and the loads of snow this year).

I am happy to see the registrar. As Ian said "how many people with MCTD is she likely to see in her career?"

Well, I may well be the only one for a while, and if, in a few years time when she is sitting in her surgery someone comes in with a strange mixture of peculiar symptoms that she can't quite figure out maybe she will remember me.

Of course the downside of seeing the registrar is that because she is learning she is much more thorough and concerned that she doesn't miss anything. "Shall we do another lung function test?" I managed to convince her that as I sit next to the woman who carries out the lung function tests in my exercise class and my lungs don't feel any different to anyone else's in the class then there wasn't much need. She then looked through my old notes, started to panic at the list of things that were wrong and ordered a whole host of blood tests!

The queue in the phlebotomy unit was long.. I waited half an hour for them to take blood and then popped back to the clinic to check that the urine test was okay (I knew it would be as I test it myself once a month) and then I left just before they were about to put a ticket on my car for outstaying my welcome in the car park!

House and roof still there

On Friday night a big storm swept through South West France. We didn't hear that much about it at first but gradually realised it was pretty significant, causing much damage and flooding. As our roof tiles have only just gone on we fully expected to hear that they had blown away! Well, apparently we were lucky and according to the neighbours the builders were back today finishing off the roof to the Tower.

Apparently the commune was without electricity for 4 days, prompting Ian to look into purchasing a small generator for emergencies.

The coast road to Brighton

A very quick entry tonight as the blogging has been a little slow over the last few days. It's not that nothing has happened as there is always something to write about but just that I have not been able to get my brain clear enough to put it down in words as Ian and I are in the middle of long discussions about plasterboard walls, underfloor heating, cheap toilets on eBay, the best way to lay out the bedroom (negotiations required!) and the bathroom furniture (more negotiations)! But.. I am now back at work...

Today I drove to Brighton along the coast road and the irony of Peacehaven struck me; as it is certainly not a haven nor particularly peaceful! On the main road there was a burnt out carpet shop; probably the result of an 'insurance job'. I would imagine the recession will see many more of these types of 'accidents'. Going along the coast you get to Telscombe Cliffs; marginally better and at least there are some nice sea views! A little further on Saltdean still looks like something out of the 1930s, complete with the lido and the White Cliffs cafe and then things move more and more upmarket until you get to Rottingdean, complete with the organic greengrocer and private members club! After that I headed inland and into Brighton itself!

You've got to laugh

A friend sent me this joke which I found particularly amusing in light of health and safety man's antics!
If we applied todays standards to the greatest sea battle in history...

The scene...The Battle of Trafalgar 21st October 1805...

Nelson: "Order the signal, Hardy."
Hardy: "Aye, aye sir."
Nelson: "Hold on, that's not what I dictated to Flags. What's the meaning of this?"
Hardy: "Sorry sir?"
Nelson (reading aloud): "' England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability.' - What gobbledegook is this?"
Hardy: "Admiralty policy, I'm afraid, sir. We're an equal opportunities employer now. We had the devil's own job getting ' England ' past the censors, lest it be considered racist."
Nelson: "Gadzooks, Hardy. Hand me my pipe and tobacco."
Hardy: "Sorry, sir. All naval vessels have now been designated smoke-free working environments."
Nelson: "In that case, break open the rum ration. Let us splice the mainbrace to steel the men before battle."
Hardy: "The rum ration has been abolished, Admiral. It's part of the Government's policy on binge drinking."
Nelson: "Good heavens, Hardy. I suppose we'd better get on with it .......... full speed ahead."
Hardy: "I think you'll find that there's a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water."
Nelson: "Damn it man! We are on the eve of the greatest sea battle in history. We must advance with all dispatch. Report from the crow's nest please."
Hardy: "That won't be possible, sir."
Nelson: "What?"
Hardy: "Health and Safety have closed the crow's nest, sir. No harness; and they said that rope ladders don't meet regulations. They won't let anyone up there until a proper scaffolding can be erected."
Nelson: "Then get me the ship's carpenter without delay, Hardy."
Hardy: "He's busy knocking up a wheelchair access to the foredeck Admiral."
Nelson: "Wheelchair access? I've never heard anything so absurd."
Hardy: "Health and safety again, sir. We have to provide a barrier-free environment for the differently abled."
Nelson: "Differently abled? I've only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word. I didn't rise to the rank of admiral by playing the disability card."
Hardy: "Actually, sir, you did. The Royal Navy is under represented in the areas of visual impairment and limb deficiency."
Nelson: "Whatever next? Give me full sail. The salt spray beckons."
Hardy: "A couple of problems there too, sir. Health and safety won't let the crew up the rigging without hard hats. And they don't want anyone breathing in too much salt - haven't you seen the adverts?"
Nelson: "I've never heard such infamy. Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy."
Hardy: "The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone, Admiral."
Nelson: "What? This is mutiny!"
Hardy: "It's not that, sir. It's just that they're afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone. There's a couple of legal-aid lawyers on board, watching everyone like hawks."
Nelson: "Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?"
Hardy: "Actually, sir, we're not."
Nelson: "We're not?"
Hardy: "No, sir. The French and the Spanish are our European partners now. According to the Common Fisheries Policy, we shouldn't even be in this stretch of water. We could get hit with a claim for compensation."
Nelson: "But you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil."
Hardy: "I wouldn't let the ship's diversity co-ordinator hear you saying that sir. You'll be up on disciplinary report."
Nelson: "You must consider every man an enemy, who speaks ill of your King."
Hardy: "Not any more, sir. We must be inclusive in this multicultural age. Now put on your Kevlar vest; it's the rules. It could save your life"
Nelson: "Don't tell me - health and safety. Whatever happened to rum, sodomy and the lash?"
Hardy: As I explained, sir, rum is off the menu! And there's a ban on corporal punishment."
Nelson: "What about sodomy?"
Hardy: "I believe that is now legal, sir."
Nelson: "In that case............................... kiss me, Hardy. (The old ones are the old ones!)

The work of remaking America.(New year, new president)

I left work a little early today to watch the inauguration of President Obama. I am not a fan of American politics and I am sure in the future the swearing in of the first African American president and all the fuss it engendered will seem quite quaint and racist in itself, in the same way that now no one comments on the fact that their bus driver is woman even though 10 years ago that would have been remarkable. Anyway, I can remember stories of segregation, discrimination and violence in the Southern States as I was growing up, I can remember the shooting of Martin Luther King and I can remember listening to Aretha Franklin so the ceremony today had some poignancy even for me.

It certainly moved millions of Americans to stand for hours in temperatures well below freezing to witness it. Mind you, at least they could wear coats, hats and jackets! The presidential party, in their smart suits and thin looking coats must have been freezing! I hope they were wearing decent thermal underwear! Obama's daughter was taking photos of her dad taking his oath which maybe one day will appear on her own blog or in her memoirs, or just serve as a personal memento of the day. Obama's speech was as we all expected as he is a good orator. It was timely and well written (apparently the writer is only 27 years old, which pleases me to think that there is such talent in the young). My hope is that he does go on to be a different and new kind of president not because he is black but because he does the right things. In the end I hope that we all find the fact that he is black unremarkable.

One thing that I did wake up to today was just how carefully timed Israel's attack on Palestine was. It was begun over Christmas in the midst of a handover of power and declared over the day before Obama's inauguration. I can't begin to understand the Middle East Situation but whatever your views and beliefs, as people are allowed in now to view the aftermath it seems to be becoming clear that there were some dreadful atrocities. Whether all of these turn out to have been deliberate or so called 'mistakes of war' we will probably never know.