A Day Out to the Capital

Yesterday we took our son to the Natural History Museum in London. It's been years since I last visited the museum - I think I was at junior school during the early eighties.
It's some time since I've been on a long journey anywhere, though I do find I tend to enjoy the journey more than the object of our visit. We opted to catch the train from King's Lynn to King's Cross and the journey was problem free until we had reached the section of line between New Barnet and Alexandra Palace where engineering works had overrun. Here we were delayed about 50 minutes while we were forced to reverse back to New Barnet and on to another line before continuing our journey at reduced speed to King's Cross.
King's Cross has changed a lot since I was last there. I think there was a lot of improvement work going on when I last visited London as I recall the building being covered in scaffolding. The station resembles a flight terminal more than a train station. It is smart, clean and efficient though there were two things missing - bins and seats. The absence of bins is a sad indictment of the age we live in and our understandable paranoia following the events of 2005. The absence of seats is something I find more difficult to understand - it was impossible to sit down and improvisation was everywhere with people perched on whatever they could find or sat on cases and jackets.
Our first visit was to the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 where a huge number of people were queueing to have their photograph taken with the infamous 'trolley in the wall'. Like anything that has the potential of making money, this has now become a cash cow with a professional photographer charging £8 per photo. Looking at the number of people queueing, I wouldn't be surprised if more than £10k a day is taken from domestic and international tourists desperate for their chance to be photographed at the iconic spot. After queueing for what seemed an eternity, my son had his moment of fame clutching the trolley with his scarf of choice around his neck.

The Harry Potter shop was far smaller than I'd imagined it would be. It nevertheless stood as a temple to the many hundreds of Potter fanatics who are drawn to it ever hour seeking wands, broomsticks, pens, postcards and other trademarked trinkets at vastly inflated prices.

It was here that we collected our photograph, presented in a smart Hogwarts frame and handed over £16 for two prints - one for us and one for my in-laws.
The Natural History Museum was a few stops westward on the Piccadilly Line and we sat amongst seasoned travellers well accustomed to Tube etiquette some staring straight ahead, some immersed in their favourite novel and others eyes closed able to switch off from the noise around them. It was probably obvious that we were strangers. We looked interested and we reassured ourselves by announcing each station name as we arrived. I really don't cope well with crowds and confined spaces so I was pleased when we had finally arrived at our South Kensington destination. As with the overground, the underground has changed a lot since my last journey on the Tube. It is clean, slick and efficient with trains just a minute or two apart.
Departing the station, the Museum was just a minute's walk from the exit and we joined another long queue of people made up of visitors from home and abroad. Many clutched cameras though it was clear that the majority are content to use their smart phones, instantly uploading their snaps to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for the world to see and comment on.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long before we entered. As with everything in London, the Museum and its exhibits have grown in size - massively. There is so much to see and do, and considering admission is free it's frankly incredible given this age of over-charging and inflated prices.

To fully appreciate everything that's on offer, a full day is needed - and this was with one of the newest exhibits about our home planet closed until September. The only down-side to the visit was the sheer number of people - the museum was pretty much full to capacity and it was warm, very warm. I can only imagine at the height of our recent heat wave, that a visit to the museum would have been quite unbearable. I was struggling with a mild 22 degrees!

By 4.30, we had seen everything and our legs were telling us it was time to head for home. My ability to endure long spells without a seat has suffered during the last ten years and my back was crying out for its all too regular fix of Tramadol.
Fearing the earlier engineering works would have caused major disruption, we were surprised to find that all the services from King's Cross were running to time. Again I was struck by the huge number of people patiently stood or sat on the floor staring at the vast departures and arrivals board. Our service for King's Lynn wasn't due to leave for another hour so we bought some drinks and tried to make ourselves comfortable, but this was a fruitless task given the acute lack of seating. Instead, we made our way back to the Harry Potter shop as my son had decided he wanted a poster.

Negotiating our way through the crowds, we reached the shop and I opted to wait outside as my wife and son were swallowed up to emerge a few minutes later poster in hand. Needing hydration, we headed for W.H. Smith, a stalwart of every mainline rail terminal. The unmistakable smell of new books and newsprint is quintessentially British yet self-service it seems has found its way into the nation's favourite newsagent and an assistant ushered the impatient and hurried to the next available machine herding them like cattle. This was no place for anyone who simply wanted to pause and look, you simply had to join the stream of people bound for the exit.
By now, our train service home had been assigned a platform, it would be platform 8 where our train was sat its face blackened by the many insects that had strayed into its high speed path. We knew to head for the first 4 coaches as these would become separated from the rest of the train at Cambridge to continue its journey to the end of the line at King's Lynn.
The journey home was fast - everyone wanted to get home including the driver. Looking around our coach, I wasn't the only person washed-out from our trip to London. Everyone it seemed looked tired, and some had no problem sleeping - practised at blocking out the sounds of travelling by train and the beeping and whistling of the smart phone. Cambridge soon arrived and with it my own memories of being stranded on a freezing winter's evening during my working past, feeling lost and not knowing when I would be back in my warm home. Those still asleep were soon awoken by a sudden jolt as the train was pulled apart.
The relatively short distance between Cambridge and King's Lynn, its flat scenery all around, was made to feel a lot longer by stops at every station where our train deposited the majority of its weary passengers.
It wasn't long before we were at King's Lynn and the end of the line. A half hour drive and we'd be home. How quiet everything is compared to where we had been. It's a different world down there. A visit every so often is fine, but could I live there? No.

A Fine British Send-Off

The agreement documents for our (Blue Skies) funding arrived the end of last week. They just needed to be signed and sent back to Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust with an invoice for the £2,500 first payment we are set to receive. It's hard to believe that we will soon have the money we need to get off the ground two projects that will provide huge benefit to our members. For me, it is also an opportunity to deliver computer skills training once more and to demonstrate how computers and the Internet can really be put to the best use. I suspect we will receive the money by next week, and frankly I'm looking forward to spending it!

I spent this morning watching the funeral of Margaret Thatcher live on TV. For me, things like this are always an excuse to use my home cinema and I was more interested in the ceremony and the detail than anything else. I wasn't a fan of Thatcher though I do recognise her achievements and the way her policies have shaped the country. It is only now that I am able to appreciate why life was the way it was as I grew up in the 1980's.
The funeral was very well done. We are so good at putting on a show, whatever the occasion and this morning proved that once again. I think it struck the right balance. There are of course those who disagree and would rather have seen a private funeral, privately funded.
It was good that the much hyped anti-Thatcher protests didn't materialise and were confined to the odd 'boo' and shout. Any protests were very much the minority and a tiny one at that.
Credit should certainly go to the coffin bearers whose job it was to delicately convey Margaret Thatcher's heavy casket up the steep steps of St Paul's and the way they did this with such grace and without fault.

Christmas Socks

Today I am able to wear for the first time this year my Christmas socks. It's quite an event for me as they have sat in my sock drawer all year long, ignored and pushed to one side as I've always considered it bad luck to wear them 'out of season', as it were.

For me, it does formerly mark the start of the festive season. It's difficult to work out how we have arrived here so quickly. A large part of me didn't think we would see another Christmas in this house, given the dire financial state we are in, so I'm especially grateful to still be here. It does mean also that I can dust off my Christmas music vinyl collection. I'm a staunch believer that before December 1st, very little should be made of Christmas and I begrudge seeing decorations and goods appearing in stores before this time. The worst for me are the people who insist on putting up their decorations and lights in October! In fact there are several homes like that not far from me here.
We've decided that next Saturday we will put up the tree and decorations. Despite my strict December policy for anything Christmas-related, I do like to see our home decorated. Of course, it's all for our son really. There's nothing better than seeing his excitement Christmas morning and receiving the things he has wished for.
We are very fortunate. There are many who this year will be struggling. That's not to say we're not finding it difficult, we are. We do though seem to manage and very rarely go without the essentials. My wife sees that the small wage she brings in each week is managed properly and apportioned appropriately. There is nothing left, no petty cash and no spare change to buy the odd packet of sweets, but we don't go without.
I listened intently this morning to the BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal. It has been running for more than 80 years and raises money for the St Martin In The Fields to provide shelter and help for homeless and vulnerable people. The programme highlighted the excellent work carried out by volunteers all year round to help the many who are forced to sleep on the streets of London. It provides a helping hand, offering protection and long term support but more importantly, it provides hope. I was truly humbled hearing the real life stories of those who have been given a lifeline by the Appeal and The Vicar's Relief Fund which each year provides much needed grants to people who are in severe financial difficulty.
I wish so much that I was in a position to be able to make a donation to the Appeal. The work they do is truly fantastic and has particular significance at this time of year, providing refuge, companionship, warm clothing and a hot meal to those who would otherwise be alone, cold and hungry. I'm fortunate to have my own home and I have family nearby, but there are many who don't and many who could find themselves homeless and in need of help through no fault of their own. The current economic crisis has taken away the assurance of job security and countless numbers up and down the country are asking themselves for the first time 'what if...'. There is uncertainty like never before, and sadly I don't see the situation improving for a long time to come.

Paralympic Welcome, Tentative York & Longing for Security

Once again, we produced an epic opening ceremony, this time for the Paralympic Games. Though not on quite the same scale as the Olympic opening ceremony, it was nonetheless fully attended and watched by millions across the country. Channel 4 have the broadcast rights to the Paralympics and though their coverage was very good, much criticism has been made of the decision to include numerous advertisement breaks during the event. Twitter was awash with comments deploring Channel 4 for the decision and I have to admit that I was one of those contributing to the protests. Being one of the largest and most significant events Channel 4 has broadcast since it launched in 1982, I would really have expected the channel to forgo the revenue from the numerous car ads in favour of showing the whole event uninterrupted.
For me, the event was very moving. The sight of hundreds of disabled athletes, proud to be representing their countries and being celebrated was magnificent. The choreography was world class and complimented with a commentary by Stephen Hawking. The athletes were proud the be there, and it showed.

Tomorrow, we had hoped to be taking our son to York for the first time. My wife and I have been to York on a couple of occasions and have enjoyed it very much. There's something about the place that you can't quite put your finger on, but I do have a particular fondness for the history, architecture and of course the wonderful Railway Museum.
I've mentioned before the prohibitive cost of rail travel and the return fare being £145 for the three of us. Now, to me this seems expensive. Perhaps I'm simply out of touch with current public transport costs. But when I compare this to the cost of travelling by car, about £35, it really does seem excessive. We are rather hoping that my in-laws will lend us the money until my expenses arrive for my NHS work. This would allow us to get there and back, and a packed lunch would negate the need to buy food. It's touch and go at the moment whether we'll go or not but if we're able to, I know my son will love it.

I've written about having to keep a diary noting activities and my anxiety and depression levels. This is for the CBT therapy I'm having in Spalding. I'm a little concerned that when I have my next session on the 18th September (when my therapist returns from her holiday to Mexico), there won't be a great deal for her to analyse. I've actually been feeling quite good for the last few weeks. I certainly haven't had any depressive episodes and my anxiety levels have been pretty much level. This may be due to the fact that I'm finding things to occupy me, or simply that there haven't been any triggers to set me off. The one constant thing on my mind is the Bank and whether they will allow us to continue contributing to the mortgage. I worry daily that there will either be a letter or phone call requesting me to contact them. If and when it comes, I will need to ask them to extend the period further. My biggest fear is that they will say no. I may be worrying for no reason as I've been told by so many people that provided we are paying something, they cannot do anything and as the house value is decreasing, they are unlikely to try to turf us out to sell on. Common sense tells me this is the likely outcome but I still worry. At least this time round I can tell them I am officially an NHS Volunteer, so I'm doing something productive. Although I'm not being paid anything - just my expenses - I am hopeful that it will develop into something permanent. Working in some kind of mental health support role within the NHS is my current aim. The question is how long we can survive for until something happens?

A Little Job & Olympic Worries

I've had a couple of small jobs come my way this week. A work colleague of my mum-in-law has a laptop with a faulty keyboard. It's a strange one this, as all the keys work except for J,K and L. I've taken the keyboard out and taken a closer look but unlike laptops of old, there is literally nothing that's serviceable. They keys do come off, but that's it apart from the contact sheet underneath. So I've recommended a replacement which to my surprise will cost just £25 to procure. Computer spares must be the only things that have actually decreased in price over the years. The same customer has a tower unit which 'blue screens' on starting which could frankly be a number of different things so I'll be taking a look at it once the laptop is repaired.
So that's all very good. I do love fixing things especially computers and if I can earn a little by doing it, then happy days.

Weather, oh weather. It has been nothing short of horrible for the last two weeks. It all came to a peak last night when we had very heavy rain and strong winds, which persisted well into today and have only really eased in the last hour or so. There are flood warnings almost everywhere at the moment and there are rivers where their banks have already burst, such as in York. Yet we are told we still have a drought. So why not try to collect some of this water, the same way I am in my garden, but on an industrial scale?

In the news we've had the Leveson Inquiry and the furore surrounding the Culture, Media and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt. I've certainly been glued to the coverage surrounding this and I firmly believe that there remain many questions to be answered and I believe there are rough times ahead for the current government. I could spend an hour or more writing about my thoughts on this subject, but I won't. Suffice to say that I believe not one word of what we are told by our government or Mr Murdoch, regardless of how plausible their explanations and excuses may seem. They may think we were all born yesterday but I for one am not going to be taken in by it, not a single word of it.

Twitter. I've written on numerous occasions regarding the power of Twitter and its influence on our society is clear given the media coverage it has received lately. Admittedly, the coverage has been for the wrong reasons and unfortunately, it is all too often used as a weapon to offend or humiliate.
But I do see it very much as a tool for making comment and observation, and on many occasions over the last week, I have received replies and even had my tweets read out on radio. I already have over 100 followers, to my surprise and how many of these read my tweets, I do not know. But the fact that my tweets regarding electricity providers were picked up by Eon and NPower and my tweet regarding the mis-treatment of Christopher Tappin was read out on-air by LBC, it does make me feel good about using this relatively new medium. What started out just a couple of years ago as an Internet SMS service has grown into perhaps the most powerful tool of communication and opinion in the World today.

No week would be complete without a crisis and this time it was a flat tyre. I had spotted it just before my wife was due to leave for work. Of course it was all too much for her but we managed to get someone to come and collect her. I managed to get some air into the tyre and drove gingerly to the local garage. Within half an hour they had located the puncture and repaired it. Wonderful, and all for just £20. A huge relief given the fact I was expecting to pay £40 for a new tyre. So a major crisis was averted thank goodness.

There is concern at the moment regarding the ability of our immigration control services to cope come the Olympics and the predicted hundreds of thousands of extra visitors. This has arisen after complaints by entering passengers who had to queue for up to 3 hours at Heathrow. Mobile phone footage showed long queues of disgruntled passengers and I can't help but imagine the scene in three months from now when Olympic devotees begin descending on the capital.
We are being assured that the airports are prepared for the influx, buy haven't we heard all thins before? Do they really know how many people are expected? I doubt it. I fully expect to see huge queues at our airports, caused in part by delays in processing passports and in the inability of our transport system to transfer the masses to the Olympic site.
Somewhat amazingly, there is discussion at the moment regarding the siting of ground to air missiles and the surreal suggestion to place missile batteries on top of apartment blocks and other tall buildings. We are being assured a complete no fly zone will be enforced over London during the Games, but mistakes do happen and I could easily see a situation where a plane or other airborne object could stray and a missile be launched in response. The results of this would be catastrophic for anyone below.
And of course there's the hoaxer and the chaos that would ensue following any warning deemed credible.
Of course, there's every possibility the whole thing will pass without incident, and I hope it does. But I do have serious doubts as to whether the current infrastructure will cope under the additional strain and I seriously doubt our preparedness. Time will of course tell.

My Son's Away Day

My son is off to London tomorrow. It' his first visit and he's really excited about seeing the sights and a long ride on the train. He'll have a great time. I am though slightly put out that it won't be his parents taking him. I've written about this before, my in-law's generosity. They do the things that my wife and I can't afford to. Of course that's fine and a lot of the places they go to on holiday would never appeal to me at all. But when it
involves my son, I'm just made to feel useless and a bad father. I would love to see my son's face as he stares up at Big Ben or walks across Tower Bridge. I just wish I had the money to spend on a trip to London. But I don't and once again I am indebted to my in-laws for doing the things I should be.

We have had a hosepipe ban imposed on us today. It's not just us, but most of the south-east of the UK as far as Yorkshire. We are now officially in a drought and must begin using water sparingly. If we don't then we are told we will face a crisis resulting in further restrictions and rationing. I'm not actually a hosepipe user. I use a watering can in the garden filled from a water butt that collects rain from the downpipes. It is currently full following the heavy rain yesterday and should last about a week.

Remembering 9th February 1996

I don't really know what prompted me to recall this day. My mind often wanders and I remember past events in my life that have particular significance. On this day, 9th February 1996, the IRA broke its cease fire and detonated a huge bomb at Canary Wharf in London. On the same day, I had travelled to London to meet my pen-friend at the time and spend the evening. She lived not far from Canary Wharf and her flat overlooked the location with stunning views of the office buildings and the River Thames. I had spent hours driving the ten miles from my own home in South London desperately trying to locate her address. I recall her trying to direct me via my mobile phone as I drove round and round. At one point, I drove through Canary Wharf as I became more and more frustrated at my inability to locate her home.
Eventually I did locate the block of flats she lived in and we met properly for the first time. We had arranged that I spend the night, so we ate and settled down to an evening on the sofa in front of the TV. Since arriving, I had admired with envy the view from her flat. It was stunning and all the major London landmarks could be picked out from her towering vantage point.
It was at about 7pm when we both heard a huge thunderous roar. This was followed by the curtains blowing in to the lounge where we were sat and a distinct feeling of movement as the tower we were in swayed with the pressure. Unaware of what had happened, we looked in the direction of the noise and saw immediately a huge plume of smoke rising from the site of Canary Wharf. This was very soon accompanied by the sound of sirens and we were able to make out the blue lights as the emergency services begain to rush to the scene. Something big had happened and we both knew it was bad, very bad. As we watched, the TV news reported a large explosion at Canary Wharf. It wasn't immediately attributed to a bomb, but it wasn't long before this was confirmed. To think that just a couple of hours before, I had driven through the site of what was becoming one of the worst attrocities to hit the UK. It made me tremble just thinking about it.
All evening we were able to watch the frantic response to the tragedy from our vantage point. It was a very strange feeling to be so close to something so big unfolding just a mile away.
Thankfully we have been free from such acts of terror for some time and I hope it stays this way, but this is my memory of witnessing such an event a little too close to home.

Digital Cinema and My Thoughts for the Day

I love technology. It makes things easier, more accessible and provides more choice. But I heard something this morning on BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House that made me think again as to whether it is all good. Apparently more and more of our cinemas are being converted to digital. The film projectors are being replaced by digital high definition LCD and LED projectors. Projectionists were actually lamenting the loss of film and describing how they no longer need to supervise the screenings, thread the film and switch reels in the middle of a movie. It's all being done automatically. In fact, they don't need many staff at all. Someone can visit just once a week to prepare the automated schedule and all the films are shown in the correct order and at the right times. So there are huge savings to be made - less projectionists and less staff overall. But what is lost is the quality, that film grain you get when light is shone through celluloid. The movement you get with film. With natural colours and tones, you know it's alive and real. Now it's all about crystal clear clarity, high definition images and digital sound. I understand that the complete switch to digital is inevitable, just like 35mm camera film, pretty much consigned to history and something I'll need to tell my son about one day.

I'm no expert on world events, but you don't have to be a genius to know that all is not right with the world. In fact, like many, I have little optimism and I fear for our future. The Occupy movements that have sprung up in cities across the world are lampooned in the mainstream media. But if you look at the message - the real message, you will see that the protesters too believe something is seriously wrong. They cite capitalism as the reason but it is in truth our system of capitalism that makes the rich richer and untouchable and the poor poorer and vulnerable. It's about fairness and opportunity for all. And that certainly isn't working and is wrong. So what happens? Well, I am just waiting for them to elect an official representative and form a political party. I wonder then how many people would support and vote for them? I suspect the number would be high. When you are desperate and when you have lost all confidence in the system that looks after you, that provides and offers you security, you look elsewhere. You are desperate, perhaps with nowhere to go in life, no money, in crippling debt and hungry. You will do anything to find a way out. So if someone comes along with a message, someone who understands your hardship and someone who promises a real alternative, you will follow them. Unless something changes in our current system of government and if the standard of living for everyday people doesn't improve, then this is something I can see happening.

My despair for our broken world is somewhat lessened by the marvellous work of the BBC's Children In Need appeal and the £26 million raised for our vulnerable, poor, disabled and abused young people. For a country that claims to be broke, when it comes to good causes, we always come up trumps. The same has been true of past appeals - famine in Africa and natural disasters - we always manage to find the funds to help. This makes me feel good and it's something we should be proud of, and rightly so.

So where will the world go in the coming new year? The prospect of conflict over Iran's nuclear programme gets nearer by the day and seems inevitable given their recent rhetoric. And what of their supporters, China and Russia. Do we really want to provoke them into choosing sides. I think not. And now we have renewed protests and violence in Egypt, when all had thought the country had been reborn. And of course there's Syria and its brutal crackdown on protesters, its own people. Again, any intervention could only result in wider conflict - and Syria too has its supporters who would make dangerous adversaries.
And finally we have our own continent of Europe and the financial crisis facing the Euro. Where will this end? Pessimistic, moi? You bet.

Finally, I've been reminded by a regular broadcaster on YouTube that the messages we receive through our UK mainstream media may not be complete and may be lacking facts. I would encourage people to look outside, to get a different view and perspective on world events. I cite the Occupy protests, particularly those taking place in London. Why do we think of the protesters as hippies and disillusioned students? Because that's what we're being fed. Look deeper and you'll find that the protests are made up of a broad spectrum of different people from all walks of life - all of which have come to the same conclusion. Watch a report from the BBC on the Occupy protests and then compare this to one from say Russia Today... Some could argue the different perspective is to emphasise the natural opposition to Capitalism in general over a perceived 'fair' system of communism. Maybe... Time and public opinion will tell.

Doing fine on a budget & Kwik Fit

Like many, we have been living on a budget for some time now. It's easy to assume that having a limit to the amount you can spend on food and consumables would be restrictive and force us to do without things. In fact the opposite is true. There are things certainly that we no longer buy but these are unhealthy foods and things that we really didn't need. In fact our new buying habits have enabled me to lose 6lbs in two weeks. I now actually enjoy being the careful shopper, hunting out bargains and trying to get the most for every penny. We now buy a lot of the things that are good for us and I'm really getting to enjoy the new healthy lifestyle. This has been helped in part by healthy eating money off vouchers which are now available in most supermarkets.
So out have gone the crisps and the fatty, sweet snacks and in are the crisp bread, the cracker and the granary loaf. We're eating just as well, feeling full, and shedding pounds. So all's good.

We had cause to get a new tyre fitted to the car yesterday. The inside rear had worn on the outer edge and it really needed doing. So we popped to our Spalding Kwik Fit and on arrival found all the bays full with cars. Fearing a long wait, my wife and son popped to a local store for some bits and pieces while I stayed at the garage. Before I knew it, the car was on the ramp, a space having been made almost immediately and the new tyre was being fitted. The whole thing too just 10 minutes by which time my wife and son had arrived back from their short trip. I'm not normally very complimentary when it comes to customer service but on this occasion, Kwik Fit are certainly worthy of my praise. A job very well done and worth all of the £55 spent.

I haven't mentioned the outcome of my medical examination last Thursday for my new job. This is mainly because, I haven't heard from my prospective employer though I was informed I had passed by the doctor I saw. It is true I'm not in perfect working order and do have to take some medication daily to control a few things, but I am physically fit and able to drive any size of vehicle safely. So I'm hopeful I'll hear something soon. I know they were checking my references last Friday as I had a call asking for my RBS employee number.

My vegetable plot is coming on nicely and things have begun to take root and start growing. I am having real problems with slugs for which there appear to be thousands all over the garden. I am using two beer traps and these have been very effective though I suspect the buggers have staggered into them after munching their way through my cucumber plants...

I've managed to transplant my honeydew watermelon plants from their propagator to a grow bag in my conservatory. I'm hopeful this will provide the ideal conditions needed, but time will tell.

There's a lot in the news at the moment about unrest across London sparked by the shooting in Tottenham last Thursday. There can be no justification whatsoever for the mindless violence and willful destruction we have witnessed. The investigation should be allowed to proceed and a full inquiry should take place to discover who was at fault. If the police are found to be at fault, then justice should be served according to law and there should be transparency at every stage.