Easter Day Musings & Rants

It is heartening to see that the Church is united in condemning the government's welfare reforms. Church organisations and support groups such as my own see first hand on a daily basis the appalling impact that cuts to welfare are having for people with long term illness, disability and those unable to find work. Frankly, it is these organisations that see the real effects and it is they to whom so many people turn to for help. I see the hardship caused to the vulnerable in our society all the time. Many of those we support through Blue Skies are fearful of every letter in case it threatens further reductions in their benefit or yet another flawed medical assessment. For them each day is a struggle and a helping hand or sympathetic ear goes a long way to easing their stress. New members to our group tell the same story. They are afflicted with sometimes crippling mental illness yet deemed well enough for work. Only last week, a member of our group living with his poorly mum in a two bedroom bungalow received a letter telling him he has one room too many and will therefore have his benefit cut to pay the ill thought out 'bedroom tax'.  Is it any wonder our disabled and vulnerable feel victimised? Personally, I would like to see other organisations joining forces with the Church to create a united front against a government out of touch with the genuine needs of its people. Perhaps then, we can call a halt to what some are branding a 'war on the poor'.

Turning to road safety as I occasionally do in this blog, I am once again witness to another case of the most appalling driving I have seen. In total disregard for the 30 mph limit through the village of Lutton this morning, a driver saw fit to drive inches from my rear bumper and overtake at ridiculous speed just to get to a house a few hundred yards further down the road. The driver of this monster of a vehicle (gold Volkswagen 4x4) was left in no doubt of my dismay when I passed him further down the road exiting it.
It really does make me more sure than ever that dash cams should be a mandatory requirement in cars. They are exceptionally cheap and very easy to use. Just knowing that they are being recorded would be enough to make idiots such as this think twice. There should also be a means by which footage could be uploaded to a road safety body whose job it would then be to investigate the most serious of cases and to publish the footage online for all to see. Perhaps naming and shaming would act as an effective deterrent to those who clearly believe they are above the law.

The clocks went forward an hour last night. Most won't give it a second thought and can adjust to the change in time quite easily. For me, it is something I hate. I rely very much on my routine - it helps me to function and plays a vital role in my fight against depression. Any change to my routine is very disruptive and the change to British Summer Time is something I really don't cope very well with. I know it is just a fact of life, but waking this morning to find that I had missed 'Broadcasting House' completely was really too much to bare. Instead I had to take my shower listening to 'Steve Wright's Love Songs', something I never normally do. Yes I know it's all very trivial but for someone like me whose routine is their defence, it can be quite a major thing.
As I look at the clock, it is approaching 1pm. This to me feels wrong, it shouldn't be this late and I feel as if I am behind and running late. In a few days, I'm sure everything will feel normal once more, but I do wonder if all this time changing is really necessary...

I did hear on the radio recently that Easter is considered the largest and most important event in the Christian calendar.  It is a shame that for a great many people, Easter just means chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. I suspect commercialisation (that's a long word!) has resulted in Easter taking second place to Christmas but it was nice last week to see that our local schools place huge importance in this holiest of events. A church service attended by the local schools was held at Holbeach St. Mark's, a very fine church built to the designs of Ewan Christian in 1868-69.

It has wonderful stained glass windows, each telling a story and depicting the major events in its history. I am fortunate that my circumstances allow for me to attend these services - had I been working, my son wouldn't have been able to look out to see his dad's beaming grin amongst the congregation. As it was, my wife was, for the first time, able to attend as she had been able to finish work early. I place huge importance on being there - above all else in fact - I think it's so important.

I am hopeful that the coming couple of weeks will see the first part of the grant transferred to our Blue Skies Group bank account. I have managed to negotiate for us to receive two-thirds of the full amount in the first payment. This will enable us to launch all our arts & craft projects and buy all the equipment we need for the computer skills sessions I will be running. We have also benefited from the donation of a digital camera which will enable our members to take photos and edit or print them. I am hopeful that we will be able to put together an exhibition of our photography later in the year.
We were joined by a new group member on Thursday. I had met him on the previous Tuesday and he was keen to help out with the group. His timing is perfect and I am sure there will be a lot he can become involved with. It's not often you come across people who fit in straight away, but Paul clearly has and brings with him many skills useful to the group. It also transpires that he has the skills to administer our new Blue Skies website which will help me tremendously. A real win-win for all concerned.

 Warmest Easter greetings to you all.

Still in one piece

I completed my driving assessment this morning. I arrived in good time and met a fellow trainee driver who had recently joined and was learning to be a PCV driver. He came with me together with the guy from HR and the driving instructor. We took the coach to the outskirts of Peterborough, my new (soon to be) colleague driving. Near to the A1, we parked up and it was my turn to take the controls. The size of the vehicle was daunting at first, but I soon found my confidence and managed a good hour's driving without any major problems. I did clip the curb a few times and managed to select the wrong lane using a roundabout, but on the whole I was quite pleased with my performance. I didn't hit anything and no harm came to my passengers - all three of them. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is certainly the biggest vehicle I have driven to date - a Volvo B10M coach, but it handled much like a large car but not as fast of course.
I was told I would hear about my start date as soon as my medical is complete. I'm really looking forward to starting and knowing there is someone else learning to drive, I don't feel too bad.
I did try to get a photo but my phone had run out of memory. There'll be plenty more opportunities I'm sure
So the medical is next on my checklist. Get through this and my new career awaits...

My son's first swear-word & Friday road idiots

For a Friday, today was quite typical. It will though now be remembered for the day my 4 year old son uttered his first swear-word - 'Shit'. There were witnesses to it - my mother-in-law and my wife heard him say it as he rolled about the floor in a small tent. He's managed to get himself stuck and out came the expletive. Now, I'm against bad language generally - especially where children are concerned - and I can only assume he's picked up this new word from playschool, for the language used by other children his age is really terrible. It's no great surprise when you meet some of the parents responsible for these little budding brain surgeons and airline pilots (not!) - they communicate only by shouting at the top of their voices and every other word is an expletive. You cannot blame the children when they are growing-up in this kind of environment and I shouldn't be surprised at all that my son has brought the word home with him. I'm actually quite resigned to the fact that his language will become more diverse and expletive ridden the older he gets. He knows what guns are for and associates them with instant death, as he demonstrates on his mother and father (and the dog) regularly. I suppose I don't really want him to grow-up. The world is just so full of nasty things and equally nasty people. I must face the fact that I can't protect him from everything...

I can guarantee at least one idiot every Friday evening flouting our road laws or endangering road users. This evening was no exception. Once again the new and clearly marked 50mph limit was ignored by two drivers who shot past me at 60-70mph, and once again I was nearly pushed off the road by some idiot who had no idea how to safely overtake. The standard of driving in this county has to be the worst I have ever seen, and possibly the worst in the UK. It's no wonder Lincolnshire has some of the highest incidents of road accidents and fatalities.
Enforcement is the answer and I don't think education is. Those breaking the law are young and education has either failed them or they simply can't be bothered. It's sad, but it's a fact. But all the while there are fewer and fewer police on our streets, they'll simply continue to get away with it. If you want people to drive according to the law, I'm afraid you have to make them.

A beautiful podiatrist and a mindless idiot

Two things to mention today... Firstly I had an appointment at the Johnson Hospital in Spalding this afternoon. This visit was for my feet, specifically to find out if my diabetes has damaged them. It was my first visit to the Podiatric Dept and though I had a good idea of what was involved, I still had a nervous feeling while I waited for my name to be called. The dental department was right opposite where I was sitting. I have an acute fear of dentists so I felt better knowing I could be waiting for a tooth extraction or a filling.
After about ten minutes, my name was called and I followed the voice into a room to find an absolute vision of loveliness. I really didn't have any pre-expectations of what a podiatrist should look like, but it's fair to say I didn't expect what I found. Being happily married, I shouldn't be writing this, I know and if my wife ever reads this, I'm in trouble. My feet were about to be handled by a stunningly beautiful young lady. I can't say anything else and I certainly won't lie. She was beautiful. As she read through the list of medication I take, we joked about the things I had wrong with myself and for a very short time, we were in each other's company and enjoying it. I imagined what it would be like to know her better. It was wrong, of course it was, but there was a longing to find out more and I drifted off to situations and places where we were together.
I was brought back to reality as I felt something cold on my feet. It was some kind of gel which was needed so her probe could detect circulation. She was very gentle and she seemed so interested in me. Of course it was for purely professional reasons, but I couldn't help but imagine how caring she would be in different circumstances. It left me thinking that whoever won her heart would be a very fortunate person indeed.
My feet were given a clean bill of health and she told me she would discharge me as there wasn't anything seriously wrong with them. I detected a tiny hint of reluctance in her voice as she told me this. But she quickly added that I could contact her at any time if I had any problems or needed her help and advice. She printed me off some leaflets on how to look after my feet as I put my shoes and socks back on. She asked if I had any questions - I told her no but that I was glad my feet weren't going to drop off. She laughed and we parted company. I wondered if I would ever hear her laugh again. Probably not, unless something goes wrong with my feet. I expect to her, I was just another patient - a bit younger than she's used to - but a patient nonetheless. But to me, she wasn't just another nurse. She was more than that but she'll never know...

Once again, I am compelled to write about the mindless idiots that are allowed to continue using the roads here in South Lincolnshire. I am absolutely convinced that road safety training in any shape or form is non-existent and that motorists simply drive the way they want to and with no respect for the law of the road, the safety of others or common sense. The latest idiot (a dark blue VW Golf) decided it would be fine to ignore the new 50 mph speed limit imposed on the main road linking Sutton Bridge with Long Sutton and over take me after overtaking another driver. A look of disapproval was met with the now familiar one fingered salute as he disappeared into the distance overtaking everyone else in his path.
My conclusion is clear. If you set a new speed limit, it MUST be enforced.
A few minutes later who should appear in my rear view mirror, so close to the back of the car I could count his teeth, but the same f***ing idiot who had shot past me a few minutes earlier. Once again he was determined to demonstrate his contempt for the law and the safety of others by carrying out another reckless overtaking routine.This time, he left barely an inch between his car and mine and made sure he'd sprayed me with stones and gravel as he sped away. What makes this all the worse is the fact that this dangerous little prick knew my 4 year old son was on board, but this made no difference to him. It is obvious to me that his mind is incapable of processing common sense commands. This dangerous individual needs to know that he will one day be stopped. He cannot be allowed to put the safety of others at risk through his mindless attitude to driving. But he is of course just one of many idiots of the same mind-set making our roads here a dangerous game of chance for law abiding drivers. I'm watching you and you will be stopped.

New month, same old idiots

So bye bye March and Hello April... We start the month with a a visit to the local doc with my son. A swift check over and we're told he has a cold (which we already knew)... so that was time well spent.

I don't know if it's the weather but so far today, I have just seen idiots on our roads. Where I live, there is a generally poor standard of driving skills. We are surrounded by farmland and long roads with little traffic. I think this gives people the impression they can drive how they like, with absolutely no regard for anyone else. I do take extreme exception to dangerous drivers particularly when I have my son in the car with me. To give an explicit example, I was driving back from the doc's along a road that up to very recently had a 60 mph limit. It has since been changed to a staggered 50 mph, starting at 40 mph for the first few hundred yards. I am a stickler for safe driving, so imagine my anger when some blithering idiot decided he could drive as fast as he wanted and overtook me. The road is marked with think red stripes with white speed symbols and the lamp posts also display the new speed limit. 

The other idiots this morning included a woman who didn't know her right from her left and indicated right whilst turning left and someone else who thought that because he had a big car, he didn't have to give way when the law required otherwise. Unbelievable...

I've managed to leave my poorly son at my parents for a couple of hours. They have my sister's kids there today so he's very happy playing with them and didn't even notice the fact that I'd left.

Whilst there, they asked me to look at their VCR. It had been making a strange noise. True enough, it was and I deduced that a drive cog had worn out. They are still in the dark ages when it comes to technology and believe me, it is not a good idea to bring them into the 21st Century. I've tried. So imagine my horror when my father produced a DVD recorder - the same machine I had a year ago taken a month trying to teach them to use. I recall actually making myself ill at the time, it was that stressful. They simply cannot get their heads round the fact that a recordable DVD is not the same as a tape and cannot be re-wound and taped-over. DVD's have to be finalised and erased if you want to use them again. No, I think the simplest thing to do is to find a replacement VCR - they understand them and it means less stress for me. I should have hidden that bloody DVD recorder when I had the chance...

OK, that's off my chest.

I'm off to work on my model railway later. I'll get some more photos while I there.