It'll Come In Handy One Day...

Our electric oven has stopped working. I suspect it is something major as it tripped the fuse box plunging us into darkness.

How fortunate that I had the good sense some years ago to purchase a portable gas stove and spare butane canisters. I daresay if I suggested purchasing such a thing now, I'd be shot down instantly...

A News Junkie

Isn't it strange how in a matter of days our perspective on world events can change completely. Only a week ago, we were worrying about the renegade state of North Korea and threats to destroy its neighbours and the United States. Given the events of the last few days, this all feels like old news, already consigned to history. No longer is it top of the world news agenda,. overtaken by the tragic events of the last week in Boston, Massachusetts. We live in a world of ever changing events where news is instant and often breaks through social media and on Twitter before it reaches our television screens. I daresay North Korea will be top of the news agenda again very soon, for it is on a continuous loop building up to issuing new and more daring threats. The last few days have seen a battle of good versus evil played out on 24 hour news feeds, more akin the the plot lines of Criminal Minds or Rizolli and Isles and demonstrating that the more powerful and secure country in the world can also be the most vulnerable. It has been a terrifying reminder for many.
I love news, I have to know what is going on and rather than go looking for it, I have it fed to me. E-mail updates, newspapers sent to my Kindle and SMS messages keep me in touch will domestic and world events. I'm a news junkie and in this 24 hour multi-media world, I've adapted well. A curious mind does.
We are probably more informed than we ever have been. There are some things we would perhaps prefer not to know about, but we know more about the world around us than ever before and we are all able to comment on what we see and hear, and for that same world to know. Now that's truly something.

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.

Thatcher and Me

I am in no way a lover of politics though I do at times find it fascinating. There is much talk and discussion at the moment on the legacy of Margaret Thatcher. This is to be expected, but for me it is an insight into the period I grew up in. There is much to learn from the period of her premiership. It has reminded me of how little I knew at the time. I, like many youngsters, hated the news - I'd much rather watch cartoons, Doctor Who or the Wombles. It's probably why I love rediscovering my past, watching old news bulletins of the day or browsing archived copies of newspapers. It's all about filling gaps.
I was always aware during the 1980's that we had a female prime minister and that the people around me didn't like her, not simply because she was a woman, but because of her policies. I would hear my parents bemoan the fact that she had upset another section of society. It led me one day to write about her at primary school, calling her a 'cow'. I remember my class teacher laughing at the time but I worried for many days that I would be arrested and taken away for making such a comment. It was a real and palpable fear, completely ridiculous of course but it was what I believed would happen.
There were of course significant moments in her tenure such as the Falklands invasion and subsequent war with Argentina. Her meetings with Ronald Reagan didn't seem that significant back then but today, I can see that they were incredibly important and helped shape the world we live in today. The relationship she developed with the then president of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev certainly contributed to bring about the end of the Cold War.
I have heard many criticisms from those who fell victim to her economic policies and battles with trade unions. They are right to feel bitter. But I also hear praise for her unstinting resolve in the face of crisis and the way she changed Britain from a country on the brink of economic ruin to one of prosperity. It's not all bad.

Mikhail Gorbachev: 'I said to Margaret that I had no instructions from the Politburo to persuade her to join the Communist party of the Soviet Union. She broke into laughter'.

Throwing Stones

This past week, I have had to explain to my son why there are nasty people in the world who want to throw things at other countries. It is not an easy conversation to have and one I really don't enjoy. I have limited my explanation so my son likens any threat to something akin to the canon ball launchers he has with his Imaginext play castle. After all, he is only six and really isn't ready for the full horror of what inter-continental ballistic missiles are capable of. That is really what his schooling is for.
In the past week, words have been used which no one would want to hear used in media news broadcasts. Words such as nuclear and strike have been used in the same sentence along with anti-missile and defence. During the 70's and 80's the use of such words would have sent a chill through the population and prompted the circulation of 'protect and survive' leaflets. Since those days, freedom of information means that we now know how futile any form of advice would be and it is now accepted that there would be little or no protection from a nuclear exchange.
Just how much of this is just words? I suspect rather a lot. I listened with interest to a piece on this morning's Broadcasting House where we heard that domestic television news in North Korea barely mentions any kind of crisis and places more importance on the publication of a book about 'The Great Leader' and an exhibition of photography. If North Korea are building up to war then it would appear the populous is blissfully unaware. So is it all a show? Quite possibly. After all, they have done it on numerous occasions before. What is more dangerous than the 'crisis' in relations is the talk about nuclear war. This can lead to misunderstandings and mistakes. A game of threats is not one to be playing when those involved have the means to trigger a conflict from which there would be no return.
This last week, if nothing else, has been a stark reminder of how quickly international affairs can deteriorate to a point whereby we begin talking about the use of nuclear weapons.
I keep hearing in the media whether we should be worried. I don't think so. The retaliation to anything fired at us would be massive. What we should be worried about is the wider effect of any military action between North and South Korea. The inevitable involvement of the US and military build up in the region would not be tolerated by China, as they have made clear, and would risk it adopting a defencive stance. Any accidents or mistakes could easily result in a far wider conflict developing, and it's this that should worry us.

A £10.5m Slap on the Wrist

I'm so glad to see in the news today that Southern Electric or 'SSE' have been brought to task over 'prolonged and extensive mis-selling'. As a victim of their near constant telephone harassment, I'm sure I speak for thousands who would like to have seen more appropriate action taken such as prosecution of those in positions of management. The derisory £10.5m fine will be small change to a company whose obscene profits total hundreds of millions of pounds each year.

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.