Glasgow and why the news makes me mad

I am in Glasgow today and most of tomorrow for work. I'm going to be talking to some union activists at a conference.

While I'm typing this in my hotel room, the Curling is on the TV, as part of the winter Olympics. It's nail biting stuff as Britain (really Scotland as it's a Scottish game and the team are all Scots) have to win this match in order to stay in the Olympics. It's basically gone to a tie break.

When ever I am in Scotland for work there seems to be curling on the tv, Olympics or not, so it is reassuring to have it on now.

On arriving at the airport I got a cab into the centre of Glasgow, the cabbie had the local news on which ran with the following top story, presented in a breathless manner "It has been revealed today that knives and swords are the weapon of choice for committing murder in Scotland" The real news story was about the murder rate dropping! Even the BBC are at it though, they run with the headline that knife crime is at a record high, whilst paragraph 3 of the story clearly shows that actual murders were down last year. There were 20 fewer murders. The way news is reported makes me quite cross. (I also wondered about the swords in the headline, is there still a lot of dueling going on in Scotland?)

My pique was to rise considerably further whilst watching the 6 O'Clock news on the BBC. Sophie Raworth squirmed with embarrassment as she read out that Cheryl Cole is to separate from the philandering footballer Ashley Cole. She even had to explain who Cheryl Cole was in some kind of justification for why this had found its way onto her script and so the news. I have to say I admired the presenter of the BBC Scotland news who read the headline out at the close of her programme with such utter disdain and disinterest it was heart warming.

But while I'm ranting I was also shocked yesterday there was a news story about a leaked BBC memo which outlined who's death would elicit what kind of announcement and programme alterations on the BBC. I was not surprised to learn that the Queen's death and those of Prince Philip, Charles and William would be treated with maximum response, if you see what I mean. However if our Prime Minister dies this would be ranked below the royals listed above. Surely our PM who ever they are, is more important than the Queen, or I'll concede to the royalists at least as important? It was alleged that the PMs death was in a category along with Bob Dylan. The mind boggles. Maybe we should elect Bob Dylan as PM. I think he'd win right now with everyone hating the majority of politicians currently on offer!

But back to Glasgow and bonny Scotland. It is predicted to snow quite a bit tonight and tomorrow so I will endeavour to take some pictures and battle my way home against the elements.

sadly the women's curling team lost and our out of the Olympics :-(

zzzzzzzzz

I haven't blogged this week due to feeling tired all the time. Although I'm only working a 2 and a half day week I feel more like I'm working a 6 day week. I guess it just shows that working part time is the right thing, how would I have coped with full time? It is very frustrating being so tired though. I fell asleep last night at 7:30 pm and that was after a day that was relatively quiet and stress free. In the morning Jase and I walked to Homebase. I bought a fern for the living room, I am determined that this plant will live. Our living room doesn't get much light but enough to support a fern I am sure.

We then took a walk past where they film the Bill, and I saw Sun Hill nick and the fake A&E department of the hospital they always go to in the Bill, I think it's called St Lukes but it is a long time since I've watched the Bill. They have to take down the police signs when they aren't filming in case someone thought it was a real police station. We went shopping, I cooked kedgeree, watched some winter Olympics and that seemed to tire me out like I'd run a marathon!

I know it is going to take a long time for me to get back to "normal" or at least feel well, I am just very impatient.

Today I have been making some compilation CDs and iTunes playlists. I'm particularly enjoying Dizzee Rascal and Florence of Flo and the Machine live at the Brits earlier this week, and Marina and the Diamonds; I am not a robot (something I need to remind myself on a daily basis)

My Auntie Joyce

Auntie Joyce, Mum, me, Dad, Auntie Gill, July 1995 at my Graduation

Thursday was the funeral of my Auntie Joyce who died suddenly on the 2nd February not long after her 78th birthday. At the funeral we were asked to think and hold fast the memories we have of my Auntie Joyce, and I wished at the time that I had been able to share some of those memories with everyone at the funeral. So I thought that this blog would be as good a place as any to write about my Auntie Joyce and my memories of her.

I will always remember my Auntie Joyce with a smile on my face, she was always laughing and making jokes. The last time I saw her, in the summer, she was joking as soon as I arrived, usually at my Mum's expense. Visiting my Auntie Joyce was always fun when I was little. There would always be sport on the telly, my uncle and aunt were the first people I knew who had cable TV this was back in the 80s before Sky. They had cable for one reason only, so they could watch the sport. I loved watching the sport, we never had sport on at home unless it was the tennis at Wimbledon once a year. Although my Mum watched a lot of sport when she was younger she didn't watch much when I was young. It was thanks to my Auntie Joyce and my Nana that I have my love of sport.

As well as the exotic treat of watching sport on the telly, there would always be pop to drink and chocolate biscuits and when I was older, sweet tea with sterilized milk. In Stoke-on-Trent where my Mum's family are from, sterilized milk was popular into the 80s, it had a very distinctive taste and came in longer narrower bottles than pasteurized milk.

My Auntie Joyce also had a loud but soft dog when I was little called Rex. He was a part border collie and a soppy looking thing, his bark was so fierce though and he wouldn't let the rent man into the small block of flats my Auntie Joyce lived in. My Auntie and Uncle were sent letters about their "fierce" dog and had a sign saying "Dangerous dog at large." Of course the dog was all bark, once he'd calmed down he was a big softy.

My Auntie Joyce always had a funny story to tell you about something she'd been up to, like the time she called out the sheltered housing warden because she was convnced she had heard a burglar in her bungalow. My Uncle Norman had heard nothing and when he and the warden had searched everywhere and found nothing they questioned my Auntie Joyce about what the noise had sounded like. She thought for a while and finally said. "Well it sounded like coat hangers clattering, when I come to think of it." They opened the wardrobe and sure enough found the clothes and coat hangers all on the floor of the wardrobe and the pole holding them up fallen too! Those coat hanger burglars had struck again!

For me though my over whelming memory of my Auntie Joyce is a feeling and that is the total feeling of love, warmth and pride that I would feel when my Auntie Joyce would hug me. She had such a generosity of love and warmth and I always knew that she was so proud of me no matter what. I just hope that I can be an Auntie to my nieces and nephew, like she was an auntie to me.

Fat Fife Hedgehogs

I heard this news story on the radio earlier and there is a video on the BBC website I've linked to. 10 hedgehogs at a wildlife centre in Fife have been put on a calorie controlled diet to help them lose wait. The hefty hedgehogs are so rotund they can no longer roll into a ball and protect themselves from predators.

I have a lot of sympathy with these hedgehogs, since Christmas I've found it hard to shed the lbs I need to, and I managed to shed half a stone over 4 months before Christmas. I don't want to undo that! So for me and the hedgehogs its healthy eating. It's tough when the weather is cold and miserable.

Jase made me one of my favourite meals tonight, omurice: Japanese comfort food of rie, chicken and tasty sauce wrapped in an omelet. It's so tasty and Jase made it beautifully.

Sad news and the week ahead

I woke this morning at 4:30 AM, which really is a ridiculous time to wake up when my alarm was actually set for 7! I couldn't get back to sleep so eventually gave in and got up at 5:30. Only 3 days ago I couldn't get out of bed I was so tired, but I did have a migraine for a couple of days which didn't help with the tiredness. So at the moment I'm either feeling exhausted or waking up very early and not able to sleep. I can't win!

I don't have a lot to report from last week. My family had some very sad news last week my Auntie Joyce, my Mum's aunt, died suddenly but peacefully in her sleep. My Auntie Joyce was one of the kindest, warmest and funniest women I'll ever know. We will all miss her a great deal. This week I'll be going up to Doncaster and then over to Stoke for the funeral.

At the end of this week I also have an appointment at Moorfields Eye Hospital to see the geneticist. The last time I saw a geneticist about my eye condition was over 20 years ago and the science of genetics has progressed so much since then. I am curious more than anything to find out if the cataracts I was born with are likely to be passed on to any children I might have. We don't have any known instances of cataracts in children in my family, other than me, so the previous advice was that my condition is probably a mutation. Hopefully now they'll be able to do a test to find out if I am a mutant or not. I just wish some X-Men / Heroes like super power could be part of my mutantness! But then again maybe it is...

Hanzaki - Japanese giant salamander

This story and videos on the BBC website are excellent, all about the Japanese Giant Salamander or Hanzaki. It looks like a giant tadpole turning into a frog creature except it has quite ferocious teeth! I didn't know such a creature existed in Japan, I might have looked out for one when I was over there if I had done!

The other news story this week that caught my interest and made me laugh was the one about Co-Op "Ambient Sausage Rolls"

Hurrah for the weekend

I have really enjoyed this weekend, for lots of reasons including my walk in the park today but more about that and the pictures later.

This weekend has been great because it is the first proper weekend I've had since early November. When I've been off work the days have run into one another and weekends become just another day losing their meaning to me. A weekend is only meaningful if you've been working in the week.

This week was my first one back at work and also my first week working part time. It went really well and when the weekend came around I was so happy. I think this weekend has been the best ever because it has redefined my week and brought me back into the real routine of things. It isn't just that though, in the past I used to live for the weekend and then spend the whole of it dreading the week ahead. Now that I'm working part time, I'm not dreading the week ahead at all, it seems manageable and I'm just glad to be at work at all.

Last week was really busy I was in Doncaster last weekend, started back at work on Monday then on Wednesday my Mum came to visit. We went to see Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic. The play was excellent very thought provoking, entertaining and full of surprises. There is one scene involving a naked man, saying any more would ruin the surprise, but this scene certainly got the audience' attention. The cast are excellent and it is much larger than the 3 stars advertised.

After going to the theatre we went out for a meal at the Boisdale a Scottish restaurant and Jazz club. My meal was delicious, I started with haggis, scallops and bacon with butternut squash puree, which was superb, I then had steak which was also excellent. I didn't fancy a pudding so had a wee dram of Linkwood whisky which is one of my favourites.

The rest of the week including writers group and Friday at work (I will usually have Thursday and Friday as non working days.)

I did feel totally exhausted on Friday, but in a really good way, I felt physically tired but not mentally drained and weary as I have often done in the past.

Today I went for a walk along the Wandle, the picture above is of a tree across the Wandle in Morden Hall Park.

Here is another view of the Wandle with a lovely old bridge across it. The Park was very busy today, even though it was bitterly cold. The sun was shining which certainly made the walk enjoyable. I didn't have my proper camera with me so I had to take the pictures with my mobile.

I've got a quieter week ahead of me, though I am looking forward to going to the BFI to see Late Autumn (or 秋日和, Akibiyori in Japanese) part of the BFI Ozu festival

Clumba Park

Today we went to Clumba Park in Nottingham. It was a good excuse to wear my new warm parka, pictured left.

We had a lovely walk with Millie the dog, who loves swimming in the lake pictured behind me, even though the water was freezing















As you can see part of the lake was still frozen

A lot of the water fowl weren't even on the water but milling about the banks instead.












Here is a photo of a view across the lake to the church, the actual house at Clumba Park burned down long ago.

After visiting the park we went to see my brother and sister in law, and my nephew and 3 nieces.

Politics

I have had some fun tonight doing one of those what are your political views quizzes. I come out a little more authoritarian on this quiz than on the political compass one. I have to thank Rich Watts for inspiring me to do this.

My Political Views
I am a left social libertarian
Left: 5.98, Libertarian: 4.06

Political Spectrum Quiz

I don't think I am such a non interventionist - though I did work for the lib Dems for a while so maybe some of that liberalness rubbed off on me!

My Foreign Policy Views
Score: -5.82

Political Spectrum Quiz

No disputes with this one though! Do good, harm none and other wise have fun, is my mantra!

My Culture War Stance
Score: -8.01

Political Spectrum Quiz

The last week

Just a quick entry to catch up on the last week. After making the decision to work part time permanently (or at least for the next year at the very least) my employer has been very supportive. I popped into work on Monday to discuss all of it and came away with a real plan of action and an eagerness to return to work. It was good to see my colleagues and to feel useful again.

On Tuesday I went to a NHS Employers conference on equality and diversity. It meant catching the tube at rush hour, which I wasn't looking forward to. But the journey went really well, although the train was crowded, I didn't feel anxious and just got on with it. The conference was good and I was soon back in the thick of it taking questions from delegates who visited our exhibition stand.

Yesterday was the second meeting of my education recovery course or mad writers club. This week involved a lot more actual writing and sharing what we had written about. It's really absorbing, I don't think I've written so much in a short period of time since being at school! Since leaving uni I tend to type everything, at writers group I actually use a pen. How quaint!

I traveled up to Doncaster (pictured left) last night to visit my parents and the pets, that's Millie the demented dog, Rookie the little black cat and Oliver the big black and white cat.

For those unfamiliar with Doncaster, it's a sprawling market town and surrounding mining villages in South Yorkshire. The town is famed for its race course, rowdy nightlife, and market.

At the moment though Doncaster is in the news for much more unhappy and troubling reasons. The case of the two young boys who tortured two other little boys, is in the news again as the subsequent court case was heard this week. The story raises many disturbing issues around, social deprivation, drug and alcohol abuse, and the failings of social services. I am also rather alarmed by the Tory's reaction to this story trying to make political mileage out of such a tragic set of circumstances. I feel very angry at their tactic of really cynically milking the politics of fear with their "Broken Britain" homilies. I'm not exactly thrilled by the other political parties either though at the moment, but I'll have to come back to this on my other blog I think, The Salmon Leaping at a later date.

Today it just bucketed it down with rain, almost like Japanese style rain. We went to Bawtry (pictured left), a small market town just outside of Doncaster. They have some lovely shops, posh boutiques and homeware places. We had a pub lunch then came home where I read for a bit! A nice day all round.

We are visiting my nieces and nephews tomorrow then I'm heading home, ready for my first proper day back at work on Monday!