Tony

Goodbye Tony, I'm not sure you've been the Prime Minister I wanted but I voted for you all the same ten years ago. I can't say I've been happy with everything you've done or agreed with all your home and foreign policies but in general I guess things haven't been that dire for me personally either.

Nothing radically has improved though has it? Its all been a bit mediocre. Mortgages have gone mad with sky high prices but white goods and food are cheap, its all been a bit ying yang. The health service is still remarkable but public transport could be vastly better. There could be more jobs out there and training but instead we've let too many foreigners in instead of building a skilled workforce of our own. The prisons fill up, the corpses keep coming back from Iraq.

We have peace in Northern Ireland, we have a good economy but I worry about implications if we join the European Union.

Oh well I didn't want this to be a political rant, in fact I actually felt for you when you stood in the despatch box today and made that final speech, you're a bloke that cares about his country and a job like that can't be easy, we all make mistakes. You were still as witty and sharp in the commons today as ever, perhaps more so, and the retort to the religeous question was a classic! I do think it is now time for a change but best of luck.

Lets wait and see what Mr Brown can do!

The last prime ministers question time can be seen here

Au Revoir (for now)

Here in Newark we have a world famous guitar making school and a violin school that attract students from all over Europe. A large majority of them are French and they do a variety of part time work around the town to supplement their college grants etc.

My local pub employs a French guy as a Barman, though he's from France his father is English so he speaks both languages. He's quickly become very popular in my local as he's such a great guy, hardworking, polite and always with a jest and a smile.

He's now gone back to France as his first year at the guitar making college has ended, and last night in the pub it seemed odd without him, its funny how you miss people isn't it? The good thing though he will be back in eight weeks or so with his irrepressable brand of gallic charm and humour.

Fridge Magnets

When I moved back in January I wasn't that organised when it came to packing, most things were thrown into boxes or bags quite haphazardly and then unpacked in a very random fashion at the other end.

Among items I couldn't find after the move were my fridge magnets, though at first I didn't pay much attention to it. Then later as I started to get bills and appointment cards I really wish I had them, as I used to pin things on the front of the fridge using various fridge magnets and with being in such a central place there was always a reminder of things 'to do'.

So this week, totally by accident and rustling around in a cupboard I found the fridge magnets, nearly six months later. They are now back doing their vitally important work of helping me remember stuff like paying the bills!

Iron Lady

A very satirical front cover to the new issue of the excellent Private Eye magazine that has been brought to my attention by my friend and fellow Margaret Thatcher admirer Pat. I've yet to see her statue in the Westminster lobby area but I'm sure Pat will joining me in paying homage to it next time I'm down in London.

Featureless

I've been meaning to post about the Market Square in Nottingham for some time now. I did do a blog some time ago about it when work was going on, and at the time I was really looking forward to the new square.

So a few weeks ago when I was in Nottingham I rushed excitedly towards the square clutching my camera expecting something that took over a year to do to be pretty damn good. I was stopped in my tracks, pure disappointment is all I can describe it as.

The old square had character, there were plenty of places to sit, gardens and water features, the new square has erm.... nothing but a water feature at one end that isn't spectacular at all.

The whole thing is barren really, great for open air events I guess but totally uninspiring.

At least I can still retire to one of my fave bars pictured below, the Pit and Pendulum which is a short stroll from the square.

Cruelty

Anyone who knows me well or has read pasts blogs will know I'm not really a pet / animal person. Sure, I love watching them on nature documentaries and I'll happily make a fuss of friends pets (unless they have huge dogs).

Last night I was watching the evening news and they ran this report about the EU banning fur from countries such as China.

I found some of scenes very disturbing indeed, cats crammed in cages and being poked with sticks as they huddled together in absolute fear, a dog being led off to be slaughtered wagging its tail meekly as it did so, a last attempt to perhaps to impress its cruel masters before it was roughly chained and butchered.

I saw animals in cages in China when I was over there, I also saw this little fella wandering lost and lonely on a street in Thailand when I was last there.

It is upsetting in this day and age that animals have to suffer, like I said I'm no pet lover but it really turns my stomach to see any animal suffer.

Reminders of the past

Its funny how certain things, fictional occurrences on telly for instance bring memories rushing back, painful ones at that. Something I saw today triggered feelings within me and reminded me of the day I lost my Mum.

She passed away on the 9th September 2005, aged 57, I was there when her frail hold on life ended. She’d been rushed into hospital the previous night with internal bleeding and by the time I got there I was told she was in a really bad way, I think they gave her a 10% chance. I was working nights at the time and to keep my mind occupied I decided to go into work. Every hour that passed I rang and each time was told she was stable and comfortable, something inside of me dared to hope she’d recover and come the daytime she’d be sat up in bed wondering what all the fuss was about. After work I got home and fixed a cuppa and readied myself for the uncertain day ahead, then the phone call came from the hospital telling me to get there as soon as possible.

Inside of my mind I knew what was coming really but something inside tells you never to give up hope, something inside you doesn’t want to believe the worse, its denial all the way, all the way of course till the gravity of the situation hits you.

On arriving I was led into a room and briefed by doctors. They told me she’d lost a huge amount of blood and because it was in her intestines there wasn’t a way back for her, in fact her brain had been starved of blood she’s been losing it at such an horrific rate, she’d lost so much blood they were concerned about keeping her supplied. Her temperature was being held aloft by a heated bed and the life support machine was the only thing keeping her alive. The doctors voices seemed to phase in and out, initially I wasn’t grasping at what they were suggesting … and that was turning the life support machine off. When the penny finally did drop I tried to reason but they clearly pointed out she was in effect dead already, only the life support kept her in this world and at any time the life support machine may be needed for someone who may come into hospital after a serious accident.

All eyes were on me, my mother’s only son and direct next of kin as my folks had divorced quite a few years ago. My mum’s partner was there, he was in a state of shock, we looked into each others eyes as the world began to fall apart around us. The doctors outlined things to me again, I took a deep breath and understood, I nodded and said we have to do what’s right, my hands trembling, my furrowed brow dripping with perspiration.

So I was led to her bedside with her partner, the process of the life support machine being switched off explained to me. I was showed the counter that monitored her blood pressure and told when it reached a certain figure she would have passed away. We held her cold tiny hands, my hand rested on her cold cheek and we watched her slip away. It was like she fought in a strange sense, the blood pressure counter seemed to remain steady for ages, then suddenly began to plummet. Hot stinging tears cascaded down my face, I must have croaked some unintelligible things, I honestly can’t recall, over the other side of the bed her partner was convulsed with tears at losing his partner, then she was gone.

Racked with internal pain my chest felt so tight it was going to explode, when the nurses finally led us away I still couldn’t believe it, it all seemed so surreal, like I was going to wake up at any time, but it was real and sadly mum was the only person not waking.

Like I said, it’s funny how things today can trigger memories from the past.

Capital One

Even when you move home and think you've got rid of a large portion of junk mail you used to get at the old address there's still one company who won't let go, yep the insidious credit card company Capital One (no I won't do a hyperlink to them!).

When I checked my mail the other day, there it was, an envelope on the doormat from Capital One, though instead of my name it just had 'The Occupier' on it. Will this company stop at nothing?

Obviously they must be raking the money in, adverts in most glossy magazines, tv commercials aplenty and the ability to send countless mail to the populace proves that.

I hate them.

Hypocrisy?

I'm confused. Though I'm not watching this series of Big Brother on Channel 4 I gather a housemate was evicted for using the term 'nigger' quite innocently whilst dancing with another house mate (of Afro-Caribbean background). Swift action was taken and she was removed from the show.

But surely Channel 4 are hypocrites? They readily show Hip-hop, R'n'B and rap videos and even programmes in which the word 'nigger' is clearly used.

Personally I don't like the word or agree with its use but it seems to me things are somewhat fudged these days as regarding certain words and who can say them.

You're always going to get black people that play the racist card and condemn certain words and actions but equally you are going to get black people that are quite happy with the word and freely use it. I understand the origins of the word and why it could be found distasteful for a white person to call an ethnic person it but I do feel that certain incidents on tv only serve to heighten racial tensions also.

But in closing I just think it smacks of hypocrisy from channel 4 who in trying to resolve it have seemingly made it a big deal.