Monday, 4 March 2013

Jan's due home today, HS2 again, and child poverty



4 March 2013

Good news today, Jan is being released and is sat waiting for her meds before she can leave.  That could be anytime between now and midnight tonight! 

I'm confused again.  Some folks will tell you that is my normal state of course.  However, I sat and watched Countryfile on telly last night.  I've always liked that one.  Tom Heap this week was looking at the possible effects HS2 will have on the farming community.  It could be quite drastic it seems; but then I had a thought ... 'Where the hell are they going to get all the electricity to run the damned line.  Britain is closing a number of coal fired power station and there are now concern's that there may well power outages in five years time.  So I ask again, Where is all the power going to come from?  If we are likely to have power outages even with our current level of use, just what effect will the added burden of at least 380 miles of additional overhead lines will be? 

The News today has a story of the level of child poverty in the borough and an area called Camp Hill tops the list at 33%.  The thing is, Camp Hill has had a multi million pound renovation over the last few years.  And yet child poverty is still so high?  Why?  The area has always been known for being a rough area with a large number of unemployed and benefit claimants.  It became the main dumping grounds for problem families.  The houses themselves were not much good being of that concrete slab type of buildings and most of them have been demolished and replaced.  And yet there doesn't seem to be all that much difference.  It makes you wonder just what planet some of these councillors commute from! 

Not far from us is what was once a pub called the Weddington Hotel.  It closed some time ago and re-opened as the Fox and Crane.  That venture didn't last long at all really.  I had only been the place once when one of my cousins held their wedding reception there.  It seemed a nice enough place from memory but it is so far out from town I'm not surprised that it wasn't all that successful.  The building and surrounding land was bought by a local builder and a number of new properties have been built on the surrounding land.  But the main building, the pub itself is still standing and still not been developed.  It's a pity really because the building faces the main road and is face on as you look at it and drive to the your new home on the development.  Now there are arguments over who is at fault for it not being sorted out.  The council blame the builder, as do the local conservation group known as SWORD.  The builder meanwhile blames everyone else accept themselves.  It will interesting to see happens to old place. 

I had a good day writing yesterday.  My new Fred Cooper is now 2500 words longer ... and no dead bodies yet ;-)))  Yesterday I said that Web of Hate was ready for editing and a critic; well, it's not.  Apparently publisher don't like novels over 100,000 words from new writers.  It's been suggested that I reduced it by 15 - 18,000 words.  I'll have a look but off the top of my head I'm not sure where I can reduce it.  We'll see ... ... ...

And time for a photo ... 

we had nice blue skies on Saturday and I got this shot of four starlings on a telly ariel.

Today's funny ...        

"I bought one of those anti-bullying wristbands when they first came out. I say 'bought', I actually stole it off a short, fat ginger kid."

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