I hope Justice will prevail

8 November 2011

The M5 smash was an awful event, a tragedy for all concerned.  However, I am concerned that that the blame will unfairly fall on Taunton Rugby Club.  As far as I see it, they haven't done anything wrong.  Wind speed and direction cannot be guaranteed by anyone, so even if their firework display did cause a cloud of black smoke to drift over the motorway, there is nothing they could have done to prevent it.  No, they are not to blame!

How many other multi-vehicle smashes have there been on the motorway over the years?  Our motorway system is known for area where fog builds up in small banks, usually in dips in the road.  Those were caused by excess speed and driving too close to the vehicle in front, and ultimately that is what caused the M5 smash.  But my question is: "Why did they burn?"  In most of the others no fire happens, so what was it that cause the fireball on the M5?  Tragedy it may have been, but basically it was down to bad driving - just as all the other such multiple smashes.  No, the 'burn question' is one that needs answering most of all.  My hope is that the blame is not placed squarely on the rugby club.  That would be an grave injustice!   

Panorama last night was interesting.  Did you watch it?  If not you should think about catching it on BBC iPlayer.  It was about energy prices and how they are being kept up by government policy rather than by the energy companies.  The push for wind farms seems to be the major cause.  I can't remember the figure quoted now but it seems that the price per kilo-watt hour of produced electricity is over 100% higher from wind power than by traditionally generated  power.  More cost is then to added because there is a need to get the power generated out at sea into the national grid.  They are claiming that an extra 270 miles of overhead cables are needed to do that.  That means thousands of new pylons to be erected across some of Britain's most spectacular landscapes.  They could be buried but the energy companies are quoting a minimum of £1billion to do so as against the £100 million for overhead.  Of course it Joe Public who will pick up the bill for it anyway.

Nowt much going on in Dorktown right now.  The battle to save services at the George Eliot Hospital is ongoing.  A drug dealer was found with £1000 cash in his pockets and claimed it was a loan from and aunty to help his mum pay for something.  The courts weren't having it any of it.  Another guy's house was raided and 12 cannabis plants were removed.  The cops and the Dorktown News made a big thing of that one ... only another god-knows-how-many-more to go!                

Here we are again ...

7 November 2011

... Monday yet again.  Another week gone by and nowt done.  Well, quite a bit done actually.  I'm up to 12,000+ words on the NaMo project.  I've been thinking about it though; 50,000 words in 30 days ... I'm starting to wonder just how good the finished work might be.  Of course, they do say to just 'write' and do all your proofing and so on after.  Once it's done you can also increase the word count as much as you like.  We'll see when we get there.

I've been reading my copy of Writing Magazine and there's an article in this month's issue where a writers says he goes through ten - yes, 10, drafts.  he also claims he doesn't allow anyone to see anything until at least draft #6.  I would have thought he would be heartily sick of it by then!  I know I would be. 

After the fuss in the GEH about the high death rate of patients there, they have decided that every death at the hospital will now be investigated by a clinical team.  Strange that, I would have thought that a lot of them, more so the unexpected deaths, would already be being investigated.

The new parking system is starting today in Dorktown.  I read before that the wardens would be shared with Rugby town.  I wonder where they will start off?  Of course, they may well be employing enough wardens so that there will be at least one in each town.  But you know what councils are like - if they can save a bob or two by having them moving between the towns, they will do so.

As it is Monday today, it's our normal shopping day.  Last week we did it on Sunday for a change.  That was a waste of time.  We had to go back again on Monday to get the stuff Asda didn't have on Sunday.  It's all well and good opening 7 days a week as long as you have the stock to do so.  So later today we will be off to Asda in Coventry (because the one in Dorktown never seems to have the items we want or need), then we will be set for the week - I hope.  Nope, we won't be ... just remembered telly-pages for next week and Amateur Photographer, both of which come out tomorrow.  Oh yes, of course; we get our milk either from Tesco or Iceland because we have yet to buy milk from Asda and not have it leak all over the fridge.  It's the tops, they are not sealed properly.  We buy four pint containers see, usually four at a time.  I know there's only two of us here but we do go through a lot of the white stuff.

So there you go then ... another week gone, another one begun.                  

A change of view ...

5 November 2011

I'm changing focus a wee bit for today's entry.  As well photography and now writing I also enjoy birding.  However, it's been a very long time since I have been able to get out to do any birding.  We that in mind I'm hoping to get out tomorrow (health permitting), and go up the road to Kingsbury Water Park for an hour or two and I'm looking forward to it.  Anyway ...

Last evening I finished reading Bill Odies Little Black Bird Book.  OK, it's not the greatest book ever penned but it was still funny in most of it.  I'm sure most birders will have little stories to tell of other birders or even non-birders trying to be borders.  Here's a couple of mine ...

At the top end of Queens Road here in Dorktown is a pub called the Cock and Bear, not a bad pub really but not as good as 25 years ago.  Jan and I decided that we would go a walk along the tow path of the Coventry Canal just behind our flat as far as the Queens Road bridge, drop into the Cock and Bear for a drink and then call in on mother on the way home.  OK, fine, off we went ... and saw very little.  Getting into the pub we still had our binos aorund our necks.  Getting out drink we went to sit down and an old chap started up ... "See anything then?"  "Nope, not much."  "Did you not even see a stinging nettle jenny?"  "Never heard of them."  "Oh, they're lovely little birds; about the size of me thumb nail they are and all sorts of colours in them."  "Oh right, I know what you mean now.  Usually they're called by their Latin name though."  "Don't know Latin!"  "It's a straight translation of the name you used, Maximus filliblustori ."  "Oh is it?"  I heard a few guys at the bar either openly laughing or not so quietly choking on their beer.  The old chap didn't stay long after that.

Have you by any chance seen a spoonbill?  Well, they are very large and very white and have this huge great soup-spoon shaped bill, hence the name.  We have seen them just the once at a place called Blacktoft Sands.  It's an RSPB site on the south bank of the Humber inland from the Trent joins it.  It's a daft name to my mind cos the village of Blacktoft is on the north bank, not the south.  Anyway ... there we were enjoying watching the big beautiful white birds moving through the water's edge, moving their heads from side to side feeding when a group of about 8 other older birders came into the hide.  The usual "Anything about," was heard from one of them.  "Yeah," say one guy, "a pair of spoonbills feeding over then back there."  "Hmmp!  Spoonbills," spoken with disgust by one the new comers, "two a bloody penny around here."  Well, never being one for keeping quiet at such times I could let one go without comment!  "Two a penny?  Well your getting your money's worth here then aren't you?  And in any case, we never get them where I come from!"  He didn't stay long, less than a minute but was heard to mutter something like, "Bloody loud mouthed sod!" as he left.  I was really worried about it as I continued to watch the spoonbills continue feeding and totally ignoring us all ;-)))

A few birdie pics then ...

This one of Jan's - I use it with permission.

That will do for today.

What ahs all this do with Dorktown News?  Absolutely nowt!  With my memory and my senior moments I thought I'd better get it down on paper , well 'puter screen before I forgot it ;-)))         

A Sad Day

3 November 2010

My feeling about Ian Smith was correct; it was Dave's mate.  The local free paper has printed a photo of him.  I didn't know him very well really but I when he used to come round here for parties he always seemed a nice guy chap.  Dave would be really upset by his death.  A great loss for his wider circle of friends.

The parking wars continue in Dorktown.  The 6th form college is just off the town centre and the students have been blocking the whole of the surrounding streets with their cars.  When challenged they have turned abusive and made threats to the residents who live in the area.  Now the Head teacher at the college is making excuse for them and asking that the new parking wardens due to start work next week will not be applying the new rules too harshly.  Tuff luck on them say!  

It's raining well here today and its forecast to continue until dinner time.  Rain doesn't worry me all that much really.  We need it and that's that!  There are places that really need it now so it's not worth moaning about is it.  The weather I don't like at all is the ice and snow.  It's of no use to anyone really.  I suppose it'a all part of nature though.

My NaNoWriMo effort is ongoing and is now up to 9960 words.  I've named it Finding Our Way but I think I shall have to find another title for it.  The last few weeks I have been struggling with my writing and couldn't figure out where to take Happyman next.  Now I feel a lot better over it and I think I shall be getting back to Happyman soon.  But now I have to start to search for new idea and story line for later ;-))) 

In this morning's post there was a letter for my mother.  She's in a nursing home suffering from advanced dementia.  Last time we saw her she could hardly speak.  For ages now she hasn't had a clue what had happened 5 minutes ago.  Yet this letter has arrived with a form which the company expects her to fill in and post back to them.  The company who sent it out is the one who took over the home from, Southern Cross when it went to the wall a few months ago.  They are asking questions like, "How do you find the nursing care?  Is the food up to standard?  Are there enough staff on duty?  Are you happy with the way you are treated?"  Ye gods!  How do they expect her to fill that in?  And how do they expect me to do so as well?  We don't visit her enough to be able to make a real judgement.  My worry is that we are not visiting her enough really.  But they've asked us not to because it isn't worth it.  I don't know the answer, I really don't.                  

Catching up ...

2 November 2011O

I have been off line since Monday.  Our Virgin broad band died and normally if we reboot it comes back on but it wouldn't do so that day.  Call to the helpline told us that was a major problem within the area but even when that was fixed it, ours still didn't want to play.  An engineer arrive while I was out this afternoon and we are now back on-line.

Yesterday was day 1 of NaNoWriMo and like loads more folks I started my 50,000 word novel.  Getting on again this morning I've now completed 4047 words in two chapters, which I'm happy with.  It will be interesting where it develops now that the two major characters are in place.  The main 'baddie' is loosely based on a toss-pot of a lad who lived quite close to us at one time.  He stole our car and smashed it up once.  Now he's banned from that area even though his family still live there ... oh dear, how sad, what a pity, never mind!

Some time ago I mentioned that we are changing power supplier.  We found out after a short time that Npower was really expensive so we dropped them pretty quick.   Our new company is called OVO Energy.  I've never heard of them but at a monthly rate of £63 for both gas and electricity, we're not complaining.  Anyway, EON called today to say that what we had been quoted was for gas only and that the electricity price would it up to over what we are currently paying EON.  Then came the offer ... "Stay with us and we'll drop you bill by £20 a month."  So what they are charging us £20 too much now I wonder?  Anyway, Jan phoned OVO and spoke to them and they took all the details and assured us that the £63 was for both, and not just for gas.   

Strange that eh?    

The 52 year old man who was killed over the weekend has been named as Ian Smith.  I have a feeling that he used to be a big mate of my brother who dies three years ago.  I did know him but only vaguely and then we only said "Hello," as we walked by.  I can't remember what his nick-name was but it wasn't the one printed in yesterday's News.  Whatever, it's sad that anyone should die in that fashion. 

The GEH has put out as release to say that their plan is to keep the maternity unit but move the Catrina children's ward to the Walsgrave in Coventry but to keep a smaller unit at the GEH.  It all sounds like a dogs dinner to me really.  

So what do you think of the farce in Euroland then?  I've never been in favour of the single currency and even more against it now.  At least I can say thank you to the Tories for keeping us out of it.  Now all we need is a referendum on whether to remain in Europe or get out.  For me, getting out is the only choice!

The Rochdale Sage has been in touch again ...

Cinderella  is now 95 years old.
 

After  a fulfilling life with the now dead prince, she  happily sits upon her rocking chair,  watching the  world go by from her front porch, with a  cat
named  Bob for companionship.
 

One  sunny afternoon out of nowhere, appeared  the fairy  godmother.

Cinderella  said, 'Fairy Godmother, what are you doing  here after all these years'?
 

The  fairy godmother replied, 'Cinderella, you  have lived  an exemplary life since I last saw you. Is  there anything  for which your heart still yearns?'
Cinderella  was taken aback, overjoyed, and after some thoughtful consideration, she uttered her first wish:
'The  prince was wonderful, but not much of an  investor.  I'm  living hand to mouth on my disability cheques,  and I  wish I were wealthy beyond comprehension.
Instantly  her rocking chair turned into solid gold.
Cinderella  said, 'Ooh,  thank you, Fairy Godmother'

The  fairy godmother replied, 'It  is the least that I can do.  What  do you want for your second wish?'

Cinderella  looked down at her frail body, and said,
'I  wish I were young and full of the beauty and  youth I  once had.'

At  once, her wish became reality, and her  beautiful young  visage returned. Cinderella  felt stirrings  inside her  that had been dormant for years.

And  then the fairy godmother spoke once more: 'You  have one more wish; what shall it be?'

Cinderella  looks over to the frightened cat in the corner  and says, 'I wish for you to transform Bob, my  old cat, into a kind and handsome young  man.'
Magically,  Bob suddenly underwent so fundamental a  change in his biological make-up that, when he  stood before  her, he was a man so beautiful the likes of  him neither  she nor the world had ever seen.  The  fairy godmother said,
'Congratulations,  Cinderella, enjoy your new life.'

With  a blazing shock of bright blue electricity, the  fairy godmother was gone as suddenly as she  appeared...............

For  a few eerie moments,  Bob  and Cinderella looked into each other's  eyes. Cinderella  sat, breathless, gazing at the most  beautiful, stunningly  perfect man she had ever seen. Then  Bob walked over to Cinderella, who sat  transfixed in  her rocking chair, & held her close in his  young muscular  arms.  He  leaned in close, blowing her golden hair with  his warm  breath as he whispered...
'Bet  you're sorry now that you cut my nuts off