Britains Got Talent - Week 2

Another fine week of talent on Britains got talent tonight and as always it hard to pick a winner of the show from so of the high class acts, but it is a winner I have to pick. Tonight that honour goes to Ryan O'Shaughnessy for a lovely beautiful song penned by his own hand. The way he just stunned the audience at the end that delayed the applause was amazing.

The other act that blew me away and came a close second was the dance group Twist And Pulse Dance Company, I though they were as good as anything we had seen on the show in the past. Tonights show also packed one other act worth a mention that was the rape band The Mend, I just thought they performed so well.

Finally I'm sorry if the video gets blocked by Fremantle, like last weeks. They clearly don't want any advertising for their wonderful programme. Although I can understand their point,  ut is a same really when years ago they wouldn't have bothered. You will just have to follow the link to YouTube.

Grey Day

The colour of the sky first thing in the mooring was quiet a contrast to those of recent mornings. Gone was the sunshine only to be replaced by grey clouds, to mark what is the start of the school holidays. I just hope that isn't the sort of weather we have inshore for us for the next couple of weeks.

It was a lazy start to the day with everyone getting as and when they wanted to. I was up first and sometime later Lucy appeared to be followed by Catherine. Both girls must have been tired from the day before, especially Lucy. It is so unlike her to sleep in at all.

After breakfast both girls got on with playing for a bit before they both settled down to watch stuff on the computers. Lucy carried on with watching inspector gadget and Catherine was catching up with her favorite show on BBC iPlayer. The morning seemed to go on just as it started with Lucy spending nearly all her time in the living room with me playing.

Just after noon I started cooking lunch, which can best be described as a all day breakfast, sausages bacon, eggs, beans and hash browns, with toast for those that wanted it. It was just what we needed to warm us up on a day that was still cold even at midday. It went down well with everyone, especially Lucy who returned an almost clean plate to the kitchen.

With no prospect of the weather improving there was only one thing left to do, wrap up warm and go out anyway. At least there wasn't any sign of the drizzle that the weather forecast had suggested would be the case for the day and the ground was dry. Although the sun had tried to come out in the end there was just to much cloud for anything but the briefest of glimpses.

Since we needed to pop to the supermarket to get some supplies there was only one place to go, the park for a while, before going on to do the shopping. So I headed out with Lucy first to the CoOp and then onto the park. It was on the way to the park that we managed to find Emily, who asked if she could come along too.

The two girls had a grand time at the park, despite the cold. Lucy was showing Emily all the things she learnt the day before. As I watched I noticed how much Emily has grown up. She is becoming a very beautiful young woman. I love the way she plays with Lucy and they always seem to have so much fun, I know Lucy just loves being with her and really looks up to her and in return Emily looks out for her. All Emily's friends think Lucy is just adorable.

When finished at the park we still had Tesco's to pop to. We needed some meat for dinner and the CoOp didn't have what we needed earlier. When we got their Lucy pushed the trolly and Emily guided her as we went round the aisles together collecting all we needed for dinner and for the morning. We still left empty handed for tomorrows Sunday lunch, there was a decent piece of pork at a reasonable price in the either supermarket.

As soon as we got home I started cooking dinner for everyone and all the girls went off to play around the house, until the effects of the sleep over caught up with Emily and she went for some quiet time in her bedroom. Lucy just turned all to her attention to Catherine, popping into the kitchen to see if their was anything to eat or taste from time to time. She even managed to arrive just in time to help pour the pasta into the pan. 

After dinner the girls played together until it was bedtime for Lucy and after we found her bottle, up to bed she went. After stories from her sisters and me and her kisses and cuddles she went straight to sleep. When we all got down we sat down in the living room to watch some television as a family, before it was time for the older girls to call it a day.

It been a lovely day and I'm glad we got out despite the weather. What seemed ironic that as soon as the sun went down the cloud started to clear, and the clear skies we wanted all day appeared to cool the night air. Hopefully tomorrow the sun will shine and despite the cold breeze from the North we will be out and about again. 

RAF Cottesmore 1938-2012

Today sees the RAF flag lowered at the RAF base in Cottesmore and bring to a end seventy four years of history. The Harriers that were at the based have long gone, sold by the Government for peanuts to the Americans who must be rubbing their hands on buying a whole fleet of serviceable combat aircraft for so little.

The base will be missed by many people in Rutland as will the RAF personal that maned it. The relationship between the base and the people of area has, as far I know, always be warm and they have fitted in so perfectly with the way of life of the area. Some, of course, won't be missing the noise of the fast jets but they use to be able to take comfort that normally only one or two operations were flown from the base each day. It was hardly like living near a airport in terms of noise. Others of course do miss the aircraft already, but those of us that did, use to see or hear the odd Typhoon or Tornado as they popped into the base. That will all come to an end as of this weekend.

The shame of it all was their was actually no need for it to happen in the first place. The Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers were scraped/sold off, all because we are involved in conflicts we can't afford and in the case of Afghanistan can't and won't win. The savings of one billion pounds made by the cutting our armed forces in such a way will fund the war in Afghanistan for between 4 and 6 months at current rates of expenditure on the conflict. In a nine year period, from 2001 to 2010, both the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan cost over 20 million pounds. If we hadn't spent so much on these conflicts, especially in the case of Afghanistan where no military campaign has ever been successful used to resolve the issues of the region, then the money could have been used else where within the Mistry of Defence and the Harriers and the Aircraft Carriers saved. 

It will be a sad for the people of Rutland and for those that have memories of the RAF base and who have served at the there over the years. Of course there will always be a reminder of the bravery of those who died will working at based, because of the service graveyard in Corresmore will be there for centuries to come, but that will be about it. I feel for the families whose lives have been changed by the closure, those forced to move from the area as well as those that have lost their jobs. I also feel for the loss of tradition in an area with a long history of RAF bases then last one will be closed today. 

Start of a Long Stay

It was a shame that the warm spell was just starting to come to an end just on the day that Lucy came to stay. It would have been nice if it could have carried on that little bit long and made it through to the end of the weekend at least. All the same with Lucy staying for the next five nights it was something we were all really looking forward to. It is going to be nice to have her as one of the family again. The last time that happened seems so long ago.

The day started with everyone getting up and ready to go out. Emily and Catherine were off to school and being the weekend we see Lucy I was off to the city to pick her from her Mummy's. The girls left first leaving the bathroom free so I could have a wash and a a shave after I had woken myself up with a coffee. There was a bit more of a rush than usual as getting the fuel to get there wasn't going to be so quick as normal because of the panic the Government caused over the last few days about filling your car up because of a possible national fuel tanker strike.

After managing to queue jump at the petrol station because my filler cap was on the passenger side, I headed off to the city. The sun was still shining but as I got towards the city the sky became increasing overcast and the air turned chilly. I just hoped it hadn't set in for the day, I know the weather is on the change but I was still hoping it wasn't going to be cold all day. Anyway, soon Lucy was in the car with all her stuff and we headed back from the city into the countryside chatting and listening to music as we went. It was lovely to see her again.

When we got home Lucy headed straight into the living room to let George out of his cage and say hello to him. The next thing to say hello too was her toys, as she found her scooter and her tricycle and after a quick play she settled and she sat on my lap and gave me the biggest of cuddles. It was lovely. Eventually it was me that had to move her, she wasn't showing any sign of moving and I needed the loo and a cup of coffee. Soon she was back in the family room sorting through her toys before turning to her attention to her cooker. As I sat drinking my coffee she was making all kinds of strange and imaginative foods which took as nice to lunchtime.

After lunch we headed out to Oakham with Lucy's scooter to go to the park. For once we found a car parking space that didn't have a limit or a restriction and that just meant one thing, there would be more time to play. As we got into the park Lucy surprised me and headed to the skate board park. Soon she was scooting around over the smaller ramp and then as her confidence got better she was going up the larger ramps and getting off the scooter and sliding back down. It was only the arrival of some older boys that we moved into the playground. I loved the way Lucy said we had our turn and now it was theirs. 

Lucy headed straight off to the playground. Soon she was scooting around and around the playground, before finding a little boy that was happy to chase her and try and catch her. They were having a great time together and they eventually moved off to the bandstand to play together, and that is where they played their until the boy's mother came to collect him and take off to get his brothers and sisters from school. 

With the boy gone we returned to the playground, and parking the scooter near a seat, Lucy started to play on climbing frame and the stepping stools. She has now nearly conquered the stepping stools and although she is still holding my hand she isn't putting any pressure on it at all. As for the climbing frame she can now get on to the platforms from the climbing spiral, cross the cargo net to the next platform and from there slide down the slide and then do it all over again. It still amazes me how quickly they learn to do things, I explained how to do the spiral to platform once and she did it again and again. 

Eventually we had to head back to the village to pick up Catherine and take her to the Dentist were we would be meeting up with Emily who was in town with friends. As we pulled into the village we passed Catherine and as Lucy was getting out of the car, Catherine was crossing the zebra crossing near her old school. As soon as Lucy saw her she ran to her shouting her name and then gave her a massive running hug. Both girls returned to the house hand in hand chatting away. 

As soon as Catherine was changed we headed out to the Dentist. As we parked we could see Emily and her friend Millie heading through the door into the Dentist. As soon as we arrived and Lucy saw Emily she rushed into her arms and then into Millie's. She was so glad to see her big sister, and it would be the only time they got to spend together today, as Emily was off to an under-sixteens concert before staying fpr a sleep over with Millie. Lucy was fascinated with what was happening to Catherine and Emily as they went for their routine check ups. She wanted to go in with them, but she was really good and just sat by the door watching. As we left, after giving Emily a big hug and saying goodbye, Lucy remembered that Mary and her Mummy use to go to the same Dentist. 

Our last port of call for the day was the supermarket to pick up some odds and ends that I had forgotten to get a few days earlier. We whizzed around and soon we were at the checkout paying for all the food and some special goodies to munch on, for those hungry moments in life.

When we got home I got on with making dinner and Lucy and Catherine went off to play in the family room. Dinner was going to be a long time away given we were having a roast, but we managed to keep Lucy away from the goodies we had brought earlier and her occupied until it was time to eat, and while I was in the kitchen the only time she turned up was when I was carving to nick a bit of the freshly cooked crispy chicken skin that all the girls love.

With dinner out of the way, Lucy settled down to watch her new found love before bedtime. She simply adores Inspector Gadget. So much so as when I said it was time for bed she said in a minute, it will be finished soon. It was quite funny, it is the same thing that Emily say's when you tell her she should be getting to bed and she is watching something on BBC iPlayer. It make you wonder who she learnt it off of. Anyway, after she finished the set of cartoons she was watching she headed up to bed for her stories and cuddles. After which she fell straight to sleep and as she dreamed of days to come and all the other things four year olds dream of, Catherine caught up with friends before it was her turn to join her.

The chance to see Lucy and have her here with me for an extended period is something I have been looking forward to for so long. I never wanted to be in the position were I had such long periods without seeing one of my children and I never thought that would happen a year or so ago. Thinking back further, when I moved here it would never have crossed my mind, until what happened, happened one fateful weekend. Anyway, I'm going to enjoy the time we have with Lucy, it is nice to feel the girls have some real time together again.

Finally one thing happened in the park, a fast jet passed, low over the town which left me wondering, would that be the last time we heard that sound. Was it some kind of pilots tribute to a base he once served at , a base that will be no more as the flag is lowered for the last time tomorrow. Whatever the reason it was I have sound I missed.

Early Spring

It has been an amazing week weather wise up to now, feeling more like late spring than early spring and I have taken the opportunity to get out a little and take some pictures while the sun has been shinning. 

Hopefully although the warm spell is meant to becoming to at end, hopefully this won't be the last we see of the sunshine and I will be able to get out and capture some more pictures of Rutland and the surrounding area in the weeks to come.

Government Incompetence

It has been reported by the BBC that Minsters are rejecting claims they didn't cause the panic buying of fuel that is gripping the country at the moment. What want to know if they didn't who the hell did, because was no panic until they open their big gobs and started it

Its make you wonder if the Government are this incompetent in the face of a simple strike causing widespread panic, petrol stations to run out of fuel and fights to break out in the streets, what would happen in a real emergency. The way they have behave gives me no faith in their ability to lead the country any where but in to a state of more mess than it is already. At this rate they will be the laughing stock of Europe. I can just see the Dad's Army cartoon appearing int he press with them all running around like headless chickens as everything goes wrong around them. 

What gets me although is the lie that they had nothing to do with it. They expect use to really fall for that one when they said what they did the day before. Do they expect us to have the attention span and memory of a goldfish. They could at least put their collective hands up and say we made a royal mess of that one. It just makes them look like lying idiots.

Menu for the Week

It has been a long time since I have blogged one of the menu for the week, and with Lucy coming to be with her sisters for five nights I thought I would publish one for the week ahead.

So without any further a do, as someone use to say, here is the menu for the next seven days:

• Thursday - Pork loin chops with peppercorn sauce, baton carrots, spring greens with boiled baby potatoes
• Friday - Roast chicken, mini roast potatoes, baton carrots, bussel sprouts, sweetcorn and stuffing.
• Saturday - Spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread.
• Sunday - Roast pork, stuffing, apple sauce, carrots, broccoli, sweetcorn, with roast potatoes.
• Monday - Sausages with Yorkshire puddings, carrots, peas with mash potato.
• Tuesday - Barbecue chicken potions, roast vegetables with potato wedges
• Wednesday - Slow cooked beef stew with sessional vegetables, dumplings and baked potatoes.

As for what we will have for lunch, well that is anyones guess at the moment, but I'm sure it will feature eggs on toast at some stage with Lucy being about.

Fuel Madness

Fuel Madness has gripped the country thanks to the Government. The Cabinet look more like the Walmington-on-Sea Platoon of Dad's Army with the Prime Minister playing the role of Captain Mainwaring and Francis Maude playing Corporal Jones, and with them in charge it hardly comforting to know the country is safe their hands. If the Government had any common sense it went right out of the window today, with a Minster urging people to store flammable liquids in jerry cans illegally in their garages.

How stupid can the Government be, to cause panic buying and queues at some petrol stations, some of which have now run out and now await supplies. I bet the Union bosses are over the moon at the publicity and reaction they got, it is just what they needed to reinforce they cause and make the front page of every newspaper in the morning. The Government played right into their hands panicking as much as the drivers in the queues waiting to fill up. The fact their has to be seven days notice of the actual strike date, didn't occur to Government, time enough for people to fill up and petrol stations to be resupplied. It also has to be remembered we are talking about a strike here and not a blockade of oil refineries as was the case in the last dispute which lasted weeks. 

Surely any sensible Government would be urging people to be sensible, giving the facts and suggesting ways for them to conserve fuel while the strike is on. While in the background making sure emergency services and if possible public transport and essential supplies continue to be moved around the country by suppling them with fuel by the use of trained military personal. A day's strike, here and there, isn't going to grind the country to a halt even over months, but it might effect peoples ability to go where they want and when they want. They will just have to think more carefully about how the can conserve the fuel they have and use it wisely. This is the approach they should be taking, not starting a panic. They all are acting, in the words of Captain Mainwaring, like Stupid boys.

Blogger Changes

More changes are being imposed upon on by the people at Blogger. Thankfully this should be less of a problem than the changes they have made to the comments system. At least it has been available to use for months and because of that should be well tested.

However the problem is, as any Facebook user knows, that not all changes are for the best. Having tried the new Blogger interface it doesn't seem to anything to the Blogging experiance. It just looks different and means you go on a new learning curve to find the things that were once at your finger tips. You could say isn't change is good? The answer is simple, not always, just look at timeline, currently being imposed on all users on Facebook and how many users now wish they had never moved over to using it when it was voluntary choice. It looks good, until you realise it's limitations, but that is it. The change of the Blogger interface seems more to do with fitting in to Google family style than anything else. Shame really when they could have spent time developing a new editor or fixing existing bugs,

Anyway as from the start April the new Blogger interface will be imposed on us all, if we like it or not. It clear that web developers have never heard of the old adage "if it's not broke don't fix it". 

Bulldozer Bill

Today sees the publication of the new planning framework. Effectivily a bill which will see the countryside bulldozed by developers as they race to build houses approved by councils after cash handouts from the Government. The question is what does this mean for the rest of us?

At the moment it would seem that the green light has been given to bulldoze the countryside, green spaces and playing fields in cities and for developers to build where they like. The new planning guidelines say the local people have a say, but in reality it only allows them to say yes to developments and not no. All the talk of making planning a choice for local communities would seem to be a smoke screen.

The background to this new planning framework is that the Conservative Party, although claiming to be the party of the countryside, have had a long tradition of political funding by Developers, and it is clear that has motivated the new guidelines and shaped them. The Developers themselves have set up vapours lobbing bodies, that appear to be independent, that claim that we have a shortage of houses. Other parties including Labour set up incentives, worth tens thousands of pounds per house built, for local and county councils as incentives to get them to agree to housing developments.  To this add the relaxation of planning laws of the past that have allowed developers to offer sweeteners, such as new roads, schools, etc to local and county councils in order to buy favour and get planning applications approved. Everything is stacked against the individual or groups of individuals opposing developments and stopping them from going ahead.

It is claimed that the new regulations make it easier and faster for Developers get approval for new developments, and making planning an issue for local communities. It would seem however the Governments idea of local communities would be better worded as local and regional Government, for it is at the level where the decisions will be taken. Given the incentives to build are so great for these local and county council, it doesn't take much to see that what actual local communities want will be ignored and swept under the table. That makes this new national framework for planning no more than a bulldozer bill. It will allow the destruction of green belt land, cheap agricultural land, planning fields, and green spaces and the real people that live in these area won't have any say.

The question is hat has "what has changed?" Simply put all the new planning framework does is it makes it easier and faster for Developers to build wherever they want. If anything it will also stop objections by local people and legal challenges to developments. It does nothing to stop the corruption by continuing to allow Developers to offer sweeteners to councils for favourable outcomes to planning applications and allows for Central Government bribes. It does very little to stop the destruction of rural England and the expansion of towns that then swallowed up smaller communities, changing the way of life in those communities that has existed for centuries.

I guess over the coming weeks and months as more questions are asked about the new planning framework we will get a better idea of the Government thinking. I just hope the new framework has been watered down enough by the campaigns of National bodies, Charities and the Press that we can save the beautiful countryside from the developers bulldozers for our children and their children to enjoy.

Night Sky

The night sky is rather amazing at the moment and with the good weather and the clear skies we have been lucky to see some amazing conjunctions of planets. Recently Jupiter and Venus have been close together in the sky and over the last couple days the Moon has been very close to Venus in the nights sky, making a particularly stunning spectacle (see photo).

Other than Jupiter and Venus there are currently two other planets that are visible in the night sky. You can also see Mars and Saturn in the sky is you know where to look. A good way of finding them and identifying the constellations is by using the a free computer program called Stellarium. Of course if you want to see what the sky really has to offer you will need to get out into the countryside and away from the street lights of the towns and cities that pollute the night sky. 

Outside Interests

Whether or not money has been paid to access the Prime Minister and influence the policies of central Government, the fact that Sunday Times managed to film a Conservative fund raiser, Peter Cruddas (photo), was offering access to top officials of a political party in Government for donations is deeply worrying. It could be that the same sort of thing is going on at a local level. The thing is we wouldn't have anyway of knowing anything about if it, since no large national newspaper is going to investigate a small local council.

The leader of the opposing Labour Party is right in saying there has to be a public enquiry about the revelations that were published in the Sunday Times, but it should go further than looking at what has been happening nationally. It needs to look at local politics too, and come up with a set of rules that make it easier for voters to check on the practices of local councillors, so that rouge politicians, of any party, can't influence decisions that affect us all through the party funding mechanisms or through the practices of gift giving and free meals etc.

Currently there are a lot of major decisions being taken which will shape the future of the towns and the countryside we live in. Major house building projects and planning applications are piling up waiting for the relaxing to the planning laws that are likely to be passed by the UK Government soon. In many cases these planning applications are opposed by the local population, but there will be railroaded through by local politicians, some of whom seem greedy for the money being offered by central Government for such schemes. Stories like this make you wonder if there are more to these planning applications than met the eye, and if other sorts of favour are being dished out by developers to encourage councils to dismiss the views of local people.

Of course locally councils, like in central Government have to submit a Declaration of Interest form which include the following details:

• details of any employment or business carried out by them;
• name of their employer;
• details of any Directorships;
• details of any sponsorship for election - (interests in corporate bodies (shares greater than £25,000 or 1/100th of the issued share capital)
• contracts between themselves/their firm and the Council;
• interests in land within the Council’s area, including ownership, tenancies and licences.
  
• membership or management of other bodies including bodies to which they have been appointed by the Council, other public authorities or similar bodies, charities, bodies to influence public opinion and trade/professional unions.
  

However, in light of the allegations at a national level, I would question if this goes far enough, after all similar rules didn't stop what the Sunday Times filmed happening at a national level Who knows if similar things aren't happening at a local level. What checks are in place to make sure that our local councils polices are not be influenced by outside organisations and companies through third parties such as political fundraisers?

One would hope that councillors are honest and open and before say a planning meeting would declare if the night before they were given a free meal by a building company with an interest in the outcome of the meeting, however there could be cases where this isn't happening or other influences are being brought to bare on decisions to the determent of the people they represent. If anything the Declaration of Interest needs to go further and include casual meetings between councillors and interested parties to ensure transparency in the local decision making process. It also needs to cover people working for politicians in whatever role.

Of course it will come as no surprise that planning application process is questionable at best. This has been the case since the last Conservative Government allowed, back in 1990, applicants to offer inducements to councils to make planning proposals "acceptable in land-use terms". In practice, in the case of large developers, this lead developers being able to bribe councils with schools, fire stations, and some cases companies have just handed over cash. They are called "planning gain" agreements and in reality they lead to the public interest is being pushed aside, as I have witnessed where I live.

If any good is to come out of what the Sunday Times reveled and the scandal that will result from it, then there needs to be a public enquiry and an honest and open discussion about how outside interests are affecting the decisions of national and local Government. We entrust the future of the country to the people we put in power and that and after watching the video of a party fundraiser offering favors for money it puts into question whether this trust is well placed. What is needed is a full deceleration of interest and rules that prevent outside organisations and companies buying favors with national and local politicians.

When the current Prime Minister came to power he talked of transparency in politics, well that is what we got, but it wasn't what we expected, someone suggesting they could pay to influence the Government policy making. Well now he has time to sort it out and if the Prime Minster is to save face he should start a full review of the standards within the whole political system to prevent corruption, bribery and to stop outside influences from affecting decisions which are detrimental to the wishes of the people.

Dancing on Ice 2012 - Final

After six months of training and twelve weeks competition tonight saw Matthew Wolfenden crowned the winner of one of the tightest finals I can remember ever watching on the show. As we got to the dance off either of the two acts left could have won the show. It was that close as it had been the whole series between the dancers at the top of the leader board. It has really been a good show this year and the competition has been strong.

In the final Matthew Wolfenden produced one of the best ice dance performances I have seen in the show with his dance to the classic Dancing in the Rain. He managed to produce something that had all emotion and feeling of the original film performance. It was a real series winning performance, that I feel gave him the crown on at the end of the night. Especially since I thought that in the final dance off, which was preformed to Boléro, their wasn't much between the final two dancers. Although Matthew Wolfenden was technically better it lacked the refinement of the other performance.   

I did feel for the runner up Jorgie Porter, her interoperation and the emotion she put into her performances, throughout the series, was amazing and this was shown tonight when she danced to the song Fallin'. It was so emotional. I liked her from the start, maybe she wasn't as technically good as Matthew but she made up for it in terms of pure beauty.

Finally, Chico, who won third place, came so far from week one to become of the best three in the show. His efforts and commitment have been amazing.

If I was take one issue with the show was the way the voting was conducted. By allowing the voting to start before the first performance went on the ice was always going to give the dancers that went on to the ice first the advantage. Hopefully the votes for the final vote weren't that close or the press and the fans could rightfully question the validity of the result.

Britains Got Talent - Week 1

I thought it would be nice to pick out the best of the auditions of Britians Got Talent over the coming weeks with mentions of the also rans that it would be nice to see again in the semi finals. So starting with his weeks raising star we have Sam Kelly.

This week also ran is Charlotte and Jonathan, they were both brilliant and Jonathan has an amazing voice, but with the sob story aside I didn't think they really did any more than Sam and his amazing distinctive voice, but then again I'm no fan of opera in general. It is the only type of music I have never really been wholly comfortable with.

Britains Got Talent 2012

Tonights it is bring on the clowns time, as we see the start of the new series of the talent show Britain's Got Talent just in time to take over from Dancing on Ice which finishes its run tomorrow. It is another of those show you can sit around and watch as a family and it is a firm favourite for many people around the country.

This years judging panel sees the return of Simon Cowell and he is joined by David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and long time judge Amanda Holden. Hopefully the return of  Simon Cowell with give the show that cutting edge that was so sorely missed in last years competition, which had some of the strangest acts imaginable appearing in the knock out stages that lead to the final. 

As always the show is being presented by Ant and Dec, who must be the most popular presents in the country. They will lend some humour to the show from the wings as well as provide the odd bit of support for the acts.

The show starts tonight on ITV 1 at eight in the evening with various repeats throughout the week should you miss it. As always I will be watching the show and the children will too. If you like this sort of thing then join me and the countless millions of other who will be tuning in tonight.

Musically Different

If you look back at recent posts you will read about how I have been listening to the Radio, and in particular BBC Radio 6 Music, but that is not all I listen to. Sometimes I listen to music some might consider old fashioned in some kind of way. To me it is not old at all, as great music is just that, great music. There is more than what is in the charts and different kinds of music can grab you in a different way. Let me introduce you to Secret Garden, a group that you just have to listen to and let soak into your mind, and let it take you were it will.

I feel we don't have the time to listen to music like we did in the past although it there in our lives all the time, sometimes without us noticing. I know when I start the car the radio comes on for example, but sometimes I play no attention to the music that might be playing. The same can be said in shops which often play popular music that we just take in on a sub concuss level but rarely listen to. It even happens in our living rooms as we watch television or a film on a DVD. There is music all around us, but we are normally to busy just to listen and do nothing else.

The music of Secret Garden, and music like it, is different, in that it really demands you to take time to just listen to it while not doing anything else. It is not really classical and it not really easy listening, it is somewhere in the space between which has lead to the label "New Age" being applied to it. It use modern instruments and classical instruments to create a sound that will become the classical music of the future, carrying on the creative art of the composers of old.

It is sort of music I like to listen to if I just want to escape the modern world and all the problems I face. It is often beautiful, sometimes happy, maybe sad and always relaxing which gives it the power clam and take your troubles away, but in order to do that you have to let it become part of you. I often listening to it in times of stress and I know it helps me relax, and from that state I can see the natural beauty in the world and the beauty in the people in I know and care about, and that brings a warm glow to my mind.

Don't dismiss it as not being modern, for it is, but it just doesn't sound like it. Give it a go and sink into the music a let it take you where it wants. I recommend it for calming those hectic days we all have in this modern busy world. Take yourself some place and just listen to music.

Comments

Interestingly I found myself looking at the civil liable laws today, which I must say are much better defined in the United States than in the England. This came about when I was asked to remove some of the comments on the blog, which were described as slander, which is the spoken word form of liable. These comments have now been hidden.

One comment in particular was a long reply by myself to a comment left by a reader of the blog. I would like to make it clear that under the liable laws there was nothing wrong with the reply, since it was both truthful and a fair comment that any person could have made knowing the truth. It was not censored on the grounds of liable. As it say's in the small print at the end of the blog, I will deal with issues about the blog and the comments. In this case, I can understand the complainants point of view and not wishing to offend the person refereed to in the disputed comments I have hidden the comments and stopped further commenting on those posts.

Please be careful if you are commenting that your comments are truthful and reasonable, but don't be put off your comments are always welcome. If you have a problem with a post or comment please contact me using the method in the small print at the bottom of the blog.

The Apprentice 2012

It is that time of the year that see the return of the BBC long running business show the Apprentice returns to our screens to search for business talent from a what is normally bunch of high qualified individuals with egos the sizes of planets. 

The programme involves putting the egos into teams which are given tasks to do in order to make money for the boss, Sir Alan Sugar. Those on the losing team are then ridiculed in the boardroom in front of an audience of millions of television viewers before they pick the final three of their own kind to face the final humiliation in the board room where one of them is put out of their missy for good and sent home. 

All good television and with some of the skills displayed in the tasks it helps you understand why British Business is in such a mess. You can just see it the show being aired on prime time Chinese State Television as an example of how not to do business and the audience laughing at the buffoonery or the egos as the mess up the simplest tasks.

The new series starts tonight, at nine o'clock in the evening on BBC1 with next part being shown at the same time and on the same station the following week. I will be watching as always will you?

Sunday at Home

A day when the weather was typically English. You didn't know what it was going to do at any particular moment. We had rain, hail, wind and sunshine, the whole mixed bag in one day. Not the sort of day to get out and about in, unless you want to get wet. 

Once again Lucy and myself were first up, and soon we settled down with our drinks to wake up. It is a lovely cuddly time as we watch television together and it normally lasts around half an hour before Lucy launches herself into the day.  Today that started for her after she polished off a morning yogurt and we set about playing together in the living room.

The first of her sisters to appear, predictably, was Catherine who made Lucy some breakfast, which they sat down ate together before going into the family room to play. Emily tired from the night before got up after Lucy decided that she should join in their games and went upstairs to wake her. It was clear as soon as Emily was up that she wasn't herself, but she joined in the best she could and the girls had a grand time together. All the same I was starting think that Emily might end up having a couple of days off school because of the cold she had. A rare occurrence, in all the years Emily has been at school, the days she has had off for being poorly you could count on one hand.

Lunch was a simple affair for everyone and Lucy had the soap she wanted. For a while now I have been doing simple lunches to maximise the time we have with Lucy to play and have fun. Everyone enjoyed their lunch and after we finished I prepared dinner for the evening and started cooking it in the slow cooker. With dinner on, I joined Lucy, Catherine and Emily and we all played with Lucy for the rest of the afternoon. It was a shame we couldn't get out but at least we all had a good time at home.

The Rush, today was just that. It was all hands to the fore as we all got Lucy ready to return to the city. With two sisters to help her, as well as myself, it is like she has her own personal make over team. We bathed her, washed her hair, dried and combed her hair and made her look as lovely as she could, before dressing her in her clean clothes ready to leave. There was just one extra thing to do before she left to day after we all packed her bag with her things and her sweets for herself and her other sister Mary, and we got her to write her name and kisses in her Mother's Day card and put it in her bag with her picture.

Just as we left the house a hail storm hit to mark the start of our journey to the city. On the way we listened to music and chatted about next time she comes to stay, before she nodded off for the last twenty minutes of the trip. I woke her just as we arrived at the edge of the city and chatted about Mother's Day until we arrived at her mummies house. Without going in to detail the drop off felt horrid. The atmosphere seemed full of negative emotions. Thankfully I was soon away from the place and heading back home.

When I got home I got on with finishing off the dinner that I had started hours earlier. Tonight we had a beef and vegetable stew I had cooked in the slow cooker and all that it needed was the dumplings adding to finish it off. It was yummy. After we finished, Emily and Catherine loaded the dishwasher for me before going back to watching television, catching up with friends and just generally doing their own thing. I sat back and reflected on the day and listened to music.

It is funny how Lucy changes the feel of the house, she makes the place seem so alive, but because we all miss her so, when she leaves there is a big hole. Everyone's mood is less bright and nobody really wants to talk. One person told me once it would get easier as time went on. They were lying. It just gets harder and harder. I guess the feeling of loss is what is the price you have to pay if your family has been broken by a past event. But looking on the bright side we all had a smashing time together and next time we see her she has five sleeps as she call them. I can't wait.

Grey Saturday

Another one of those grey days that you hope the sun might break through and bring a nice end to the day, but then that never quite manages it. All the same, it wasn't too windy and the ground was dry so I knew at some point we would manage to get out and about for a bit.

Lucy was up first and what followed was our normal morning routine. She sat in my chair while I got her a juice, myself a coffee and we sat down to watch television as we both woke up. Along the way Lucy got herself a yogurt to keep her going until Catherine appeared from her bed. Lucy didn't have long to wait and they had breakfast together and disappeared to play. What was lovely to see was Catherine was a lot more like her usual self. She was well on the mend and ready to join in the fun again.

Most of the morning revolved around playing games and just having fun around the house while listening to music on the radio along the way. It was nice just to have the house alive with the sound of fun and music in the morning. There nothing better to lift the heart. Nothing special really happened but it was a nice morning that ran all the way through to lunch, which for Catherine consisted of tomato soap and eggs on toast again for Lucy and myself, but Lucy did announce that tomorrow she wanted to be like Catherine and have some tomato soap.

The early part of the afternoon was spent at home playing after doing the clearing up after lunch and putting the dishwasher on. We all played with Lucy taking it turns to play her games. Catherine had got her colour back and most of her energy, she was still a bit pale in the morning, but now she really was back to normal. Still the weather wasn't being to kind to us, but the sun did break through for a bit and so we decided to get some fresh air and head for the park.

Before we got to the park there was once place we had to go to first, the supermarket. We just had a few things to pick up to keep us going to Monday, nothing much but without them we would have to do another shopping trip on Sunday and which is something I wanted to avoid. Anyway it didn't take long and we soon found ourselves in Oakham park. I must say I had seen it so busy in ages, and despite the cloud everyone seemed to be there. Lucy played for a bit in the playground before finding Catherine's friends from school more interesting, that Catherine had managed to capture as they passed through the park. In the end both Lucy and Catherine ended up playing in the bandstand for the last bit of our time there before we head home to play and cook.

When we got home I got straight on with cooking our Sunday Dinner on Saturday and the girls went off to play around the house. We weren't home long before Emily came home from her sleep over. You can imagine Lucy's excitement at seeing her big sister, see rushed her like she did the day before at the park, except this time there wasn't a fence in the way. She was soon following her around chatting and playing. Secretly I think Catherine was pleased to pass Lucy on to Emily, she was flagging a bit as the afternoon drew to a close, after all she wasn't one hundred percent.

Soon we were all sitting down to a home cooked roast chicken dinner and having a grand time at the table chatting about our day and having a good laugh and a joke. I must admit I do love having them around the table to eat. It brings the family together and makes meal times more of an occasion.

After dinner, and after loading the dishwasher, I returned to the table to find Emily and Lucy playing and suggested to Lucy that she do a drawing for her mummy for Mothers Day. Lucy loved the idea and after I drew up a basic design with Lucy's help, Emily settled down with her to produce the final product in full Technicolor. They both did a grand job on the Mothers Day picture which will be included with tomorrows card. It wasn't long after they had finished doing few more drawings that I noticed it was time for Lucy to head to bed. 

One thing about Lucy is she is never no trouble at bedtime. She just gets on with it and I think the routine we have for her works well. Tonight she got stories from all her big sisters before she got her cuddles and kisses from those she loves and knows with a special one at the end. Soon she was asleep and her sisters were in the family room catching up with their news as I settled down to relax and listen to music.

It has been a lovely day and I'm so pleased that Catherine is on the mend. I should be use to Emily's Friday sleep overs by now but it would be a lie to say I don't miss her, so it was great to have her back home and have all the girls together again. Who know what tomorrow will bring, but like always I plan to make the most of it.