Time to Invest

With all the flooding in the recent months caused by heavy rain the big question is should the water companies, local authorities, and the government  be investing in better drainage in the United Kingdom.

Clearly the answer to that question by anyone that has been flood in recent months will be a massive yes. It is clear that the weather is starting to change and we have to proactive and start working on the drainage systems in the UK before it becomes too late on a massive scale, rather than tinkering around the edges after the event.

What I find interesting is that people aren't talking about this in the press accept in Northern Ireland. You would have thought that it would have become a big issue nationally. As it is the stories of the floods make the news but not the solutions to preventing future flooding. Politicians don't seem to want to tackle the problem head on and come up with solutions.

I don't know much about drainage but simply looking on the internet in to who owns the drains in the United Kingdom you realise that it is a complex problem. Some parts of the system are own by the water companies, other bits local authorities and central government is involved too. Clearly this makes any coordinated approach to tackling the problem far more complex, but it doesn't mean it impossible.

Central government has to start drafting legislation to get the owners of the various parts of the system working together and start the process of upgrading the drainage system. This could involve looking at the who process of ownership and placing it the hands of the water companies themselves to simplify the system for all public drainage systems. This of course would require them to do maintenance on the drainage systems currently carried out by local councils but this could be funded through levies paid to them from the public purse by the local councils.

Then comes planed investment in the system and who pays. The government wants to invest money into the economy, it wants the construction industry to build us out of the mess we are in, by creating work in the sector. Currently it wants that money to go into housing, which would simply destabilise the already failing housing market in the United Kingdom. So why not invest in the drainage system itself and create the jobs in construction there. Of course this would mean that their would be an increase in water bills for all since any money lent to the water companies would have to be repaid at some point but we can't carry on as we are. 

It is time to invest and we will have to take the hit if we don't want more flooding in the future. The Government need to start acting now to upgrade the complete system. It needs to start planning with the water companies and the local authorities the future needs of the country. It is a massive civil engendering project but the work needs to start now before is too late.

Freaky Weather

Well, today the weather has been something else.  I was in Melton Mowbray with Emily at a dentist appointment when a large storm hit the region the start of which was signalled by street lights coming on in the town as the skies darkened at nearly two in the afternoon to the light levels you would expect at dusk. Then rain hit, the wind picked up and the hailstones fell. Thankfully we were safely inside. It was like someone had opened a giant tap above the town.

 Just before the storm hit Melton Mowbray

 The storm rolling into Rutland

 The dark clouds over the village

 Flooded roads in Leicester 

A four by four stuck in the floods in Leicester

As we returned home we to Rutland we watched the centre of the storm to the west of us. We saw the lightening and heard massive thunder claps as we went down the road. All the time we could see the edge of the storm moving in behind us and coming our way. After dropping Emily off back at school the skies in the village had turned almost black and the rain began to fall but thankfully it was short lived.

Thankfully we were on on the edge of the storm. The full force of it hit the city of Leicester to the west of us. It turned roads into rivers according to people in the area. Soon websites and twitter were full of images of flooded roads, fallen trees and cars stuck in the water. As time went on reports started to appear about damage done by the size of the hailstones and the wind at the centre of the storm which ripped tiles off the roofs of houses. Pictures were posted of cars with dents in them and of the hailstones themselves that were the size of golfballs if not bigger.

Thankfully nobody died in the area or seems to have been seriously hurt, but all the same the damage done to property and cars by the storm will cost a pretty penny to put right. The lucky ones will be insured the unlucky ones not. It not the sort of weather you see to often but it is becoming more common as the effects of global warming kick in. One has to ask what sort of legacy have we left our children by our over use of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Catharine Turns Twelve

Well, another of my little princesses grows older by another year. This time it was Catherine's turn, as she gets one year closer to being a teenager. Today was her twelfth birthday. Funny to think that little baby I held in my arms has grown so big and is starting to turn into a young woman.

It was a rather low key affair this year. She didn't want presents as she was more interested in getting some money that she can spend herself, although she did get a few presents too. Her family birthday party is on hold until all the girls are together again which is around a month away.  All the same we had a cake and  a candle so not all is lost. It just means there will be extra cake when they all met up agin at the end of July.

Films and more FIlms

On of the things that I have been doing recently is watch films and I'm glad to say that has continued from last week in to this. It nice to just have a little time to sit down and lose yourself in a good story.

There is something good about sitting down and watching a film that is either entertaining or has a message for us all contained with the story and it writing. In the case of the later if you add this to some excellent acting you know you are going to be in for a treat. It is those films that have taken my interest this week so far, and probably will for the rest of the week too.

What the...

In the last twenty fours the Government have announced the scrapping of a planned raise in the duty of fuel in the United Kingdom. A welcome move when the economy is at rock bottom and families everywhere are struggling especially since any fuel price increase effects not just motorists but everything we buy. It is this increase in prices that the government is trying to avoid since it impacts negatively on the confidence of consumers and on the economy as a whole.

The opposition Labour party have been asking for the planned increase in to be postponed, claiming that if the Government wants the extra money they could get it by closing loop holes in the existing tax laws. They have been backed by the Motoring organisations,  Road Hauliers and some Conservative members of parliament. Now the tax has been postponed the same Labour part are saying the government is weak for following their advice. 

Are the Labour party that stupid that they attack the Channeller for doing what they asked. Surely they should be congratulate him for following their policy. They are making themselves look like idiots. No wonder we are in so much trouble when the political parties are more interested in points scoring than sorting out the state of the country and getting us out of this mess. The Labour party is in danger of coming across as being as stupid as the Bankers that got us into this mess.

I really didn't think I would find myself defending this Government, but I must say when you think look at the fools that run the opposition you start to think they are all off their heads after what the Mr Ball's has said that was reported in the press.

The Labour Party and it's leadership need to wakeup and realise we are not stupid  and give the public some credit for know what is going on. The lesson they need to learn is "Think before you speak!".

Time Team in Oakham

Any one that knows me knows that I love watching the programme Time Team on Channel 4. There is something I find fascinating how they find the remains of building in fields and build up a picture of what was once there and how the people lived. It like a form of detective work done against the clock and because the experts are so passionate about what they do the programme really holds your interest.

Current the televisions team of archaeologists are digging at Oakham Castle which boasts best example of a 12th century hall in Britain, but other than the earth works that is about all that remains on the surface. At one time the castle had walls, a moat, drawbridge and guard house and towers in defensive positions, but it was all on a small scale which reflected on the small size of the town. Written evidence suggest that the Norman castle which remains on the site replaced an earlier Anglo Saxon castle that was dismantled by Walchelin de Ferriers, Lord of the Manor of Oakham between 1180 and 1190 during the reign of Henry I.

The primary task facing the Time Team will be to catalogue the 12th century remains they find within the inner ward of the castle, but they are hoping to go back further than that. They are hoping to find the remains of the Anglo Saxon castle and attempt to discover evidence for the Anglo Saxon royal burh. You can see clips of the dig on the Team Time YouTube video channel by following this link.

They started woking on the dig on Monday and they will remain at the site until Friday. In order to complete their work the castle is closed off to the general public and it seems the press. Hopefully they will find what they are looking for and we will know more about this historic site but we will have to wait until the show is shown on Channel 4 between January and March next year.

Lucy

I feel kicked in the head again over seeing Lucy and there so little I can do about it. I was given less than two weeks notice that I couldn't have her on the weekend of 7th July when I was next due to see her. I was offered an alternative the following weekend but is just to late to arrange Emily and Catherine, especially with Emily's holiday plans the way they are for her holiday away with her friend.

Apparently it is some big family gathering that Lucy is required to attend and of course I don't have a problem with Lucy going, but it is in Essex so her mummy wants her for the whole weekend. What makes this is made worse is that because of Lucy's family holiday with her mummy in late July, the result of which is I won't see her for weeks. Thankfully it is only 5 weeks because of the school holiday arrangements, otherwise it would have been 6 weeks. 

I feel so horrid that words can't really do justice to what I feel at the moment. I feel sick to the pit of my stomach and I don't feel like eating at all. To say I will miss her is an understatement. It is bad enough only seeing her every other weekend. I never wanted this for her. I hope she knows that. I wish it wasn't like this. This hurts. 

True Colours

If we didn't know already that this Government has done more cut public sector spending than even infamous Margaret Thatcher managed in her time in power and they are now homing on the vulnerable and the unemployed like never before.

Today the Prime Minster, David Cameron, made a speech which confirmed when said he was a different kind of Tory leader he was telling the truth, but not in the way we all thought. He is proving to be ruthless, uncompassionate , uncaring and it is clear he doesn't give a flying [****] for the low paid, the young, the unemployed or the disabled. If he was born 150 years earlier he would have been the sort of Member of Parliament that would be introducing bills to throw the poor out of the workhouses to fend for themselves on the fifthly victorian streets. In fact, if he carries on like this he is going to start to make the television character Alan B'Stard look positively left wing.

His current proposals include, regional rates of benefits resulting in the lowering of payments to people outside the South East of England, measures to effectively remove housing benefits for the under 25's, linking annual increases to wages when it they are less than inflation, but not when they are higher, so the poor get poor, the introduction of food vouchers instead of giving people cash like asylum seekers, forced labour for those who are unemployed in the community like they are common criminals, to name but a few of his plans. Interestingly he said very little about the disabled, but as we know their won't be many of those left by 2015 under current Government plans, they are all joining the ranks of the unemployed. 

The fact remains if it wasn't for his mates, the greedy bankers, we wouldn't be in this bloody mess in the first place, but they get away with lower taxes and legalised tax avoidance. Then again why punish them when they can put the money they avoid paying in taxes back in to the Conservative party's make the rich richer machine and sod the poor. After all it is clear if you rub David Cameron back he will tub yours, even if you pay next to nothing in to the country, and make sure you get an honour from the Queen as a reward. May be if they paid there way then their might be enough money in the pot to get over what is a short to medium term problem. 

The answer to the problem of the increasing welfare budget is simple, create wealth in the country, encourage investment, create jobs and reduce the number of unemployed. It not to take away from the poor, produce no hope for the young and take us back to Britain of Charles Dickens when the rich ruled without regard of the poor of this country who were left dependent on charity and begging in the streets.

The Best Team Won

Like many in the country I have been following and watching the English football team playing in Euro 2012. It is hard not to given the coverage on the television, on the radio and in the news. To be honest I feel, like many, they have exceeded expectations this time round by managing to win a difficult group.

As I sat down to watch the match with Emily we were both hoping that England might get lucky and pull it off and beat the Italians, but we were realists and we knew it was going to be hard and they would have to play at the their best, if not better.

In the end, it was a good game but England were totally outclassed. They hung in on in there like true professionals but it was like watching a premier league side play someone for the first division, and England was the side in the lower division. It was all about stopping them scoring and hoping for the best. 

Well the best never came for England. They held on to the end of extra time and they should take credit for that, but when it came to moment that mattered they just didn't have the finishing power and the best team on the night won, and rightly so.

Wet Friday

The title of this posts really sums up the major part of the day. It's been one of those days you don't expect from the first month of the summer, but I guess it is Britain. It wasn't one I wanted with Lucy coming home to stay for a few days. I always hope for bright days so we can all get out and about in the sun.

The day started with the school run, something I only tend to do now when the weather is poor and it was followed by a trip to the city to get Lucy. The city looked even greyer than normal in the rain and the dark clouds in the sky. All the soon when I got there a little ray of sunshine entered the car and we chatted all the way back to Rutland.

Before we went home we popped to the supermarket. We had fun getting the things we need and with Lucy's persuasive way a few little extra things that I knew everyone would enjoy. Nothing much but all the same little treats. After we finished there one had just one place to go, the little farm shop stall, just outside the village. We needed some eggs and there isn't a better place to get them, plus Lucy gets to see the chickens that laid them.

When we got home Lucy we were greeted by George, who had been sleeping on the sofa in the family room. There was a great amount of wagging of tails as he rushed around excitedly. With this greeting over I got on with making Lucy while made herself at home. It wasn't long before we were both tucking into some lovely ham rolls with some nice fresh bread rolls.

As always I was hoping we would manage to get out in the afternoon, but the weather had other ideas and we were confined to the house, unless we wanted to get wet. So we went into wet weather mode and played in the house. She did some lovely drawings which she put in envelopes for her sisters when they got home. She watched some Tom and Jerry cartoons and we ended up playing with her toy cooker and she cooked me food as if she was in a restaurant.

Midway through the afternoon we headed out to get Emily and Catherine from school. Lucy was so pleased to see her sisters, as they were to see her, and when they all got back home they got on with making up for lost time as I got on with cooking a roast pork dinner for them all.

Dinner went done a treat. Everyone loved it, especially the pork crackling, and with full tummies the girls went off to play again. I sat down and listen happy that they were happy too. This went on until it was time for Lucy to go bed. Soon after her stories and kisses and cuddles she fell asleep to be followed by her sisters a few hours later.

It is so lovely to have the girls back together again. It something I really look forward to in life. It the closest I get to the feeling of having a family at the moment. I love them all so much and I treasure everyday. It is moments like this in life that make it worth living.

Backwards Thinking

Seems that the Conservative Party want a return to the old days and the return of the O Level. As always they are living in the past. And haven't noticed the world has moved on.

The old O Levels weren't much better than memory tests and disadvantaged a many bright people with conditions like dyslexia who have naturally poor short term memories required to under take the revision required for this type of exam. As such they have got it wrong yet again.

What is needed is reform of the current system allowing for more banding at the top to allow the gifted students the chance to shine. Proving someone has a good memory with an O Level type qualification proves just that not an understanding of subject or the skills to apply the knowledge.

If anything is wrong with the current system it is that students are being taught how to pass the assessments rather than the basic knowledge. This has been caused by the league table system by which schools are judged by the Government. It the system of how performance is measured that has caused the problem. Hearing people say that standards are lower is rubbish they are more heavily checked than ever before.

As for comments I have read from the University's that students have poorer skills all I have to say if you will let in almost anyone then what do you expect when back in the times of the old O Level system you only took the top ten percent if that.

What the Conservative government have done today devalues all the work of the students working towards GCSE today. It has effectively said your qualifications are worth less because we don't rate them so we are going to get rid of them. Wouldn't it be better to reform the system and modernize it rather than going back to the past.

This change will have an effect on every secondary school student in the UK. Even in year 7 students start working for their GCSE's to maximize they grades they will get 5 years down the line. This will be a massive change to those students and cause major disruption to the teaching in schools.

It is a ill thought out idea driven by the memory of the past by people with no new idea's of their own. It is a return to the dark ages of education where some of the brightest students were disadvantage by memory tests.

Longest Day

Well it is that time of the year again when we reach the longest day. The summer solstice is upon us once more, although this year it feels like anything but summer. I should imagine that the Druids have more chance of seeing rain drops fall at fawn than a beautiful sunrise. Hopefully they can do something about the weather with their ancient ways and customs.

I love the long days and the short nights and although it a celebration of summer once it passes I notice the days closing in again my heart always sinks a little as the sun goes down earlier each day. Although I know there is still a lot of the summer to go through, it just starts reminding me that winter will be upon us again soon. Whatever you do with your longest day I hope you find time to enjoy it and have some fun with the people that matter to you.

Lord of the Rings Fest

Next on the list of films to see in over the coming week or so is the Lord of the Rings trilogy that was such a hit with film goers and fans of the works of J.J.Tolkien. The films were made by the famous New Zealand film director Peter Jackson and adapted from the books by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Stephen Sinclair.

It has been ages since I sat down and watched all three films in there extened versions and to be honest I can't wait to start watching them. It is a wonderful story and the films although omitting some parts of the original books and slightly playing with the order of the story manage to do a fantastic job. For this one I'm bound to be joined by Emily who is a massive fan of the films and the books and who came blame her for liking a good story.

O2 Network Coverage Shambles

Let me first state that I have had phones on the O2 network in the United Kingdom and found the coverage fine as far as making a simple call goes. Their Tariff's on Pay as you Go are as good as many of the other main players in the market such as Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Three. In fact in fact they better in someways than some, especially when it comes to data.

However it doesn't matter how generous you are with your data allowance if a lot of people can't use it because your G3 network is substandard. That is the problem with O2. Their data network is rubbish in a large part of the UK. Once you get out of the major cities, towns and off the major road and rail network your phone is no faster than a snail. It is no wonder they can give such great data usage deals when a lot of their customers can't use it.

This hasn't gone unnoticed by the regulators that issue the licenses in the UK. They have already complained to O2 because of their poor G3 coverage, The problem is O2 are not making the required progress in correcting the problem in my opinion and because of this they will be losing customers that are dissatisfied with the service they provide in terms of data coverage.

We live in a new world of smart phones that can do so much more than the phones of the past. It is no longer a world where users expect to be able to make a call and receive a text. The word has moved on and O2 is being left behind in the stone age of mobile phones. People all over the country need and deserve a better service than is being provided by this company. As we enter a age of 4G communications it sad to think this company still has so much to achieve in the 3G world.

Hopefully they will manage to sort out this mess. It really is unacceptable that the G3 coverage is so poor in some area's of the country. You can check yours on the O2 coverage checker. I know one thing if I was the regulator I wouldn't allow the O2 to have any G4 licenses without them proving they are going to get their G3 coverage to levels of the other providers first.

Mental Health The Forgotten Service

Just as shocking was the report I read today that the NHS is failing mental health patients so badly. Having known a number of people with mental health problems personally and worked with others and I these stories shocking.

For to many years the NHS has had a policy of treating mental health patients like cattle. Patching them up with various drugs that just offer respite to the patient while causing weight gain and other medical problems to develop over time. 

The system is not investing in people but effectively investing in drug companies who provide the drugs. The drugs should be a short term measure and what these people deserve is long term solutions that require the minimal use of medication. They never seem to look deep enough into the problems that caused the mental health issues to arise in the first place or look at ways of helping the patients over come them.

What is it not helpful that a few staff members are cynical about the patients conditions.  One comment I heard on the Radio talked about the attitude of some mental health workers to people with personality disorders, who they consider them as time wasters, is unacceptable. This is a condition that effects peoples everyday lives and those around them and it can't be dismissed out of hand. The fact that health trusts are not providing enough cognitive behavioral therapy for this condition and many others is just disgusting. It is a very serious condition that affects the individuals and impacts on their families severely.

Metal heallth care is not some kind of secondary health care, it is a primary service they provide as important as any other. It deserves proper funding by the NHS trusts and the government. What the health system needs to think about is the benefits that can be drawn from using other forms of treatments other than drugs. The more mental health workers talk to people with mental health conditions the better will be their understanding and from that will come better methods and quicker cures to mental health problems.

There are specialist units around the UK that do some of amazing work but in the current funding climate it not clear if they we will carry on the good work they are doing. 

Dedicated staff are working in a climate of under funding and increasing work loads. Currently the system is poorly resourced and staff must fear for their own positions as money is directed out of mental health services into other parts of the NHS. It is time that the government ring fenced some of the funding to the NHS to mental health services. This should then backed up by careful monitoring to ensure that the money is being spent where it is meant to be sent and not used to fund other health care.

People with mental health issues deserve the best treatment there is, provided by the NHS, in order for them to have fulfilling lives without being made to feel worthless and unimportant. The need of menta'l health patients matter as much as anyone elses, they can't be marginalized like this. 

Power of Twitter

This is more of an update on a story in the press that I featured in the blog post "Council Censorship" on Friday. If you remember Argyll and Bute council decided to censor a nine years olds Blog, NeverSeconds, who posted about her school dinner experiences. 

When the news broke in the media, both conventional and internet based, you can imagine the reaction. Instantly the story hit Twitter. I even tweeted about it myself on my own Twitter account, as some of you might have seen from the snap shot of it on this page. People were doing all kinds of things including email the Council concerned and putting in complaints. Everyone was saying how out of order the council were for doing what they did. 

Most of the morning nobody from Argyll and Bute council were available to comment on the story. Then on the Victoria Derbyshire BBC Radio 5 live programme an Executive from the council appeared, putting the case for banning this nine year old girl from taking pictures of the food she paid for and effectively stopping her blogging. He claimed it had been done because her pictures were used in the Scottish press in an article that wasn't to kind to the dinner ladies and suggested they should be sacked. So it would appear that instead of tackling the press they picked on a little girl. He came across as a real bully on the programme and although I could see the why the dinner ladies might have been upset, which I might add the little girl had a good relationship with, it was quickly clearly that he was attacking the wrong person. The nine year old girl had done nothing wrong and she had the support of the school, but she was the scape goat and the full force of the council turned upon her. 

The appearance of the Executive from Argyll and Bute council just made things worse and twitter was off again. They had already been some famous people saying things were getting out of hand including former Westminster Politicians. Next in came Jamie Oliver who congratulated the nine year old on writing the blog in it's early days. He got everyone to retweet one of his tweets in support of the little little girl, effectively marking the start of a more organised campaign against the council. As the presenter of the World of One on BBC Radio 4 was about to launch into the leader of the council who had consented to appear on the programme, the councillor announced that censorship has no place in Argyll and Bute and that she could start taking her pictures again. 

Sense and reason had won the day through the power of public opinion driven by the media and the backlash against the council on Twitter. What I find ironic in all this is that they picked on a little girl because of a press article when they could have used the same tool to highlight the quality of school meals. Very few meals that the girl reviewed got low scores, in fact many were rated over at over 8 out of 10. It could have been used for good and they decided to blame this innocent child and silence her. The whole thing turned in to a public relations nightmare because of bullying tactics someone decided to employ against this girl who had the support of school and as it turns out the general public.

What is amazing is that she has now raised over £90,000 pounds on her JustGiving page for Mary's Meals. That is enough money to build a kitchen and a lot more. Looking through the Blog one can see it was working in so many ways. Even the school meals were getting better, but the best thing is she is continuing with her blog, now the ban on her taking pictures of her dinners has been lifted. She posted her first post after she was censored yesterday on her site which has a now amassed over 6 million hits. Over 4 million more than when I first heard about the story and read the site.

To me what this story shows is how the power of public opinion can be used to effect good and change. How it can be used to protect the freedom of speech and expression. Lets us hope that the same  power of  public opinion can be used to protect our privacy in the coming months from the Conservative Nanny State.

Under A Killing Moon

Not sure why but I was just cruising around the internet in a particularly bored moment and came across a bit of a blast from the past, a game called "Under the Killing Moon".  A game I first played when it came out to many years ago to mention. It was the first game I played that needed a CD and I upgraded the computer and the memory to play it.

The game is an interactive adventure game based around the character of Tex Murphy, and 1930's style private investigator in a post nuclear world. Playing the lead character your mission was simple to save the world from an evil force destroy the world. The game is lovely rendered in 3D and the user is allowed to explore it at will and question other characters solving puzzles to progress in the game. With hours of play and a friendly interface it was a simple joy to play. 

During it time it was simply a breath taking game that pushed the boundaries game play making every use of the computer hardware of the time. It took game playing to another level and heralded the sort of games that we find on consoles today. It gave us a glimpse of the future and let us experience it for the first time.

Somewhere I have the four CD's with the game on them. All that is need is a computer to run it on, so maybe next time I'm bored I will dig them out and build an old style DOS box to run them on. It would be interesting to see how well it measures up to the games of the moment. 

Harry Potter Fest

The house is quiet and it is time for some me time. They way I have decided to spend it is watching some films I love. The films in question are the Harry Potter movies I have on DVD and there is no better way to escape the real world than to drift into the dream world of a good fantasy film.

I just love losing myself in the stories and they are so well written that they are a joy to watch. I'm sure I will be joined by Emily and Catherine when they get back from their mums. They love them too. I'm really looking forward to just watching some films relaxing for however long it takes to get through them.

Council Censorship

It seems that if councils don't like what you say in your blogs some of the them will try and find ways to shut you down. That is what Argyll and Bute Council have done because a newspaper published a report based on a photograph and the content of a nine year olds blog, NeverSeconds, who reviews her school dinners in a blog.

Here is a young person starting a public debate about school meals with the support of her school and some officials at Argyll and Bute Council come and stamp on her right to free speech. It just shows you what this country is coming to. It is her food she bought it so she can photograph it.

The council are clearly out of order for censoring the school girls blog and effectively bullying her into to giving up something she enjoyed and got pleasure from. It was her fault that the press used material from her blog to write a story that may have upset some of their staff it was the newspaper itself.

My response was swift when I read the story on the BBC news site this morning, I emailed Argyll and Bute Council to complain and then moved my attention like many others too Twitter to fight her cause. Lets hope that Argyll and Bute Council and others around the country learn in unexpectable  to censor the people they represent because they don't like what they are saying.

Sunshine

I'm sorry to be so British with posts about the weather but it has been so grey and wet for the last month that any sunshine is worth mentioning. I know nearly everyone on my Facebook has been commenting on the rubbish weather if they happen to live in England.

Today was one of those what seems like rare days when the sun actually came out for the morning. It just so lovely to see and it certainly warmed my heart. I managed to get out into the village with the camera and given I had places to go today it was Just lovely to be able to do it with the sun shinning. It just a shame it not going to stay like this and as I write this post the rain has returned.

I just hope that the long range weather forecast is wrong. It has it staying this way to at least the first week in July and may be beyond. It not what the school children and families will want with the coming of the school holidays.

Makes You Think

Last night I while hoping through the channels I caught a glimpse of one of some of the Harries of former RAF Cottesmore. Intrigued today I watched the programme on BBC iPlayer. I guess it just conformed what I already thought about the Governments stupid move to scrap this most capable of aircraft as well as the carriers that carried her.

The programme told the story of the Hawker (later BEA systems) Harrier and it]s use in the Falklands War which was 30 years ago. It told of how 20 Sea Harriers faced a Argentinean  Air Force comprising over 200 aircraft some of which could fly twice as fast as the Harrier. In rolling seas the Harriers flew over 600 combat missions with hardly a single mission being lost due to aircraft failures. More than that they shot down 23 aircraft without a single Harrier being lost in combat.

With the world the way it is today what is need is aircraft that can operate from almost anywhere that a conflict that we are involved is taking place. Versatile aircraft that can be based on ships or on make shift landing area's that are easy to defend on the ground. The one aircraft we had that can do that was the Harrier and it was the one aircraft that we decided to get rid of in the strategic defence review which has done so much to leave us defenceless. 

What I still find unbelievable is that one of the finest aircraft that Britain has ever produced was scrapped when it was in service with so many other nations in front line service including the USA. In fact it is to the USA that the British Harriers were sold for next to nothing. These aircraft weren't out of date and a lot of money was spent upgrading them and the systems on them making them effectively new aircraft. Even their base had lots of money spent on it and the facilities there over recent years.

My personal thought why they were scraped is for the same reason that the people in power were reluctant to buy them when they were first built, there simply didn't understand what they could do and what a fine aircraft they actually were. It took the Falklands war to prove that and some 30 years later that lesson has been forgotten and so they were scraped. The thing now they have gone the chances of another Falklands war is back but this time there will be no Harriers to win the island back. If the RAF really think that a couple of Typhoon Fighters can defend the islands then they are as crazy as the politicians who threw away one of the best aircraft in service.

Where is Summer

With another wet day today one is wondering what has happened to the summer. The odd rainy day isn't unusual but this constant rain and the cold isn't something I can remember this time of year.

It makes you wonder what we are doing to the environment. It is clear the effects of global warming are starting to show in the weather patterns. I can't remember a summer that has started like this. It been so wet for so long. It seems all the rain is falling at the wrong time of the year. This is all because the jet stream is in the wrong place, it is far to far south.

It looks like this changing weather is something we are going to have to get to use to. Something we have brought on ourselves. What we need now is to find ways to return things to normal. It not just about not making it worse, it is reducing in our use of carbon fuels to the point that the environment can start to recover. It is about doing things to reverse what we have been doing and putting things right.

To do this is going to take a whole rethink not only how we use fossil fuels but how we live, where we work and how we protect the countryside. The reason we need to do this is for your children and their children. We have to act now and not bury our heads in the sand thinking it doesn't concern us. Saying that is like saying you don't care about your children's future.

Better Saturday

After yesterday I was hoping to make much more of today and any better weather that came our way. I didn't want to be stuck in the house again like the day before. I'd rather get out and about and have some fun, even if it was just going down to the park.

It was a joy being woken up by Lucy and soon we found ourselves in the chair downstairs watching television with our drinks as we both woke up before breakfast. With breakfast out of the way Lucy went off to the family room to play for the early part of the morning occasionally involving me in her games and getting me to do things with her toys she just couldn't manage on her own.

It was about mid morning when we head out of the house. This time were on our way to the shops, but that was not all, and although it wasn't warm it was dry so we headed for one of the many playgrounds in Oakham to get out of the house. We had a great time there playing but what surprised me most were the number of people there given the weather. Seems they were all doing the same as us a making use of the dry conditions; Eventually after several "last goes" on everything we head to the supermarket to get some food.

When Lucy and myself got home I got with making some nice crispy ham rolls for everyone. They went down a dream with people having them either plain, with pickle and in my own case with some fine mustard. After lunch it was back to playing for Lucy as I gathered up the plates and did the dishes. Soon I was needed as part of one of her games and gladly joined in. I was keen as always to make the most of having her at home.

As we got to the middle of the afternoon the weather had improved quite a bit so it was off out to the park again, but this time leaving our coats at home. The sun was shining and at least it was warm out. We head once more in to Oakham to the main park there complete with Lucy scooter which she insisted on taking. Once again we had a great time, and I think Lucy favourite was going down the small hill on the scooter after getting me to say "ready, steady, go".

When we got home I got on with dinner and Lucy went off to play with whoever she could find. I love the way she just adores and looks up to her sisters and looks forward to seeing them so much. With dinner out of the way I could join in their games until finally it was time for Lucy to go off to bed. As always after her stories, cuddles and kisses not a peep was heard from her room and she entered the land of her dreams. Too be followed by her older sisters later in the evening as the sun finally set on the long day.

It was so good to get out after being stuck in for most of the day before because of the weather. It's bad enough be stuck in when it is the winter but given it is summer you feel you really should be able to get out and have some fun. I'm just glad we managed it today.