Ecoterrorists win the Day

With the results of the Rutland county council elections now in it seems there is no change in the running of the council. The ecoterrorists have one the day and the destruction of beautiful Rutland will continue unabated in the name of business and greed.

All we can expect form the new council is more of the same. The destruction of that which makes Rutland one of the most beautiful places in England by overdevelopment. Rutland is rural and should be proud of it. We should do all we can to preserve it for our children and their children. The result in the local elections is a big yes to developments like Hawksmead. This company will now have the mandate to go ahead with it's destruction of the countryside to the north west of Oakham. We already know the council are withholding information about this development so it is clear they don't want us to know the truth.

But what choice did we have is the question? There were only two of the national parties standing in Rutland, even the two towns there were no Labour candidates. Nether of the two national parties had any form real green polices to protect the countryside from the developers. In fact the Conservatives are just a bunch of Ecoterrorists and the Lib Dem puppets are not much better. The Independents are alright but they need to organize themselves into some form of grouping and put there common message across. There is no reason they couldn't find a enough common ground to form a county based party. They must have more less broad views on education, transport, planning and what is good for Rutland without having a party type whip so they can remain independent.

For me the local elections were a waste of time. Nobody came and asked my view about anything. It is no wonder people are turned off from politics when even the local council candidates can't be bothered to ask you what you think. They are so out of touch with the things that matter to the people they represent because they are just to disinterested to ask them. Something needs to change before the next council elections in Rutland. We need people that will canvas our views and listen to us so they can't shape Rutland the way the people want it. We need people that love Rutland for what it is and keep it beautiful and to care about the people that live in one of the most lovely places in England.

Beautiful Friday

For a early morning that started out with a covering of high level cloud the day turned out to be lovely and sunny in the end with temperature in the low to mid twenties. It was really lovely outside and the best part about the weather it was nice just when I needed it in the afternoon.

Emily was up first and got herself off to Charlie's before I even got up. When I got up Catherine was just getting out of bed and I went downstairs to make a coffee. It was lovely chatting with Catherine before she went to school. It is a busy time for at the moments with all her end of year tests coming up. She seems alright about them but all the same it must be hard for them not to feel the pressure. 

By twenty to nine the house went quite once Catherine was gone. I settled down to check a blog entry and post it before reading the news and catching on on the events of the elections yesterday. With that all done there was little else to do with the morning other than potter about. It was just one of the lazy times when you feel you should be doing something but you can think what it is. Probably marking in my case but that could wait a little longer. There isn't that much to do.

Just before noon I headed out to Oakham to pick up Lucy. It was lovely to see her and I loved the cuddle I always get. She had a top on today I hadn't seen her in before and she looked lovely all dressed for summer. As we walked to the car we chatted away and soon we were all driving to the supermarket to get some food lunch and dinner.

When I got home I got on with lunch will Lucy played in the family room. Given the weather weather it was just sandwiches. It seemed pointless cooking in such heat and just making the house warmer than it already was. It also meant I could save time so their was more I could do with Lucy in the afternoon, which after, last time she was here was a big plus. I didn't want to feel I was wasting the time I have when she is here.

After about an hour of so of playing in the house with her, I headed out to the village with Lucy. We started by heading towards the church via the villages pubs. It was just as we got  onto the road that leads to the church we met a almost black cat. At first I thought it was Emily, who lives near us, but later I realised that she is completely black. Lucy loved the cat. It was so friendly. She kept stroking it and it kept coming back for more. I think she would have loved to have taken it on a walk with us and probably would have taken it home at the end if she could.

After saying goodbye to the cat we continued on our way, this time stopping at the church. When we got inside the firsts thing she asked was what was in the chest that is just inside the door. I explained the chest was once used to hold all the important papers in the church, but now they keep them somewhere else. The next thing she wanted to see was the priest hole. I think she is fascinated because there is a stair that goes nowhere. As always we ended up at the piano and played that for a while before we discovered the children's toys at the back of the church. In all the times we had been there we had never noticed the drawers full of toys. She took out one of the books and she was soon counting ladybirds before we left can continued on our way.

From the church we followed the path down past the pumping station down towards the road to the park. Last time we walked down there we found a cockerel, but today he wasn't any where to be seen. All the same Lucy remembered seeing him last time. I was quite impressed. We had a lovely time chatting as we walked with Lucy in her hat. The weather was beautiful.

When we got to the park she headed straight off to the rope bridge. She doesn't need a hand getting on the bridge any more. Although she can't climb up to the start she can get on to the bridge itself and promptly went up to the beginning so she complete the whole bridge. Her confidence continues to build every time she goes to the park. Soon she was on the slide whizzing up and down as always and just generally have fun in the park with all there is to do and making up imaginative games along the way.

It was while she was on the slide that Catherine turned up after school. I can't explain the welcome she got from Lucy. Lucy just ran at her with her arms wide open and when she got to her managed to knock her to the ground and fall on top of her. They were both so happy to see each other and instantly went off to play together and left me sitting under a tree in the shade. I watched as Catherine and Lucy took turns in being buried under the grass cuttings. In fact they were having so much fun I told Catherine to bring her back for dinner and I returned home on my own to cook.

For dinner I cooked a mini roast dinner. Chicken portions, roast potatoes, various vegetables and stuffing. With the house being all but empty at the weekend the plan was to make the most of having a meal together even if there wasn't time for a full blown roast. While I was cooking Emily returned home from Oakham after being with her friends to be followed by Catherine and Lucy. Lucy had with her a little bunch of flowers she had picked for me. She loves giving flowers and it wasn't the first time she has brought some home with her when she has been out with her sisters. I put them in some water and finished dishing up and we all sat down to eat together. 

After dinner Emily and Catherine and Lucy settled down to watch television in the family room together, but soon it was time to get Lucy ready to take her back to Oakham. She wasn't ready to leave but in the end I managed to get her out of the door and we chatted as we drove back, with me extracting a promise for her to be good for her mummy. After a kiss and a really big cuddle Lucy was gone and I was heading back to the village to pick up Emily and Catherine and take them off to see their mum. It was a lovely drive and a beautiful sunset to end the day.

The weather has been glorious and the day wonderful. I didn't want it to end. I have had a lovely time with Lucy and in the park and it was great to have them altogether. It is days like this that are a pleasure. It makes the place feel like a home. I can't wait to for next weekend. I just hope we have lovely weather.

Lib Dem Massacre

"Lib Dem massacre" was one of the Headlines used this morning to describe what has happened to the Liberal Democrats vote across the country in last nights elections. To be honest it was what I expected and a lot of other people that have voted Lib Dem were preparing themselves for. It is what the party deserved after what they have done on education and what they are about to do to the NHS while in power with the Conservative Party.

This is the price you pay for lying. You just can't lie to people in politics or personally. There is no way get to away with it. The Lib Dem party found this out the hard way last night. It wasn't just floating voters drifting back to Labour that caused the problem for them it was core voters staying away from the polls and others voting to punish them nationally. How they regain those voters and get the core vote out come the next election is going to be a big question they have to answer. Once you have lost the trust of people getting it back is the hardest thing to do in the world and that is what they need to do now.

[photo credit: www.fotopedia.com]

Local Elections

It is local election time again. As you will know I'm not to happy with the choice of candidates that have been presented to me. What make it even worse is they couldn't be bothered to come round and seek my opinion. Not a single candidate or canvasser has bothered knocking on my door. It is no wonder the public can't be bothered with them any more or in voting. 

Nothing has change the way I plan to vote. The are both not worth voting for but I want to register my protest and the only way I can think of that is by spoiling my ballot paper later in the day. As for the referendum on the AV system that one is simple, I have been a supporter of proportional representation so I have to vote yes to be true to my beliefs that we need a better voting system in this country gives a better representation of peoples votes.

Rediscovered

It funny what turns up when you least expect it. Things you thought you didn't have or were thrown away. This is what happened when we discovered Lucy's first Birthday cards.

It was lovely to see them again and now they are found we can keep them safe for when she is older. The will be a small reminder of another time for her. I hope she likes them and keeps them safe.