Syria and Russia

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35809087 .

I am no expert on Middle East politics but this move by Russia surprised us all. They still keep their bases in the region, but I think no-one (except maybe the US military?) was expecting this. Does it make peace in the country more (or less) possible? I only hope that all players work towards a peaceful and fair outcome for all in this war-torn land. The people of Syria have suffered too much.

Disappearing Patio

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35800866 .

Thank goodness no-one was sitting on this patio when it disappeared into a 300 foot mine shaft!

U3AC

Mondays this term I have been attending a University of the Third Age course in Cambridge. I go into, and out of, Cambridge on the bus using my bus pass. As I usually have some time after the course, I get a bite to eat in different places in the city. At the moment my favorite is Le Patissier, opposite St John's college. This is a small place but prices are reasonable and I have found the service very good.

Spring

The Met Office (our UK weather bureau) treats the start of spring as March 1st. Well, there was no doubt that here it is now spring. Today I cut the back lawn for the first time since the autumn. It was a day of b's: bench, beer (on the garden bench after doing the lawn), buzzard (overhead), bees, butterflies, blooms and blossom. Today really felt like a spring day. We have had a mild, wet winter but it has seemed endless. Today, the garden was calling.

Oh to be in England now that spring is here.

Honestly, there were times when I thought I would not see this spring.

Stroke update

It is hard to see any improvements now 2.5 years after my cerebellum brain bleed. If improvements are occurring then they are so small they are not noticeable. I still feel giddy on my feet and I still feel sick most of the time. My liquid swallow is still poor as is my voice. I still get exhausted very quickly. If any improvements now come, they are a bonus, but I guess I have to adapt to life as it is now, much though I would like my "old" self back.

Jews - why do people (historically) hate them?

I have great respect for all people whether they are Jew, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or whatever. But, I must relate an incident yesterday.

We were in NE London and my wife was taking a very innocent photo of a squirrel up a tree. We happened to be outside a synagogue. A Jewish man, driving a car, stopped us and asked us to stop taking photos. My wife was very angry. Clearly the person was fearing we were taking photos with a view to attacking the synagogue. Nothing could have been further from our minds.

If any race in the UK wants to minimise risks they should blend into our culture and not try to be a race apart: NE London is full of Hassidic Jewish people in their unique dress. In 15 minutes of trying, I managed to get 2 Jews to acknowledge my existence. They prefer to live separate lives. No, the Jewish community is its own worst enemy sadly.

One of my good friends is Jewish. In my illness she has been kindness itself.

By the way I managed to shake hands with the man. Shalom my friend.

London Grandchildren

We have just returned from a few days in London looking after 2 of
our grandchildren whilst their mum and dad had a short break. This is me with them in their lounge on their settee. The second photo shows our granddaughter painting.

Parakeets in the wild

We have been "grandchildren sitting" in Stoke Newington, London, but are back home today.  See previous post.

 

One difference is hearing parakeets first thing in the morning. There are lots of these in nearby Springfield Park. I see these Australian birds have now reached Plymouth. They are becoming naturalised and spreading widely. At one time these escaped cage birds would have been rare indeed here in the UK.

It is hard to believe that collared doves first appeared in the UK in 1955. Little egrets were virtually unknown in the UK before the late 1980s and now they are all over the place.

There are different species of parakeets, but I think those spreading are from the same core stock, but this may not be the case: several escapees may have survived and bread in the wild in the UK.

 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parakeet .

Grandchildren sitting

For the last few days and nights, we have been in Stoke Newington in NE London looking after our young grandchildren. This has included getting them to school on time. Their parents were away in Brussels.

FTSE 100 - are we living in the real world?

The FTSE 100 ended the day up 0.34%. I am still expecting large falls but so far this has not happened. Sentiment is pushing it higher but reality should push it well down.

I can't help thinking we are living in a parallel universe where reality does not apply.

With all the debt and uncertainty in the world, I think those who invest in the companies listed in the FTSE 100 are living their lives with their eyes and ears closed. At some point, reality will set in and the brown stuff will hit the fan big time and all hell will let loose. At some point, the world faces a MASSIVE re-adjustment and no-one will be immune.

Growth cannot continue in a world with limited resources. Also, living on debt cannot go on for ever. When interest rates are very low it may make sense, but what happens when these rise? China is a real danger and so apparently is Japan.

Mark Carney - leaving EU would be biggest domestic risk

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35751919 .

It seems a bit suspicious that the banks and big business want us to vote IN. At the moment I am in favour of IN, but I could well be persuaded otherwise if the facts are clearly presented without the spin.

Broadband

Just had a free upgrade on broadband from Virgin Media on their cheapest package. Pleased. It was even faster when I tried it earlier - and this is over a wi-fi connection for the last bit.

Jordanian refugee camp - enormous

The size of this is truly staggering.

See https://www.facebook.com/bbcshorts/videos/1140808579272340/ .

FTSE 100 - the rough ride continues

At the moment the UK share index is down 0.77%, although it is trying to come back. Further falls are likely as there is so much uncertainty about.

UPDATE 1622z:  At the moment it stands at down 0.99% but it was lower.

Pacers: UK trains that should have gone long ago

According to the BBC website, these diesel trains were stop-gap and should have been replaced long ago.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35725299.

The image below is located on the BBC site and NOT on this blog.

Visible Northern Lights

This image is on the BBC site and NOT this blog.

There were good views of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) over much of the UK last night, although I was in bed and missed it all.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35741589 .

Record highs?

http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.co.uk/

Two of my blogs are heading towards record highs for daily visits. OK, I have put a few more posts than normal on, but I am at a loss to explain quite why there have been so many visits today. My posts are a complete mixture.

The photo shows the latest post on one of these.

Dressing up

This is a recent photo of our granddaughters at our bungalow. They love dressing up. Is this a "girlie" thing?

The costume belongs to the elder granddaughter but she was quite happy for her cousin to wear it.

They both have elder brothers they adore.

Biscuit shortage?

Sorry, but I had not even noticed that we are supposed to have a shortage of biscuits on the shelves of UK shops as a result of floods in Cumbria. Perhaps we don't buy that many.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-35696027 .

Migrants (Refugees)

See https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sophie-besse-bus?utm_campaign=20160229_66903&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget .

The migrant crisis in Europe is a real headache. The only viable long-term solution is a fair and just peace in Syria plus fairness and peace in other countries. As I write, the ceasefire in Syria is largely holding.

In the meantime, some continue to try to make life bearable for these poor people, many of whom have left everything in their bid for peace. The link shows an example of practical help on the ground.

No, no-one chooses to uproot everything and live/walk in harsh and dangerous conditions unless there is little hope left. Most of these people are truly desperate people, true refugees in need of our help.

Our son turns 40

It is hard to believe our elder son is 40 this week. Our other son is 2 years younger. This weekend the whole family came up and we all enjoyed a meal out. The photo shows our elder son with all our little grandchildren about to share in a cake in our kitchen.

Our mortality

This has been mentioned here before. 

Currently I am 67.  As we get older, I guess we think of mortality more and more. With not having been well for 2.5 years I guess you think about this even more, knowing that it is likely you will die before too long. It could be next week or it could be in 30 years. It comes to us all.

No-one really knows what happens. Maybe it is just to dust that we turn, even though most religions talk of an afterlife. We knew nothing of before we were born so would nothingness matter?

I guess no good is done by worrying about this. It all depends on individual consciousness. Does anything exist after our bodies turn to dust? What is the nature of that thing we call the mind? One thing is certain, we have small brains and the mysteries of life are great and mostly beyond our understanding.

Life after death? Honestly I think  no-one knows.

More FTSE 100 shares - Friday March 4th

After an early climb, the FTSE 100 share index has been pretty stable all morning. It is currently up 0.52% and been around this level most of the morning.  Sentiment is wishing it higher whereas in the real world it should be much lower.

FTSE 100 UK share index

It is currently 1114z and the UK share index, the FTSE 100, is up by 0.40% on the day after a shaky start. It could still tumble later.  At its peak, early last year, it was over 7100.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/markets/europe/lse_ukx.

UPDATE 1354z:  Currently the FTSE 100 share index is down 0.22% on yesterday.

UPDATE 1615z:  The FTSE 100 is down 0.25% but climbing.

A picture a day

For some years now my wife and I have done a photo a day as a record of our daily lives. I stopped when I was ill and started again in Jan 2015. It is interesting to see what we did. Unlike some, who go for very "arty" pictures, mine is just a record of ordinary daily life. If you pay $19 annually you can have more albums and private viewing. It is great fun to look back. When people say, "we last came to see you in June" you can say, "actually you came on May 27th" or similar.

See http://365project.org/ .

Growth?

Yet again the FTSE 100 UK share index is up on yesterday at 6163.97 when I last looked.  It rose sharply earlier, but has been falling for a while. I guess it could go negative later. 

With so much uncertainty I think it will fall sharply soon, although I am frequently wrong! In this case, I very much hope I am proved wrong. Looking at China and Greece I somehow think that emotion rather than reality is driving the markets at present. 

Sooner rather than later the world will wake up to several facts:

1. Growth cannot go on for ever with limited resources.
2. Oil will run out.
3. The population has yet to peak in the world.
4. All the world needs feeding
5. All the world deserves a decent standard of living.

China

This came to me via Steve G1KQH:-

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQNurSUNNs0 .

Any slowdown in China matters to the West.

FTSE 100

It is now 1238z and the FTSE 100 UK share index stands at 6143.2 which is up 0.73%. With all that is happening in China, I was half expecting a dramatic fall. It seems the stock market wants a recovery, whereas world events are pulling the other way. I reckon we will see dramatic falls before things start  to recover. The world will move away from China, much as they did with Japan. China will become too expensive.

"We ain't seen nothing yet", as the famous phrase went.

Kingsbridge Passageways

 I spent about 10 years living in Kingsbridge, Devon. It has some famous "backways".

See http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3ArQmow_WwQ5wJ%3Au3asites.org.uk%2Ffiles%2Fk%2Fkingsbridgeestuary%2Fdocs%2Fkingsbridgepassageways.pdf+&cd=25&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

Morrisons via Amazon

Morrisons is signing a deal to sell its food via Amazon in the UK. Does this spell the beginning of the end of the high street as we knew it?  I have to confess to buying quite a few things via Amazon, but never food.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35684829  .

Nostalgia

See https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15047843/SWintervalsigs.mp3 .

Long before the internet and multi-channel TV many of us listened to the world on shortwave radios. This is a recording of the interval and announcement signals of long ago. Most are long gone now. For those of you that recall these, happy memories!

Chippenham Park, Cambs

This afternoon the sun was shining and we fancied a different walk, so we visited Chippenham Park (sometimes called Hare Park), at Chippenham, Cambs. This is a private property but it is open to the public on certain days. The spring flowers were out. Kings Edward VII and George V came here for shooting parties in the early 1900s.

Don't confuse this with Chippenham in Wiltshire. This park is surrounded by a wall that would have cost a small fortune when it was built centuries ago. The wall is many miles long.

Shaking off a cold

I have had a cold for a week now. Last weekend I was rough with it and felt really under the weather. A week later, although I no longer feel unwell, I still have a runny nose. It is taking longer to shake off the symptoms. It is some years since I last recall having a classic cold.

Son visit

Our son Tim came to see us this afternoon. As usual, he was only able to stay a few hours but we always appreciate visits by our boys. In years gone by he came up from London with one of our granddaughters, but she is at school now.

Stroke after-effect

I  have mentioned this before, but I seem far slower at noticing errors than in the past.  As an example I used the Roman phrase caveat emptor on one of my blogs yesterday.  Only a day later when this appeared on AmateurRadio.com did I notice that I had the wrong spelling caveat emtor.  On my amateur radio blog I have corrected the mistake, but I had not seen it! Sometimes it is a keying error, but I should have noticed this. The error has also been corrected on the Amateur Radio.com site.

Helping children of war torn lands?

Mixed views. I do not like unrestricted EU access into the UK and firmly believe it is up to the UK to decide who can live and work here.

At the same time I feel so sorry for the true refugees who have fled war and conflict who wish to come to the UK for a peaceful life. Some of these people are really desperate. 

In all conflicts it is the children who suffer the most. One woman is trying to make life in Calais just a little better for some children.  She is trying to raise money to buy a double-decker bus to convert.

If you would like to help just a little see https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sophie-besse-bus?comment_id=1325867307439276&fb_comment_id=1324719837554023_1325867307439276#f30de133eed222e

Whatever your views, the little ones are the innocent victims. Life can be cruel and hard. You could help just a little?

Continuing stroke after-effects

One of the post stroke effects I think I have mentioned before is driving the car.  I have done some quite longish drives in the last year but my brain "feels" like I am going faster than I am. To me, 40mph feels like 50mph and 50mph feels like 60mph. So, I drive at slower speeds than I did.  I have no idea why this should be so.  I assume this is to do with the way my brain is processing data.

Also, time seems to be different. I take longer to do things and yet time seems to be going along faster - but this may just be me getting older!

Guided busway to St Ives

Today my wife and I took the guided busway up to St Ives, Cambridgeshire. With our bus passes the trip was free.  The sun shone and we ate out inexpensively in the cafe at the URC church which is in the heart of the town. Food, service and prices were excellent.  St Ives is on the River Great Ouse and has some fine buildings.

Friends Day

We had friends visit us this morning and this afternoon we called on local friends for afternoon tea to help celebrate a birthday. Altogether a lovely day in the winter sunshine.

Tomorrow, we may venture further afield. The weather forecast looks good.

Cambridge U3AC day

On Mondays I go into Cambridge on the bus for my University of the Third Age course. As I have an hour to kill after the course, I usually grab a bite to eat choosing different places most weeks. This week, I tried one place, which was busy, and ended up getting the £3 lunch deal (filled roll and drink) which was very good value at Subway. Sadly, because of my poor voice, the assistant treated me as if I was simple-minded: she spoke very slowly as if I was stupid. I found this very frustrating, but for many it must be far worse.  Never, ever, assume someone is stupid just because they have a disability.

Long weekend in Canterbury

My wife and I were down in Kent, just outside Canterbury, visiting our son and his family including 2 of our young grandchildren. So I have not blogged for a few days. Sorry, but family comes first. The photo shows my wife and grandson. Canterbury Cathedral, where he was Christened, is in the background.

Winter so far

Apart from a brief snow shower a few days ago when we had a little snow on the ground, we have had a very mild winter so far. Most spring flowers, and blossom, are out early. We even saw a few daffodils out in late November, which is very early for here.

It would not surprise me if some of the bird migrants arrive back earlier than usual unless we suddenly get a very cold spell. As they say, "n'er cast a clout 'til the May is out". March could be extremely cold.

FTSE 100 - sliding?

At lunchtime, the FTSE 100 UK share index is down 0.38%. It was higher, but still negative on the day.

We should expect it to gradually slide in the months ahead as investors are still nervous about Greece, the EU, China and the world economy at large. It always bounces back, although this could take years. My expectations this year? I think it will fall to around 5000 then bounce back to 6500. Of course I am only guessing and it could end up between 4000 and 7000.

Kia diesel issues?

Just (a few days ago) received this from EMG in Cambridge. I wonder if Kia also needs to quietly update its software? This is the first time I heard about this. Suspicious or a genuine product enhancement?

Dear Mr xxxxx

Service Action notice

We have been advised that a product enhancement is available for your car, xxyyyzzz.  It is important that these improvements are applied and we have been requested by Kia Motors to do so.

As your Kia dealer we like to take care of our customer’s cars.  We believe in Family-Like Care, and that extends from our service to you and to the care we give your car. 

While your car is in our care we will complete a comprehensive Vehicle Health Check to make sure that it is in the best condition possible and will advise you of any actions required. 

We can provide collection and delivery at your home or workplace and we can also arrange alternative transport if required.  You are also welcome to wait in our customer area; we’ll make sure we don’t keep you waiting any longer than we need to. Just let us know what suits you best.

Remember that if repairs are needed we will always use genuine parts from Kia, which are covered by a 2-year warranty and the correct specifications of the latest lubricants.  Our technicians are trained by the Kia Academy and use Kia specialist tools.  At the same time we will use the Kia Global Diagnostic System to make sure the latest updates from Kia are applied to your car.

Please get in touch with us on 01223 478478 to arrange a convenient appointment.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Yours sincerely

Grandchildren in Paris

This afternoon both sets of grandchildren are in Paris. The "Kent" ones are just there for a few days holiday and the "London" ones are there visiting their grandparents. Both sets went by Eurostar train. The picture shows the "London" ones on the train with their mum.

Centre of London to centre of Paris by direct train in about 2.5  hours. Wonderful.

Snow

We had our first real snow of the winter briefly this morning. It was on the ground, but soon went. Our "London" grandchildren thought it was magical and enjoyed eating the snow, having a snowball fight and making a very small snowman. Like childhood itself, the snow was soon gone.

Walk in the cold

At this time of year we go for a walk at nearby Landwade to see the daffodils, snowdrops and aconites. This year, everything is early. It was a cold and dry day with a strong east wind. The temperature was 3 degrees C, though it felt much colder. We went with our "London" grandchildren.

Gravitational Waves

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35553549 .

It amazes me how some astronomical experiments are done. Some work require mS timing and staggering distances. Often, the co-operation of researchers scattered across the planet is needed. The hunt for gravitational waves is no exception.

Skyscape

This afternoon we enjoyed a walk at Ickworth, a lovely National Trust property near Bury St Edmunds. It is about 20 miles from home. The sky was mostly sunny, but it occasionally popped behind the clouds. It was about 7 deg C.  We saw some tree creepers (birds).

USA Presidental Elections

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35538361

The people of the USA continue to trouble me.

If it was just the USA that mattered, then I could not care less, but the leader of the USA has his hands on the nuclear trigger and will be key to so much in the world. Is a rich billionaire really who many in the USA want as their leader?

I have no wish to get embroiled in a debate over the US presidential elections, but if a large number of Americans think their best interests are served by a rich billionaire then this says a lot about American society as a whole.

I am not advocating any candidate or any party, but this vote matters for the whole fragile planet we share. All I ask is that every single person in the USA thinks very carefully.