President Obama and the EU referendum

In the UK referendum I am likely to vote "IN" to remain in the EU but I get saddened by all the negativity and "spin" on both sides in this debate. The intervention by the current US president Obama does little good.

We have not had a trade deal with the US before and who is likely to benefit? Well, the USA of course.

Mr Obama, your intervention, although possibly well meant, is probably going to encourage people to vote "OUT".

It is fine to have an opinion (like I am amazed by the support in the USA for Mr Trump) but if you were in the EU Mr President you would not want the centralism in Brussels.  The EU needs to change and the UK is better in there shaping it in my view.

Your intervention is likely to backfire Mr Obama and is not helpful I am afraid.

UPDATE 2200z:  President Obama is quoted as having said that a trade deal with the USA could take "up to 10 years if we left the EU". Should we be voting to leave then?

Britain and the EU

Just watched the second Nick Robinson BBC2 programme about Britain and the EU. Some decent information in this series. If you are looking for real information,and NOT spin, I suggest you watch this on iPlayer or Catch-up if you can.

Trains talk

Just been to an excellent talk at Burwell Museum on "Railways in Burwell" by Steve Crane. It was well attended.

More talks - see the Museum's website at http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/ .

FTSE 100

At the moment the UK share index the FTSE 100 is down 0.46%.  There is plenty of time for it to fall further or recover.

Burwell Museum Talk Today

See http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/ .

Thursday 21 April 2.00 
Steve Crane, Burwell Museum’s Collection Manager 
"Railways in Burwell".
 
Talks are followed by tea and biscuits.   Free with museum admission. No admission charge for season ticket holders, Friends and museum volunteers.

Oxborough Hall

Today we visited Oxborough Hall in Norfolk. This is a splendid moated Tudor house owned by the National Trust. The Bedingfield family has lived here for 500 years.

We ate at Hingham in a small cafe where we had been before.  Hingham is where Abraham Lincoln's ancestors came from. It is between Norwich and Watton. It is a lovely place.

See http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-hall
See http://www.lincolns-of-hingham.co.uk/

Swallows - at last

Yesterday, I was questioning if the number of swallows returning on migration was down as I had seen none so far in East Anglia, although there are daily sightings in Devon.

Well, today I saw 2 in Norfolk. By this time in April I have usually seen several, but not this year. I am sure numbers are down. At least I have now seen some.

Fewer Swallows?

Usually by this time I have seen quite a few swallows here in East Anglia, UK. They migrate from deep in Africa and I usually see them here from April 7th. In South Devon they are usually arriving by the beginning of April.

Swallow (Barn Swallow)

I know there are swallows around in Devon - they appear every day in the reports - but I am surprised not to have seen any up here yet. I may have seen one last week at Felixstowe Ferry but I was not certain. I definitely saw a house martin.

So, I am beginning to wonder if there are fewer swallows about this year as by now I would be seeing them quite commonly on telegraph wires. Of course, it could just be that I have been unlucky.

Swallows usually fly south from mid-September. They take a long and hazardous trip twice each year. Their forefathers have been doing this for thousands of years. I hope they still do long after I am gone. It is quite humbling really.

See http://www.rspb.org.uk/…/discover…/birdguide/name/s/swallow/ .

BBC's weak attempts at regional accents

At 1200-1215pm local time BBC Radio 4 has a series looking back 100 years to ordinary people in WW1.

Call me a grumpy old man, but I get appalled by the BBC's weak attempts at local regional accents. It really grates on me. It is not just the BBC. Why can't they get rural accents right? You can always tell a BBC Radio 4 drama a mile off! I guess they assume most listeners won't notice or care.

I watched the film "Warhorse" . It was appalling: a Dartmoor, Devon village was actually filmed in Wiltshire I think. It looked nothing like Devon. The Devon accents were very very bad. No excuses: they spend millions making these films and need to get the basics right.

No, get the accents right please!

Front Garden in Spring

This is a photo of our front garden yesterday. The windmill is in view on the right. Spring has nearly sprung: all the trees are now starting to look green or are in bud. Mind you, we still had a frost on Sunday morning.

Spring sunshine

Today started with a frost and ice on the car roof, but it has been sunny all day. The garden is still not in its "spring glory" yet, but it soon will be. There are buds or leaves appearing everywhere at last.

I like the lighter evenings too. It does not get dark here now until after 8pm. In June it is light until after 10pm.

Soon be time to hear swifts screaming in the evening sky. Great.

EU referendum

There is a poor quality debate on this matter. We vote on whether or not to remain in the EU in less than 10 weeks but the quality of the arguments is very poor.

The UK has looked towards the EU as a common market and never with a view to a political union. Many in Europe see it as a way to keep peace in Europe. At the moment I am still inclined to vote "IN" but the politicians here are certainly not winning hearts and minds on either side.

The debate needs to be more positive! All I hear are fear and uncertainty.

Late spring?

A few months ago everything seemed to be early. We have seen daffodils in flower right through from late November. Some places have loads of daffodils in flower and even some snowdrops still. Yet, if anything, spring is late here. It is now way in to April but I have yet to see a swallow in this area.  My laurel hedge is hardly growing. The grass has only been cut a few times. Odd. Yes there  are buds coming out, but spring is definitely not early here.

That EU referendum again

It is now 10 weeks until people in the UK hold a referendum to decide whether or not to stay in the EU. At the moment I am voting "IN" but I have been appalled by the campaigns so far. What comes across are fear and uncertainty. No-one seems to have anything positive to say! I hope this changes.

FTSE 100 and the world economy

At the moment the UK share index, the FTSE 100, is down about 0.48% today, no doubt spooked by Chinese growth slowing. The world economy is not that healthy and we could well be heading for another downturn. If the end result is a fairer world this would not be a bad thing.

EU referendum

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36024492

As a "floating voter" in the coming EU referendum I am not impressed by the £9M government publication going to each home and the negativity of the "IN" campaign.

Surely if staying in is a good thing, there are positive messages, not just more negative comments, that can be shared? My instinct is to vote "IN" but I may well change my mind.

I have a brain and intend to use it. I need to hear positive reasons to stay in the EU. All this negativity is counter-productive.

Innocent until proved guilty?

A recent case has arisen in which a man found guilty of a serious crime has professed his innocence  to a number of other charges. Mud sticks and innocent people get tarred even when they are innocent. Personally, I think no-one should be named until they are proved guilty of any crime. The law is an arse if innocent people are found guilty by the mob.

Alibris

Each and every week I get an email from Alibris with so much off for a very limited time. Do they think I really am stupid?

These offers are so often and so regular that I doubt anyone buys from them at the un-discounted prices. I hate these ploys. It is years since I have used them.

Their sad marketing tricks do not impress me one bit.

UPDATE 14.4.16 1050z: Yet another amazing "deal" has come in by email. Oh yes.

FTSE 100 - little change?

At lunch the FTSE 100 UK share index was down 0.09% at 6194.5. At the moment it is hovering around yesterday's closing figure.

Alibris amusement

Each and every week I get an email from Alibris with so much off for a very limited time. Do they think I really am stupid? These offers are so often and so regular that I doubt anyone buys from them at the un-discounted prices. I hate these ploys. It is years since I have used them. Their sad marketing tricks do not impress me one bit.

Wimpole

"It will be quiet today", said my wife. Famous last words!  Wimpole Hall (National  Trust) was heaving today! I have never seen it so busy. It was "Lambing Day" and most schools were still on holiday. We walked to Home Farm and then had a sandwich at the cafe near the entrance.

A decent walk for me and a surprise to see so many daffodils still in bloom. Lambs were in short supply though: there were lots at Ickworth a few weeks ago.

Church blog

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

The church blog has been updated to include the redundant St Peter's Church in Cambridge.

I have still to add a photo of the font.

Grandchildren

Our "London" grandchildren return to London this afternoon. We had the "Kent" grandchildren and their mum and dad the week before last and another visitor over Easter. These days, I enjoy them very much, but I get tired. After a few days and nights I am exhausted.

St Peter's Church, Cambridge

This redundant church in Cambridge was visited on Friday. It was open. It is located just north of the Folk Museum. I'll do a write-up for the church blog next week. Nice place - small but holy. It is a pity it is no longer in use.

Blog posts

To get to my blogs you may have to change the URL. See the following from Google:

Coming in late April!
All visitors will be able to view your Blogspot domain blogs over an encrypted connection by visiting https://<your-blog>.blogspot.com. Existing links and bookmarks to your blogs will continue to work. As part of this change, the HTTPS Availability setting will disappear, and your blogs will always have an HTTPS version.

CCS Concert in Cambridge last weekend

My wife's concert was last Saturday and she spent part of this morning erasing pencil marks from the many scores borrowed by inter library loan.

She now has a break until the autumn when they start rehearsals again for the 2017 concert which is Mendelssohn's Elijah.

FTSE 100 and Sepura

The UK share index was down 1.25% this morning.

Yesterday shares in my old  firm Sepura (SEPU) dived 40% following a profits warning. They seem to be roughly steady this morning. I thought that values in SEPU close to £2 were too good to last! Let us hope SEPU shares recover.  Sepura is a good investment as they have made profits every year since they listed. Their focus is secure digital communication, mainly for public safety, worldwide. Recently they acquired a competitor and entered the North American market, which is potentially huge.

More views of the Fen

Another collection of views of Redgrave and Lopham Fen, with our best man who left after breakfast yesterday (top LHS).

Lopham and Redgrave Fen, Suffolk

River Waveney

A few weeks ago a friend very kindly gave us a pack of "Easy Going Trails" in Suffolk. She thought I might like them. So far, we have done 3 of these.

Marsh Marigolds

Today we went to Redgrave and Lopham Fen which is located about 3 miles west of Diss. I have yet to work out how far I managed but we saw or heard lots of birds including snipe as well as seeing several Konig ponies and marsh marigolds. It was a round trip of 73 miles in the car. Although I enjoy the walks, I get very tired by the end.

Goodbye time

Our best man 45 years ago (we married in 1971) has left after a few days with us. He is a good friend and guest and we always pick up as if we saw each other just yesterday. He live 200 miles away and it is often 6 months or more since we last met.

Stroke

As many will be aware I suffered a stroke 2.5 years ago. I expected to make a full recovery, but it has not worked out that way. Even now, although people tell me how well I look, I still feel giddy most of my waking hours and I tire easily.  My voice is poor and I have trouble with drinks. My fine motor skills are not good. Basically, I have struggled with things that were easy in the past. I really miss just fiddling and building. Life is much harder.

UK Football

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/tables .

The English Premier League seems more to do with money these days with many players and managers from outside the UK. I can understand this but feel sure we have untapped talent. The lower leagues are less glamorous and get far less TV coverage.

When it comes to football I admit to being a "fireside fusilier" in that I'm gunner do this or that, but rarely go to a match. I follow the fortunes of Plymouth Argyle and my local team Cambridge United and check where they are in their League (League 2). At the moment Plymouth are doing quite well and have a chance of automatic promotion at the end of the season. Cambridge are also doing pretty well too.

UPDATE 1557z:  71 minutes in Argyle were 1:0 up. In the end they lost 2:1. Had they won, they would have had a very good chance of automatic promotion, but they threw it away.

CCS Concert in Cambridge Tonight

A final reminder that my wife's concert is at the Leys School, Cambridge at 7.30pm tonight, April 2nd 2016. The venue is a new one and tickets are available on the door if you don't already have any.

Thunder later?

At the moment it is lovely here with a clear blue sky. Not many hours ago, they were forecasting heavy rain and thunder for here later tonight. We will see.

April Fool

Although I quite enjoy the humour is some April Fool articles I am quite glad we are now April 2nd: any articles today are serious and could be true, whereas on April 1st one can never be quite sure.

Many of the great ideas turn out to be jokes if published on April 1st. All I can say is caveat emptor. It is quite common to be caught out with many serious replies to obviously spoofs. The trouble is you are often not quite sure.

In the past I have been taken in and sometimes good ideas are taken as spoofs.

Meal out

Cheese at The Packhorse Inn, Moulton, nr Newmarket

My wife and I with the medieval bridge behind

We have our Best Man (nearly 45 years ago!) staying with us and he treated us for lunch out today. We went to the Packhorse Inn at Moulton near Newmarket. Yet again the food and service were excellent. We have now been there 4 times and not once been disappointed. I can highly recommend this place, which we found by accident as the pub in the next village was closed. Judging by the numbers of people at lunchtime, this place is on the up.

Aldi Low Cost Mini Brench Grinder

See https://www.aldi.co.uk/mini-bench-grinder/p/069369016930200.

Steve Wigg (a radio friend) has just bought a mini bench grinder from Aldi for £26.99. This is only available in their stores and not online.

Aldi stores certainly have some low cost items, presumably made in China. At some point we will have to pay for these low prices.

FTSE 100 sliding?

I see that the UK share index, the FTSE 100, has fallen quite sharply this morning. The last time I looked it was 6093.16 down 1.32%.

UPDATE 1646z:  The index recovered somewhat during the day and ended up 0.47% down at 6146.05.

Nuclear waste and the fight against cancer - spin?

OK, I know I am becoming a grumpy old man but I was not impressed by the latest statements that the exchange of nuclear waste with the USA would benefit cancer sufferers. To me, this sounds like "spin" which we can well do without. You can almost hear the civil service man or minister saying, "we can make this sound a positive thing by dropping in the words "fight against cancer"".

Sorry, but we are not totally stupid! Stop treating us like idiots.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35930906 .

Going home time

Our "Kent" grandchildren and their mum and dad returned to their home near Canterbury today after a few days with us.

We have our next guest staying tomorrow for the weekend. Busy!

The photo shows me with the "Kent" grandchildren outside the windmill next to our home.

Stroke

One of the after-effects of my stroke 2.5  years ago is I get profoundly exhausted. Very little physical or mental activity and I am exhausted. As an example, our bird table blew over in the recent winds and fell apart. In years past fixing this would have been trivial but these days it has become a major job and by the end I was shattered. You cannot imagine how frustrating this is. My fine motor skills are still poor and ladder work is all but impossible. Life is much harder these days.

Windmill and Museum open

As it is a bank holiday here in the UK, our local museum and windmill in Burwell, Cambs are open.

There is an Easter Egg Hunt for the little ones, but there is loads here always to interest youngsters. Our grandchildren love it.

We can see the windmill and museum from our kitchen and lounge. Ours is the bungalow on the left in the photo. As you can see, we are very close!

See www.burwellmuseum.org.uk .

It is a very fine museum and windmill.

East Anglian Churches Blog

http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/
I updated the churches blog with our local church here in Burwell yesterday. It is a church designed by the same man (Reginald Ely) who the world famous Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. Tradition says he practiced on Kings College Chapel!

Winds

It has been very windy over much of the UK in the last 12 hours. It was worse in other parts than here although Storm Katie was enough to blow over our bird table and I notice quite a few fallen branches on the ground when I walked to our local co-op earlier.

The winds are subsiding as the storm slips into the North Sea, leaving behind sunny intervals and blustery showers. We have all the family here today.

BST (British Summer Time)

If you are in the UK did you remember to turn your clocks forward an hour last night? We lose an hour but get this back in the autumn when we go back to GMT. At least we get an extra hour of light in the evenings, which is good.

I not sure when BST first started (WW2?), but it is good idea. There was even thought of adopting BST all year around. I think clocks are also advanced in some European countries too, but I'm not sure if they move at the same date.

Red legged partridge

We frequently get these birds wandering around our close. There are also 3 Mallard ducks that appear regularly. Red legs now far outnumber ordinary partridges.

I think red legged partridges were introduced, but they are now widespread in the UK. Like several introduced species these have become widespread.

The pheasant was introduced but you find these all over the place. It is a pity these don't have more road sense!  Pheasants seem to wander across roads just as cars approach.

Spring?

There are probably another 6 weeks before we see the trees coated in fresh green, the blossom well out, and fields of yellow rape.

Swallow

Already the first sand martins are returning to Devon and there has even been a report of a returning swallow in Devon. It will probably be into April before I spot swallows up here in East Anglia. Usually I see my first swallows here April 7-14th. Swifts are not usually seen (by me at least!) until the end of April.




See  http://www.wildlifeindevon.org.uk/pages/sightings.htm .

These returning migrants bring joy to my heart: long after I am gone they will still be doing this journey as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. I admit there have been times when I never thought I'd see this spring.

Lackford Lakes

Before lunch we visited Lackford Lakes, a nature reserve not far from Newmarket. There were plenty of water birds plus we heard at least 2 chiffchaffs, which have probably just got back from Africa although some of these now over-winter in the UK.  Driving through Lackford there was a red kite overhead. We also saw a tree creeper in the reserve.

Stroke update - doctor's check up

Today I had to visit the doctor for my check-up. Blood pressure and chest were fine and my PSA levels were lower than in December and "no action is required". Overall, I still feel wobbly on my feet, thin liquids are hard work, my voice is poor and I still feel not as I was. Any improvements are hard to see. I guess this is how it is going to be now and I'd better learn to adapt.

Riverside walk

This morning we did a walk from Mildenhall to the village of Barton Mills and back to Mildenhall along the River Lark.  It was classic kingfisher country, although we saw none. Instead lots of mute swans, mallards and Canada Geese. A delightful walk and probably my longest walk since my stroke a few years ago.

Mildenhall is better known for its US airbase, which is closing. I am not sorry as I found this base very threatening. Mildenhall is actually a very pleasant Suffolk town with some fine buildings, church and museum. Barton Mills is a delightful village too.