Moulton Packhorse Inn

We ate lunch with our son (pity the other one wasn't there too) at the Packhorse Inn in Moulton near Newmarket. The food was very good and it was very busy, which is always a good sign. This is our third visit. This medieval packhorse bridge is just a few metres away.

Our rear garden in early spring

Rear garden in early spring

This was our rear garden taken this morning. In a few weeks time all the blossom will be out. In the distance, in our neighbour's garden is an apple and plum orchard.

Frog (I think)

When it comes to frogs and toads, I am no expert. We'd not seen one in the garden since last summer, so it was good to see this chap today.

FTSE 100

After an early fall, the UK share index is recovering. As I write it is just in positive territory.

Pasties

We bought some meat from Waitrose on a "3 for £10" deal, which was good meat at very good prices. As there is some beef left over from the stew at lunch today, the plan is to make some homemade pasties for lunch tomorrow.  My wife will do the pastry and I'll do the rest. I love pasties!

Quy

Today we did a walk at Quy, knowing that nearby Anglesey Abbey (National Trust) would be quite busy at the weekends. On this walk we saw very few people, but quite a few birds including 2 little egrets and 1 buzzard overhead. We heard a couple of green woodpeckers and saw mute swans, tits, a coot and several mallard ducks.

Getting ready for summer?

As we walked past today, it looks like the Burwell cricket team was getting ready for the new season.


The Tan House is the biggest house in the village and was once the home of Francis Pimm who was at one time Foreign Secretary in the government.

FTSE 100 roller coaster

After rising earlier, the FTSE 100 UK share index ended the day down 0.19%.

Dull, wet winter

We have had a mild, wet winter here in East Anglia, UK. There have been more muddy, wet puddles than I can ever recall. I have lived in this part of the UK since 1970.  They were forecasting a very cold winter. Mind you, they said this last year! At some point they will be correct. Most spring flowers came out very early.

It re-enforces my view that the most reliable forecast is to look out of the window! We had rain last night, but I don't think it was forecast.

Ickworth (National Trust) walk.

As members of the National Trust, we are very lucky to have several properties with fine grounds nearby.  Today, as the sun was shining, we went to Ickworth not far from Bury St Edmunds. Although there were lots of lambs, the daffodils are still not out, in the main. A few are, but most are still in bud. All the NT places nearby are very different. We also made use of our free "tea for 2" voucher which came with a card.

Summer bird migrants arriving

The wheatears have started arriving back in Devon and soon it will be martins and swallows. The long winter will soon be behind us.

See http://www.devonbirds.org/news/bird_news/devon_bird_sightings .

The image below is not on this site but at the link below. You may have to wait for it to load. The link to the image will be removed if a problem.
http://www.devonbirds.org/images/library/dbn/public/stoke_point_male_wheatear_10617_0.jpg.

FTSE 100 on a roller coaster ride

The roller coaster ride continues. Presently, the FTSE 100 UK share index is up 0.35%.  It was higher still.

This is budget day in the UK so a lot can change later. I am still expecting big falls once the punters wake up in the real world with all its problems.

I would not be surprised to see the FTSE 100 at 5000 rather than around 6161. It will recover later, but we have uncertainty ahead.

FTSE 100 UK share index

At the moment, the FTSE is down on yesterday.  I am not too surprised, although as I speak it is trying to come back.

UPDATE 1124z:  Currently it is down 0.59% on yesterday.

UPDATE 2300z:  The FTSE 100 index ended the day down 0.56% on yesterday.  It fell a lot then hovered around at this lower level most of the day.

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!