Chicago tightrope walker - he must be mad!

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29875647.

All I can say is "rather him than me"! See the daring feat of this person in Chicago, USA.

Sepura shares

These lost some ground last month, but they seem to be recovering a bit.  The last time I looked they had risen to 137p a share.

Fossil fuels must be phased out

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29855884 .

Fossil fuels must be stopped by 2100 or we face the prospect of irreversible climate change according to the IPCC. We need global agreements FAST.

Will we leave the EU?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29874392 .

So Germany would rather see us leave the European Community than modify immigration rules. It now looks quite possible that, following a David Cameron referendum in 2017 (assuming he forms the next government) we could exit the EC/EU. We have always been "on the edge" in more than just the physical sense (as an island). I have no idea how this would impact the UK. We may end up better or worse as a result. For good reasons, the UK has never quite got on board "the European experiment". On this issue, I really have no idea how such a referendum would go.

Recent history might suggest we might be OK, but really no-one knows.

From the BBC website:

This is the first time that Mrs Merkel has acknowledged that the UK's exit from the EU is possible, Der Spiegel said.

According to the Sunday Times, Germany has already rejected a proposal to impose quotas on low-skilled EU migrants by limiting the national insurance numbers issued to them.

Der Spiegel reported that Mr Cameron was now looking at a plan to stretch the EU rules "to their limits" in order to ban migrants who do not have job, and to deport those who are unable to support themselves after three months.

On Sunday, Conservative MP and former justice secretary Kenneth Clarke defended EU migration.
"If you're going to have a sensible single market, if we want to compete with the Americans and the Chinese and so on and modern world, we need the free movement of labour," he told BBC's Sunday Politics.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The prime minister will do what is right for Britain, as he has repeatedly made clear."

The "new" Tides Reach Hotel, Salcombe, S.Devon

South Sands is about 2 miles out of Salcombe, S.Devon. There is currently a proposal to redevelop the Tides Reach Hotel located there at a cost of £13.5 million. If successful, the locals are hoping more jobs will be created for locals, but most hotel work attracts immigrant workers on minimum wages, shipped in from outside the area. It is very unlikely to provide many jobs for real locals.

To my mind, it looks a typical Spanish hotel like those found on the costas - grossly out of keeping with the surroundings. Salcombe is in danger of being developed in such a way that its unique identity will be forever lost.

If you want to see the proposals and comment see:
http://apps.southhams.gov.uk/planningsearch/default.aspx?shortid=41%2F2576%2F14%2FF 

I can see the hotel being converted to luxury apartments at a later date.

Baking

3 yr old baking cakes

This afternoon our "London" grandchildren arrived for a few days. My wife baked buns with them and then went to the windmill next door. It was a very successful and happy afternoon. After bath time playing "Snakes and Ladders" with a 3 year old was a lot more of a challenge.

"London" grandchildren.

Tomorrow we are having our "London" grandchildren to stay for a few nights They are 3 and nearly 7 years old. We love ALL our little ones. They are all unique.

NHS woes - yet again

All I wanted was written confirmation of my appointment to have my stomach PEG removed next Tuesday.  20 minutes on the phone, 3 foreign accents, no attempt at "ownership" of my issue before I eventually got a ward nurse who promised me the appointment was on and a letter was coming. I'll believe this when it comes.

Sorry, but this sort of rubbish behaviour is just not acceptable. In private industry we were told to own the customer's problem, seek out the answers, then ring back with the answers. The standard NHS response is to try to disown the problem, or so it would seem.

NHS communications is PATHETIC.

20 minutes on the phone and passed from pillar to post - I had to ring them 3 times -  when all I was asking for was the normal procedure of a letter to confirm what to do, where to go, date, what time etc. It took me all my power not to swear down the phone as I was so exasperated.

Let no-one say the NHS does not need reform! Fix the communications, give customers a better deal and save billions in waste.

They should have (a) sent me an appointment letter weeks ago, and (b) when they'd not, apologised , one single person should have understood my problem and dealt with it. Instead, I was left, yet again, in a state of exasperation. Multiply this 100 times over in a single day and you get some idea of the inefficiencies in their system.

Flyer in the post today

Christmas in October seems the flavour of the month.

Today our local farm shop and cafe (La Hogue) sent a flyer in the post with prices for Christmas meats and 20% discounts for their cafe in January and February 2015. WHY do we need this in OCTOBER?

They must be desperate.

Winter power cuts?

I wonder if we'll see power cuts this winter? Spare National Grid capacity is very low because of closures and other reasons. Some are saying the Jet Stream is moving and we are in for the cldest winter in 100 years.  See  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29794632 .

October - Christmas already?

Call me old fashioned, but Christmas is Dec 25th. It really annoyed me to see the windows of John Lewis in Cambridge decorated for Christmas and it is only October!!   Even more annoying was Scotsdales Garden Centre fully geared up for Christmas last week. It may well have been like this earlier.

All this smacks of one thing: commercialism.  I hate it.

Glasses

Our 5 year old grandson tried on my wife's reading glasses earlier this evening. They rather suit him! He looks a real little swot!

Sorry about the flash reflection in the glasses - I was never the world's best at photography.

Bantam Eggs

When I was very little we kept hens for many years. I am very pleased that one of our grandsons looks after the nine bantam hens at his school. Today his family all came to stay for a few days.

Our grandson brought 4 eggs so we can share these for breakfast. They are smaller than normal "shop" free-range eggs but I expect they will taste delicious.

He has even decorated the egg box, which I expect he will take home.

Lovely autumn day

This end of October in East Anglia has been beautiful. The trees are changing colour, the leaves are falling, clocks have changed and the nights are drawing in, but today we had beautiful sunshine and temperatures in the high teens Centigrade (high sixties Fahrenheit).  Tomorrow also promises to be a glorious day.

Not all parts of the UK have been so lucky.   North West Scotland has had about 8 inches of rain in just a few days.

Blog visits

For no good reason, this blog had had more visitors by breakfast time than it usually gets in a whole day.  We are on course to have far more visits than ever before. I don't think it can be the content. Perhaps this blog was featured somewhere?

Anyway, if this is your first time here, please pop back again soon. I try to add content most days and the subjects covered are usually varied. Feel free to add comments relevant to the posts.

SPAM will be deleted as soon as I spot it, so keep comments relevant please.

Immigration (yet again)

The news is full of this here in the UK.  The main issue is that we are powerless to stop mass immigration into the UK mainly from Eastern Europe because we are in the EC and must abide by its rules on free passage of people within the EC.  It is a fact that many Eastern Europeans make first class workers.

I don't have the answers, but feel each and every European country should be able to say who comes and who goes. Some people we need but there are already too many people on our small island. Our population is exploding yet we are powerless. Should we try to get the rules changed? Are we really powerless? Why exactly do so many want to move to the UK?

As climate change kicks in,we are likely to see lots more people from Southern Europe wishing to come here. The current influx is just the start. The way things are going, I suspect we'll be leaving the EC sooner than later. Instead, I hope a solution can be found with the UK still in the EC.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29776970 .

Dark nights

Last night we put the clocks back in the UK to GMT. There is something nice about cosy evenings in during the winter but I always look forward to the clocks going forward again at the end of March, the promise of light evenings, spring birds and flowers.

It amazes me how short the winter usually is: we are only 7 weeks away from the shortest day and even by the end of January the evenings are starting to get lighter later.  By mid-February there is usually more than a hint of a new spring in the air.

Luckily in the UK every season has something good to enjoy.  I'd hate to live in a place where seasons and evening times barely change.

Afghanistan - an enigma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan#mediaviewer/File:Afghanistan_%28orthographic_projection%29.svg

On and off, Britain has fought wars in land-locked Afghanistan since the early 1800s. Lots of UK lives have been lost over the years, and to what good? Sadly, all our efforts there seem to fail and it is high time we stopped meddling where we do not belong.  Yes, the excuse was the Taliban this time, but have we improved world security? No.

Our motives are always good ones, I do not deny. But we are rarely wanted and, more to the point, we rarely do any lasting good. What's the betting that Afghanistan will revert to tribal barbarity not many years after we leave?  Today marks the end of UK combat activities in Afghanistan .... until the next time! Sorry, but I find most wars are pointless. Wars rarely achieve what they set out to achieve. Talking is always better.  Jaw, jaw, not war, war.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29776544 .

Last lawn cut this season?

This morning I cut both our front and rear lawns. It exhausts me but I am glad I did them. This is possibly the last cut before March. The problem now is it is often too wet to cut. Also, as the temperature drops, the grass stops growing. I am always glad to cut the lawn again after the winter: it is a sign of a return to longer days after the long winter nights. Still, in the meantime, I have to get fit again after my brain bleed last year. Although I still tire easily, my stamina must be improving as there was now way I could have cut both lawns in quick succession even 6 months ago.

Michigan bans electric cars

See http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/10/22/michigan-bans-tesla-cars .

The Governor of Michigan is reported (see link) to have banned direct sales of Tesla electric cars in Michigan, USA to protect local car dealers and car makers like General Motors. King Canute comes to mind. 

Is he stupid or stupid?

A sad loss

A few years ago, a fellow radio amateur called Julian Moss, whose radio call was G4ILO, was disagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. Rather than roll over and die, Julian did his internet research and found out the treatments that would prolong his life as much as possible. He also started a blog called One Foot In The Grave to document his battle. Sadly Julian lost his battle yesterday but not before he beat the disease for several extra years.   I was greatly saddened to hear he died yesterday. He inspired many by his great bravery and determination.

Tiredness

I think the week is catching up with me as I have been profoundly tired yesterday and today.  I attempted to dig up a plant in the garden, but I was totally exhausted and had to come in. The experts tell me this is to be expected with a brain injury (cerebellum bleed) and given time I will recover. I do so hope they are right. The feeling of exhaustion is like nothing I have ever experienced before. There is no way of fighting it. I simply have to rest and recover my energy levels.

Italian UFOs?

The BBC recalls a day an Italian football match had to be stopped as a result of mysterious things in the air.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29342407 .

Analysis suggests this was migrating spiders.

NHS and tablet PCs

Today I read that Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge is to roll out tablet PCs linked to a central database from next week.  Not before time too.

More money to the EC?

So, because our economy is doing well we owe the EC billions more? This seems unfair and plays right into the hands of those in the UK who are anti-Europe. The question is did we agree to this before it all happened? I suspect we are moaning now, but this clause has been in place for years!

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29754168 .  UK PM David Cameron says we are not paying next month, but what's the betting we soon have to pay up?

Extract from the BBC website:

David Cameron has angrily insisted the UK will not pay £1.7bn being demanded by the European Union.

"If people think I am paying that bill on 1 December, they have another think coming," the prime minister said in Brussels. "It is not going to happen."
But Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the demand should "not have come as a surprise" to the UK.
He said it was made under a system agreed by all the member states and based on data provided by them.
EU finance ministers have agreed to the UK's request for emergency talks about the top-up payment, which would add about a fifth to the UK's annual net EU contribution of £8.6bn.

NHS overhaul - extra cash needed?

 See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29726934 .

Apparently the NHS can save a lot more money but then needs an additional £8 billion a year  to provide good patent care. Speaking as someone who has had very recent first-hand experience I know that they can save billions every year if they smarten up their communications with patients. Frankly it is abysmal. Wasted ambulance calls - no-one was informed the call should not be made, typed letters posted at great expense for beds not needed as agreed the week before, the endless telling staff the very same data they should already have on hand, physios in the community that don't know when someone is discharged so the patient is "lost" - the list goes on and on. Frankly, the NHS communications is pathetically bad and is in need of "root and branch" overhaul. In the private sector heads would have rolled.  It seems no-one is accountable.  Billions can and must be saved before a penny more is spent.

"Buck stops with me on foreign criminals", says PM

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29726764 .

PM David Cameron has admitted that too few foreign criminals are being deported. He claims some of these are due to unfair "human rights" claims, I believe. Some have simply got lost awaiting deportation.

I hope he does not resign over this. Instead, he needs to fix the problem: deport criminals without delay. This country (UK) neither needs or wants them. If they have dependents here tough. They should not have acted criminally in the first place. Go home first, then argue. At the same time, he needs to address the issues of immigration, finding out just why so many decide they'd like to live here. Some immigrants we need. Some we don't.

Stock market recovery?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/market_data/stockmarket/3/default.stm .

The UK stock market is doing its best to recover ground lost in the market turmoil last week. The markets are still all over the place and recent gains could easily be lost again in the coming days.

Canadian shootings in Ottawa

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Canada_Ottawa_Panorama.jpg/1920px-Canada_Ottawa_Panorama.jpg

Usually, we think of Canada being a normally quiet and uneventful sort of country.  We holidayed in The Rockies there 2 years ago.

So, it was with some amazement that I read about the shootings in Ottawa earlier today in and around the parliament buildings there. Ottawa is a fine city with a really French feel . I am sorry to hear of this tragedy.

We visited Ottawa many years ago, back in the 1990s I think.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29724907 .

Drive to Lavenham and back

Today, I drove further than ever before since my enforced driving ban because of my brain bleed in Sept 2013. The driving was fine. Whilst there, we got a bite to eat, although I was not very hungry.

Slowly, all too slowly, things are returning to normality, although I suspect it will be well into 2015 before I feel "right": I still feel poorly and not my old self yet.

A new hotel or guest house?

For over 30 years now there has been a lovely large house empty on our High Street, right across from the church. Apparently 2 brothers owned it and argued over it. Now at last it is up for sale. It will make someone with a large family a nice home.  Alternatively it could be a nice small hotel or guest house. It will be interesting to see the place 1 year from now.

House for sale. Burwell, UK

River Cam in autumn

Most visitors have gone. The Cam is quieter again. In the summertime the river (just outside Kings College) would be crowded with foreigners on punts enjoying the place.

Cambridge in autumn

Oscar Pistorius verdict

5 years in gaol, but he is eligible for parole in just 10 months. Not being party to all the evidence, I have no idea if this is fair or not.

South Africa is violent country and he probably had to react in great haste. In the calm of the day and thousands of miles away it is too easy to say, "he should not have shot through the bathroom door", but I don't know how I would have reacted in a similar situation.

Sounds to me like he was lucky to get such a lenient sentence.

Sepura shares slide

Shares in my old company Sepura - I retired 6.5 years ago - have, like many FTSE shares - fallen by about 10% in recent weeks. It remains to be seen if these will fall further or stage a recovery.

Cold war?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29686756 .

It sounds like the stuff of spy novels from many years ago, but the Swedish military may indeed be hunting a Russian sub in the waters not far from Stockholm. Neutral Sweden? Why? It beggars belief that the Russians would want to bother with Sweden.

If they do this with Sweden, you can only imagine the spying going on between the Russians and the USA for example.

Russia - the cold war ended a nearly a quarter of a century back! This is the 21st century, remember? Major nations try to behave like adults nowadays. It saddens me to think some major world players still play war games. I expect the USA and the UK are just as bad.

Well done Nigeria

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29685127 .

With no new cases in 6 weeks, Nigeria has declared itself Ebola free. Of course just one plane carrying an infected person could change that, but they do seem to be taking the risks very seriously. We just need to contain this Ebola outbreak before it spreads far and wide and becomes unstoppable.

Mr Barroso's speech today

So the outgoing EC president, Mr Jose Barroso, thinks we will make an "historic mistake" if we leave the EC.  He may be right, but staying within the EC at any cost to the UK is not an option, The UK is keen on a single common market - a level playing field - but seeks ultimate control over its own borders and laws. These are aspirations shared by many EC countries. They are reasonable wishes for our parliament to reign supreme in the UK.

Personally I hope we don't leave the EC, but that the EC will change somewhat.  If the EC does not change we may have no choice but to leave them to it.  I cannot imagine the EC not changing. Were we to leave, I bet we won't be the last.  I cannot see it being a disaster for the UK. Other countries manage. The benefits of membership have to outweigh the downsides.

By the way I am not a UKIP supporter. I am very much a floating voter and have no idea who I shall be voting for in the UK General Election next spring. It will be a difficult decision.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29684585 .

Free movement of people within the EU?

Basically I am in favour of the EC as a free trade group, but I struggle to understand why we can't, as a nation, decide who is allowed to live and work on our tiny, already overcrowded, little island. On this I am fully with David Cameron.  Also I am a believer in the ultimate power of our parliament and not a bunch of bureaucrats in Europe.

It seems to me that in many ways we would be better out than in, unless the EU ideal is more forward looking. We need the EU to understand it is a top-heavy bureaucracy some way from how it was when we first joined. Yes, if we leave there will be downsides, but I expect we will not be the last to leave, if indeed we do vote to leave.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29680059 .

Autumn here (almost)

The leaves are starting to fall now in our garden and another few weeks will see autumn set in strongly.

Our garden - leaves now falling fast.

This morning we went to Anglesey Abbey (National Trust) where the weather was good with temperatures due to reach the low 20 deg C mark this afternoon.

Anglesey Abbey - leaves starting to fall. Colours changing.

Are we being spoiled? Is this the calm before the storm of a very harsh winter?

Secret USA space mission?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29669205 .

It looks like the USA has been testing a secret unmanned re-useable space vehicle. It sound like it being used by the US military to test new systems. Spying sounds the most probable use?

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a fascinating "east meets west" place, with Harry Ramsden's fish and chips, double decker buses and bamboo scaffolding and very eastern markets down side streets. For work (years ago) and for pleasure I have been there several times. I have landed at the old airport (hairy) and passed through the modern new airport on my way back from Taiwan. I still was amazed to see a W.H. Smith shop in the new airport, years after the hand back to China.

I hope Hong Kong manages to retain its unique feel in the years ahead. You get the feeling though that the Chinese government is not at ease with its liberal ways with a western leading. Things could change.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-29672083 .

Tuck postcard archive online

Someone found this today. A very useful and free online resource for postcard enthusiasts and collectors. See http://tuckdb.org/ and search for your favourite place. I expect the content will vary day to day. I searched "Salcombe", "Kingsbridge" and "Burwell" and found plenty of old photo PCs.

My brain

Whenever I post on my blogs or Facebook it seems to take a second visit before I spot a posting error. Usually it is an omitted letter or similar. I wonder if this is an effect of my brain bleed? Usually I can correct the error(s) before anyone is aware, but sometimes it can be the next day before I notice. All my limbs work and (mostly) my cognitive powers are fine, if a bit slower than before. I do so hate being not right still. Although local driving seems fine I still feel giddy on my feet and still tire very easily with any physical activity. Even washing the breakfast dishes tires me still.

New Apple Products

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29643671 .

Although we possess iPod Touch products and an iPad, I still get frustrated by the fact you have to take the products apart to simply change the battery, there is no SD or micro-SD slot and no flash support.

On Android products this is NOT the case. On my Samsung Galaxy S4 mini (Android phone) it is easy and cheap to replace the battery and an extra 32GB of micro-SD storage was easy to fit, so space for apps and photos is not an issue.

NHS - how to WASTE money

It makes my blood boil!

Over a week ago I agreed by phone to change the date of an operation to remove my stomach PEG because the date given clashed with our grandchildren being here over half term. The lady on the phone was very helpful and changed the appointment to the following week. Not only that, we also agreed that a bed overnight would NOT be needed as my wife would be with me at home on discharge. Imagine my disgust to get a typed letter yesterday from the hospital saying the bed was reserved for 2 nights and the appointment was the original date! Of course I rang up immediately and was told there was a mix-up. They would ring me back. Guess who is still waiting!

Clinical care is good but the NHS seems unable to communicate with anyone effectively. Each year the NHS must waste billions because of rubbish communications. Sorry,but the sooner the NHS sorts out its inefficiencies the better.  Let no-one claim that they can't be better. They can improve and give their "customers" a better experience too.

In private industry I would have SACKED people by now.   There really can be no excuse.

The NHS culture needs to change.

Driving further

Today I drove the car to and from Bury-St-Edmunds, parking at Waitrose. This is a 36 mile round trip involving a long stretch of the busy A14.   Driving was fine, with no problems, although people seem to be driving fast.

Local buses

We are supposed to have a service every hour from Burwell into and out of Cambridge. It used to be every half an hour which was good: if you missed one it was not too long to wait for another. On the last 2 occasions the bus has been over 30 minutes late. One is not quite sure whether to keep waiting or get the car out. This is very annoying.

I am told there is an Android app by Cambridgeshire County Council called MyBusTrip that gives real-time data on where buses are.  Perhaps I should get this and only leave the house when the bus is definitely on its way? I allow plenty of time for my weekly U3AC course in Cambridge, but I find the erraticness of our bus service makes people less likely to use them. Surely we should be encouraging local bus use?

UPDATE 1750z:  I have just downloaded the app and must say, so far, I am not that impressed with it.

The first spacewalk - a near disaster

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/2014/newsspec_9035/index.html .

So the truth can now be revealed that the first ever space walk by the Russians in 1965 so very nearly ended in tragedy. At the time we all knew nothing about it because of the propaganda war between the USSR and the USA over space exploration. Now the 80 year old, who was the first human to walk in space, reveals all.

Are we in for a VERY cold winter?

Some are predicting that we are in for a very cold winter here in the UK. Apparently it is, as always, due to the position of the jet stream.

See http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/436170/Worst-winter-for-decades-Record-breaking-snow-predicted-for-November .  I am no fan of the Daily Express, but I wonder if they will be proved right?

Stroke update

People who see me say how much better I look. I am now allowed to drive again and my stomach PEG is due to be removed Nov 4th. I still tire easily, feel wobbly when walking and still feel unwell generally.   I really hope my symptoms start to ease soon.