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Thursday, 27 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Cycling and Gardening, the opium of the retired
The weather has improved enough to do a bit of gardening.
Nothing too strenuous, a little bit of tidying up, plus cutting down a conifer, which had grown too tall, in the front garden. I now have a neat pile of logs for Geoff and his wood burning stove.
Having allowed my cycling activities to fall by the wayside, I have shaken off the lethargy after christmas and got myself back on track. Got to do something to work off the extra pounds.
On Tuesday there is usually a group cycle ride beginning from Marsden Grotto at 13:00 (I think).
The normal pattern is to drive to the meeting point, then use one of the groups bikes. But today I did not have use of the car because Kathleen had to drive Claire to hospital for a "quickie" one day operation.
Not to be beaten I cycled there, through Colliery Wood, to East Boldon, along Mill Lane to Cleadon, then to Whitburn and along the coast to Marsden. Not the shortest route, but the one with the least traffic, an important consideration when you are on a bicycle! But when I arrived there (having already cycled six miles), there was no sign of anyone else, have I got the time wrong?
It was a beautiful day, as you can see from the photograph. Bright and sunny, but with a stiff (and cold) breeze blowing from the North East.
We have a beautiful and mostly unspoiled coast here, but that wind ensures it will never be a tourist trap!
I even managed to get a small Container Ship in the shot as it made it's way from the Tyne. Not too many ships visiting the Tyne these days, nothing like it's heyday.
I continued along the coast to South Shields, then along the river to Tyne Dock, not very scenic on this stretch. Followed the disused railway line from Tyne Dock to Biddick Hall, then took the Linnet Way to Brockley Whins metro station and home.
Eighteen miles, not bad.
Nothing too strenuous, a little bit of tidying up, plus cutting down a conifer, which had grown too tall, in the front garden. I now have a neat pile of logs for Geoff and his wood burning stove.
Having allowed my cycling activities to fall by the wayside, I have shaken off the lethargy after christmas and got myself back on track. Got to do something to work off the extra pounds.
On Tuesday there is usually a group cycle ride beginning from Marsden Grotto at 13:00 (I think).
The normal pattern is to drive to the meeting point, then use one of the groups bikes. But today I did not have use of the car because Kathleen had to drive Claire to hospital for a "quickie" one day operation.
Not to be beaten I cycled there, through Colliery Wood, to East Boldon, along Mill Lane to Cleadon, then to Whitburn and along the coast to Marsden. Not the shortest route, but the one with the least traffic, an important consideration when you are on a bicycle! But when I arrived there (having already cycled six miles), there was no sign of anyone else, have I got the time wrong?
We have a beautiful and mostly unspoiled coast here, but that wind ensures it will never be a tourist trap!
I even managed to get a small Container Ship in the shot as it made it's way from the Tyne. Not too many ships visiting the Tyne these days, nothing like it's heyday.
I continued along the coast to South Shields, then along the river to Tyne Dock, not very scenic on this stretch. Followed the disused railway line from Tyne Dock to Biddick Hall, then took the Linnet Way to Brockley Whins metro station and home.
Eighteen miles, not bad.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Wicked Coalition and the Council Cuts
You may or may not know it, but as from the end of January 2011, Local Authorities are required to publish details of all expenditure exceeding £500.
My Local Authority (South Tyneside), have a "funding gap" of £35million, so I thought I might help them out by looking through their expenditure to see if I could spot any savings.
Yesterday, it was raining, and I was bored, so I checked South Tyneside Council's website, to see if they had complied yet, and supplied a list.
No they had not, so I EMailed my local Councillor to ask how and when they intended to comply. She passed my EMail on the the Council's Legal Department, and I recieved a very nice reply from:
Andrew Wainwright
Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager
South Tyneside Council
Now I ask you what the hell is a "Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager"?
But wait, try a Google Search on "Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager", and you will find they are as common as muck, EVERYONE has one.
It appears, that among other things, they produce useful information , like this, how to walk when it is slippery.
Silly me, I thought my Local Authority were just there to empty the bins, clean the streets, maybe do a bit of Planning Control etc.
My Local Authority (South Tyneside), have a "funding gap" of £35million, so I thought I might help them out by looking through their expenditure to see if I could spot any savings.
Yesterday, it was raining, and I was bored, so I checked South Tyneside Council's website, to see if they had complied yet, and supplied a list.
No they had not, so I EMailed my local Councillor to ask how and when they intended to comply. She passed my EMail on the the Council's Legal Department, and I recieved a very nice reply from:
Andrew Wainwright
Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager
South Tyneside Council
Now I ask you what the hell is a "Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager"?
But wait, try a Google Search on "Corporate Risk and Resilience Manager", and you will find they are as common as muck, EVERYONE has one.
It appears, that among other things, they produce useful information , like this, how to walk when it is slippery.
Silly me, I thought my Local Authority were just there to empty the bins, clean the streets, maybe do a bit of Planning Control etc.
Madness
As our taxes go up and up how about Asylum seeker fun.
How gullible can we get?
Between June 2004 and May 2010, Muse, from Neasden, north-west London, claimed a total of £261,358.14 in income support, disability living allowance for one of her children and carer's allowance for herself.
This included child benefit, child tax credits and housing benefit from various local authorities.
One person can claim £261,000 in 7 years ie £30,000 per year, not bad "work" if you can get it.
Makes Bankers appear positively moral in my opinion.
The unity of the left:
How gullible can we get?
Between June 2004 and May 2010, Muse, from Neasden, north-west London, claimed a total of £261,358.14 in income support, disability living allowance for one of her children and carer's allowance for herself.
This included child benefit, child tax credits and housing benefit from various local authorities.
One person can claim £261,000 in 7 years ie £30,000 per year, not bad "work" if you can get it.
Makes Bankers appear positively moral in my opinion.
The unity of the left:
Friday, 7 January 2011
Black Cloud
January is a depressing month.
Weather is cold, damp and miserable.
I had hoped to return to the cycling group today, but it was cancelled because of the weather, bitterly cold with a heavy frost, most of the snow has gone however.
The news is full of the price of petrol (and deisel). Good old "call me Dave" Cameron is suggesting a "Price Stabiliser" to even out movements in the oil price. Just goes to show how much he knows, the current increase in price has virtually nothing to do with the price of oil, it is almost all inceases in Tax (levied of course to pay for the wasters like the one described below).
Former worlds fattest man Paul Mason to sue NHS over weight-gain
Not content with eating himself into this state at our expense....
Mr Mason's care bill cost taxpayers an estimated £100,000 a year and is believed to have topped £1million over the past 15 years.
He now wants to blame us for it and extract even more money from the public purse.
Anyone thinking this tub of lard will now be working and supporting himself (and family if he has one) after our £1million investment in his well being?, no I doubt it.
Weather is cold, damp and miserable.
I had hoped to return to the cycling group today, but it was cancelled because of the weather, bitterly cold with a heavy frost, most of the snow has gone however.
The news is full of the price of petrol (and deisel). Good old "call me Dave" Cameron is suggesting a "Price Stabiliser" to even out movements in the oil price. Just goes to show how much he knows, the current increase in price has virtually nothing to do with the price of oil, it is almost all inceases in Tax (levied of course to pay for the wasters like the one described below).
Former worlds fattest man Paul Mason to sue NHS over weight-gain
Mr Mason's care bill cost taxpayers an estimated £100,000 a year and is believed to have topped £1million over the past 15 years.
He now wants to blame us for it and extract even more money from the public purse.
Monday, 3 January 2011
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